Anita Dillman

This exhibition was censored by the curator of the space in Berkeley. She agreed to a show of political art and then refused to show four peices on the grounds that they were offensive because they contained guns. Not because they encouraged violence but because they contained guns. End of discussion. The artists who created the posters from all over the United States were asked what to do and they agreed, all of us or none. We refuse to allow the censorship of artwork in this insane time when dissent is indeed needed more than ever in this country.

For more information contact Art Hazelwood, artofdemocracy@sbcglobal.net

Original Press release for the exhibition

The Art Of Democracy
Posters from the National Coalition of Political Art Exhibitions
Addison Street Windows Gallery
2018 Addison Street
Berkeley, California
October 20 – November 29, 2008

Addison Street Windows Gallery will host an exhibition of timely political posters created by artists from across the US within the last six months. Art of Democracy, a national coalition of political art exhibitions, includes more than fifty shows in every region of the country, from Muncie, Indiana, to Vashon Island, Washington, from Kingston Rhode Island to Atlanta, Georgia. These exhibitions are all taking place at the same time in the lead up to the November elections.

Artists connected with the Art of Democracy shows have created political posters and sent them around the country to the different venues. Berkeley’s Addison Street Windows Gallery at 2018 Addison Street will feature these posters from October 20 till November 29. The posters are visible at any time in the street facing windows in downtown Berkeley.

The posters include a wide range of criticisms of the American political scene. There are posters encouraging voting and there are posters discounting its value. One poster by Stephen Fredericks of New York proclaims, “Vote, like your life depends on it … because it does.” While another by Nicolas Lampert, of Milwaukee, WI, depicts a portrait of Emma Goldman with a quote from her, “If voting changed anything they’d make it illegal.” Other images address topics of immigration raids, police surveillance, lost liberty, and war. Included in the display is a large group of Puerto Rican posters by artists who have created work for a poster exchange with San Francisco’s Mission Grafica. The poster exchange between exhibition venues is an integral element of the Art of Democracy. Historically, artist driven posters have played important roles in political and social movements.

In Northern California there are fourteen exhibitions spread out from Davis through the Bay Area and down to Santa Cruz and Monterey. A show in San Francisco at the Meridian Gallery called Art of Democracy - War and Empire includes among other important works two paintings from Fernando Botero’s, Abu Ghraib series. At Monterey Peninsula Community College an exhibition of college student’s political artwork from around the country will be featured.
Not since perhaps the 1930’s exhibition series “Artists Against War and Fascism” has a national coalition of shows like this been organized.