ProArts 01 by Marissa Molitor

politics

unusual

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Get Out the Vote Projects from ART 261 Graphic Design I.

Political Essays From ART 365 History of Graphic Design.

Polictical Posters Projects from ART 235 Digital Imaging.

Election Reaction Student reactions on November 8, 2017.

Essays Continued From ART 365 History of Graphic Design.

Photomontage From ART 365 History of Graphic Design.

Americana Packaging Designed by ART 420 Graphic Design III.

Letter from the Editor Carolyn Pavelkis Pro Arts Issue 01, Politics unusual, is a digital publication designed by Robert Morris University Graphic Design students in Art 428 Digital Publishing. The thematic publication showcases design work and features essays created and written by graphic design majors throughout 2016-17. Throughout the year, students developed politically themed design pieces using a variety of styles and techniques, including digital imaging and packaging. Students in Art 365 History of Graphic Design wrote essays comparing political poster designers, both historical and contemporary. Students worked collaboratively for ten weeks to design this publication, from the development of the color scheme and typography to all of the page layout and functionality of the final publication. The cover design features a digital imaging piece representing diversity, designed by Deâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Jon LaCour.

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Get Out the Vote

American Institute of Graphic Arts Get Out the Vote poster contest 2016

AIGA, the self-entitled professional association for design, initiated a campaign for artists to convince young people to vote this past election. With the decline in the past years of voter turnout, the idea for American themed posters to propagate the feeling of patriotism and initiative was born. The next few pages include original Americana propaganda posters. The artists showcased are design students from Robert Morris University.

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Tap on the left of the image to go back a photo. Tap on the right to go forward.

Elsie Ocegueda

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Marinated in Words, a Field of Pictures By Catarina Maiolo Political opinions have been expressed in many different media since the inception of difference of opinion, but none as effortlessly and fundamentally proud as artwork. Be it a clever but forward-thinking photomontage or a Dadaist, thought-provoking sculpture, so much does art express that one wonders how can a person prefer a mere mass-produced newspaper article meant for the pandering, pedantic idolatries of the day? The works of Filippo Marinetti and John Heartfield have been especially influential throughout history, as both of their art, though noticeably dissimilar, conveys very much the same themes about war and corruption. Power is balanced through combination in Heartfieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works, whereas a softer, more abstract work of Marinetti illustrates rage and oppression in a more vivid portrayal of the modern political system. Perhaps, though some opinionated few might see the aforementioned art as largely irrelevant, given the times, I believe that it rings ever true today, even more so than it had in the past. The symmetry of our current political plight aligns directly with the corruption and disloyalty of the past, and relates succinctly to our own political system. So too do we struggle for freedom, so too do our hearts bleed with the shame of injustice dealt so irrationally to us.

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As we wander through the eternal bookshelf that is the past, I find myself drawn to the timeworn volume of Filippo Marinetti. Marinetti is perhaps known most widely for his impressive, mostly political, abstract art pieces. His message is timeless as his art form; an ever cyclical metaphor for the undying stupidity of the modern man and his futile efforts toward societal equality. Hubris represented in bold font. Emotion in negative space. Evocative yet markedly playful. He represents motion through displacement and asymmetry. Marinetti, however, is likely most famous for his manipulation of typography. He is able to communicate complex ideas through the inherent simplicity of type. Though many of his pieces remain largely abstract to the average viewer, one can recognize the sensuality and languor of stretched words, and the jabbing, hurried fervor of compressed ones. Abstraction, in its purest form, is displayed in the Futurist works of Marinetti, and his ideals are much more easily conveyed through art than any other media form.

Filippo Marinetti, poem from Les Mots en Liberte

Marinetti’s standout piece, a poem from “Les Mots en Liberté Futuristes” (The Futurist Works in Freedom), is, at first glance, a mere jumbling of words and letters, tumultuous

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Filippo Marinetti, Action

onomatopoeia at best. Desultory though it may seem, the piece become more relevant the longer you look. As the eye travels around the perimeter, it lands softly on the feeble young girl in the lower left corner, alone, silhouetted and small. In her hands is a letter, which we take to understand is from her lover at war. The onomatopoeic nature of the words crashing down on her denotes the turbulent state of her disturbed mind. Awash with grief and hopeless to do anything about it, she sits reading his letter in quiet acquiescence, comforted only by the lugubrious, swirling thoughts accompanying her. One final piece I want to include is one from Marinetti’s “Parole in Libertà.” This piece exemplifies the devastating act of love. The translated poem talks about a group of wayward explorers being deceived unknowingly by temptresses. The sun beats harshly on their necks, and they are lost, and shed “blinding tears,” confessing their sins. More interesting than the words, however, is likely the composition of the poem. It is much more than a warning for particularly promiscuous explorers; rather, it can be interpreted politically as well. The large word in the middle, “Sentimental,” descends in size, symbolizing regression. The two phrases on the sides mirror each other, both depicting scenes of red tears that signal the French Revolution and its ensuing plight. Marinetti’s works are so politically charged yet so idiosyncratically simple that the contrast of black and white can act almost as a therapeutic milieu rather than the poignant political statements Marinetti intended.

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Also evident in my perusal through the past are the standout works of John Heartfield. Heartfield, a bookjacket and stage-set designer, is most known for his shocking photomontages. I feel that Heartfield has influenced me specifically in the creation of my own photomontage series. The way he portrays major figureheads speaks to my inner provocateur, enticing me to shock in order to show a righteous display of egotism prevalent in today’s society, the very same way he displayed it in his. The dark subject matter is especially terrifying, breaching the bounds of political advertisements in a marked effort to wake up the masses to such important matters. Emboldened perhaps by the risks he took in creating each piece, he continued to produce them at a dizzying rate, creating dozens of incendiary pieces of artwork at the very height of the World War II era. Though fundamentally Dadaist, his work had extreme purpose toward the plight of affected citizens. He was said to have used art as a “political weapon,” and I, for one, can think of nothing more deadly. Heartfield, being the Machiavellian raconteur he is, wove stories into pictures as if magic was spun from his very fingers. Untrustworthy fairy tales notwithstanding, Heartfield represents very much the Rumpelstiltskin of photomontage: his ideals were pure gold. One of his most famous pieces, “Adolf the superman swallows gold and spouts junk”, is as technically immaculate as it is politically scandalous. An astute man, he recognized the abject terror of those in Hitler’s dominion, and decided to poke fun at a man who could very well end him in a stunning, if not horrifically stupid, display of bravery. Though his efforts would eventually force him to flee for his

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John Heartfield, Have No Fear-He is A Vegetarian

life, Heartfield’s artwork would not go unnoticed. The turbulent events of the time were enough to send a rather sizable man into a catatonic state not dissimilar to the feelings brought upon by a particularly tempestuous bout of triskaidekaphobia. Another of his well-known pieces also deals with the Second World War. “Have No Fear, He Is A Vegetarian,” is a photomontage that depicts Hitler brandishing two butcher’s knives at a cockerel in a political hat. The bystander, French Foreign minister Bonnet, looks on unconcernedly. The caption written in the original publication reads: “Do not be afraid, Hitler is a vegetarian.” The irony of this statement is as ridiculous as this stunning tableau: caustic reassurances that do nothing to assuage mountainous political apprehension. Citizens are powerless to do anything but watch as mounting hatred and oppression is thrust upon their shoulders, leaving them oblivious and alone. It is a powerful political message. One final noteworthy piece of Heartfield’s entitled “Madrid 1936,” (Figure 6) features two oversized, war-dressed vultures looming over the city opposite three threatening bayonets. The soviet logo is displayed predominantly. The symbolism of vultures and cocked rifles amidst the political turmoil accurately represents the mindset of affected citizens, as well as displays the raw emotion evident through those times. It is also said to “mock the appeasement policy of other European states,”

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and can be interpreted as a socialist message about the political climate; it also utilizes the widely recognized “No pasaran” slogan.

Shepard Fairey, Demagogue

Both Marinetti’s and Heartfield’s work has influenced me immensely, both in my photomontage and in my other work as well. While perusing these highly charged works, I have realized the gravity of political statements when represented as an art form as opposed to a typical magazine or newspaper article. Opinion can be more accurately expressed in art as the medium is virtually limitless. These two artists’ works are leaps and bounds from each other content and style-wise, but they exemplify the same message of rising up against oppression and opposing the suppression of opinion in times of war. The current political climate in America is as foreboding, and we need to be as verbose about it. The creation of my photomontage personally allowed me to speak up about the current turmoil facing America, and allowed me to address the suspicion and doubt washing over citizens. History, as I mentioned before, is said to repeat itself, and only we can rise up to fight the bigotry.

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Politics in Photomontage By Ivanise Konopka Against the Party

John Heartfield, “Deutschland Deutschland Uber Alles.”

John Heartfield, originally Helmut Herzfeld, was a German born Dadaist. Heartfield’s Dada work, “a cacophony of visual elements, evolved into his lifelong effort to have the mixed media of his art convey a clear message to his audience.” According to the John Heartfield Exhibition and Archive, he was an idealistic young man, who joined a German Communist Party. He created works of art that called for worker rights and world peace. He is most known for his photo montages of the Nazis. These works mocked Adolf Hitler and war. The image to the right was an anti-Hitler poster. It depicts an x-ray of Hitler with a stomach full of coins as he speaks, probably giving a speech. It is supposed to convey the money he received from those who feared Germany would vote for a Communist government. According to Britannica, as the Nazi Party’s influence grew John Heartfield was targeted for his anti-Nazi works. He fled to Prague in 1933.

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Though his later work turned to set design he is still an important artist in design history. He is credited with creating the art form of photomontage. He is not the only one that used this style. There was also fellow German Dadaist Hannah Hoch. Female Image Hannah Hoch was also a member of the Berlin Dada group. She used images from newspapers and magazines in her photomontage works. “She challenged the status of women. This motivated a long series of works that promoted the idea of the ‘New Woman’ in the era. Her art addressed the issue of gender and the figure of women.” Her work usually conveys her ideas and messages subtley.

Saville Lumley, “Daddy, what did you do in the great War?”

According to Britannica, the image to the right depicts a female mannequin head on a male body with arms folded across the chest. Though the human figure is much larger, the facial expressions of the two make it unclear who is “taming” whom.

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Political Differences Both of these artists, though from the same movement, have different ways of tackling political issues. The content of John Heartfield’s work is government oriented while Hoch’s is more social politics. Heartfield’s work is more in your face and shows his feelings to the subject. The way he makes the Nazis and Hitler look monstrous conveys Heartfield’s feelings towards not only the people, but their ideals as well. Where Heartfield is more direct, Hoch is more subtle in her approach. Some messages are more obvious than others but some require the viewer to do more. It’s up to interpretation, she can only guide our minds towards the idea. Saville Lumley, “Daddy, what did you do in the great War?”

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Influencing Future Generations As the Fall Quarter comes to a close we students are given our last assignments. My class had to make our own political photomontage series. I remember looking for inspiration from the new and old wave of artists and art movements. I found John Heartfield and Hannah Hoch to be an interesting pair. It wasn’t so much what the art was about, but how it was how they conveyed them. I learned a bit from their methods and implemented them into my own work. The theme of my project was the wall debate of the 2016 elections. I made the images black and white to seclusion and take away individuality. The use of red as a catches viewer attention and conveys anger and violence.

Saville Lumley, “Daddy, what did you do in the great War?”

In the image below I was direct in my message. It states in red type to stomp out difference, a quip against Trump’s policies against immigrants.

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The next image is more subtle. There is no written word just a single distorted sign that says, WAY OUT. It’s another jab at the immigration policy but it does not blatantly show anger in intention. The angry red sign leads the viewer through the picture as it leads the sad immigrants out of the country. Learning more about these two artists has shown me that I should be more involved with politics. It can shape us and we as a people shouldn’t just stand by and have others speak for us.

Saville Lumley, “Daddy, what did you do in the great War?”

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Political Article By David Kapusciarz John Heartfield’s “A Berlin Saying” Out of all the artworks Ive looked at, very few have been able to make me laugh. It just looks so absurd its humorous. The focal point is ears coming out of the back of pants. It can be just what it is, ears on pants, or it can resemble a face. The back-ground looks like the grid or blueprints of another paint-ing. Not really sure whats going on in the back, al-though its said that the first draft of the picture was brought in to reproducers but they changed it so Heartfield reworked it. That may be what the background is, something from the origi-nal photo.

Heartfield’s ,

“ A Berlin Saying ”

The photo is from 1929, and is called “A Berlin Saying” I believe what Heart-field is trying to get across is that Berlin at the time wasn’t always trustworthy. Everything that they’re doing or saying should be shrugged off to the side, don’t listen to them, or the pants may rep-resent Berlin. Maybe the others were saying things to Berlin that they were just not paying any attention to.

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Shepard Fairey’s “Hope” I still remember when this one came out. Im not sure why this got so big to be honest. It might be because its simplicity, simple art-works seem to have the most impact. To say so much with just one word, “hope,” is very impressive. Red, white and blue colored, obviously symbolizing the Ameri-can flag colors. The photo was an actual photo taken by Mannie Garcia and it looks like Fairey traced the photo with Illustrator or some other digital program. Look-ing at it now it actually re-minds me of a scene in the new Star Wars, where half the face is dark and the other half is light. It’s almost like a modern version of it. The two aren’t related at all but it’s still in-teresting to see.

Shepard Fairey’s, “Hope”

The biggest difference in these two artworks is the difference in tone. One is negatively viewing Berlin and the other is a positive message. Heartfield did his work in black and white, some-times a sepia tone. Fairey used color to his advantage. Giving a nice contrast from the left side of the photo from the right.

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Propaganda By John Champlain

This political election has been very confusing and very different by the way each candidate has tried to sell themselves as our next president. Hillary Clinton is a real political candidate where Donald Trump is a celebrity trying to sell himself as a different person. Hillary is using actually tactics and Donald is just saying nonsense and people are listening to him. I see this election as a joke and a complete waste of time but it has a huge impact on what American will turn into. Its up to the people to really see through each of the candidates lies to see the real issues at hand. I will talk about the use of propaganda by each candidate is different and how the influences of different artists in the past have impacted my own propaganda pieces.

John Heartfield, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Deutschland Deutschland Uber Alles.â&#x20AC;?

I will first talk about the artist John Heartfieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s propaganda pieces. I saw influence from his cover piece Deutschland Deutschland uber allies, and others. The cover piece Deutschland Deutschland uber allies, shows someone with words coming out of his month. I saw this piece as some just spitting nonsense and it really can apply to how Trump is running as a Presidential candidate. Trump has said many crazy thing including building a wall and even the issue where he was caught degrading women and after saying he has the most respect for women compared to anyone else. Its almost a joke at what he is saying and people are still wanting to believe he is a suitable person for the job.

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After seeing Heartfield’s pieces I started to see the nonsense Trump has been using and how he thinks its acceptable for people to hear and say as a person in his situation. “His stunning political art became famous on both sides of the Atlantic as courageous effective artistic weapons that revealed, satirized, and opposed the worldwide threat of fascism and The Nazi Party.”(John Heartfield) His use of satire can really exemplify Trumps campaign. He wants to build this wall on the Mexican boarder to stop emigration but how he suppose to achieve this with no plan and just words.

Saville Lumley, “Daddy, what did you do in the great War?”

The next artist I want to talk about is Saville Lumley. Her poster piece “Daddy, what did you do in the great War?” shows more of a family lifestyle compared to Heartfield’s at attack the other candidate. Clinton used some commercials that talked about what Trump was saying and how our children see trump and they hear what he is saying and how that can influence them in a negative way. “One memorable ad shows nothing but young children watching Trump speak on TV as he says some of his less family- friendly quotes of the election.”(Watch) This ad really shows how Trump is saying crazy things and that the children do hear him and it asks the question is that a good thing for them to hear? Saville Lumley’s poster is a recruitment piece but I am looking a little deeper in it and see it as a way to show the family aspect of this campaign.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;This poster shows a sophisticated use of art and imagery in provoking a powerful emotional response. These visually strong examples are among the best remembered, and more commonly reproduced, war posters.â&#x20AC;?(Daddy) This piece is very powerful because its not like others with a lot of text and fewer images compared to the others. It also provides us with a different feeling of family and togetherness. During this election we the people need to stand together and vote. We do not know how either of the candidates will workout but it is important for us to stand up for our futures. I find it difficult which person to vote for but you can look at some of the facts. Not only the facts we need to look at what each candidate is saying but also their plan to help our country succeed. It is up to us to inform ourselves about the issues at hand and what could happen if each wins. I see each of us responsible for what happens if we vote or not we have the right to help each other out and its our duty to vote. The pieces that I talked about can help us understand the issues at hand. Donald Trump is saying many things that can be seen as a joke but we as Americans can not take them lightly because he could potentially become our next president.

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I do not agree with everything he is saying because he has attacked a lot of people that have been through a lot of struggle that have brought them to come to our country for refugee. Hillary Clinton has been using really political methods compared to trump and has a plan. She had the whole email issue that hurt her campaign in a very negative way but is the big picture is that going to hurt the American people In a bad way. The artist that I highlighted through this essay I hope can help shine a light at some of the issue. I took a lot of inspiration from them because they each have a different view at what they are trying to show and what they want to bring to the table. This election has been very difficult to judge for me and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure the people are going through the same issues as I am with each candidate.

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Contrast: A Key Communication By Marissa Molitor

Art almost always has a message to convey, whether it be the evocation of an emotion, or making a statement about an event. In the case of graffiti artist Yantr and cukil art troupe Taring Padi, the message that the art desires to portray is political in the sense of social justice. Although the two artists are still producing art today, they both focus on different subjects within the political sphere. Yantr tends to focus more on the mistreatment of animals, while Taring Padi usually focuses on the empowerment of an ideal. Yantr is a pseudonym, a Sanskrit word meaning â&#x20AC;&#x153;machineâ&#x20AC;? [7]. Not much information is known about the artist, as he wants his art to speak, rather than himself. What little is known about Yantr includes the detail that he was raised around machinery because his father owned a garage as he grew up in India, which is why so much of his work has motifs of mechanical parts [7]. Yantr is a classically trained artist, but he chooses instead to work as a graffitist and mural painter [7]. Taring Padi is a community of underground artists located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia [5]. The group is most well known for their posters that are made in the cukil (woodcutting) technique.

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Taring Padi often runs art workshops out of their studio location, which allows them to collaborate on projects with the community [5]. Other collaborative projects that they do include national and internationally known political art groups. Taring Padi has been featured in an Australian film called Indonesian Arts, Activism, and Rock â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Roll that is available to watch on YouTube [5]. The visual styles of the two artists are very different. The techniques that each artist uses is different, as Yantr does both graffiti and paints murals on buildings, while Taring Padi most commonly uses the old world technique of cukil, or woodcutting a design into a block and then inking it onto canvas or paper. Yantr creates messages on a large scale, as he works in graffiti. The walls of buildings become his canvas, allowing his work to be bigger, whereas Taring Padi works with smaller scale mediums, producing posters and pamphlets. Yantr uses an explosion of color to really bring the viewers attention to the message, as it strongly contrasts the typical bland paint of the surrounding buildings. Taring Padi instead chooses to work in primarily black and white, with occasional pops of red. The contrast is just as strong as the work of Yantr, as the woodcutting technique leaves no room for gradients, so images have a sharp edge. Yantr draws inspiration from machines that he was surrounded with as a child, almost causing his pieces to have an underlying comment about the mechanization of society. Taring Padi uses the carving technique to give their pieces texture, as well as often portraying a hand motif.

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The most common denominator between the two styles of Yantr and Taring Padi is the use of contrast. Both artists use different ways to draw attention to their messages. Yantr chooses to add bright colors and bold outlines to draw in viewers, while Taring Padi uses blacks and white with strong contrast to portray the subject matter in a serious tone. When I began to develop a photomontage political statement about the 2016 presidential election, I knew that I wanted to contrast a dark background with an obvious statement. Looking at my collection in comparison to Yantrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Taring Padiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works, it is clear that contrast in the main device that is used in political works. In my personal work, I created a duotone background, with one color being black and the other the color of the political party being represented. In contrast to the dark background, I used a bold, white font in all caps to truly stand out to the viewer.

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Political Statements Across the Ages By: Nina Maiolo

For hundreds of years, artists have used their technical talents to describe and illustrate the world around them, but it has been a recent preoccupation that they have used their work to convey a sense of deeper commentary regarding the tumultuous state of the political climate. Art has long been an expression of complex emotion, a dictum on the fragile human condition; far longer has it been a pronouncement of a certain culture or lifestyle than artists have used the medium to comment on politics. But comment they have. Through advertisements, posters, inflammatory propaganda, and provocative art pieces, political and social unrest have been expressed in every mode possible. Times of war, time of peace, and every riotous epoch in between can be exposed to the general populace through simple imagery and text. El Lissitzky knew this, of course. As did Julius Klinger and Herbert Bayer. Their work accurately articulated the bureaucratic situation in their respective time periods, and one could argue that the pieces make just as much, if not more, impact today based on the modern day bipartisan environment. Diplomatic disputes aside, El Lissitzky was one such artist. A constructivist, Lissitzkyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work as a whole is often characterized by mathematical design elements complete with a complex grid system, and describe

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El Lissitzky, Beat the Whites With A Red Wedge

as “unfiltered”. He believed that art should serve a purpose in society and be useful for the social order, as opposed to the self-expressive suprematist views of the same era. One of his most famous pieces, “Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge”, makes a particularly powerful political proclamation. Created in 1919, it communicates the idea of warring sides through simple geometric shapes and bold color choices. Lissitzky approached the subject logically, but decided to convey it symbolically instead of literally. Angular shapes in angry colors symbolize political unrest, and set against stark surroundings the work succinctly but strikingly shows the war effort. Artists and designers see the color and asymmetry of the work, while the common man understands the work to be a metaphor for a hostile conflict. Like-minded Julius Klinger had the unique ability to artistically tackle the subject of politics. Set with the project of creating a poster for Germany’s 8th bond drive in 1917, he chose not to fill the empty space with gaudy grandiloquence but rather impart upon the blank page a striking image of a dragon being brutally pierced by dozens of arrows. The message is immediately received. The symbolism is not lost on his viewers; they understand the dragon to represent the country as a whole and the political turmoil that is likely to ensue without additional intervention. Klinger’s propaganda is especially jarring to a westernized audience; compared with straightforward

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political posters of the same era by artists such as the American Flagg, the work is metaphorically strong and almost unsettling. In spite of (or perhaps because of) such shocking imagery, the viewer is made clearly aware of the grave nature of the political arena.

Julius Klinger, 8th bond drive poster for Germany

Herbert Bayer, however, took a quite different approach when it came to graphic design. His prototypical work consisted of clear and simple typographic forms, dynamic composition with strong horizontals and verticals, and an easily recognizable hierarchy. One of his more famous works, a piece of German propaganda, makes a powerful political statement in the form of a brochure. It makes a commentary on the bureaucratic proceedings at the time, especially during the Nazi regime. Through the brochure, it is clear that the despicable parts about Hitlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reign are intentionally omitted, and this of itself makes a statement about the dicey nature of the political climate. El LIssitzky has a particularly arresting artistic style that is not mimicked by any other artist whose work I have studied. His peculiar bravura blends geometry and two-dimensionality with emotion and conflict in the real world. This is very much in contrast with the way

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that Julius Klinger approaches the same subject. Whereas Lissitzky employs basic shapes and stark colors in his work, Klinger renders startling imagery and symbolic themes that capture the viewers and leave them breathless. Dragons and piercing arrows are a far cry from triangular shapes, but both are effective at getting their point across. Visually, both pieces are salient in their unflinching ability to deal with tough issues and portray them to the general populace. Bayer, too, possessed this ability. Although he had the challenge of designing a piece promoting a totalitarian regime, he did so while depicting the political situation through design. All three have distinctive styles, but the mark of a good designer is aptitude of portraying differing situations to the public with swiftness and clarity. Creating a photomontage of my own has been a predominantly eye-opening experience in terms of expressing a political statement through an art piece. Their artistic expression becomes a way of analyzing the political system and suggesting an emotional undertone of the era. The creation of such a series prompted me as an individual to consider how to do the same to my audience. Spoon-feeding messages to viewers through obviously unmistakable typography is the precise antithesis of symbolic art. As such, I decided to study the bodies of work of artists like Lissitzky, Klinger, and Bayer to perceive their mental and artistic processes. After appreciating their creative impetuses, I put together my own work driven by political unrest. Then did I feel the palpable power of political expression through art.

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Women Empowerment

omen Empowerment by Maddie Pfalzer

Maddie Pfalzer

Women Empowerment

I chose the quote “If you don’t have a vagina, you don’t get to make laws to regulate them” by Anna Bergstrom because I’m Maddiemen, Pfalzer sick of people, especially thinking that they have the right to tell me what I can and cannot do with my body. If I choose to go to planned parenthood and getit on birth that tries doesn’t For my project took mecontrol a couple to effect anybody else. On the more extreme Iside If I don’t choose to get understand it because really like to an abortion (not that I would) that’s mine & the fathers decision. talk about or do anything with politics but Nobody else should get to have a say. They don’t know what I just looked for anything that had a mesit’s like to be a women, so why would the know what’s best for sage to America and with this concept me and my body? Nobody tells them what the can and cannot I’m and hastoa do meaning . do with their body. Sovery theyproud shouldof not be it able that to me andI chose as for to Photoshop when first started or any other women. take a picture of Imyself in those I heard about it but I tried itsoon my shorts because this is America and it is awhen free county, I should own I didn’t really it or how the to have the right to do what I please withunderstand my body. And I made heart with my hands I am proud a women and I do because it but with the helptoofbe the students and have no problem the standing up for mineimproved & other women’s right to teacher I really this quarter their own bodies. and it made me started a little business

for creating people cool pictures.

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Capture Injustice Taji Elemah For this project, I used a picture from a photo shoot I did for my brother who is also a photographer. In the past year, there have been a lot of wrong things happening that the media twist and sugar codes. Its is now our job to capture injustice.

Stop The Killing Joshua Ewald My poster is about the shooting that is occurring in Chicago and the affects that it is having with the children. Since September 2011, at least 132 people under 17 have been killed in shootings and at least 1,377 people in that age group have been shot. I feel like it is a horrible academic that is occurring in our world but especially in Chicago. If we do not stop the violence we are creating a world without a future. I using my photography, and hand written type created the poster. I wanted the type to look childish so I asked my niece to help me with the writing. Then the awesome thing about using Photoshop is that I can change the way the image and the type to the way I believe that looks the best on the poster. politics unusual 35

LGBT Ariel Coleman There has been a lot going on in the LGBT community, so I decided to create a LGBT poster to represent a bond with piece and theirs happiness in the air. The handcuffs represents a change in freedom stand up for what you love Even if we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see it we live and breathe it everyday. I used the basic rainbow colors with two hands in the air cuffed away because being LESBIAN GAY BISEXAL OR TRANSGENDER in a sin or a crime id rather for us to lock in together and share those cuffs and prove were not alone and we can make a difference.

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Together We Stand E Tapia This project illustrates the hopeful attitude of the proletariat pertaining to the recent election. The pastel colors evoke a sense of harmony and community while the silhouettes add an air of anonymity. The symbolism of the American flag and tag line of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Together We Standâ&#x20AC;? combine to create a compelling piece of art that works toward equality in our country.

Equal Samuel Hermosillo Coming from a family where my parents owned their own business I have witnessed first hand how badly major corporations within America can cheat one. Justice only serves those who are willing to pay the bigger bucks. These cases and many more have proven time and time again that justice does have a price tag to it. For my poster I took inspiration from the 2008 Obama hope posters was, not for the original message they held but for its style. I had this vision in mind for my poster and I feel that with a style like this it would quickly help viewers see the issues that I see and at the very least add to the conversation that something must be done about the injustices around us as a society. politics unusual 37

Captain America Roger Alvarado For this poster, I based the idea on a quote from Captain America in the Civil War story line in the comics. The quote talks about how us as individuals should stand up for what we believe in no matter what other people say, because those are the values that our country was founded on. The quote was too lengthy to put in one image so I decided to make a series of 3 images with parts of the quote to fully represent the meaning and idea that I had. This worked great because I had so many ideas, so this allowed me to do more than just one. In the end I wanted to showcase my belief in people standing up for what they believe in no matter the circumstances, which I think was greatly represented by Captain America and his quote.

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Stop The Violence Alexis Anderson My concept is domestic violence awareness. This is an ongoing problem throughout the world. To do this, I used the first and last tools we learned in class, the paint tool and text. The most difficult part would be trying to add the right amount of color to the face without making it look unnatural. I used a picture that I took myself, of my sister Jasmin. I used special effects makeup to make her look the part. I taught myself how to do special effects makeup just because I thought it would take Halloween to the next level. So I often use my sisters to practice and perfect my techniques. I would’ve never imagined using the photos that I take for fun in class and making them into something with such a powerful meaning.

Equal De’Jon LaCour For my project it took me a couple tries to understand it because I really don’t like to talk about or do anything with politics but I just looked for anything that had a message to America and with this concept I’m very proud of and it has a meaning . and as for Photoshop when I first started I heard about it but when I tried it on my own I didn’t really understand it or how to do it but with the help of the students and the teacher I really improved this quarter and it made me started a little business for creating people cool pictures.

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Stand Together John Hynes With this piece, I wanted to create an image that embodied the idea of patriotism in unity, and encourage a coexistence of all peoples. The phrase â&#x20AC;&#x153;we all stand together, or weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll all fall apartâ&#x20AC;? came into consideration early on, and carried through to the end. I collected photos of people I knew, and even a relative or two of those people, and pulled them together into a crowd. After fading out the edges, I put a grayscale filter over the photos, and then superimposed the American flag over the image, to tie the concept of patriotism into it. Overall, I believe the piece is fairly successful in delivering the intended message, if a little more somber than intended. politics unusual 40

Without Music Alexis Rodriguez The concept for my piece is music and how much it means to someone’s life. I wanted to use an image that represented this quote I had in mind. Underfunding music programs has been an ongoing issue for tons of students no matter the age. For some, music, is the entire world and some school boards don’t see that. An issue I had while creating this was figuring out the right lighting, contrast and levels for the piano and flowers. The music notes that looked “embedded” in the piano was also something I struggled with, I wanted it to stick out but not to so much it was distracting. My favorite part of the piece was the quote, it’s inspirational to me and it’s moving. I hope I can share this with someone who feels the same way I do about music. Submersed and dedicated to something that has changed their life in some way. Especially in a school setting where they can continue to learn about the music they play and with people who share the same interest. Kids without music is taking away a creative freedom they could never know how to love.

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Election Reaction On November 9, 2016, design students reflected on the presidential election outcome through the creation of the visual pieces below.

REACTION optimistic unsure wary amused laughable

CONCERNS discrimination lgbt rights racism privacy funding

FEAR: Suppression

LOOKING FORWARD TO: Seeing whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ahead

Catarina Maiolo

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Cruikshank and Fairey By Andres Balladares According to the 2016 election, Fairey stated that he will not be doing any art work towards Clinton because he honestly felt that she wasn’t quite “inspiring enough. This caused him to say that even though he perceived Clinton as the far superior candidate in the election, he personally thought their was no creativity there to work around. Fairey is known for his political aspects in his artwork. In 2008, Shepard Fairey created a presidential election image poster of Barack Obama, “Hope”. People think that the poster of Obama gave him the powerful visual formula the final push he needed to win the election.

Shepard Fairey, Demagogue

Even though in a interview in The Huffington post, he stated that he was clearly supporting Hillary and that he had some type of hope for her becoming president due to the political views that she had to offer. In the political perspective, Shepard created a propaganda depicting Donald Trump as a person that will do whatever it takes to have his own way due to the fact that he will obligate

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laws and different types of racial comments that was obligatory. Shepard tends to create more electoral content because of the way that he represents himself as a way to motivate people to choose the right person.

George Cruikshank, Gagging Acts

Englishman George Cruikshank developed his own style of cartoon political art. Pertaining to his own country, he is known commonly for“The Freeborn Englishman deprived of his seven senses by the operation of the six new acts of the boroughmongers”. This work of art is estimated to have been published in 1819 as a pamphlet, illustration and\or image. This art piece was mostly based on a type of protest they held in August 16, 1819. Protesters for the parliamentary reform got together at St. Peter” Square, Manchester. 10 to 20 protesters came together and called it the “Gagging Acts” because they clearly did not want to take orders and weren’t possibly given a chance to have their own freedom of anything time of sort. Their government basically denied them freedom of speech. The acts of the people were to suppress the fighting political reform and the publics’ criticism of the state and the backfires that will tend to come along due to rebelling against them. According to Britain’s Library, “..the Acts aimed to suppress those fighting for political reform and to impede public

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criticism of the state and potential uprisings against them.â&#x20AC;? George Cruikshankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attack on his own pieces of artwork to attack the state. Bloodshed and physical and intellectual oppression was a major cause for different types of aspects in life to rebel against the government. In order to come together, the people in the state had to find different ways in order to show their anger and the fact that they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t scared of going against their own government regardless of the outcome. My own photo montage series affected my current political situation including the work I have researched because it truly opened my eyes in actually seeing the political type of views that people see through the government within art. Art inspires everyone in many ways and the only way someone can contribute to their own opinion is through art, then so be it. Creating content like that will only empower the election because of how they will perceive someone and have propaganda all over that will dignify their own personal opinion in order to elect and choose the right person for office.

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Klinger Vs. Flagg By: Darrielle McCord

During World War I, poster design was a form of communication. As printing technologies rapidly grewe and advanced, so did the form of communication. During the war, governments turned to posters a a medium of propaganda. New technologies formed, like airplanes, zeppelins, heavy artillery, and tanks. They were used to finance the war. There were two poster designers that had become famous in their time and were well known for their spread of propaganda. Julius Kilinger and James Montgomery-Flagg were the two designers that designed posters dutring the war. Posters producedby the Central Powers and the Allies Proved to be very efffective during the war. Germany and Austria -Hungary led the Central Powers while France, Russia, Great Britain and the United States led the Allies. In Austria-Hungary and Germany, war posters continued the traditions of the Vienna Succession. It used words and images as a form of communication. Julius Klinger observed that the United States flag was the best poster that America had. His war posters expressed complex ideas with simple pictographic symbols. His poster titled, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kriegsanleineâ&#x20AC;? is a poster for Germany;sw eighth bond drive.

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It was designed in the pictorial modernism era in the year 1917. There are arrows piercing the dragon. It reminds its citizens that their gifts have helped wond the enemy. Klinger not only designed this particular war poster, He has also designed ads and posters for products in the Vienna Sucession. Ads such as, the Foire de Vienne in 1922, and Poster of the Viennese perfume company Pessl that following year in 1923. James Montgomery-Flagg is an american poster designer. His poster shows military recruiting. It was designed the same year as Klinger’s poster in 1917. Five million copies of Flagg’s poster were printed. It became one of the most widely reproduced posters in history. Most of the colors used in his poster are red, white and blue. They are the colors of the American flag.It was produced due to American involvement in the war. Most of Flagg’s work consists of the subject being citizens of America. The American flag colors are in each poster. Flagg’s poster’s titled, “Wake Up America, Civilization Calls Every Man Woman and Child!” and “The Navy Needs You! Don’t Read American History, Make It!” show the patriotic illustrations of politcs. In Flagg’s later posters, he sketches people and their expressions to tell a story.

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Flagg’s poster recruits military like his poster of Uncle Sam. This shows young Navy soldiers recruiting young civilizans into joining the military where as Flagg’s poster of Uncle Sam brings a more personal approach to the viewer’s relationship to the poster. Each designer in comparison uses sketching and symbols to create propaganda. The dragon in Klinger’s work represents Germany’s enemies whereas Flagg’s posters shows patriotism. In contrast, Klinger is more abstract whereas Flagg is more straightfoward. My photomontage series is titled “America: The not so free”. It is a randition of Klinger and Flagg’s works. It is a political poster depicting the 2016 Presidental Election. Repubklican Canidate Donald Trump and Democratic Canidate Hillary Clinton has battled for months for power over the presidency of The United States of America. They are a comparison and contrast of good and evil. The black smoke is used to represent Donald Trump as Yin(Evil/Negative). The white smoke is used to represent Hillary Clinton as Yang(Good/ Positive). Symbols, a collage of images and text are used to create the series of five pieces. The colors of the American flag are used to bring a more patriotic feel to the poster. It is similar to Flagg’s posters as he also uses the colors of the American flag in his work. Each poster shows an image of the canidates and what they aspire to accomplish as the President of the United States.

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Politics & Art By: Destiny Miranda The work of J. Howard Miller and Shepard are very powerful in there meaning and what is meant to be portrayed. Both of the work’s presented shows a side of politics that needed to be seen by the American people.

J.Howard Miller, “We Can Do It”

“We Can Do It” is a wartime propaganda poster produced by Westinghouse. It was used to show that women are more then capable to work like men do. According to World Digital Library, “This poster was part of the national campaign in the Untied States to enlist women in the work force. Women were portrayed as attractive, Confident and resolved to do their part to withe war”. The most memorable aspect of the “We Can Do It” poster would be the subject itself. The women showing her strength by posing like a man would and wearing a button up shirt with her hair pulled back was a symbol of breaking the normal perception of what a women should look like, act like and what they are capable of achieving.

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“WE CAN DO IT!” Being that women can do just as well of a job as men and provide for themselves and their families. Barack Obama Hope Poster was created in “hopes” of change. According to wikipedia, “It was widely described as iconic and came to represent the 2008 Obama presidential campaign”. In hindsight, Obama was the change that America needed, at least from the mess that he was given when he won the election. The hope poster really stands out because of it’s use of color and subject. A potential leader, that could hold the key of change for the United States.

Shepard, “Barack Obama Hope Poster .”

The power of one word, “HOPE” and what it means for the people is strong because it sets the bar high for this man that he will be the one to improve everything that is wrong and give the American people the will to believe that he will break that ceiling glass ceiling and do the things he says he will do. Both show straight, power and change in the time period they are set in. J. Howard Miller was born in 1918 and dead in 2004, according to Wikipedia, he was an American graphic artist, who painted posters during World War II in support of the war effort. Miller studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, graduating in 1939.

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Shepard Fairey was born on February in 1970, in Charleston. According to Streetartbio.com his a very famous graphic artist, muralist and overall artist. Fairey’s work has been used in screen prints, stencils, stickers, masking film illustrations, wheat paste, collages, sculptures, posters, paintings, and murals. Fairey work combines elements of graffiti, pop art, business art and Marxist theory. The difference in Miller’s poster from Fairey’s is it’s depicting a women and the cause was women’s rights to be apart of the workforce. As where Fairey was depicting a future leader of the United States. Visually, Miller uses dark blue , interpreting to be a masculine color with a yellow background to symbolize the feminine aspect. The two colors together show that a women can be strong yet still have the characteristics women can only have. Where as Fairey use the American colors to depict that the subject is apart of the US, the poster is more supportive towards the subject and it helps give the subject a light of positivity by using the word “HOPE’. According to Wikipedia, the poster consists of stylized stencil portait of Obama in solid red, beige, light and dark blue.

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My own work reflects what I think is to be true, the way the world is and the way it looks at politics and who runs our country. What has happened recently in the world is electing another unworthy or worthy person to govern over us has been put to the test by the great people of America once again. The result was a shock to many and a victory to others but one has to question if the outcome was the best one as a whole for an entire nation.wv. To my understanding, there were many different but effective reason’s why both candidates weren’t fit for such a position of importance. The set of five in this photomontage shows my thought process when I look at these very different, very powerful people and what they each represent. I know not what life they live on a personal level. I only know what they have chosen to tell and show the world. What they each had to offer in order to gain presidency and my option is my own, I truly believe that there is fault in everyone because that’s part of being human but it’s the action after a failed attempt at something major that defines what kind of leader one can be and I stand by my option in that aspect. As for the artist who’s art work reflected something important to not only them but a mass audience, they have chosen to be the voice of some kind of movement. An impactful purpose to why they choose to design something that could be risky and have many people not agree with the idea but it’s inspiring to have another person have the same feelings and thoughts as you might have. and thoughts as you might have. Who are able to use their talent to make some difference in a world that wasn’t always so forgiving. Miller and Fairey have made a difference in the aspect of being able to voice their options and support their subject.

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Politics within Photomontage By Lauren Campbell

Designers have a voice and use their creativity to express important messages to their audience. Photomontage is an innovative technique that many designers use for posters. A few designers that used politics in their artwork are J. Howard Miller and John Heartfield. They designed in different periods of time. Both of their works of art are similar with each other yet they have many contrasts. J. Howard Miller was a graphic artist born in the United States of America. He was born in 1918. He did a lot of his work during World War II in support of the war effort. His designs were influenced by Norman Rockwell. While studying at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, his work was brought to the attention of Westinghouse Company. While he worked there, he designed many posters for them and was a creative influence. He used his art to â&#x20AC;&#x153;depict the lives of the women behind the war effortâ&#x20AC;?. The women were the reason the war effort was successful. They had to take over the factory jobs, which the men left, to go to war. Miller used this scenario to create innovative artwork. It was not until the end of the war that he would fade from the public eye.

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Miller was influenced by Norman Rockwell. Rockwell had designed a painting that portrayed a woman working in a factory. He also added the name Rose to the lunchbox. From this influence, Miller created We Can Do It! This piece showed a woman wearing the same clothes that Norman Rockwell’s “woman” wore. The famous woman that Miller portrayed, became Rosie the Riveter. We Can Do It! is Miller’s most wellknown artworks. He also designed It’s a Tradition with Us, Mister!, Any Questions About Your Work?, and Make Today a Safe Day. “We Can Do It!” is a famous American war propaganda poster. It was not until the 1980s that it was rediscovered and printed onto many forms. Rosie the Riveter became an iconic figure for the working woman. In 1982, the poster was reposted in the Washington Post Magazine. This piece promoted feminism and political issues that were in the beginning of 1980. John Heartfield was born 1891. He studied art in Munich at the Royal Bavarian Arts and Crafts School in 1908. His influences were Weisgerber and Hohlwein. Heartfield is credited as the founder of modern photomontage. “The process of cutting and pasting together elements to form a brilliant cohesive image” was the foundation for his work. He and his brother worked for the publishing company, Wielande Herzfelde. They redesigned book jacket covers there. Aside from his designs, his typography was groundbreaking. His Dada work, eventually evolved into his lifelong work to have the mixed media portray a clear message to his audience. To many people, John Heartfield was

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described as an “anti-Nazi” artist or “anti-fascist” artist. Heartfield was almost “tried for treason in Easy Germany when he was forced to return because of his financial and political status.” John Heartfield developed the first political photomontages. His most famous work was designed in the 1930s and 1940s. These pieces were created to expose German Nazism. The Hand Has Five Fingers, is one of Heartfield’s famous photomontages. This poster shows how the hand is capable and powerful. It has the ability to destroy as well as create. This political piece appeared May 13, 1928. The text (in German) on the poster translates to: “5 fingers has a hand! With these 5 grab the enemy!” In this case, the “enemy” was referenced to the Nazi Party. He was positive that there was nothing more powerful than “the human hand when the fingers work together”. He would wait outside the factory with his photographer to take photos of hands until he found the one he wanted. J. Howard Miller and John Heartfield were both timeless designers. They were the best designers in their era and in the overall art design. Although they had similarities, they had differences too within their work. Considering the time period of John Heartfield’s work, he focused more on anti-Nazi design and showing the terrible time of politics for his country. This doesn’t only appeal to the emotions of Germans, but it appeals to everyone who understands what Hitler did in that time. His use of photomontage was different compared to J. Howard Miller. Miller painted his posters. His posters opened up a door for the empowerment of women.

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The world was not used to women working at that time and his work and designs brought a new light onto the world for that. Visually, both artists used different techniques for their political message. I took a different approach to the political photomontage. After researching, I noticed many artists were biased and only tried to design based on their view. I wanted to take the good and bad from both sides and unite them. Creating my photomontage, I saw an opportunity to design what I think the country is going through right now. I believe in the goodness of people and our country, and I wanted to portray that in my design. Shepard Fairey designed the “Hope” Barack Obama poster. I think it captured America. Everyone wants to feel like their voices will be heard during the election. Election year is a stressful time and I think this poster had a sense of calm from the American colors to the solemn look on Obama’s face. Dave Kilmer designed the “Reagan Bush ‘84” poster with the slogan “Bringing America Back!” The poster has the American colors and a sense of pride. The campaign poster shows head-and-shoulders portraits of Reagan and Bush and the White House. The slogan is similar to Donald J. Trump’s slogan “Make American Great Again”. These two designers were a few of many designers who use politics as part of their design. I think that using innovative design with political photomontage is a great and important skill to learn.

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Politics and Art By Jazmin Pruitt There were many artists that wanted to visually give a message to the community that deals with politics and also express how they feel. The two artists that I chose and what stood out to me is John Heartfield and Ben Shahn, because they had really strong feelings about what’s going on in the community. John Heartfield held strong political beliefs and made their art into visual communications to raise awareness and promote change in society. He used harsh disjunctions of photomontage as a propaganda weapon. He was against German militarism, even though he served from 1914-1916. John Heartfield’s poster Adolf the Superman is an anti-poster that shows how Hitler was largely backed by capitalist funding. The artwork shows an x-ray of Hitler showing gold coins from the bottom of his stomach to his esophagus. The photomontage consisted of a picture of Hitler, an X-ray of a human body, a vertical column of gold coins, and the badge of the Nazi party that’s placed over his heart. According to the National Gallery of Canada, the X-rayed is a metaphor to expose Hitler’s hidden interest in financial power to the elimination. The German Communist Party tried to reveal Hitler’s true interest in capitalist financial power to the exclusion of the working class’ interests.

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Ben Shahn, This is Nazi Brutality

Ben Shahn was a social realist whose work was towards the political and economic injustice during the Depression. It was at a time when the murders were being committed by the Nazis and they were becoming known to the public. The government in the U.S. was trying to inform the American public of these actions. His work reached out to a larger audience in posters that conveyed Nazi brutality, which is what one of his posters is about. In his poster, he used the effect of a prison by closing the space with a wall in the background and by having the victim in handcuffs. The victim had a hood masking his face to cover his identity. He put the straightforward headline in red and the urgency of a telegram below it. The telegram talks about the Lidice Massacre that took place in 1942. According to The Massacre at Lidice article, the German government announced that the small village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia is destroyed. Hitlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s troops killed every adult male. Women and children were deported to concentration camps. The Naziâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proclaimed that the village of Lidice and the residents were forever erased from memory of Lidice. The name of the village was completely abolished. Hitler said the reason for the massacre was to teach the Czechs a final lesson of subservience and humility. Shahnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poster achieved communicative power by using those intense graphic forms.

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John Heartfield, Adolf the Superman

John Heartfield and Ben Shahn tackle the subject of politics visually by using Nazi and Hitler as their main focus, because they had really intense feelings for war and Hitler. Their artworks are about exposing or telling the news of what the Nazi party is doing that is affecting the community. They are giving information to the community about what they don’t know but should know by conveying the message visually. They both use certain, but also effective images to get their message across in their propaganda. The difference between their artwork is that John Heartfield’s artwork was taken place around World War I and Ben Shahn’s artwork was taken place around World War II. Heartfield’s art was specifically towards Hitler trying to expose his ways to the community. His montages are the most urgent in the history of the technique that he used to create his piece. Ben Shahn’s poster is straightforward news of what the Nazi Party has done to Lidice. The day of the massacre, which is June 11, 1942, was the day that Lidice has officially changed. Hitler wiped out the whole village of Lidice and claimed it as his own. The victim in the poster represents that you don’t know whose life will be taken next, so he was telling people that they could possibly be part of Hitler’s next plan.

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My photomontage series is based on John Heartfield’s work and Hannah Hoch’s work. While creating my own photomontage series, John Heartfield and Ben Shahn affected my understanding of current political situation by showing that in order to get the word across to people because it’s something that they need to know, you need strong images that have a strong meaning to it. Ben Shahn’s poster about Nazi brutality really stood out me, because it told a story. It made me want to read and learn more about the Lidice massacre, why all the men in the village were killed, and why Hitler took their village away from all of those people. Both John Heartfield and Ben Shahn made it clear that Hitler was not a good person and his actions were affecting people and instead of using just words, they used creative ways to send out that message.

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Art Politics By Jesus Lara In the world of design, not everyone started off the way they left off. Shepard Fairey for example, he used to be a young skater and became the founder of OBEY clothing witch emerged from the skateboarding scene. With his work, he became widely known in the 2008 U.S. presidential election for his Obama Hope poster. In this art piece he used the traditional red, blue, and white colors to demonstrate and attract people into his poster, not only the people into politics but many others too. His design style is street art; witch is easily assumed considering he is the founder of the brand OBEY. Now his bodies of art work are pretty much the same, they tend to be more modern than other designers especially for the fact that he tends to use faces of recent artists too and other well known people today. Some of his other famous art work known today are Obey giant, Rock the vote, and Andre the giant has a vote. He has a tendency to use the color red a lot and not all of his art work is revolved around politics. Some of his pieces tend to be environmental too and he has done some portraits of famous actors, as well as musicians.

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David Gleeson and Mary Mihelic spent more than a year on a used T.RUMP tour bus. The artist collaborated with each other with many artistic projects in their journey and road trip. They built the first section of the Trump Mexico wall 20 yards from the existing border fence in Jacumba Hot Springs California. Another collaboration project they both worked on while on the road was a small Trump vetting process with the text expressing “Are you nice?” facing Mexico, and text expressing “Were we nice?” facing the U.S. This small project is approximately 12 feet high and 20 fee wide. One of the most famous pieces these two collaborated with each other was a street art piece with the faces of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump that looks like it is portrayed with money. With a greenish color all around, it is detailed enough so you can see their faces. These few but impacting pieces became very popular during this presidential debate. David Gleeson as an individual tends to work in an artistic way that portrays fruit in a professional manner. He is more of a photographer and uses a different variety of colored backgrounds to help his photographic fruit stand out. He has also photographed a number of different types of roses and flowers too, along with different desserts with the help of a few props to arrange them in an appropriate manner that helps them stand out. His bodies of work tend to all look very well together as if it was a book collection of images that synch very well with a consistent theme. Mary Mihelic tends to use water color on some of her very few pieces she has created.

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She likes to concentrate more in collaborated art pieces and projects than anything else. She is more into the art of 3 dimensional design such as sculptures rather than a 2 dimensional designs. While comparing these artists work individually Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say that David Gleeson is more of a photographer and uses more props than anything. A photographic designer is uniquely different compare to a street artist because they are two completely different styles of art. While Shepard Fairey is more of a street designer and a more modern designer, he tends to use more paint and spray paint with big murals as compared to a photo shoot with props and uniquely places set up of objects to give visual attention to the audience. He seems to do art work for Zumiez because because he is the founder of the popular brand OBEY and he uses his work for many famous skateboard designs as well. In relation between the two, they have both made huge impacts in the design world regarding politics because of their work. With Shepard creating the Hope poster in 2008 and David collaborating with Mary to express what our candidates have been representing and what their inner most intentions tend to show with their words and actions through the whole presidential debate in the UnitedStates. These portraits have caught the attention of many Americans and have even led some of their pieces to museums as well.

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One of the ways the creation of my photomontage series affected my understanding of this current political situation was that it made me realize how much hate there actually was towards all Trump supporters and trump itself. I realized that while most people viewed Trump supporters as the bad people in this country, it was actually the people against him that caused the most chaos, such as fights in rallies, a lot of swearing, pushing, criticizing, and all even threatening others to kill for their freedom to vote. Now we all know that most of his supporters were racist, sexist and even naĂŻve, but from all video footage shown on social media, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think they are the only people that are giving a bad representation of this country. Another way I feel like it has impacted me is in a way where I learned that politics might be a little more important than people tend to say thy are. They are also more important than people tend to show they are. I also did come to understand that this projects had more to do than just the current presidential debate. Many collaboration projects and events with artist is more than just spending time creating something unique or something that stands out for attention, in this case I feel like most artists create visual images about politics to expose the hidden truth about their real intentions. They can also do such projects to give out a warning message to others without directly saying it to their faces. It is just their way of expressing their emotions, feelings, thoughts, and observations.

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Corrupt Choices

CHOICES This collection is inspired by the reactions and thoughts of the American people in reference to the 2016 Presidential Election. Within the collection, I chose to explore the relationship of collage and grids, choosing to keep the images aligned, rather than composed in layers, to ultimately keep the focus on the word that was imposed upon each piece. Every piece

has a color scheme and a word that is unique to itself. The color scheme correlates to the color of the party, i.e. red for republican, blue for democrat, etc., while the word correlates with a main component of the candidate. The final piece in the collection is in grayscale, reflecting the difficult and depressing choices that the America people must make.

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Political Unrest

My concept for this photomontage series was to depict the relative unease and uncertainty pervading the 2016 election and its aftermath. The nature of then political climate is and has been for many years, divisive and highly-charged. As such, mixed feelings and sundry outlooks escalate societal tension. This characterization of assorted emotions fits well with the medium of the series; the motley nature of photomontage conveys the heterogeneous quality of the bureaucratic process. In order to express the idea of political unrest, I

gathered appropriated images that I thought would best suggest to the viewer an awareness of politics in the modern era. Having gathered these materials, it was then a matter of arranging them in a fashion to elicit that aforementioned awareness to the viewer. This consisted of positioning and placing imagery in a hierarchical layout to maximize the impact of the message. I believe that I achieved this objective through the medium of photomontage and the consistency of design elements apparent throughout the series.

Nina Maiolo politics unusual 71

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Comical America

The concept of my photomontage was to profess a complete and utter disdain for the goings-on of the current political system in our country. I wanted to showcase the brutality of suppression and the corruption that is hidden in the inner workings of our government. I wanted to exemplify the isolation that is felt by the majority of Americans is the hope to unite them in a proud cause. I want to show the devolution of patriotism

and reinvigorate the pride that we used to have for our country and for ourselves. I decided to utilize a jaunty, fun, comic-book style that juxtaposes with the serious matters of the era. This purpose is two-fold: To engage the viewer by making a nostalgic connection, to create a satirical metaphor for the comical nature our country is in, as well as exemplify how lightly or unconcernedly people take these events.

Catarina Maiolo

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Catarina Maiolo politics unusual 74

Manipulation

I wanted to point out some of the important things between the two candidates. In one piece, I photographed the train station and manipulated it to make it seem like she is being sponsored everywhere to make people go vote for her by using Photoshop to do so. In another one of my pieces I faded the Trump Tower in the background on a picture with people walking towards it as a sign that shows that the people Trump was able to manipulate to give him their vote. In another picture I demonstrated one of Trumps great-

est desires: a wall with his name planted in the middle to demonstrate the border between the United States and Mexico. In my last piece I wanted to make it more of a poster that demonstrated competition between the two and demonstrated the race to presidency. Using their names as found footage along with every other picture in my collages, and put them together to show a visually appealing look that describes what has been going on before and possibly after the presidential debate is over.

Jesus Lara politics unusual 75

Immigration

This assignment deals with a political photomontage. With the elections now over, I decided to make one of the policies my focus, our immigration policy. I decided to portray the negative of Trumps ideals for immigration. I made the images black and

white to show nameless people and environment. The black and white images portray a darker view on the election. I wanted to reflect my feelings on the immigration policy, as well as the election, through this photomontage series.

Ivanise Konopka politics unusual 76

Leaders

My over all concepts for the project was to inform the public about the negative aspects of each electoral candidate. As important as it is to know the good each candidate has done, it is equally important to know what they have done wrong. A lot of people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know the negatives. I made the five posters all look alike so they go as a set. I made the text white in all of them and used the same font throughout. All the text is centered in all of the posters. Personally, I like

to have clean designs. I tried to keep them as clean as possible. My overall process was to find information about both candidates. After doing the research I came to the conclusion that they both were unworthy of being elected president. I wanted to compare them to each other and also to past presidents and historical figures. I made sure that everything was high quality. I chose images that I thought fit into the concept I was trying to promote.

Brandon Matchen politics unusual 77

Brandon Matchen politics unusual 78

Lesser of Two Evils

My photomontage series was inspired by everything the people hated about the two presidential candidates. My goal was to include it all, from Trump’s “locker room talk” to Hillary’s deleted emails. For the three posters, I used a silhouette style for both candidates to portray the dark side of them that everyone complained about.

To the democrats, Trump is viewed as a dictator, and that’s exactly what I made him seem like, as he looks over the lines of slaves walking through his gates. Any photomontage of Hillary was more of making fun of her and exposing the devil in disguise, with her petrifying smile and Dr. Evil outfits.

Tim Carey politics unusual 79

MAKE AMERICA WHITE AGAIN

Tim Carey politics unusual 80

Unjust

In my pieces I wanted to convey the emotions that many millennials felt this election as well as mock president-elect Donald Trump. I portray Trump in a few of my pieces as a baby because in my opinion, in reality, he is a big baby. From announcing his thoughts about the election being rigged because he was no longer in the lead to attacking Hillary in the presidential debates, that is sure no way a candidate for president of any country should act. I wanted to

also show the strong emotions of his followers in which I incorporated in one of the pieces. I implemented the black and white feature in order to resemble the black and white era. These pieces are a bit extreme when it comes to the actual representation of those opinions who arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t millennials, but though all millennials donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel the exact way about our president-elect my pieces are a strong representation of how many of us feel.

Wendy Garcia politics unusual 81

Wendy Garcia politics unusual 82

Down in Flames For my photo montages, my inspiration was mostly from the artwork of John Heartfield. The concept of my piece is an anti-Trump poster from the anti-Hitler poster from 1932 of Hitler swallowing gold coins, and the way that I created the photo montage, I feel that Trump isn’t going to do all that good of a job like Obama did the last eight years. Besides myself, there are many people who agree, which is why I included a silhouette of a crowd in which some of the people are showing negative signs, such as a thumbs down and fists in the air. I included flames into the piece saying

that “America will go down in flames” with Trump being president. Other pieces are about how Trump wants to build a wall along the border of the United States and Mexico, Trump’s head on a baby’s body, a poster of Trump on the middle finger of a hand as for the John Heartfield poster of Hitler as a finger puppet on the index finger. The other piece was from the concept of Hannah Hoch, when the use of random parts are put on a single face, so I used the surprised eyes and put them on Trump’s face.

Jazmin Pruitt politics unusual 83

Jazmin Pruitt politics unusual 84

Propaganda

The reason behind this photomontage is a TV series type of vibe. Behind the scenes actions of both presidential candidates. The first two are introducing the candidates that are majorly popular in the political campaign. They have a TV retro type of coloring in the font, which causes it to make it seem as it is a static visual towards the lettering of their first initial. Their names are a huge impact in the election because it causes problems from both sides in the way that the people choose to vote. This photomontage series isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t biased but truly based on facts. Hillary Clinton failed by failing to become the first woman president and Donald Trump is considered evil to many voters that did not support his political views due to the perspective he threw across the field to the peo-

ple. Introducing both presidential candidates, comes a series of visually based on popularity. Every minority was expected to vote for Hillary and throw Trump out of the running. This made Hillary seem to have a huge advantage on the presidential election. Reason behind Hillary having a big head and Trump having a smaller one. The reason the photomontage with them being inside a TV screen is because of all the backfires they had against each other during the political debates and campaigns. Propaganda was all over the TV which made it obvious that they were clearly running the campaign. The final one includes Hillary, Trump, and Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full names. This is because clearly they are at view in the political debates and presidential views in politics.

Andres Balladares politics unusual 85

ELECTION 2016

Andres Balladares politics unusual 86

America Needs Change

My views on this years election was not how I usually look at an election, in the past I was excited to vote. This year I had the feeling of embarrassment due to I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to vote for either of the candidates. My design on these posters were to create like the artists originally did photo montage by finding images in magazines, newspaper and drawing images and creating one piece that speaks to the viewer. My whole view on the election as a whole was that it was like a circus. After creating

one main piece I decided to create the rest as how I felt about the individual candidates, I as you can tell I am not a Trump supporter I feel as thought he is bad for America, I am also not a Hillary supporter. I think it shows in my designs how I feel about the two candidates. I wanted to create another poster about how I feel in the end how things will change America but I did not have more time so I plan on creating more photomontage designs in my future.

Josh Ewald politics unusual 87

Josh Ewald politics unusual 88

VII politics unusual 89

AMERICAN Pride PACKAGING Robert Morris University Graphic Design students in Art 420 Graphic Design III utilized the packaging design process to develop a package solution for a product, inspired the Dieline American Pride packaging collection. Inspiration for this project came from thedieline. com.

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NIKKOR LENS BRANDON MATCHEN For the American pride packaging project, my goal was to design a package that stood out yet allow the person looking at it to distinguish where the original package came from. I made very slight changes so that it was not too overpowering but the viewer could tell it drew inspiration from American pride.

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AMPLE BREW MIA ISBERTO When creating the packaging and concept for Ample Brew two things came to mind: American social gatherings and subtle use of symbols. The milk carton is different than the standard canned and bottled beer, which would help the product stand out from the rest. The typography used for the flavors is original and each flavor corresponds with the colors of the flag. The text on the back of package, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The beer for party animalsâ&#x20AC;? was meant to resemble the American flag, whereas the animals were drawn from political parties. The Ample Brew packaging was meant to be fun, modern, while being patriotic.

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MAC COSMETICS GUADALUPE ESCALANTE For the American Pride packaging, I chose to create a M∙A∙C Liberty brand because makeup brands are extending their collections every month. I decided to use the M∙A∙C brand because they are known to have extraordinary collections, such as the M∙A∙C Selena, and Viva Glam Ariana Grande. I designed the collection using the American Flag, Statue of Liberty, and the American colors on the lipstick and eyeshadow palettes packages. I also used the Marguerite typeface because it is similar to the hand lettering used in the Declaration of Independence.

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COLOUR POP JAZMIN PRUITT I chose to redesign the ColourPop lipstick box, which appeals to young women in the late teens to the late twenties. I thought it would be a good idea to Americanize the ColourPop box because they release limited edition collections with its own design, such as Hello Kitty and a line by Karrueche Tran called KaePop, but don’t change the actual box. Changing the design of the box is something that they haven’t done before; it was always white with a red top. The gradience on the American flag will draw the customers’ eyes to the package, because they see that it’s something different from the original ColourPop box the lipstick usually comes in.

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THE CHOCOLATE BALLOT JULIAN QUINONEZ The Chocolate Ballot Box is a package for chocolate with the concept of voting in a democracy on which type of chocolate one likes best. The package contains 24 chocolate bars split into 3 different types of chocolate representing three political parties. Included in the box is a deck of 24 voting ballots for the consumer to vote which chocolate is the best in his/ her opinion, while the package itself is the actual ballot box. I designed this package with the thought of how important it is to exercise the right to vote and what better way to exercise it than with chocolate.

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BICYCLE PLAYING CARDS CATARINA MAIOLO The revitalized Bicycle brand evokes a nostalgic yet playful feel. It appeals to both old and young audiences alike. The font chosen for the logo is Tunga Bold. When the logo is scaled, the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bicycleâ&#x20AC;? will be scaled to match the width of the wheel. The color utilized in the logo is C: 100, M: 25, Y: 0, K: 0. The dieline for the box continues the American theme with the integration of the red stripes indicative of the American flag. Its bright imagery and logo placement easily identify the brand, while accentuating the traditional playing card imagery.

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VANS OFF THE WALL SKATEBOARD EMILY PEREZ I was inspired to design a skateboard because I wanted to create something different that would connect to youth and adults alike. I wanted to do something that would be more fun and playful, compared to an average packaging design one might see everywhere.

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BIOTRU MARISSA MOLITOR I chose to redesign BioTrue contact solution. I thought this would be a unique item to redesign in the Americana theme because not many contact solutions use the color red. As contact solution is generally sold in the medical section of stores, having the color red on the packaging would generally be a negative connotation; however, I thought that using maroon paired with white and a light blue would be acceptable because the maroon would be an accent color. This would allow the consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; eyes to be drawn to the package, which would be a successful marketing ploy.

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POPCORN NINA MAIOLO Packaging design is markedly different than twodimensional design; one has to imagine how the product will look constructed on a shelf next to hundreds of other commercial products. In order to have my design stand out while keeping with the Americana theme, I used light shades of red and blue with a clean and modern typeface. The stylized stripes signify the American flag and popcorn is a decidedly American snack for everyone to enjoy.

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MACYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PINOT NOIR STEPHANIE VENEGAS With influences from modern, contemporary and simple designers, you will see my artwork as sleek pieces with bold statements. Ever since I was a young student, I was fascinated by how something so simple can make the biggest statement. Throughout my work, you will see an unforgettable design that does not overpower the product; rather it foresees the future of the product and its company.

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DUNKIN DOUNTS TIM CAREY Dunkin Donuts is an original, American based company, founded in the early 1950’s. Therefore, I thought they would be a perfect franchise to use for the American Pride project. Dunkin Donuts has many ways of packaging their products, their Munchkin box being the most iconic, but they all have a very similar look to them. Due to the nature of this project I took advantage of their simple color scheme and switched to red and blue while keeping the white space. My design was simple, on both the front and the back I bordered the brand name “Dunkin’ Donuts” with an inch thick border full of stars. The difference between the front and back was the arrangement of the colors. I kept their motto “America Runs On Dunkin” on the top portion of the box because it is very patriotic. The large amount of whitespace keeps to the Dunkin Donuts style of packaging while still adding my own twist to it.

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BATH & BODYWORKS CANDLE ERIKA BRZECZEK When creating the 3 Wick candle box I decided to go against the standard red, white and blue and focus more on America, the beautiful. My inspiration came from the iconic folk song and I chose three aspects from the seven regions of North America. (NW, W, SW, MW, SE, MA, NE). Each box would be white with the scent title and a color code based of the region; but when one lifts the top off the base an image of a specific landscape of that region reveals itself. I thought it would be an interesting and fun aspect to the plan box and also preserve the scent of the candle so when you open the box the scent is also unleashed and you are taken to that particular part of America.

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politics

unusual

Cover Art Art for cover created by Deâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Jon LaCour Cover design by Marissa Molitor Politics Unusual Politics Unusual was developed by Robert morris university students. the work included herein consists of student projects aimed at commenting on the tumultuous nature of the current political climate. politics unusual 103

Student Designers Daniel Apanco Andres Balladares Erika Brzeczek Lauren Campbell Timothy Carey John Champlain Grace Dynek Guadalupe Escalante Alejandra Herrera Salcedo Mia Isberto Madison Lovell Catarina Maiolo Nina Maiolo Brandon Matchen Olivia McClellan Darrielle McCord Destiny Miranda Marissa Molitor Matthew Muniz Emily Perez Vince Plascencia Jazmin Pruitt Damian Rozkuszka Aurora Ruvalcaba Katherine Sandoval Christian Vergara Instructor Carolyn Pavelkis

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Featured Artists Roger Alvarado Alexis Anderson Andres Balladares Erika Brzeczek Lauren Campbell Tim Carey John Champlain Ariel Coleman Toriona Cross Taji Elemah Guadalupe Escalante Joshua Ewald Wendy Garcia Onequa Hawkins Samuel Hermosillo John Hynes Mia Isberto Dave Kapuciarz Ivanise Konopka Deâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Jon LaCour Jesus Lara Catarina Maiolo Nina Maiolo Brandon Matchen Darrielle McCord Destiny Miranda Marissa Molitor Elsie Ocegueda Emily Perez Maddie Pfalzer Jazmin Pruitt Julian Quinonez Alexis Rodriguez Eli Tapia Brandon Vega Stephanie Venegas

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politics unusual 106