The prominent writer, James Baldwin, emphatically declared that “artists are here to disturb the peace.” His observation continues to have historical relevance and suggests that artists are truth-tellers in moments of crisis. Artists oftentimes envision art as social action that toils a new social world into being. This is particularly true for activist-artists – or artivists – who creatively respond to the call for social transformation and engage in the frontlines working for social change. This class investigates the “who, what, where, when, why, and how” of creative artistic resistance. We will discuss a range of topics, such as the impact and inter-relationships between art, activism, and the social imagination; what is “real” and “imagined;” art and its impact on public policy; public art and community engagement; the role of art in social movements, and art as social movement; the function and responsibility of artistic institutions (museums, community art centers, etc.); the relationship between art and identity(ies); political art vs. activist art; community-based art vs. art-based community making. Through a sustained exploration of artivism, we will examine how artistic expressions can alter on-the-ground geographies of under-resourced communities. Students should expect to undertake a collaborative or independently conceived, semester-long art project, or a research term paper that corresponds to either their creative art practices, intellectual interests, or associated curiosities.