2008 Woodie Awards
Political 'toonster "KAL" draws Sword on Rubenstein
By: Claire Finch
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Feature
Last update: 11/15/07 at 2:44 PM EST
Last update: 11/15/07 at 2:44 PM EST
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Editorial cartoonist Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher proves generations of preschool teachers wrong by creating cutting political cartoons that illustrate how words (and in this case drawings, too) can be far more painful than sticks or stones-at least as far as the ego is concerned.
An exhibition including nearly 100 pieces of Kallaugher's work entitled Mightier than the Sword: The Satirical Pen of KAL is on display now in Duke's Rubenstein Hall, located in the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy.
Kallaugher graduated from Harvard in 1977, at which point he went on a bike tour that started in the British Isles and led, unexpectedly, to a job at The Economist as the first resident cartoonist in the 145-year-old-newspaper's history. Kallaugher remained in London for the next 10 years, an experience that informed his subsequent commentaries on American society.
"When you're an American living abroad, you are held personally responsible for everything that goes on in this country," Kallaugher said. "…And what this means is if you're conscientious or concerned about the world, you start to reflect and assess those things that go on in your country in a comprehensive and critical way. And because you're far away, you get a different perspective."
Kallaugher, now residing in Baltimore, still regularly creates illustrations for The Economist. Cartoons in the exhibit draw from this work, as well as those that he produced from 1988 to 2006 when he was the editorial cartoonist for The Baltimore Sun. As a result, Kallaugher's exhibited drawings span decades of history. However, the politically illiterate need not be daunted-notes that clearly explain the social context in which the drawings were made accompany many of the works. Topics addressed in the display range from the funny to the serious, with humorous satirical commentaries on politicians and their actions sharing wall space with intense, insightful chronicles of important and often tragic global events.
An exhibition including nearly 100 pieces of Kallaugher's work entitled Mightier than the Sword: The Satirical Pen of KAL is on display now in Duke's Rubenstein Hall, located in the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy.
Kallaugher graduated from Harvard in 1977, at which point he went on a bike tour that started in the British Isles and led, unexpectedly, to a job at The Economist as the first resident cartoonist in the 145-year-old-newspaper's history. Kallaugher remained in London for the next 10 years, an experience that informed his subsequent commentaries on American society.
"When you're an American living abroad, you are held personally responsible for everything that goes on in this country," Kallaugher said. "…And what this means is if you're conscientious or concerned about the world, you start to reflect and assess those things that go on in your country in a comprehensive and critical way. And because you're far away, you get a different perspective."
Kallaugher, now residing in Baltimore, still regularly creates illustrations for The Economist. Cartoons in the exhibit draw from this work, as well as those that he produced from 1988 to 2006 when he was the editorial cartoonist for The Baltimore Sun. As a result, Kallaugher's exhibited drawings span decades of history. However, the politically illiterate need not be daunted-notes that clearly explain the social context in which the drawings were made accompany many of the works. Topics addressed in the display range from the funny to the serious, with humorous satirical commentaries on politicians and their actions sharing wall space with intense, insightful chronicles of important and often tragic global events.
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