Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1524796
14 WAC Magazine | wac.net For two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning political cartoonist David Horsey, the more distinctive the face, the better. And in his nearly 50-year career, he's drawn his fair share of them. See the caricatures in his work when you visit the Grand Staircase Gallery starting in early August through November 8. Horsey's show, timed purposefully during a monumental election year, features an assortment of cartoons both contemporary and from the past. He has a lot to choose from—he's been cartoon- ing since he was a University of Wash- ington student in the 1970s. "I knew I wasn't a painter, but my artistic ability was a leading thing in my life," Horsey says. "So I went into e Daily and offered my services. at was my start with journalism." Back then, and for much of his career, Horsey draed his work using India ink, a brush, and drawing paper. He's since gone digital, creating with an iPad since 2018. While he can spot the subtle stylis- tic differences in his analog and digital works, the searing commentary and Mad Magazine-esque characters remain. Horsey served as editorial cartoonist and editor-in-chief of the UW student newspaper, an experience that set him on a decades-long career of drawing political cartoons. He has covered everything from national political party first take grand staircase / annual closures Getting political David Horsey brings his commentary to the Grand Staircase Gallery David Horsey at- tended the Universi- ty of Washington in the 1970s. He has worked for newspa- pers in Seattle and Los Angeles and currently works for The Seattle Times. conventions to the Olympics and has worked on assignment in Europe, Japan, and Mexico. e biggest news from his early days? Watergate. Now, climate change, artificial intelligence, and, of course, the 2024 election are top-of- mind for the artist. Visitors to the Grand Staircase Gallery will see these issues addressed in Horsey's work. "Of course, there's so much excite- ment because of the election, but the cartoons I'm putting together for this show go beyond presidential politics," he says. He hopes his work will encourage viewers to explore deeper issues for themselves. "My role is court jester of the democratic world," he says. "My job is to point out the foolishness and the ironies and the underlying absurdities of politics. I hope readers stop and examine how we live in this world." Annual closures Please take note of temporary closures around the Club for annual cleaning and maintenance this summer: Torchy's: July 29–August 4 Hagerty's: August 5–11 Helene Madison Pool: August 25–September 3 8th Floor Gym: September 3–6 By Mae Folsom Jacobson