Synopses & Reviews
Winner, Benjamin Franklin Award™ (Independent Book Publishers Association), Political/Current Events category
In Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints, Kansas City Art Institute professor Hal Elliott Wert unveils one of the largest Barack Obama campaign poster collections in existence. This is a collection to be treasured by everyone who was inspired and mobilized by the Obama campaign.
Among the unique features of this landmark book:
- More than 170 posters from Hal Wert’s personal collection
- A Catalog of Posters and Prints with background information on each featured piece
- The social and political context of the Obama poster movement and its place in the history of American presidential campaign art
- Foreword by Ray Noland, the street artist credited with starting the nationwide guerrilla poster movement in support of Obama
- The interior of the dust jacket folds out into a full-color reproduction of artist David Choe’s Hope poster
A portion of this book’s proceeds fund the National Art Education Association.
Review
“Wert (Kansas City Art Inst.) has here collected an impressive selection of posters from Barack Obama¹s presidential campaign. The images are particularly notable because they are not official campaign posters but a form of outsider art, the work of a wide range of artists all of whom were inspired to work independently to promote the candidacy of Obama. Beginning with Ray Noland in Chicago (who provides a foreword), the book goes on to present the work of anonymous artists as well as that of well-known figures like Robert Indiana. We see Obama rendered as Lincoln, Superman, a pothead, a basketball hero, a boxer, a wrestler, and an Everyman depicted humorously, with dignity, with nobility, and as the neighbor down the street. It is hard to think of a graphic style that isn¹t represented. A succinct epilogue with a historical view of graphics from past political campaigns helps put the phenomenon in perspective. VERDICT More than a novelty, this enjoyable chronicle of a unique moment in America¹s national history will remain a useful document for generations. For anyone interested in graphic arts, poster art, and political history.” - Library Journal
Review
“A handsome and hopeful gift to mark Barack Obama’s first holiday season in office. A solid collection of visuals to enjoy, rather than the ephemeral state that usually awaits such artwork. Accompanied by an informative catalog of artists and a brief overview of the campaign poster since 1836.” - Lavender Magazine
“Professor Hat Elliott Wert of the Kansas City Art Institute always regretted that he let a certain very special McCarthy campaign poster get away in 1968; so when he sensed history on the move again 40 years later, he didn’t hesitate to gather all the memorabilia he could. The resulting collection captures the spirit of the overwhelming response to President Obama’s historic presidential campaign through the eyes of the poster artists it inspired. The collection was first shown to the public in a Chicago exhibition entitled ‘Officially Unofficial: Inspired Art for Obama.’ Now, over 170 of the works come to the page in full-color glory in Hope. The book’s introduction and epilogue are refreshingly in-depth and give great context to both the included works and the history of the political poster movement. Otherwise, the images are allowed to stand alone on page after page. Despite the fact that these works were conceived independently, the eclectic collection works astonishingly well in series; as the pages turn, it’s easy to recall the electric charge that many sensed in the air as the 2008 campaign marched toward its historic conclusion. Some might say it’s too soon for the retrospective on a campaign that ended just barely a year ago; I say there’s no time like the present to grab an important piece of history.” - MetroSource
Review
“A year ago, Kansas City Art Institute professor Hal Wert showed his collection of Barack Obama street posters at the school’s H&R Block Artspace. Now the posters have been assembled into a 188-page book, “Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints,” published by Zenith Press.
“Ranging from corny to cool, with an occasional disconcerting nod to old-style social realism, the images offer a fun romp through the Obama-mania of the 2008 presidential election.
Great art it’s mostly not, with the exception of Robert Indiana’s 21st-century remake of his iconic 1960s LOVE poster into a red, white and blue “HOPE” print.
“A lot of the designs, including Ron English’s fusion of Obama’s face with Abraham Lincoln’s, are simply bizarre. But enthusiasm and idealism carry the day in images that portray the candidate as Superman, a prizefighter and even a surfer, riding — you guessed it — a wave of hope.” - Kansas City Star
Synopsis
Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints offers a striking and comprehensive visual chronology of artwork created during Obama’s historic run for the presidency. Until now, most of these posters 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.
Hal Elliott Wert has been a professor at the Kansas City Art Institute since 1972. He has authored a number of publications, book reviews, and papers on a range of subjects. He has spoken at numerous art galleries and has written many articles on presidential politics and campaign posters, including a feature on the Obama poster movement for Review magazine. His traveling exhibition, featuring many signed-and-numbered, limited-edition posters included in this book, was done in partnership with the Mid-America Arts Alliance.
Synopsis
Winner, Benjamin Franklin Award™ (Independent Book Publishers Association), Political/Current Events category
In Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints, Kansas City Art Institute professor Hal Elliott Wert unveils one of the largest Barack Obama campaign poster collections in existence. This is a collection to be treasured by everyone who was inspired and mobilized by the Obama campaign.
Among the unique features of this landmark book:
- More than 170 posters from Hal Wert’s personal collection
- A Catalog of Posters and Prints with background information on each featured piece
- The social and political context of the Obama poster movement and its place in the history of American presidential campaign art
- Foreword by Ray Noland, the street artist credited with starting the nationwide guerrilla poster movement in support of Obama
- The interior of the dust jacket folds out into a full-color reproduction of artist David Choe’s Hope poster
A portion of this book’s proceeds fund the National Art Education Association.
About the Author
Hal Elliott Wert has been a professor at the Kansas City Art Institute since 1972. He has authored a number of publications, book reviews, and papers on a range of subjects. He has spoken at numerous art galleries and has written many articles on presidential politics and campaign posters, including a feature on the Obama poster movement for Review magazine. His traveling exhibition, featuring many signed-and-numbered, limited-edition posters included in this book, was done in partnership with the Mid-America Arts Alliance.Hal Elliott Wert has been a professor at the Kansas City Art Institute since 1972. He has authored a number of publications, book reviews, and papers on a range of subjects. He has spoken at numerous art galleries and has written many articles on presidential politics and campaign posters, including a feature on the Obama poster movement for Review magazine. His traveling exhibition, featuring many signed-and-numbered, limited-edition posters included in this book, was done in partnership with the Mid-America Arts Alliance.
Table of Contents
Contents
Foreword by Ray Noland
Introduction
The Collection
Epilogue
Acknowledgments Index of Posters and Prints