Go Downtown — Good Trouble

Formed ahead of the 2004 Bush election, Downtown for Democracy turned art into political power, raising money to get out the vote in swing districts. Now, they’re back.

This article is taken from the second issue of Good Trouble magazine, aka ‘Issue 22’, published summer 2018 – get your copy here.

Formed a year ahead of the 2004 Bush election, New York-based arts group Downtown For Democracy set out to ‘transform cultural influence into political power’, and went on to raise $1 million through political contributions and art sales to help get the vote out in swing districts across the country. Relaunched in 2017, this “alliance of people who work in art, music, fashion, film, food, literature, theatre, advertising, and other creative media” now have their work cut out as a Political Action Committee aiming to harness the power of artists to create social change. Artists such as Richard Prince, Marilyn Minter and Guy Richards Smit have all contributed work to support D4D that can be bought via their website. Good Trouble spoke with one of the founders Courtney Saunders to find out more.

Prince Launch Event at Karma Books NYC 2018

What are the aims of Downtown for Democracy?

We feel creative, artist-led activism has the unique ability to shift perceptions and forge dialogue – drawing from culture to impact culture. For example, the political “pageantry” that Act Up dreamed up and enacted was so impactful and changed the world’s consciousness. When we formed and named Downtown for Democracy, there was the notion that there is a creative centre of America, a mythical “downtown” that exists all over this country. It’s the vanguard that envisions and creates change.

Since the election of Trump, we felt all of us have the responsibility to become engaged and active in political life – and to remain active. We want to remind people of the very basic ideals that bind us as a nation: liberty and equality. Because our basic liberties are so thoroughly under threat – we have to reintroduce ourselves to the tenets of our democracy. We believe that now is the time to unite and fight to protect these ideals and to elect politicians who will do the same.

“When we formed Downtown for Democracy, there was the notion that there is a creative centre of America, a mythical “downtown” that exists all over this country. It’s the vanguard that envisions and creates change.”

Have the aims of Downtown for Democracy changed since 2003?

“ A more active progressive movement might have prevented this from happening. An active progressive movement will prevent this from happening again.”

We were a loose coalition of people who worked in creative disciplines in NYC, who came together [hoping] to defeat George W. Bush. We met weekly in Bronwyn Keenan’s eponymous gallery on Crosby Street. The whole experience felt very analogue – we had a launch event at Phillips and I remember all of us laboriously packing envelopes all evening and driving them over to the main library at midnight. Obviously, most of our communications are now, thankfully, social and digital. We were terrified by what George Bush was doing in 2003… [But] through events, television and print advertising, and get-out-the-vote efforts, Downtown for Democracy managed to boost voter turnout by as much as 187 percent in the precincts it engaged. We lost the election in 2004 – which was heartbreaking.

D4D at Frieze NYC 2018 @ Marian Goodman booth // work by Paul Chan, Marilyn Minter, Marlene Mccarty & Richard Prince

D4D at March For Our Lives with Badlands protest sign and Rachel Comey D4D custom jacket

What are the actions of the project you want people to know about?

We’ve been raising funds through art and merchandise sales, participating in art fairs and shows all over the country. We manned voter registration and information booths at the Brooklyn Book Fair and Printed Matter PS1 Book Fair. We launched D4D editions with original limited-edition prints by Cecily Brown, Jonathan Horowitz, Marilyn Minter and Guy Richard Smit. We took part in the 2018 Teen Vogue Summit, with the theme of #TurnUp (to the polls!), alongside today’s most prominent activists, politicians, and change-makers. We collaborated with the designer Rachel Comey on a limited-edition camouflage jacket for The Women’s March on Washington featuring the Latin phrase, “Si Vales, Valeo,” which translates to, “If You Are Strong, I Am Strong”… We are supported by so many generous and involved artists who are contributing their work as well as their energy and ideas. We are so grateful to them. We’re also an all-volunteer group– so get in touch if you want to work with us.

What do you have planned for the future?

There are so many great groups working towards the elections in November. We are working on some swing district advertising and get-out-the-vote initiatives for the midterms in 2018. We’ll plan to allocate our resources where they will best move the needle. We are based in New York City but we’d also like to expand beyond the coasts to connect to ‘downtowns’ everywhere… What would happen if all of the creative centers in cities like Asheville or St. Louis or San Antonio also became really politically active?