Manifest Hope Offers Authentic Dose of Artistic Optimism
One hundred and fifty artists present their vision for worker's rights, the green economy, the reform of health care, and celebrate the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama in Manifest Hope. The exhibit contains brilliant artwork laden with hope and high expectations in a strong showing of eclectic work based on the three themes.
There is almost an overwhelming number of Obama images in the show. One would think that with our desensitization to buzzwords "change" and "hope," the imagery would be redundant and oppressive, but this show is anything but. It is poignant, uplifting and -- dare I say it? -- hopeful.
It fills two floors of the giant space, with work in almost every medium -- from photography to painting to sculpture -- and the selection is dizzying. Artists from across the nation are represented as well as some familiar D.C. area names, including Bill Colbert, Kelly Towles, Lisa Marie Thalhammer, Tim Tate, Mark Jenkins, and Sebastin Martorana.
All along the walls are images of Obama looking hopeful, strong, and capable -- they stand in stark contrast to the bumbling caricature of our current president which we have become accustomed to.
One of the most striking pieces in the show came from Manifest Hope's online contest. The Man From Illinois, by Scott Siedman is a very intricate and detailed mono print on canvas. Obama is centered in a wheat field dressed in work pants and suspenders. He holds a hoe in one hand and an open book in the other. He looks off in the distance, looking thoughtful. It is very allegorical and the epitome of Americana.
The show (sponsored by MoveOn.org, Service Employees International Union and OBEY GIANT) encouraged the artists to focus on three key areas: health care, workers' rights, and the green economy. With the sponsors looking to these themes, Obama's image is rarely divorced from them, but works sans Obama are there.
In a series by Scot LeFavor titled Change, the words "responsibility," "acceptance," "knowledge," "health care," "alternative" and "prosperity" are exemplified. Each panel is simple and graphic in style, with a worn edge. In Knowledge, a bright and fresh faced kid raises his hand, eager to answer a question with a thought bubble above his head. Instead of an incandescent light bulb, a CFL bulb is there to represent an idea. The viewer looks onto the backs of a couple with a for sale sign in the foreground with the word "sold" over it, in Prosperity. The series plainly shows the challenges and hope for the coming years.
Along with the artwork, you can purchase Obama paraphernalia. Buttons, T-shirts, stickers and Shepard Fairey's now ubiquitous poster. Reflecting on the happenings over the past year, Fairey said, "No one could have quantified the role that art plays. It makes you believe that the world can be a better place." Being surrounded by the numerous images that reflect hope and a positive attitude, his words are easy to believe.
At the opening on Friday, a performance by the seniors of Duke Ellington School of Music extended the theme of the exhibit to the performance arena. The students expressed their hopes and fears for the coming years on the stage, and reminded us not to lose our new found self respect. A portion of the proceeds from artwork sales from the exhibit will be donated to the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
Manifest Hope is located at 3333 M St. NW and is open to the public the 17th through the 19th from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.