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MyPOP Awareness Installation
Mission
The installation and campaign, My Print On Poverty, uses art as a purpose driven awareness tool to help encourage civic dialogue and action on the important issues circling poverty in the US.
Goals
1. Create greater public awareness to some of the challenges faced by the poor with creative visual articulations
2. Build connections with like-minded organizations to forge strong civic actions
3. Establish tools and practices that promote critical thinking and self empowerment
Message from Artist
People often need to see a path before they are able to get on a path, this campaign works to accomplish that task. It represents a path out of poverty by way of visually articulating some of the challenges faced by the poor. It works to empower all people, young and old, by encouraging implementation of individual assessments and critical thinking.
Creative Process
COLOR
Understanding how the mind perceives color allows for visual associations of meaning. Two examples of color perceptions are: 1) Combination of light blue and dark blue conveys trust and truthfulness, whereas 2) warm colors can convey emotions from simple optimism to strong violence.
MyPOP uses a color palette with attributes from both warm and cool to convey messages of chaos (orange/red) importance (blue) and hope (yellow) and incorporates transitions in hue, value and intensity as messaging techniques.
FORMAT
Horizontal format represents the issue from a “social” perspective - exploring definitions, causes, facts, figures, stereotypes
Vertical format represents the issue from an “individual” perspective - exploring individual resources, action plans and self empowerment
IMAGERY
The series is anchored in icon development, to represent everything from material needs to communication patterns to dysfunctional characteristics to cross cultural symbolism. The use of image repetition, graphic placement and text renderings are all used as messaging techniques.
The series also makes use of mandalas, which are timeless and all embracing, and considered to be symbols of the human experience. The evolution of the series has resulted into the creations of two mandals that symbolize the goals and efforts of MyPOP.
1. The Individual Mandala: Pregnant Lady Wheel – represents building self empowerment by addressing internal barriers and complications
2. The Social Mandala: Public Wheel – represents social change by addressing external issues and complexities
Both mandala’s incorporate rotational symmetry that represent progress and suggest the interplay and passage from emotional to physical states and vice versa, physical to emotional.
All the symbols are essentially used as aids for effective visual associations of complex topics.
Symbol Key:
Image Represents
Blue Dot Language Acquisition
Car Transportation
Carrot Food
Child Education/Childcare
Credit Card Financial Security
Flowchart Documentation/Goal Setting
Hands Physical Practice
House Shelter
Phone Communication
Pregnant Lady Healthcare
Switch Utilities
Wheel Progress
KEY MESSAGES
Urgency
Problem Identification
Intervention
New solutions
Perseverance
Empowerment
MEDIUM
The original paintings are coated with a malleable texture of wax, representing changing circumstances and preservation. The use of collage is integrated for the purpose of storytelling and cross cultural symbolism.
View detailed work
Show Your Support / Get Involved
Domestic Resources
1. Attend a MyPOP exhibit and raise awareness
2. Educate yourself with information from aha! Process NCCP Kids Count and Economic Mobility Project
3. Visually promote self-empowerment and critical-thinking in your organization, business or public space by Purchasing MyPOP Art Panels
Global Resources
1. Donate directly to Millennium Promise
2. Purchase your own 100% African made MyPOP T-shirt, while directly supporting sustainable employment to Sub-Saharan Africa.
3. Volunteer with Cross Cultural Solutions
Daily, new goals are set to connect with others for continued learning and to branch MyPOP ideas into stronger actions.
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