Federico Quoted in Illinois News Today

An Illinois News Today article titled, “Artist Leads “Violet Protest” Against Polarization,” writes about Arizona artist Ann Morton who created a non-radical “violet protest.” After a very polarized year, Morton worked to combine red and blue textile squares with the help of other artists to create a piece that represented citizenship, compromise, and compassion rather than a political party or side.

More than 2,000 people across the country helped Morton with the display now being housed in the Phoenix Art Museum. Each square is unique and shows the artists’ interpretation of unity.

Christopher Federico, PhD, professor in the Departments of Political Science and Psychology at the University of Minnesota reflected on the polarization felt by these artists saying that partisan identity is now more in line than before with people’s position on logically unrelated things such as COVID-19 restrictions or voter ID requirements. The problem with this divide is the deep dedication and identification that many Americans feel with their parties and with other identities that now overlap with a party (such as ideology or race), splitting the country into two teams.