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Art of Protest

Creating, Discovering, and Activating Art for Your Revolution

Author De Nichols
Illustrated by Various
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Hardcover
$19.99 US
8.5"W x 11"H x 0.61"D   | 22 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Nov 11, 2021 | 80 Pages | 9781536223255
Age 10 and up | Grade 5 & Up
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From Keith Haring to Extinction Rebellion, the civil rights movement to Black Lives Matter, what does a revolution look like? Discover the power of words and images in this thought-provoking look at protest art by highly acclaimed artivist De Nichols.

From the psychedelic typography used in “Make Love Not War” posters of the '60s to the solitary raised fist, some of the most memorable and striking protest artwork from across the world and throughout history deserves a long, hard look. Readers can explore each piece of art to understand how color, symbolism, technique, and typography play an important role in communication. Guided by activist, lecturer, and speaker De Nichols's powerful narrative and stunningly illustrated by a collaboration of young artists, this volume also has plenty of tips and ideas for creating your own revolutionary designs. This is a fully comprehensive look at the art of protest.
  • WINNER | 2023
    BolognaRagazzi Award
  • NOMINEE | 2023
    New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award
  • AWARD | 2022
    NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Books for Young People
  • AWARD | 2021
    Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books
"A compendium of modern protest art practices. Nichols’s own journey from social work graduate student and teaching artist to artivist (artist activist) provides its narrative framework….'How to' activities are paired with basic protest art methodology — symbols, colors, fonts, etc. — and historical context.
—The New York Times Book Review

Abundant contextual information pairs beautifully with encouragement to engage—safely—with protest in a variety of ways suited to civic-minded young artists. Nichols is sure to inspire an entire generation of new 'artivists.'
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The art in this book is amazing. . . the bold colors and fonts used in the graphic design illustrate technique and provide examples for readers.
—School Library Connection (starred review)

This attractive offering serves as a primer on using graphics and visuals as forms of public communication. . . . Nichols calls herself an "artivist," and this fresh guide, which introduces an array of diverse artists and activists and offers insightful tips about art, should inspire aspiring artivists like her.
—Booklist

Artivist De Nichols collaborates with four other artists to create a gorgeous tribute to art as a medium of social protest. . . . This heavily designed and illustrated work is striking. . . will inspire teens to make a difference themselves.
—School Library Journal
De Nichols is currently a Loeb Fellow in residence at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. As an arts-based organizer, social impact designer, serial entrepreneur, and keynote lecturer, she's mobilized change-makers nationwide to develop creative approaches to the social, civic, and racial justice issues that matter most within communities. One of her most celebrated works, The Mirror Casket, was cited in an article by Angela Davis entitled “The Art of Protest.”

Diana Dagadita is a graduate of Solent University in the UK, where they studied illustration. They're a freelance illustrator and printmaker currently living in London. Their first book, Printer's ABC, was published in 2019.

Olivia Twist
is a London-based illustrator, arts facilitator, and lecturer who graduated from the Royal College of Art in the UK with an MA in Visual Communication. She won the Quentin Blake Narrative Drawing Prize in 2017, and was also featured in Taschen's 2019 Best 100 Illustrators From Around the World. She has been commissioned for the Wellcome Collection.

Molly Mendoza has a BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and is a recipient of the RockStar Games Award from the 2015 Society of Illustrators Student Competition. Her first graphic novel, Skip, was published in 2019. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Saddo is the pseudonym of Raul Oprea, a contemporary painter, muralist, and illustrator who has exhibited his work in galleries all over the world, including his home country, Romania, as well as in the United States, Canada, Austria, Denmark, and El Salvador. He was the founding member of the Playground, one of Romania’s first street art groups.

Diego Becas is an illustrator, designer, and multidisciplinary graphic artist based in Santiago, Chile. His work has been commissioned by many publishing houses, theaters, magazines, and festivals. He uses traditional methods and materials, including engraving, cut paper, wood, ink, watercolor, acrylic, and hand-lettering, usually working with a reduced color palette.

Video trailer

Photos

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About

From Keith Haring to Extinction Rebellion, the civil rights movement to Black Lives Matter, what does a revolution look like? Discover the power of words and images in this thought-provoking look at protest art by highly acclaimed artivist De Nichols.

From the psychedelic typography used in “Make Love Not War” posters of the '60s to the solitary raised fist, some of the most memorable and striking protest artwork from across the world and throughout history deserves a long, hard look. Readers can explore each piece of art to understand how color, symbolism, technique, and typography play an important role in communication. Guided by activist, lecturer, and speaker De Nichols's powerful narrative and stunningly illustrated by a collaboration of young artists, this volume also has plenty of tips and ideas for creating your own revolutionary designs. This is a fully comprehensive look at the art of protest.

Awards

  • WINNER | 2023
    BolognaRagazzi Award
  • NOMINEE | 2023
    New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award
  • AWARD | 2022
    NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Books for Young People
  • AWARD | 2021
    Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books

Praise

"A compendium of modern protest art practices. Nichols’s own journey from social work graduate student and teaching artist to artivist (artist activist) provides its narrative framework….'How to' activities are paired with basic protest art methodology — symbols, colors, fonts, etc. — and historical context.
—The New York Times Book Review

Abundant contextual information pairs beautifully with encouragement to engage—safely—with protest in a variety of ways suited to civic-minded young artists. Nichols is sure to inspire an entire generation of new 'artivists.'
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The art in this book is amazing. . . the bold colors and fonts used in the graphic design illustrate technique and provide examples for readers.
—School Library Connection (starred review)

This attractive offering serves as a primer on using graphics and visuals as forms of public communication. . . . Nichols calls herself an "artivist," and this fresh guide, which introduces an array of diverse artists and activists and offers insightful tips about art, should inspire aspiring artivists like her.
—Booklist

Artivist De Nichols collaborates with four other artists to create a gorgeous tribute to art as a medium of social protest. . . . This heavily designed and illustrated work is striking. . . will inspire teens to make a difference themselves.
—School Library Journal

Author

De Nichols is currently a Loeb Fellow in residence at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. As an arts-based organizer, social impact designer, serial entrepreneur, and keynote lecturer, she's mobilized change-makers nationwide to develop creative approaches to the social, civic, and racial justice issues that matter most within communities. One of her most celebrated works, The Mirror Casket, was cited in an article by Angela Davis entitled “The Art of Protest.”

Diana Dagadita is a graduate of Solent University in the UK, where they studied illustration. They're a freelance illustrator and printmaker currently living in London. Their first book, Printer's ABC, was published in 2019.

Olivia Twist
is a London-based illustrator, arts facilitator, and lecturer who graduated from the Royal College of Art in the UK with an MA in Visual Communication. She won the Quentin Blake Narrative Drawing Prize in 2017, and was also featured in Taschen's 2019 Best 100 Illustrators From Around the World. She has been commissioned for the Wellcome Collection.

Molly Mendoza has a BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and is a recipient of the RockStar Games Award from the 2015 Society of Illustrators Student Competition. Her first graphic novel, Skip, was published in 2019. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Saddo is the pseudonym of Raul Oprea, a contemporary painter, muralist, and illustrator who has exhibited his work in galleries all over the world, including his home country, Romania, as well as in the United States, Canada, Austria, Denmark, and El Salvador. He was the founding member of the Playground, one of Romania’s first street art groups.

Diego Becas is an illustrator, designer, and multidisciplinary graphic artist based in Santiago, Chile. His work has been commissioned by many publishing houses, theaters, magazines, and festivals. He uses traditional methods and materials, including engraving, cut paper, wood, ink, watercolor, acrylic, and hand-lettering, usually working with a reduced color palette.

Media

Video trailer