Ann Telnaes & Liz Montague, political cartoonists visited the WLP community via Zoom, sharing their work and stories about their life’s journeys into cartooning. Liz Montague has work in the NewYorker and Ann Telnaes shows her work in the Washington Post. Read some excerpts from student reflections below:
Eliana Pierotti
I learned so much from Ann Telnaes & Liz Montague about cartooning as an art form and about why they are so passionate about it. I think that their love for their work really shines through in every piece they do. I especially loved Liz’s story. My favorite cartoon of hers was the one that came out very recently after the presidential debate where it shows a woman walking and the trees, grass, clouds and more spell out “vote.” The caption of this piece is, “I think the universe is trying to tell me something.” I think that voting in general is very important, but it is especially important in this election.
My favorite piece that Ann talked about was the GIF she showed first about the woman in the bikini and the burkini. I thought it was a really interesting take on women’s rights especially when she brought in multiple cultures. I remember her saying that when she joined the industry there were very few women and it was hard for her to get taken seriously. She was saying that men always have a say in what women say, do or wear, and she wants to break that mold in her line of work.
There is huge value in having diverse voices in cartooning because art is a universal language. They talked about loving what they do because it transcends borders and languages. We need more diversity so people can voice their experiences accurately and effectively.
Tess Lizzo
Ann Telnaes drew a cartoon about sexual assault survivors. It is composed of three parts and explains why a survivor of sexual assault might not come forward for a few years or even ever come forward at all. Telnaes’ cartoon provides the woman’s perspective and the possible consequences for that woman if she does decide to come forward. It’s easy for men to say women should just come forward straight away if they’re assaulted, but Ann’s cartoon shows what the repercussions might be for that woman. Seeing pictures of a woman getting death threats and losing her job is much different than simply reading about those situations; the pictures drawn by Ann make these consequences seem much more real.
Additionally, by putting this message into a cartoon, people are able to read it in less than a minute and understand the point Ann is trying to make. The cartoon helps onlookers understand the situation from a woman’s point of view in just a few seconds. As a woman, Ann is able to offer the viewpoint from a woman in the case of sexual assaults, which is much different than a man who has never been assaulted. Unfortunately, though, these men are the ones creating and controlling most of the news outlets and are the ones dictating what a woman should do in a situation involving sexual assault. What really struck me as odd was how Ann said that when she was first starting out, she couldn’t even draw two women in a cartoon that didn’t have something to do with women’s rights. Liz is currently fighting a similar battle to have two black characters talk about something that isn’t an African American civil rights issue. By having more diverse voices in cartooning, we are able to get varied perspectives on issues rather than the age old viewpoints coming from white men.