Group tries to use art to get point across

Allison Bruce, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 24, 2008 at 12:51 p.m.
Updated August 24, 2008 at 12:51 p.m.

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ACROSS FROM THE CAPITOL STEPS – Art can sometimes help get a message across and get people to open up to ideas.

That’s the purpose of the Backbone Campaign, which uses art to bring about change. The Seattle organization had grabbed the corner at 14th Avenue and Lincoln Street and populated it with a giant globe, a life-size polar bear puppet, giant paper cranes and a large sign that once lifted by five people could be configured into the shape of the Pentagon and on its panels raised questions about spending priorities.

As the morning progressed, a group of six people practiced carrying around the globe.

The organization was started by a group of artists to provide creative tools that take movements from being oppositional to being propositional, said Amy Morrison, managing director. The organization addresses a wide range of issues, including war crimes, military spending, corporate accountability, housing, ecological sustainability, healthcare and mass transit.

She said the Backbone Campaign teaches people and organizations about building imagery that can be used to get the point across. It also lends out items, often asking only that the group pays the shipping cost to forward the items on to the next venue.

Most of the items are created by volunteers.

The Backbone Campaign will participate in a march at 10 a.m. Tuesday and has been seeking out local volunteers to help animate the banners, props and puppets it uses. It’s Web site is BackboneCampaign.org.

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