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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Poets + Musicians Against War and All That Shit Mission Grafica Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has black ink printed on white paper. At the left are stips of images of people. At the top is "Poets + Musicians Against / War And All That Shit". Down the right is a list of poets and...	The Snow/La Nieve 1983 Poster has white, yellow and purple ink printed on beige paper. The background is made to look like falling snow, with a hazy yellow sun. At the top is "The Snow/La Nieve". The top of the poster...
Poetry From The Hearts Of The Americas Mission Grafica, printer Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has three main images. At the top is an image of palm trees near white buildings, in the center is an image of street signs a the crossing of Mission and 24th St., and at the bottom is an...	A Gathering of Poets Mission Grafica 1986 Poster printed on white paper. At the left is a stylized brown, white and orange image of a man in a robe with a rosary with a cross and a wishbone. At the top of the poster is an orange strip...
Mayday Amerus Poetry Reading Kristen Wetterhahn, designer 1978 Poster has a dark brown background with tan text. To the left is an image of a man squatting and pulling a thread of material from a pile in front of him. Poster reads, "Mayday Amerus...	NC Poetry Grand Slam 2004 Poster has a background printed in shades of orange, red, and yellow. At the center is a stylized green figure writing on paper. Centered at the top is a printed signature with "D&F Poetry"...
Open City Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has black ink printed on white ppaer. At the top is a stylized image of human figures walking across the Golden Gate Bridge with "Hearts & Minds" on one of the vertical supports. Above...	Fourth Annual San Francisco International Poetry Festival Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a background of small clouds in shades of orange, yellow and pink. The bottom center has a swirl with a small owl sitting on it. Across the top is "Fourth Annual San Francisco...
Songs of Clay Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has black ink printed on white paper. At the top is a stlyized image of a tree, a masked figure plaing drums with horns, a spiney figure playing a foreign instrument while a woman dances in...	Wings Literaria Mission Grafica 1994 Poster printed on white paper, with black text at the top and bottom and a central, stylized image with a blue background and green, black, pink, yellow and white shapes, including a boomerang-...
Disinformation Jos Sances, Mission Grafica 1985 Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a black background. At the top is a stylized image of the profile of a red and white figure, with pink and blue and green and orange crosses over the...	9th Annual Radical Performance Fest '03 Chris Benfield, artist 2003 Poster has blaue ink printed on white paper. At the center is a semi-transparent peace sign, surrounded by stylized images of hands and feet moving. Above and below the peace sign is "9th Annual...
Information: The Currency of Democracy Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a yellow printed background with a vertical red line down the left. At the top is "information" in red and "the currency / of democracy" in blue. Vertically up the center of the poster...	UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and the Office of the Chancellor Present 2004 Poster has a black background with white and green text. In the upper left corner is a black and white photograph of an African American child crying. Poster reads, "UC Berkeley Graduate School of...
You Have a Voice in the Arts Alliance Graphics Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has red and black ink printed on white paper. At the center is "You Have A Voice / In The Arts" in black. At the top is information on a plan being developed by the City of Berkeley and the...	Now Come and Tell It to the FCC! Inkworks Press 2004 Poster has a blue printed background with a stylized black image of a radio tower. At the top is "what do you need from your local broadcasters? / less commercialism? more perspectives? more local...
Facing Off 1991 Poster has red and black ink printed on white paper. At the top is a red strip with "Facing Off" in white and black. Below the strip is "Bay Area arts activism: / pragmatic strategies for...	A Plan for the Arts in Berkeley Alliance Graphics 2004 Poster printed on white paper. At the center is "A Plan For The Arts / In Berkeley" in black. At the top is red text explaining the Culture Plan, formulated by the City of Berkeley, the Civic Arts...
La Pena: 13th Anniversary Celebration Jos Sances 1988 Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a black printed background with green confetti. Text at the top reads "Fiesta De la Calle / Block Party / La Pena / 3105 Shattuck Ave / Berkeley, CA /...	Ashkenaz Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has black ink printed on white paper with text reading "David Nadel / Memorial / Saturday & Sunday, 11 am to 2 am / Jan 18 & 19 / Free" followed by a list of music genres and "no...
Support People's Culture Juan Fuentes 1978 Poster printed on white paper with a stylized blue and brown background image of hands pounding a drum, with the profiles of human figures across the top on a red background. Large black text at...	The KPFA Poetry Festival West Coast Print Center, printer Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a multicolor background with a stylized image of a green strip of land, with a roaming animal at the left, below a red, blue and white sky. At the top left is "S.U.P.E.R.B. presents /...
Young Peoples Art Exhibit 1979 Poster printed on gray textured paper. The background is a gradient sky with hues of blue, yellow, pink and orange. At the center is a large white mushroom cloud. Over the background are stylized...	After School Art Program 1985 Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a multicolor, stylized image of children standing a kneeling on a road. At the top left is "After School / Art Program / 8200 East 14th St. / Oakland"....