I was viral before the internet! Ha! Right before graduation I found two photo albums from the 1890’s in someone’s trash. Murals really just came naturally with the territory and the type of work that I do. I went to Western Illinois University and studied fine art, turns out comic books don’t happen in the fine art department! I studied printmaking and graphic design, all the while playing in bands and using the things I learned about DIY to promote my bands, making posters, producing zines, and putting them everywhere. I always knew I wanted to do something with art but really had no clue how to go about it. Lucky for me I got into comic books at an early age and later into punk rock and skateboarding. I’m from a rural community in Illinois originally. Watch a time lapse of the mural being created here. Not only do I like the phrase I also think it fits well with George F. The owners had collected several ads which used this phrase. The other phrase stenciled throughout the design is “Men Of Vision” – the owners of the building had done some research on the history of the building, which used to house an optometrist. Johnson’s slogans (that actually influenced Roosevelt’s “New Deal”). Throughout some of the mural I have stenciled the phrase “Home Of The Square Deal” – one of George F. Johnson was a no brainer.Īs far as the design goes I repeated the “Warhol” squares which I have used in several murals, but also took the shape in the center from the Susquehanna River, and filled it with some of my signature abstraction I typically use in studio work. I’ve been using these types of photos as inspiration since I was 22 years old. I have also had this experience of stories finding me, from the same time period as the photos. Could you imagine if all of the billionaires of today actually shared their wealth?! Imagine how much better everyone’s lives would be. And in my eyes, this is just a really rare story in capitalism. Employees had access to affordable housing, Johnson would build the houses and sell them to employees at cost. Employees also had free medical care and all sorts of other benefits. He had a factory and was a businessman, but he was also kind of a socialist who took care of his employees and basically built the entire town. They were also the largest manufacturer through the Vietnam War. Johnson had a shoe factory which made every pair of boots for the soldiers in World War One.
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