There have been many studies done, including one by The National Institute of Justice, about the percentage of inmates who end up re-incarcerated within five years of their discharge from prison. As of 2017, that number stood at 75%. This is because America has a justice system based on punishment, not rehabilitation. By having it set up this way, we are failing our most at-risk populations.

Access to higher education could drastically reduce the chance of re-incarceration, but 84% of state prisons operate only high school classes. In contrast, states like Ohio offer inmates the option to enroll in college classes, and this has resulted in a re-offending rate of only 18%. This is huge, not only for the people being given a second chance, but also for every American taxpayer. True rehabilitation, and a focus on supportive and positive experiences in jails and prisons, helps every one of us. A society cannot be improved through punishment and shame.

This poster resonated greatly with me, primarily because it includes a Bible passage from Isaiah 2:4 which states: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” This gives me a synopsis of how the art poster can promote peace.

The various small images surrounding the Bible verse at the bottom of the poster all tell a story. The story begins on the left column with a war or conflict. The middle column shows an ascent from war into a more peaceful, prosperous period. The right column portrays people fully transitioned into a period of productivity, peace, and security. I loved the overall art style of this poster. The artist created these images in a way that enables them to appear almost as if they would be hung inside a church. The visual style gives me a sense of contemplativeness and hopefulness.

The social justice issue presented in this poster is our world’s urgent desire for peace and dialogue. This idea resonates with me as I see a country and a world deeply divided with much resentment, bitterness, and anger. It is time for enemies to dialogue with each other and for mutual hatred to transform into mutual respect. This art poster left a strong impression on me and inspired me to have hope for the future.

When I first saw this poster, I was attracted to the mosaic of colors and patterns. Seeing that there are people of all ages reading together reveals that the poster is about education. One of the most important things in my life is education. Receiving education through my time at LMU has been a privilege. It breaks my heart to know that many people are unable to have the same opportunities I have because of the lack of access to education rooted in social injustice.

A proper education should be accessible to everyone regardless of a person’s place in society. As a nation that spends a large portion of money on objects, projects, and things that perpetuate war and violence, we must take a step back to focus on our community. In order to have a truly flourishing society, there must be ample access to jobs, education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Instead of putting our money in those places, we prioritize unnecessary things that sometimes even put our country at a disadvantage, which we must change.

My family and I emigrated here from the Philippines in 2003. However, because of the lengthy Naturalization process, it was not until a couple years ago that we finally became U.S. citizens.

Imagine how it must be for people who are seeking asylum from the dangers of their home countries and for people who are seeking new and better opportunities in what is known as “the land of the free.” We need to remember that the United States is a nation of immigrants and that it is our duty to welcome and help those who come here, whether they be legal or illegal. We need to remember and honor the words of our Founding Fathers “that all men are created equal… with certain unalienable Rights…” Each one of us is striving towards the same goal that this country has been rooted in for centuries: to live a life of liberty and happiness.

In the sea of John August Swanson’s brightly colored posters, I was drawn to the blue and green hues in this particular art piece. The details are magnificent, from the fish that blend so beautifully into the ocean water to the intricate patterns on the boat. While the cool colors create a somber tone, the warm red-orange boat signifies hope.

From a young age, the welfare of animals has been a personal concern of mine. I would constantly ask my mom if animals felt sadness or pain when we ate them. This later developed into discussions about less meat consumption and the benets this holds for animals, our bodies, and the planet. In this poster, Pope Francis’ quote states that “many negative effects on the climate come from our daily behavior.” Our meat consumption habits pollute the Earth, take up a vast amount of the planet’s surface, and require an enormous volume of water.

We have the potential to change this issue with simple changes in our daily habits. Thus, the fiery, warm boat is hope in the middle of the sea. We have a duty to care for both the planet that nurtures us and the creatures that share our home. It is important that more people come to the realization that we have one Earth and we must sustain it. Art truly has the power to impact people. I am thrilled that the artist chose to create this piece for the betterment of our planet.

This poster speaks to me because it addresses a social issue that I am very passionate about. Minimum wage is not enough to cover living expenses. For many adults, a minimum-wage job is their only source of income. Many people have no choice but to take these jobs to survive and support their families.

I am attracted to the impactful quotes and colorful illustrations in this poster. Quotations from Martin Luther King, Jr., Elizabeth Warren, and Pope Francis show that everyone deserves to earn a living wage for their work. These quotes call out the problematic wealth distribution in our society that we need to fix. The bold colors instantly grab the viewer's attention to highlight this social justice issue. The illustrations depict workers in low-income jobs such as restaurant servers. We see these people all the time but rarely put ourselves in their shoes.

Senator Elizabeth Warren’s quote, “The way I see it, no one in this country should work full-time and still live in poverty-period.” sums up the situation. As fellow citizens, we need to stand up and advocate for living wages for all.

What first stood out to me in this poster is its emphasis in geometry. The illustration employs rigid lines, which makes it read like a storyboard. As I read the text, particularly the quotation from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I was reminded of the strength and beauty found in communities.

Culturally, our thinking can be very individualistic and it is often times difficult to look outside of our own perspective. However, when we consider the experiences of those outside our own social circle, we have much more in common than we might have expected. Recognizing our similarities helps bring us together. Coming together as one is the very first step we must take to solve the social justice issues presented in this exhibit.

The warm red-orange skin tones and rich greens and yellows of “Mexican Picnic” tell a story of summer, family, and nourishment. This piece made me think of family gatherings in the heat of June and the smells of grilled meats and charcoal, where in the mid-afternoon, time almost stands still. The beauty of this poster is that it successfully captures a single, fleeting instant, but points to a larger story.

Food, drink, and music exist for the soul. There is beauty in the communion of this poster. I imagine the good times at this picnic – the stories amongst neighbors and the warmth of the sun. My own family gatherings are similar to the one depicted in this poster. Like the guitarist and mandolinist standing by the truck, my cousin and I duet with the guitar and ukulele at nearly every family event. Feelings of familiarity and belonging came over me when I saw this poster for the first time.

There is a sense of nostalgia in the poster. It makes me think of summer vacation, backyard barbecues, and fishing in a lake. Indeed, food is at the very forefront of culture; it brings us together like nothing else. When we come together and break bread, the possibilities are endless.

Everything about this poster caught my attention: the choice of vibrant colors, the comic-book style of storytelling, and the deep-rooted message. I enjoyed how the colors brightened my mood at first glance. It has an effect like no other. I also liked how it depicts this certain man as an “amateur” but the man is able to try his hardest and succeed in the end.

Through the perspective of social justice, this poster shows how any single individual can affect the world through new ideas and change. As much as we care about the world and our community, nothing is more effective than the drive to help build, create, and face a new challenge. I think it is important not to feel restricted in a space where you can do so much. I believe 2019 is a year when it is crucial to stay awake, face reality, and keep coming up with ideas on how to better our world. It all takes one step at a time.

What first drew me to this poster was the latter half of its quote, pulled from Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’: “Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.” A challenging, nuanced, yet accessible claim – one that confronts its reader with the tension between an urgent demand for change in the present and the ongoing project of imagining and building a better future.

If the quote drew me to the poster, what held my interest was its central image. The scene seems simple: people gather and march with candles lit for the just treatment of the earth and its inhabitants. The visual elements have somewhat ambiguous meanings. One interpretation of the image might focus on religious symbols: the candles, the three kings, the doves, the upside-down tree, etc. These symbols suggest an appeal to global environmental solidarity for our humanity, love, and responsibility to global neighbors.

What resonates strongly with me is the focus on various ages of the people in the poster. Pope Francis’ quote references young people, while the image features adults. This juxtaposition points to the role of intergenerational solidarity in environmental justice, situating both the environmental demands of young people today and the project of imagining a better future in relation to the demands, struggles, and hopes of those who have come before us.

I selected this poster because I adore nature and I was captivated by the vibrant colors of the bees and flowers. Recently, in my linguistics class I learned that the bee dance is a form of communication. I found it interesting that the basis for the bee dance is mathematics. Once bees locate a source rich in pollen, they go back to the hive and dance at the angle made by the food source, the hive, and the sun.

The quote on the bottom of the poster, “We do not own the Earth. We are simply the caretakers of God’s precious handwork,” drew my attention because it gives the audience the responsibility to act towards saving the bees and nature in general. Although the poster focuses on bees and the effect their extinction would make on Earth, the message can be generalized for the environment as a whole. We are not the only beings inhabiting Earth, and it is unjust for us to destroy it.

This poster resonated the most with me because I have a similar feeling that war will be the end of humankind. The poster shows how if people stop making violent weapons it can help bring about peace. Also, it advocates that instead of war we should focus on making sure everyone has food, clothes, and a proper education. Having these things accessible to everyone will make peace on Earth more attainable.

I liked the use of colors in this poster. The colors are bright and bold, appealing to the eye, and drawing people to look at the poster. In addition, I like that the image is presented as a comic strip. It is simple and effective for anyone to understand the message of this poster.

The message of “Build Bridges Not Walls” is simple and diffcult to disagree with. Pope Francis’ quote declares, “When bridges unite us, then we can hear and speak with others… creating ways to discover our common humanity.” Yet there is depth beneath Pope Francis’ words. This message makes political references to immigration policies and to breaking down social inequity, such as societal norms and laws that do not support people of varied cultures, genders, and ethnicities. The message is pertinent to today’s political climate.

In a similar way, the image of the Golden Gate Bridge draws the viewer in with depth. With the use of vibrant colors and size, the bridge appears prominent in the foreground of the image. As the bridge successively fades away, it reveals a complex city behind. In this way, the artist is able to initially catch the viewer’s attention with a universal message and then slowly take the viewer to the poster’s underlying meanings.

This poster caught my attention with its striking appearance and important message. From a visual perspective, I was immediately drawn to the purple border. Furthermore, I appreciated its simplicity. The simple phrase “end the death penalty” is a clear and strong demand, and the relatively few words on the poster allow the image to be the focus of the piece.

The image creates an interesting religious argument against the death penalty, evocative of Jesus’ crucifixion. This, in combination with the quote from Pope Francis, “There is no humane form of killing another person,” makes a compelling appeal to the viewer’s humane sensibilities. Additionally, the ancient time period depicted in the image provides a striking contrast to the present day, seeming to assert that the barbaric executions of past ages still exist in the modern world.

The issue of the death penalty resonated with me deeply. The death penalty remains relatively unpopular across the political spectrum, and I believe that this injustice deserves more attention.

This poster spoke to me because it does not pick an issue and approach it from one side or another. Instead, it looks at how all people can relate, regardless of their beliefs and experiences. This focus resonates with me because I am more conservative than many of my peers at a liberal arts school and I find that this is an important factor in discussions with my professors and peers.

Understanding that most often we all want the same for one another — peace, love, and respect — means that we can talk about anything and achieve anything. We should all be able to communicate with one another, and respect one another despite our varying beliefs. So much can be accomplished when we appreciate that not everyone thinks the same.

This poster does a good job representing this concept with simplicity. While the colors are subdued, the poster places importance on the words and the four pictures that show different people from different worlds engaging in the same rituals, such as reading the news and caring about the world that they live in. It makes the point that we are more alike than we realize.

The text is a call to action: “We can no longer ignore what is happening to Mother Earth.”

Global climate change is happening at a rapid pace. Humanity’s impact on the Earth has prompted some scientists to propose a new epoch: the Anthropocene. This new geological age is named after the dominant influence on the environment: the Anthropos, humankind. As such, we must take responsibility for our individual actions and foster consciousness about a changing climate that may no longer be able to support us.

This poster captured my attention with its vivid colors and purposeful design. As an art history student, I could not help but draw connections between the arrangement of these figures and that of beautifully rendered Renaissance polyptychs, which often portrayed the Virgin Mary as the central figure surrounded by her attendants. This visual device paints a similar narrative because she, too, is a Mother we must love, respect, and attend.

This poster caught my attention because I love music. At first glance, I was drawn to the bright and vibrant band shown in the artwork. Upon reading the poster’s message, I became attached to the piece on a deeper level.

I think the metaphor comparing all of the people in the world to an orchestra is a beautiful way of conveying what can be accomplished when everyone works together. The poster shows that in the same way every member in an orchestra has their own special role that contributes to harmonious music, everyone has the ability to make the world a better place. A person’s ability to realize the impact they can have on society is one of the first steps towards making social change. This poster reminds the viewers of the importance of cooperation, as well as our own positions in shaping society. Overall, I felt this poster encouraged me to be more active in the fight for social justice.