Art for advocacy: Wearing YES
In 2023, I designed and wore a bold “YES” shirt supporting constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the creation of an advisory Voice. Typography became my form of participation — a way to carry advocacy into everyday spaces. The lettering uses my Newy colour font, vibrant and layered, designed to feel alive with possibility. I wanted the word YES to feel active, hopeful, forward-leaning — less like a slogan, more like an invitation.
The referendum result did not deliver the outcome many of us hoped for. But advocacy is not measured only in wins and losses. It is measured in conversations started, awareness expanded, and courage practiced publicly. I recently wore the shirt again on Australia Day / Invasion Day, not as protest alone but as continuity. Advocacy doesn’t end with a vote — it continues wherever we show up, visibly and intentionally. Sometimes wearing a word is an act of keeping it alive.
