Here we go again....

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/uva-suspends-fraternities-following-rolling-stone-campus-rape-investigation-20141122

Reflection PSA Poster

In looking back at my development of this work, I feel that I should have at least considered other ideas.  I was hellbent on using words to shock the viewer and draw the viewer to the poster to read it.  My work might have been better had I considered different topics--even if I did return to this topic.

Overall, I think that the message of the poster is clear--sexual assault is a problem and many people don't know what constitutes a sexual assault.  I believe that I could have developed more of an action plan for the viewer, although the addition of the QR codes for the Sexual Assault Prevention web site is a good start.

The Georgia Tech article that I posted in an earlier blog, as well as our discussion in class in which Tammy spoke about "Jamba (?) Juice" shows a culture of males preying on young naive females who are away from home for the first time.

Final Poster Display at UNCC

The Evolution of the Poster

Of course I thought when I originally came up with the concept for the poster project, that it was done--work complete!  Wrong!  The poster has gone through more releases than Microsoft Windows.  First the background color changed from a gradient to a solid.  Then the rationalization text changed from a gradient to a solid.  Then the color of the background changed, the color of the text changed, and I began to simplify the message. I have included several iterations of the poster here.  These versions were close to the final poster.  Most of the changes made to these, were font size, location, justification, color, and the final main text.

The overall message was at last truncated to two words.  These two words were the ones that provided the initial shock value, and now that the extra baggage was pruned off, the expression became a double entendre:  the alternative to sexual assault, or the description of the person committing the assault.

Finally I needed to give the viewer information on how to prevent rape or sexual assault.  That information would eventually come from the UNCC Police Department web site.  I summarized the link into a scannable QR code and placed the code at both bottom corners of the poster.

I provided the gentlemen working at Repros with some amusement for the afternoon on Monday, as the giant words "Jerk Off" rolled down the printer at 18" by 24."

UNCC Police Web Site for Sexual Assault Prevention:

http://police.uncc.edu/crime-prevention-safety/sexual-assault-prevention

Notes from class: Thursday November 13

For the class on Thursday, November 13, our Conceptual Practices class conducted another oral critique of the proposed posters in 8.5x11 format.  Most of the work has changed dramatically from the first discussions and critique.

I found that this critique did not give good feedback for my work or any of the other works.  The critique was dominated by a few outspoken students.  Many of the best artists in the room never expressed their opinion of anything because they did not want to compete with the louder people.  I greatly prefer the written critique.

When we do a written critique, I get to see feedback from all of my peers.  If a change is recommended once, I might consider it.  If a change is recommended by everyone, or a majority of the viewers, then I believe a change is in order.  Because we did not get everyone's opinion on every work during the verbal critique, it is difficult to take the good suggestions and forget the bad ones.

Notes from class: Tuesday, November 11

During this class period, each of us presented one or multiple 8.5x11 printed versions of our planned poster.  We conducted a verbal critique, as well as a written critique.  I found that the written critique was very helpful in determining how the majority of viewers interpreted my poster.

I brought 5 printouts with different options--background color, font color, text positions, visual effects--all these elements are very important to get the message across to the viewer.  I gained a better insight into my work and saw the other ideas in the class and how they worked or didn't work.  Seeing what is successful and what fails in other posters is helping me understand how to improve my poster.

Poster project: The problem!

Here Are Disturbing Examples Of A 'Pro-Rape' Attitude At A Georgia Tech Frat

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/02/rape-georgia-tech_n_6089922.html#

I voted on Tuesday

My poll was at the Granite Falls fire department on Grace Chapel Road. 

Artist response: Layla Ali

Laylah Ali:  Artist, Painter

Laylah Ali was born in 1968 and works from Williamstown, MA.  Ali’s work is primarily, meticulously planned and executed, gauche paintings on paper.  Ali uses an abstract style in her figures, characterized by oversized heads, elongated bodies, and gender neutrality.  Her longest running series of works features characters, whom she dubs “Greenheads,” which are brown-skinned, gender non-specific figures which reference American folk lore, as well as Egyptian, and comic book style influences. (Art21, 2012) 

Ali paints to express her feelings concerning socio-political issues and current events, although the narrative of her paintings is not specific to any real event.  The issues that Ali covers are international and date back to the earliest history of man. (Art21, 2012)

When researching Laylah Ali, I was drawn to several main facets of her personality and her art.  Her abstract style is very high quality, without being anatomically accurate—which is a style that I can certainly identify with my work.  She is my age, so many of her experiences , and remembrances of the changing world are similar to mine, although I am sure that race and gender influence each of our perspectives.  Her use of gauche as her primary medium particularly interests me, because all of the painters that I have studied so far, use oil as their primary medium.  I think that her use of gauche certainly proves that any medium can be manipulated to render high quality art. I identify with Ali’s statement that she “must” create to ease her soul and certain energy within herself.  I believe that my relative unhappiness throughout life was a reaction to a lack of expression—of my emotions, my beliefs, my ideas, and of many things that I cannot name, but which drive me subconsciously.  Most of all, I enjoy her work.  I find her work pleasing to observe, even though many of the scenes are violent or contain a narrative that is suppressive or betraying.