Reilly Brady

The question that guided my sustained investigation was: How can I use art as a vehicle for my activism? From LGBTQ+ rights to environmental policy, I have always been involved in activism. This year, I have focused greatly on women’s rights, including female empowerment, equal pay, the societal treatment of women. While researching, I discovered a theme of incorporating words in activist art and built on this concept by combining text, design, and illustration (4-8) to portray activist messages. As I developed my investigation, I recognized that simply making art was not enough—I needed to directly engage my community by making my works interactive. I created chalk art in front of my house (9) and posed a question to my school through an interactive installation (1-3), and strangers, friends, and teachers approached me to ask about my works. After my body of work, I wanted to empower others to use their voice as well. Over social media, I asked my community what issues are important to them and represented their responses through an installation (10). Through my sustained investigation, I expanded my definition of activist art and learned to be fearless in presenting my work.