Inside angle: The power of hand-made political protest poster art in a digital age

The rich history of art as protest is a forceful feature of a progressive-leaning Iowa organization that’s been elevating the medium in the months ahead of what is expected to be among the most contentious of American elections.

The art is as strong as the passions for politically minded people, from liberal to independent, gathering for so-called Progress Iowa “art jams.” The events include one specifically tied to protest-art making led by multimedia artist Julie Russell-Steuart, the former chairperson of the Iowa Democratic Party’s Disability Caucus and an entrepreneur.

“The news media likes to show images,” Russell-Steuart, 55, said. “Visual messages have a lot of power.”

She added, “It’s all about developing a voice, developing people who feel like they have agency.”

In the era of push-button art, artificial intelligence-generated “creativity,” Russell-Steuart is getting artist-activists involved in more traditional methods, which she sees as creating community and building personal investments through flesh-and-blood work.

“The way Julie Russell-Steuart co-creates paths for creative political action in group settings is absolutely incredible,” said Jen Sinkler, a communications organizer for Progress Iowa. “I feel lucky to have witnessed the works that emerged because of how she teaches.”

More than a dozen activist-minded people gathered one recent weekend at the Progress Iowa offices in downtown Des Moines to use and old-school provisional press in an event Sinkler and Russell-Steuart helped organize.

Why use an old-school press when so much technology is at both artists and activists’ fingertips?

“These are things where people need to say, ‘Oh, that’s important to me,'” Russell-Steuart said.

Labor activist and photographer Jeannie McCrea said creating art is a profound way of delivering messages.

“Julie’s poster-making class allows a path in creating posters,” McCrea said. “It’s a way to make a statement on a canvas to create social change. This art poster creation is then out there as a reminder and every time it’s viewed is replacing an original energy.”

She added, “Creating posters is a way an individual can create something, a statement, that will stand on its own. Making them together in Julie’s class made you feel like you’re part of a movement and part of humanity. Expressing art in creating these posters was very transformative.”

Jerry Uhlman of Carlisle, a retired telephone company employee, said there’s a reason he worked on art critical of U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa.

“As a representative of Iowa he’s never around, he’s not approachable, he’s not somebody people can get ahold of easily and talk to compared to some in the past,” Uhlman said at a weekend poster-making event.

Nunn’s office pushed back on that.

“Zach puts Iowans first and has hosted dozens of open forums across all 21 counties in the Iowa Third Congressional District,” said Emily Tuttle, a spokesperson for Nunn.

Nunn represents 21 counties, including Polk County, with a reach through a swath of southern Iowa.

“Zach’s record of wins for Iowa speaks for itself. While some may try to throw mud and smear his name, Zach will continue to fight for Iowans and continue to deliver results,” Tuttle said.

For her part, Russell-Steuart plans to keep teaching the power of the art form for a variety of purposes, causes.

“We are doing something that kind of gets the ball rolling,” said Russell-Steuart, who is hard of hearing.

She has launched an organization, America Needs Access, that’s aimed at making social media more accessible to people with disabilities.

“The hand-producing aspect where you are making something you have your hand in is so much better than pushing a button,” Russell-Steuart said.