I was happy for the chance to make it down to the Baltimore Museum of Art to see the Joan Mitchell exhibit, and Guarding the Art (curated by BMA guards). It was something in the bookstore, though, that was the zinger of the visit. Leafing through Posters for Change: Tear, Paste, Protest, a Princeton Architectural Press title from 2018 brought me to Valerie Joly Chock's design for the poster "Not a Luxury." This is what good visual design can do. Here, the right words and the right image speak a truth which has only increased since the publication of the book. Posters for Change gathers 50 posters responding to social and political issues. They can be torn out from the binding.  

In the description, Joly Chock says her poster's healthcare focus "...uses patterns similar to those of luxurious brands to convey how expensive some medications are. The poster communicates that medicine should not be a luxury to which only the wealthy have access." Amen to that. See more of her work here. 

The New York Times Editorial Board presented a constructive editorial in the April 16, 2022 issue. I appreciate the accompanying illustration, too. "Save America's Patent System" outlines how the system could function better if we enforce existing standards, improve the process for challenging bad patents, eliminate potential conflicts of interest, collaborate with other agencies and let the public participate. ​"And for all the hand-wringing over how to lower prescription drug costs in recent years, little has been said about the patent system or its many failings. Put simply: The United States Patent and Trademark Office is in dire need of reform." 

"Wolves in Sheep's Clothing - Big Pharma Lobbyists" appears in the Spring, 2022 issue of The Northern Virginia Review. Last year was a record-breaking one for industry spending on lobbying. View the full issue of the journal below. I recommend Elisabeth Rosenthal's article "Public Opinion Is Unified on Lowering Drug Prices. Why Are Leaders Settling for Less?" from Kaiser Health News for a useful description of the topic.