Revolution Through Art: Occupy Wall Street and May Day

With the May 1st general strike approaching, Occupy Wall Street has been hard at work hitting walls around the country to evoke change. As the movement is focusing on targeting the 99%, placing pieces in the public sphere is an ideal way make people notice and take action.

Occupy Wall Street is comprised of many different individuals and, as such, the work greatly varies in terms of aesthetics as well as intention. Some of the posters take the path of the above piece, whose intention is to inform individuals of the purpose of May Day. While the poster is well designed, the artist has chosen to leave out any imagery that would detract from their intended message.

Contrasting these images is the work of LMNOP, who is one of the primary artists behind Occupy’s imagery. Each piece of hers is pictorially driven with sparse text, which reads “shut it down” or “rise up.” While her work may not clearly delineate the purpose of May Day as other pieces do, the purpose is clearly seen through the raised firsts and the women yelling for change in each image.

Whether the approach is textually or image based, Occupy Wall Street has plastered cities with their work to make people take notice and action.

Text and Photo: Rhiannon Platt