By Malik Geathers

Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

Benjamin Joseph Jancewicz, a prominent graphic designer and activist, describes his work as an ode to Baltimore – the good, bad and ugly.

“I think for me, my favorite thing is getting lost in the piece itself,” says the Quebec native. “ When I really start to get in the groove” the piece becomes my whole world.

Jancewicz, self portrait.

For Jancewicz, the line between art and reality has always been blurred. He’s worked to dispel ignorance about Maryland flag’s sinister history, call attention to such societal issues as drug addiction and teen suicide and deal with trauma just outside his doorsteps.

“I [didn’t] have trouble seeing people’s humanity,” he says, adding that sometimes “I feel like people talk about West Baltimore, [and] they don’t really see the people, they just see the problems that people have and that’s always bothered me.”

A native of Schefferville, Quebec, Jancewicz says there are many similarities between Baltimore and his upbringing on a Native American reservation. Having lived 13 years in Quebec, from the age of 4 until 17 years old, and putting down roots in Baltimore since 23, Jancewicz has witnessed a wide array of problems.

Artwork by Jancewicz

His perspectives – particularly his meticulous activism and reflections of humanity – are disclosed through his artwork. He pours hours upon hours into research before any stroke touches his canvas. Some of his work sells as both posters and canvases, with prices ranging from $40 to $240 or higher.

Jancewicz says he approaches art using scientific methods. For example, in his Korryn Gaines piece, he spent hours researching the case. Gaines, a 23-year-old woman, was shot to death on Aug. 1, 2016 in Randallstown, near Baltimore, during a showdown with a Baltimore County SWAT team.

He contacted the family prior to making his work public so that if anyone had anything negative to say, his motivation and reasoning behind his artwork would be known. Also Jancewicz plans to donate all proceeds from this piece to the family, once the poster or canvas sells.

The Korryn piece draws immediate reactions.

“I like how all the colors are complimentary,” says Savannah Parson, 20, “and how it looks like there’re areas of sunlight and shadows.”

Albert Abarca, 20, adds, “I like the colors; they really pop out and stand out. I don’t know much about the artist, but I like these.”

Leaving Quebec was an escape for Jancewicz, who desired to attend an American university. Higher education opportunities were sparse in his small town, he says. However, his only window into American college life was “MTV Spring Break.” His goal was to get a quality education without a rowdy environment, so he decided to attend Messiah College, a Christian school in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

Fayette Pinkney by Jancewicz

Quickly learning that everyone is rowdy in college, Jancewicz says he realized the irony of fleeing his small town in Quebec to venture into a relatively small city for college. Everything shuts down after 5 p.m. in nearby Harrisburg, he says.

Jancewicz entered college as an engineer major but later switched to graphic arts. The interests he had as a child started to materialize into a passion that continues to burn to this day.

In pursuing a semblance of a nightlife, he and his friends ventured south into Charm City. Jancewicz’s love for Baltimore began to breathe in dimly lit pool halls and polychromatic dance floors. But, with that first breathe came a pause when Jancewicz began to realize a similarity in environments between Canada and Maryland.

So, while learning and appreciating the beauty of Baltimore, he says he also began to research the history of redlining in the city, informal segregation and gentrification. All that research and ideas have a profound effect on the work he creates.

In fact, in approximately 86 characters, Jancewicz became the target of think pieces and local news coverage, when he dared to challenge a symbol so prominent in Maryland, the flag.

On twitter, he breaks down the history of the Maryland flag, and its ties to the Confederacy, essentially after the promotion of the HBO’s “Confederate,” a show based on an alternative timeline where the Confederacy won.

This of course has riled zealous Maryland flag supporters.

Despite death threats and accusations of being a “N-word lover,” Jancewicz insists he is simply being true to self. He remains a true ally and leader through art, social activism and community mobilization. But, that weight of constantly dealing with another issue and another cause can become taxing, he admits. So, self-care has become a priority.

“It’s something I struggle with, but [what] I do [now] with all that negative energy that is out there in the ether, [or] directed towards me or directed to people I love,” he says. “I practice radical amounts of self-care, [making] sure that I’m working out, making sure that I’m being in nature and not just glued to my phone.”

That combination of escapism and interaction with real friends and loved ones becomes crucial to a crusader that can be attacked at a moment’s notice with a ping, Jancewicz says. In a world where affective voices are drowned-out by monotonous tones, voices like Jancewicz need an outlet.

“That outlet needs to be planned [and fulfilled],” he says.

“You have to take care of yourself. You can’t be constantly pouring yourself out, and not filling yourself back up, and [I’ve] really taken that to heart,” he explains.

Jancewicz also has fun with what he calls negativity. He reports hate speech and harassment on Twitter.

So, from upsetting Confederate apologists to implementing his love of Roy Lichtenstein and graffiti into his work, Jancewicz artwork is unpredictable but saturated with a message. His style is abstract, yet concrete, and maximal, yet minimalistic.

A common theme for Jancewicz’s work is bright and colorful, but with a powerful message behind them.

Jancewicz says he’s learned how to fight for people who need voices, offer himself to negativity and the draining aspects of social activism while using his art and restorative methods to rejuvenate.