In our current system, does it make a difference which party we vote for? The I-70 Sign Show marks the start of the presidential campaign with new work by Ryan McGinness that poses this question. The central icon traditionally connotes tombstones, poison, and pirates. Here, it also recalls the famous Yale secret society whose former members include past and current U.S. politicians and presidents, White House advisors, and influential corporate titans—Republicans and Democrats alike. “Re-elect Skull & Bones” both urges rebellion and doubts our ability to rebel, critiquing our democracy as one commandeered by an undefeatable band of power elites. No matter whom we elect, do we always get Skull & Bones?

On the main billboard (July–August 2015), the political message of McGinness's piece was more general. In its second location (September–October 2015), near the town of Jonesburg, the Skull & Bones reference to male privilege and achievement rooted in education became more pointed, because of its position in the middle of a sequence of ads for the Missouri Military Academy, promoting SCHOLARS, ATHLETES, LEADERS, and YOUNG MEN OF GOOD CHARACTER.

Ryan McGinness is an American artist, living and working in New York City. He grew up in the surf and skate culture of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and studied at Carnegie Mellon University as an Andrew Carnegie Scholar. Known for his extensive vocabulary of original graphic drawings that use the visual language of public signage, corporate logos, and contemporary symbology, McGinness is credited with elevating the status of the icon to fine art through his paintings, sculptures, installations, and books. Concerned with the perceived value of forms, he assumes the power of this visual language in order to share personal expressions. His work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Cincinnati Art Museum, MUSAC in Léon, Spain, and the Taguchi Art Collection, in Tokyo.

http://www.ryanmcginness.com/