Art as Activism: Impacting Our World
Does art merely reflect a deeply damaged world, or can it inspire change? Jen Marlowe, director, author, and human rights activist, explores this question.
She first discovered the power of art as a tool of activism while doing peace and justice work in Palestine and Israel. Crossing the border with a video camera, she taped messages from Palestinian youth in the West Bank and Gaza and showed them to youth in Israel, who would record messages in response. As time went on, the video dialogue project evolved from the participants using the camera to “talk” to each other, to using the camera to document their realities and to challenge their counterparts on the “other side” to work to change it.
As part of a three-person team, Jen traveled to Northern Darfur and Eastern Chad to make the documentary film Darfur Diaries: Message from Home and wrote the accompanying book, Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival, (2006) which is included in the 2007 volume of Best American Non Required Reading, edited by Dave Eggers.
Jen’s second feature-length award-winning documentary is Rebuilding Hope and follows three Lost Boys on their first homecoming to Sudan, to discover whether their families survived the civil war. Eventually they build a school, drill wells and bring medical supplies to their villages.
Jen’s second book, called The Hour of Sunlight (Nation Books, 2011), is co-authored with and tells the story of Sami Al Jundi, a Palestinian man from the Old City of Jerusalem who spent ten years in Israeli prison for bomb-making, and his extraordinary metamorphosis from a militant to a passionate advocate of nonviolence and peaceful reconciliation.
Jen is the playwright of There is a Field, addressing issues faced by Palestinian citizens of Israel. She recently began work on her next book, with Martina Correia, sister of death row inmate Troy Davis.
Throughout the talk, Jen will explore the role of the media in determining what messages we receive and whose voices we have access to—as well as how art can challenge that, forcing all of us to challenge our pre-conceived assumptions. Jen Marlowe will inspire her audiences to create or seek out creativity that fuses artistry, activism and solidarity into beautiful, troubling and ultimately inspiring works that challenge us to change our world.
The Response
“Jen Marlowe’s visit to Nichols College was an inspiration to many of our students. She was called ‘passionate,’ ‘inspirational,’ and ‘engaging.’ One student wrote ‘This has been the most eye-opening program I have ever been to. It makes me want to do something to help Darfur and Pakistan instead of sitting back and caring about just myself.’ Jen provided excellent background information, great visuals, dedication to her cause and a high level of professionalism. We would love to have her return in the future.”
Blanche Milligan
Director, Fischer Policy and Cultural Institute
Nichols College
“Jen Marlowe captivated an audience of over 1,200 faculty and students with her talk on ‘art as activism.’ Her message inspired students to think about ways that they could make a difference in the lives of others both within their own communities and the world at large. Jen is an engaging speaker with a powerful and irresistible message.”
Laura Rossi-Le
Dean of the Undergraduate College
Endicott College
“At the 2008 President’s Forum on International Human Rights: Modern Genocides and Global Responsibility, Jen Marlowe [...] provided our students with enormous insight into the human rights abuses that continue to occur in Sudan. Her visit offered a glimpse into the kind of social justice work that truly makes a difference on the planet. Without question, our community benefited tremendously from her lecture and we hope that she will be able to return in the near future.”
Perrin Reid, M.A., J.D.
Director, Office of Equity and Diversity
California State University, Long Beach
