WASHINGTON, DC— As part of the “Enough of Trump” campaign, progressive advocacy organization People For the American Way launched 15 artist-designed billboards featuring 11 world-renowned American artists, this week, in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, to convey what people have had “enough” of in the Trump era and to inspire the public to vote in key electoral states during the 2020 presidential election. View a set of billboards here.
The participating billboard artists come from a diverse group of more than a dozen who are participating in the Enough of Trump campaign, including African American, Latinx, Indigenous, AAPI and LGBTQ artists: Amalia Mesa-Bains, Shepard Fairey, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Jeffrey Gibson, Mark Thomas Gibson, Beverly McIver, Angelica Muro, Alyson Shotz, Christine Sun Kim, Cayetano Valenzuela, and renowned artist Carrie Mae Weems who has played a leading role in formulating the campaign. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members Pearl Jam will also design a digital billboard to go up in the Pittsburgh area as part of their “PJ Votes Take Three Pledge” initiative in partnership with People For.
Billboard installations began going up along busy highways and in downtown centers in Orlando in FL; Detroit and Grand Rapids in MI; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in PA; and Green Bay and Milwaukee in WI. Enough of Trump organizers say the goal of the six-figure campaign is to triple the number of billboard installations in several more cities and states nationwide through November 3.
*For information on the location where each artist is featured, contact Kawana Lloyd, 240-472-2860, [email protected].
“Donald Trump represents the worst leadership our nation has seen in a generation,” said People For the American Way President Ben Jealous. “Americans across the country have had enough of Trump’s reckless mismanagement of COVID-19 as people continue to battle this deadly virus, his blatant lies about vote by mail and his dangerous threats to our democracy, and his use of racism and bigotry to divide a nation that simply wants to heal from the pain this administration has inflicted so we can move on to a brighter, safer, more just future. America is better than this and we must do all we can in these next few weeks to inspire people to cast their ballots.”
“From the beginning, People For set out to launch a campaign with artists that would ignite people’s feelings about the direction of our nation and get them to the polls this fall,” said Rio Tazewell, senior campaigns manager at People For the American Way. “Since publicly launching this summer, we have engaged dozens of influential artists, hundreds of donors and thousands of activists across the country to send the message loud and clear, especially in the battleground states, that 'We the People' have had ENOUGH of Trump.”
Enough of Trump campaign launched in August with a focus on the issues driving artists’ response to Trump, including his inflaming of racial tensions, encouraging violent and deadly policing, and his failure to address the COVID-19 pandemic. It is notable that the biggest cohort of artists are Black Americans and artists of color represent the majority of campaign participants. Several works are inspired by the fight against systemic racism.
BACKGROUND:
Original pieces “Enough of Trump” pieces were created by leading American artists: Carrie Mae Weems, Shepard Fairey, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Jeffrey Gibson, Mark Thomas Gibson, Deborah Kass, Christine Sun Kim, Takaaki Matsumoto, Amalia Mesa-Bains, Beverly McIver, Sam Messer, Angelica Muro, Ed Ruscha, Alyson Shotz, Hank Willis Thomas, and Cayetano Valenzuela.
Last month, the “Enough of Trump” effort launched a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of raising $40,000 to pay for the installation of 12 billboards this October and November across Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — swing states where Trump won by less than 100,000 votes. The campaign met its initial goal within approximately 20 minutes of publicly launching, hit a $150,000 stretch goal, and set an additional stretch goal of $250,000. Additional funding raised from the Kickstarter campaign will go toward expanding the scope of the effort and adding more battleground states.
ABOUT PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY
People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity. Learn more: https://www.pfaw.org.
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