Art inspired by marketers who unfairly target children

A special treat today. Works of art, one a poem and one a mixed-media drawing/collage, that draw inspiration from a sense that children are unfairly targeted by marketers in our society.

This is a work by Massachusetts mixed-media artist Edward Monovich. If you look carefully you will see many logos and other branding references.

From his statement about his work: “Advertising slogans take on new meanings in landscapes where figures confront geopolitical crises in real time.” Read more here.

(Below is embedded the mini-documentary about him that I produced, directed and edited. As I learned more about media literacy by writing this blog, I came to understand the importance of learning production. And so I learned to make films. Please let me know if you like it.)

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And here is a poem written by my friend in Michigan, Mindy Holohan, who has been working to reduce marketing to children through her organization STOK – Stop Targeting Our Kids.

I Want
I want my children to know what yeast is
To see dough rise
To watch shoots inch their way from the Earth
To spy pollen tucked in a bee’s back pockets
Observing, delighting, revering

You want them to buy their bread sliced
To seek nourishment in aisles 7, 3 and department 5
To crave lab-formulated this and hyped-up that
To wrestle with endless cellophane and choices
Ravenous

I want my children to know the smell of rotting leaves
To wonder at a seashell
To savor a tomato
To rejoice in a bud, in a flower, in a gift
Experiencing communion and satisfaction

You want them glued to one screen or another
To be buried in plastic, discomfort, seduction
To recognize a swoosh or a googly-eyed sponge in an instant
To be defined by clicks and likes and swipes and posts
Needing another fix of something– anything–always

I want my children to revel in the miracle of their being
To cherish their unique journeys
To be comfortable in themselves and with others
To value the unquantifiable
Treasuring time, solitude, quiet

You want them with power buttons ON
To purchase identity and subscribe for intimacy
To size up and compare and individualize everything
To suck it in or push it up or puke it out
Never, ever, enough

I want my children to cherish life
To honor others
To know the depths of love
To perpetuate peace
Listening, negotiating, creating

You want them afraid
To be steeped in, yet immune, to violence
To control and manipulate
To compete and to conquer
Controlled and manipulated

I want my children to be in relationship
To experience unfettered joy
To find freedom from fear and consumption
To connect to the mysteries
Knowing holiness, oneness, gratitude

You want
Their dependence
But
You depend on them

You study
Them
But
I study you too

And maybe
That will make a difference

mindy holohan for josie, mary & colin holohan
winter 2013
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The Art Show, episode 3: Edward Monovich