What is the power of art? Can art really make a difference in a community? Can it make a difference for those going through troubled times?

If you would have asked me those questions prior to reading Art and Upheaval I would responded hesitantly, saying that art is beautiful, but I'm not sure if it is something that can change lives. After reading this book though, I have been convinced of the importance of art and its power when it is used by citizens of a community to communicate ideas that will foster healing and unity.

Art and Upheaval is split into six sections, each of which discusses a geographic area which has dealt with some form of hardship, and then follows the actions and art of those in that area, reflecting on how that art has changed and helped those communities. The geographic areas and the hardships faced are quite diverse.

In Northern Ireland a community comes together to support a play about a mixed marriage in which the play moves through a community, crossing back and forth between the Catholic and Protestant areas of town. In Cambodia artists set out to recreate their history through art after the losses from the Khmer Rouge. In South Africa artists set out to address both the issues of apartheid and AIDS. In America the Watts Prophets inspire with group performance poetry. In Australia theater is used as a means to communicate the effects of nuclear testing on unknowing military men and the aborigines, in hopes that the government will finally take responsibility for their actions. In Serbia a theater group responded to the war by acting in the streets.

Each chapter follows the artists from the creation of their idea through its implementation, and shows how they managed to create art in spite of hardship, and in many cases government opposition. Their stories are truly inspirational, and I learned a lot about the culture and history of the people in the process of reading about their creations.

While this does read as more of a textbook, and I wish that there were a lot more photos of the art and performances (all photos are black and white), the stories were both informative and touching. A few of the stories brought me to tears, especially those of the survivors of the nuclear testing in Australia.

I highly recommend this book if you have any interest in community art and performance, especially as a means to help others cope with difficult circumstances. ( )

This is where art inspires me the most: involving many people, creating the space to say something that has been silenced, and the process of collaboratively building. I appreciated the discussion of how tough and tiring it is to do this work in the example of the Irish wedding play, and how good work can still have unexpected and negative consequences. Very honest. ( )

Art and Upheaval: Artists on the World's Frontlines
By William Cleveland. Foreword by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Playwrights confronting Apartheid; poets and actors taking on criminal gangs and dictators; painters alleviating poverty? Sounds implausible, but it's true. William Cleveland spent eight years traveling the globe to gather stories about artists working in communities facing political, social and environmental upheaval. He found that when the forces of creativity and destruction meet surprising things happen. His new book, Art and Upheaval, presents a striking picture of painters, performers and writers in the proverbial trenches struggling for freedom, making peace and re-building civil society in six global hot spots.

Richly illustrated with photos, art and excerpted writings, Art and Upheaval brings to life the struggles and triumphs of art makers around the world—from Belfast to Johannesburg, Belgrade and beyond—creators who are helping re-imagine and re-build their devastated communities. These dramatic stories are told against the backdrop of tragic headlines and histories that span decades. What shines through the horror, though, is the power and persistence of artists whose work gives evidence that human creativity can help us heal the deepest and most destructive of our self-inflicted wounds.

Intended audience: General trade; academic in fields of arts education, community arts, arts therapy, arts administration, history, anthropology, international studies, peace studies, sociology, psychology, human services, public administration, communication, political science, public health, mental health, global development; academic and general library collections.

William Cleveland, director of the Center for the Study of Art & Community, is an activist, teacher, lecturer, writer and musician. He is the author of Making Exact Change (Art in the Public Interest, 2005) and Art in Other Places (Praeger, 1992; U Mass, 2000), which explore the community arts movement in the United States.

Clarissa Pinkola Estés is an American poet, cantadora, psychoanalyst and post-trauma specialist. She is author of more than six books on the life of the soul, most notably, Women Who Run With the Wolves. ( )