last night, i was working on my presentation for the talk that I am getting ready to give at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard. The talk is using HighWaterLine as a jumping off point for discussing the role that artists and designers can play in the larger scheme of environmental policy and planning. During my preparations, I posted the following on Twitter and Facebook: “Eve is once again thinking about the role that artists can play in social change – what do we bring to the table and how is that unique?”

I got some fascinating responses which I would like to share:

Abigail Ramos at 10:19pm March 9
artists are our most valuable historians… they document the times from the perspective of the people and in a much more meaningful way than words ever could. ok, i think i’m way off from your question though. i dunno. ;p

Jeremiah Moore at 11:23pm March 9 via Facebook Mobile
among other things, artists are digesting and remixing symbols… & bringing new structures… these create new cultural and personal pathways, paving the way for social change.

Lizzie Scott at 11:55am March 10
Artists (sometimes) expand what we consider to be possible, and (one hopes) allow us to expand our thinking in general. Without revolutions in our ideas, we get totally stuck with “that’s just the way things are.”

Marc Mitzner at 3:12pm March 10
Artists challenge the “norm” – what is socially acceptable & what isn’t – as well as point out the folly in what IS the norm.

Anyway, just a reason to love it…