Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

COMIC "A MODEST PROPOSAL"

Date

2020

Materials

PAPER, INK

No. Pieces

1

Length

28

Width

21.5

Description

COMIC PRINT. BLACK INK ON WHITE PAPER. SERIES TITLE AT THE TOP SAYS “SLAUGHTERHOUSE SLOUGH BY ERIC DYCK”. 4 PANELS FEATURE TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND A DOG IN A HOUSEHOLD SETTING. NARRATIVE IS ABOUT REACHING OUT TO OTHERS DURING THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN. SIGNED IN PENCIL AT THE BOTTOM IS “A MODEST PROPOSAL” “ERIC DYCK MARCH 22” AND PRINTED ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT IS “2020 © ERIC DYCK”. 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 CARTOON TITLED "A MODEST PROPOSAL" CAME FROM THIS INTERVIEW. ERIC PRESENTED THE BACKSTORY BEHIND THIS COMIC: “THAT [WAS PRODUCED ON] MARCH 22, SO THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A WEEK, WEEK AND A HALF INTO IT? AND THAT WAS A SLOUGH COMIC SO THAT WAS POSTED ONLINE JUST UNDER MY OWN NAME, UNDER MY OWN ACCOUNTS... IT WAS REFLECTING A MESSAGE THAT HAD COME TO ME FROM MY COUSIN; ESSENTIALLY, JUST A CHECK-IN…THERE WAS A LOT OF NEGATIVE ENERGY AND A LOT OF PEOPLE STRESSING OUT OR REACTING TO WHAT SEEMED LIKE A LOT OF APOCALYPTIC DOOM AND GLOOM IN THE MEDIA AND, IN A SENSE…I CAN SEE WHERE SOME FOLKS MIGHT HAVE FELT [THAT] JUST REACHING [OUT] CHECKING TO SEE HOW YOU’RE DOING WAS A BIT SUPERFICIAL, BUT I WAS STRUCK BY MY OWN PERSONAL EMOTIONAL REACTION TO MY COUSIN REACHING OUT, SOMEONE I TALK TO MAYBE TWO-THREE TIMES A YEAR AND THAT I WAS ON HER RADAR WAS MEANINGFUL.” ERIC EXPLAINED THE GRAPH IMAGE USED IN THE COMIC: “...JUST THINKING ABOUT THE TIME THAT WE ALL HAD TO SPEND IN OUR HOMES, AND THE TIME THAT WE WERE OBVIOUSLY ALL SPENDING ON SOCIAL MEDIA- AS LONG AS WE HAVE ACCESS TO THIS KIND OF COMMUNICATION WHERE WE’RE NOT WRITING A LETTER OR SOMEONE’S GETTING IT A WEEK LATER, [THE MESSAGE WAS] TO JUST ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO REACH OUT TO AT LEAST ONE PERSON A DAY JUST TO TOUCH BASE AND JUST TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS... THEN THE IDEA OF ALL THE NEWS IN THE MEDIA’S ABOUT EXPONENTIAL VIRUS TRANSMISSION, TALKING ABOUT [CONTACT] TRACING, TALKING ABOUT...[THE ACT OF TOUCHING] A DOOR KNOB AND THEN HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE ARE MAKING CONTACT WITH YOU BECAUSE OF THAT DOORKNOB- TO LOOK AT THAT FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE AND JUST SAY, IF EVERYONE YOU CONTACTED THIS WEEK WERE TO REACH OUT AND CONTACT SOMEONE, THAT SAME IDEA OF EXPONENTIAL GROWTH COULD BE SOMETHING OTHER THAN GETTING EACH OTHER SICK.” ERIC ON THE IDEA BEHIND THE WORK: “I CERTAINLY DIDN’T FEEL LIKE I NEEDED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PARANOIA, THE DOOM AND GLOOM. HOWEVER, I DON’T KNOW THAT THAT’S WHERE MY HEAD GOES IMMEDIATELY... SO, THE ‘PAY IT FORWARD’ COMIC FELT LIKE A POSITIVE GESTURE IN A SEA OF NEGATIVE HEADLINES THAT WAS AS MUCH FOR ME, AS INTENDED TO BE FOR ANYONE ELSE. THAT WAS A WAY OF ME CENTERING MY PERSPECTIVE OR AT LEAST TRYING. THE COUSIN WHO REACHED OUT TO ME, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY HER SENSIBILITY... I WOULD SAY THAT’S VERY MUCH HER GENERAL PERSPECTIVE AND SO I WAS ALSO FORWARDING, PAYING FORWARD, THAT SORT OF A WORLD VIEW...” “…A LOT OF ENERGY [WAS] EXPENDED BY PEOPLE COOPED UP IN THEIR HOUSES AND IT COULD GO TOWARDS EVERYONE FREAKING OUT OR IT COULD GO TOWARDS TRYING TO GIVE EVERYONE A LITTLE BIT OF AN ANCHOR TO GET A FOOTHOLD ON SOME SENSE OF- IF NOT NORMALCY- THEN, AT LEAST, HELPING EACH OTHER OUT.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, PLEASE SEE THE DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20200015003

Acquisition Date

2020-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail