…Exploring the role of the prankster as artist, activist and social observer and the significance of the prank in society.
Join us at Trump Tower on Saturday June 14th at 1:00pm.
Dress the part. Its gonna be a blast!
Join the army of creative activism.
Share and spread the word!
I thought I was getting on a flight to Germany to deliver my keynote at the
Art & Place conference in Saarbrücken.
Instead, I wound up giving it via Zoom—from a prison cell.
Not literally, of course. But I dressed for the part. A fitting backdrop for a talk on creative dissent.
Guerrilla theater, unsanctioned public art, protests in disguise—these are the tools I’ve used to question authority and reclaim public space. Sometimes with humor. Sometimes with a bullhorn. Always with intent.
While my prison cell was symbolic, the consequences of challenging power are very real. So, this was a reminder: dissent isn’t just a right. It’s a necessity. And we need to protect the freedom to speak out—especially when it’s uncomfortable.
Thanks to the organizers for inviting me. And to everyone still raising hell where it matters.
Joey Skaggs will deliver the keynote address, “Ephemeral Interventions: Public Space as a Canvas for Art and Activism,” at the Art & Place Conference in Saarbrücken, Germany on May 2, 2025. The conference will also be hosting the German premiere of Andrea Marini’s Art of the Prank documentary on May 1, 2025, which celebrates Skaggs’ six-decade career.
