Artist Statement

(2015, Wood engraving, metallic print, pigment prints, and mixed media) 

      Being different means that you’re “less than.” At least that’s what I was taught by peers while growing up in the Midwest for 26 years. In 2009 it became obvious to me that racism is not dead when I watched hooded and robed Ku Klux Klan members march on my campus as I sat in my college business class. That same year I also found that sexism is alive and well when doing research and stumbling upon the fact that women account for less than five percent of the CEOs at the Fortune 500 companies. These are clear signs that we still have much to overcome socially. 

     This project looks to confront stereotypes, specifically those against black persons and women. The Internet offers a glimpse into the opinions and biases of the masses through things such as blogs, Google search results, and social media. Online search suggestions reveal what is most frequently searched. This is not only an indication of what people think, but it also influences thought. 

     Physically playing with this art to reveal real Internet search suggestions harkens back to our early days of learning. Just as teaching with a pop-up book requires a child to touch and play with it in order to absorb meaning, so too does this body of work require interaction and touch for the viewer to learn about stereotyping. 

Concept

     Thirty percent of the brain is devoted to dealing with our sense of vision. Gender and race are the first two objective observations perceived about a human face, but unfortunately we are taught to subjectively stereotype based on these genetic dispositions. The Visual Indoctrination of the Bigot demonstrates the pervasiveness of racist and sexist bigotry being proliferated by the Internet, while also working against stereotypes to affirm the equality and power of black persons and women. Physical interaction between the viewer and the art allows not only an examination of harmful prejudiced media, but also urges viewers into self examination.