The Norman Rockwell Museum has launched the Unity Project 2024, a get-out-the-vote campaign that harnesses the power of illustration art to inspire and motivate voting in the upcoming presidential election.
Published primarily through social media, the campaign features striking images and voting messages from six top contemporary illustrators who reach a wide range of audiences. This dynamic digital poster campaign went live on Friday, Aug. 23, with the launch of the first image over social media, followed by a cadenced release of images, messages, and voting resources leading up to Election Day. In addition, the original artwork is on view as a featured installation in Norman Rockwell Museum’s lobby through election season.
The Unity Project 2024 draws inspiration from the art and life of Norman Rockwell and reflects Norman Rockwell Museum’s public mission to foster civic engagement and participation through art. The project builds on the success of the Museum’s Unity Project voting initiative in 2020. Nonpartisan and action-oriented, the Unity Project encourages Americans to embrace our shared Constitutional right and privilege to elect a government of, by, and for the people. Importantly, this project is undertaken in the spirit of unity and belonging. It reflects the belief that when we come together as a nation to vote, we affirm our commitment to democracy, our communities, our nation, and each other.
“Voting is an essential act of democratic participation, one that Americans have fought for generations to preserve and expand. As part of our public mission, Norman Rockwell Museum is honored to bring together art and civic engagement in a fresh, meaningful, and artistically captivating campaign to encourage Americans, especially younger Americans, to use their voices and vote. This initiative carries forward and deepens our Museum’s commitment to a broadly inclusive democracy in which the voices of all people are valued and heard,” said Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt.
The Unity Project uses compelling illustration art to inspire social good in the tradition of Norman Rockwell. As an artist and citizen, Rockwell created iconic images that reflected the lives, aspirations, and ideals of Americans, most notably his Four Freedoms paintings, inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vision of freedoms for all peoples. These paintings form part of Norman Rockwell Museum’s permanent collection, and continue to speak eloquently to contemporary audiences. Rockwell also painted portraits of many presidential candidates for magazines of his day, as well as depicting scenes of civic participation and voting. Later in life, the artist was moved to portray the profound changes in American society and ideals during the Civil Rights Era with memorable paintings of conscience that called for widened inclusiveness.
Like Rockwell, the six Unity Project 2024 artistic collaborators share a dedication to illustration art as a vehicle for artistic expression and social change. Project partners Monica Ahanonu, Lisk Feng, Timothy Goodman, Edel Rodriguez, Gary Taxali, and Shar Tui’asoa/Punky Aloha have created resonant artworks that convey the importance of exercising and protecting the right to vote.
“Norman Rockwell Museum is delighted to partner with these talented contemporary illustrators on a project of civic significance. The images bring fresh perspectives and needed attention to the act of voting, while also reflecting the personal visions and diverse artistic styles of their creators. Drawing on the rich history and vibrant contemporary relevance of illustration art, this project engages and inspires people through published imagery, affirming its power to reflect and shape our world,” said Chief Curator Stephanie Haboush Plunkett.
The Unity Project is made possible through the generosity of The Wadsworth Family of North Adams, Mass., and is being conducted in partnership with cause-related communications professionals at The Soze Agency and Feel Good Action. The project involves over thirty not-for-profit voting organizations to reach and motivate millions of prospective voters. In addition to publishing images and information on social media, Norman Rockwell Museum is offering voting resources on its website and through Feel Good Action and VoteAmerica. The public is encouraged to access and share images and resources at unity.nrm.org.
Reflecting the intention and spirit of the project, sponsor Jack Wadsworth offered this encouragement to all eligible voters: “Vote! It’s your privilege and your duty. Norman Rockwell understood this, as do these six amazing contemporary illustrators.”