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| Equal Rights Billboard can be seen on Route 21 |
ALFRED, NY - What would you put on a billboard if you had the chance? Thanks to Professor Sandra Singer, students at Alfred University have the opportunity to answer this question. After reading Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks, Singer knew what she could do to make a difference. For roughly $650, Singer uses the platform of the billboard to promote women's and gender equality while teaching an introductory course for Women's and Gender Studies. Each year, she gives the students in this course an assignment: design a billboard. The only requirement is to create a positive message about women's or gender issues. After the designs are submitted, the students vote for their favorites, and the winning design is placed on a local billboard during Women's History Month (March). The design stays on the billboard until the space is rented by another entity.
Singer's goals for this project are to give her students the opportunity to feel empowered. She wants them to know that they can become agents for change, and that anyone with the right enthusiasm and wherewithal can make an impact in their area. "I like the idea of subverting the classic “billboard." They are usually used to sell items or promote companies, but what happens if we use them as tools to promote humanity, equality, and joy?" says Singer. This billboard has also shown how Alfred University can use civic engagement principles to connect with other groups in the community. Cassandra Bull, President of a Wellsville-based nonprofit called Art for Rural America, noticed the design and reached out to Singer to learn more. "We need more projects like this in this region," Bull states. "I am so inspired by Sandra for taking the initiative to create her own project and to the University for encouraging their students to become active and involved citizens in Allegany County."
This year, the winners were Amy Kozlowski, a junior Art and Design major from Liverpool, NY, and Mac Slater, a junior Art and Design major from Macedon, NY. These artists worked as a team and collaborated on the winning design. Kozlowski and Slater saw their design translated into a work seen in the public eye. Their design features a group of protesters holding signs with slogans like “Feminism Means Equality,” “Healing Together" and “I’m With Her.” The large caption at the top reads "Women's Rights Are Human Rights.” Their design can still be seen on the billboard when driving East on Route 21 from Almond to Hornell.
