Cartoonist David Horsey offers his take on a sign of the political times.
One thing is certain about the 2016 political campaign: It’s making political satire great again!
From NC legislators battling it out over public restrooms to Blackberry email scandals and short-fingered vulgarians on the campaign trail, each day’s news provides a treasure trove of material for political cartoonists.
Above, Chip Bok explores Russian hacking. Below, Steve Breen examines the disconnect between Hillary Clinton and youthful voters.
Duke and the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists will explote the role of political cartoons during a campaign that challenges the public to distinguish between satire and real headlines. The conference will be held Sept. 22-24 at various sites across Duke’s campus.
"It is the best of times and the worst of times for the world’s satirists,” said Kevin “Kal” Kallaugher, a political cartoonist for The Economist and the Baltimore Sun and one of the festival’s organizers. “The most bizarre of elections grips the United States, migration burdens Europe, terrorism torches the Middle East, and Russia and China grow bolder. This is a target rich environment for today’s growing band of satirists.
“At the 2016 Political Cartoon and Satire Festival we aim to celebrate satire’s combustible cocktail of humor, commentary and politics. Satire is a delicious combination of the three, and is on the front line of freedom of expression around the globe today. We want to explore the benefits, challenges and chuckles that political cartoons and satire brings to our curiously crazy world, and have a few laughs along the way.”
Above, Darrin Bell satirizes Donald Trump. Below, Signe Wilkinson imagines North Carolina, post HB2.
The festival will include opportunities to engage students and the public throughout the three days:
- A night with writers and producers from “The Simpsons.”
- A conversation with fact-checkers from "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" and "The Daily Show."
- Panel discussions on HB2, #blacklivesmatter and policing, Republican humor, international censorship and illustrating Donald Trump.
- Student improv and sketch comedy performances.
- Live cartooning, student workshops, art exhibits.
Speakers will include Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonists David Horsey, Ann Telnaes, Signe Wilkinson, Steve Breen, Kevin Siers and Jack Ohman. Foreign cartoonists Rayma Suprani of Venezuela, Godfrey “GADO” Mwampembwa, originally from Tanzania, and Australian Rod Emmerson will provide an international perspective on censorship and American politics.
The public agenda can be found here.
Above, Scott Stantis comments on the failure of American policy in Syria. Below, Dwane Powell on the growing reach of the Republican legislature in North Carolina. Bottom: Kevin (Kal) Kallaugher on Donald Trump.
In conjunction with the editorial cartoon festival, Duke's Center for Documentary Studies' Power Plant Gallery at the American Tobacco Campus will feature work from Dwane Powell's four decades as cartoonist for the Raleigh News & Observer.
The lead sponsors of the fesrival are POLIS: The Center for Political Leadership, Innovation, and Service, and the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Co-sponsors include the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy, Sanford School of Public Policy, Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts at Duke and Duke Campaign Stop.
