Conversations with Amanda Levinson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Levinson

Hi Amanda, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
In 2023, Lissa and I were part of a larger group of creatives thinking about using the arts to encourage young people to vote. Lissa and I were especially interested in the visual arts, so we developed the concept of a Voting Arts Lab–a project designed to experiment with using different art forms to engage young voters. We landed on commissioning young North Carolina artists to create a zine and posters about why voting matters in the state, especially in 2024. In North Carolina, we distributed over 11,000 posters & 4,500 zines across 20 college campuses, 28 events, and even a museum exhibit. We had over a dozen partners. Demand was such that we expanded to WI & PA, reaching thousands more young people with art. All told, students & youth took nearly 20,000 direct voter engagement actions.

What we learned:
-art draws engagement: young people (& all people) love voting art, & the simplicity of our approach made it easy for them to get involved.

– IRL convos beat virtual engagement for depth of connection. Our physical artifacts delighted people, amplified our impact, and created organic demand.

-Civic engagement has to be humorous, creative, deeply rooted in popular culture and what youth care about if it will reach them.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Young people are growing up with disappointment, anxiety, & heartbreak. They are carrying the weight of the pandemic, an earth teetering on the edge of climate catastrophe, deep social divisions and mistrust, and, on top of it, a dysfunctional political environment that makes it hard for them to trust that voting makes a difference. Still, if I had one word to describe their antidote to it all, it would be humor.

Since we came into the project with a “lab”/hypothesis-testing mentality, we were unsure what to expect. Because demand exceeded our capacity, with a larger budget (and more paid staff), we could have scaled beyond what we did.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Lissa Gotwals is a photographer and Amanda Levinson is a social entrepreneur, yoga, meditation and Reiki teacher helping founders and caregivers thrive by tending to their well-being.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Lean into discomfort and ambiguity, and approach everything with humility and a beginner’s mind. You don’t have all the answers. It will get gnarly and uncomfortable, but that’s where you grow. Don’t go it alone–get advisors, mentors, and champions, and listen to what they say. Build your networks and community to support you when times get rough.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.votingartslab.com
• Instagram: @votingartslab