As Election Day draws near, candidates across the country have taken to the stage, the TV screen, and even the World Wide Web, fervently delivering important messages on the nation’s most crucial issues. This semester, students of studio art professor Ron Abram’s Print Making as Activism class returned to the roots of American politics and designed soapboxes representing issues that are personally significant. And now they’re taking their stand upon those soapboxes, delivering speeches for all to hear on Denison’s campus, in Granville, and even in the Short North of Columbus.

On Monday, a small crowd braved the cold, wet weather and gathered on Denison’s Reese~Shackelford Common to hear the art students’ passionate speeches on topics that ranged from patriotism to the benefits of vegetarianism. Adding to the political imagery, the speakers stood in front of self-made, poster-sized prints intended to encourage people to vote. The posters have turned the common into a pseudo art gallery, embellishing while persuading.

“Print making has always been the art of activism and protest and I thought the election would be a good opportunity to create a connection between community, culture, society and art,” said Abram. “I do believe that art can affect change. When you bring art and individuals together in a course like this, it can be something very powerful and meaningful.”

For senior James Davis (Sylvania, Ohio), the project was an opportunity to show people what it means to vote. “I wanted people to remember those who have fought for our right to vote. I think in a lot of ways people take for granted the right to vote and the idea of voting.”

Senior Becca Gardner (Shelbyville, Ky.) chose to explore the interconnectivity of our actions and decisions of daily life. “Something as simple as casting a ballot has the potential to calm, or cause a storm in the lives of men, women and children. I think that challenges us to approach the election with accountability.”

First-year Meghan Swisher (Delaware, Ohio), whose soapbox speech revolved around conservation, was able to get a new perspective on the art world’s influence. “I probably never would have stood on a soap box and given a speech. It’s all starting to add up and I am changing my perspective about how art has a role in society. I see how art can be used to move your cause.”

The project was made possible in part by Denison’s Center for Service-Learning, which acts as an umbrella organization for all community service programs on campus. Through a grant from the Ohio Campus Compact, the Alford Center provided funds to several student groups for their efforts to encourage voter education and engagement.

“By bringing together organizations across campus and the artists in Ron’s class, we were able to use these grant funds to create beautiful, striking, visual images that were paired with insightful analysis around the issues,” explained Center for Service-Learning Director Laurel Kennedy. “Through reading and observation of visuals we hope to encourage people to register to vote and then to actually participate in the voting process.”

To view a short video of the SOAPBOX! event on campus, start the Quicktime movie below.

For more information about studio art at Denison, visit the department’s Web site.

For more information about Denison’s Service Learning Program, visit the office’s Web site.