Writers have always been a vanguard for positive change in the face of political injustice — the same goes for visual artists. On the web, I think that writers/bloggers helping to write us out of this mess have leapt forward so far that the visual artists have yet to catch up. I suppose a lot of this has to do with the nature of the internet and the msm, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Progressive artists should pull together and coordinate a revolution of their own. Strong visual images of every kind can embolden the movement, cement opinion, and motivate a new wave of activists.
Tony Hendra’s article Design For Your Life! in the Huffington Post, highlights a project organized by the Art Directors Club of New York that could be a real vehicle for change.
"If you’re an artist or designer, whether graphic artist, comic artist, art director, poster maker, web designer, animator (sorry if there are categories I’ve left out) and you want to put your skills to use in the struggle for America, join us. Whether you want to get in people’s bloodstream or get in their faces, whether you want to subvert or provoke, chip away quietly at the weak points in the fortress walls or plaster every available urban surface with your brilliance, join us. Design for your life, design for America, design for social change."
Speaking of art, I saw a great painting last weekend. The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy: September 11, 2001 is an 8 x 18-foot oil painting by Graydon Parrish. I’m still exploring the symbolism and allegory in this Bouguereau-esque piece, but for me, the scattered U.S. documents represent the damage that has been done to our system of government. The real problem is that the responsibility for that lies with the current administration and not with the terrorists. We already had a system in place that would allow us to deal with threats foreign or domestic and move from tragedy to prosperity — those in power decided to cash that in for some political leverage.
The painting is huge, and the link above doesn’t do it justice. This doesn’t either, but here’s a video clip that moves, unsteadily, across the canvas. If you can make it to the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut, please do so.
I’ve already sent the Art Directors Club of New York my letter of interest. I’m hoping they put me to work. Nonetheless, if you’re a writer, editor, webmaster, or so on and you can put my talents to good use, write me! I’m ready to ‘design for social change.’ Let’s throw these fascists out of office!
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