Ongoing Matter: Democracy, Design, and the Mueller Report is a nonpartisan, grassroots design initiative fostering audience engagement with the Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election, or, as it is more colloquially known, the Mueller Report. The multi-platform exhibition of contemporary posters brings the words of the report to life visually, making the text more approachable and providing entry points for learning more about the report content. Ongoing Matter also calls average citizens to respond to what has become one of the most consequential political moments in modern history—a moment when the integrity of American elections and democracy itself is at risk—by reading Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s words.
The artists and designers in this project consider their charge to be one of empowerment, using the art of communication design to 1) reveal, inform, and spur audiences to act and 2) combat widespread misinformation and disinformation. These interpretive, political works also illuminate the major threats to democracy cited in the Mueller Report.
Posters have had a long and well-documented history. From advertising and propaganda to activism and protest, they have communicated and symbolized society’s most important issues for centuries. Ongoing Matter is a continuation of this tradition—specifically, using posters as a medium to both fight against mis-information, disinformation, and authoritarianism, and advocate for truth, justice, and democratic values.
Project Co-Creators + Designers:
Anne H. Berry
Sarah Edmands Martin
Featured Artists + Designers:
Jessica Barness
Marie Bourgeois
Meaghan Dee
Brian Edlefson
Jordan Kauffman
Andre Murnieks
Paul Nini
Sarah Rutherford
Jenn Visocky O’Grady
Ken Visocky O’Grady
Kelly Walters
Acknowledgments:
We wish to acknowledge the contributions of the many individuals who made this exhibition possible. Most importantly, we want to thank our exhibiting designers and artists for their contributions, as well as the work of the project’s originator and co-creator Anne H. Berry, Associate Professor at Cleveland State University in the Department of Art and Design. Special thanks to the Department of Art, Art History & Design at the University of Notre Dame. Clinton Carlson of the Visual Communication Design area and Martina Lopez of the Photography area, as well as Sara Fahling, Nicky Holt, and Nik Swift, also deserve special recognition for their role in helping to organize and promote this exhibition. Mikey Burton is responsible for creating the Ongoing Matter logo. Rafael Barahona, Jordan Kauffman, and Abby Graber at LightBox developed the Ongoing Matter website and branding materials. Thank you all for your efforts.
Finally, we gratefully acknowledge funding from Indiana University’s Arts and Humanities Council, Indiana University’s New Frontiers in the Arts & Humanities Program, and the Office of the Vice Provost of Research at Indiana University, and Indiana University’s Grant-in-Aid Program, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Cleveland State University, the Ohio Arts Council, and a very generous, anonymous donor.
Closing Reception:
Sept. 29, 5—7pm