COVID-19 Poster Project
Second Phase of COVID-19 Poster Project
This new phase of the project will feature artwork from adults and high school students whose diverse styles, backgrounds, and themes help provide unique messages of hope, togetherness, and determination. Public information posters have long been a part of history. From encouraging volunteerism and morale on the home front during World War I to encouraging patriotism during World War II, these posters were usually bright and bold and encouraged the public to take action. In the same tradition, last year the Society commissioned artists to re-imagine historic public information posters for the COVID-19 pandemic. Released during the early months of the pandemic, these posters promoted public health and safety and served as a call to action to encourage social change, well-being, and community spirit. Explore those posters below.
Hope is what has helped us get through the toughest days of this pandemic. The story of the COVID-19 Pandemic did not end in July 2020 with the release of our last poster. New waves and variants continue to prolong its impact. Despite these hardships, we have found moments of hope that bring us together, even when we are apart. These messages, and new stories over the past year, are the focus of the next phase of posters.
This project is made possible in part by generous funding from Sean Lynch and Jessica Klatt.
Own a piece of compelling & historic art by Wisconsin artists!
Shop all the PostersBIG History Is Happening
A BIG moment in history is happening right now. COVID-19 is having a major impact on all of our lives. As we practice social distancing, and spend more time at home, it is easy to feel isolated from the things you love. We know how much you love history and we are going to bring more history straight to you! Here are some free resources to get you started on your adventure through the past.
Create Your Own Poster at Home
Learn more about how public information posters have been used throughout history and get resources to create your own poster!
Learn HowCheck out the new poster collection!
Phase 2
This project is made possible in part by generous funding from Sean Lynch and Jessica Klatt.
Explore the first phase of posters
Continuing the Effort
Grant Yun
Grant Yun is a Milwaukee-based artist who is most recognized for reimagining American Realism and Regionalism through a 21st century approach. A previous student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Grant is now an MD candidate at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
In his Covid-19 poster, Grant illustrates a Wisconsin landscape with subtle shapes and colors. This mix of minimalism with a soft color palette helps create a comforting Midwest scene relatable to all residents of the state. Above the landscape is a pair of hands holding one another in unity with a blue mask between them. Through his illustration, Grant stresses the overarching importance of working together to continue the effort against Covid-19.
Branch Out
Tonia Klein
"I grew up in West Allis and received my Bachelors of Fine Art in Painting from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. I moved to Cudahy five years ago & became involved in the local community. Last fall, I started the Cudahy Art Coalition LLC with co-founder Joan Houlehen. The Cudahy Art Coalition LLC is dedicated to the appreciation and promotion of artists within the communities of the South Shore.
My poster design is based on an actual event that happened last year when we were isolated due to covid-19. My peach tree bore fruit for the first time and I had enough to be able to share the peaches with friends and family. Now that I’m vaccinated, I’m hoping to branch out and share my backyard produce with more people in the community."
Getting Vaccinated
Sonia Vasquez
Sonia Vasquez is an artist living and working out of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She primarily works in oils, but often branches out to other media. A large portion of her work is dedicated to social issues and representation. She seeks to tell stories and share experiences historically excluded from the art world.
Her love of 19th century fashion, art, and design mixed with contemporary ideas and issues have become a theme throughout Vasquez’s work. For this piece, she was particularly inspired by Victorian advertisements and medicine - imagining what a Covid vaccine poster might look like in the 19th century. Encouraging more people to get and have access to vaccines is important to Vasquez and she hopes she’s able to reach broader audiences though the piece
We Will Heal
Liz Drayna
Liz Drayna is an artist and illustrator who is currently in the midst of relocating from Madison to the Milwaukee area. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from UW-Madison two years ago, and the psychological lens continues to shape her work. When taking on the topic of recovery for this poster, she considered not only the recovery of society as a system, but also the psychological healing we must go through as we grapple with the trauma of the pandemic. The text on the poster is meant to evoke hope, comfort, and relief from the pressure to “get back to normal” in the face of great loss. Liz hopes this piece will help people meet their grief with acceptance while also finding strength in the knowledge that it will not last forever.
Science Finds A Way
Bao Xiong
Just as nature and life find ways to progress and evolve over time, so does science, pioneering paths to living longer and healthier lives. The ripple effect of saving one life can and has echoed for generations, which started at the drawing board of brilliant minds such as scientists, doctors, and inventors. For the challenges life brings, science finds a way.
Bao Xiong is an author and artist based out of Wisconsin. Growing up with Hmong folklore and true ghost stories inspired her books Folklore and The Butchers published through Moth House Press. Bao’s the founder of For Independent Hmong Farmers Corp, a non-profit actively advocating for local Hmong farmers of La Crosse County by bringing awareness to the underrepresented group of farmers, their locally grown produce, and their struggles.
Get Vaccinated
T.L. Luke
T.L. Luke (she/they) is a professional illustrator and muralist based in Madison, WI. She started her freelance career in late 2018 and has since completed over 150 commissions for both individuals and businesses around the world, illustrated a YA children's book, organized several community projects including the #weareseedshunt in Madison, continues to participate in local markets selling original prints, apparel, and accessories, and teaches workshops for other creatives about being a creative entrepreneur. Her personal work has been described as 'playfully optimistic with a bit of menace around the edges' and 'dark whimsy,' and can be purchased at T.L. Luke's website
Helping Hands
Ciara Nash
I am currently a freelance graphic designer, acrylic painter, and paint party instructor and host under the business name Cee Nash’s Arts. During the summer of 2020, I helped create murals downtown during the George Floyd protest and riots. Outside of my art life, I have a position with Red Caboose Childcare Center of Madison, WI. I majored in art therapy and minored in graphic design through Edgewood college. I am currently in grad school for business management for art and design through the Maryland Institute of Art and Design. I also plan on obtaining my master's degree in art therapy later down the road.
As of lately, I have been inspired by posters created in the 60s and early 70s. I like the use of vibrant colors, different use of shapes, textures, and movement. I felt that this approach was appropriate for this climate that we are in today. I wanted to be able to represent everyone in a way. The message to me is promoting community togetherness and a step for growth!
Vaccinations
Jera 'Jay' Ramirez
“It’s kind of comical how people treat some life threatening scenarios as if they were a game, like nothing is at stake and at the rate we’re going we’re not even aiming to win...
The goal in our particular point in time should be to win this battle, but to do so we have got to level up!!!"
Show Your Love
Helene Ramsdell
Helene Ramsdell is continuing to emerge as an artist who speaks softly but takes the opportunity to express her feelings and opinions with a shout on paper. She has found Printmaking, screen printing in particular, to be her art form of choice for its accessibility: being printed on paper it can easily be hung in a gallery or on the street, making art available to all. This project speaks to that accessibility by combining a succinct message for the community with the approachability of the poster format.
Trust in Science
Stephanie Carpenter
Stephanie Carpenter is a letterpress printer, educator, and graphic designer living in Wisconsin. Since 2011 she has worked at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, where she helps maintain the world’s largest collection of wood type. She enjoys the tactile nature of letterpress printing and its direct connection to history. She creates posters, installations, and artists' books using vintage wood and metal type and hand-carved blocks on 100-year-old-presses.
About her piece, “For this poster design I wanted to focus on the importance of finding reliable sources as you learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones during times like a pandemic.”
High School Students
The Vax
Martha Liang
Cambridge High School
"I love taking any opportunity I can to create, and also being involved in the community. I saw this project as a great way to bring everyone together and showcase local art! I know I'm still very young but I want to pursue a career in some kind of art and I'm always looking for ways to put myself out there. Over the pandemic I think art was really opened up to me with all the free-time I had and I was able to really sit down, practice, and learn. Being involved in this project gives the community an amazing opportunity to come together and create!"
I'm Vaccinated
Kierranna Rought
Capital High (East) School
"To me this is a very personal project, there are still a lot of people who don't follow the safety precautions. Art can be a huge form of a call to action, illustration and cartoons if done right can really persuade a person into feeling/being able to put themselves into that character's shoes. COVID is a very real thing, but a lot of people tend to find themselves in a very harmful mindset of "well, if no one around me/no one close to me has COVID why should I have to worry? why should I have to wear a mask?" without even realizing that this could 100% harm them and the people around them as well. It's easy for us humans to think that way, and I as an artist use my art and my platform to not only entertain but as well as educate; and I want to step up and do my part to follow COVID precautions but also try my hand at educating others on doing the same to help end/slow down the spread of the virus." Their Instagram
Support The Ones You Love
Jette Thorson
Verona High School
"I saw this poster project, and thought that it looked like a great opportunity! I am very passionate about art, and try to put my all into each one of my art pieces.
I started 9th grade this year, and because of the pandemic I have been remote learning the whole year. Part of why I want to do this project so much, is because with covid, art has been my creative outlet. I’ve grown, and learned as an artist over the past year, as I’ve had a lot of time at home to explore new types of art and mediums. Being a part of this project would be an exciting challenge, and make a happy memory of this strange time." Their Instagram
Recovery
Sabrina Schmidt
Stratford High School
"When my dad brought this poster project to my attention I was first a bit skeptical about it but quickly got excited. The thought of other people seeing my drawings and paintings intimidated me so I pushed it to the back of my mind. After awhile though, I started to think about the experience that I would gain from it which means so much to me. A chance to show other people, to show not just a piece of art work, but also a piece of me and for a good cause as well. I looked more into the project and the more I did the more interested I became.""
First Phase of Posters
Together wisconsin
July 8
Becca Bryant
Becca Bryant is the Creative Director and Founder of local design studio, Urban Root Creative. She specializes in custom designs for branding, campaigns, and marketing. Her family was a founding family of Madison and she is the sixth generation to make Madison home. Becca was inspired by all the current issues we are facing and combined them for the "Together Wisconsin" poster using her niece as the inspiration for the figure standing proud in front of Wisconsin.
Clean Hands
July 1
Renée Graef
Renée Graef has illustrated over 80 children's books, including the "Kirsten" books (American Girl), books in the "My First Little House" program (Laura Ingalls Wilder) and "B is for Badger; A Wisconsin Alphabet." She splits her time between Milwaukee and Los Angeles.
For the Covid-19 Poster Project, Renée was inspired by an experiment that tested the effect of "Wash your Hands" signs in public restrooms. The results showed that people do indeed wash their hands longer with the displayed signs. She is making the four posters (from the one shown poster) available for free downloads in an effort to decrease the spread of the Coronavirus. The 8.5" x 11" printables can be displayed in restrooms in schools, daycares, work and home.
Renée is thrilled to work on her second children's book for the Wisconsin Historical Society Press with author, Barbara Joosse. Her first WHSP book was "Sport: Ship Dog of the Great Lakes" by Pam Cameron. She is also working on the children's book series, "Lulu and Rocky Adventures" (with Barbara Joosse), which debuted with "Lulu and Rocky in Milwaukee".
The free downloads of Renée Graef's Covid-19 Poster Project can be found on her website.
We Get Through This Together
June 24
Roberto Torres Mata
I’m a current emerging artist in printmaking based in Madison, Wisconsin I emphasize the issues of migration with Mexico and Central America. My work speaks to the growing misrepresentation that the United States views migrants. As a first-generation Mexican American, I express my knowledge through printmaking acting on the social issues that deal with racial, political, and environmental problems. I graduated from Western Illinois University in the Spring of 2018 with a degree in Graphic Design and a Minors in Marketing. My work has been exhibited at New York City, Madison, Dallas, Knoxville, Quad Cities, Puerto Rico, and Chicago. I was a recipient to Education Graduate Research Scholars fellowship, American Advertising Federation Award, Advance opportunity Fellowship, and Paul M. Binzel Grant. In my practice I have always pursued a purpose to represent my views through art that can provide a positive impact that can bring communities together.
We Get Through This Together
June 17
Emily Maryniak
I am currently a Graphic Designer at Distillery Design and Marketing Studio. I majored in Fine Arts, then taught preschool for many years at Preschool of the Arts in Madison. I recently made a career change to graphic design. I have also been a longtime member of Polka! Press, a local printmaking studio.
Emily on her work, "Everything begins with a drawing. Drawing is a way to clarify the world around me and helps me notice beauty in everyday things. I enjoy exploring exaggeration, light, shapes and colors and it brings me joy to share my perspective with others. I am currently at a crossroads of developing my style and experimenting with incorporating both digital and hand-made work."
Each To Their Strengths
June 10
Jolyn Sandford
Jolyn Sandford is a Madison-based artist and software developer who seeks to celebrate the things she loves through illustration. With roots in the fine arts and computer science, she enjoys examining the intersection of art and tech.
About her their work, "I especially wanted to celebrate community efforts in these uncertain times. Despite our physical separation and the upheaval of our usual networks, many have organized programs for members of our communities to help each other - from checking in on their neighbors to keeping their local healthcare workers fed."
Assisting The Elderly
June 3
Greg 'Biskakone' Johnson
Greg 'Biskakone' Johnson is a member of the Lynx Clan and an enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. His home on the Lac du Flambeau reservation established by the Treaty of 1854 is also known as Waaswaaganing, “the place of the torch.” Greg lives his life according to the four seasons, as did his ancestors. He harvests deer, fish, maple sugar, berries, wild rice, and wild plants. He enjoys trapping and snaring as well as hunting with a gun. Greg is passionate about keeping the traditional ways alive, and he takes every opportunity to teach these ways to others. Whether he is taking a group of students spearing for the first time or showing community members how to make buckskin moccasins, he shares his knowledge in the hope of keeping a vibrant traditional way of life relevant today. Greg’s favorite students are his children, Wasanodae, Koen and Blaise and one on the way in November. Greg taught his daughter how to skin a deer when she was four and his son to make moccasins at age five. Together, the kids tracked their first deer before they turned six.
My father was a WWII veteran so I grew up flipping through his WW2 books. When I was approached to design this poster I had tons of ideas thanks to my fathers collections! I really enjoyed creating this poster for the Covid-19 pandemic awareness movement. Like in the past we are once again reminded to stick together to defeat and overcome an enemy. We are all in this together! Take care of one another.
Conserving Resources
May 27
Colin Matthes
Colin Matthes (Milwaukee, WI) is an artist. He combines improvised utilitarian construction techniques with instructional drawing, spectacle, and civically minded projects that range from group knowledge archiving sessions to “eco” demolition derbies. He always shows the means of production. The process, the fingerprints, the screwups.
We Stand United
May 20
Cat Parra
Cat Parra is a Madison based comic artist and illustrator. Her work primarily explores themes of adventure and self discovery through the lens of historical fiction. In 2015 she co-founded Margins Publishing, a small press publisher focused on producing work by and about people of marginalized identities. About her piece, "I wanted this piece to reflect solidarity and community spirit. We each have a responsibility to do what we can to protect ourselves and neighbors. I’m sure while in isolation, many of us have never felt less like a community, but we’ve never had more need to act like one."
Social Kindness
May 13
Yeonhee Cheong
Yeonhee Cheong is a visual artist who studies the social language of the women’s bodies and outfits. She is a lecturer at Design Studies department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The war against COVID-19 virus has disrupted the conventional way of how we “unite” to fight. We should keep apart and protect selves from others, in order to protect others as well. Though against our natural instinct, this is the knowledgeable and effective way to win this war that everyone should follow.
Learn At Home
May 6
Jerry Jordan
Jerry Jordan is part of a growing movement of painters that are reinterpreting classical painting into what they call contemporary realism. He counts such painters as John S. Sargent, Anders Zorn, William M. Chase and Joaquin Sorolla as major influences in his artistic growth. However it was the artist of the Harlem Renaissance that fueled his desire to pursue painting.
Keep Your Distance
April 29
Ashley Town
At Bay View Printing Co. we believe in slowing down and taking our time with each and every project. As a letterpress design & print shop, all our work is custom designed and printed by hand one at a time on an antique printing press – a process that takes time, attention to detail and meticulous care. When you work with us you're supporting a 103 year old, female owned business built on the idea that people thrive when they collaborate. Simply put, the story of everything we do and everything we make, is you and your vision. Let us take great care of your story and share it with the world as only you would.
Heroes
April 22
James McKiernan
James is a native of Madison Wisconsin. Learned to screen print in high school from Mr. Roy Liddicoat, studied art at UW Madison and Art Center College in Pasadena. Became President and Creative Director of Studio M in Long Beach, CA and Instructor at Madison College. Continues his studies and is Vice President of the Polka! Press Cooperative in Madison.
Shelter in Place
April 15
Keegan Onefoot-Wenkman
The work I produce is of thoughtful, selfless, greedy, raving, amazing, botched, happy, needy, revolutionary people, objects, ideas, animals, and insects. These are what I love and don’t want to forget. A stew of moments seen, heard, loved and missed; on the list of ingredients it would read “for growing more mature and wiser, be brazen and naïve." Self-taught artist, currently living in Madison, Wisconsin via Portland, Oregon. The owner/operator of KeeganMeegan Press & Bindery and onefootinfront illustration studio.
What is the COVID-19 Poster Project?
Public information posters have long been a part of history. From encouraging volunteerism and morale on the home front during World War I to encouraging patriotism during World War II, these posters were usually bright and bold and encouraged the public to take action.
In the same tradition, the Wisconsin Historical Society has commissioned ten Wisconsin artists to re-imagine historic public information posters for the COVID-19 pandemic. The posters will promote public health and safety or serve as a call to action to encourage social change, well-being, and community spirit.
The Society has a vast poster collection with nearly 5,000 pieces dating from the 18th century to the present. They document political movements, activism, recreation and leisure, and advertising. The most significant parts of the collection are the circus posters stored at the Parkinson Library in Baraboo, the WWI and WWII poster collections stored at the archives in Madison, and the film and theater poster collection cared for by the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research.
Getting the Message
How Governments Use Public Information Posters to Inform and Inspire Generations
A Classroom Tie-in to the BIG History is Happening project
Art In Times of Crisis
The use of arts and artists to both build morale and emphasize a particular point of view has been commonplace throughout the history of the United States. Whether directly recruiting for the war effort (such as the famous I Want You for the U.S. Army Uncle Sam poster) or to encourage new social norms, the work of artists has been a central platform of how society responds to times of great social change.
See the LessonCreate Your Own Public Information Poster
Using the resources included in this lesson, create your own public information poster. In keeping with what is going on around us in the world today with COVID-19, the posters will either have a public health and safety message or they will have a call to action to help promote social change, well-being and community spirit.Use the link below to download the lesson plan and instructions for how you can be part of the BIG History is Happening project.
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