CRO
Chicago, United States
Bio
CRO (aka graphic designer Ray Noland) was inspired to create his Obama campaign (www.gotellmama.org) after a serious bike accident in 2006. His six week recovery period in hospital inspired him to re-evaluate what he wanted to do with his life. He realized that his goal was to support Barack Obama. Ray felt that “on the road to the White House, this atypical candidate would require a fresh approach”. When he got home, he took a TIME magazine cover as inspiration and created a digital portrait of Obama above the words “The Dream”. The response from his friends was unanimously positive, and it wasn’t long until he started printing them up by the thousands. With a little help from a wheat paste recipe on his website, his guerrilla street propaganda has taken on a life of its own, and Ray’s unofficial Obama campaign can now be seen in cities all across the US. Check out: www.gotellmama.org for info and Got Next! show dates and details.
Interview
Describe Gotellmama.org in one sentence:
GoTellMama is an independent political art campaign created to run parallel to the official campaign to help stimulate awareness of Barack Obama in an unconventional manner.
What was the pivotal moment when inspiration struck and you decided that you had to create Gotellmama.org?
After designing the original ‘Dream’ poster, my friend Rebecca Berdel asked if she could animate the graphic. In two weeks this image had gone from idea to poster to an animated online video. We knew then we had something powerful and fun to do!
Where’s the most unusual place your art has cropped up?
I have sold prints in every state in the U.S., Canada and all over Europe but San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico was the most obscure.
Can you remember what your first ever piece of graffiti was – what was the subject matter and where did you paint it?
I don’t consider myself a graffiti artist. I’ve always been more of a printer / designer who’s work at times ended up on the street. My first print was based on the cover of a classic Captain America comic book. The cover had an image of The Captain knocking out Hitler. I just thought how ironic it was in the context of American history where black vets coming home from WWII couldn’t even get home loans. It’s all propaganda.
A lot of your support of Obama is via street art, you invite people to download your posters for free and even have a recipe for making your own wheatpaste on your website. Has your unconventional approach got you into trouble yet?
There have been moments. My intention is to garner ‘positive’ press so I’m trying to take it easy. Got kinda hot in Portland. The City contacting me about some illegal poster pasting around town. Some cities care more than others. Then there’s the whole issue with the Harlem Globetrotter’s. Supposedly, the cease and desist order means they don’t like my work as much as I do.
Who else do you feel is out there doing positive work in support of Obama?
Shepard [Fairey] (as usual) is killing it. Yosi Sergant with 008movement is also putting some big things together. Love that elMAC poster!
Are there any upcoming shows or projects you’d like to share?
Be on the look-out for the Got Next! Tour coming to your area this summer and fall.
Any advice would you give to artists entering the competition? Any key things you look for in evaluating good design and art?
I’d like to see work taken past the point of a pretty picture. If you can create stimulating visual content and also communicate to viewers (without being too complicated) on a mental level, you get extra points. Be you.
