The Bill Of Rights

Bill Of Rights Project Less than 20% of Americans know the first Amendment offers more rights than freedom of speech, and only 56% of people knew that. The US has hit a low in regards to knowledge of our constitutional rights. Recent body cam videos have shown even some police are unaware of citizen’s rights and/or take advantage of an individual that may not know his own rights. Why is that? Why is there “fake news?” Why are racial driven attacks are on the rise? Why have we taken our civil liberties for granted, so much that politicians could take advantage of us, the people? These are things I want to address right now as an artist. Obsessed with the Lin Manuel Miranda musical soundtrack, Hamilton. I decided to make images on a topic many Americans know little about, The Bill of Rights, with the goal to explore each amendment as a visual concept individually. September 2015 the Annenberg Public Policy Center Of the University of Pennsylvania confirmed the majority of Americans do not have a basic knowledge of the US Constitution. They also found 1 in 3 Americans believes the Bill of Rights guarantees the right to own a home. 1 in 4 Americans believe equal pay for equal work is a right. And 1 in 10 Americans believe they are granted the right to own a pet from the Bill of Rights. By using scale model dioramas, they lighten the formality and complexity of the Amendments, with images that spark interest with humor. Effectively, they become an educational device for those that benefit from visual learning. I have succeeded if people stop with curiosity to read the corresponding amendment and think about their individual rights written by founding father James Madison.