Drawn to the Summit: A G-20 Exhibition of International Political Cartoons

Sept. 18 through… Drawn to the Summit: A G-20 Exhibition of International Political Cartoons

Sept. 18 through Oct. 18, 2009

The Andy Warhol Museum

As protestors take to the streets of Pittsburgh this week by chanting, yelling and waving signs, a far quieter demonstration will take place just across the river, five stories above Seventh Avenue.

These quiet protestors, sitting in a small art gallery, aren’t anarchists, college students nor political activists.

In fact, although some of them are clowns and some of them are U.S. presidents, they all are cartoons.

This collection of editorial cartoons, located in the Andy Warhol Museum, is called “Drawn to the Summit” and was compiled by political cartoonist Rob Rogers and Chatham professor Sylvia Rhor.

The cartoons hanging on the walls of The Andy Warhol Museum comprise Rogers and Rhor’s G-20 exhibit “Drawn to the Summit.”

With a luncheon for G-20 leaders planned to take place at the Warhol, those cartoons may very well get a whole lot closer to President Barack Obama and other world leaders than any of the protestors will.

“We’re using humor to hit up the same issues the protestors are addressing,” said Rhor.

With diplomats, the military, protestors and a world of international issues flooding the city, Rhor believes Pittsburgh will welcome some laughter.

But not all of the cartoons are easily read by Pittsburghers because they aren’t just clippings from The Post-Gazette, The Tribune Review or other U.S. newspapers.

“Drawn to the Summit” features cartoons from all of the G-20 nations from foreign papers, in their native languages.

With translations below each cartoon, the exhibit offers a unique outlook on world politics from the perspective of each nation involved in the Summit.

The curators covered the clean white walls of the gallery with gray sketches of clouds, globes and floating hands armed with pens that surround the framed cartoons hanging on the wall.

While visitors stroll through the exhibit, they laugh and grin as they stop and look at countless caricatures of Obama, deflated globes and other world leaders.

Though the styles, languages, cultures and origins of the cartoons are all unique, they all address common themes.

The images tackle tough issues like global warming with pictures of cracked globes, the smoking industry and American-made cars. Bank failures and the financial crisis are also depicted, displaying bankers throwing themselves off buildings and sinking boats that represent the global economy.

“We wanted to find common themes with these issues — especially from their national points of view, ” Rhor said. “We wanted to make sure we had representation from all of the G-20 countries.”

But over the course of the project, Rhor gained a new perspective of her own.

“It was really a learning experience for me,” said Rhor, who corresponded with cartoonists from around the globe to bring the exhibit together.

Working with Rogers was also an interesting experience for Rhor, whose background in editorial cartoons came solely from studying.

“He’s a cartoonist and I wrote my masters thesis on political cartoons, so we both had really different perspectives to offer,” she said.

The exhibit is co-presented by ToonSeum, an organization within the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh that celebrates the art of animation.

“We were founded two years ago with the mission of increasing the awareness of cartoon art,” ToonSeum executive director Joe Wos said.

According to Wos, the political power of cartoons is no modern concept.

“Cartoons have been proven throughout history to be one of the most effective ways to make a statement,” Wos said. “Benjamin Franklin drew a snake cut into three pieces with the slogan ‘Join, or die,’ which ended up being one of the first mascots for America.”

And while “Drawn to the Summit” probably won’t quite start a revolution, it is making waves in the community.

“The public’s reaction has really been remarkable. The reception has been fantastic,” Wos said.

So while “Drawn to the Summit” might not storm the streets and make front-page news, it still has a message to get across.

“Issues from the G-20 have to be addressed from multiple points of view — this is just one voice,” Rhor said.