Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints

The book, Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints by Hal Elliot Wert is now available for preorder.

Hal helped to sponsor the Obama art show in Chicago that Ray Noland organized along with some other folks like Scott Thomas (Scott was the creative director for the graphics work for the Obama Campaign).

Hal also is organizing a traveling Obama poster exhibit with the Mid-America Arts Alliance.

My "2044: Hope" piece will be in this book.

More about the book from the publisher:

"This book offers a striking and comprehensive visual chronology of posters created for Obama's run for the presidency. Most have been seen only by a limited number of viewers in the primary states. Others have rarely been seen outside the urban core or the art gallery world. An exception is the Shepard Fairey poster Hope that has been seen by millions as has his design for the cover of Time magazines Man-of-the-Year edition. Importantly, there has been nothing like this outpouring of quality prints and posters in past campaigns. The interior of the dust jacket folds out into a full-color reproduction of David Choe's "Hope" poster."

CRO's Officially Unofficial: Inspired Art for Obama

OFFICIALLY UNOFFICIAL - INSPIRED ART FOR OBAMA

An exhibition of prints, posters, photographs, and videos that emerged in 2008 as icons of the art movement in support of Barack Obama for President.

Curated by Chicago designer Scott Thomas, former Design Director of the Obama Campaign; Chicago artist Ray Noland; and Nathan Mason, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.

Featuring official Obama ’08 campaign materials as well as independent work by more than 100 artists and designers including Ray Noland’s “GoTellMama!” poster series, Shepard Fairey’s now iconic “Hope” poster, and Sol Sender’s Obama ‘08 logo and branding.

This exhibition is made possible with support from Ken Harman/Obama Art Report and Hal Elliott Wert/Kansas City Art Institute.

April 1 - May 31 Monday - Saturday, 10AM to 6PM and Sunday, 10AM to 5PMFREE

Tuesday, March 31VIP & Press Preview, 6PM – 9PM

Live: The GENT$, Shala & Rachel Katzman

With DJs: Million$Mano, DIZRSVP Required, visit www.going.com/unofficial_preview

Gallery Talk:Ray Noland - April 16th, Scott Thomas - May 28

Chicago Tourism Center

72 E. Randolph Street

(across from the Chicago Cultural Center)

For more information, visit http://www.officially-unofficial.com/Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/3773007

Officially Unofficial Artists:Aaron Allen, Aaron Amaro, Aaron Foster, Aaron Meshon, Above, Alex Fine, Alex Fuller, Alex Pardee, Alex Ross, Antar Dayal, BASK, Benjamin Kuhn, Brian Flynn, Burlesque of North America, Caleb Kozlowski, Chad Mize & Phillip Clark, Chuck Anderson, Cody Hudson, Coufal Family, Dan Lacey, David Carson, David Choe, David Turnley, Dawoud Bey, Delicious Design League, Eddie, EMEK, Felix Jackson, Gui Borchert, Hand-Cranked, Ian Malard, James O'Brien, James Widener/Snuffhouse, Jonathan Hoefler, Jorge Rodriguez Gerada, Julian Norman, Lance Wyman, Lowell Thompson, Mac, Manick Sorcar, Mario Terero, Max Estes, Mear One, Michael Beirut, Micheal Genovese, Mickalene Thomas, Mike Jacobs, Morning Breath, Munk One, Patrick Moberg, Paula Scher, Rafael Lopez, Ray Noland/CRO, Rebecca Berdel, Rene Garcia, Robbie Conal, Robert Indiana, Ron English, Sam Brown, Sam Flores, Sarah Hoskins, Scot Lefavor, Scott Hansen/ISO50, Shana Berry, Shannon Moore, Shepard Fairey/OBEY, Sol Sender, Sonya Fridman, The Date Farmers, Tom Slaughter, Tony Puryear, Tristan Eaton, Tyler Gibney/HVW8, Wes Winship, Yee-Haw Industries, Zoltron

Front page story in Frederick News-Post

I did an interview and a photo (and some video) with the Frederick News-Post and it is on today's front page. I gave props to my mom and Michael Murphy, and to Zoe Heineman Myers, which makes me happy. I would also like to add a thanks to Grimes Graphics, who helped me do things at the last minute like burn transparencies and clean screens. They even lent me a screen when one of mine tore. Things like this make me so glad I have good friends!

Image is by Graham Cullen, Frederick News-Post.

2044: Hope

This is the piece that I created for the show, "44: Obama Art". The show was only supposed to last for one day but Zoe from Heineman Myers liked it so much she is keeping it up until after the Inauguration.

The story behind this piece is this: I ran into my friend Keri-Ann at the farmer's market this summer. Keri-Ann is a sweet person and she was unusually vociferous about the Palin pick for VP, saying she did not want her daughter to grow up thinking that Palin, a beauty queen who represented the antithesis of Hillary Clinton, would be someone to aspire to be. It got me thinking about tokenism in the Republican party, how a woman like Palin could never rise through the ranks but would have to be hand-picked at the top. It was evident to me from looking at the diversity of the Democratic Convention and the lack thereof at the Republican Convention just whose interests each really represented. I became a Democrat this year after spending most of my adult life as an independent, because I saw a vision of the future in the party. For me, the silkscreen that I put together for 44 represents hope for the future in the faces of two playful but extremely dignified young women. My goal for the silkscreen was to capture their far-reaching gazes. Because I want Keri-Ann's little girl to have her aspirations.

People ask me why I did not do an Obama Clinton ticket instead and I guess I put Clinton on top billing for my mom, who really wanted Clinton to be President.

The piece is a run of 200 2-color silkscreens on Arches cover, 14x18. They are available from me for $50 with 25% of proceeds going to Cakes for Cause.