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.