‘Turnout 2016’ showcases student projects focused on presidential election

“Turnout 2016,” an exhibition of student projects based on the issues involved in the presidential election, runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 18 with an opening reception Oct. 25 from 4-6 p.m. in the Hill Hall central lobby area.

Students from five Art classes and two English classes contributed to the exhibition, which features political signs, satire, posters, cartoons, quilts and zines highlighting the issues surrounding the election. Two large paper quilts consist of collage squares made by Design students, who each created one square representing a social issue and another reflecting one presidential candidate or the other.

“I want my students to discover that you can make art out of what’s happening in the world,” says visiting Art professor Chloe Irla, the exhibition’s organizer. “It’s important for them to understand that art can have context.”

Art professors Steve Pearson and Izabel Galliera and English professors Paul Muhlhauser and Josh Ambrose integrated projects for the exhibition into their classwork as well. Muhlhauser’s Making Multimedia posters reflecting both pro and con of an assigned candidate and Ambrose’s Intro to Journalism political satires are also displayed.  

Earlier in the semester, cartoonist Brendan Loper, whose cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker, explained his process of creating a political cartoon and cartoonists he’s inspired by during a conversation over Skype with Pearson’s Perceptual Drawing class and Irla’s Digital Imaging class.

Although “Turnout 2016” lines the Hill lobby area with political messages, the spotlight truly shines on issues and not personalities or people. Each student found their own niche or relevance in the election through conceiving and implementing their project — and the exhibition showcases the connection between academic studies and what is happening beyond campus.

Finding an issue not represented in the exhibition would be a challenge. Without mentioning either presidential candidate, students expressed their thoughts on posters, in cartoons and zines, quilt squares and satires, that black lives matter and climate change is real. They demonstrated that they support fair-trade fashion, Planned Parenthood, renewable energy, mental health, human rights and more.

“Students begin to understand that they can integrate current political and cultural happenings in the world into the content of their work,” says Irla. “Art doesn’t have to be about nothing and is much more exciting when the ideas behind the work are accessible to a broader community.”