62. MODERN DOG
Originally created for 25 Above Water, a poster auction benefit for the American Red Cross, this one was deemed “inappropriate” by the organizer, although designer Robynne Raye had given fair warning of her intention to make a political statement. Nevertheless, she says, “My poster was censored and was pulled from the show.”

The idea came to her after hearing New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin make his now infamous “Pardon my French” radio address, since quoted as many times as Churchill’s “Up with which I shall not put.”

“I was thinking of how the residents of New Orleans felt regarding the delayed national government reaction to all the people suffering in the wake of Hurricane Katrina,” Raye says. “I’m still in shock over what happened, and doing this poster was cathartic for me. Luckily, Leif Steiner of The Hurricane Poster Project stepped in and has agreed to sell the poster. All proceeds will benefi t the American Red Cross.”

Needless to say, the poster is getting plenty of attention, both negative and positive. “I think it accurately portrays the current division under the Bush administration,” says Raye. She’s in good company. Censored works of art always end up getting the most attention.
Dana Rouse