Art Can Change the World
“Make art, not war” is a popular quote we see everywhere we go online, from visually striking posters to a picture of someone at a march with these words written on a cardboard sign. But, for Noa Zimmerman, this is what she dedicates her life to as the co-founder and executive director of The Artivist Foundation.
The Artivist Foundation is a non-profit organization that amplifies the voices of activist artists (Artivists) by connecting them with local and global communities to fight for justice and provide resources that will enable them to become the leaders that our world so desperately needs.
Noa is a 23-year-old San Francisco Bay Area native who is passionate about music, art, and activism. She graduated in May 2021 from the University of Southern California where she studied Popular Music Performance with an emphasis on Songwriting and Music Production.
FUN FACT: Noa was the first woman to graduate from the Music Production major!
She is definitely a natural born artivist. She started writing songs when she was little and they were mostly about world peace. As she grew older, she used her talent and passion for songwriting to empower the community around her.
In 2016, she founded Soundwaves: Marin City Youth Music Academy, a music program for students at Bayside Martin Luther King Elementary School where the arts program was being cut due to lack of funding. Three years later, she started a therapeutic songwriting program for foster teenagers with addiction issues in Los Angeles, California.
Another cause dear to her heart is climate justice. Before the pandemic, she was working as the primary videographer on a documentary about a community organizing to prevent destructive and dangerous shallow oil drilling in Santa Maria. Production came to a halt because of the COVID-19 safety regulations. But, this story had two happy endings: the oil drilling plan was canceled and The Artivist Foundation was born.
An artivist is someone who uses creativity to spread a message to help people. -Noa.
Noa and her team were talking on the way back home about how displeased they were with social media and how it didn’t do a good job at showcasing the artivists’ talent and important messages. So, they decided to create a platform for artivists around the world to connect and learn new skills. They have gone a long way since that moment. Among the many special moments that she has experienced with The Artivist Foundation, some of them are these:
- Being approved as a non-profit
- Getting their first grant
- Hiring a team of interns
- Hosting The Artivist Community Panel
They also have really exciting plans such as building the Collective platform, hosting more panels and open mic events in the summer, building a resource library, and planning artivist festivals in person soon.
Noa’s advice for current and soon-to-be artivists is:
Any creative capability you have is such a gift. If you can use that to advocate and raise awareness, then you’re doing something amazing for the world. There is a lot of potential for change that can come from a single piece of art.
She recommends young people to listen to “Blowing in the wind” by Bob Dylan.
Noa’s advice for those interested in starting their own social project, initiative, or non-profit organization is:
Make a list of people you know who have expertise in an area and might be interested in the idea. And, just have conversations. Don’t worry about where it leads to because everything leads to something. Find people to partner with. Don’t try to do it all yourself.
To learn more and stay in touch with The Artivist Foundation, you can go to their website and follow them on social media.
