People For campaign Artists for Democracy and our work mobilizing artists to rally against Trump is highlighted in this article from Surface.
A coalition of artists, spearheaded by advocacy group People For The American Way (PFAW), has embarked on the Artist For Democracy 2024 campaign, which is leveraging art to rally against former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Led by prominent figures like Shepard Fairey and Carrie Mae Weems, the initiative aims to disseminate political messages through mediums such as billboards, merchandise, and digital ads, with a focus on battleground states, while reframing concepts like “patriotism” and the “American Way.” Alyson Shotz and Beverly McIver have contributed works to the campaign, addressing issues like civil rights and reproductive rights and underscoring the urgency of voter mobilization.
The organization, founded by the late television producer Norman Lear, aims to emphasize the importance of civic engagement and draw attention to the legacy of Lear’s socially conscious shows. Participating artists hope to use their platforms to drive change, with McIver’s piece, Black Beauty, symbolizing the significance of women’s voting rights by depicting a Black woman covered in flowers and the word “vote” above her head, with the “t” stylized as a woman’s uterus. “Political commentary is frowned upon because art is portrayed as an escapist luxury for rich people who don’t want to think about injustice,” Shepard Fairey, most famous for his Hope portrait for former President Barack Obama, told Artnet News. “It doesn’t need to be that way.”