WALLS OF DEMAND: The artwork of Manny Oliver and Margi Weir - The Center for Contemporary Political Art
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The Center for Contemporary Political Art Presents
WALLS OF DEMAND:
The artwork of Manny Oliver and Margi Weir
Student Artist Statements
February 8th-March 15th 2019
Amer15a by Annalise Knott
My piece, “This is America”, was originally inspired by John Gast’s “Manifest Destiny” and includes a line
from the song “This is America” by Childish Gambino. “This is America” (Gambino) is a song that was made
in response to all the school shootings following the one in Parkland. The music video (as well as a couple of
lines in the song) contain subtle innuendos on such issues as racism, gun violence, and the use of social
media as a distraction from all the chaos going on around us. I thought this would be fitting to incorporate
into this piece to reflect the chaotic approach and protest of lenient gun control laws.The definition of
manifest destiny is the belief that it is your god given right to settle westward. This relates to the second
amendment debate and how red America believes it is their god given right to own a gun. Furthermore,
Gast’s painting is one that you may not completely understand at first glance, but then as you look at
each element on its own you start to understand the big picture. I wanted to achieve the same effect by
including a bunch of different elements that at first don’t make a
coherent story when you look at all the elements on their own, but you
start to understand what they have in common when you examine them
closely. I used movement in my composition to lead the eye through the
painting and emphasis, with the contrast of solid colors against the
figures, to make them stand out. At the top of my painting, you will see
the sun setting on capitol hill. This represents the darkness, consuming the
government. The message on the left reads: “this is AmeR-15a”. The
hidden message within the word “America” is AR-15 which is an assault
rifle that is infamously used in mass shootings. Moving down the page, is
an eagle holding an AR-15 in its talons. This is my modified version of the
National Rifle Association's emblem. On the very right are candles being
covered by a giant band-aid. There are 17 visible candles to represent
the 17 people who died in the Parkland shooting. The band-aid depicts
the visual notion that people giving their “thoughts and prayers” act only as a band-aid and not a solution.
The donkey and the elephant represent the two political parties. The donkey is in a cage and the elephant
is free to roam about. This symbolizes the feeling that the Democrats are being backed into a corner, while
the Republicans roam freely to determine the gun control debate. Lastly, the white figures on the bottom
left are the family of the victims and the brown shoes are the feet of the victim who is lying down. I’ve left
the people white as if they are faceless so that they could be anyone who’s ever lost someone in a
shooting. My overall message is: instead of brushing over the shootings that occur, our government should
enforce tighter gun laws so tragedies such as the Parkland shooting never happen again
Emma by Eleanor Raab
I believe my portrait of González exemplifies Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr's ideals as they both were and are strong advocates for
equality and peaceful yet powerful protests in order to make
change. González has been an extremely strong advocate for
gun control and has peacefully made her opinions known and
gotten her point across on numerous occasions. In the picture,
she has a single tear rolling down her face, obviously showing
the sadness and hardships she and her classmates have gone
through as students at the Parkland shooting, but her head is still
held high, as she represents and speaks for the 17, displayed
behind her, the 17 who were killed in the Parkland shooting
Enough by Sydney Maggin
Shortly after the shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018, I participated in a
school walkout where peers and I went downtown to the White House
during the school day, to protest the lack of gun laws currently existing
in the United States. My poster has the names of all the students who
have lost their lives to acts of gun violence within schools dating from
the Columbine shooting in 2000, and ending with the shooting at
Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. The white space below the
names is meant to provide a stark contrast to the filled space,
expressing my hopes, along with the hopes of all students in America
to have faced the last school shooting
Everyday Shootings by Sarah Rashid
This piece is important to me because gun violence has steadily
become a huge problem in the
recent years, whether it’s mass shootings taking place across our
country or the loss of innocent African Americans due to police
brutality. So I decided what better way to artistically represent
these two issues than through an eye. Eyes convey our emotions,
so I was able to embark on the saddened events by listing some
of the mass shootings that have happened in our country, and
yet highlighting certain elements of the Black Lives
Matter movement all through an emotional eye.
Everyday Victim by Dori Reagan
Fear is something we all feel, some more than others. Recognizing
and controlling that fear is necessary to survive in today’s social
climate, even when outside factors weigh in. This piece articulates
the turmoil of fear as we feel it in its rawest form.
Fake News by Karenna Nambiar
This piece explores how the way we consume our news has shifted from the
more traditional methods of newspaper, television and print to social media
and online news sites, and the public’s increased skepticism of the media.
This skepticism not only reflects public attitude toward media but distrust of
the government as a whole ,begging the question: in a society where we
can no longer trust those entrusted to lead, who can we trust?
Gun Control by Caroline Crump
I created this piece using mainly colored pencils and pen. It is a drawing of
people protesting in front of the capitol for gun control. This piece was important
to me because gun control has morphed itself in one way or another into
everybody's lives. It is important to stop it, and everybody should be involved in
helping to change our lives and our country for the better.
Love, Not Hate by William Ahn
3 months and 14 days into 2018, students across the DMV unleashed the
power of civil disobedience and descended upon Capitol Hill with a single
purpose: to March For Our Lives. The generation of students, having lived in
constant and imminent fear of a shooting in their own schools, decided that
enough was enough. They rallied behind each other to fight for a safer life, a
safer future, a safer America. This portfolio of the March 14th Walkout
demonstrates the power of the next generation of voters that will forever
change the political landscape of America.
March for Our Lives by Nick Karch
I took this photograph at the March for Our Lives 2018 event. The metro
station was filled with people's signs and there was a large crowd of
protesters standing around. I chose to highlight the signs and the people
standing in the background to emphasize that the power is in the hands of
the people; we all stand united by this one vision of a future where gun
violence is a thing of the past and gun ownership is, at the minimum,
strictly regulate
March on Washington by William Ahn
3 months and 14 days into 2018, students across the DMV unleashed the
power of civil disobedience and descended upon Capital Hill with a single
purpose: to March For Our Lives. The generation of students, having lived in
constant and imminent fear of a shooting in their own schools, decided that
enough was enough. They rallied behind each other to fight for a safer life,
a safer future, a safer America. This portfolio of the March 14th Walkout
demonstrates the power of the next generation of voters that will forever
change the political landscape of America.
No One is Listening By Maya Valencia
I love being able to use my artwork to help voice people’s ideas in a unique
way. Art is my gateway to displaying my opinions and ideas in a distinctive
way. I strive to create unique, innovative projects that create conversation.
Expressing your voice and opinions is vital to shaping our country. I am lucky
that my art can be used for such profound ends.
Open to All by Avi Grant
For this photograph I was inspired by the Immigration March that
occurred in late June due to the Trump administration’s policy of
separating children from their parents and the outcry that came with it.
I took part in that march and captured a moment where the protesters
were standing near the White House. This was a visceral moment and
showed the power of protests to attempt to bring change.
School Safety by Alissa Weisman
I'm growing up in a generation where we hardly notice when there is another mass
shooting, and worry that there is a shooter when a balloon pops or a car backfires.
It's time for us take take control of the future, because we are the future. We must be
the ones to end gun violence.
Tie it Down by Dylan Fan
The gun is made from blue paper and is punctured with white strings that flex and
warp the paper gun by being restrained to the red board. This represents the weak
power guns need to be limited to by laws and social change to facilitate the
progress towards a safer America. The colors also represent the colors on our flag. The
needle symbolizes tool used to tie the gun down: the pen to write laws. The piece is
finished with the words “It’s about time!” because it has taken an extraordinary and
unacceptable amount of time for this awakening to happen
The Movement by Alisha Dhir
Growing up alongside the new wave of feminism has given me
the opportunity to represent the movement from a broad lens,
projecting the strength we have as a community. However, I
often incorporate elements of stereotypical femininity in my
pieces as I believe a large part of feminism is accepting that
women can be whoever they want to be, and that includes the
pink and the glitter that has been deemed “girly.” As for my style,
I often choose line art as a way to let the audience fill in the lines
and find their own definition of feminism within.
The Revolution Begins by Maya Bosse
When I held up my sign as part of a wave of demonstrators in front of the
capitol at the march for our lives, I knew I didn’t want to forget that
scene. So many people of so many different backgrounds came
together to speak up and make their voices heard. I wanted to freeze
that moment in time so that we wouldn’t forget what we all came there
to do that day. Gun violence has been and continues to be a huge
problem in the United States, and we have to keep showing up until real
steps are taken to make change. I hoped to communicate this in my
acrylic painting, “Enough”
Vote? Yes by Hannah Markov
If there's one thing that 2018 has taught me, it's that a vote is a voice, and
everyone's voice matters. This photo was taken at a neighborhood festival,
where a tent was set up to encourage more people to register to vote.
When editing, I emphasized the color red because it means energy,
strength, danger, and power, all of which play a major part in today's
politics.
We Are The Change by Ranita Chowdhury
I took this picture at the Gun Control Walkout last year back in March. I want this to
go to show that the teens of today's age aren't going to stand back and watch
others be killed or have any sort of injustice be brought upon them. We want to take
charge to change our futures and lives for the better and promote better policies
regarding gun control as well as other issues.
We Matter by William Ahn
3 months and 14 days into 2018, students across the DMV unleashed
the power of civil disobedience and descended upon Capital Hill
with a single purpose: to March For Our Lives. The generation of
students, having lived in constant and imminent fear of a shooting in
their own schools, decided that enough was enough. They rallied
behind each other to fight for a safer life, a safer future, a safer
America. This portfolio of the March 14th Walkout demonstrates the
power of the next generation of voters that will forever change the
political landscape of America.
4.3 by Julia Pavlick
This piece was made to commemorate the lives of 8 transgender
women, all of whom were alive in the beginning of 2018, smiling as
pictured above, but were viciously murdered at some point in the
year.
Despite how little it is reported on, there is an epidemic of violence
against trans woman, especially trans women of color, in America;
the overwhelming majority of it is gun violence.
These 8 women still only make up about 1/4 of the total number of
trans women who were murdered last year. Many of these women
were misgendered by police, investigators, and the media after
their deaths.
I urge everyone who is working to prevent gun violence, remember
these women, remember their names, remember their struggle,
remember their stories.
*This exhibit also includes artwork from magnificent student artist, Tori Gonzalez
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