Visual artists across the U.S. are using their work to encourage voter participation by collaborating with organizations that promote voting advocacy, such as People For the American Way and Artists for Democracy.
People For the American Way’s art campaign, Artists for Democracy, is co-chaired by photographer Carrie Mae Weems and artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the 2008 “Hope” poster portraying former President Barack Obama and a new illustration of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Weems and Fairey select artists together, deciding what art will appear on billboards in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and what will sell for the benefit of voter turnout efforts.
“When I look at a lot of the disgusting greed, individualism, and selfishness that is out there, it reassures me that there are like-minded people who care about how art can help benefit society and vulnerable people,” Fairey told Hyperallergic in an interview.
