O. J. Simpson Coloring & Activity Book – Colin Quashie

“Using the medium of art in the form of the O.J. Simpson Coloring & Activity Book, the intent is not to rehash the merits or legal strategies employed during the trial, but rather to assess the social impact by surveying the extent of the cultural divide it exposed…we hope to communicate across social, racial and cultural boundaries in an effort to foster a greater awareness and understanding of each other.”

Insightful discussion questions are presented for each page of the coloring book.

http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archivefiles/2005/01/oj_simpson_colo.php

To download a full size version (pdf format):

http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archive/67quashiepix/O%20J%20Coloring%20Book.pdf

On his website, Colin Quashie states, “The Coloring Book operates on three different levels. 1) It allows me to skewer social inconsistencies in the most cynical of terms. 2) It looks at these situations from a child's perspective. How? With television being the preferred baby-sitter of choice, children are bombarded by advertisers and programming which affect them in ways we may never understand. Without the benefit of experience that comes with age, their developing sense of values are ripe for the shaping. 3) The most important component of this piece is the fact that actual children colored the images. After sketching and inking the originals, I passed out copies (minus the text) to friends with children and told them to do whatever they wanted. I chose the ones that appealed to me and used their pictures to color in the final painting. Though not seen on the picture, the children's names are signed below my name along with their age. I did this to underscore the first two points. It is by far the most compelling feature of this series.”

Vist Colin Quashie's web site to learn more about him and his art:

http://www.quashie.com/