imported post
You know, the funny thing is, if I do get any flack for passing these cards around, it probably won't be for their pro-2A message. My university, like MOST universities, does not recognize the validity of ANY of the Bill of Rights articles on campus. Passsing these out, outside the bounds of an "approved activity" or in any place that is outside of the "approved Commons" is technically a violation of school policiy...
I don't understand how State schools can get away with these policies. They are NOT private property. They receive State and Federal funding, are regulated by the State and the Feds, and as such, SHOULD be bound to the same level of Constitutionality in their policies as any other "Public institution".
But for some reason, the Universities of our Nation are for all intents and purposes, "Constitutional Rights Free Zones", where neither the 1A, 2A, 4A, 7A or 8A are recognized in any meaningful manner...
This project isn't really as much about the 2A as it is about the 1A. The 2A subject matter is really just "icing on the cake."
Since I'm actually printing it on a letterpress, and the images will be OBVIOUSLY printed on a press (not photocopied or printed from a computer), I think I have a VERY solid "Freedom of the Press" stand.
Hopefully, it will cause "buzz" among the students, but won't really show up on the administration's radar. Art students get a fair amount of leeway when it comes to printed materials, and being a Graphic Design MFA candidate with a focus on Printmaking means that ALL my work is going to ultimately have 1A implications.
I may not actually hand them out to peoplem but rather post them up on the "public boards" around campus. I think that more people would actually see them that way, and they might cause more of a stir that way. The people who like them (or hate them) will pull them down and keep them after a few days anyway.
So this is really an experiment in the powers of the Free Press, public reactions to art, and on some level, guerilla PR. It's sort of a form of "disposable graffiti". The pro-2A message is really secondary to the experiment in meme-manipulation and the "democratization of art".
If I get people asking to go to the range with me on the weekends from this, I'll be thrilled. If I get people threatening me because they don't like it, I'll be even more thrilled. If it generates an anti-2A demonstration or other organized reaction, I'll be ecstatic, because this is just the first volley in a whole series of similar projects I'm planning, and to be honest, this one is outright TAME compared to some of the ideas I'm working on.
Words, discussion, statistics and reports are all fine and well, but if you REALLY want to get people's attention, you need to appeal to their aesthetic sensibilites. I believe that art is the most powerful tool for social change--even more powerful than speech, literature, or journalism. This project is sort of a "proof of concept" for what may end up being my Thesis, if it is successful. And I am considering EITHER reaction--Pro or Con--to be a success if it is public, loud, and passionate.
BTW, I've uploaded the updated pics, in the OP...
Probably not appropriate for this board though.