Artist Terrance Osborne on Creating the Louisiana I Voted Sticker

When voters across Louisiana head to the polls, the small square of adhesive paper they peel off and proudly display on their lapels carries more than just civic pride. In a new interview with The Lens, artist Terrance Osborne breaks down the vibrant imagery behind this year’s official Louisiana “I Voted” sticker, revealing a design rooted in local art history, mentorship, and a quiet pushback against political rhetoric.

From a Mentor’s Gallery to the State Ballot Box

The visual journey of the sticker begins with a trumpet, an homage to Osborne’s mentor, Richard Thomas, who ran an art gallery named Visual Jazz. Osborne explains that he wanted to capture what jazz might look like as it exits the bell of an instrument. Evolving that concept into a uniquely Louisiana symbol, the trumpet emits a gorgeous bouquet of state flowers, anchored by the magnolia, while a string of gold, purple, and green Mardi Gras beads sweeps southeast across the canvas.

That specific southeastern trajectory holds a deeper contextual weight. Osborne developed the detail as a direct response to recent political friction, noting that Governor Landry had previously conveyed the idea that New Orleans was not special. The artist wanted the sticker to assert the cultural weight and uniqueness of the city right there on the state-issued election emblem.

The Palette of Xavier University and a Clash Over State Incentives

The rich color scheme woven into the sticker traces back to Osborne’s formative painting classes under Ron Bechet at Xavier University of Louisiana, where the artist refined the specific eight-color palette he still relies on today. Yet, the path from design to voter’s lapel hit an unexpected bureaucratic snag during the early voting period.

Osborne initially posted on Instagram offering an autographed print to anyone who brought him their voting sticker. The state quickly intervened, informing the artist that as a private citizen, he could not provide an item of value in exchange for an “I Voted” sticker, even though the state itself uses the stickers as an incentive to encourage participation. Osborne subsequently updated his social media followers to clarify the state’s restriction.

Deep Roots in Tremé and the 7th Ward

Raised in Tremé and the 7th Ward, Osborne’s path to civic engagement was shaped by the mentors who guided young people through neighborhood programs and public art projects. A graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and Xavier University of Louisiana, Osborne has run the Terrance Osborne Gallery on Magazine Street since 2017. As a teenager, he was already painting his first mural on a brick wall at Hunter’s Field under the guidance of Richard Thomas.

That early mural featured figures breaking free from crumbling bricks, a visual metaphor for the liberation found in artistic expression. That same sense of expression finds its way onto ballots across the state, reminding voters of the cultural lineage they carry with every cast vote.

More on Louisiana: Louisiana congressional races are hotly competitive, polling shows