As Election Day draws near, you don’t have to look far to see campaign signs in yards all across Middle Tennessee. But there’s another sign, usually involving a playful animal, that’s sending a very different message.
That message originates from the art studio of Paul Collins. Collins teaches art at Austin Peay State University but commutes from his home and art studio in the 12 South neighborhood of Nashville.
He got the idea to paint colorful characters encouraging people to go vote, during some of the animosity surrounding the 2020 elections. “Just reading political news and making myself crazy,” said Collins. “I thought, oh I’ll make a cardinal because the cardinal’s a messenger that just says vote. So I made a cardinal sign and I put it up in my neighborhood, and I just thought I’ll do this once a day until the election.”
Collins carves each critter by hand. He does the same for the painted design. “I try to make each one really really different,” said Collins.
The only commonality between his creations is the message to go vote. “It’s important to me that they just say vote and not who to vote for,” said Collins. “I can’t determine the outcome but it’s very bothersome to me that so few people vote.”