Political Pieces, so far...
A friend asked if I would be interested in having a show of my political posters in this alternative gallery space (sadly, now defunct). The show never happened but I present the work here. Some of the posters were carried in marches, others were made to display in my front window. I was inspired by a home I visited when I was in Washington DC at the Women's March in 2017. They had their front windows covered with political messages. I don't have enough window space to display all of them but I change them out, depending on the news.
My first poster during a demonstration outside Senator Dianne Feinstein's building. Friends held up my poster which was covered in plastic because it had been raining.
After seeing the Stuart Davis show at the deYoung, I thought I needed to use more color. I was trying to get a lot of information on a piece of cardboard. Not elegant but gets my point across. I don't like the pasted on words. These were for the Tax March 2017.
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| Tax March 2017 |
I made an extra poster, just in case...
"Make our planet great again" was something the French president Emmanuel Macron said during a speech. This was made for display in the window.
My friends and neighbors became politically activated after the election of 45*.
After the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, it was time to march again.
In an eloquent and emotional speech by Emma Gonzales, one of the high school student survivors, she repeated the phrase "we call BS".
And then there was the Moms Demand Action/Everytown for Gun Safety March across the Golden Gate Bridge June 2, 2018.
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| Science March 2017 |
"Make our planet great again" was something the French president Emmanuel Macron said during a speech. This was made for display in the window.
My friends and neighbors became politically activated after the election of 45*.
I didn't make the Climate March only because there wasn't one in San Francisco. I made the poster, just in case.
And, the best march so far was the Immigrant March (May 1, 2017) or a Day Without Immigrants March. There was music, dancing, great costumes and of course, the posters were out in force.
The next 4 posters were made for window display. I got many positive comments from passers-by.
"Lordy, I hope there are tapes" - James Comey, former head of the FBI
"Reclaiming my time" - Maxine Waters, congresswoman responding to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's attempt to waste time.
"Speak love to the world everyday" - Lady Gaga during her concert in SF said in response to the Manchester Arena at the Ariana Grande concert. It was from here on, I think my posters became better looking. I started added talismans in the form of image of the speaker of the quote. In the case of the Comey quote, I have the top of Mueller's head. With the Maxine Waters quote, I have her hair depicted. And in the Lady Gaga quote, I have her eyes painted on.
It pains me to hear our president attack the media and calling them "fake news". I gifted myself a subscription to the New York Times when I received my masters in biology back in 1988 and I have been a subscriber ever since.
We have a president who attacks the media daily and calls on the public to not trust the news. The goal of the media is to mediate between the powerful and the public. Responsible media are here to enrich, educate, inform, and hold people and institutions accountable by asking the hard questions. We must have freedom of the press and encourage them to investigate institutions and people in order to have a more just and civil society. It was the press that investigated and exposed Harvey Weinstein, exposed the clergy sexual abuse in Boston, and is bringing us the tragedy that is the opioid epidemic.
They provide an important public service. I do not consider FOX News to be in this category for the most part. It is more like the Kremlin sponsored propagation news channel RT. Fox News is an ugly mouthpiece for *45.
In addition to the NY Times, I have an online subscription to the Washington Post and The New Yorker. I listen to NPR daily and subscribe to several podcasts including The Daily, Up First, NPR Politics, Stay Tuned with Preet, and if i have time, The Weeds and FiveThirtyEight.
Hence, the following poster. One can listen to quite a few podcasts during dog walks and long painting sessions.
Posters for the Women's March 2018. I felt like a celebrity with these posters - people kept wanting to take pictures of us holding them.
After the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, it was time to march again.
In an eloquent and emotional speech by Emma Gonzales, one of the high school student survivors, she repeated the phrase "we call BS".
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| March to End Gun Violence 2018 |
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| City Hall, San Francisco 2018 End Gun Violence Rally |
It was interesting to have the 2nd Amendment discussion with other marchers. Some didn't realize that one of the Moms Demand Action goals is to preserve the 2nd Amendment which is one of the reason I joined Moms.
In a NYTimes op-ed piece by Michael Hayden (former director of the CIA) , I found a particular passage disturbing.
"The historian Timothy Snyder stresses the importance of reality and truth in his cautionary pamphlet, “On Tyranny.” “To abandon facts,” he writes, “is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power because there is no basis upon which to do so.” He then chillingly observes, “Post-truth is pre-fascism.”
Two major newspapers have documented the lies perpetrated by 45*. You can read the ones documented by the NY Times here.
And then, there was the disastrous separation of families at the Mexico border. It was a low point for the administration with a multitude of low points.
I felt a need to create a bunch of heart postcards during this time.
No doubt, there will be more posters and tree paintings in the future.
In a NYTimes op-ed piece by Michael Hayden (former director of the CIA) , I found a particular passage disturbing.
"The historian Timothy Snyder stresses the importance of reality and truth in his cautionary pamphlet, “On Tyranny.” “To abandon facts,” he writes, “is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power because there is no basis upon which to do so.” He then chillingly observes, “Post-truth is pre-fascism.”
Two major newspapers have documented the lies perpetrated by 45*. You can read the ones documented by the NY Times here.
And then, there was the disastrous separation of families at the Mexico border. It was a low point for the administration with a multitude of low points.
I felt a need to create a bunch of heart postcards during this time.
And I wanted to paint a poignant scene of a parent and child tree embracing, in front of a chain linked fence.
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