Erika Nelson: Make Art, Not War

Kansas: A frontier where strong people with strong opinions find their voice. Throughout our turbulent history, Kansans have vociferously and voraciously pursued the greater good, working both within established systems as well as outside these systems to affect change. With these movements come a rich array of protest art--art made to draw attention to a topic of great concern in the hope of eliciting change or expanding the conversation. From John Steuart Curry's depiction of John Brown's call to action to M.T. Liggett's politically charged fence-line artwork, protest art in Kansas includes an array of forms. Sometimes humorous, sometimes biting, and often clever, this presentation will look at the ways artists craft their messages.

Erika Nelson is an independent artist/educator and director of World's Largest Things.

Part of The Pulitzer Project in Kansas: William Allen White and Freedom of Speech, sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council, the Pulitzer Prizes Board, and the Federation of State Humanities Councils.