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EyeMagazine|Feature|Lookaway

Lookaway
StevenHeller
SeymourChwast
PushPin
Archive[INFULL]

TheSouth,SeymourChwastsspecialcivilrights
issueofPushPinGraphic,wasavirtuosodisplay
ofgraphicdesignauthorship

MartinLutherKingwasassassinatedin1968:atragicandsenselessactof
violence,butjustoneofmanyinalonglegacyofracialinjustice.Thecivil
rightsmovementintheUnitedStates,whichbeganwithslavery
abolitionistsinthemidnineteenthcentury,andreachedcatharsiswiththe
MarchonWashingtoninthemid1960s,wasmetwithforcefulresistance
matchedonlybythosewillingtodieforfreedom.InthedeepSouth
AlabamaandMississippicivilrightsworkerswhofoughttoendwellover
acenturyofinstitutionalisedracismwerebeatenuporkilled.Whenin
1964threeyoungcivilrightsworkers,AndrewGoodmanandMichaelH.
Schwerner(whitemiddleclassNewYorkers)andJamesEarlChaney(a
Southernblackman)weremurderedinPhiladelphia,MississippibyKu
KluxKlanmembers(includingsheriffsdeputies),eachbrutallybeaten,
shot,andmutilated,Americansbegantotakenotice.
CoverofPushPinGraphicno.54TheSouth.Dimensions:222mm
wideby217mmhigh.DesignerandillustratorSeymourChwast
usedthestudiospromotionalorganasapolemicaloutlet.
Top:DetailfromspreadofPushPinGraphicno.54TheSouth.

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SpreadsfromTheSouth.TheformatpairedidealisedSouthernUS
stereotypeswithphotographsofmartyrstothecivilrightscause.
TheYallerGalThatWinkedAtMebyA.M.Hernandez.Inset:
EmmittLouisTill,shotbytwowhites,thehusbandandhalf
brotherofMrsRoyBryantallegedlywhistledatbyTill.

In1969SeymourChwastpaidhomagetothesemartyrsinissueno.54of
thePushPinGraphic,themonthlypromotionalpublicationofNewYorks
PushPinStudios.TheGraphicprintedonly3000to5000copiesofeach
issue,butitwashighlyinfluentialforitsuniqueapproachtovisualform
andcontentamonggraphicandadvertisingdesigners.PushPinStudios
wasawellspringofvisualeclecticismduringaperiodwhenSwiss
Modernismwasthereigningstyle.TheGraphicnotonlyshowcasedthe
PushPinStudiosoverarchingsensibilityanditsindividualmembers
talents,butitalsocoveredawiderangeofissuesandthemes,someof
themcontroversial.
Chwasthasalwaysbeenpoliticallyaware.Duringthe1960she
demonstratedagainsttheVietnamWar,stoodonpeacevigils,and
producedpostersandflyersforsocialcauses.Whenitwashisturnto
developthedecadeendingissueoftheGraphichelookedback:I
remembersegregation,heexplains.Irememberbeingonapicketlinein
frontofWoolworths(thechainofstoresthatrefusedtoserveblacksatits
sodafountains,evenintheintegratedNorth).Therehadbeena
successionofkillingsthatweallknewabout.Especiallythethreecivil
rightsworkers,itaffectedusall.Itwasinthenewsforalongtimebecause
theycouldntfindthebodies.TheMarchonWashingtonwasavery
important,enlighteningevent.
DearLandoftheSouthbyEugeneRaymond.Inset:HarryMoore,
killedbyabombplantedbeneathhishouse.
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MississippibyMrsDunbarRowland.Inset:MedgarWileyEvers,a
civilrightsleadershotbyasniper.

DancingontheMississippiLandingbyAddisonKavanaugh.
Inset:AndrewGoodman,JamesEarlChaney,MichaelH.
Schwerner,civilrightsworkersbrutallybeatenandshot.

TheSouthissueofPushPinGraphicwasaresponsetohisfeelings
towardscivilrights.AlthoughtheNorthcouldbejustassegregated,
violenceemanatedfromtheSouth.Moreover,thetrappingsofslaveryand
lawsofintoleranceweremaintained.ChwastconceivedofthePushPin
GraphicasacatalogueofbenignSouthernstereotypescounteredbygrim
socialrealities.Hebelievedthatthiswasawartoexpungeintolerable
Southernvalues.Eachrighthandpagefeaturedalargecolourimageof
SouthernvirtuewithaninsetpictureofSoutherninjustice,the
photographsofcivilrightsmartyrs.Ontheversosidewerelyricsfrom
traditionalSouthernsongssuchasDearLandoftheSouthoffsetbya
shortbiographyoftheslainindividual.Asthecoupdegrace,asmallhole
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wasshotthroughtheGraphic.Thephotographswerepositionedsothat
thehole(whichformstheoinSouth)piercedtheheadsofeachvictim
thepenultimatepictureshowsMartinLutherKingwithaholewherehis
eyeshouldbe.Butthereisatwistonthefinalspread.Thelargeimageisof
theMarchonWashingtonwiththeinsetpictureofaSouthernBelle.On
theoppositeside,theholeshootsthroughthelyricsofDixiethe
ConfederateanthemmarkingthesymbolicdeathoftheoldSouth.
RoseofAlabamabyS.S.Steele.Inset:MrsViolaGreggLiuzzo,
shotafterdrivingcivilrightsworkerstoafreedommarch.

Chwastsayshereceivedafewlettersatthetimecriticisinghimforalways
pickingontheSouth.Nonetheless,ittookanotherdecadeorsoofcivil
protestandFederalgovernmentinterventionbeforeraciallyprejudicial
votingrestrictionsintheSouthendedandblacksrosetoleadershiproles
inlocalgovernments.
IntheUnitedStatesracialinequalitystillpersists,theKuKluxKlanstill
exists,buttheoldSouthisrapidlydisappearing.Curiously,though,
ChwastsspecialissueofthePushPinGraphicisnotjustanartefactof
bygonedays,butareminderofwhatithascostusalltocomethisfar.
MyGeorgiaLadyLovebyHowardandEmerson.Inset:Rev.Dr
MartinLutherKing,Jr,shotbyasniper.

ThefinalspreadofPushPinGraphicno.54invertstheidea,so
thattheoldSouthisdead(thoughnotmartyred),andthecivil
rightsmovement,representedbytheMarchonWashington,rises
fromitsashes.
ThetitleofthecivilrightsanthemWeShallOvercomeisset
againstthelyricstoDixiebyJohnH.Hewitt:Lookaway!Look
away!/Lookaway!Dixieland/ThenIwishIwasinDixie,/Hooray!
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/InDixielandIlltakemystand/ToliveanddieinDixie.
Photograph:F.McDarrah.

StevenHeller,designwriter,NewYork
FirstpublishedEyeno.38vol.10,2000
Eyeistheworldsmostbeautifulandcollectablegraphicdesignjournal,
publishedquarterlyforprofessionaldesigners,studentsandanyone
interestedincritical,informedwritingaboutgraphicdesignandvisual
culture.ItisavailablefromallgooddesignbookshopsandonlineattheEye
shop,whereyoucanbuysubscriptionsandsingleissues.

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