I have read some interesting things about an art collective based in new york in the late 80s early 90s called Gran Fury. Its interesting how the same debates come about in relation to notions of 'political activism' and supposed 'political art' and the general importance or priority of art in regards to social and political change. The group was basically an activist group protesting etc against lack of government action towards aids recognition and active prevention. They intervened in public spaces (like the Situationists) by appropriating advertising and mass media communicative techniques (like Holzer etc), to shock absent minded readers in public domains. They comment on the fact that artists are given incomparable freedom to political and social commentry and thus as an "artist collective" were able to exploit this power for political means.
Another interesting one was Jimmy Boyle's Gateway Exchange in Edinburgh which started kind of as an art center for youths and any public members in need of cultural nourishment, as anyone could rock up and join the collaboration of a gant art project or just do their own creative stuff. Boyle talks about the struggles with funding, and the more funding (from government etc) the more their freedom was limited and controlled. The Gateway Exchange grew too large and ended up transforming fan organization for the homeless, poverised and aids affected people, the point of artistic expression (being the original driving force) being completely lost.
I will add more to this later, i need to catch the train.
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