Two years ago, more than 75,000 people converged in Washington DC to protest against Israeli occupation in Palestine. As I traveled from New York to Washington to attend the protest—one of many I’ve covered for IslamOnline.net in the past three years—I thought about how these protests have evolved, and how artistic passion has become a cornerstone for a successful, attention-grabbing protest or rally.

That theory was proven more so than ever in late August as numerous groups converged to stage a multitude of protests against the Republican Party, which had its national convention at Madison Square Garden in New York. And what became loud and clear was that in this modern, techno-graphic age, simply gathering or marching with unified voices is not enough. You have to think outside the box.

For weeks leading up to the start of the Republican National Convention, activists from around the country planned and met and advertised and alerted the media that they were coming to New York and that they were going to be heard.

And though marches like the August 22 50,000-strong anti-Bush, anti-war protest (which featured big entertainment names like Fahrenheit 9/11’s Michael Moore) certainly grabbed attention, other more radical or more artistic approaches also succeeded in capturing the country’s notice.

It began as early as August 18 when, at approximately 6 p.m., a group of protestors released a giant sign attached to helium balloons in the main concourse of Grand Central Station in Midtown Manhattan. The sign read “No Bush, Lies, War.” Apparently those who launched the balloon-held sign casually walked away amidst cheers.

Then a few days later a group of protestors were arrested after sneaking into a popular New York hotel, scaling up the balconies, and hanging a large anti-Bush sign. The sign was promptly taken down. But its long-term affects lingered on.

These two sign protests indicate how the importance of the written word—always a staple of artistic protesting—is now amplified. You want to hold a picket sign? You want to raise anti-war banners? Great. But you really want to be noticed? Then keep two things in mind: Bigger is better and location matters.

Two other protests really stretched the degree of artistic passion to display a deep, meaningful objection to President George W. Bush’s war in Iraq. At the World Trade Center site on August 28, thousands gathered to “ring out the Republicans.” Thousands stood silently circling the WTC site and rung bells to represent their concern that 9/11 was not an issue to be spun. The mournful sound of bells—one for each confirmed dead that day—echoed throughout the WTC site, far better eliciting attention than any standard form of protest.

The tragedy of September 11 is a viable election issue for Democrats and especially Republicans (as President Bush seems to build his whole campaign around his War on Terror). But lately more Americans have expressed their disapproval of it being used as a campaign tool. The “Ring out the Republicans” protest was an artful expression of that sentiment.

Yet another protest came via artistic symbolism in New York’s famed Central Park. In an exhibit called “Eyes Wide Open,” thousands of civilian shoes coupled with 970 combat boots were arranged in an area of the park to represent the American troops and Iraqi civilians killed in the United States’ war in Iraq. Far better than speeches and marches, the collective impact of those lonely boots and shoes eschewed a tragic presence of mind. Its images flashed a multitude of times on local and national news reports.

And after four days of convention chaos, political pontificating, and intense protesting, those artistic images and soulful sounds lingered in the New York air. In such a vibrant, forceful city, the act of protesting reached new levels of artistic symbolism. It embraced creativity and harnessed inventiveness in that age-old battle for the public’s attention.

**Dilshad D. Ali's  writing reaches across the United States to address lifestyle topics pertinent to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Ali has covered movie premieres, film festivals, art exhibits, concerts, and numerous other cultural stories, including the affect of September 11 on New York’s cultural landscape for IslamOnline. Ali, a 1997 University of Maryland journalism graduate, resides in New York with her husband and two children.