Un-word of the Year

 

In January 2018, a panel of German linguists selected “Alternative Fakten” as the “Un-word of the Year”, describing the phrase as a “disguised and misleading term for the attempt to make false claims acceptable as a legitimate means for public debate.” Truthiness, doublespeak and alternative facts—when did we, as United Statesians, normalize deception and dishonesty?

 

In this quilt, Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President, attends the 2017 presidential inauguration in a colorful outfit that she describes as “Trump revolutionary wear.” Strolling among a series of notable quotes from former White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, herself, as well as NBC reporter, Chuck Todd, she ushers in an era of Trumpian truthlessness. She emerges, or perhaps escapes, from a sea of appliquéd clamshells, rendered in dark blue to symbolize trust, loyalty and truth.

 

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