Exhibit of Posters about CT Vivian’s Great Ideas

The Western Illinois Museum, in partnership with the Design Museum of Chicago, will host a reception for the community to view the posters designed by the Macomb High School Studio Arts Students about the work of CT Vivian. A reception will be held on Friday, March 4th, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm and the works will be on view at the Museum from March 1st through March 26, 2022. The event is free and open to the public. 

The Macomb High School Studio Arts Students participated in a day-long workshop, presented by the Design Museum of Chicago’s Founder and Executive Director, Tanner Woodford, and Executive Director of Programming and Operations, Kevin Reader. The workshop titled, Great Ideas of Humanity (GIH),  re-imagines the Great Ideas of Western Man, a mid-century advertising campaign by a Chicago-based company, Container Corporation of America. The GIH workshop updates the campaign to expand the canon of Great Ideas and works with artists, designers, and students to visually respond to these ideas.  The GIH workshop provided a historical background of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and detailed Vivian’s involvement, including his nonviolent protest in Peoria, Illinois, and his involvement as a Freedom Rider. The workshop guided the students on how to use photography and collage to create a visual response to Vivian’s quote, “You can turn your back on me, but you can’t turn your back on the idea of justice.” The posters created during the workshop will be on view during the reception along with their artist’s statements about their poster.

The March 4th reception at the Museum is held in conjunction with an opening at the Macomb Arts Center of the Young Artists Exhibit which includes the work of area junior and senior high school students. The reception at the Macomb Art Center will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 pm with an awards presentation at 4:30 pm and is located at 25 East Side Square.

The Great Ideas of Humanities project has been partially funded by the Illinois Humanities. The Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly [through the Illinois Arts Council Agency], as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by speakers, program participants, or audiences do not necessarily reflect those of the NEH, Illinois Humanities, our partnering organizations or our funders.

The museum is located at 201 South Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s Courthouse Square.  For more information, contact the museum by phone at 309.837.2750 or by text at 309.837.2613, or email at info@wimuseum.org. Details can also be found on the Museum’s website at www.wimuseum.org or on social media channels.