Decoration Day

The window just above the flag is my studio.

Thanks to all of you who have fought for what you believe in and are fighting for justice in your country and abroad today.

Here are a variety of ways to celebrate Memorial Day, originally Decoration Day.

1. Volunteer at the local soup kitchen (when I was in high school 70% of the homeless population was made up of veterans)
2. Donate used items to a shelter or other organization designed to help get people back on their feet (fight the war against poverty in your own backyard)
3. Spend time with a veteran with a disability today (or an elderly friend/neighbor.)  Talk to him or her about how America has changed in their lifetime.
4. Make a gift basket, bake cookies, or cook supper for families with a parent overseas

Proud American

5. Collect funds for Soldiers Angels, donate to Veterans for Peace, or choose another organization you support.
6. Make artwork dealing with the flag.  If you are critiquing American culture or values try to stay positive today.  The image in this post is another example of art you can create as well.  A poster honoring a soldier is another possibility as well.

7. Take an immigrant out for coffee. Learn his/her story. People who escaped hardship, brutality, or other negative aspects of their home country often have an extreme sense of pride in America.
8. Journal about how your family came to America.  Most of us were immigrants at some point in time.
9. Pray for world peace, freedom and justice for all and be thankful for all that we do have in our country.

Another Proud (Beautiful) American

Do you have any family traditions for Memorial Day? If you do add them to my list. If not which idea above sounds the most intriguing?

Wether you have a BBQ, place flowers on a tomb, hold a flag, or hold a protest, I would suggest taking the day off and spending some time outside.  I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend, however you choose to spend it!!!

God Bless America...

...and the rest of the world. 

Source: hispanicfanatic.wordpress.com via Felicia Follum Art+ on Pinterest

Source: touchpuppet.com via Felicia Follum Art+ on Pinterest

230 Nooses for Black History Month

I hope everyone has a fantastic Black History Month!!! I wanted to share some artwork with you from my last exhibition titled "Make it Plain."

This video shows a piece names 1982 and talks about why I chose to create 230 nooses. The song playing in the background, Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday, was also written out in one of my books. As you will see he goal of my noose artwork was to help people understand a bit more about African American history and the racism that existed and to some extent still does exist. You can see images of the finished piece at the end of the video.


To see more of my art check out my YouTube channel.

Obama's Logo: A Change We Can See

Regardless of ones political beliefs Obama's logo and campaign were both revolutionary in the fields of Art history and graphic design.

I remember sitting in my Art History class and my professor getting excited because she knew some of the art historians working on the campaign.  We discussed the Orator's pose and the new concept for logo design.  In my Conceptual Graphic Design and Typography classes we talked about the versatility of the logo design, and the use of image as type, and type as image.

Not only is this the first time I can remember seeing a strong campaign logo, but it is also the first time where an actual street and graffiti artist played a major role in a political campaign with the iconic Shepard Fairey posters (pictured below).  It was, and still is, clear that there was something different.  Obama is about change, at least to much of the art world and counter cultures (but we wont get into that now).

Source: via Felicia on Pinterest

I am a fan of logos that can function as a recognizable image without text (such as Target and Nike).  Obama's logo accomplishes this and I cannot think of another presidential campaign with the same accomplishment (even the 2012 campaign). The Obama flag is a another example of the diversity his logo embraces.  Change was present in the visual rhetoric whether we believe we have seen it in Obama's time served in office or not.

I love this logo more than most anything dealing with the presidential campaigns.  It is a breath of fresh air in the 3 1/2 year long election season.  

What are your thoughts on the design?  Are there other election campaigns that have a srong visual language?

Keep reading for some blogs insights and posts offering deeper insight from the logo designers and more.

Presidential Election 2012 Shoes

We have all heard of wearing our heart on our sleeve...how about wearing you politics on your feet?  I found these great Obama shoes on Pinterest and thought I would share.  Regardless of who you are voting for this election, why not share you views with the world in a unique way.
What are some other creative and respectful ways to support your candidate? 

Source: printeresting.org via Felicia on Pinterest

Happy July 4th

I created a Red White Blue Pinterest board in honor of the 4th of July.  The board has several image focusing on the flag.  Some images serve as graphic design inspiration.  Others are social justice and activist artwork.  And some are simply beautiful photos with a red, white and blog flag as a focal point or in the background.  All of the photos link to various articles (and citation for the photographer) about the 4th of July, the American flag, or American history.

I hope you enjoy this series of images I curated for the 4th of July.  I have several other Pinterest boards you can check out as well. 

Happy 4th of July!

American Dream: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Truth

American Dream

Though America is great, it is important to remember the true history of our country.  It was built on the backs of African slaves and is currently being built on the backs of underpaid, overworked Latinos and other under-privileged people groups (sometimes slaves). Avoiding reality will not make it go away (as we just saw in "History can't be Undone, But it can be Erased").  The idea of the American Dream is based upon ideas that many will never be able to achieve.

Inspiration for American Dream

This work began as a part of 1892 (post coming soon), a work depicting the large number of lynchings in 1892.  America began with the slave trade.  Laws were passed allowing the murder of blacks and lynchings were a weekly occurrence after church on Sundays.  American Dream depicts how American history and some aspects of culture are so ingrained in the culture and our understanding of what it means to be American (even if some refuse to admit and confront this history).  This work is meant to be a criticism (constructive criticism) of America today as well as a reminder of our history.

The American Flag

I understand that the American flag can be overused; however, it can also be a powerful symbol for cultural values. The flag is the perfect symbol to show our country's history.  I would like to continue to use the flag as a symbol in my next body of work which will be focusing on sex trafficking.  The flag has also been used in mys past bodies of work.  See my Native American history poster "Incarceration." 

Exhibition Feedback

I was talking to a man at the opening; he was reading a slave narrative and this piece really resonated with him.  The book he was reading talked about how breeding with female slaves was just an everyday topic and part of American culture.  One of my favorite aspects of having this exhibition is how many conversations were started in response to the serious topic.  Art is a powerful too for social dialog an change.

On a side, but related not, attacks on the LGBTQ community are becoming increasingly common by the same groups (such as the KKK, neo-Nazis, radical Nationalists, and racialists).


Tweet

Incarceration

I did a project that focused on the Indian Reservations in the United States. These areas seem to get ignored but several of the reservations have living conditions comparable to the ghettos in Haiti. Those who live on PR do live on $1 - $2 per day. It is clear that there are many problems on the reservations and it is difficult to come up with a solution.

What do you think of when you see this poster?  Do you Agree with the message you see?  Does it fit the ideas that our country was built on?

What experience do you have, that you can relate to this?