Brooklyn-based artist and 3x Juxtapoz cover aritst Stephen Powers brings his iconic graphic work to his home state of Pennsylvania this month with a public art campaign, “Early Bird Gets the Term.” The campaign hopes to get voters to the polls in the critical swing state this election year.

By taking over yards of Pennsylvania residents with political posters signs, Powers, a pioneer of graffiti and street-art, hopes to encourage early voting. The artist has also painted a new street mural installation in Harrisburg.

Powers, who began his art practice as a graffiti artist under the moniker ESPO, focuses on the language of signs, typography, and the visual clutter of our everyday. His work riffs off our emoticon-driven culture, and his lyrical witticisms capture our collective unease with the rapidity—and often vapidity—of instantaneous communication. Powers reminds us of the importance of human connection, the inevitability of time, and the way we craft and recraft our own personal narratives.

Powers has also partnered with Aaron Rose's Make Something! to teach sign making workshops for teenagers, furthering the effort to educate voters. The artist held a workshop on the steps of the State Capitol in Harrisburg on October 3, 2020, and continues to guide lessons virtually with the intent to provide young voters the skillset to create their own hand-made signs and install them in their respective communities. 

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