The Art of Black Lives Matters Minneapolis

When Minneapolis police killed Jamar Clark, an unarmed young black man, in November 2015, community members took their anger to the streets—where, at the 4th Precinct police headquarters, a sit-in protest in the station entryway turned into an 18-day occupation that spilled out into the streets. They demanded that police release video footage of the shooting, sought an independent investigation, and coalesced a robust community operating under the banner of Black Lives Matter. In this piece for Hyperallergic, I highlighted the role of artists in the movement for black lives, illustrating the range of creative solutions employed on the movement’s behalf, the diversity of practices and disciplines, and the key role BLM allies can play. Featured are: the projections of Anishinaabe artist Ashley Fairbanks, the community-driven large-scale printing press of Piotr Szyhalski, the video work of black documentary filmmaker D.A. Bullock, the mixed-media activism of Sam Gould, and the music of Jayanthi Kyle, who's song "Hand in Hand" has become an unofficial anthem of the movement.