Political Posters

The “All Of Us Or None” (AOUON) archive project 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. More …

The Archive gathered posters from all streams of progressive activity — from movements of protest, liberation, and affirmative action, trade union and community struggles, to electoral and environmental organizing, community services, and visionary manifestos. It is strongest in work from the San Francisco Bay Area, but its scope is national: approximately one-quarter of its holdings come from out of state, primarily New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. These are complemented by a representation of international work. The collection consists of approximately 24,500 distinct titles.

The collection includes examples from well-known graphic artists including Malaquías Montoya, Emory Douglas, Rachael Romero, Rupert Garcia, Yolanda Lopez, Favianna Rodriguez, Carlos Cortez, Nancy Hom, Juan Fuentes, and Jos Sances, as well as material from seminal collective workshops such as La Raza Silkscreen, the Royal Chicano Air Force, Japantown Art and Media, Kearny Street Workshop, and Inkworks Press. Perhaps more important, the depth and breadth of the collection reveals the contribution of numerous lesser known or even anonymous artists whose cumulative impact on this democratic public art form has yet to be properly understood.

The cataloging of the AOUON Archive was made possible by a generous grant from the Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation.

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Looters Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster printed on white paper. On the background is a black and white photo of men in hats standing in a line, with a Spanish caption below. Over the photo is "looters / Ashkenaz". At the bottom...	Concord Choir/Beyond Boundaries 1988 Poster printed on white paper with a diagonal line from the bottom left corner to the top right corner, with the background black to the right. Across the top is "Concord Choir/Beyond Boundaries...
Untitled 1992 Poster printed on white paper. At the top is "in association with Bill Graham presents / Ben & Jerry''s / One World [1992] One Heart / Festival" in black and pink. Among the text is a stylized...	Bread & Roses 1977 Poster printed on off-white paper. At the top left and right are stylized black and white images of wheat. Centered at the top is "Bread & Roses" and a rose in red followed by "Festival Of...
Pele Juju Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has black ink printed on pink paper. Around the edges is a black border with pink zig-zagging lines. At the top is "world beat / Pele Juju". At the center is a stylized image of earth. At...	Looters Late 20th Early 21st Century Printed on white paper. At the top is a black strip with "world beat - dance til you drop" in white. At the center is a black and white photo of high-heeled feet in black and white striped pants...
Christmas Crafts Fair Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster printed on white paper with a black border. At the top is a stylized image of a green and black branch of a Christmas tree with a "KPFA / FM94" red ornament. At the top is a "benefit for...	Fourth World Music Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a gray printed background. At the top is a yellow splatter, five white horizontal lines of a music scale, and a white and yellow crosshatch design. At the bottom of the poste ris "...
KPFA Christmas Crafts Fair Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a red printed background with a stylized image of green ribbons draped from the top. At the bottom of the poster is "unique gifts / December 10, 11 & 17, 18 / 10am-6pm" in black, "...	A Festival of Acoustic Music to Benefit Bread & Roses Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has red ink printed on yellow paper. Centered at the top is a stylized rose. Below the image is "a festival of acoustic music / to benefit Bread & Roses" followed by a list of featured...
Bread & Roses 1980 Poster has a black printed background. At the top is a red rose with green leaves and "Bread / & / Roses // Festival / Of Music / Greek Theatre / UC Berkeley / Oct. 3,4,5, 1980" in red. At the...	Bread and Roses: Festival of Music Bread & Roses festival of Music, copyright 1979 Poster advertising the 1979 Bread and Roses Festival of Music, with many acts over three days in Berkeley, California. Image at top half of poster is a red rose with wheat with a blue background...
End the war in Vietnam Jude Binder, artist 1998 Poster to benefit Students for a Democratic Society. Image across top half is a drawing with three figures standing over three dead bodies. An American flag is the backdrop. Poster has black text...	Belated 4th Annual Peter Tosh Birthday Celebration 1995 Poster advertising the Belated 4th Annual Peter Tosh Birthday Celebration in Berkeley, California in 1995. Black text and photos on yellow/amber paper. There are five images of performers on the...
Bob Marley Birthday Celebration Pat Ryan, artist 1993 Poster advertising a Bob Marley Birthday Celebration in Redway, California in 1993. poster is on yellow cardstock, with a green stripe at left and right stripe at right to mimic the Jamaican flag...	Reggae-Mylitis Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster advertising a Reggae-Mylitis concert in Santa Cruz. Top third of poster is a green band, center is yellow, and bottom band is red. Image on left of a man singing into microphone. Image on...
Call to Entries San Francisco Video Fest 2005 Adrian Arias, artist Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster advertising a call to entry for the 2005 San Francisco Video Fest. Television color bars across the top, with images from previous winners below that. Bottom half is text about entering the...	Modern Slavery Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster with a stylized image of a television set with the words "Modern Slavery" on the screen.
Feeding Frenzy c. 1988 Poster advertising a video opera titled "Feeding Frenzy" at the Theatre Concrete in San Francisco, California. Image at center show human figures with clubs or torches. Below image is information...	TV Turnoff Week 1998 Poster suggesting that people turn off their televisions for one week (April 22-28, 1998). image in center is a man in suit with a tv instead of a head. "Off" is written in the center of the tv...
Two Reel T.V. Benefit 1989 Poster advertising the Two Reel T.V. Benefit. Black text on white background. Black and white images: flowers at top left, boy at bottom left, border patterns through center; $100 bill with...	The Guitar Workshop Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster advertising a guitar store in Berkeley. Poster is yellow/amber with brown text. Photograph in center is sepia tone and has a man building or repairing a guitar.
Berkeley Video & Film Festival 2005 2005 Poster advertising the 2005 Berkeley Video & Film Festival. Gray background with image of a film reel, but the bars are moved so it''s the shape of the peace symbol. Text with information...	Berkeley Night Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster advertising Berkeley Night, a music event in Rodeo, California. Black handwritten text on white background. Image in center is a photograph of a giraffe''s face.