Social work exhibit marks 75 years;
Editorial cartoons give unique historical view
 |
x |
"Advocates for Change: 75 Years of Journalism and Social Work" What: Exhibition
of editorial cartoons |
| Click image above to see larger display (20k) |
THE PROVOCATIVE POWER of editorial cartoons to crystallize debate surrounding some of the most controversial social issues of the times is the crux of an exhibit at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work titled "Advocates for Change: 75 Years of Journalism and Social Work."
"Sharp, succinct and satirical, the cartoonist is often able to deliver a message more swiftly and with more biting effectiveness than many an inch of finely crafted editorial copy," said Lucinda Cobb, a journalist by training who is the administrative coordinator of the school's doctoral program and one of the exhibit's organizers.
A collaborative effort with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the exhibit features one editorial cartoon from each of the 75 years since the social work school's founding. It will be on display in the school's library in Brown Hall 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, Sept. 28 to Dec. 15 (closed Thanksgiving weekend). The exhibit then will head to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where it will be displayed Jan. 8-22, 2001.
Mike Peters, the award-winning creator of political cartoons and the "Mother Goose and Grimm" comic strip, helped open the exhibit with an Assembly Series lecture Sept. 27. A University alumnus, Peters will deliver the Benjamin E. Youngdahl Lecture in Social Policy at 11 a.m. in Graham Chapel.
The cartoon exhibit, part of the social work school's 75th anniversary celebration, highlights significant social justice issues and includes those Post-Dispatch cartoons that have won the Pulitzer Prize. The images are all drawn by four Post-Dispatch cartoonists --Daniel Fitzpatrick, Bill Mauldin, Tom Engelhardt and John Sherffius, the newspaper's current editorial cartoonist.
Covering such issues as alcoholism, drug abuse, education, the environment, gerontology, health care, homelessness, hunger, labor, poverty, urban decay, violence and war, the cartoons were meant to elicit reaction in their day. Many of the images, however, comment on issues that are much in the American consciousness. Many foreshadowed issues that became increasingly important over time.
Sherffius, who assisted the cartoon committee, noted that editorial cartoonists often strive to keep both their images and captions to a minimum, conveying an immediate, powerful message. "The most effective editorial cartoons can be understood at a glance --they seem to jump off the page," he said. "To me, the most meaningful cartoons are those in which the artist's position on an issue is clear. There should always be an 'editorial' in an editorial cartoon."
Some of the dramatic images in the exhibit include:
1934 - Adolf Hitler sitting on a smoking gun
1945 - Peace among a huddle of displaced persons
1948 - Race persecution in South Africa as a well-stoked volcano
1950 - Downtown St. Louis strangled by the urban issues of traffic congestion and slums
1956 - A grim collection of senior citizens growing old "disgracefully" having been thrown a bone of "old age assistance"
1961 - Vietnamese peasants expressing a prefer- ence for a plow rather than military weaponry
1972 - Violence on television as child's play
1998 - A fence spelling "hate" with Matthew Shepard crucified on the 't,' referring to the brutal slaying of the homosexual college student.
David L. Cronin, Ph.D., associate dean for administration, said that through the assistance of the Post-Dispatch, the editorial cartoon committee was able to review 26,400 cartoons before eventually culling them down to 75. "Each of the cartoons selected captures an important and diverse social justice issue in a dramatic and thought-provoking way," he said. "Some represent constants, such as child welfare and homelessness, while others reflect more closely issues at the time, such as those during the war years or current health-care reform. Together, they form a poignant commentary on American society."
Shanti K. Khinduka, Ph.D., dean of the social work school, noted that the exhibit highlights social issues that both the school and the Post-Dispatch have tackled through the decades.
"The George Warren Brown School of Social Work and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch both have demonstrated commitments to advocacy for social justice," Khinduka said. "While the school has long been dedicated to addressing some of society's most intransigent social issues through research, teaching, professional training and community service, the newspaper has worked to keep these pressing societal concerns at the forefront of the community.
"The exhibit represents a social justice timeline," Khinduka added, "helping us pay tribute to our past efforts while signaling that much work is left to be done."
BY ANN NICHOLSON
Related links
George Warrren Brown School of Social Work
St. Louis Post-Dispatch online (Postnet)
