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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Destroy Free Business And You Destroy Free Labor c. 1944 This poster features an image of a man chained to a post with "Dictatorship" on top of it and a spider web over it. There is a factory in the background and white text in the orange sky above...	All Of Us Or None Doug Minkler, artist 1983 Poster contains a figurative portrait in black with yellow, red, and green accents on a yellow and gray background. Text below the graphic reads, "No Buy Offs, Sell Outs, or Trade Offs. / All of...
Half Way To Hell Club Doug Minkler, artist 1987 This poster promotes the "50th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge" and the "Half Way To Hell Club", a group of "men who, during the construction of / the bridge, fell and lived to tell about it...	Discovery Festival 1990 This poster promotes a "Discovery / Festival" associated with the "Festival At The Lake" at Lake Merritt in Oakland. There are illustrations of science and math related images including an orange...
Expectations Late 20th Early 21st Century This poster has a gray background and an illustration of a table setting with a window in the background. A factory with an American Flag flying above it is visible outside the window. "...	Violence Is Not A Cartoon Issue Late 20th Early 21st Century This horizontally-oriented poster insists that "Violence Is Not A Cartoon Issue". "Blam" and "Kapow" are in yellow and purple bubbles at the top of the page and there is an illustration of a man...
America's Workers are dying to build your car Late 20th Early 21st Century This poster features an image of the front of a car with "RIP" on it below "America''s workers / are dying / to build your car" at the top of the poster. There is a list of parts of the car and...	Untitled Late 20th Early 21st Century This poster features an illustration of a person hugging a heart. The left background of the poster is black and the right is white. "''Not in Our Name''" is in white text in the bottom left and "...
Celebrate International Workers' Day Insurgent Squeegee, Lincoln Cushing circa 1979 This horizontally-oriented poster includes red representations of Karl Marx dancing in a line with arms on each-other''s shoulders across the poster. "Celebrate International...	America's Labor Heritage 1988 This horizontally-oriented poster features a painting of industrial buildings along a waterfront with a ship and a bridge in the background. There is a line of men in blue uniforms standing in...
Prison Late 20th Early 21st Century This poster has a large white space in the top half of the page with yellow and black marks in a line across is. A black rectangle in the bottom half of the poster contains an image of a yellow "...	On Strike Doug Minkler, artist 1984 This poster includes an image of a purple horse that appears to be breathing green, orange, yellow, and red fire. It is set against an orange and blue background and the UC Berkeley Campanile is...
Praise of Learning Inkworks Press, printer, Lincoln Cushing, designer Late 20th Early 21st Century This poster includes an illustration of three people sitting on a beach reading books at the top of the page. There is a poem titled "Praise of Learning" attributed to "Bertolt Brecht 1898-1956"...	1994 1994 This is a calendar for 1994 from "Ground Zero", an organization whose "Mission Is To Provide A Safe And Productive Environment" for homeless San Francisco youth. The poster has an elaborate orange...
1984 1984 This is a 1984 calendar with images of people in shades of orange and brown in the background. "1984" is in the top left and "register vote organize / comit_ noviembre 1984 / fruitvale health...	More Than A Paycheck Doug Minkler, artist 1987 This poster has wide, white margins around a yellow, green, orange, blue, and brown illustration of a woman sitting at a computer. She is gritting her teeth and orange keyboard symbols float...
Cinderella's Ball Late 20th Early 21st Century This poster advertises "Cinderella''s / Ball / A Magical Afternoon For Kids All Ages". There are brown columns in the top half of the poster and the silhouettes of two children fill the center of...	Taking Out The Scabs Doug Minkler, artist 1984 This poster has a wide, white margin with a square illustration in the center. The illustration includes a white image of a person holding strips of yellow and throwing them in a "Scab / Bin". The...
Training Your Multi National Doug Minkler, artist 1998 This white poster has a center portion outlined by a red and yellow border. In the center, red text at the top reads "ILWU Presents / Training Your / Multi National". There is a line of blue and...	Half Way To Hell Club Doug Minkler, artist 1987 This poster promotes the "50th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge" and the "Half Way To Hell Club", a group of "men who, during the construction of / the bridge, fell and lived to tell about it...
America's Labor Heritage 1988 This horizontally-oriented poster features a painting of industrial buildings along a waterfront with a ship and a bridge in the background. There is a line of men in blue uniforms standing in...	Fund Schools Today or Prisons Tomorrow Late 20th Early 21st Century This is a white sign with blue text reading "Fund / Schools / Today or / Prisons / Tomorrow / If not now, when?" "California Federation / of Teachers / AFT, AFL-CIO" is at the bottom of the page...
Our Working Conditions Are Our Students' Learning Conditions Late 20th Early 21st Century This is a white sign with blue text reading "Our / Working / Conditions / Are Our Students'' / Learning / Conditions / If not now, when?" "California Federation / of Teachers / AFT, AFL-CIO" is at...	Professional Pay For Quality Education Late 20th Early 21st Century This is a white sign with blue text reading Professional / Pay for / Quality / Education / If not now, when?" "California Federation / of Teachers / AFT, AFL-CIO" is at the bottom of the page.