“Art activist” Eric Humphries has tackled such topics as AIDS awareness, evolution and war in his work – and for the last fifteen years, he has been working on a large series of paintings centering around violent episodes in history, known collectively as The Atrocities. Most recently, Humphries has finished work on a fourteen-month project detailing the events surrounding the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. In his one-hour talk, “Art with a Purpose,” Humphries provides historical examples illustrating the power of art to effect change, even as he gives students an inside look at how his art is constructed (with attention given to key aesthetic elements and principles). He helps students “make the connection” and understand that they can use their own creativity and art to actively influence people to respect and defend human rights. (“Art with a Purpose” is appropriate for high-school students, college students and adults.) In his talk on the Tulsa Race Riot (1921), “Is the Whole World on Fire?,” Humphries uses photographs and paintings to share this important chapter in Oklahoma history with learners and motivate them to get involved politically and socially to promote respect and tolerance between people, preventing racially-motivated violence and destruction.