The Art and Design Department of San Jacinto College Central Campus is presenting an exhibition of student work meant to encourage visitors to go out and vote. Politics of America, currently on display in the Central Campus art gallery, shows the growing political divide between American voters and how students view the candidates running for office this election.

Art and Design professor, Michael A. Unger, said the exhibition was created to “make people aware of the importance of the voting process, and how polarized the current election is becoming as Election Day draws nearer.”
Unger said all members of the art department took part in preparing the exhibition choosing the specific theme because “it only seemed appropriate.”

However, because the art is a reflection of students’ interpretations of the political candidates, a few pieces featured provocative designs including depictions of Hillary Clinton as the devil and Donald Trump with sheep wool instead of hair. A few visitors found some of the artwork offensive, yet the foot traffic remains steady. San Jac student David Weiser said since the exhibit is in the same building as a few of his classes, he stops by the gallery regularly, further noting he believes most students get a laugh from the offensive art.

“Instead of taking the artist view of the candidate running for office personally,” Weiser said, “they view it as a joke thinking that the artist is just expressing their outlook of how this election is a laughingstock.”

Politics of America will be on display until Nov. 8 in the art gallery (Room 119) of the East Classroom Building (C4) on the Central Campus.