Is this Fourth of July a Time to Celebrate or Grieve?

Wondering whether to celebrate or cry on this Fourth of July?

Alternatively, you can take a tip from the art community on how to create the world you want.

Artists have used visual storytelling to awaken conscience, support the dismantling of tyrants and inspire the creation of a better world. Art and imagery can wield a stronger sword than soldiers--fascist leaders know this, which is why they try to dispose of the artists first.

The first step is the role of art as a witness.

Francisco Goya's The 3rd of May 1808, painted in 1814, one of the most iconic images in the world, showcases the horrors of militaristic violence. At the time it was painted, it was revolutionary not only in subject but also in artistic style. Napoleon's military forces on the right are seen executing the Spanish insurgents on the left. The central figure clearly references Jesus on the cross, and has visible stigmata on his palms. Before TV, email or Twitter, it could take weeks or months before people heard about these kinds of events, so paintings like this spread awareness of atrocities whenever they were exhibited.

Ilia Repin, a Russian painter, created Barge Haulers on the Volga to depict social inequality. Peasants symbolically pull a huge barge against the current. A steamship that could easily alleviate the suffering of the poor is seen in the far background.

The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David portrays the formidable French revolutionary leader, Jean-Paul Marat. Marat conducted much of his work, including receiving visitors, from a medicinal bath since he suffered from a painful skin condition. Charlotte Corday met with him under false pretenses and pulled out a knife hidden in her clothing and stabbed him. After his death, Marat was viewed by many as the messiah of the French Revolution.

Famous French political cartoonist, Honore' Daumier, depicted the corpulent king consuming the wealth of the poor in Gargantua. Peasants are pouring their money into the king's baskets while he grows fatter. The image was so powerful that the cartoon was censored, both Daumier and his publisher were fined and jailed, and political caricature was made illegal.

The Third Estate Carrying the First and Second Estates shows an exhausted peasant carrying the rich clergy and nobility on his back as they relax. At that time peasants made up 98% of the population and were burdened by taxes and low wages, which enabled the upper 2% to live in luxury. Since the state was fining and imprisoning artists for political cartoons, this one was left unsigned.

Protest art resists the status quo. That's the first step. But it is not effective to remain mired in anger and rebellion-- what we need to do is to move forward. Once we point out what we don't want, the next step is to use visionary art to call forth what we do want.

Themes in visionary art include:

• Healing and wholeness
• Portraying the marginalized as protagonists with power
• Beauty as a soul-enriching force
• Inviting collective dreaming

Visionary artists collaborate with the viewer to evoke communal visions of something better.

In The Horse America Throwing His Master, the horse throws his rider, King George, symbolizing America's rejection of tyranny.

William Blake's Jacob's Dream represents collective spiritual ascent-- a ladder or spiral toward something higher.

Joan of Arc by Jules Bastien-Lepage shows Joan having a divine vision-- not as a warrior but as a visionary. The three figures she sees in her vision appear in the painting behind her.

The Apotheosis of Washington, a fresco on the Capitol rotunda ceiling painted in 1865, places Washington in a divine scene with goddesses like Victoria and Liberty.

Liberty wears a red cap, a symbol of emancipation since Greek times. Minerva, goddess of wisdom, also appears, as does Armored Freedom who tramples tyranny and kingly power. The motto E Pluribus Unum is surrounded by thirteen goddesses represenging the original 13 states.

The 19.5-foot tall, 15,000 pound Statue of Freedom has stood atop the U.S. Capitol dome since 1863.

Her helmet is encircled by thirteen stars, and the feathers in the headdress and the blanket draped over her reference the wild and natural qualities of the Native American. She faces East, greeting each new, hopeful day. Her sword and laurel wreath symbolize freedom and victory. I have selected her as a focal point for my thoughts of wellbeing for the USA and my visions of a better future, since she stands directly over Congress.

Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift from France, so named as they expected the U.S. to be a light to the world, and it is never too late to grow into this vision.

Few people know that the hard-to-see broken chains at her feet represent the abolition of slavery, specifically for African Americans, but that symbolism also calls to mind the relationship between America's poor and the insanely wealthy. Her left foot is set firmly on the ground amidst the broken shackles, but her right foot is lifted behind her, signifying movement forward. In her position in New York Harbor, she is the traditional US welcome for immigrants.

Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms, based on FDR's 1941 State of the Union address, depicts:

• Freedom of Speech
• Freedom of Religion
• Freedom from Want
• Freedom from Fear

Though Rockwell was restricted by the Saturday Evening Post's policy against using Black people in lead roles on covers, he found subtle ways around it in a number of his paintings, and Freedom of Religion includes some visible diversity.

Images created by artists can offer individuals and societies a roadmap toward evolution. But engaging more fully in the creative process is even more useful.

Neurological benefits of creativity:

• Increases neuroplasticity (helpful in preventing cognitive decline)
• Reduces cortisol (the stress hormone)
• Improves cognitive functioning and creative problem-solving

Daily creative activities increase positive emotions and well-being, even into the next day.

Sociologist Emile Durkheim said that group art-making creates collective effervescence-- shared emotional experiences that strengthen bonds. Authoritarian systems divide groups to create isolation, but art brings people together.

Art creates spaces where alternative futures can be imagined before they seem possible.

We must be able to envision the future before we can walk into it. Creating a simple collage from downloaded internet images, such as those listed here, can be a great way to engage in a simple creative activity that not only offers healing for oneself, but helps create a more solid concept of the future.

The Statue of Freedom atop our Capitol and the Statue of Liberty are always inviting us to step forward with our vision of the glorious world we want.