warrior ant press asks, can you spare some change?

WARRIOR ANT PRESS TO SPONSOR m.o.i's Please HOPE! Change?

For immediate release:

m.o.i., a Kansas City based artist, offers Please HOPE! Change? in the final days leading up to the November 4th election. For Please HOPE! Change? m.o.i. utilizes simple props such as street signs, his trusty dog, Trex the-rare-West-Tibetan-Mountain Dog, and the world's largest to-go cup to examine the intersection of electioneering, endless campaign fundraising, the financial crisis, voter fraud, campaign dirty tricks, panhandling, and street theater. The work will be performed on various street corners throughout Kansas City through Nov. 3rd.

During the 2008 election cycle, inordinate amounts of money have been raised by both campaigns. Some estimates indicate that as much as 1 billion dollars will be spent to elect the 44th President of the United States. This huge influx of cash has been happening even as the economic outlook continues to be uncertain. More and more people are losing their jobs and homes, a number of U.S banks and financial institutions have recently collapsed or been propped up by the government, and credit has become increasingly more difficult to obtain. Yet cash continues to flow into the election process with no signs of slowing.

The Obama campaign in particular has set numerous records for campaign fund-raising, much of it in small donations and from first-time givers. Both campaigns (in particular the Obama campaign) have mobilized many new voters and volunteers to work on each campaign's behalf although for many new to the process of actively supporting a candidate or cause, the expectations of what this support might personally mean remains largely undefined and unexplored. Artists have also spontaneously used both the Ron Paul and Obama campaigns to engage in hand-made signage, posters, and other forms of propaganda. However, these works have typically been designed to sway voters to align with a particular candidate. Few, if any, of these artists have examined the process of raising campaign funds.

Please HOPE! Change? challenges what it means for citizens to be actively involved in electioneering and solicitation. Additionally, the work exposes the vulnerability of many citizens during a difficult economic time while simultaneously exploring campaign dirty tricks.Please HOPE! Change? takes place on various street corners throughout Kansas City Sunday, October 26th through Monday, November 3rd.

Media inquiries should be addressed m.o.i. c/o Warrior Ant Press via email.

elsewhere:
m.o.i.: more things to do with ron paul signs left by the side of the road

m.o.i.: make it rain