As a practical matter, any art museum or gallery needs to carve out a niche for itself in order to remain relevant. To that end, Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, chose local art and political art as two areas of emphasis. Two exhibitions reflecting this institutional philosophy opened this past weekend. Bush Leaguers: Cartoonists Take on the White House is a collection of 99 editorial cartoons that were assembled in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC). The show is a stinging criticism of the Bush administration that showcases some of the finest political cartoonists in the country. True Dutterer: The Work of William S. Dutterer is a warm tribute to the late artist whose career began in D.C. The collection spans his entire career but the most moving works are recent ones inspired by the post-9/11 world and Dutterer’s love of Afghan culture.

Rob Rogers, editorial cartoonist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and AAEC President, compiled works by over 80 cartoonists, including two Pullitzer Prize winning artists, and was the driving force behind Bush Leaguers. All of the pieces have been published, most within the past year, and are uniformly critical of the current administration. In explaining the strong liberal bias of the work, Rogers hypothesizes that “cartooning, by its nature, is fighting against the system and so most cartoonists tend to be liberal.” Rogers did, however, note that some of the featured cartoonists were conservatives who were nonetheless disappointed with the Bush administration. He further pointed out that “no president is immune” and that such a show about any other administration would be just as irreverant and critical.