How Posters Helped Shape America and Change the World
One enthusiast's collection, on exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California, offers a sweeping look at grass-roots movements since the 1960s
- By Jeff Greenwald
- Smithsonian.com, May 23, 2012
(Stanley Mouse, The Bindweed Press, A Gathering of the Tribes for a Human Be-In, 1967. Collection of the Oakland Museum of California, All Of Us Or None Archive. Gift of The Rossman Family)
Visually striking, often mind-bending posters promoted the signature events that turned California into a mecca for spiritual seekers. Psychedelic drugs, music, flowers and a spirit of interdependence became the touchstones of a shared awakening that touched almost every aspect of American culture. This arresting lithograph was created at the Bindweed Press by the prolific Stanley Mouse, an artist considered by many to be the godfather of psychedelic posters. The roster for this San Francisco “Be-in” included Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (who would soon change his name to Ram Dass).
Comments (4)
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT All of the posters included are (at least were in their own day) clearly expressive of left-of-center views. Discuss.
Posted by Berel Dov Lerner on February 24,2013 | 02:49 AM
Stanley is a very talented guy. His dad worked in the Disney studios. I had never seen this one before. Great image.
Posted by Mary Miller on December 6,2012 | 10:08 AM
I love seeing all these posters. very inspiring and memory-provoking. just one small "correction" for Cushing ---- Martin Luther King came out against the war in Vietnam in April 1967, during major anti-war protests in NYC and SF. Still, cushing's point is well-taken ---- it took a few years for opposition to the war to build up....and it took a few years for civil rights leaders to link their own cause with the anti-war movement.
Posted by bill cohen on May 30,2012 | 09:26 AM
This is a terrific exhibit about a very interesting time - well worth seeing if you're in the Bay Area, along with the companion 1968 exhibit. Many of the artists in the poster exhibit choose to produce their work anonymously, and unfortunately this allowed interlopers to insert themselves into the history of at least one of the groups, claiming the legacy of others. Sad, but this doesn't take away from the significance of the work displayed in the exhibit.
Posted by Peggy White on May 25,2012 | 04:15 PM