Thanks to Susan for inviting me to cross-post here from Kos.
Announcing the debut of my brainchild: Citizen Artiste. It’s still baking, so be kind…
Citizen Artiste is–or wants to be–a website devoted to diverse contemporary political art of the liberal persuasion. I’d like to showcase.both grassroots folk-art and polished design, with an emphasis on accomplished amateur efforts, not professional PR output. If there is such a website, I haven’t seen it.
I’ve made hundreds of such creations in the three years I’ve been politically active. I don’t care about copyrighting these things, I’d just like to share them. Getting paid? What’s that? I’m an artist, y’know…
At Kos we all regularly enjoy the creativity of Kossak artists like Dood Abides, and the Guerilla IMPEACH grassroots campaign of Kagro X. I did my first diary about a year ago about Street Theater. There must be many more who post or lurk here at Booman, I’m sure. It would be gratifying to assemble the best of such artwork in one place.
I will add links to political art I admire, such as Tom Tomorrow’s comic strip This Modern World or the cool retro-graphics of Micah Wright.
The categories I’ve included are:
~Handmade signs and banners
~Computer graphics and illustrations
~Photoshopped montages and manipulated images
~Cartoons , comic strips, and caricatures
~Costumes, props, street theater and other dramatic presentations
~Songs and song lyrics
~Music or animated videos
~Artistic photographs of political events, such as vigils or rallies
Eventually I could make a Blog or Forum, similar to the Illustration Friday website.
Uh-oh, the project already looks overwhelming! Luckily I don’t have a real job–I’m an artist, y’know–so I MIGHT have time to manage it.
A Kossak friend suggested I use a Wikipedia for the project, with everyone adding their own artwork; but frankly I would like to have more control over the content and web design, unless the submissions become so voluminous that the beast must spill over onto a public space.
I don’t have many other artists to brainstorm with, and I’d like to. Genius burns, but it gets lonely in a cramped garret/office/studio strewn with sugar-free popsicle wrappers…
