The ART of Democracy

Poster and logo by Frances Jetter for Art of Democracy © 2008

Printmaker Art Hazelwood (who I've featured previously on the blog) has started a national group of artists, galleries, and other groups exhibiting political art between now and the crucial presidential election in November. Their goal is to,

Our Mission is to promote the political art of artists and art organizations on a national scale during the critical period leading up to the 2008 presidential elections. The means of achieving this goal will be to encourage artists around the nation to organize exhibitions and events at this time. The national effort will work to promote these shows through a unifying title, logo, website, public relations campaign, and through the exchange of posters and prints promoting the exhibitions.

The combined efforts will amplify the message of all the art exhibitions and draw more local and national attention. There is no prescribed message for the artwork.

I'm pleased that the gallery I'll be exhibiting my political work with in October will soon be adding information to this growing nationwide effort. (More to come on this personal front soon.)

Please help publicize this important effort by artists in this time of "national peril." Visit the Art of Democracy website and throw your support any way you can, either by adding listings, donating resources, or spreading the word. The country you save may be your own!

More from Hazelwood and the Art of Democracy:

The Art of Democracy (AOD) is a national coalition of political art exhibitions all taking place in the Fall of 2008 on the dire state of the American Political Scene.

We chose this time when the nation is particularly politically aware to bring into focus overlooked and underrepresented voices and views on the state of politics, and the state of democracy today. The web site www.artofdemocracy.org contains an outline of the coalition and will expand to cover all of the associated exhibitions. Each exhibition will be promoted through the website as well as through other local and national media. A national coalition will have more chance of penetrating the barriers against alternate voices. A coalition of exhibitions will increase the visibility of all.

The coalition is growing: we now have exhibitions in several cities, and are seeking new partners and venues, whether at museums or art centers or galleries or cafés. Several groups are currently searching for venues. These are all shows organized under the coalition of the Art of Democracy. There are no requirements to be a part of it, and no fees, The purpose is simple: organize a national (or even international) voice for political art and artists and amplify that voice by the multiple venues and artists all participating at the same time.

Here are a few examples of posters being created for this effort:






















Poster by Eric Santoy for Art of Democracy © 2008
(Click artist's name for larger view)











Poster by
Edy Cruz for Art of Democracy © 2008
(Click artist's name for larger view)











Poster by Frank Wegloski for Art of Democracy © 2008
(Click artist's name for larger view)













Poster by Paula Anderson for Art of Democracy © 2008
(Click artist's name for larger view)












Poster by Sherielyn-Dionisio for Art of Democracy © 2008
(Click artist's name for larger view)














Poster by Ian Pulia for Art of Democracy © 2008
(Click artist's name for larger view)

Please respect the work of the artists you see here and be sure to credit them when you share their artwork with others.

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