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ANGRY AMERICAN ARTIST STATEMENT
Milton Glaser spoke on the responsibility of artists and designers. He discussed the idea that artists have access to peoples’ minds, and with that comes a moral responsibility to transfer ideas that cause no harm to your neighbor, your city, and your country.
I look at government sponsored poster designs of the second world war and wonder how people took them seriously. I believe the same will be said about the fear and propaganda that the attacks of 9/11 ushered in - billboards asking my family if they have a plan if terrorists attack, the color coded threat level that was updated hourly on the news, or the songs proclaiming our love for the U.S. of A. This propaganda supposes a blind faith in man and our country.
Angry American is a poster instillation based off of one such song. Toby Keith’s post 9/11 song “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)” was written and released using imagery that would appeal to American’s hearts. Emphasis is placed on a primitive cowboy-shoot-’em-up mentality through his use of everyday American symbols of freedom and patriotism.
I have reinterpreted this imager and combined bold, basic forms with repetition to barrage the senses. The posters are applied directly to the wall to emulate the repetition of print advertising and imagery in bigger cities that force the content down the viewers’ throats. This work takes a satirical look at the aforementioned artists’ responsibility that is often overlooked in advertising, media, and music.