Activism

 
I MAKE ART FOR PEOPLE ON THE FRONT LINES. That’s my family: a community of activists who are not artists but who want to use art as a weapon. That’s who tells me if something is working and how I can make my art more effective. Some of my work is direct propaganda; some of it is visual journalism.
 
Art always has to go beyond human health, human drama, and human issues. It has to be about social justice for all animals, including humans. I initially made that connection as a kid in England after World War II, growing up around bombed-out ruins and living next door to a slaughterhouse. As a child, I was forced to see the correlation between war, violence, and fascism, and animal cruelty and abuse. Once I figured that connection out, so early on, I realized that the Other is always at risk.
  • What is the simplest thing someone can do to change things for the better?

     

    The easiest to change, is to control what you put in your mouth. If you eat a plant-based diet and remove animal products, you can save millions of animals unbelievable suffering, save the forests, save indigenous people who need the trees and their own land that are now being sacrificed for short-term grazing by the beef barons. You would save in health costs. It's stunning how some people have all these plans for social change but cannot change the simplest thing about themselves.

    —interview with Dianne V. Lawrence, Coagula Art Journal, May 1999

  • Charities in Need
  • Photograph of the artist throwing a bucket of water on to an elephant while standing in a river at Elephant Nature Park, Thailand, 2015 Photograph of the artist and friend carrying corn for feeing the elephants at ENP, Thailand, 2015 Photograph of the artist and fellow volunteers riding atop bundles of corn while working at ENP, Thailand, 2015 Photograph of the artist with one of the cats that lives in the Elephant Nature Park, Thailand, 2015 Sue Coe playing with pup at Elephant Nature Park Photograph from behind of the artist sketching an elephant in her sketchbook, Elephant Nature Park, Thailand, 2015 Photograph of sketchbook pages from Coe's trip to ENP, Thailand, 2015 Photograph of sketchbook pages from Coe's trip to ENP, Thailand, 2015 Photograph of a sketchbook page covered with elephant drawings Photograph of sketchbook pages from Coe's trip to ENP, Thailand, 2015 Photograph of a sketchbook page covered with elephant drawings Photograph of a page from the artist's sketchbook, Elephant Nature Park, Thailand, 2015

    Elephant Nature Park Sanctuary, Thailand

    Elephant Nature Park is a rescue and rehabilitation center in northern Thailand that welcomes visitors and volunteers. The Sanctuary's dozens of rescues have created a thriving elephant herd at ENP. The park provides a natural environment for elephants, but is also home to dogs, cats, buffalos, and many other animals. You can make a difference! Donate to help fund ENP's activities  or arrange a visit to ENP's ongoing projects in Thailand,  Cambodia, and Myanmar.
    Donate Now!
  • Retired Bullocks Settle In at Animal Rahat’s New Sanctuary
    Retired Bullocks Settle In at Animal Rahat’s New Sanctuary

    Animal Rahat, India

    Animal Rahat (“rahat” means “relief” in Hindi) is a PETA-supported organization that was founded in 2003 to make a difference in the lives of working bullocks, donkeys, ponies, horses, and other animals in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Veterinary teams at four regional offices help thousands of animals often in desperate need, while the group’s two sanctuaries provide rescued and retired animals with a lifetime of care. A dollar goes a long way there. 

    Donate now!

  • Ukrainian Charities Assisting Humans and Animals

    Happy Paw
    UAnimals
    Shelter_Ugolyok
    Sirius Shelter
    International Fund for Animal Welfare