The role of the artist has always varied from performer, composer, author, and scholar, to administrator, community organizer, social entrepreneur, and activist. From John Cage to Nina Simone to Jawole Willa Jo Zollar to Kendrick Lamar, artists and their work both inform and reflect the joys, dreams, nightmares, and horrors of our ever dense and intermingled world. This course will offer contributors (as an alternate to the word “student”, let’s refer to one another as “contributors”, all of us contributing—-equally—-to a classroom of ideas) a survey and analysis of selected works by major artists and activists, and the complex artistic, social, and cultural impact of the artist as activist. Contributors will have the opportunity to attend and view the work of world-class activist artists; engage in discussions and an interview process with them; learn how to contextualize their own work within a personal, appropriate, activist dialogue; and present an in-class performance for their peers, based on their current work. Required readings, contemporary performance practices, and aspects of social entrepreneurship, will be included. This class is engaging, discussion-based, and will always be relevant to your ideas, art, craft, and career. This course fulfills the requirement for Graduate Seminar for MM students.