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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Sanibel Captiva 1976 Poster has white unprinted edges and a red and white line border enclosing a stylized color map of an islands, labeled Captiva and Sanibel. On and around the island are images of native wildlife,...	Beauty of the Beast 1977 Top of poster has a color illustration of a leopard standing on a tree branch. Below the image is "Beauty / of / the Beast / The Animal In Art" in various shades of brown. At the bottom of the...
You Will Never See These Birds Again 1983 Laminated poster has a color illustration of two parakeets perched on leafy branches at the top left corner. At the bottom center of the image is black text with the common and Latin names of the...	Save the Perigrine 1980 Poster has a color image showing three birds standing on a rocky mountain as another bird flies overhead, all in front of snow-capped mountains. At the center is "save the peregrine!" in blue. At...
untitled (birds) 1977 Poster has ten rows of black and white illustrations of birds in flight. At the bottom right is a paragraph of black text describing how the flight sequences were produced.	Wolves Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a central black printed background on off-white paper. in the black is a white and black image of two wolves, one lying on the ground looking up at another standing wolf. Across the top...
The Leader of the Pack 1991 Poster has a black printed background. At the top is a color image of three wolves running over snow and rocks with trees and mountains in the background. At the bottom of the poster is "the...	California Cougars 1990 Poster has black printed edges enclosing a color photo of a mountain cat walking across large rocks, with a cub visible in the background. Across the top of the poster is "California Cougars" in...
Speak Out Against the Madness Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a black printed background. At the center is a color photo of a white plane flying over a brown mountainside littered with remnants of torn down trees. At the top of the poster are...	Year of the Ocean Dan Gilbert, designer 1984 Top of poster has a color image showing a blue, green, yellow and red fish floating in the water in front of stylized coral. Below the image is "Year Of The Ocean" in blue. The text and image are...
Gorilla Late 20th Early 21st Century Top of poster has a headshot of a gorilla. At the bottom is "Gorilla, Gorilla, Gorilla / Charles. His Art. June 7 - September 7 / an eco-fundraiser to support the endangered Lowland Gorilla. all...	Rabbits Don't Wear Makeup Late 20th Early 21st Century Top of poster has "Rabbits Don''t / Wear Makeup" in black followed by a stylized image of an eye, filled with rabits with red eyes lined up in boxes as two scientists stand in the background....
Whales of the World 1976 Top of poster has color images of different species of whales swimming in an ocean. Associated with each image is black text with the common and Latin names of each whale, their depth and other...	The Animal Legal Defense Fund Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has black ink printed on white paper. Across the top is a grayscale photo of three kittens. Below the image, down the length of the poster is black text reading "We May Be / The Only...
San Francisco Zoological Society Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a brown background. At the top is a color illustration of a rainforest scene with exotic birds, a lizard and a primate in and among the leaves and vines...	Missy Dizick 1996 Top of poster has a reproduced artwork showing two striped cats, one pink and one purple, sitting in tall grasses and flowers with their heads bent backward looking at the viewer. Below the image...
A Thirsty Planet 2002 Poster has a color map of the world, identifying prominent water sources in various regions of the world. Top edge of the poster is blue with "Challenges For Humanity" in white at the left. At the...	Wild World 2000 Poster has a central map of the world identifying different regions and the animals that live there and plants that grow there. At the top left is "Wild World" with a color image of a frog. Down...
www.AmericanRivers.org Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a blue printed background. At the top is a color photo of pink clouds over mountains, green land and a snaking river. At the bottom of the poster is "www.AmericanRivers.org / The Online...	Dam the World Bank Not the World's Rivers Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a black background with white text and a grayish/white logo at the top for International Rivers Network. At the center and bottom is "Dam / The World...
No Dams Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a black background. At the top and bottom is "International / Rivers Network" in white. At the center is a yellow orange triangle resembling a caution...	A Tribute to Free Flowing Rivers 1985 Top of poster has a reproduction of an artwork showing a river flowing through mountains as the sun sets between two peaks. At the bottom of the poster is "a tribute to free flowing rivers"...
Wetlands...Part of Our Heritage 1995 Poster has a black printed background. At the top is a stylized image of a pond, with wildlife gathered around. In the background, trees are being cut down and a tall building is being constructed...	Don't Light Up the Night Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a stylized image showing nocturnal animals in a rocky forest scene. At the top left are owls, at the top right is an elk and at the center are raccoons, a coyote, a rabbit, prairie dogs...