All of Us or None

    Political Posters of the 1960's 

                      photo by Styrous®

This is the second blog about two exhibitions showing at the Oakland Museum of California. The first blog was, The 1968 Exhibit.

The exhibition, All Of Us Or None, features posters that protested the Viet Nam war, corporate greed, political corruption and the employed homeless; advocated workers rights, Indian rights, women's rights, gay rights and  .  .  .  .  hold it just a damned minute there!!!

Doesn't this all sound way too familiar? I guess some things just never change.

(click on any image for slideshow)

photo montage by Styrous®

The posters range from the horrific (of course) . . .

After the Cambodia bombing and murders at Kent State and Augusta, public silkscreen workshops organized on dozens of campuses, producing at least 450 designs at Berkeley alone. Here an image, taken from Francisco Goya, of the god Kronos eating his children reflects the anger felt at the moment.

print by Jay Belloli
Amerika Is Devouring It's Children
1970

photo by Styrous®

Untitled
(Hitler with Nixon Mask)
1970

photo by Styrous®

. . . to the hysterically humorous . . .  

Virtue Hathaway  (Shirley Boccacio) ~ artist
Fuck Housework
1971

. . . to the beautifully nostalgic.

Sierra Club ~ publisher
Stanley Mouse ~ artist
10th Biennial Wilderness Conference
1967

The fist is a predominate theme through the posters.

Frank Cieciorka ~ artist (1939-2008)
Untitled (woodcut "Hand")
circa 1966

Frank Cieciorka ~ artist (1939-2008)
Untitled (poster version of 1965 woodcut "Hand")
circa 1966

photo by Styrous®

In addition to the omnipresent fist
there is a plethora of penis references, such as . . .

Jeff Kramm ~ artist
My Lai : We lie : They die
1970

photo by Styrous®

The All of Us or None exhibition draws from the All Of Us Or None (AOUON) archive project which was started by Free Speech Movement activist Michael Rossman in 1977 to gather and document posters of modern progressive movements in the United States. Though some early works are included, its focus is on the domestic political poster renaissance that began in 1965 and continues to this day. When Rossman died May 12, 2008 his family donated the collection to the Oakland Museum of California.

All in all, I spent several hours browsing through the many images. Most I'd never seen before. Some brought back memories, some pleasant, some not. It's an exhibition for entertainment, nostalgia, historical observation as well as education. In other words, it is not to be missed.

Posters in the Museum collection.

Events taking place.

Styrous ~ May, 2012

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