Reimagining works of art is a time-honored tradition, and one of the ways we reconnect with and revitalize our shared cultural history. It happens all the time with music and theatre. And where would Hollywood be without its annual onslaught of remakes. At their best, reimagined works soar above the pedestrian and nostalgic. They introduce new audiences to great ideas ….. and kindle bursts of creative energy in invigorated artists. (Think “West Side Story”).
An innovative recent project enlists a vibrant community of artists to reimagine an iconic past, and in the process help inspire new generations to (re)discover the natural beauty of the good ole’ USA.
Any Gleeks out there? Your first thought might be Super Bowl Sunday a couple of years ago, when the cast of Glee teamed with show sponsor Chevy to reimagine the once ubiquitous jingle “See the U.S.A in your Chevrolet”. Iconic? Yes. Innovative? Maybe. But still just an ad campaign.
What I’m referring to goes back even further – to the depths of the Great Depression. As part of a New Deal program called the Federal Art Project, the federal government put unemployed artists to work for the public good – creating posters to showcase the country’s National Parks and other landmarks. Under the banner “See America”, the effort was designed to help lift the country’s battered spirits by celebrating our stunning natural wonders and encouraging Americans and others to visit them. The result …. hundreds of striking posters (many now iconic) of the great American outdoors, from the Redwood forests to the Gulfstream waters.
As our National Parks system approaches its 100th anniversary (2016), facing significant budget cuts and the threat of irrelevancy for future generations, the digital generation has picked up the mantle. The Creative Action Network (CAN) recently launched a crowdsourced art campaign designed to reimagine the historic “See America” posters, enlisting artists from all 50 states to create a new collection celebrating the beauty and importance of our national parks and landmarks.
The effort fits perfectly with CAN’s self-description as a marketplace of original, visual, meaningful artwork, harnessing creative talents for good. Leveraging the connective power of the internet and social media, CAN is about art as social engagement – a digital age way to connect a passionate, global community of artists & designers and magnify the power of their creative efforts. Like the Federal Art Project, it’s also a way to help talented designers make a living doing meaningful work.
To The National Parks Conservation Association, CAN’s partner on the project, “See America” is a chance to connect new audiences and younger generations with our National Parks. To date the project has garnered more than 600 original posters featuring all 50 states. Fifty of these new See America posters are currently on display alongside a dozen of the original Federal Art Project posters at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York through June 30.
You can see all the new “See America” designs at www.seeamericaproject.com. They’re also available for sale as posters, tote bags, mugs and greeting cards, with 40% of all proceeds going directly to the artists.
So where might this collective social engagement lead us? Perhaps a new generation will be inspired to go “on the road” exploring our national parks and cultural landmarks. They might find themselves standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona; or cruising Ventura Highway in the sunshine. Rolling down Highway 41 or boarding a Greyhound in Pittsburgh. But they’ll all be going to look for America.
On the way, they might even drive their Chevy past the levee. And who knows? Maybe someone will be so moved by the experience that they’ll spontaneously and gleefully burst into song, singing “This’ll be the day that I re-discover America”.
