The Museum Broken Arrow First to Showcase Exhibit
Lines with Power and Purpose: Editorial Cartoons Opens April 2
Mar. 29, 2018
On a daily basis, editorial cartoonists deliver biting social commentary made palatable through amusing and well-crafted illustration. The Museum Broken Arrow’s newest traveling exhibit, Lines with Power and Purpose: Editorial Cartoons, features 51 original editorial cartoons from the nation’s great metropolitan newspapers during the Golden Age of print journalism. Additionally, former Tulsa Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett Jr. has loaned the Museum several pieces from his personal collection to bring a local angle to the exhibit. Lines with Power and Purpose opens April 2 and runs through April 28. The gallery reception will be hosted April 5 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Included in the exhibit are six Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonists, each demonstrating the theme of political commentary through editorial illustrations and addressing issues from the first half of the 20th century. These deceptively simple drawings frame the publics’ understanding of early-to-mid 20th century world events and trends ranging from the two world wars, the great depression, public discontent with the US government, presidential elections, daily battles regarding work-related rejection, nostalgia for homespun neighborhood charm in the Midwest and more. Along the way, these cartoons served a dualistic intention: to provide welcomed comic relief as well as shape opinion.
The cartoonist draws strength from the limited conventions of the newspaper context. The editorial cartoonist presents a powerful distillation of political argument through a single image and maybe a few well-placed labels or a short caption.
To accomplish this underappreciated feat, cartoonists develop their own language— a language taught to and subsequently shared with their readers. Standard symbols such as the often-used Uncle Sam or Statue of Liberty evoke abstract concepts such as nation, patriotism and public interest. On a darker side, cartoons reveal the inherent cruelty of prejudice, xenophobia and ignorance.
Political humor relies on an informed and receptive audience. Headline stories prime newspaper readers to more quickly grasp the cartoonist’s unique take on the news of the day. A talented cartoonist makes even complex political arguments accessible to ordinary citizens. The friendly strokes of the cartoonist’s pen often belie the rawness and reality of the issues at hand. This exhibition of editorial cartoons conveys how cartoons effectively expose hypocrisy, reveal contradictions, introduce news ideas, and promote fresh perspectives as news events unfold.
Included in this exhibition are Pulitzer Prize winners for Editorial Cartooning: Bruce Alexander Russell, Herbert Lawrence Block (Herblock), Charles G. Werner, C.D Bachelor, Charles R. Macauley, and Vaughn Shoemaker.
The Melton Gallery at the University of Central Oklahoma, curator of the exhibition, has housed this set of political cartoons for more than three decades. This exhibition was organized by ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance.
The Museum Broken Arrow is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in historic downtown Broken Arrow near the site of the original Katy Train Depot. The Museum’s mission is to preserve the local history of the city and its residents and to serve as an educational opportunity for future generations. In addition to showcasing local history, the Museum also offers events, educational opportunities and facility rental. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (918) 258-2616 or visit BrokenArrowMuseum.org.
Lines with Power and Purpose: Editorial Cartoons Opens April 2
Mar. 29, 2018
On a daily basis, editorial cartoonists deliver biting social commentary made palatable through amusing and well-crafted illustration. The Museum Broken Arrow’s newest traveling exhibit, Lines with Power and Purpose: Editorial Cartoons, features 51 original editorial cartoons from the nation’s great metropolitan newspapers during the Golden Age of print journalism. Additionally, former Tulsa Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett Jr. has loaned the Museum several pieces from his personal collection to bring a local angle to the exhibit. Lines with Power and Purpose opens April 2 and runs through April 28. The gallery reception will be hosted April 5 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Included in the exhibit are six Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonists, each demonstrating the theme of political commentary through editorial illustrations and addressing issues from the first half of the 20th century. These deceptively simple drawings frame the publics’ understanding of early-to-mid 20th century world events and trends ranging from the two world wars, the great depression, public discontent with the US government, presidential elections, daily battles regarding work-related rejection, nostalgia for homespun neighborhood charm in the Midwest and more. Along the way, these cartoons served a dualistic intention: to provide welcomed comic relief as well as shape opinion.
The cartoonist draws strength from the limited conventions of the newspaper context. The editorial cartoonist presents a powerful distillation of political argument through a single image and maybe a few well-placed labels or a short caption.
To accomplish this underappreciated feat, cartoonists develop their own language— a language taught to and subsequently shared with their readers. Standard symbols such as the often-used Uncle Sam or Statue of Liberty evoke abstract concepts such as nation, patriotism and public interest. On a darker side, cartoons reveal the inherent cruelty of prejudice, xenophobia and ignorance.
Political humor relies on an informed and receptive audience. Headline stories prime newspaper readers to more quickly grasp the cartoonist’s unique take on the news of the day. A talented cartoonist makes even complex political arguments accessible to ordinary citizens. The friendly strokes of the cartoonist’s pen often belie the rawness and reality of the issues at hand. This exhibition of editorial cartoons conveys how cartoons effectively expose hypocrisy, reveal contradictions, introduce news ideas, and promote fresh perspectives as news events unfold.
Included in this exhibition are Pulitzer Prize winners for Editorial Cartooning: Bruce Alexander Russell, Herbert Lawrence Block (Herblock), Charles G. Werner, C.D Bachelor, Charles R. Macauley, and Vaughn Shoemaker.
The Melton Gallery at the University of Central Oklahoma, curator of the exhibition, has housed this set of political cartoons for more than three decades. This exhibition was organized by ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance.
The Museum Broken Arrow is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in historic downtown Broken Arrow near the site of the original Katy Train Depot. The Museum’s mission is to preserve the local history of the city and its residents and to serve as an educational opportunity for future generations. In addition to showcasing local history, the Museum also offers events, educational opportunities and facility rental. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (918) 258-2616 or visit BrokenArrowMuseum.org.
Summers, Be A Good Egg, n.d.; 20 3/8 x 16 5/8 inches, ink on paper; Courtesy of University of Central Oklahoma Galleries and Collections
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Werner, Hope at Last, n.d.; 17 ¾ x 13 inches, ink on paper; Courtesy of University of Central Oklahoma Galleries and Collections
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