Articulating the Arts is Articulate Theatre Company's signature benefit event. It brings together our Company members and guest artists with unique works of art to use as a springboard and source of inspiration for new theatre works. Our first installment focused on playwrights taking "one image" and giving us A Thousand Words. The second one took the images Off The Wall and put them on the stage! Our third AtA, Folk City Scenes, moved us from the visual arts to the musical arts, and our fourth let us bring old folklore to the modern stage with Tales in Time.
Today's world has challenged us to look at how artists impact change in the world through protest images, so we shared images from protests over many years and from different countries to inspire today's playwrights to generate new works. Here are the images we gathered, and the stories behind them.
THE IMAGES |
Protest art that inspired plays selected for Articulating the Arts:
The Artists
Pia Guerra - The Kids are Alright (Eenie Meenie Miney No)
Pia Guerra is a Vancouver based artist who was co-creator and lead penciller of the award winning Y - the Last Man with writer Brian K. Vaughan and inker Jose Marzan Jr.. She has also worked on Black Canary, Hellblazer, Torchwood and Doctor Who. She does editorial cartoons for relaxation and retribution. @PiaGuerra
Jeff Rothberg - I Sit with Kaepernick (Consequences)
Jeff Rothberg is a true New York City artist, born in Manhattan and raised out in Brooklyn. Jeff is a graduate of Pratt Institute (Brooklyn, NY) where he received his BFA in Communication Design. He’s best known for his digital and fine art work. Some of Jeff’s mediums consist of graphic design, painting, drawing, photography, clothing, silk screen, lino print and collage. He has worked with clients such as Universal Music Group, Bad Boy Records, MMG, MTV, VH1, Brooklyn / NJ Nets, Mass Appeal, Puff Daddy, Rick Ross, French Montana, Dead Prez, producer Harry Fraud, director Marcus A. Clarke, Lil’ Cease, Styles P, Chinx, G-Dep, Sean Price and Shabaam Sahdeeq.
Some of Jeff’s notable works include creating and art directing the album cover art for French Montana’s hit singles “Shot Caller” & “Shot Caller Remix” and “Everything’s A Go.” His most recent highly successful pieces, “BATTLE IN BROOKLYN,” “I SIT WITH KAEPERNICK,” “ALL FUN AND GAMES” and “MINE’S BIGGER THAN YOURS” have continued to catapult his name toward being one of the more creative and smart-assed artists in the world.
Non-Violence Project Foundation - The Knotted Gun (Before Yesterday was Better; Triggered)
The sculpture Non-Violence is also known as “the knotted gun.” It was originally created as a memorial tribute to the legendary singer and songwriter John Lennon, after he was shot and killed outside his home in New York City on December 8, 1980. The idea behind the knotted gun was to honor John Lennon for his vision of a world at peace. At the time John Lennon was one of the most public advocates for peace and non-violence and in many of his songs (...) the lyrics focused on the vision of a world without violence. http://www.nonviolence.com/about/the-knotted-gun/
Pia Guerra - The Kids are Alright (Eenie Meenie Miney No)
Pia Guerra is a Vancouver based artist who was co-creator and lead penciller of the award winning Y - the Last Man with writer Brian K. Vaughan and inker Jose Marzan Jr.. She has also worked on Black Canary, Hellblazer, Torchwood and Doctor Who. She does editorial cartoons for relaxation and retribution. @PiaGuerra
Jeff Rothberg - I Sit with Kaepernick (Consequences)
Jeff Rothberg is a true New York City artist, born in Manhattan and raised out in Brooklyn. Jeff is a graduate of Pratt Institute (Brooklyn, NY) where he received his BFA in Communication Design. He’s best known for his digital and fine art work. Some of Jeff’s mediums consist of graphic design, painting, drawing, photography, clothing, silk screen, lino print and collage. He has worked with clients such as Universal Music Group, Bad Boy Records, MMG, MTV, VH1, Brooklyn / NJ Nets, Mass Appeal, Puff Daddy, Rick Ross, French Montana, Dead Prez, producer Harry Fraud, director Marcus A. Clarke, Lil’ Cease, Styles P, Chinx, G-Dep, Sean Price and Shabaam Sahdeeq.
Some of Jeff’s notable works include creating and art directing the album cover art for French Montana’s hit singles “Shot Caller” & “Shot Caller Remix” and “Everything’s A Go.” His most recent highly successful pieces, “BATTLE IN BROOKLYN,” “I SIT WITH KAEPERNICK,” “ALL FUN AND GAMES” and “MINE’S BIGGER THAN YOURS” have continued to catapult his name toward being one of the more creative and smart-assed artists in the world.
Non-Violence Project Foundation - The Knotted Gun (Before Yesterday was Better; Triggered)
The sculpture Non-Violence is also known as “the knotted gun.” It was originally created as a memorial tribute to the legendary singer and songwriter John Lennon, after he was shot and killed outside his home in New York City on December 8, 1980. The idea behind the knotted gun was to honor John Lennon for his vision of a world at peace. At the time John Lennon was one of the most public advocates for peace and non-violence and in many of his songs (...) the lyrics focused on the vision of a world without violence. http://www.nonviolence.com/about/the-knotted-gun/
Protest Art that inspired more than 100 play submissions.
PLEASE NOTE: The info below is taken from the websites that are cited below them.
#1: Free South Africa. Keith Haring — 1985. Artwork description & Analysis: Free South Africa was a political response to the conditions of apartheid that still existed in South Africa. The black figure is intentionally much larger than the white figure to express the irony of a post-colonial era where a white minority continued to suppress the majority native black population. The use of black lines makes for a sense of dynamic movement of the figures. Black outlines also express a heightened awareness of more psychologically charged elements - like the aura hovering around the restraining collar around the neck of the black figure.
https://www.theartstory.org/artist-haring-keith-artworks.htm
#2: Chicago Eight/Seven. Unknown — The 1968 Democratic National convention was held in Chicago against a backdrop assassinations, riots and a breakdown in law and order that made it seem as if the country were coming apart. Black Panther Party activist Bobby Seale, was one of the “Chicago Eight” charged and convicted of conspiracy to violently disrupt the Convention. Seale asked the court to postpone the trial so that his own attorney, Charles Garry, who was about to undergo gallbladder surgery could represent him. The judge denied the motion, and refused to allow Seale to represent himself. Seale verbally attacked the judge “calling him a ‘fascist dog,’ a ‘pig,’ and a ‘racist,’ and when he refused to be silenced, the judge ordered him bound and gagged in the courtroom. Ultimately, Judge Hoffman severed Seale from the case (resulting in the name change to Chicago Seven), sentencing him to four years in prison for contempt of court, one of the longest sentences ever handed down for that offense in the US up to that time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Seven
#3: Eat. Tomi Ungerer — Poster art by Tomi Ungerer. The first march to Washington against the war took place in December, 1964. Only 25,000 people took part but it was still the largest anti-war demonstration in American history. As the war continued, more and more Americans turned against it. People were particularly upset by the use of chemical weapons such as napalm and agent orange. In 1967, a group of distinguished academics under the leadership of Bertrand Russell set up the International War Crimes Tribunal. After interviewing many witnesses, they came to the conclusion that the United States was guilty of using weapons against the Vietnamese that were prohibited by international law. The United States armed forces were also found guilty of torturing captured prisoners and innocent civilians. U.S. behavior in Vietnam was even denounced as being comparable to Nazi atrocities committed in World War II.
https://www.tomiungerer.com/art/posters/
#4: Hands Up, Don't Shoot. Arin Fishkin. -- On Saturday, August 9, 2014, Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson were walking together in Ferguson, Missouri, after Brown robbed a convenience store. They were stopped by Officer Darren Wilson. After becoming fearful for his safety, Officer Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown. One recurring feature in Dorian Johnson's eyewitness account of the incident is that Michael Brown put his hands in the air during the encounter with Officer Wilson. In addition to Johnson, several witnesses to the shooting of Michael Brown described him as having his hands up during the encounter. Impromptu protests erupted immediately after the shooting. Residents also held their hands in the air and said to police officers "Don't shoot me!" The St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographed protesters with their hands in the air shouting "Don't shoot us!" at the police. On Monday, August 11, as the FBI promised to investigate the shooting, and the NAACP organized a meeting in the community, the hands up gesture was continuing to be employed by protesters who were emulating what they understood to be the final posture of Michael Brown. The hands-up pose had been widely adopted by protesters throughout the weekend. The gesture was often paired with the phrase "Don't shoot me" or "Don't shoot us." During the demonstrations on Monday, the media first documented the posture and the phrase being combined into the slogan "Hands Up, Don't Shoot."
https://arinfishkin.com/2014/12/16/hands-up-dont-shoot/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hands_up,_don%27t_shoot
#5: Nope. Unknown — Hope to Nope was an art show that surveyed the visual products of the tumultuous 10 years since Shepard Fairey made his Hope poster for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. It’s a decade that has seen more than its share of political turmoil, with the global financial crisis, the Arab spring, the Occupy movement, oil spills, terrorist attacks, Brexit and the rise of Donald Trump – whose detractors responded by riffing off Fairey’s image with the Trump Nope meme.
#6: Quit Fracking. Unknown — A tee shirt created to protest fracking in Flint, MI. Creator unknown, yet quite self explanatory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing
#7: Hear Our Voice. Liza Donovan -- 2018 Women's March. Artist's statement: "This poster is an official poster selected by judges for the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017. 10% of profits from this campaign support Ultraviolet. The Women's March on Washington is a rally in Washington, D.C., on the day after the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump. The march aims to "send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights." I think I've always been a feminist at heart because when I was young it made me angry to be talked down to or treated differently from boys, or to see others being treated unfairly. This year especially, in the moments leading up to the election made me want to fight harder when I became aware of how far I assumed we had come. The work of Black Lives Matter brought some of this to the forefront for me. Those suffering from inequality see other inequalities. And when a man becomes a leader who has no shame about treating women like his property, either to be sexed or publicly vilified, we have to fight MUCH harder. Women, People of Color, Immigrants, Muslims, LGBTQ, Persons with Disabilities, we're all together, we're the same." - Liza Donovan
https://creativeaction.network/products/hear-our-voice-the-womens-march-on-washington-by-liza-donovan
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/womens-march-poster-art_us_5873c531e4b02b5f858a2b1d
#8: If You Behaved Like the Government. Unknown — Part of quotes and images created by the group "Anonymous." Self explanatory.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anonymous_(group)
#9: Russian Justice. Gunduz Agayev — Cartoonist Gunduz Agayev has no intention to stop. The cartoonist who has created several series of illustrations so far, has chosen again the theme of universal human rights and justice portraying Femida (Themis) in different countries. “I have spent 15-16 days for this volume. I drew thinking and reading about the situations in these countries. These illustrations depict the real conditions in the countries.” Previously he drew well-known illustration series, such as “Holy Selfie“, “Global Police” and “Just Dictators“. More info: meydan.tv
https://www.architecturendesign.net/satirical-illustrations-reveal-how-world-leaders-see-justice/
#10: Words Hurt. Unknown — Put An End to Bullying. Words hurt. Words leave scars. Cannot find the creator of this image. It's used often, as are ones done is similar style. "In an effort to stop the epidemic, TakePart has created an action that asks people to pledge to stop bullying. Childhood bullying can have a lifelong impact, leading to depression, anxiety, substance abuse and even suicide. But we have the power to prevent it, if we take action. Children are not the only ones who bully. Adults bully others also. Whether the bullying is physical, verbal, or by a group (secluding) effort… bullying sucks."
http://www.runningrachel.com/2013/04/words-hurt-put-an-end-to-bullying/
#11: The Haitian Revolution. Claes Gabriel. — For Claes, The Haitian Revolution was a painting made out of anger, spurred by Donald Trump’s election. It is certainly a political image, co-opted from19th century etching by Marcus Rainsford, depicting Haiti’s successful rebellion against the colonial French regime. While it is obviously a violent image, the intention was solidarity. The story of the revolution (led by former slaves, resulting in the overthrow of colonial rule and establishment of an independent nation) is a symbol of black empowerment to induce social change. This concept and background is especially important to Claes, who is a Haitian native.
https://www.theartblog.org/2017/03/harmonic-convergence-of-tyler-wilkinson-and-claes-gabriel-at-the-university-city-arts-league/
#12: I Sit with Kapernick, Jeff Rothberg. — "New posters in Brooklyn are taking a stand by sitting with Kaepernick. Artwork featuring the San Francisco 49ers quarterback has been popping up all over the borough, showing football player taking a knee — a nod to his controversial refusal to stand for the National Anthem before games. The poster, designed by Brooklyn-born artist Jeff Rothberg, says “I sit with Kaepernick” above the words “end injustice for all. Kaepernick has said his decision to take a knee — a change from his initial decision to sit during the anthem — is in protest of the oppression of black people in America. His decision has set off a wave of similar actions by fellow football players. Rothberg said he put up the posters in Flatbush, Crown Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Prospect Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Williamsburg between 1 and 5 a.m. Sunday morning to prep for the start of the regular professional football season. (More at the link below)
https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160913/prospect-heights/i-sit-with-kaepernick-posters-pop-up-brooklyn/
#13: War is Not Healthy, Lorraine Schneider. —This ubiquitous poster, with it's compellingly simple slogan, was popularized during The Vietnam War and has become a timeless indictment of all war. Some consider it too amateur and simplistic, ("like folk art"), and feel it lacks "rage" to be a powerful anti-war slogan. The naysayers are wrong. The slogan has become a powerful statement of the anti-war movement, as its subtle message resonates with people's psyche on many levels, and has become popular all over the world. The poster further posited a key philosophical idea Schneider proposed at the Geneva conference: “Man will learn to resolve his inevitable difference through non-military alternatives. But it is up to us, the artists, the people who work in media, to prepare the emotional soil for the last step out of the cave. We can create symbols of the new day and light the world with our hope and the Neanderthals that attempt to restrict our freedom of expression, that attempt to frighten us into silence, that give you only four square inches with which to cry out your anger–use it.”
Poster Context: http://anothermother.org/ ; and here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Mother_for_Peace
Artist: https://www.aiga.org/war-is-not-healthy-the-true-story
#14: #MeToo. Unknown — The original purpose of "Me Too" as used by Tarana Burke in 2006, was to empower women through empathy, especially young and vulnerable women. In October 2017, Alyssa Milano encouraged using the phrase as a hashtag to help reveal the extent of problems with sexual harassment and assault by showing how many people have experienced these events themselves. After millions of people started using the phrase, and it spread to dozens of other languages, the purpose changed and expanded, as a result, it has come to mean different things to different people. Tarana Burke accepts the title of the leader and creator of the movement but has stated she considers herself a worker of something much bigger. Burke has stated that this movement has grown to include both men and women of all colors and ages, as it continues to support marginalized people in marginalized communities. There have also been movements by men aimed at changing the culture through personal reflection and future action, including #IDidThat, #IHave, and #IWill. Burke stated in an interview that the conversation has expanded, and now in addition to empathy there is also a focus on determining the best ways to hold perpetrators responsible and to stop the cycle.
The Me Too movement was chosen as Time Person of the Year ("The Silence Breakers") in 2017.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_Too_movement
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/01/29/yes-its-hard-man-metoo-timesup-era-and-should-tom-krattenmaker-column/1073240001/
http://time.com/5189945/whats-the-difference-between-the-metoo-and-times-up-movements/
#15. Your Body Is A Battleground. Barbara Kruger. — March on Washington Sunday, April 9, 1989 Support Legal Abortion Birth Control and Women's Rights On April 26 the Supreme Court will hear a case which the Bush Administration hopes will overturn the Roe vs. Wade decision, which established basic abortion rights. Join thousands of women and men in Washington D.C. on April 9. We will show that the majority of Americans support a women's right to choose.
http://collection-politicalgraphics.org/detail.php?module=objects&type=browse&id=1&term=Abortion%2FPro-Choice&page=1&kv=5221&record=4&module=objects
#16. Silence=Death. Group Effort. — Early in the 1980s AIDS epidemic, six gay activists created one of the most iconic and lasting images that would come to symbolize a movement: a protest poster of a pink triangle with the words “Silence = Death.” They formed a collective based on feminist consciousness raising groups: this website shows additional posters they created, as well as the backstory. The poster galvanized activists in the gay community and that was when (in 1987) ACT UP –AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power – was formed. ACT-Up became incredibly active in the late eighties as aids funding and care was being cut, numbers skewed (in order to cut funding) and a basic lack of attention to the growing crisis. They targeted politicians and then the regulatory agencies involved in drug testing. Their FDA action was the turning point for the AIDS activist movement, leading to the streamlining of the drug approval process, the parallel track drug access and compassionate use protocols, and the inclusion of People Living With HIV/AIDS, people of color, and women on research advisory boards.
https://www.ucpress.edu/blog/31456/behind-the-iconic-protest-posters-of-the-aids-activist-movement/
#17. Nous Sommes le Pouvoir (We Are the Power) - French Uprising of 1968. Unknown — Civil unrest in France during May 1968 led to demonstrations, massive general strikes and the occupation of universities and factories across France. The national government momentarily ceased to function at the peak of the uprising. Unrest began with a student uprising against capitalism, consumerism and American imperialism. Amidst the turmoil, unique screen-printed posters were plastered along the walls of France as visual symbols, depicting solidarity between French students and workers, opposition to at the time French prime minister Charles De Gaulle and parliament, and denouncement of a fascist regime.
https://www.art-for-a-change.com/Paris/paris2.html
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2012/01/1968-paris-protest-posters-.html
#18. Information Libre (Free Information). Unknown — The title of this poster is Free Information, and its double entendre is breathtaking. Is the poster a poke at a self-censored press that tows the government line and offers people false "Free Information"? Or does the graphic portray a free press held hostage and in need of liberation? Note that even the cord on the microphone is tied in a knot, implying the choking off of reliable news reporting. Although this image is from the French Uprising of 1968, the concept has been used by other protests in other countries. Free press, free internet?
https://www.art-for-a-change.com/Paris/paris2.html
#19. La Beaute est dans la Rue. Unknown — “La Beauté est dans la Rue” proclaims the iconic poster of the May 1968 student uprisings in Paris – the beauty is in the street. It was one of many protest slogans, which, accompanied by the largest general strike in France’s history, nearly toppled the De Gaulle Government. Although De Gaulle retained his rule in the end, and thus the protests were viewed as something of a political failure, the cultural shift towards liberalism in France that fed and was fed by the protests of May ’68 is unmistakable. The dye was cast, a cultural sea-change had been staged. Modern France emerged from the rubble of May 1968.
#20. Do Women have to be Naked to get into the Met? Gorilla Girls. — Guerrilla Girls are an all female collective who remain anonymous by wearing gorilla masks and naming themselves after famous dead women. The group famously began in reaction to MoMA’s An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture 1984 exhibition. Although the exhibition was supposed to represent the top artists in the world, out of the 169 artists shown only 13 were women. A group of artists protested outside on the opening night. However, they noticed the onlookers weren’t interested in their message, so a year later Guerrilla Girls formed with the aim of finding new ways to revolt using street art. The original of Do Women Have to Be Naked to Get Into the Met. Museum? was produced in 1989 after members of the group walked through the Met and counted the ratio of female artists to female nudes. What they discovered was that ‘less than 5% of the artists in the Modern Art Sections are women, but 85% of the nudes are female’. The figure in the image is taken from Odalisque and Slave painted by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. In order to reach their audience, the group rented advertising space on the New York buses. However, soon after ‘the bus company cancelled [their] lease, saying that the image … was too suggestive and that the figure appeared to have more than a fan in her hand.’
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/guerrilla-girls-6858/who-are-guerrilla-girls
#21. Border Art Palestine/Israel. Lush. — Donald Trump wasn't the first politician to dream of a “big, beautiful wall,” and he won't be the last. Whether in Cold War-era Berlin or present-day West Bank, walls have long been used to shut out people whose race, religion, economic status, or ideology have been deemed unwelcome by those in power, or simply to “keep the peace.” But wherever anti-immigration politicians see opportunity, artists see canvas. Art has the power to connect us with our collective humanity, so anything that artificially stanches the free flow of people, ideas, and inspiration is its natural enemy.
https://www.jpost.com/Jerusalem-Report/Welcome-to-the-Walled-Off-A-visit-to-Banksys-hotel-in-Bethlehem-544463
#22. Join or Die, Benjamin Franklin. — Before he signed the Declaration of Independence, invented bifocal glasses, and founded the first public library in America, Benjamin Franklin was a political activist. He lent his sharp tongue and satirical style to a 1754 illustration that had a lasting impact on America. The cartoon depicts a rattlesnake symbolizing the unity of the colonies. It serves as one of the first and earliest examples of American Revolution propaganda. The slogan 'Join or Die' was meant to convince colonists that the only way to survive was to unite. They would be stronger as a whole, in this case symbolized by the body of the snake with individual units shown labeled New York, Virginia, Carolina, etc. The slogan caught on, later transforming into 'Unite or Die'. Today, the revolutionary zeal lives on in the New Hampshire motto, 'Live Free or Die.' The symbol of the rattlesnake was replaced by the Stars and Stripes in the flag. Imagine how this country might have been different if the American flag had retained the rattlesnake.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/american-revolution-propaganda-examples-posters.html
#23. The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston, Paul Revere. Henry Pelham/Paul Revere. — This portrayal, going by the curiously long title, 'The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.,' has been called 'a masterpiece of anti-British propaganda'. It was based on a drawing by Boston painter Henry Pelham, and engraved by none other than Paul Revere. Revere portrays the 'Massacre' here as a brutal, unprovoked attack. By depicting them as a ferocious enemy, the scene serves to gather animosity against the British troops. Notice how Revere shows one side of the conflict obviously attacking the other. Here, the artist shows innocent colonists as the victims of a barbaric British attack. Dividing a conflict between good and bad, or painting the enemy aggressor and the innocent victim, are both effective tactics in propaganda. Images such as these present on opinion or interpretation of an event as an honest truth. They omit details and background that could inform a viewer and allow them to make their own judgment.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/american-revolution-propaganda-examples-posters.html
#24. The Fearless Girl, Kristen Visbal/State Street Global Advisors. On the eve of International Women’s Day last Tuesday, State Street Global Advisors, which manages some $2.5 trillion in assets, signaled its solidarity with the day’s demonstrators. The company installed a roughly 50-inch-tall bronze statue of a defiant girl in front of Wall Street's iconic charging-bull statue. The reaction to the statue, which was designed by artist Kristen Visbal, was immediate and powerful. The statue is a powerful symbol, but there is also substance behind it. Fearless Girl is part of State Street’s campaign to pressure companies to add more women to their boards. The firm followed up the installation with a letter to the thousands of companies that can comprise the Russell 3000 index on Tuesday asking them to take action to increase the diversity on their boards. There is room for improvement: State Street says that roughly a quarter of the 3,500 companies it sent letters to have no women on their boards.
Backstory: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/03/fearless-girl-wall-street/519393/
Update: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2018/03/07/embargoed-37-8-am-the-fearless-girl-statue-turns-one-today-what-the-campaign-behind-her-says-its-accomplished/?utm_term=.35256a69abce
#25. American Hijab, Shepard Fairey, Ridwan Adhami. — A photo of Munira Ahmed, a 32-year-old Muslim woman and freelance interpreter from Queens, was the inspiration for one of the most popular images of the Trump resistance: a woman wearing an American flag as a hijab. Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the iconic “Hope” image of Barack Obama’s candidacy, turned photographer Ridwan Adhami’s picture of Ahmed into a portrait of Muslim resilience and female defiance, rendered in red, white, and blue. Fairey is on the advisory board of the Amplifier Foundation, an artist-activist group that made several of Fairey’s and others’ images available for free download and printing in the weeks before Trump’s inauguration. Ahmed’s picture was one of the most common signs held at the protests and march.
Informative Q&A with Ahmed: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2017/01/25/a_q_a_with_the_muslim_woman_whose_face_has_become_a_symbol_of_trump_resistance.html
#26. Follow Your Dreams/Cancelled, Banksey. — Street art done by Banksey in Boston.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/banksy-makes-his-mark-across-america-1993251.html
http://followurdreamscancelled.blogspot.com/2017/03/is-street-art-banksy-sending-message.html
#27. Nefertiti in a Gas Mask, Egypt Protest Art. Unknown — Female graffiti artists in Egypt use their street art to participate in and lead revolution. Focused on the role of women artists in the struggle for social and political change, this image and others like it spotlight how the iconic graffiti of Queen Nefertiti places her on the front lines in the ongoing fight for women’s rights and freedoms in Egypt today.
https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2012-10-24/cairo-egypt-protest-street-art-graffiti-artists-paintings
#28. Guernica, Pablo Picasso. — Probably Picasso's most famous work, Guernica is certainly the his most powerful political statement, painted as an immediate reaction to the Nazi's devastating casual bombing practice on the Basque town of Guernica during Spanish Civil War. Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. On completion Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to the world's attention.
https://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(Picasso)
#29. Non-violence (aka the Knotted Gun), Carl Fredrik Reuterswrd. — The sculpture Non-Violence is also known as “the knotted gun." It was originally created as a memorial tribute to the legendary singer and songwriter John Lennon, after he was shot and killed outside his home in New York City on December 8, 1980. It is a pro-peace sculpture by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswrd, designed in late 1980 and inspired by the shooting death of his pal, John Lennon. It was given to the UN by the government of Luxembourg in 1988. ®The Non-Violence Project Foundation
http://www.nonviolence.com/about/the-knotted-gun/
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/26878
#30. I am Tired. Ana Taban. — For many in South Sudan, the arts have become a rare haven of peace in a young country that has known little but civil war. A group of artists are campaigning for peace, with pop-up street performances and murals across the capital, Juba. The activists have taken the name Ana Taban, or "I am tired," in Arabic. "We are tired of this, the constant fear, the war," said Manas Mathiang, 32, a musician and artist who leads the movement. The group has painted vibrant murals in Juba like one near the airport, a sky-blue wall depicting athletes, religious leaders and doctors under the slogan "Let us all do our part." The artists also stage skits in street markets to promote reconciliation. Ana Taban was started after fighting in Juba killed hundreds of people in July. A group of South Sudanese artists who had taken refuge in Kenya came together to create the movement. When it was safe to return to the capital, they brought home the campaign for peace. Transcending tribe and politics, the artists use their work to try to unify South Sudan, the world's newest nation, which won independence from Sudan in 2011. But then civil war broke out two years later, and tens of thousands have been killed amid concerns of ethnic violence.
https://www.voanews.com/a/south-sudan-artists-protest-civil-war-with-peace-campaign/3611357.html
#31. Pussy Grabs Back. Jessica Bennett. —Trump received considerable backlash after his comments on grabbing women “by the pussy” resurfaced from a video. His use of the word “pussy” inspired one of the strongest reactions, with women expressing their outrage online and creating posters, T-shirts and a song hammering home the message that the #PussyGrabsBack on election day. “Pussy Grabs Back” became a popular hashtag on Twitter. Actor America Ferrera used it to share an all blue map by FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver, showing what the electoral college would look like if women refused to vote for Trump. Jessica Bennett, author of Feminist Fight Club, turned the phrase into a widely shared image with a cat in mid-snarl, crediting Amanda Duarte with the sentiment. Bennett, Duarte and Stella Marrs, who created the original image of the cat, and Female Collective, a feminist brand and online community, have turned the image into a T-shirt. Proceeds from sales will also be donated to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (Rainn).https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/10/donald-trump-pussy-grabs-back-meme-women-twitter
#32. Occupy the Streets, Eric Drooker. -- Occupy Wall Street and the global Occupy Movement have inspired some striking artwork. Graphic artists from around the world (including Shepard Fairey) have contributed their talents to the movement. Many of their posters are available for free or at low cost, either directly from the artist or through organizations like Occuprint and OccupyTogether. New Yorker cover artist and book illustrator Eric Drooker has created several beautiful posters, including the one above. The Occupy movement is an international socio-political movement against social and economic inequality and the lack of "real democracy" around the world. Its primary goal is to advance social and economic justice and new forms of democracy. Occupy Wall Street was a big part of the movement with it's slogan: We Are the 99%. Whatever the long-term effects of the Occupy movement, protesters have succeeded in implanting “We are the 99 percent,” referring to the vast majority of Americans (and its implied opposite, “You are the 1 percent,” referring to the tiny proportion of Americans with a vastly disproportionate share of wealth), into the cultural and political lexicon.
For history of the movement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_movement
#33. Does this Ass... Unknown — Seen at the Women's March, and frequently at other subsequent protests.
“Does This Ass Make My Country Look Small?,” Trump Protest Archive, accessed July 4, 2018, http://trumpprotestarchive.com/items/show/1341.
#34. The Standing March. JR & Darren Aronofsky — Protest goes digital!
"Renowned French artist JR and Oscar-nominated American filmmaker Darren Aronofsky have collaborated on The Standing March, a major public artwork to be exhibited in Paris during the UN’s COP21 climate conference. The video projection will remind leaders that the world is watching as they gather to negotiate a deal aimed at keeping global warming below 2°C. The video represents more than 500 persons from different backgrounds united around the idea that the conference must end up with meaningful agreements between the countries."
http://www.thestandingmarch.com/
#35. The Kids are Alright - Pia Guerra
"Political cartoons are important because people feel “distanced by the idea of politics,” Guerra said.
“We just stay at arm’s length of these issues, and we all think it’s far away,” she said. A cartoon, Guerra said, makes it personal — makes it matter."
"There was one cartoon I was working on for a couple of days about the Parkland shooting. It was dark and angry, showing the Grim Reaper with an AR-15 standing over a chessboard, where all the pieces were schools and he was picking out which one would be next. I struggled to make it clear. The perspective was off and I had to redo the board a few times; I was about to set it aside when CNN started showing live footage of the Parkland students at a rally and Emma Gonzalez stepped up and did her amazing “We call BS!” speech. And then the image changed — it wasn’t about who was next, it was about all these kids standing up to say no. Completely changed the tone of the cartoon. You never know where it’s going to go, just keep listening, keep drawing and see what comes up." - Pia Guerra
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/pia-guerra-her-political-cartoon-collection-me-people-1135025
#36. Families Belong Together
The organization, Families Belong Together, includes nearly 250 organizations representing Americans from all backgrounds who have joined together to fight family separation and promote dignity, unity, and compassion for all children and families. This image was taken from a march in Los Angeles in June 2018, but there were 700 other such marches planned across the country at the same time.
https://laist.com/2018/06/29/heres_your_guide_to_saturdays_families_belong_together_march_in_la.php
https://www.theartstory.org/artist-haring-keith-artworks.htm
#2: Chicago Eight/Seven. Unknown — The 1968 Democratic National convention was held in Chicago against a backdrop assassinations, riots and a breakdown in law and order that made it seem as if the country were coming apart. Black Panther Party activist Bobby Seale, was one of the “Chicago Eight” charged and convicted of conspiracy to violently disrupt the Convention. Seale asked the court to postpone the trial so that his own attorney, Charles Garry, who was about to undergo gallbladder surgery could represent him. The judge denied the motion, and refused to allow Seale to represent himself. Seale verbally attacked the judge “calling him a ‘fascist dog,’ a ‘pig,’ and a ‘racist,’ and when he refused to be silenced, the judge ordered him bound and gagged in the courtroom. Ultimately, Judge Hoffman severed Seale from the case (resulting in the name change to Chicago Seven), sentencing him to four years in prison for contempt of court, one of the longest sentences ever handed down for that offense in the US up to that time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Seven
#3: Eat. Tomi Ungerer — Poster art by Tomi Ungerer. The first march to Washington against the war took place in December, 1964. Only 25,000 people took part but it was still the largest anti-war demonstration in American history. As the war continued, more and more Americans turned against it. People were particularly upset by the use of chemical weapons such as napalm and agent orange. In 1967, a group of distinguished academics under the leadership of Bertrand Russell set up the International War Crimes Tribunal. After interviewing many witnesses, they came to the conclusion that the United States was guilty of using weapons against the Vietnamese that were prohibited by international law. The United States armed forces were also found guilty of torturing captured prisoners and innocent civilians. U.S. behavior in Vietnam was even denounced as being comparable to Nazi atrocities committed in World War II.
https://www.tomiungerer.com/art/posters/
#4: Hands Up, Don't Shoot. Arin Fishkin. -- On Saturday, August 9, 2014, Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson were walking together in Ferguson, Missouri, after Brown robbed a convenience store. They were stopped by Officer Darren Wilson. After becoming fearful for his safety, Officer Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown. One recurring feature in Dorian Johnson's eyewitness account of the incident is that Michael Brown put his hands in the air during the encounter with Officer Wilson. In addition to Johnson, several witnesses to the shooting of Michael Brown described him as having his hands up during the encounter. Impromptu protests erupted immediately after the shooting. Residents also held their hands in the air and said to police officers "Don't shoot me!" The St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographed protesters with their hands in the air shouting "Don't shoot us!" at the police. On Monday, August 11, as the FBI promised to investigate the shooting, and the NAACP organized a meeting in the community, the hands up gesture was continuing to be employed by protesters who were emulating what they understood to be the final posture of Michael Brown. The hands-up pose had been widely adopted by protesters throughout the weekend. The gesture was often paired with the phrase "Don't shoot me" or "Don't shoot us." During the demonstrations on Monday, the media first documented the posture and the phrase being combined into the slogan "Hands Up, Don't Shoot."
https://arinfishkin.com/2014/12/16/hands-up-dont-shoot/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hands_up,_don%27t_shoot
#5: Nope. Unknown — Hope to Nope was an art show that surveyed the visual products of the tumultuous 10 years since Shepard Fairey made his Hope poster for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. It’s a decade that has seen more than its share of political turmoil, with the global financial crisis, the Arab spring, the Occupy movement, oil spills, terrorist attacks, Brexit and the rise of Donald Trump – whose detractors responded by riffing off Fairey’s image with the Trump Nope meme.
#6: Quit Fracking. Unknown — A tee shirt created to protest fracking in Flint, MI. Creator unknown, yet quite self explanatory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing
#7: Hear Our Voice. Liza Donovan -- 2018 Women's March. Artist's statement: "This poster is an official poster selected by judges for the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017. 10% of profits from this campaign support Ultraviolet. The Women's March on Washington is a rally in Washington, D.C., on the day after the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump. The march aims to "send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights." I think I've always been a feminist at heart because when I was young it made me angry to be talked down to or treated differently from boys, or to see others being treated unfairly. This year especially, in the moments leading up to the election made me want to fight harder when I became aware of how far I assumed we had come. The work of Black Lives Matter brought some of this to the forefront for me. Those suffering from inequality see other inequalities. And when a man becomes a leader who has no shame about treating women like his property, either to be sexed or publicly vilified, we have to fight MUCH harder. Women, People of Color, Immigrants, Muslims, LGBTQ, Persons with Disabilities, we're all together, we're the same." - Liza Donovan
https://creativeaction.network/products/hear-our-voice-the-womens-march-on-washington-by-liza-donovan
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/womens-march-poster-art_us_5873c531e4b02b5f858a2b1d
#8: If You Behaved Like the Government. Unknown — Part of quotes and images created by the group "Anonymous." Self explanatory.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anonymous_(group)
#9: Russian Justice. Gunduz Agayev — Cartoonist Gunduz Agayev has no intention to stop. The cartoonist who has created several series of illustrations so far, has chosen again the theme of universal human rights and justice portraying Femida (Themis) in different countries. “I have spent 15-16 days for this volume. I drew thinking and reading about the situations in these countries. These illustrations depict the real conditions in the countries.” Previously he drew well-known illustration series, such as “Holy Selfie“, “Global Police” and “Just Dictators“. More info: meydan.tv
https://www.architecturendesign.net/satirical-illustrations-reveal-how-world-leaders-see-justice/
#10: Words Hurt. Unknown — Put An End to Bullying. Words hurt. Words leave scars. Cannot find the creator of this image. It's used often, as are ones done is similar style. "In an effort to stop the epidemic, TakePart has created an action that asks people to pledge to stop bullying. Childhood bullying can have a lifelong impact, leading to depression, anxiety, substance abuse and even suicide. But we have the power to prevent it, if we take action. Children are not the only ones who bully. Adults bully others also. Whether the bullying is physical, verbal, or by a group (secluding) effort… bullying sucks."
http://www.runningrachel.com/2013/04/words-hurt-put-an-end-to-bullying/
#11: The Haitian Revolution. Claes Gabriel. — For Claes, The Haitian Revolution was a painting made out of anger, spurred by Donald Trump’s election. It is certainly a political image, co-opted from19th century etching by Marcus Rainsford, depicting Haiti’s successful rebellion against the colonial French regime. While it is obviously a violent image, the intention was solidarity. The story of the revolution (led by former slaves, resulting in the overthrow of colonial rule and establishment of an independent nation) is a symbol of black empowerment to induce social change. This concept and background is especially important to Claes, who is a Haitian native.
https://www.theartblog.org/2017/03/harmonic-convergence-of-tyler-wilkinson-and-claes-gabriel-at-the-university-city-arts-league/
#12: I Sit with Kapernick, Jeff Rothberg. — "New posters in Brooklyn are taking a stand by sitting with Kaepernick. Artwork featuring the San Francisco 49ers quarterback has been popping up all over the borough, showing football player taking a knee — a nod to his controversial refusal to stand for the National Anthem before games. The poster, designed by Brooklyn-born artist Jeff Rothberg, says “I sit with Kaepernick” above the words “end injustice for all. Kaepernick has said his decision to take a knee — a change from his initial decision to sit during the anthem — is in protest of the oppression of black people in America. His decision has set off a wave of similar actions by fellow football players. Rothberg said he put up the posters in Flatbush, Crown Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Prospect Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Williamsburg between 1 and 5 a.m. Sunday morning to prep for the start of the regular professional football season. (More at the link below)
https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160913/prospect-heights/i-sit-with-kaepernick-posters-pop-up-brooklyn/
#13: War is Not Healthy, Lorraine Schneider. —This ubiquitous poster, with it's compellingly simple slogan, was popularized during The Vietnam War and has become a timeless indictment of all war. Some consider it too amateur and simplistic, ("like folk art"), and feel it lacks "rage" to be a powerful anti-war slogan. The naysayers are wrong. The slogan has become a powerful statement of the anti-war movement, as its subtle message resonates with people's psyche on many levels, and has become popular all over the world. The poster further posited a key philosophical idea Schneider proposed at the Geneva conference: “Man will learn to resolve his inevitable difference through non-military alternatives. But it is up to us, the artists, the people who work in media, to prepare the emotional soil for the last step out of the cave. We can create symbols of the new day and light the world with our hope and the Neanderthals that attempt to restrict our freedom of expression, that attempt to frighten us into silence, that give you only four square inches with which to cry out your anger–use it.”
Poster Context: http://anothermother.org/ ; and here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Mother_for_Peace
Artist: https://www.aiga.org/war-is-not-healthy-the-true-story
#14: #MeToo. Unknown — The original purpose of "Me Too" as used by Tarana Burke in 2006, was to empower women through empathy, especially young and vulnerable women. In October 2017, Alyssa Milano encouraged using the phrase as a hashtag to help reveal the extent of problems with sexual harassment and assault by showing how many people have experienced these events themselves. After millions of people started using the phrase, and it spread to dozens of other languages, the purpose changed and expanded, as a result, it has come to mean different things to different people. Tarana Burke accepts the title of the leader and creator of the movement but has stated she considers herself a worker of something much bigger. Burke has stated that this movement has grown to include both men and women of all colors and ages, as it continues to support marginalized people in marginalized communities. There have also been movements by men aimed at changing the culture through personal reflection and future action, including #IDidThat, #IHave, and #IWill. Burke stated in an interview that the conversation has expanded, and now in addition to empathy there is also a focus on determining the best ways to hold perpetrators responsible and to stop the cycle.
The Me Too movement was chosen as Time Person of the Year ("The Silence Breakers") in 2017.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_Too_movement
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/01/29/yes-its-hard-man-metoo-timesup-era-and-should-tom-krattenmaker-column/1073240001/
http://time.com/5189945/whats-the-difference-between-the-metoo-and-times-up-movements/
#15. Your Body Is A Battleground. Barbara Kruger. — March on Washington Sunday, April 9, 1989 Support Legal Abortion Birth Control and Women's Rights On April 26 the Supreme Court will hear a case which the Bush Administration hopes will overturn the Roe vs. Wade decision, which established basic abortion rights. Join thousands of women and men in Washington D.C. on April 9. We will show that the majority of Americans support a women's right to choose.
http://collection-politicalgraphics.org/detail.php?module=objects&type=browse&id=1&term=Abortion%2FPro-Choice&page=1&kv=5221&record=4&module=objects
#16. Silence=Death. Group Effort. — Early in the 1980s AIDS epidemic, six gay activists created one of the most iconic and lasting images that would come to symbolize a movement: a protest poster of a pink triangle with the words “Silence = Death.” They formed a collective based on feminist consciousness raising groups: this website shows additional posters they created, as well as the backstory. The poster galvanized activists in the gay community and that was when (in 1987) ACT UP –AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power – was formed. ACT-Up became incredibly active in the late eighties as aids funding and care was being cut, numbers skewed (in order to cut funding) and a basic lack of attention to the growing crisis. They targeted politicians and then the regulatory agencies involved in drug testing. Their FDA action was the turning point for the AIDS activist movement, leading to the streamlining of the drug approval process, the parallel track drug access and compassionate use protocols, and the inclusion of People Living With HIV/AIDS, people of color, and women on research advisory boards.
https://www.ucpress.edu/blog/31456/behind-the-iconic-protest-posters-of-the-aids-activist-movement/
#17. Nous Sommes le Pouvoir (We Are the Power) - French Uprising of 1968. Unknown — Civil unrest in France during May 1968 led to demonstrations, massive general strikes and the occupation of universities and factories across France. The national government momentarily ceased to function at the peak of the uprising. Unrest began with a student uprising against capitalism, consumerism and American imperialism. Amidst the turmoil, unique screen-printed posters were plastered along the walls of France as visual symbols, depicting solidarity between French students and workers, opposition to at the time French prime minister Charles De Gaulle and parliament, and denouncement of a fascist regime.
https://www.art-for-a-change.com/Paris/paris2.html
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2012/01/1968-paris-protest-posters-.html
#18. Information Libre (Free Information). Unknown — The title of this poster is Free Information, and its double entendre is breathtaking. Is the poster a poke at a self-censored press that tows the government line and offers people false "Free Information"? Or does the graphic portray a free press held hostage and in need of liberation? Note that even the cord on the microphone is tied in a knot, implying the choking off of reliable news reporting. Although this image is from the French Uprising of 1968, the concept has been used by other protests in other countries. Free press, free internet?
https://www.art-for-a-change.com/Paris/paris2.html
#19. La Beaute est dans la Rue. Unknown — “La Beauté est dans la Rue” proclaims the iconic poster of the May 1968 student uprisings in Paris – the beauty is in the street. It was one of many protest slogans, which, accompanied by the largest general strike in France’s history, nearly toppled the De Gaulle Government. Although De Gaulle retained his rule in the end, and thus the protests were viewed as something of a political failure, the cultural shift towards liberalism in France that fed and was fed by the protests of May ’68 is unmistakable. The dye was cast, a cultural sea-change had been staged. Modern France emerged from the rubble of May 1968.
#20. Do Women have to be Naked to get into the Met? Gorilla Girls. — Guerrilla Girls are an all female collective who remain anonymous by wearing gorilla masks and naming themselves after famous dead women. The group famously began in reaction to MoMA’s An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture 1984 exhibition. Although the exhibition was supposed to represent the top artists in the world, out of the 169 artists shown only 13 were women. A group of artists protested outside on the opening night. However, they noticed the onlookers weren’t interested in their message, so a year later Guerrilla Girls formed with the aim of finding new ways to revolt using street art. The original of Do Women Have to Be Naked to Get Into the Met. Museum? was produced in 1989 after members of the group walked through the Met and counted the ratio of female artists to female nudes. What they discovered was that ‘less than 5% of the artists in the Modern Art Sections are women, but 85% of the nudes are female’. The figure in the image is taken from Odalisque and Slave painted by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. In order to reach their audience, the group rented advertising space on the New York buses. However, soon after ‘the bus company cancelled [their] lease, saying that the image … was too suggestive and that the figure appeared to have more than a fan in her hand.’
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/guerrilla-girls-6858/who-are-guerrilla-girls
#21. Border Art Palestine/Israel. Lush. — Donald Trump wasn't the first politician to dream of a “big, beautiful wall,” and he won't be the last. Whether in Cold War-era Berlin or present-day West Bank, walls have long been used to shut out people whose race, religion, economic status, or ideology have been deemed unwelcome by those in power, or simply to “keep the peace.” But wherever anti-immigration politicians see opportunity, artists see canvas. Art has the power to connect us with our collective humanity, so anything that artificially stanches the free flow of people, ideas, and inspiration is its natural enemy.
https://www.jpost.com/Jerusalem-Report/Welcome-to-the-Walled-Off-A-visit-to-Banksys-hotel-in-Bethlehem-544463
#22. Join or Die, Benjamin Franklin. — Before he signed the Declaration of Independence, invented bifocal glasses, and founded the first public library in America, Benjamin Franklin was a political activist. He lent his sharp tongue and satirical style to a 1754 illustration that had a lasting impact on America. The cartoon depicts a rattlesnake symbolizing the unity of the colonies. It serves as one of the first and earliest examples of American Revolution propaganda. The slogan 'Join or Die' was meant to convince colonists that the only way to survive was to unite. They would be stronger as a whole, in this case symbolized by the body of the snake with individual units shown labeled New York, Virginia, Carolina, etc. The slogan caught on, later transforming into 'Unite or Die'. Today, the revolutionary zeal lives on in the New Hampshire motto, 'Live Free or Die.' The symbol of the rattlesnake was replaced by the Stars and Stripes in the flag. Imagine how this country might have been different if the American flag had retained the rattlesnake.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/american-revolution-propaganda-examples-posters.html
#23. The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston, Paul Revere. Henry Pelham/Paul Revere. — This portrayal, going by the curiously long title, 'The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.,' has been called 'a masterpiece of anti-British propaganda'. It was based on a drawing by Boston painter Henry Pelham, and engraved by none other than Paul Revere. Revere portrays the 'Massacre' here as a brutal, unprovoked attack. By depicting them as a ferocious enemy, the scene serves to gather animosity against the British troops. Notice how Revere shows one side of the conflict obviously attacking the other. Here, the artist shows innocent colonists as the victims of a barbaric British attack. Dividing a conflict between good and bad, or painting the enemy aggressor and the innocent victim, are both effective tactics in propaganda. Images such as these present on opinion or interpretation of an event as an honest truth. They omit details and background that could inform a viewer and allow them to make their own judgment.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/american-revolution-propaganda-examples-posters.html
#24. The Fearless Girl, Kristen Visbal/State Street Global Advisors. On the eve of International Women’s Day last Tuesday, State Street Global Advisors, which manages some $2.5 trillion in assets, signaled its solidarity with the day’s demonstrators. The company installed a roughly 50-inch-tall bronze statue of a defiant girl in front of Wall Street's iconic charging-bull statue. The reaction to the statue, which was designed by artist Kristen Visbal, was immediate and powerful. The statue is a powerful symbol, but there is also substance behind it. Fearless Girl is part of State Street’s campaign to pressure companies to add more women to their boards. The firm followed up the installation with a letter to the thousands of companies that can comprise the Russell 3000 index on Tuesday asking them to take action to increase the diversity on their boards. There is room for improvement: State Street says that roughly a quarter of the 3,500 companies it sent letters to have no women on their boards.
Backstory: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/03/fearless-girl-wall-street/519393/
Update: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2018/03/07/embargoed-37-8-am-the-fearless-girl-statue-turns-one-today-what-the-campaign-behind-her-says-its-accomplished/?utm_term=.35256a69abce
#25. American Hijab, Shepard Fairey, Ridwan Adhami. — A photo of Munira Ahmed, a 32-year-old Muslim woman and freelance interpreter from Queens, was the inspiration for one of the most popular images of the Trump resistance: a woman wearing an American flag as a hijab. Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the iconic “Hope” image of Barack Obama’s candidacy, turned photographer Ridwan Adhami’s picture of Ahmed into a portrait of Muslim resilience and female defiance, rendered in red, white, and blue. Fairey is on the advisory board of the Amplifier Foundation, an artist-activist group that made several of Fairey’s and others’ images available for free download and printing in the weeks before Trump’s inauguration. Ahmed’s picture was one of the most common signs held at the protests and march.
Informative Q&A with Ahmed: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2017/01/25/a_q_a_with_the_muslim_woman_whose_face_has_become_a_symbol_of_trump_resistance.html
#26. Follow Your Dreams/Cancelled, Banksey. — Street art done by Banksey in Boston.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/banksy-makes-his-mark-across-america-1993251.html
http://followurdreamscancelled.blogspot.com/2017/03/is-street-art-banksy-sending-message.html
#27. Nefertiti in a Gas Mask, Egypt Protest Art. Unknown — Female graffiti artists in Egypt use their street art to participate in and lead revolution. Focused on the role of women artists in the struggle for social and political change, this image and others like it spotlight how the iconic graffiti of Queen Nefertiti places her on the front lines in the ongoing fight for women’s rights and freedoms in Egypt today.
https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2012-10-24/cairo-egypt-protest-street-art-graffiti-artists-paintings
#28. Guernica, Pablo Picasso. — Probably Picasso's most famous work, Guernica is certainly the his most powerful political statement, painted as an immediate reaction to the Nazi's devastating casual bombing practice on the Basque town of Guernica during Spanish Civil War. Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. On completion Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to the world's attention.
https://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(Picasso)
#29. Non-violence (aka the Knotted Gun), Carl Fredrik Reuterswrd. — The sculpture Non-Violence is also known as “the knotted gun." It was originally created as a memorial tribute to the legendary singer and songwriter John Lennon, after he was shot and killed outside his home in New York City on December 8, 1980. It is a pro-peace sculpture by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswrd, designed in late 1980 and inspired by the shooting death of his pal, John Lennon. It was given to the UN by the government of Luxembourg in 1988. ®The Non-Violence Project Foundation
http://www.nonviolence.com/about/the-knotted-gun/
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/26878
#30. I am Tired. Ana Taban. — For many in South Sudan, the arts have become a rare haven of peace in a young country that has known little but civil war. A group of artists are campaigning for peace, with pop-up street performances and murals across the capital, Juba. The activists have taken the name Ana Taban, or "I am tired," in Arabic. "We are tired of this, the constant fear, the war," said Manas Mathiang, 32, a musician and artist who leads the movement. The group has painted vibrant murals in Juba like one near the airport, a sky-blue wall depicting athletes, religious leaders and doctors under the slogan "Let us all do our part." The artists also stage skits in street markets to promote reconciliation. Ana Taban was started after fighting in Juba killed hundreds of people in July. A group of South Sudanese artists who had taken refuge in Kenya came together to create the movement. When it was safe to return to the capital, they brought home the campaign for peace. Transcending tribe and politics, the artists use their work to try to unify South Sudan, the world's newest nation, which won independence from Sudan in 2011. But then civil war broke out two years later, and tens of thousands have been killed amid concerns of ethnic violence.
https://www.voanews.com/a/south-sudan-artists-protest-civil-war-with-peace-campaign/3611357.html
#31. Pussy Grabs Back. Jessica Bennett. —Trump received considerable backlash after his comments on grabbing women “by the pussy” resurfaced from a video. His use of the word “pussy” inspired one of the strongest reactions, with women expressing their outrage online and creating posters, T-shirts and a song hammering home the message that the #PussyGrabsBack on election day. “Pussy Grabs Back” became a popular hashtag on Twitter. Actor America Ferrera used it to share an all blue map by FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver, showing what the electoral college would look like if women refused to vote for Trump. Jessica Bennett, author of Feminist Fight Club, turned the phrase into a widely shared image with a cat in mid-snarl, crediting Amanda Duarte with the sentiment. Bennett, Duarte and Stella Marrs, who created the original image of the cat, and Female Collective, a feminist brand and online community, have turned the image into a T-shirt. Proceeds from sales will also be donated to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (Rainn).https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/10/donald-trump-pussy-grabs-back-meme-women-twitter
#32. Occupy the Streets, Eric Drooker. -- Occupy Wall Street and the global Occupy Movement have inspired some striking artwork. Graphic artists from around the world (including Shepard Fairey) have contributed their talents to the movement. Many of their posters are available for free or at low cost, either directly from the artist or through organizations like Occuprint and OccupyTogether. New Yorker cover artist and book illustrator Eric Drooker has created several beautiful posters, including the one above. The Occupy movement is an international socio-political movement against social and economic inequality and the lack of "real democracy" around the world. Its primary goal is to advance social and economic justice and new forms of democracy. Occupy Wall Street was a big part of the movement with it's slogan: We Are the 99%. Whatever the long-term effects of the Occupy movement, protesters have succeeded in implanting “We are the 99 percent,” referring to the vast majority of Americans (and its implied opposite, “You are the 1 percent,” referring to the tiny proportion of Americans with a vastly disproportionate share of wealth), into the cultural and political lexicon.
For history of the movement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_movement
#33. Does this Ass... Unknown — Seen at the Women's March, and frequently at other subsequent protests.
“Does This Ass Make My Country Look Small?,” Trump Protest Archive, accessed July 4, 2018, http://trumpprotestarchive.com/items/show/1341.
#34. The Standing March. JR & Darren Aronofsky — Protest goes digital!
"Renowned French artist JR and Oscar-nominated American filmmaker Darren Aronofsky have collaborated on The Standing March, a major public artwork to be exhibited in Paris during the UN’s COP21 climate conference. The video projection will remind leaders that the world is watching as they gather to negotiate a deal aimed at keeping global warming below 2°C. The video represents more than 500 persons from different backgrounds united around the idea that the conference must end up with meaningful agreements between the countries."
http://www.thestandingmarch.com/
#35. The Kids are Alright - Pia Guerra
"Political cartoons are important because people feel “distanced by the idea of politics,” Guerra said.
“We just stay at arm’s length of these issues, and we all think it’s far away,” she said. A cartoon, Guerra said, makes it personal — makes it matter."
"There was one cartoon I was working on for a couple of days about the Parkland shooting. It was dark and angry, showing the Grim Reaper with an AR-15 standing over a chessboard, where all the pieces were schools and he was picking out which one would be next. I struggled to make it clear. The perspective was off and I had to redo the board a few times; I was about to set it aside when CNN started showing live footage of the Parkland students at a rally and Emma Gonzalez stepped up and did her amazing “We call BS!” speech. And then the image changed — it wasn’t about who was next, it was about all these kids standing up to say no. Completely changed the tone of the cartoon. You never know where it’s going to go, just keep listening, keep drawing and see what comes up." - Pia Guerra
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/pia-guerra-her-political-cartoon-collection-me-people-1135025
#36. Families Belong Together
The organization, Families Belong Together, includes nearly 250 organizations representing Americans from all backgrounds who have joined together to fight family separation and promote dignity, unity, and compassion for all children and families. This image was taken from a march in Los Angeles in June 2018, but there were 700 other such marches planned across the country at the same time.
https://laist.com/2018/06/29/heres_your_guide_to_saturdays_families_belong_together_march_in_la.php