The rack of protest signs was for me the most intense and powerful part of the gallery. They may not have the allure of a painting or the careful composition of a photograph, but these signs punch with sharp phrases. They are free of extraneous detail in favor of screaming their succinct declarations and questions to the most complete effect. The backs of these signs speak just as loudly as the fronts with their wordless outlines of hands in the “hands up” position, referring to the gesture the movement uses to emphasize the wronging of Mike Brown that is said to have had his hands up saying, “don’t shoot,” before being killed. Reading these, you hear the voices of a crowd enforcing their many different arguments and takes on the situation. Protest signs are carried by people, but they carry people’s messages solidly and loudly.
