Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

COMIC N. T. (CARGILL)

Date

2020

Materials

PAPER, INK

No. Pieces

1

Length

28

Width

21.5

Description

COMIC PRINT. BLACK INK ON WHITE PAPER. 1 PANEL. TWO SPEECH BUBBLES, ONE IN BLACK WITH WHITE LETTERS SAYS “YEAH, SO… IF YOU COULD, UH, NOT DIE? THAT WOULD BE TERRIFIC, MMKAY?” WHITE SPEECH BUBBLE WITH BLACK LETTERING SAYS “I DON’T REMEMBER, WAS HE HERE BEFORE?” THE OVERSIZED CARICATURE OF BILL LUMBERGH, A CHARACTER FROM THE FILM "OFFICE SPACE", HAS A “CARGILL” MUG AND IS HANDING OUT FACE SHIELDS. THREE SMALLER WORKERS ARE CLOTHED IN WHITE COATS AND HATS. SIGNED ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT IN PENCIL IS "ERIC DYCK, MAY 4, 2020". PRINT IS IN MINT CONDITION.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

LOCAL CARTOONIST AND EDUCATOR ERIC DYCK DONATED 9 OF HIS COVID 19-RELATED ARTWORKS TO THE GALT MUSEUM, AND ON THE 17TH OF JUNE 2020 MET WITH COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN TO DISCUSS THEM. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THE CARGILL OUTBREAK EDITORIAL CARTOON CAME FROM THEIR MEETING. ERIC EXPLAINED HOW A GLOBE AND MAIL ARTICLE PROVOKED HIM TO DRAW THE CARTOON: “I POSTED, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE GLOBE AND MAIL ARTICLE THAT I FOUND SO IMPACTFUL…EVERY TIME I POSTED ABOUT THE COMIC [I INCLUDED] THE LINK TO THAT THOROUGH PROPER REPORTING ON THE CARGILL MEAT PLANT. I FOUND THAT THE HEADLINES FOR THE CARGILL SITUATION- AND PARTICULARLY BECAUSE CARGILL HAS SUCH A TIGHT HOLD ON THE MEDIA IMAGES ANYTIME SOMEONE SHOWED A PICTURE ON WHAT IT WAS LIKE INSIDE A CARGILL PLANT IT WAS FROM PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS FROM CARGILL AND IT WAS VERY MUCH NOT REFLECTING THE STORY THAT WAS BEING SHARED; THE REPORTING AND THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF THE CARGILL WORKERS. THERE WAS NO VISUAL IN THE MEDIA FOR WHAT THAT REALLY LOOKED LIKE AND SO I WAS- MY COMIC I WAS HOPING WOULD BE ONE, VERY EXPLICITLY ‘HEY THIS IS HUMAN BEINGS WHO ARE IN THESE BLOODY WHITE COATS WHO ARE CHOPPING UP YOUR MEAT SO YOU CAN HAVE A BAR-B-Q.’ AND IT WAS ALSO A SINGLE IMAGE THAT WAS SHOWING THE POWER DYNAMIC THAT WAS BEING EXPRESSED THROUGH THE REALLY THOROUGH REPORTING, AND I WAS HOPING THAT IT WAS RESULTING IN PEOPLE READING [AN] ARTICLE THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE READ BECAUSE IT WAS A BORING HEADLINE WITH A PICTURE OF THE CARGILL PARKING LOT [FOLLOWED BY] THE MOST EXCRUCIATING HUMAN PERSONAL REFLECTIONS THAT YOU COULD HAVE READ...I WAS HOPING MY COMIC WOULD BE AN ACCESS POINT FOR THEM.” “THE CARGILL COMIC IS THE LEAST ‘ERIC’ I THINK...I WAS CREATING FICTIONAL PEOPLE, REACTING EMOTIONALLY...MAKING A CHEESY MOVIE REFERENCE TO A VERY SERIOUS EVEN FATAL SITUATION HAPPENING IN MEAT-PACKING PLANTS IN ALBERTA. TO THIS DAY I DON’T EVEN REALLY KNOW WHY THAT WAS MY REACTION TO IT. HOWEVER, IT POPPED UP IN MY HEAD AS I WAS READING SOME OF THE REALLY THOROUGH AND EXCRUCIATING REPORTING; I BELIEVE IT WAS COMING OUT OF POSTMEDIA AND NEWSPAPERS AT THE TIME ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING. GLOBE AND MAIL HAD BETTER REPORTING THEN SOME OF THE ALBERTA NEWSPAPERS ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE BROOKS AREA AND AT THE CARGILL PLANTS.” ERIC ALSO SPOKE ON THE CONTEXT AND ISSUES ADDRESSED IN THE CARTOON: “THE REACTION OF ME DEPICTING CARGILL WORKERS TRYING TO COME BACK TO WORK FINALLY WITH THE [PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT] THAT THEY HADN’T BEEN GRANTED BEFORE, AND THEY ARE BEING OVERSEEN BY THE CHEESY OFFICE BOSS CHARACTER FROM MIKE JUDGE'S FILM OFFICE SPACE FROM 1999- THE GUY WHO DID THE KING OF THE HILL ANIMATED SHOW [AND THE] BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD ANIMATED SHOW. THIS WAS HIS FIRST LIVE ACTION DIRECTORIAL FILM…THAT BOSS HAS COME BACK TO LIFE WITH ONLINE MEMES BEING SHARED AROUND SOCIAL MEDIA WITH THE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE BOSS SPEAK OF...‘COULD YOU COME IN AND WORK ON THE WEEKEND?’ WAS ESSENTIALLY THE ONGOING RUNNING GAG IN THE FILM, AND PUTTING THE WORDS IN THAT CHARACTER'S MOUTH OF EXPRESSING THE MANAGERIAL PERSPECTIVE THAT CARGILL EMPLOYEES GETTING SICK AND DYING WAS EXTREMELY INCONVENIENT... [IT WAS] A VERY DRY, FLUFFY JOKE TO PIN ON SOMETHING SO SERIOUS BUT SOMETHING FELT REALLY RIGHT AND SOMETHING ABOUT THE IDEA OF TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE RELATE TO THE EMPLOYEES AT THE MEAT PACKING PLANT, WHICH IS A VERY SPECIFIC JOB…PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS IN THOSE PLANTS- THE KIND OF WORK IT IS, THE WAY THAT YOU RELATE TO YOUR COWORKERS. NOT TO MENTION THAT MOST OF THOSE EMPLOYEES ARE FOREIGN WORKERS...THEY LIVE AND WORK WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND THEY GET PAID IN WAYS THAT CANADIANS WOULD PROBABLY NOT TOLERATE BEING TREATED IN A WORKPLACE. AND YET, THAT KEEPS HAPPENING AND THE OUTCOME OF THAT WORK ENVIRONMENT AND THE CONTROL THAT THOSE EMPLOYERS HAVE OVER THOSE EMPLOYEES LED TO A LOT OF THE INFECTIONS AND THINGS THAT HAPPENED. THAT LED TO PEOPLE GETTING SICK AND HAVING ONE OF THE BIGGEST OUTBREAKS IN NORTH AMERICA FOR COVID. IT FELT RIGHT…TRYING TO BRING ATTENTION TO WHAT WAS GOING ON.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20200015002-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20200015002

Acquisition Date

2020-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail