"State Names" is a painting by Jaune Quick-To-See Smith. You immediately recognize the outline of the United States, but at the same time, that map is obscured and made difficult to read. It’s at once recognizable and not recognizable. She describes her use of icons as a ploy, as something that brings the viewer closer, and they think they know what they’re going to see.
In May of 1977, artist Suzanne Lacy mapped every reported rape in LA for a period of three weeks. This project, aptly named "Three Weeks in May", was part of an extended performance which Lacy utilized as a means to expose LA's problem of violence against women. As a centerpiece for this project, Lacy used a large map where she recorded every reported rape in the area with the word RAPE.
