AMPL!FY PRESENTS POSTERS RESPONDING TO CURRENT SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES IN MAD’S PROJECT SPACE

Works by Morehshin Allahyari, Gail Anderson and Joe Newton of AND,
Seymour Chwast, DJ Spooky, Rafael Esquer of Alfalfa Studio,
Bobby Martin and Jennifer Kinon of OCD, Lissa Rivera, Edel Rodriguez,
Dread Scott, and Ryan Hartley Smith and Jerron Herman

NEW YORK, NY (November 2, 2017) – The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) presents AMPL!FY: Advancing the Front Lines of Social Justice, an exhibition of thought-provoking posters about current social justice issues, on view in the MAD Education Department’s sixth-floor Project Space from November 2, 2017, to January 7, 2018.

AMPL!FY represents a partnership between MAD, Make Art with Purpose (MAP), Worldstudio, the New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program, and Harlem Stage. Spearheaded by artist Janeil Engelstad of MAP and designer Mark Randall of Worldstudio, this public art initiative leverages the power of art and design to amplify the issues addressed by non-profit organizations. To do this, Engelstad and Randall paired artists and designers with non-profits and asked them to create thought-provoking posters on themes relevant to each organization.

“These organizations often play a key role in protecting people’s inherent dignity, helping the underserved to achieve their full potential and practice uninhibited expression of their rights,” said Engelstad and Randall. “The work of these organizations is circuitous, challenging, and frequently lacks visibility. Typically, these organizations do not have the financial capacity to communicate their work beyond their core supporters.”

AMPL!FY comprises ten posters, created by Morehshin Allahyari with CAIR-NY, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, New York; Gail Anderson and Joe Newton of AND with Made in Brownsville; Seymour Chwast with Vera Institute of Justice; DJ Spooky with 350.org; Rafael Esquer of Alfalfa Studio with Opening Act; Bobby Martin and Jennifer Kinon of OCD with the Lower Eastside Girls Club; Lissa Riverawith Hetrick-Martin Institute; Edel Rodriguez with the  New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund; Dread Scott with Revolution Books; and Ryan Hartley Smith and Jerron Herman with Inclusive Collective.

“We are proud to exhibit works that exemplify the power of design to communicate complex concepts in stunning, straightforward formats,” said Danny Orendorff, Curator of Public Programs at MAD. “AMPL!FYreflects the MAD Education Department’s mission to engage the public with thoughtful programs that address today’s most pressing social, economic, and political issues.”

In addition to the exhibition at MAD, the posters will be publicly showcased on art display cases in Manhattan’s Financial District, on Water Street between Pine Street and Maiden Lane and on Gouverneur Lane between Water Street and Front Street, in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program (DOT Art).

Public programs related to AMPL!FY include a poster-making workshop and a dance performance, choreographed by Kyle Marshall in response to the posters and produced by Harlem Stage, to take place at MAD on Sunday, December 3, 2017.

AMPL!FY: Advancing the Front Lines of Social Justice is organized by Janeil Engelstad of Make Art with Purpose and Mark Randall of Worldstudio in collaboration with the New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program; James King, Managing Director of Harlem Stage; and Danny Orendorff, Curator of Public Programs for the MAD Education Department.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, AND NON-PROFITS
Morehshin Allahyari with CAIR-NY, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, New York
Gail Anderson and Joe Newton of AND with Made in Brownsville
Seymour Chwast with Vera Institute of Justice
DJ Spooky with 350.org
Rafael Esquer of Alfalfa Studio with Opening Act
Bobby Martin and Jennifer Kinon of OCD with the Lower Eastside Girls Club 
Lissa Rivera with Hetrick-Martin Institute
Edel Rodriguez with the New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund
Dread Scott with Revolution Books
Ryan Hartley Smith and Jerron Herman with Inclusive Collective

ABOUT MAKE ART WITH PURPOSE
Founded on the belief that artists and designers have the knowledge and skills to make positive, lasting environmental and social change, MAP exists to make a constructive contribution to education, social justice, climate change, immigration, and other critical issues that are shaping the world. makeartwithpurpose.net

ABOUT WORLDSTUDIO
Worldstudio believes that creativity holds enormous power to spark positive social change. Through its social initiative Design Ignites Change, Worldstudio supports creative professionals and students who use design thinking—the combination of unleashed creativity and executable actions—to improve the lives of individuals and communities. worldstudioinc.com; designigniteschange.org

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN 
The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) champions contemporary makers across creative fields and presents the work of artists, designers, and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill. Since the Museum’s founding in 1956 by philanthropist and visionary Aileen Osborn Webb, MAD has celebrated all facets of making and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies. Today, the Museum’s curatorial program builds upon a rich history of exhibitions that emphasize a cross-disciplinary approach to art and design, and reveals the workmanship behind the objects and environments that shape our everyday lives. MAD provides an international platform for practitioners who are influencing the direction of cultural production and driving twenty-first-century innovation, and fosters a participatory setting for visitors to have direct encounters with skilled making and compelling works of art and design.