Artist Statement
Javal Smith
Social Justice Posters
I intentionally created a bright and dark contrast between the top and bottom backgrounds to convey the idea of two perspectives. The bottom represents the pains and suffering of the black community. The top shows a more hopeful side — that through united efforts, such as the BLM protests, we can make things better. The boy in blue shirt stands between the spectrum watching everything unfold. Since he is a youth and the next generation, he carries the hope of a brighter future, but he also carries the pain and burdens in remembrance of the generations which preceded him. The phrase "A Better world is possible" reflects this transition, so I placed the words in between the top and bottom imager to highlight the transition effect. I want my viewers to think about the adversity of the past but also to be optimistic about the future for as long as we continue to fight.
In this poster, I have a background of a tree representing the evolutionary family tree. I compare a human skull to a chimpanzee skull to show that, while there are some anatomical differences, overall they are very similar. I used a DNA strand with the number 99% because chimpanzees share roughly 99% DNA to us. I used the word "Hominidae," which is the biological grouping of humans and apes. The woman holding the chimpanzees underneath symbolizes empathy for these creatures who are very close to us. Finally, I added a link to an education website that provides evidence and explanations on the evolutionary link between humans and great apes. I want to endow the viewer with an unconventional way of thinking, educating them on the complexities of evolution, so maybe instead of throwing a rock at a pigeon on the street, they will walk by and realize all living things are not that far apart.
Inclusive Stock Photography
The Inclusive Stock Photography project was designed to address the scarcity of people of color, multicultural people, and LGBTQ+ people in commercial stock photography by creating professional-quality images of these underrepresented people in a variety of everyday settings, including romantic and platonic relationships, family, and communities.