Protest in the Form of Art


As the Old Third Ward Neighborhood Association gained momentum communication with residents was immediate and regular. Many visual documents were produced along with written documents. These included buttons, bumper stickers, posters and illustrated memos and letters.
The object of this artistic output was Outagamie County or more accurately, those persons associated with the Outagamie County Government: the Board of Supervisors and the County Executive.

Subtlety was not the name of the game with these illustrations. The County Executive was the frequent subject. He was pictured eating appleseating apples with one hand, a wad of cash in the other. The picture was completed with an eagle insignia on his tie and an eagle portrait in the background. This, no doubt, was a reference to the perceived imminent destruction of Appleton and perhaps implying a deal between moneyed interests and government. This illustration was tied to a manuscript draft of a document perceiving the County as being unwilling to consider any parking alternatives.

Later, when a specific home at 518 S. Walnut was targeted for demolition, the focus was more pointed. Here, in the first sketch, the Executive, sporting a villainous handlebar mustache, was pictured as a eat at ronswaiter serving up historic homes. Text was drafted. The eat at rons final final version was mailed to neighborhood residents, asking them to contact their County supervisors and tell them to vote no on Proposition 56.
juggernaut Another manuscript featuring the villainous waiter was paired with "Endangered Species" and the juggernaut.

The image on the right, name "No Wake Zone," has the SS County Bounty speeding along, homes bouncing in its wake. County planning is determined by a "Wheel of Fortune."


Finally, the County Executive was paired with the Director of Planning in a Bevis and Butthead parody.

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