Deficit 

Sue Coe created this stark, undated image, “Deficit,” likely using charcoal or graphite, to critique economic inequality and the corruption of institutions in contemporary society. The nightmarish scene comments on the social structures of its time. In this work Coe juxtaposes images of a "golden calf," suggestive of unchecked capitalism, with the suffering masses and the financial policies of the George W. Bush administration. In this way Coe creates a disturbing vision of a society where corporate greed and governmental mismanagement lead to the impoverishment and immiseration of ordinary people. The imagery draws on a long tradition of social critique, visible, for example, in the works of Hogarth or Goya. To fully appreciate the political message of this work, students might use resources such as governmental policy documents and news archives from the early 2000s. Art like this serves as a potent reminder that the meaning of art is contingent on the social and institutional contexts in which it is made and received.