TUCKER CARLSON OUT: Thinking of these people during this difficult time.

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday April 24, 2023 · 5:29 PM PDT

2023/04/24 · 17:29

The news was SHOCKING. Like a bolt out of the blue, Tucker Carlson, who only last week was eating Bug Pizza and spreading his special brand of Clown Fascism, has been surgically removed from Fox “News.”

The prognosis for Fox “News” is yet to be determined, as this is a delicate case of a cancer being removed from a cancer.

When I first heard the news, my thoughts went out immediately to Vladimir Putin, Tucker’s manly despot, whose naked torso posters undoubtedly covered Tucker’s man cave. Who will now spread Putin’s unedited message? Where can Putin find such a magnificent blowhole for that stream of toxic garbage to cover the American airwaves?

I thought of Kevin McCarthy. This pitiful Speaker of the House, who owes his very job to the former giggle bot on Prime Time. He turned over his box of Republican violence porn to Tucker and watched with glee as Tucker turned that horror show into a piece of propaganda that would have made Joseph Goebbels proud.

I thought of Sean Hannity (who will lead into his show now?), Glenn Greenwald (which backyard does he pitch his pander tent into now?), Megyn Kelly (She actually SUPPORTED Tucker’s brand of idiocy and now she’s lost her inside source at her former employer), Jesse Waters (Whose feet does he have to massage now to keep his job?), Donald Trump (that special place on your ass will no longer have Tucker’s lips attached to it. Who will NOW pretend to LOVE you??!)… and most of all, I thought of Rupert Murdoch… The Aussie Drongo who mixed the vile potion currently poisoning America. He lost almost a billion dollars. His stock prices tanked. His ratings will surely follow. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer Bogan

While Fox “News” and Tucker continue to thrash around for relevancy, I thought I would post my portrait of Tucker… 100% Fact-checked and a stunning likeness, if I do say so, myself to honor this shitstain of history. You’ve made everything you touch into absolute garbage. Fuck you and your bowtie, Tucker.

VIA DOLOROSA: The Death of TYRE NICHOLS

johnmav

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday April 20, 2023 · 10:17 AM PDT

2023/04/20 · 10:17

In a better world, Tyre Nichols would still be with us.

In a better world, IF Tyre Nichols was taken from us in this horrific fashion, EVERYONE would be shocked.

We are not in that world.

Disgusted, angry, horrified, heartbroken, anguished… all could apply… but many black people in this country were not shocked. This was not some one-off. This incident has a familiar storyline to many. Once again, an African-American was treated in a way we rarely, if ever, see white people treated by the people tasked with keeping people safe. To paraphrase Vice-President Kamala Harris, Tyre Nichols deserved to be safe, too.

"Depraved Indifference: The Death of George Floyd"

When I started this project, I immediately thought of George Floyd. About having to watch the horrible tape of his death right before my eyes. But it was something I had to do then. It was something I had to do again. We can’t bury our heads and ignore the truth. Before I watched that tape, I combed through Tyre’s social media posts to try to get to know this person. He was a thoughtful kid, who grew into a thoughtful, kind man. He, like all of us, was not perfect… but you could see he had a big heart. I spent the day looking at his posts… his comments… and his beautiful photography. When I had finished that It was time to confront what happened. I spent six hours delaying (doing ANYTHING but looking at those videos). I read up about it, but I couldn’t actually watch them. My anxiety levels were maxed out. The next day I started reading more about the incident to prepare me… Then I clicked “play” and started watching. At first I took in the blurry images but focused in on writing down the torrent of hateful words and commands these police used. I wrote down Tyre’s replies and his pleading. The cops escalated at every turn.

I tried to decide how I would document this. I thought maybe a single image… but no single image told the story, like they had in the George Floyd case. That was a slow-motion murder. A mundane knee on the throat by a bored-looking cop, without an ounce of empathy, that slowly, and horrifyingly took the life away from a fellow human being. This? This was a step by step execution.

I thought of growing up Catholic and going to Church during Lent… and seeing and walking the Stations of the Cross.

The imagery is so vivid that it always stayed with me… the brutality of it all… and the occasional moment of compassion and care.

Tyre got the first part… but never the second.

What motivated me was the need to document what happened… not for black people, who know all too well what goes on… but for people who look like me and pretend that racism is in the rearview mirror.

Via Dolorosa (Latin for “Sorrowful Way” or “Way of Suffering”) represents the route Jesus took on his journey to crucifixion. An innocent man condemned to die in a horrible way. I started looking at that suffering route and drawing the parallels. Some fit perfectly. Others did not. Tyre was a vibrant soul who left us too soon because of the brutality of those that murdered him. He deserved a chance to walk among us, and the opportunity to see his child become an adult. Because of a system that targets black men in this country, he will not

I did not want to re-traumatize the family… but much like Emmett Till’s mother’s actions, I think so many (white) people needed to see beyond the mind-numbing headlines. I also decided to make a separate print to honor Tyre… because his life was much, much more than those horrifying days of his death. I’d love to get this particular portrait into the hands of his family. (If anybody knows how to do that, feel free to DM)

This exhibition is currently up at the Haight Street Art Center in San Francisco.

This is an edition of 5, so I’d love to find a home for this exhibition in any museums, galleries, art centers, or any appropriate place where people could reflect on this horrible reality and how we all can make this a better world.

(The Final Station was based on two of Tyre’s Instagram posts… one of a beautiful sunset… he was an excellent photographer… and the other a phrase he wrote out)

IMPEACH & REMOVE DONALD TRUMP

johnmav

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday January 12, 2021 · 7:01 PM PST

2021/01/12 · 19:01

I’ve finished another piece of art… I thought I would show it here… and here are my thoughts about it.

I've been calling Donald Trump and his followers a Cult for a long, long time.

I've NEVER lacked evidence for that claim... there's only more and more piling up.

The LATEST: The #3 Republican in the House of Representatives, Liz Cheney (hardly a darling of the left) will vote to impeach and said the following:

"Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution."

According to John McCormack, a writer at the conservative bible, National Review, House Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy warned his GOP Colleagues:

"According to a GOP source on conference phone call yesterday, Kevin McCarthy warned members not to verbally attack colleagues who vote for impeachment because it could endanger their lives."

So top Republican leaders think that Trump's people might KILL members of the Republican Party who vote against Trump.

It is CLEAR that this is not some Democratic / Liberal maneuver. This is ANYONE with a working brain KNOWING that Donald Trump and his supporters are a CLEAR and PRESENT DANGER to America. We have seen them plant bombs at the capitol. We have seen them savagely beat and kill a police officer, and probably blind another. We have heard them chant "Jews Will Not Replace Us!" We have heard them chant "Hang Mike Pence!" We have seen them trying to stage a violent coup against America.

Donald Trump takes ZERO responsibility.

Donald Trump is a threat.

Donald Trump MUST be impeached and removed from office.

Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley must be expelled from the Senate. They have taken part in promoting sedition.

I Remember.

johnmav

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday January 06, 2021 · 4:27 PM PST

2021/01/06 · 16:27

I remember being told that I was overreacting.

I remember being told that I was suffering from "Trump Derangement Syndrome" or "TDS."

I remember being told I was being "rude."

I remember being told that I was too "angry"

I remember being told that I needed to "calm down."

I remember being told that I shouldn't talk politics so much.

I remember being told that Trump was not doing anything out of the ordinary.

I remember being told to "not get yourself so worked up."

I remember being told that I was a "broken record."

I remember being that that my "well-intentioned passion and anger are taking over your reason and intelligence."

I remember you ignoring his vile comments to Gold Star families.
I remember you making excuses for his forced separation of THOUSANDS of children from their parents to TERRORIZE as a policy.
I remember you ignoring his mocking women, people of color, the disabled, judges, our intelligence agencies.
I remember you ignoring his Trans ban.
I remember you ignoring his Muslim ban.
I remember you ignoring his sexism… his racism… his transphobia… his xenophobia…
I remember you laughing off his lies…. his THOUSANDS of lies.
I remember you ignoring his sexual assaults.
I remember you ignoring his corruption.
I remember you scoffing at his traitorous behavior when playing footsie with Putin.
I remember you laughing off his embarrassing behavior on the international stage.
I remember you making excuses for lying about, then ignoring the deadliest pandemic in our lifetime.
I remember you remaining silent on the death of over 350,000 of our fellow Americans.
I remember you mocking people that CARED.

I remember so much more.

I remember all of that.

I also remember creating this piece of artwork... and with today's events (a riotous coup attempt, a dead woman, attacks on the police, etc) putting the exclamation point on what I've been saying since months before Trump was elected. Take a look at the word choice. There was thought behind EVERY single word. It was not that tough to see if you opened up your eyes, ears, and mind. Trump was Trump in 2016. He's the same today.

Look at the date on this magazine. I wasn't clairvoyant. I simply paid attention.

I saw all of this. Every word still stands. He should never have been President. He needs to be removed.

Now.

WE DID IT!! Art to celebrate the removal of the Orange Cancer.

johnmav

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday November 07, 2020 · 4:07 PM PST

2020/11/07 · 16:07

I know a lot of people wanted the massive Blue Wave... but as the Republicans have shown us, you don't need an electoral wipe out to be effective in power.

We can still take control of the Senate. (GEORGIA!!! John Lewis would be SO PROUD!)
We have the House... and We will take back the White House.

We have MUCH to be thankful for.

We have defeated the single greatest threat in American politics in my lifetime. Trump destroys the fabric of this democracy every day he occupies the White House.

With his defeat:

There will be no more Judges being rammed down our collective throats.

There will be relief for the amazing DACA kids.

There will be no more family separation at our borders.

There will be no more disgusting behavior towards our allies, while coddling up to murderous dictators.

There will be a return to civility and empathy... EMPATHY... something that has vanished in the White House.

There will be a shut off of the steady spewing of horrific lies that were belched out by the White House on a daily basis.

There will be a return of Science, Medical and other experts to guide policy.

There will be THOUGHTFUL FACT-BASED approach to dealing with this horrible pandemic that has claimed so many American lives.

There will policies that will not be based on making the other side upset, but doing the right thing for the American people.

There will be no more corrupting of the CDC, The Post Office, The Justice Department, and other agencies of the Federal Government. The dedicated civil servants will be able to do their jobs without the rancid corruption that was clear for all to see. (Get Lt. Colonel Vinman and Sally Yates, among others, back in the government, pronto). A return of capable people to help lead this nation... imagine that!

There will a return to THOUGHTFUL diplomacy instead of just being the ugly American throwing tantrums from the White House and abroad.

There will be a return to DECENCY.

Will everything be perfect? No. Hell, no. Mistakes will be made. There will sometimes be painful compromises that must be made... but there WILL be a return to decency. If Biden / Harris stray from that, we should all speak up.

A special word of thanks to EVERYONE that had to endure the last four years and kept battling all the while…. ESPECIALLY women of color who have been on the frontlines of our electoral system. I created this piece for you and the other women who led the way.

We must continue on the seemingly never-ending path to a more perfect union.

Be involved in the process. No rest for the weary. (Well… take a day off every once in a while for your physical and mental health...and some champagne today!). Get ready for GEORGIA!!!

Forward.

TRUE American Carnage: My cover for TIME Magazine

johnmav

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday September 10, 2020 · 6:25 PM PDT

2020/09/10 · 18:25

Final.TIME_Covid.Cover_1500px.jpg — TIME magazine cover September 21 / September 28, 2020 by John Mavroudis

During a four-day process to create this cover, the impact of all this is really hit home.

Over a 6-month period, Coronavirus takes the American lives of four Vietnam War American casualties. I kept thinking about things like that as I went through the daily death toll. I was remembering the trauma of 9/11… THIS 9/11 is scattered across America EVERY THREE DAYS for families dealing with this.

I was feeling emotional when I first started putting this piece together, but felt myself starting to grow numb as I was writing the same words, Date… Number of Deaths… Date… Number of Deaths… I saw the numbers rise and fall like waves across the (digital) canvas. After being on autopilot for a few hours, I snapped out of it when I started to focus on what each of these numbers represent.

I started looking up what this would mean if this was some horrific singular event… the entire population of Akron, OH disappears in a flash.
Or suddenly Huntsville AL goes up in smoke.
Or Grand Rapids, MI.
Or Salt Lake City, UT.
Or Amarillo, TX.
Or Glendale, CA.
Or Port St. Lucie, FL.
Or Tempe, AZ.
Or Yonkers, NY… gone in a flash.

The American people would be riveted to the news in a situation like that.
There would be collective outrage. Americans of every political stripe would be outraged….

But this? This drip, drip, drip of death? No. There’s a general malaise in a large part of the population (lead by the Serial-Lying Corrupt Scumbag in Chief).

These are our first responders, teachers, doctors, parents, children and our Federal Government and State governments have failed them all. For all the braying from the Trumpites about Portland, or Kenosha, there are three times as many police officers have died from COVID-related causes than gunfire. Coronavirus attacks across local and state boundaries. It doesn’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican. White, Black, Asian, Latino or Native American. This affects all of us.

Just a slow, steady march of death… with little flash or pizazz to rivet the attention of the viewer, so many just keep trudging on, accepting this TRUE, REAL, ACTUAL American carnage.

I really hope this cover and story are a wake up call for those who are numbed to this catastrophe. Science and common sense are the answers to this crisis. Will we finally listen?
We all need to move past relying on this administration (have we relied on them for anything except disgraceful behavior?) and we need to keep the facts and the science in the forefront.

I don’t need to tell readers of this site what to do… you all know. But I’ve got to say it anyway… they’re not going to let me say this on Fox “News” or Breitbart.

NOTE : This is the first time since Sept, 2001, that TIME magazine has featured a black border… and the second time ever in the history of the publication.

Depraved Indifference: The Death of George Floyd

johnmav

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday June 04, 2020 · 2:38 PM PDT

2020/06/04 · 14:38

In the immediate aftermath of the George Floyd murder, I was upset and had to find a way to channel my rage and sorrow into my artwork... This was the first piece I created. I kept thinking about how long this killing took. This was not some split-second decision.

The time. Eight Minutes and Forty Six Seconds. That is an eternity.

If there was any more relevant example that to some, Black Lives Do Not Matter... this was it. I never wanted to watch the video... but I had to... over and over again to listen to what was actually happening. To see what was actually happening. This is not a complete transcript... but the truth of what happened is here.

This piece is called "Depraved Indifference: The Murder of George Floyd."

It's not easy to watch the video... or look at this artwork. I had to, while fighting back tears while creating it. We all need to face the reality that this represents... and the reality that so many will never see because some crime was not filmed. This was not an isolated incident. This has happened before. White people need to acknowledge that this is REAL. We know that most police do not behave like this... but far too many do. Far too many stand around and watch or enable this kind of behavior. We need those chosen to protect and serve to carry out their jobs. That means calling out bad cops.

We've all turned away far too long. It's 2020. This has happened across the entire history of this country. Every year. Something MUST change. Otherwise we'll be here again next year… next month… next week... tomorrow… with the same tragedies occurring.

We need to face this and be open to new solutions. We need communities, the police, and elected officials to work together to fix this obvious problem. We need to move past Trump and his racist administration and do this ourselves.

I want to create more positive artwork... but it's also important to document the reality, as well.

We need to channel our rage and sorrow into positive change. Things MUST change. They must change now.

Typographic Portrait of George Floyd made up of the names of African Americans killed by controversial / brutal police action.

GEORGE FLOYD Tribute in art

johnmav

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday June 03, 2020 · 8:11 PM PDT

2020/06/03 · 20:11

I've been working on a couple of things the last few days regarding George Floyd.

One of them I was working with TIME magazine, but they went in a different direction on Monday (they're going to do an oil portrait, apparently). I've repurposed the artwork into this piece. More poster like.

The names that make up George Floyd’s portrait are familiar to some… but not enough: They are:
Eric Garner, Laquan McDonald, Oscar Grant, Terence Crutcher, Dominique Clayton, Antwon Michael Rose III, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Ronald Madison, Stephon Clark, James Brissette, Tamir Rice, Keith Lamont Scott, Anton Sterling, Sean Bell, Joseph Mann, Philando Castile, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray Jr., Amadou Diallo, Rekia Boyd, O’Shae Terry, and Breonna Taylor… they, sadly, represent thousands more who had no video to expose what they went through.

Continue to protest… but stay non-violent and work for positive change, create social justice and expose this corruption and rot within the system.

Feel free to share on social media.

The second piece I created is being considered elsewhere for publication, but I don't know the status, yet. Hopefully soon.

I'm Here. I'm Home.

johnmav

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday July 18, 2019 · 8:11 PM PDT

2019/07/18 · 20:11

My Illustration for The Odyssey. A story of Vietnamese refugees journey to America. In this illustration the refugee is riding on a musical instrument called a Đàn bầu. — My illustration for The Odyssey. A story of the Vietnamese boat people coming to America.

I am the son of an immigrant.
I am the husband of an immigrant.
I have an aunt and uncles who are immigrants.
My grandparents were immigrants.
My daughter is a mixed race child from a family of immigrants.

If you’re reading this in the United States, there’s a 98% + chance YOUR family is made up of immigrants, too.

Immigrants (mostly hopeful, often desperate, many forced) came and built this country into the world’s leading light.

Immigrants in this country helped start Google (Russia), AT&T (Scotland), Pfizer and Comcast (Germany), Du Pont and Ebay (France), Radio Shack and Colgate (England), Kohl’s (Poland), Yahoo! (Taiwan), Nordstrom (Sweden), Kraft and Sara Lee (Canada), Procter & Gamble (Ireland).

One of the world’s largest corporations, Apple, was co-founded by Steve Jobs. His father, like my step-grandfather, was from Syria.

One of America’s great filmmakers, Frank Capra, was born in Italy. One of America’s great baseball players, Joe DiMaggio, was the son of Italian immigrants. Amadeo Pietro Giannini was born in San Jose, California, to Italian immigrant parents. He founded the Bank of Italy in San Francisco which eventually became the Bank of America.

One of the greatest tennis players ever was Pete Sampras, son of an immigrant Greek mother. The reigning NBA MVP is a Greek player born of Nigerian immigrants, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who plays in Milwaukee.

Three signers of the Declaration of Independence were born in Ireland. Over the past 60 years, Five American presidents had Irish blood flowing through their veins.

Names like Chavez, Huerta, Obama, La Follette, Du Bois, Einstein, Kennedy, La Guardia, Geisel, Terkel, Savitzky, Said, Warhol, and, yes, Omar all have stories to tell.

I could go on and on… pick a country… any country.

Many of these nations I have written about have been called “shithole” countries by the most ignorant among us.

Many of these immigrants have come to this country and took up the worst jobs imaginable, suffered the worst kinds of degradations, were called the worst things… and still built this country we call America. “Irish Need Not Apply.” “Whites Only.”

The waves of Vietnamese and Irish came for the same reasons… horrific conditions at home. The same reasons that brought the Italians, the Mexicans, Salvadorans, Cubans, and Chinese. The Catholics, the Jews, the Muslims. They all came for the same reasons.

I am a white man who embraces the diversity of our immigrant past
and feels shame about our current government.

When people are told to “Go back where you came from,” it’s a vile insult that must be answered. When it’s bleated out by the President of the United States it’s a monumental abomination.

It cannot stand. Either you respect your ancestors and their contributions to make America what it is, or you stand with a racist, serial-liar who is trying to drag America into the same slime pit he resides in. We should be much better than that. We need to stand with those who are attacked and speak out against those who defile what America should be. Silence is not an option.

I eagerly await a brighter future.

============================================

I know I don’t need to convince anyone here of my main point… but this is posted with the hope that it can be shared and convince others of the value and beauty of Immigrant America.

(A variation of this was also posted on Medium)

HARVEY MILK: Hope Will Never Be Silent

johnmav

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday January 30, 2019 · 9:16 AM PST

2019/01/30 · 09:16

This is pretty close to being the finished art piece for my limited-edition print.

So much history. So many people. It’s the height of arrogance to think one could capture such a large part of humanity in one image. This doesn’t do that, but I tried to make it representative of how many amazing people make up the LGBTQ community. A truly amazing history of triumph, tragedy, courage, perseverance, and achievement.

My not-so-flattering portrait of Donald Trump for The Nation magazine.

A year ago, I produced this portrait of Harvey Milk. It was used to promote a light installation called “Harvey’s Halo” in San Francisco’s Castro District. I have done typographic portraits before (Trump, Clinton)… and I’ve done one since (Dr. Blasey Ford).

Harvey Milk seemed to be the perfect subject for one of these. As with other projects (For The Ages: The Obama Inaugural Civil Rights cover) the journey led from one story to the next. A lot of people I had heard about, but most were unfamiliar to me. As I am, by no means, an expert on the subject, I had to do a lot of reading to compile a representative list. It’s an amazing collection of individuals who have played a role (some tragic, some heroic, many trailblazers) in the quest for equality. Ideally, we would all know everyone’s name on this list and their place in history.

In no particular order, here’s what I came up with. (Your list will probably be different.)

Alexander The Great

Randy Shilts

Karl Heinrich Ulrichs

Karl-Maria Kertbeny

Jeremy Bentham

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Another typographic portrait I created. This for TIME magazine.

Oscar Wilde

Magnus Hirschfeld

George Cecil Ives

Emma Goldman

Elsa Gidlow

Henry Gerber

Karol Maciej Szymanowski

Radclyffe Hall

Katharine Lee Bates

Federico García Lorca

Edythe D. Eyde

Christine Jorgensen

Alan Turing

Julio Sarria

Everett George Klippert

Carl Wittman

Frank Kameny

Nancy Wechsler

Freda Smith

Betty Berzon

James M. Foster

Madeline Davis

Kathy Kozachenko

Angela Morley

Leonard Matlovich

Allan Spear

Billie Jean King

Mary C. Morgan

Althea Garrison

Robert Hillsborough

Brandon Teena

Rita Hester

Matthew Shepard

Angie Zapata

Ally Lee Steinfeld

Roberta Achtenberg

Deborah Batts

Rachel Maddow

Patria Jiménez

Tammy Baldwin

Kim Coco Iwamoto

Ellen DeGeneres

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir

Elio Di Rupo

Donna Ryu

Jason Collins

Vicki Marlane

Tim Cook

Bayard Rustin

Barbara Gittings

Michelangelo

Walt Whitman

Gertrude Stein

Sylvia Rivera

James Baldwin

Harry Hay

Audre Lorde

Sally Ride

Deborah Sampson

Walt Whitman

John Maynard Keynes,

Allen Ginsberg

Graham Chapman

Truman Capote

Andy Warhol

Noel Coward

Elton John

Freddy Mercury

RuPaul

Keith Haring

John Gielgud

Sean Hayes

Ian McKellen

John Waters

James Whale

Barbara Jordan

Jodi Foster

Rosie O’Donnell

Lily Tomlin

Alice Walker

Martina Navratilova

Maureen Duffy

Abby Wambach

Sheryl Swoopes

Tennessee Williams

Marcel Proust

E.M. Forster

Langston Hughes

D.H. Lawrence

Yuko Mishima

Armistead Maupin

Sappho

Gore Vidal

Pedro Almodovar

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Bruce Nugent

Frank Ocean

Ashok Row Kavi

Daniel Choi

Barney Frank

Wendy Carlos

Sun Wenlin

Ellen Barrett

Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon

Herman Melville

Kristin Beck

Mark Bingham

Tori Johnson

Roger Casement

Pedro Zerolo

Jan Hamilton

Hans Scholl

Oliver Sipple

Daniel Hernandez Jr.

Eric Alva

Margaret Cho

Leo Varadkar

Ana Brnabic

David Kato

Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera

Margarethe Cammermeyer

Stephen Donaldson

Cleve Jones

Xulhaz Mannan

Larry Kramer

Gilbert Baker

Peter Tatchell

Marsha P. Johnson

Barbara Smith

Diego Vinales

Adrienne Rich

Morris Kight

John E. Fryer

Craig L. Rodwell

Randy Wicker

Kay Lahusen

Nikolay Alexeyev

Dan Savage

Daniel Nicoletta

Leonardo da Vinci

Lady Gaga

Xavier Bettel

Is there a mistake? Is there a glaring omission? If so, who would YOU replace?

Now I’m trying to create a limited-edition print (via this Kickstarter campaign. ) I’m also hoping to have this art at the new Harvey Milk terminal at San Francisco (SFO) Airport. (who knows if they’ll go for it, but , as Harvey would say, “Hope will never be silent.”) Please help spread the word.

Harvey Milk lost his life forty years ago, but his legacy and impact remain to this day. This tribute to him was created with those that came before him in mind. It was also made for those who worked with him and those that continue to work to make this a more perfect world.

I hope people will be inspired to take the journey I made to discover many of these people. Look at the names... some you will know. Others? Perhaps not. They've all played a part.

Our country, our world, is surely not where we should be, but with people like Harvey,
we'll eventually get there.

America and Guns: Art response

johnmav

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday March 29, 2018 · 4:14 PM PDT

2018/03/29 · 16:14

I’ve been focused (like many of us) on the impact of guns in our society and, as usual, I feel much more eloquent drawing those feelings out rather than typing them out.

I created two posters for the March For Our Lives.
They were distributed in Los Angeles and San Francisco at the event as a two-sided poster.

I also created a limited-edition version (of 117) signed / numbered prints (main pic) via the good folks at Haight Street Art Center to benefit March For Our Lives… you can pick those up here:

haightstreetart.org/… (100% of the profits go to March For Our Lives)

After the March, I was inspired, once again, by the words of this next generation of leaders… and created these two pieces:

Emma Gonzalez and Naomi Wadler, who embodied the best of what true leaders are made of. Their words and actions inspire me.

Finally… I couldn’t sleep last night after reading about Stephon Clark. An epic, senseless tragedy. Our country MUST come to grips with the daily horror stories and embrace Black Lives Matter. I spent some time reading and was overcome with emotion thinking about this human being with the wonderful smile who will never have the chance to raise his beautiful children. We MUST do better. I stayed up and created this tribute.

My Poster for the Women's March on Washington

johnmav

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday January 18, 2017 · 6:05 PM PST

2017/01/18 · 18:05

WomensDay poster of Shirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hamer, Amelia Earheart, Bella Abzug, Dolores Huerta, Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Friedan, Louisa May Alcott, Malala Youfsafai, Nelly Blye, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Rachel Carson, Nancy Pelosi, Abigail Kelly Foster, Patsy Mink, Marie Curie, Lydia Maria Child, Sandra Day O'Connor, Septima Clark, Mary White Ovington, Lucretia Mott, Hillary Clinton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Ward Howe, Ida B. Wells, LadyLiberty,

Looking back... I had already done a few things to express my feelings on Donald Trump. ...and got one of them published by [i]The Nation[/i] magazine:

Cover I created for The Nation Magazine.

I was fooling around with ideas for a Hillary Clinton victory and I was looking for a positive message... and decided to revisit my earlier cover for The Nation magazine which featured an imagined scene of Barack Obama being sworn in President of the United States by Thurgood Marshall and surrounded by Civil Rights figures who paved the way for such a moment.

I thought the election of the first woman President warranted the same kind of treatment. I had sent the Obama image to The New Yorker (with whom I've worked with on other covers), but they passed. I was fortunate that The Nation really liked the cover as much as I did and they ran with it. I thought I would try The New Yorker again with this attempt...

I didn't hear back. After thinking about it some more, I decided that it made me a bit uncomfortable to include President Bill Clinton in such a cover. I fooled around with a few other options before going back to The New Yorker with Chelsea Clinton holding the bible. This felt right to me... Chelsea would represent the hopes and aspirations of a new generation of women that would feel that nothing was beyond them.

The magazine got back to me and said they were interested... and asked me how long it would take to turn it around. I was elated. After many attempts (and three cover ideas drawn by others) I would finally get a cover.

...we all know how that turned out. Obviously, losing a cover was the least of a nation's worries after the rolling circus shitshow comes to DC.

But I still wondered if perhaps the cover could be remade to reflect the election... I decided to move Hillary into the gallery and leave the space open... I changed everyone's expressions slightly to reflect the disappointment of having the majority of Americans wait even longer for representation in the highest office in the land... even worse... having to wait for an out and out misogynistic sociopath before getting the chance.

I decided to submit to both The Nation and The New Yorker... but that didn't pass muster...

Reflecting on the latest image, I decided that it lacked focus and was too dour. I needed something that would reflect a movement that was not going to be broken by this con-man's election.

I thought about how I could turn this around... and then thought... why not the anti-Trump? Why not Lady Liberty. She opens her arms to the same immigrants that Trump would not have. She's a strong figure who embodies the true spirit of what this country should be about. Make her the rallying cry. I decided that having her swear an oath on our Constitution, instead of the bible... hoping in our laws and system of government to contain a sociopath like Trump. (one always has hope.)

I changed some figures around... dropped one (Carrie Chapman Catt, after reading about her racist quotes) and replaced with another feminist icon, Betty Friedan. (not a tough call)

A few additional notes

... with the removal of Chelsea, I wanted to have a figure represent younger women... but also people from all over the world, who look to the United States as a beacon of hope. A lot of that felt like shattered glass (in the wrong sense) after this travesty of an election... but we can still be an inspiration by what we do, united, going forward to defeat Trumpism. With that in mind, I thought Malala Yousafzai's courage in the face of personal and very real threats was the perfect person to add to the mix. The fact that she is Muslim is a perfect response to those that slander over a billion people for the actions of the few.

I completed the background by adding the Constitution with its prominent We The People... We The People are going to be the ones to keep this country safe through this outhouse of an administration.

There's also some hope added (on my part) with the emoluments clause of the Constitution which I added to the bottom of the stands... and a reminder in the Presidential seal about who the majority in this election was for. 2,864,974. I needed that to be in there.

I got a note back from someone who (probably reflecting the majority of people who see this) wondered why XX was left out. I really didn't think in those terms. With LITERALLY a cast of thousands to pick from, I had to think in terms of representation. I'm sure I missed some completely obvious calls, (I personally wanted to put Barbara Jordan, one of my personal heroes, in there... there was an obvious miss on Michelle Obama... who I'd love to get in there, as well... Geraldine Ferraro... Marin Alsop, Marian Anderson, Maya Angelou, Clara Barton, Regina Benjamin, Sally Ride, Grace Lee Boggs, Brooksley Born, Margaret Bourke-White, Eileen Collins, Emily Dickinson, Babe Didrikson, Dorothea Lynde Dix, Isadora Duncan, Marian Wright Edelman, Gertrude Ederle, Gertrude Belle Elion, Billie Holiday, Dian Fossey, Matilda Joslyn Gage, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Ruth Bader Ginsburg!!!!), Martha Graham, Dorothy Height, Bell Hooks, Grace Hopper... how much time and space do we have?... You get the point. You could make 1,000 different versions of this and be correct. So... with that in mind... Here's the key to figures:

LIBERTY’S ALTERNATIVE INAUGURAL

1. Susan B. Anthony 2. Hillary Clinton 3. Sandra Day O’Conner 4. Julia Ward Howe 5. Shirley Chisholm
6. Eleanor Roosevelt
7. Abigail Kelly Foster
8. Sojourner Truth
9. Lydia Maria Child
10. Nancy Pelosi
11. Betty Friedan
12. Ida B. Wells
13. Dolores Huerta
14. Lucretia Mott
15. Gloria Steinem
16. Marie Curie
17. Nelly Bly
18. Septima Clark
19. Rachel Carson
20. Amelia Earhart
21. Bella Abzug
22. Louisa May Alcott
23. Mary White Ovington 24. Fannie Lou Hamer 25. Patsy Mink 26. Malala Yousafzai

These are bleak times. But no more so than what the Civil Rights movement faced down over the years. We need to stay strong and remember that WE are in the majority. This is not time to crawl into the fetal position. This is no time to cover our eyes. This is the time to raise our voices, stay strong, hold up [i]our[/i] flag, and oppose this racist, sexist, xenophobic, misogynistic, blowhard of a sociopath and let him know we're not going gently into that good night.

----------------------------------------------------------
If you would like posters / shirts / etc. you can find them here:

www.redbubble.com/...

- cross posted at DemocraticUnderground —

SPECIAL THANKS DEPT: I wanted to take a moment to say a BIG thank you to Roger McNamee, Chris Shaw, Alexandra Fischer, and all of the awesome folks at the Moonalice Tribe who make art like mine possible. They’re the best!

Newer
Older

RSS