With campaigning for the 2012 general election well under way, Downtown for Democracy, the political action committee established during the 2004 elections, is back. Aimed at motivating and engaging the creative community to political action, the organization has begun this cycle’s crusade with the publication of a 75-page civics primer. D4D and OHWOW Present: The Pocket Guide to Politics breaks down and clarifies the complicated, and some might say confusing, workings of our representative government.
The product of a collaboration between Downtown for Democracy and the OHWOW Gallery, the book elucidates and visualizes the workings of government functions. Or, in the words of OHWOW founders Al Moran and Aaron Bondaroff, “[It] is an attempt to translate the American political system into the language of the creative community, a demographic that influences what young America reads, listens to, watches and wears. We hope this resource will help inspire the creative community to get active and involved in our political system as election season approaches.” Contributing artists featured in the book include Joana Avillez, Tim Barber, Dan Colen, Alex Kalman, Andrew Kuo, Casey Neistat, Terry Richardson, Konstantin Trubkovich, Bert Rodriguez, Aurel Schmidt, Adam Squires, Josh Safdie and Aaron Young. Their various works tackle and illustrate some of the dire issues confronting this year’s voters, such as the economy and national debt, healthcare reform, women’s reproductive freedom, gun control, and marriage equality.
As illuminated by the wide breadth of these concerns, this election is not only about our next president. It is also about the quarter of Senate seats and all 435 spots in the House of Representatives that are up for grabs. Having seen the 2010 midterm elections usher in a majority of extremely active and vocal ultra-conservatives into Congress, this time around they are aiming at seizing control of both Houses. This in effect would have the right-wing controlling the running of our government for the years to come. With so much at stake, it is clear that this is an imperative election requiring mobilization from those that influence culture, and the far-reaching, young demographic that spreads the word.
The pocket guide is the preliminary tool in the call to action.
The guide is set for release on May 1, with a launch at The Standard. D4D and OHWOW Present: The Pocket Guide to Politics, costs $10.00 and will be available through the OHWOW and D4D websites.
