The Locust Effect and The Problem of Poverty

The main topic in “The Locust Effect” breaks my heart. It is basically the argument that I made for my final project in my Ethical Philosophy of Global Justice class.

Violence and crime affect the poor. Trafficking, rape, and other forms of violence are problem of an unequal distribution of resources.

Though this book is specific to the developing world, it was seeing this poverty in my backyard as a kid that helped me to really see the problem of poverty for what it is.

World Water Matt Damon Press Conference Response

World Water by Felicia Follum

Matt Damon recently put out a video with Water.org. The video really made me start thinking about what I saw in Haiti.  I created this poster in response to some of the children....

...and I created the video response below to talk more about my experience in Haiti, why I think it is important to help other abroad as well as locally and to show off my graphic design world water poster.

You can view Matt Damon's video here.

Abused Goddesses and Devi Goddess Video

I found this (well actually a friend shared it with me, knowing my fascination with all things art and India and social change through art and religious culture...) incredible campaign fighting against domestic violence in India.  It compares Indian women to the Hindu goddesses addressing the contrast between women being beaten and worshiped.

The religious artwork was one of the most fascinating aspects for me while in India.  You can check out a video of me walking through various Hindu Devi Goddess temples here. If you are interested in seeing more of my videos from India be sure to subscribe to my YouTube account.

Check out the Abused Goddess Campaign here

Enjoy a video I took while looking at a Devi goddess temple.

Graphic Design Questions

Book cover for Captured Justice.
 See more Native American social justice posters 

Before I begin a graphics project I tend to ask several questions to help me get a better understanding of what the client desires.

Here are the questions I ask.

1. What is your business? Name? What do you do? Ideas? Images?
2. If you had to describe your desired/typical clients in a short paragraph what would you say about them? Age? Gender? Style? Culture? Class? Etc.
3. Is there anything else I need to know?

Other questions that may apply

What imagery are you leaning towards?
What are you trying to say with the imagery, that is not being said in the text or business name?
Do you want this type, image, or color heavy?

What questions do you ask your clients before beginning a project? Are they similar? Is there anything I forgot?

Captured Justice and Incarceration

I have been waiting to announce this achievement online for awhile now... 

My poster "Incarceration" was recently used as a textbook cover for a Native American History and Public Law textbook.  I was ecstatic when I received the hard copy in the mail. It looks great!!

The idea for this poster was largely inspired by growing up in Rapid City, South Dakota and seeing the mistreatment of, and racism toward, Native Americans.  The poster was created as part of a series addressing the conditions on American Indian Reservations (specifically
pine Ridge and Rosebud) after many hours of research.  The photo is an unknown chief from a portrait photography book.

Captured Justice: Native Nations and Public Law 280″ by Duane Champagne and Carole Goldberg
You can purchase the book online at Carolina Academic Press or on Amazon.com.

Zombies Eatin' Faces

"They eatin’ faces the zombies eatin’ faces".

I was recently approached by a fellow social activist and hip hop artist, Molina Speaks.  He was working on a track in response to the incident regarding a man eating another man's face and some of the new drugs out there on the market.  We talked about possible imagery and the darkness in the song and I went to work. 

This image, for me, was a response to researching some of these drugs.  Crock, which eats your flesh, and Bath Salts, which play a role in people eating other people's flesh are two examples.  Both of these drugs made me think of imagery surrounding zombies and the living undead.

Drugs can control your mind, body, and spirit (look at the lyrics).  In response to the being controlled, I included some circuitry like cyborg-ish objects in the background along with the hypnotizing background.

Download "Just Tryin' to Eat" here.  This page also has the song lyrics.  You can find out more on Molina Speak's Facebook Page.  You can see more of my art on my Facebook page.

My Bra Art

Felicia Follum, 24"x36" 1 in 8 Bras

This poster is for the "Support the Cure" art exhibition at the Artful Hand Studio and Gallery in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  All of the work in the exhibition feature or are inspired by the bra in some form or another.  I chose to create a graphic design poster, in a style inspired by Paula Scherr.

Through research I found that 1 in 8 women have or have had breast cancer.  This poster displays 8 different kinds of bras, one of which is specifically for women who have had a breast removed due to cancer.  The Mastectomy bra is the same color as the stat to show that it is the 1 out of the 8.

If you would like to purchase a print of this poster 20% will go toward cancer research.  Please let me know and I can set up an item on ETSY or we can trade in person.

Have Fun and Stay Out of Jail: KONY 2012 Stencil Art

Everybody loves graffiti style stencil art.  Which is why I figured I should create a stencil for the KONY 2012 campaign (see my other KONY art).  You can use the stencil to create posters, t-shirts or to decorate your parents garbage can.

To create your own graffiti style t-shirt using this stencil follow these simple instructions
1. Cut along the outside lines using an x-acto knife.  The negative space in the O's, 0 and P will not show up, but will still read perfectly well.
2. Place a piece of cardboard or old newspaper inside a t-shirt to prevent the paint from bleeding through.
3. Position stencil on fabric and tape the edges.
4. Follow spray paint instructions and paint.

BE CAREFUL not to get the paint on surfaces other than your t-shirt (or whatever object you are painting) and always ask permission before painting.

If you would like to purchase this stencil with my poster pack check out my ETSY shop.  If you would like to create your own go for it.  I used Impact and Adobe Illustrator.  Be sure to photocopy or make several prints if you want to go stencil crazy...As my high school AP English teacher wrote on the board every Friday, "Have Fun and Stay Out of Jail."

STOP KONY 2012 Posters

There has been a decent amount of controversy over the Invisible Children campaign that has gone viral in the past couple weeks.  I fully support the advocacy campaign to raise awareness about Joseph Kony and the child soldiers in Uganda, Africa.  Invisible Children has been raising awareness about the kidnapping of over 30,000 children who are then forced to become murderers.  Invisible Children have been spreading the word for several years now but finally created a viral campaign.

If any of you would like to plaster these 11x17 posters up the night of April 20 along with the rest of the country, please let me know how many you would like.  I will be selling my illustrated posters for $1 each if you are in Laramie.  If you would like them mailed, just add shipping.  Leave a comment below for more info or head over to my ETSY shop. 

If you would like to purchase the kit from Invisible Children, check out their link here.

Check out the STOP JOSEPH KONY 2012 video that went viral below

Education in Response to Haiti

Did you know that less than 1% of what the world spends on weapons in a year was needed to put every child in school for the same amount of time, but it did not happen?

The above poster uses this quote and a photo of school children in Haiti.  The community I was in seemed to have a decent number of kids in school; however, most of the kids were still just running around.  All of the children I gave art lessons to were not in school this was about 40 each day.

For each 11x17 poster sold ($25) I will donate enough to Thomazeau, Haiti to sponsor one child in school for a year.  Please do let me know if you are interested.  If you would like more information about sponsoring a child or teacher for a year, please let me know. 

See more artwork inspired by my trip to Haiti.

The Good Mule: Artist Statement

This past weekend I was fortunate to be able to attend The Good Mule 2012 Conference as the Featured Visual Artist. I participated last year so was pretty excited about being invited to be the artist. See more of my thoughts from The Good Mule.

I am currently finishing up my last semester at the University of Wyoming and will be graduating in May. I will be graduating with a in Fine Arts and a second major in Humanities and Fine Arts (HUFA) as well as a minor in Graphic Design. My areas of emphasis for the HUFA degree are Philosophy, Religious Studies, African American and Diaspora Studies, and Art History. My dream job is to have an art studio where I can continue to create art and work with people through teaching, art therapy, and graphic design lessons.

The pieces that are on display come from a couple different bodies of work and addresses a variety of topics. These topics include LGBTQ issues, Christianity and the LGBTQ community, African American religious culture and history, Native American reservations, and poverty.

Make it Plain is my most recent body of work and focuses on African American Religious history and culture with the goal of helping people understand religious figures such as Malcolm X and James Cone. Make it Plain will be up in the 234 Gallery during the Shepard Symposium. If you would like to see the entire show, this would be an excellent opportunity.

My next body of work will be dealing with sex trafficking and modern day slavery. Be sure to check out my blog and Facebook page to track the progress of my upcoming work and learn more about individual pieces and the research that went into their creation. The URLs are on my business card.

I am certainly up for discussion about concepts, inspirations, the bodies of work these individual pieces come from, collaborations, sales, or art and activism in general.

To learn more about the Good Mule check out their website.

Phenomenal Woman

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

World Water and Haiti

I created this poster in response to my Haiti trip.  The community we were in was incredibly fortunate.  They had their own well (about 1000 people) so that they had drinking water within in a couple miles; however, the kids would pick up our water bottles and pretend to drink.  It was adorable, as you can see.

The idea of a Haitian child pretending to drink from a water bottle creates a sense of cognitive dissonance.  When we look at how many children die each year from bad water and realize that Haiti ranks last in the world for drinkable water.  60% of the population does not have safe drinking water and a child mortality rate of more than 13 times that of the United States (10% of that is attributed to water related skin ailments and dysentery which lead to dehydration).

 
World Water Day is March 22nd, 2012.  Learn more about the world water crisis at the UN site or water.org.

Water and golf courses

My new site

I just launched my new portfolio!

Felicia Follum Art + Design Website

A couple weeks ago I went to a lecture on artists web presence.  I have known for a while that my website was in dire need of serious redesign (I am still in that process).  For now I created a portfolio of my work.  One factor that has been stressed over and over is the idea that an artist should have a brand and all design should look consistent. In response, I also redesigned my blog design and my Facebook page. When I figure out the website situation, I will be sure to share.

My photography blog, which is mostly an archive of photographs has also been redone, but does not use the same style.

Felicia Follum Art + Design on Facebook

The next step to improving my online presence will be figuring out my website will and purchasing a domain name.

What is your favorite project on my website or FB page? Why?

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BordoBello

The BordoBello skateboard art fundraiser is an annual event that works to spread the arts throughout Denver, CO.  The proceeds from this years event event went to the Access Gallery & Studio and toward the Robert Taylor AIGA Colorado scholarship.

I was fortunate to have my work in the show a few years back, as a part of course took that was taught by David Carson. 

Though my boards were a part of the show in 2009, here are some images from the end of last month's show.

What image would you want on your skateboard? I picked my pet salamander. Why? because he is really really cool.

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A Sneak Peak at My Next Show: African American Art

Here are some snippets from some of the poster work for my next show.  Right now it is looking like only one of these posters will be used.  I have several ink and wash drawings (mostly graffiti style) as well as some more posters.  I would also like to design a black hair care line as well, but I am beginning to wonder if it will work with the specific theme of Black Theology that I am leaning towards.  It could certainly work in that black beauty ties directly into the Malcolm X quotes I will be using.  It is also possible that I will create the work and not put it in this specific show.....I guess we will see.   I still have about two moths to see it all come together.  And you will just have to wait.

Racial Sterotypes

Here is an older graphics project. It is from a class that I took with David Carson.  We spent most of the class on one series of projects.  The assignment was to create a lecture that we would give about ourselves or our art work.  My talk and book were all about the myriad of racial stereotypes and prejudices that I have seen and experienced.

This 24"x36" poster was accepted into the AIGA Denver's Annual Student Exhibition in 2009.  

This quote is from my grandma.  When she found out that I was getting married she was overjoyed, not because I was getting married, but rather because I wasn't marrying a "nice white boy."  She then continued on about why she was glad that I was not marrying a black man.

Both my parents are white yet I am black, and maybe Native American (but I didn't know that was even a possibility until I was in college).  When I was little, kids would ask why I was black...

African American Social Justice Poster Series and More

I am currently in the process of brainstorming and researching for my solo show in November. The show will be focused on African American culture, history and politics. I am looking at creating a poster series as well as an ink and wash section. The posters will address individual topics such as hair in the African American community, Black theology, and hate groups like the KKK and their impact in everyday life (mine included). The ink drawings will be about individuals that have played a large role in African American history.

Here are seven topics that I researched a couple months ago and plan to use.

In addition to those listed above, there are several names, events, and issues that I would like to research more. Here are six.
Haji Malik Shabaz
Angela Davis
Mumia Abu-Jamal
Al Sharpton
Tyler Perry
and
Tuskeegee

I will share some of my visual research in the next couple weeks...

Thank you From East Asia

The photographs are from my friend's previous trips to Asia.

I just finished this card for a friend going on a church trip to East Asia. The cards will go out to his friends and family who supported him though both prayer and monetary donations. He will be in Asia for six weeks this summer.

Grace is Queer Poster Series

This poster series is based on the topic of the lack of grace in the church. To learn more check out my Grace is Queer website I created, visit my religion blog, or visit my art and design website.  Click the image to see more about the concept behind the specific poster.