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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Paz Justicia Y Libertad: U.S. out of El Salvador 1985 Poster has a background that appears as a brick wall in black and white with bloody red handprints overall. Poster reads, "Paz Justicia Y Libertad/ Stop the KIlling/ U.S. Out of El Salvador."	Unity & Struggle: 6 Years of Solidarity with Chile Rene Castro, artist 1985 Poster has a gray and black background with white and black text. The central image is of a male figure from the chest up wearing a headpiece with a cloak around him and looking towards the right...
End Corporate Terror in Colombia Design Action, design, Inkworks Press, printer 2003 Top edge of poster is black followed by a red and black collage image of soldiers, oil cans, Coca Cola cans, and helicopters. At the top left is white and red is "End Corporate / Terror / In...	Untitled Inkworks Press, printer, Lisa Kokin, artist 1983 Poster has a beige background with a thin green border .25" from the poster edge. Poster shows seven color illustrations - three rows of two and a final solitary photo at the bottom. Photos show,...
Untitled Inkworks Press, printer 1990 Poster is printed on white/cream paper. The poster has a white boarder and a gray background. At the top in yellow and white text reads : "3RD Annual New / Year''s Eve / Red, Black, And White Ball...	Untitled Inkworks Press, printer Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster printed with red and black ink on thick white paper. The page has a background that is red on the top half and black on the majority of the bottom with a red horizontal band along the...
A Free Palestine Inkworks Press, printer, Malaquias Montoya, artist 1989 Poster contains a reproduction of an artwork by Malaquias Montoya that shows a figurative landscape with a short text piece by Dom Ashton across the top. The landscape includes a white and black...	End 20 Years of Israeli Occupation Juan Fuentes, artist, Red Sun Press, printer 1987 Poster printed with black, red, green, yellow, and blue ink on white paper. Portraits of three women appear diagonally on the page from top left to lower right. The woman at top left wears a...
Killing and Destruction in Gaza Middle East Children's Alliance Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster printed with red and black ink on thick white paper. The page has an unprinted outer border and a background that transitions from red at top to black at bottom. "Killing and Destruction...	untitled (crowd gathered at fallen statue) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster is a photograph of a large crowd gathered. There are people standing on top of a platform next to a fallen statue. Poster has unprinted off white border. Top of poster has arabic writing...
Solidarity with the just struggle of the Omani People 1975 Poster printed with black ink on cream colored paper. "Solidarity / with the / just struggle of the / Omani People" is printed at top. A rectangular photograph is printed diagonally on the page...	New People's Army Rupert Garcia, artist 1978 Poster printed with black, brown, and yellow ink on white paper. The page has an unprinted outer border. "The Philippine Revolution Advances" is printed in black font on a brown horizontal...
Philippines 1985 Charles Drucker, photographer, Inkworks Press, printer, Southeast Asia Resource Center, publisher 1984 Poster calendar printed with black ink on white paper. "Philippines 1985" is printed at top above a photograph of an older woman smoking a pipe. A quote by a Filipino political...	The Week Of Solidarity With Palestinian And Lebanese People's Struggle Late 20th Early 21st Century This white poster has large, black text at the top reading "The Week Of Solidarity / With Palestinian And / Lebanese People''s Struggle". Below this is a black, vertical machine gun barrel with a...
Join The Boycott 1981 Poster has a white background with a thin double line black border .75" from the edge. Black and white image at the center and top left shows a man in a Union Jack shirt, tophat and monocle...	Kurdestan Inkworks Press, printer 1980 Poster depicts a group of five Kurdish soldiers standing in front of purple and blue mountains. The two soldiers on the right have rifles and white cloth around their heads. Top left corner has: "...
People's Park 33rd Anniversary 2002 Poster has a central green image of a fairy standing in a patch of grass and flowers with vines as clothes. Surrounding her is red and white text. At the top "People''s Park 33rd Anniversary...	El Salvador: A New Society Takes Root Norie Davis, artist, Salsedo Press, printer 1984 Poster has a white and brown/red background with red and white text. The main image is of a seed sprouting through the ground and extending roots into the soil with bullets raining down on it. The...
2020 Plan Means Genocide For Puerto Rico! Fireworks Graphics Collective, designer Late 20th Early 21st Century This poster features an image of a factory with clouds coming out of its smokestacks and filling the top half of the poster. The factory, smoke, and island of Puerto Rico below it are shades of...	Roses in December David Fichter, artist, Graphic Arts International Union, printer, Sequoyah Graphics, graphic design 1982 Poster has an image of a girl wearing a purple and blue diamond pattern shirt holding out her hand with red roses and a piece of barbed wire across her chest. In the background are hills with four...
Pete Seeger / Richie Havens / Linda Tillery Late 20th Early 21st Century This poster is printed on thick paper and has a _ inch white margin around the outer edge. There is a large illustration of a banjo in black, white, light blue and light green spanning the page...	Free Speech Movement Inkworks Press, printer, Lincoln Cushing, designer 1984 Poster has a blue background with "free speech movement / 20th anniversary 1964-1984" printed in white across the top. Central black and white image shows a columned building named Sproul Hall /...
untitled (two faces) Late 20th Early 21st Century This is a white poster with a thin, black border inside a 2-inch white margin. Inside the border is an illustration of two faces looking out in opposite directions. They blend together in the...	II Festival de Canto a El Salvador: Dedicated to Monsignor Romero Rene Castro, artist 1984 Poster has a blue and brown background with orange text and a white border all around. In the center is a brown drawing of Monsignor Oscar Romero, outlined in orange. The poster reads, "II...