Stereopoly

This was an art project created to satisfy the requirements for my Studio Art Senior seminar class. This is the class that is designed to get an Allegheny College student prepared for the senior comp by having you create a smaller body of work.

I was on the theme of exploring racism through art and games. On this premise, I decided to make a game entitled, “Stereopoly”, that would explore conflicting stereotypes. I choose a board game as the forum because the very nature of a game is to invite people into a virtual world of interactive play. Here they would be faced with the conflicting messages and explore their own prejudice by playing the game.

The game itself plays like the normal monopoly board game with the players rolling dice to advance, buy property, and try to force the other players into liquidation. The board itself was designed to portray one side of racism with the property plots illustrating the negative stereotype of races. Here the expensive property belonged to the white neighborhood and the cheaper property (all colors except blue and green) belonged to the other races. The board’s various property purchasing mechanisms would only be accessible to certain types of player pieces enhancing the stereotyped messages and imagery placed on the spaces themselves.

The property cards become available when a player purchases property. On the deed itself they were able to see the opposite side of the stereotype, beyond the initial overpowering offensive theme of the board. For example a cheap piece of property might belong to an African American demographic and might have the property picture showing a run down low income housing project. However, on the back of the card the player would be able to see the opposite side of the stereotype where a young male is getting good grades and obtains a scholarship to go to a university because he is studying hard, despite the current living hardship.

Another example of opposing stereotypes on the property cards is a wealthy white neighborhood where everyone is rich and the internal community is segregated from any other ethic groups. The flip side of the coin is that the man in charge is arrested for federal drug and corporate ethic crimes. He is being hauled away from the money by the police without anyone trying to help him.

Example of a space on the Stereopoly board. This was the outward negative stereotype displayed on the game board. A player would be faced with overpowering negative stereotypes such as this one and see the opposite side of the story on the deed cards. You will notice that the cost of the property is also valued low compared to other property on the baord which can cost up to $400. The writting at the bottom of space is small but reads, "Enjoy Country Music with the Closest Family Known".

The deed card for the same board space tells the opposite side of the story, presenting the player with an opposing stereotype. The text is small but reads,"Popular rumors of easy trashy girls and people with low morals certainly abound. However these two senior citizens certainly don't see it that way. Due to politics and inflation they had to sell their old house and this is their new home. Their neighbors are always close by to give them a hand if they need it...."

The back of the deed cards provided the standard game information that a player need to follow to construct houses and hotels on owned property making it a playable game. The Chance and Community Chest cards also worked in the same manner. The themes were different and provided a grey area for the game where good or bad could happen to a player regardless of race. For example anyone could get catch in a drive by shooting or win the lottery.

The piece’s presentation was completed by establishing a comfortable setting for people, who wanted to play and interact with the game. I had a table with the game laid out ready for playing, added a table cloth to make it seem more home-like. I placed four chairs were people could sit down, to concentrate more on the game than the fatigue of standing.

Example of the Chance and Community Chest cards in Stereopoly. These provided a "grey" area of random chance in the game.

This work was a success during the showing. I stood at a distance to see how people would react. At first most were appalled by the outward stereotype portrayed by the game board. Then, as the people began to explore the property and the community chest cards, they understood the meaning of the work as a thought provoking exploration of their internal views and seemed satisfied with their individual experiences.