License: Public Domain

Works licensed in the Public Domain

Who doesn’t deserve a vaccine?

Objective:

The objective of this image was just to create a poster that could be used to gain support for the Free the Vaccine campaign.

The Project:

This image is a rectangular poster that has several colorful people in three lines across its length. The people are a very diverse group and depict multiple genders, ethnicities, races, ages, sizes, abilities, religion, and more. In the middle of the people is a blue box with the words “Who Doesn’t Deserve a Vaccine?” in large print. In smaller print is “Let’s give everyone equal access to a life saving COVID-19 vaccine!” In the bottom right corner are the words “#Freethevaccine.”

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Revise the text.

Share it on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine

What worked?

We tried pairing other images with the question, “who doesn’t deserve a vaccine,” and this is the one that worked best. Photos got too specific – the cartoon felt like a better fit.

About this project
Creators:
  • Emilie Seibert
  • Laura Holzman

May, 2020

Image/graphic, Online/web thing

United States, Grand Rapids

variable

Public Domain

Other Notes:

This image was created using canva.com, so all art work was pulled from this site.

  • Original files can be provided for exhibition

Reflections from Emilie Seibert

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?

The next steps would be to further refine this image and then use it as a poster to put everywhere (billboards, subways, etc.). So people realize that EVERYONE deserves access to a vaccine.

Catching Mark’s Attention

Objective:

We wanted to set up a meeting with the technology transfer office to convince McGill to sign the Open Covid Pledge.

The Project:

I attached this to an email to the VP Innovation in the McGill technology technology transfer. He responded!

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Make a version for your target.

What worked?

The graphic is editable so we can switch out the image depending on our target.

About this project
Creators:
  • Olivia Bonardi

May, 2020

Image/graphic

Canada, Montreal

variable

Public Domain

Other Notes:

  • Original files can be provided for exhibition

Reflections from Olivia Bonardi

You Wouldn’t Pay Twice

Objective:

This was a poster created to be used as a way to gain support for the Free the Vaccine campaign from the general public.

The Project:

This image is a red square poster. At the top in a darker red the words say “You wouldn’t pay for a hot dog twice…” The word twice is in a light pink for emphasis. Below those words is an image of a hot dog. Below the hot dog are more words in a dark red that say, “So why would you for a vaccine?” In the bottom right corner in a white cursive font is “#FreetheVaccine.”

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Share it on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine

Make it specific to your community.

Make it a performance: ask people to pay twice for something.

What worked?

An early metaphor for the “paying twice” idea we hope to communicate.

About this project
Creators:
  • Emilie Seibert
  • Aly Bancroft

May, 2020

Image/graphic, Online/web thing

United States, Grand Rapids

Scaleable Vector Graphic

Public Domain

Other Notes:

The idea for this poster came from an idea that Aly Bancroft had in a Mentor meeting.

  • Original files can be provided for exhibition

Reflections from Emilie Seibert

Access Warrior Trading Cards

Objective:

Pressure the Researcher, or the University as a whole, to sign the Open Covid Pledge.

The Project:

Sports-style trading cards depicting University Researchers, customized with their photo, school colors, and achievements as stats listed on the back. The cards were sent to the researchers, as well as the President or Chancellor of their University, with yarn pom poms and a hand written note asking them to sign the Open Covid Pledge.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Make a version for your target.

Invent a game to play with them.

What worked?

The cards were eye-catching but also easy to send by mail (as social distancing is still happening on campus).

About this project
Creators:

May, 2020

Image/graphic, Print

United States, Los Angeles

2.5″x3.5″

Public Domain

Other Notes:

We targeted UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and USC (University of Southern California) because there is a long-standing sports rivalry between the two universities, which are both in the city of Los Angeles.

  • Original files can be provided for exhibition

Reflections from Vivian Peng

Free the Vaccine Beaded Mask

Objective:

I made the mask as a conversation starter to bring discussion on the accessibility of a COVID vaccine into my day-to-day activities.

The Project:

An embroidered, beaded mask that says # Free the Vaccine in black thread, outlined with beads in green, yellow, and pink. The other side has a beaded syringe in black and blue beads.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Make one.

What worked?

I think because the mask decorations are unconventional and sparkly, it has really grabbed attention and indeed started conversations about what the mask means.

About this project
Creators:
  • Fiona Davey

May, 2020

Fabric

United Kingdom, Cambridge

3″ x 9″

Public Domain

Download Original/High-Resolution File: WhatsApp-Image-2020-07-29-at-20.25.30.jpeg, WhatsApp-Image-2020-07-29-at-20.25.30-1.jpeg, WhatsApp-Image-2020-07-29-at-20.25.30-2.jpeg, WhatsApp-Image-2020-07-29-at-20.25.30-3.jpeg

Other Notes:

I love embroidering and this seemed like an interesting way to bring embroidery to my participation with Free the Vaccine.

  • An original object can be provided for exhibition
  • Original files can be provided for exhibition

Reflections from Fiona Davey

FTV Tattoos

Objective:

We’re hoping to create a massive collage of tattooed people from the McGill community (or another university). It’s a fun way to show the admin that people support the FTV mission. We find the faces to say a lot more than a list of signatures on a petition.

The Project:

We asked our friends to send photos of their skin and gave them FTV tattoos.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Make it specific to your community.

What worked?

It’s really easy to scale this action!

About this project
Creators:
  • Isabel Levine, Syndey Stevenson, Marilou Binder, Olivia Bonardi

May, 2020

Image/graphic

Canada, Montreal

462 x 600 pixels

Public Domain

Download Original/High-Resolution File: FTV-Tattoo.jpg

Other Notes:

  • Original files can be provided for exhibition

Reflections from Olivia Bonardi

What was the process/journey of creating this work?

This was a collaboration between multiple labs!

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 this become a trend- actual tattoos, sell them on tattly, etc.

Making Masks for Statues to Free the Vaccine (for COVID-19)

Activists from the Free the Vaccine project stage a photo to urge the university to adopt open licensing for COVID-19 research

Objective:

We wanted to raise awareness and create public spectacle as part of a larger aim of engaging with Columbia on many fronts in trying to have them sign the Open COVID Pledge. The groups we seek to reach in building our case of support for #FreeTheVaccine includes reaching out to students, professors, researchers, alumni, community members, and anyone else who might be interested in having Columbia act as a leader in the area of making any future vaccine research accessible to not only it’s communities, but to the broader public.

The Project:

Columbia’s Alma Mater Statue Dons Surgical Mask for an Accessible COVID-19 Vaccine

NEW YORK, NY, May 19, 2020 – Alma Mater, the “nourishing mother” of Columbia University’s student body, sported an oversized surgical mask, sash, and vaccine bottle this weekend, as the Class of 2020 graduates into a world transformed. The iconic 1903 bronze statue sent her students off with a simple message: “Be Well.”

Nearby statues of “Alma’s friend’s” were also decorated with signage in support of an accessible vaccine. These images were created and then distributed to a variety of media outlets.

We also created a how-to video to encourage other folks to don friendly statues with masks of support in their locations.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Make a version for your target.

What worked?

We pulled together all of our different strengths as a Lab, and got good public response to the in person intervention. We also created some fantastic images that have bolstered our reaching out to folks connected with Columbia and our digital presence in general.

About this project
Creators:
  • Joseph Amodei
  • Rachel Gita Karp
  • Elizabeth Felicella
  • Connor Smith
  • Ashley DaCosta
  • Carly Besser
  • Nadine Baldasare
  • Victoria El-Hayek
  • Stacy Early
  • Beth Dunlap

May, 2020

Image/graphic, Installation/Intervention, Online/web thing, Video

United States, New York

variable

Public Domain

Download Original/High-Resolution File: salk_Columbia_highRes.zip

Other Notes:

We staged the scene to draw attention to a growing global campaign demanding open licensing arrangements for COVID-19 research and development efforts at universities worldwide. Such arrangements would help to ensure access to life-saving innovations developed with tax-payer funds. Columbia, located in the epicenter of the global pandemic, is one of the world’s foremost research institutions investigating vaccines and therapeutics to combat the virus.

  • 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)

Links:

Reflections from Joseph Amodei

What was the process/journey of creating this work?

This project was the action that really cemented the relationship the Ligers share. We came together with different skills, backgrounds, and proximal locations to Columbia to make this project happen. It was fun, collaborative, and exciting!

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?

We are talking about how to expand on this action in the fall! We would surround Alma Mater with a live counter of all those who have signed on with individual support in and around the Columbia community. This would take the form of some sort of giant mechanical object, or nightly projection-mapped interventions (all of course while Alma was wearing a mask).

The Vaccine Run

Objective:

We wanted to create images that would catch attention on social media- a little bit weird so people would feel inclined to interact with the images and learn more.

The Project:

My dog and I ran the shape of a vaccine. It was harder than we’d thought it would be.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Chart your own route.

Share it with your running group.

What worked?

It was unexpected!

About this project
Creators:
  • Olivia Bonardi
  • Lupo Bonardi

May, 2020

Image/graphic

United States, Boston

3 miles

Public Domain

    Original files can be provided for exhibition

What were some of the responses to this work?

I spoke with people along my route and afterwards through social media- they seemed skeptical, a little tickled, and curious to learn what would compel a person to do such a foolish thing.

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 make this go viral, have everyone out there running/walking vaccines (double good because it spreads awareness and gets people out exercising).

Solidarivir – a first-line treatment against Covid-19

Objective:

Solidarivir was a a tatic that integrates the strategy planned by students in Brazil to invite the top #1 university that requests biotech patents in the country. Inside it’s box, a letter to UFMG was delivered. The idea was to symbolize that more than 350 people within UFMG’s community were offering the university an opportunity to unlock its solidarity – the first line treatment for a pandemic.

The Project:

A box that was covered with paper and painted to resemble a generic drug package according to Brazilian specifications. Solidarivir is the name of the drug. The dosage is 19mg. Where we would see “oral use” on an official generic package, we see “uso colaborativo” – which means “collaborative use”. Where we would see “generic drug”, we see “acesso garantido”, which means “access guaranteed”. Where we would see the name of the manufacturer, we see “UFMG” – the name of the university solidarivir was given to as an invitation. We can see solidarivir is locked with a padlock made of paper and glitter. In order to open solidarivir’s box, you need to damage the padlock. Solidarivir comes with a big key made of paper, where you can see “UFMG” and 350 signatures. These signatures represent more than 350 people who signed a letter to UFMG inviting the university to sign the share its knowledge widely to end the pandemic. The letter was delivered inside solidarivir’s box.

https://www.facebook.com/304854539581236/videos/1156385578044457/
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Make a version for your target.

Make it specific to your community.

What worked?

Solidarivir’s simbology was really interesting. Its pictures helped us publishing a text about the initiative in the local news. It was also published in Le Monde Diplomatique Brasil to illustrate a text about the role of public universities in ending the pandemic.

About this project
Creators:
  • Luciana Lopes
  • Lucas Magno
  • Alicia Moreira
  • Gean Araújo
  • Daniela Pena

May, 2020

Installation/Intervention

Brazil, Belo Horizonte

30cmx22cmx15cm

Public Domain

Download Original/High-Resolution File: WhatsApp-Image-2020-05-08-at-12.50.59.jpeg, WhatsApp-Image-2020-05-06-at-22.54.09.jpeg

Other Notes:

  • Original files can be provided for exhibition

Links:

Reflections from Luciana Lopes

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 send solidarivirs to all public universities in Brazil! But I would make the boxes way bigger to get a lot of attention.

If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?

Take care when using glitter. IT GETS EVERYWHERE. Three months later, I can still find glitter around.

IU Stands for…

Objective:

The objective was to create an image that convinced people at Indiana University that they should sign the Open COVID Pledge. We wanted to use the university’s language and actions to show them that they were already doing things that aligned with the ideas behind the OCP.

The Project:

This is a digital image that highlights how signing the Open COVID Pledge aligns with Indiana University’s values and activities. We emailed it to university leaders.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Make a version for your target.

What worked?

We revised this project several times before we sent it to IU leaders – each revision made it stronger.

About this project
Creators:
  • Emilie Seibert
  • Laura Holzman
  • Sofia Hessler

May, 2020

Image/graphic, Online/web thing

United States, Bloomington

variable

Public Domain

Other Notes:

We did a lot of background research for this graphic. The first box filled with scattered words surrounding “IU Stands For” are words that come directly from IU’s missions, values, and goals statement. We wanted to show the university that if these are your goals then you should support the OCP. Additionally, “#IN this together” and “Fulfill the Promise” are both phrases/language that IU uses frequently. We then looked into what the university was already doing to support open access. As the graphic shows, we found that IU was using open access 3D printing designs to print PPE to fight the pandemic, an IU professor created an open access origami mask, and the university had created an open access database to track COVID information.

We’ve shared some of our drafts as well as the final image.

  • Original files can be provided for exhibition

Reflections from Emilie Seibert

What was the process/journey of creating this work?

I included some additional images of earlier drafts. The idea for this came in a group brainstorming session, we mostly wanted to find a way to use what IU was already doing to show them they can take the next step and sign the OCP. Emilie created the very colorful original design. The group then had another meeting where we refined the image. Laura made the drawings.