www.a4ds.org

Art for a Democratic Society is an organization dedicated to promoting a culturally and politically dynamic, vibrant, and relevant art scene at the grassroots level. We believe that open and democratic debate, discussion, and critique are preconditions for progressive and inclusive movements in politics, art, and culture. We seek to engage artists and art audiences in public discussions concerning the state of, and relationship between, art, politics, and culture in contemporary society. We are open to all individuals and organizations or collectives who wish to add their voices and perspectives to this project.

We are not interested in art as commodity or investment. We want art and an art scene that is meaningful and speaks to the world around us. Artists are not separated from the rest of society. We see art, not as an individual expression existing in a vacuum, but as the work of individuals or collaborations connected to the world and engaged in a dialogue with society. It is our aim to bring this cultural dialogue to the surface so that our communities can discuss and debate questions in a public and conscious way. In doing so we hope to attract new audiences who, once engaged in the discussions about art, might feel empowered and have a sense of ownership of the scene.

Without dialogue, debate, and democracy, there can be no progress. We believe this to be true of social and political movements as well as art movements. In the first half of the 20th century, modern art movements debated aesthetics and the meaning and possibilities of art through manifestos. The political radicals of the 1960s had newspapers and forums to exchange ideas and critique and debate the direction of the “New Left.” The French New Wave had the “Cahiers du Cinema” and the SDS had “New Left Notes.” Art for a Democratic Society’s first projects, Street Salon and the Manifesto Exchange, are an attempt to create spaces where the Oakland art scene might begin to have these exchanges and develop its own character both openly and consciously.

A4DS was founded in 2007 by Celeste Christie and Steve Damewood, who are now a husband-and-wife team. Francois and Sean were roped into the group in 2011 to help with the Cries of SF project at Southern Exposure. Ethan also performed as part of that project and joined A4DS shortly thereafter. Laura is our newest member, starting in 2016.