Political Circus 2024: Exhibition and Panel Discussions

Monday, Sep 23, 2024

Image above: Lisa Anne Auerbach, UNRAVELED, Image courtesy of the artist

Political Circus 2024 - Exhibition and Panel Discussions
Curated by Jane Caputi & Rockford Projects

Join the Political Circus! Expect pageantry, cheap shots, branding, bombast, combative opinion, conflicting patriotic pride, and flags of every stripe. Based on Jane Caputi’s, PhD, multi-year collection of presidential election merchandise, this exhibition examines the interplay of political media, consumerism, and patriotism. Presidential pop paraphernaliaacts as a cultural fun house mirror, reflecting and reshaping America. Curator Rockford projects juxtaposes Caputi’s massproduced election materials documenting trends in American elections with artistic “craftivism” and flag.

In the University Galleries:
SCHMIDT CENTER GALLERY AND PUBLIC SPACE
On View: October 5 – November 24, 2024
Opening Reception: October 10, 2024, 4:30-8:30 pm

Two panels associated with Political Circus 2024

Panel: The Political Circus, Human Rights and Presidential Campaigns (2008-2024)

Oct. 15, 2024, 2 pm - 3:30, Schmidt Center Gallery

Panelists:

Peyton Sibert: PhD Student, Comparative Studies, "LGBTQ+ Human Rights"
Karen Leader, Associate Professor, Art History, “Cats are Human Too”
Luisa Turbino Torres, Assistant Professor, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Political Science, "Reproductive Rights"
Jane Caputi, Professor, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Comm & Multimedia, "Weaponization of Disgust and Human Rights"
Allan Barsky, Professor, Social Work, “Bridging Differences in the Divided States of America.”

Panel: Come Join the (Political) Circus (2008-2024)

Oct. 22 2024, 11am - 12:15 pm, Schmidt Center Gallery