Objective:
Pressure Moderna to release taxpayer-funded research products and knowledge (namely, the safe, effective, life-saving vaccine “recipe”) to the public in order to promote global manufacturing and support efforts to end the pandemic.
The Project:
In creating a twist on this popular holiday carol, this new song deals with themes of social, political, and cultural criticisms that allow us to reflect on topics that call medical research institutions to action and force them to take morality, ethics, and the human condition into deeper consideration.
TRY THIS:
Sing it – even out of season
Revise the lyrics
What worked?
This song offered people a way to not only learn about how Moderna has contributed to the evil perpetuation of the vaccine apartheid, but this also offers people a way to engage in activism though caroling themselves or sharing videos produced by other leadership teams/choirs. With piano sheet music included, any group of people can sing along and add their voices to this platform.
Other Notes:
With the first version of this song focused on a satirical reflection of the state of the world, our second and final version of the song was enhanced with team-based efforts to improve its educational qualities and incite greater public outrage at the moral failings of Moderna as well as other general issues with the way Big Pharma operates in our society.
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A set of instructions exists on how to make this work
- Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Reflections from Madeline Chung
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Every voice is powerful, and bringing about positive transformation in the world begins when we start using our voices. Individuals working together in solidarity can find new ways to become empowered, and with the power that is found in numbers, we can create meaningful, lasting changes in society that will enhance the lives of people surrounding us. Think big, and push for the changes that you want to see in the world.
About this project
Creators:
- Madeline Chung, MBE
- Laura Holzman
December, 2021
Image/graphic, Online/web thing, Performance, Print, Video, Writing
United States, Cleveland
11×5 inches
Download Original/High-Resolution File: Free-the-Vaccine-Group-Project.pdf
Objective:
Get Moderna to share its vaccine-production knowledge with the World Health Organization.
The Project:
A poster about the American duty to help ramp up global vaccine production. It stresses the importance of sharing with the World Health Organization taxpayer-funded knowledge about how to make vaccines. It’s inspired by a WWII-era poster by Andrew Wyeth.
TRY THIS:
Print it and post it.
Customize the call to action.
What worked?
It is visually striking!
Other Notes:
It’s hard to pick just one location associated with this piece – it was a collaboration among people based in LA, Pittsburgh/Buffalo, Indianapolis, Maryland, Delaware/Philadelphia, and Boston.
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An original object can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Links:
Reflections from Daria Bazzi
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
Upon being sent the original image and idea by Laura, I used photoshop to edit the image into a version that communicated what we were trying to express, and made different versions from there based on feedback from the team. Afterwards we set up a google doc for people to use as a resource if wanting to use the image in various formats.
What skills or perspectives did the collaborators bring to this?
Art history, design, messaging, different audience perspectives.
What were some of the responses to this work?
Some found it really cool and clever, others were a bit confused by the dated look.
What would be your next steps, building on this idea, if you had a million dollars and all the time and skills in the world?
Maybe a more thorough photoshopping/re-illustrating of the original image to bring home the message even more, perhaps put it on a billboard or in Times Square or something, animate it a bit.
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Please feel free to build upon it! We provided editable versions of all assets for people to use as they please, I’m sure there are other creative ways and formats to pair with this concept.
About this project
Creators:
- Daria Bazzi
- Laura Holzman
- Kisha Patterson
- Vandhana Reddy
- Maanasa Gurram
- Jaya M.
- Parthu K.
December, 2021
Image/graphic, Online/web thing, Print
United States, Los Angeles
36 x 24 inches, variable
Objective:
We wanted people at UCLA and in the surrounding communities to sign onto the Open COVID Pledge.
The Project:
This was a rally we had for May Day at UCLA. We all held up posters to reach out to passerbyers to sign onto the Open COVID Pledge.
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:
Organize one in your community.
Make it even more participatory.
What worked?
We successfully signed on many individuals of the UCLA community onto the OCP!
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Reflections from Naneeta Desar
About this project
Creators:
- Naneeta
- Avani
- Mominah
- Akshitha
- Johanna
- Jaya
- Ellery
- Isabella
- Remy
- Leena
May, 2021
United States, Los Angeles
2.6 MB
Objective:
Create a compelling image that will be shared and get us into the press, thus creating additional popular pressure to get Joe Biden to sign the TRIPs waiver.
The Project:
A banner for the Care Bear brigade to hold up at the DC event in May of 2021.
TRY THIS:
Share it on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine
Make your own!
What worked?
I find it hilarious.
Other Notes:
It will be held up by people in Care Bear costumes in front of the White House.
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An original object can be provided for exhibition
- Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Links:
Reflections from Steve Lambert
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
Merith had the Care Bear idea. She asked me to help to make the banner. I asked her for a sketch, which helped speed things along. I had to do this quickly, so the outline gave me a starting point.
What skills or perspectives did the collaborators bring to this?
I’ve had to turn images into vector art to scale up before. This means smooth lines instead of more jaggedy pixelated look. Someone could do a better job at vectorizing this art, but it will look good enough from 10 feet or so and we got it done. After that I tweaked the colors to match Free the Vaccine for COVID-19’s colors. Then added the text.
What were some of the responses to this work?
Everyone who has seen it smiles.
What would be your next steps, building on this idea, if you had a million dollars and all the time and skills in the world?
Make some bears and send them to every member of congress!
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
You can print this large scale for cheaper than you’d think. Or re-use elements and make a different kind of sign. Sharing is caring!
About this project
Creators:
May, 2021
United States, Poughkeepsie
3ft H by 10ft W
Download Original/High-Resolution File: care-bear-banner.pdf
Objective:
To popularize the story of Jonas Salk’s sharing his vaccine without a patent and show that another way is possible.
The Project:
This banner was designed for the May 5, 2021 event in Washington D.C. It’s meant to work like the banner that would be used for a group marching in a parade. You can download versions for various regions we have Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 participants. Or modify one to make your own.
TRY THIS:
Print it.
Join the Jonas Salk Fan Club and make one for your local chapter.
What worked?
It should be a magnet for photographers – hopefully!
Other Notes:
The design is based off the Jonas Salk sticker I made just for fun, kind of on a whim. That’s how it starts sometimes.
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Links:
Reflections from Steve Lambert
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Have this printed at a local copy shop/office supply store. You can get it printed on plain paper for pretty cheap. It won’t look *great* but it will look good enough.
Of course, you can also print it on something heavier for a higher cost. And you should if you can!
A lot of these parade banners have yellow fringe at the bottom (do an image search for “parade banner”). That’s, of course, optional but would be a nice touch.
About this project
Creators:
April, 2021
United States, Poughkeepsie
3ft H by 10ft W
Download Original/High-Resolution File: Jonas-Salk-Banner-NYC.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-Berlin.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-UK.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-LA.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-CA.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-BOSTON.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-DE.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-201.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-PITTSBURGH.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-DC-1.pdf
Objective:
We wanted to create an accessible way to engage with street art and murals to spread the Free the Vaccine message and symbol.
The Project:
We created a stencil and spray painted the Free the Vaccine symbols at the Venice Art Walls in Southern California.
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:
Download the stencil and use it.
What worked?
The stencil is very easy to replicate (and the pdf can be downloaded)!
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Links:
Reflections from Carly Besser
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
Originally, our squad tried to explore working with a professional muralist to amplify the Free the Vaccine message. After a bit of research, and Franziska’s great advice to use the Venice Art Walls, we realized we could make our own stencil. Daria designed a stencil based off of the Free the Vaccine logo that could easily be replicated by others, and we spray painted away!
What were some of the responses to this work?
Visitors and artists at the Venice Art Walls were curious to know more about the logo design and the “Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 message.” And the artists at the wall were very kind about working around our design and ensuring that they wouldn’t cover it up (at least for the day).
What would be your next steps, building on this idea, if you had a million dollars and all the time and skills in the world?
If I could build on this idea, I would work with a group of professional muralists to design permanent Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 murals based in various cities across the globe.
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Have fun with your designs and locations! And wheatpaste is always a great alternative to spray paint.
About this project
Creators:
- Carly Besser
- Daria Bazzi
- Franziska Gartner
April, 2021
Image/graphic, Installation/Intervention
United States, Los Angeles
24 ” x 12 “
Download Original/High-Resolution File: FTV_Stencil.pdf
Objective:
Create and get 200 “card carrying members” of the Jonas Salk Fan Club by end of the third season of Free the Vaccine for COVID-19.
The Project:
Membership cards for the Jonas Salk Fan Club. The card says that the cardholder “believes life-saving medications are public goods to be shared with the world, not witheld for corporate gain, and is hereby duly recognized as a registered, lifetime member of the International Jonas Salk Fan Club.”
TRY THIS:
Join the Jonas Salk Fan Club and get your own card.
Start a membership group for something you care about.
What worked?
There’s a consistency across all the Jonas Salk Fan Club kit that makes it feel like a set.
Other Notes:
I just riffed off the Jonas Salk Fan Club Sticker I made earlier in the week.
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A set of instructions exists on how to make this work
- An original object can be provided for exhibition
- Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Links:
Reflections from Steve Lambert
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
You can print business cards very cheaply most places in the world. Don’t hesitate, just have them made and start handing them out. Keep 10 or 20 in your pocket or bag so you can give them away!
The Jonas Salk Fan Club pins are a great way to attract attention and recruit new members!
About this project
Creators:
April, 2021
United States, Poughkeepsie
2 x 3.5 inches
Download Original/High-Resolution File: Jonas-Salk-Fan-Club-Card.ai_-1.zip
Objective:
To popularize the story of Jonas Salk’s sharing his vaccine without a patent and show that another way is possible.
The Project:
Designed to be part of a set of fun materials for people who join The Jonas Salk Fan Club.
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:
Print it and stick it.
Join the fan club.
What worked?
The stickers are the perfect size, easy to distribute via the mail, and relatively inexpensive to produce.
Other Notes:
The “Patents Prolong Pandemics” phrase was
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Links:
Reflections from Steve Lambert
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
The “Profits Prolong Pandemics” phrase came from a tweet that fellow Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 participant, Anmol Gupta wrote and it has stuck with me. I try to incorporate it into other messages where it fits because it captures so much in 3 words.
The Jonas Salk Fan Club came from an AIDS 2018 campaign with Treatment Action Group and the Center for Artistic Activism and it deserves to have more of a life.
The sticker itself, well a vision popped into my head. The cut out head has this friendly and fun look from old music promotion posters of the late 50’s – which evokes the same era as the polio vaccine announcement. We wanted to make some additional materials to fit in the Jonas Salk Fan Club pack and I thought of a sticker. One of the places I order stickers from was having a sale and that’s always a good prompt to make something.
What would be your next steps, building on this idea, if you had a million dollars and all the time and skills in the world?
More fan club materials! Bumper stickers, membership cards (I may work on this one), posters, maybe starting chapters at universities as like a fun, social club with some shared values – so not quite UAEM, but a gateway to it.
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Just start messing around with design ideas. It usually takes me between 10 and 40 drafts to get to something I like. I try different things, colors, sizes, etc. I included some of those drafts as an image to give an idea of how it works, but it doesn’t reflect the whole process because I forget to keep drafts that are just not working at all.
About this project
Creators:
April, 2021
United States, Poughkeepsie
3 inch circle
Download Original/High-Resolution File: Jonas-Salk-Fan-Club-sticker.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Fan-Club-Sticker.ai_.zip, Salk-head.psd.zip, Salk-original-photo.jpg
Objective:
The bracelet was used as a tactic to reach our targets when we interviewed them, especially in Colombia
The Project:
The bracelet was made by using thread, bead necklace and a needle with the loom technique. It reads the “Free the vaccine” legend with its institutional colours. Many members of the team have made them to reach the targets as a tactic .
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:
Make one!
What worked?
It was an initiative that motivated some members of our blue-feet group to acquire new skills and to implement this initiative as a creative strategy to get closer to the targets through art.
About this project
Creators:
- Jeimmy Katherine Ramírez Bermúdez
- Nelly Esperanza Agreda
- Laboratorio Blue-Feet Segunda temporada Free the Vaccine
November, 2020
Colombia, Bogota
25×3 cmx 0,5 cm
Other Notes:
Taking into account the identity created through the FTV colours and logo, we have reinforced it by creating a sense of belonging in the making of this bracelet. Moreover, this initiative can be replicated and done it by any member of this campaign. Feel free to imitate this tactic! (SPOILER ALERT: You will be training your patience, and your craftivism :P)
The design or layout of the bracelet was elaborated by Nelly Esperanza Agreda. Also, she taught the technique “beaded loom bracelet” to two blue feet members in order to start working on the bracelets needed to reach the targets.
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An original object can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Reflections from Jeimmy Katherine Ramírez Bermúdez
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
I wanted to learn how to create this type of bracelet since I was young, and the campaign gave me the opportunity to consider this idea and make it true. I think that the most beautiful part was the process of making the bracelet: getting the materials, being taught how to create it by a teammate and then, getting down to work. During the process, I felt like “a child with a new toy” in Christmas, I love doing these kinds of activities. I really felt a sense of fulfillment having learned something new that I could use in any field of my life.
What would be your next steps, building on this idea, if you had a million dollars and all the time and skills in the world?
I would like to set up a workshop/ Factory to create different products made by using bead necklace that would be related to the campaign. Bracelets, pendants, earrings with the bird shape, etc.… so many people around the world could get handcrafted objects of the campaign, especially all the members of FTV from all the seasons and every target that labs would try to reach out, among others.
Objective:
1) Create irresistible imagery for a media campaign to work towards our larger goal of having the University of Pittsburgh to Sign the Open Covid Pledge. 2) Raise awareness about Dr. Salk’s connection to vaccine research and open Intellectual property to the greater public. 3) Create a fun and timely halloween-centered work of creative activism
The Project:
Invoking the ghost of vaccine researcher Dr. Jonas Salk, we created humorous gravestones that echo his perspective about vaccine patents when asked about the polio vaccine he developed in Pittsburgh – “could you patent the sun?” Then we dressed up as Dr.Salk and distributed these gravestones (with linked QR codes to learn more) all over The University of Pittsburgh campus where current COVID-19 vaccine research is being done to encourage the same openness and support for a peoples vaccine that is the university’s legacy.
TRY THIS:
Share it on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine
Channel the Ghost of Salk in your community.
What worked?
The creative community process! As a lab, the Juncos worked across different cities with different backgrounds to make this happen. Once we did this action we were empowered to keep going and this led to many more actions and activities in our efforts to get the University of Pittsburgh to sign the Open Covid Pledge.
About this project
Creators:
- Joseph Amodei
- Kisha Patterson
- Laura Holzman
- Lyam Gabel
- Erin Roussel
- Elin
October, 2020
Image/graphic, Installation/Intervention, Online/web thing, Performance
United States, Pittsburgh
various
-
A set of instructions exists on how to make this work
- An original object can be provided for exhibition
- Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Reflections from Joseph Amodei
What were some of the responses to this work?
People were really excited about the halloween timeliness of this work! It even spurred collaboration with another lab across the country (where Salk’s actual gravesite is) and resulted in more exciting imagery and proliferation of this people’s vaccine ethos.
What would be your next steps, building on this idea, if you had a million dollars and all the time and skills in the world?
If there is no people’s vaccine next year (as in no promise to share the IP and the manufacturing technology of current vaccines with the rest of the world for free), then I would make the scale of this 1000x this first iteration to really draw attention to the harm that vaccine profiteering causes to the wider world outside of the USA and other wealthy (via extracted labor and colonialism) countries. In short, to continue to summon and make proud the spirit of Dr.Salk.