Black On Black Crime Poster Contest

SC State's 2nd annual Hip Hop Symposium that was held from Feb 16 -20, could not be concluded without the Picasso touch. The event also included an art competition which allowed emerging artists to display their skills illustrating Black on Black Crime.

Alison Moore, a student of The Art Institute of Charleston who is in the Graphic Design Program, was awarded first place for her outstanding poster titled "Handprint." In second place was Conner Lock, followed by Cameron Praete in third.

Just as the name of the winning art work suggests, it depicts a large, bloody handprint with a bold inscription, "STOP" printed on the palm. According to Moore, she experimented many times and edited her work until her she got the handprint with the right amount of coverage and splatter.

Even though the concept of a handprint is quite simple, her piece stood out among sixteen other entries displayed in the Fine Arts Building. The striking image immediately attracts viewers, effectively sensitizing people to the seriousness of Black on Black crime.

The Charleston student said, it simply began as an assignment that really took on a life of its own after exhaustive research. Moore, who is a white student, said she has always been a fan of hip hop which helped give her a good foundation to start the research, but was surprised by her findings.

"It was really both interesting and heartbreaking going through the statistics," she said. "There was also an interesting dynamic in trying to understand and develop a poster with something I can never truly understand, which is another reason why I wanted the design to be all encompassing. “

“We all bleed the same blood."