Calo Art Gallery raises money with “Tweet Women with Respect” shirts in response to poster theft

 By Rachel Galatis  

Summit staff writer 

The Calo Art Gallery sold t-shirts printed with the phrase “tweet women with respect” recently after a poster with the same phrase was stolen from the Meehan School of Business.  

The shirts sold for $12 and sold quickly with proceeds going to Health Imperatives in Brockton, but donations were accepted as well. Health Imperatives is an organization that educates women on reproductive and sexual health.  

Candice Smith Corby, the assistant professor of studio arts in the visual arts department, came up with the idea to sell the t-shirts in response to the theft, as she thought proceeds from selling shirts could be a way to raise money for charity while also showing support within the campus community.  

“I was mad at first that someone stole the sign, then I decided that I wanted to believe that someone took it because they loved it and thought t-shirts would be a great way for everyone to be able to have one,” she said.  

Smith Corby said that although the missing poster has not been returned, 93 shirts were printed and almost all of them were sold. She received numerous emails from members of the Stonehill community in support of the campaign.  

Beth Pearson, the assistant to the director of Moreau honors program in Cushing-Martin, collected the money and said the sales and donations proved that Stonehill is a supportive community.  

“I think it was a great venture and turned a negative into a positive, as quite a few students, staff, and faculty have been generous and giving more than the amount for the T-shirt,” she said. 

The missing poster was last seen on the wall of the business building near Gigi’s café as a part of the political poster campaign on campus after it was seen at a local political protest. It was stolen within 24 hours after it was hung up.  

An email was sent encouraging the poster to be returned to Pearson, and “no questions would be asked” when returned. 

Professor Scott Ferson of the political science department and his communications firm, The Liberty Group, lent many of the posters for the political poster campaign. The posters were placed around campus in May Hall, Duffy Hall, the Meehan School of Business, Cushing-Martin Hall, Shields Science Center, and the Martin Institute. 

The Liberty Square Group is a strategic public relations firm that Ferson founded and caters to corporate, nonprofit, and the Blue lab political clientele.  

“Through text, graphics and imagery they (the posters) deliver a simple message the campaign controls and which can be mocked but not manipulated in its produced form,” the Liberty Group said in an email.   

Other posters in the political campaign included the phrases “200 Years, racism is enough!” “The time is now. Raegan & Bush,” and “We the people are greater than fear.”  

Ferson, who has one of the largest collections of political posters in the U.S., said that posters are a unique way to explain the history that modern campaigns are trying to tell.  

“I thought with the election coming up, this would be a way to teach about history in a visual way, since posters are propaganda which provoke dialogue about history, and not just our current dialogue,” he said.  

The remaining posters in the campaign were created by graphic design students Alex Barstow, Michael Foote, and Corinne Lewis from the Stonehill In-house Design firm. These posters were selected to inspire people to vote in the presidential election on November 3.  

There is a wide variety in the messages of the posters to enhance the idea of non-bias propaganda in the collection.   

As a result of the theft, some students shared their thoughts about political talk on campus. 

A sophomore, Nikki Coppola, said that so far Stonehill has done a great job in working to create an environment that is safe for students to express their beliefs.  

“I have never been in an instance where I don't feel respected here and with the student body and faculty actively working towards progressive change, the future looks bright for Stonehill,” Coppola said.  

Kayla Brackett, also a sophomore, said that the school should create a club or an organization that would allow students to have a safe space where they can discuss their thoughts. 

“I think that Stonehill should create opportunities for all students to be able to express their concerns and grievances or change they would like to see on campus,” she said.  

The Martin Institute has been holding events such as viewings of the election debates as well as discussion of the results and what they will bring.  

The next event, titled “What’s Happened and what’s yet to come: a post-election discussion panel,” will take place Thursday. A link to register for the event was sent to Stonehill community members.