In Protest

Come to the Berkeley Art Museum on Wednesday, May 9, 7:00 p.m. (Gallery B) for "In Protest" and pick up a protest poster. Kevin Killian and I each wrote one, along with Zarouhie Abdalian, John Baldessari, Amy Balkin, Amy Franceschini, Doug Hall, Paul Kos, Tony Labat, Shaun O'Dell, Rigo 23, Piero Golia, Jordan Kantor, Martha Rosler, Allan Sekula, Mungo Thomson, and Natasha Wheat.  I'm thrilled to be in the same anything with Martha Rosler.  I have to teach that night, but Kevin will be there, helping spread the rage.

From the BAM site:

"'How can the arts participate in a creative and collective production of our shared future? How can we make visible our shared concerns about the political landscape of this country?' Protest signs, posters and banners are some of the clearest manifestations of the visual language of political action. For this project, the Kadist Art Foundation, in collaboration with BAM/PFA, invited politically inclined artists and writers to make a protest poster that addresses specific events or generalized demands. Come view the results, join some of the artists in a wide-ranging conversation of protest, and take home a poster."

The curators are Joseph del Pesco and Connie Lewallen.  My poster is perverse and about artistic freedom, with red type on a garish orange background.  I love it.  Kevin's is a mash up of lines from Jack Spicer.  Classy black type on white.  100 copies of each poster was printed by Horwinski Letterpress, a Bay Area printer who has printed protest and union posters for decades. Half of these will be displayed and given away at the May 9th event. The other half will be distributed to local groups and organizations for use in upcoming protests and events.