ENG 101 - From Voice to Action Essay

Explore Your Topic

Once you have an idea about what your assignment is and which artist you will use, now it's time to begin exploring your topic to learn more about your artist. This is an important step in the research process because as you learn more about your topic, you begin to think about what points you might want to research further. In addition, learning about your topic helps you identify keywords or search terms to use later in your research.

Try the resources below to begin exploring.

Suggested Artists

Students can choose whatever artist they would like and will choose one of their works to analyze as part of the argument as their evidence. They can choose to focus on visual art, sculpture, photography, literature, theater, music, comic books, graphic art, comic strip artists, etc. Think about who uses their art to bring awareness to societal issues and to create change.

We strongly suggest choosing one of the artists on the list below. The artists on the list below have articles written about them in the library's databases. Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find articles in the databases on newer, less popular artists. Keep this in mind when selecting an artist to research.

• Aldean, Jason (country singer)

• Anthony, Oliver (country musician)

• Baez, Joan (folk singer)

• Banksy (graffiti artist)

• Basquiat, Jean-Michel (graffiti artist)

• Bearden, Romare (collage and photomontage artist)

• Capa, Robert (photographer)

• Catlett, Elizabeth (sculptor & printmaker)

• Cooke, Sam (R&B singer)

• Dylan, Bob (folk singer)

• Eminem (rap musician)

• Fairey, Shepard (graphic designer)

• Ferzat, Ali (cartoonist)

• Frazier, LaToya Ruby (photographer)

• Green Day (punk rock band)

• Guthrie, Woody (folk musician)

• Haggard, Merle (country musician)

• Haring, Keith (painter & sculptor)

• Heartfield, John (photomontage visual artist)

• Holzer, Jenny (large-scale word artist)

• Horsey, Davis (editorial artist)

• Kahlo, Frida (painter)

• Keith, Toby (country musician)

• Kid Rock (rock singer)

• Kirby, Jack (comic book artist)

• Kruger, Barbara (graphic artist)

• Lamar, Kendrick (rap musician)

• Lange, Dorothea (photographer)

• Lawrence, Jacob (painter & printmaker)

• Lee, Stan (comic book artist)

• Lennon, John (singer)

• Lil Baby (rap musician)

• Logic (rap musician)

• Luster, Deborah (photographer)

• Marley, Bob (reggae musician)

• Miranda, Lin-Manuel (playwright and composer)

• Mos Def (rap musician)

• Nast, Thomas (political cartoonist)

• N.W.A. (hip hop music group)

• Parton, Dolly (country musician)

• Picasso, Pablo (visual artist)

• Public Enemy (rap group)

• Rage Against the Machine (metal band)

• Ringgold, Faith (painter & mixed media sculptor)

• Rivera, Diego (painter)

• Scott, Dread (artist – participatory)

• Seeger, Pete (folk musician)

• Simone, Nina (jazz performer)

• Spiegelman, Art (cartoonist/graphic novel artist/writer)

• Springsteen, Bruce (rock musician)

• Telnaes, Ann (editorial artist)

• Trudeau, Gary (comic strip artist)

• The Beatles (pop band)

• The Chicks (female country group)

• Thomas, Hank Willis (conceptual artist)

• U2 (rock band)

• Weiwei, Ai (artist & documentarian)

Artists that are NOT eligible for this project:

• Panic! At The Disco
• Post Malone & Swae Lee
• Olivia Rodrigo
•  Lil Nas X
•  Harry Styles
• Ariana Grande
• Glass Animals
• Taylor Swift
• Childish Gambino
• My Chemical Romance
• Rachel Platten
• Billie Eilish
• Chris Stapleton
• Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee
• Blake Shelton
• Jay-Z & Alicia Keys