the PROPAGANDA III art show opened on JULY 4 to decidedly mixed reviews // submissions to remain OPEN!

PROPAGANDA III WORLD TOUR

online gallery of ALL poster submissions

THE JULY 4 OPENING AT THE PHOENIX HOTEL IN SAN FRANCISCO:

Some people liked it:

The bold, striking graphic artworks depict many a struggle for justice, freedom, and peace, and the collection appeals to a diverse set of viewpoints and a wide range of emotions. The journey across time and space found in the collection of posters gives the Fourth of July holiday more context and will broaden your perspective... LINK

You won't agree with a lot of it. If you're like me, you won't even understand a lot of it. But the visual and graphic palette on display is stunning. It's like a primer in what's going on in the design and art world today. LINK

I rather assume that it never occurred to some of the critics of the exhibit that the (Propaganda III) show is indeed a grand display of 'Freedom of Speech' and how it is alive and well and works in the United States of America. This exhibit show is as American as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet...Let freedom ring! LINK

Isn't it the 4th the ideal time to have an exhibit devoted to freedom of expression and speech? You either stand up for the speech you hate or you just throw freedom of speech out the window... LINK

Browsing through the online gallery at Flickr, one sees that Propaganda III is indeed a politically equal opportunity venture. There does appear to be a larger percentage of left-leaning work, but that speaks more to the emotional nature of art than to any supposed ideological nature of the program’s selection process. So, while there is certainly some loony Western civilization-hating subject matter of dubious design value, there is also some truly stunning, and ethically/politically centered, design work to be seen. Cool, huh? LINK

Boasting "no curation and absolutely NO censorship," Propaganda III displays persuasive posters from over 300 artists around the world as an extension and progression of the classic form - arresting images, compelling slogans, elegant layouts. After touring the collection in over 30 cities worldwide, the pieces are being donated to the Center for the Study of Political Graphics. LINK

Propaganda art of all ilks here, intense and engaging. In particular, those of you curious about how artists from around the world see America (as if you don't know already) might wanna don your flack jackets and check out this show. It's exquisitely painfully eye-opening...Good show. Go see. LINK

...the Propaganda III political-poster art show, which is a revolution the likes of which this country hasn't seen since 1776. First off, there's no curation: all submissions, which have come from as far as Iran, China, and Croatia, are included in the show. None of the posters are censored — everything goes up, regardless of "controversial" content. Finally, and perhaps most refreshing, nothing is for sale, so the motivations remain pure... LINK

Propaganda III's organizing principle embraces total openness and access for all of the included artists. Like a modern day Thomas Paine, the Propaganda III crew have devoted their lives to wandering the earth, putting on one-day art shows in the service of free speech. LINK

Interestingly enough, the show’s organizer promises that the exhibit is open to submissions by any & all artists and that absolutely “no curation or censorship” will be exercised when assembling the shows. In addition, none of the artwork on display will be available for sale during the shows, but rather only through the participating artist’s private websites. In Doffing’s words, “This is not a commercial art show, but rather a truly global celebration of free speech and untrammeled freedom of expression.” After the tour has ended, all original artwork will be donated to the Center for the Study of Political Graphics (CSPG) in Los Angeles... LINK

...designers should really pay more attention to what is happening in the art world. The Propaganda III show was well worth checking out... LINK

While the blogosphere has provided the disenfranchised with a platform for discussion and debate, one of the most powerful tools of grassroots communication has remained essentially provincial: Printed on paper and affixed to walls with wheat paste, the propaganda poster is a medium made to stay in place. Propaganda III effectively questions this role by proposing a hybrid future for poster art that relies on the global reach of photo-sharing website Flickr and the universal availability of inkjet printers...More provocatively, the ongoing online exhibition suggests the potential for propaganda to evolve, open-source, as it spreads: As digital files circulate freely on the web, global messages can be remixed on any PC to meet local needs... LINK

Some people didn't like it:

Pictures from the PROPAGANDA III exhibition have just got to be seen to be believed...(warning - disturbing images at the link)...what you have is a bizzare (sic) mix of neo-communists, historical revisionists, anti-semites, Iranian propagandists, anarchists, 9/11 "truthers", and the "peace at any price" crowd...it's ironic that only in a truly free country like ours can so much hatred be openly displayed. Due to various hate-crime laws, even most Western European nations would probably not allow an exhibition like this. LINK

It’s an Islamic terrorist-hugging, free and pluralistic state-hating explosion of impotent useful idiot fury. It’s San Francisco’s special way of celebrating our nation’s independence with an Anti-American July 4th...Incidentally, these clowns somehow don’t see that this sort of spectacle would be shut down with any number of violent, repressive methods in the countries they cheerlead for from here...Seriously, though, there is some really good design to found among the raging spittle-coated pieces there. Check it out... LINK

Why was the exhibit held in a radical-style hotel frequented by underground activist-types, and not a traditional gallery? Why purposely hold the opening day on July 4th when you know that the majority of posters were anti-American, as if you were purposely thumbing your nose at Independence Day? ...if we waded through the entire flickr gallery and analyzed each and every poster for political content, I guarantee the “left-wing” posters would outnumber the “right-wing” posters at least 50 to 1. This is not a comment on the quality of the design — much of which was quite good — just on the political viewpoint of the designers... LINK

Thank you for demonstrating the repulsive side of humanity. How would we know good if we were not shown evil? LINK

There is a wing of the Left who use the slogan "Support the troops, bring them home." The people at the PROPAGANDA III show make those Lefties look like patriots...This is Diane Feinstein country... LINK

The art is shocking, provocative, silly and beyond silly... LINK

While I am an ardent supporter of the First Amendment, I like my anti-whatever-protest art to be subtle and intriguing. Instead, much of what the Propaganda III show offers is trite and somewhat immature anti-American and anti-Bush rhetoric...Boasting “no curation and absolutely NO censorship,” PROPAGANDA III would benefit from at least minimal discrimination in selecting works. Nonetheless, with a few standout pieces and the Phoenix as a backdrop, the PROPAGANDA III opening was a pleasant Independence Day outing... LINK

The posters themselves were very cool, very inspiring, but I was hoping for more controversial / right-wing / communist / authoritarian / uncle-sam-type stuff - instead, it was mostly lefty fare. Nonetheless, cool... LINK

If they are so offensive, why publish so many (on this blog)? To clearly display the magnitude of the depravity on the Left. I think it is the people pictured in (the PROPAGANDA III) collection who don't get the "entire concept of America and the freedom of self expression". They use a right protected by the American government to accuse that same government of not allowing them to practice that right. At the same time they support governments and people; Iran, Hamas, Che, Hugo Chavez, et. al., who wouldn't allow them to protest as they are now. LINK

The Anti-American July 4th Propaganda III Art Show...is a collection of anti-American, anti-Israel propaganda... LINK

...these people really do hate America. The bulk hate America for no better reason than their personality requires hatred, vandalism both real and virtual, and just being offensive. They lack any coherent reasons for their bile. Nonetheless they do hate America. LINK

I guess it didn't occur to the sponsors of this exhibit how many places in the world they would never have been allowed to display it. I found most of it to be rather ugly and disgusting; however, people have a right to be hateful here. It's constitutionally guaranteed. LINK

Sure, those people had the right to do whatever they so desired on the Fourth - the irony is that a lot of the people they were protesting against guaranteed them that right. However, having the right to do it does not make it any less stupid, or any less of a disgrace. LINK

A few people REALLY hated the show (and San Francisco, too!):

Nutbucket art show...If only we could take a big saw to the city of San Francisco and let it float out to sea. LINK

Sure makes one wish for one huge ice pick we could use to break that little chunk of lost America off and set it adrift. LINK

What they need in HANOI ON THE BAY is agood earthquake to dump the whole stinking place into the ocean and we can just BOYCOTT SAN FRANCISCO... LINK

I've been waiting for some heavenly retribution for sodomy by the bay for a while now... LINK

SF is such a lovable city but the people sure are unlovable...they're just such empty creatures, aren't they? all about destroying the Republic, with nothing but anarchy to replace it...let them all relocate to the country of their choice... LINK

I, for one, want to see what the Scum of San Fran is up to...It amuses me that the idiots congregate in one spot...Their lunatic antics basically preach to the choir there...Brave men have died so the Scum of San Francisco could display the manifestations of piss-poor upbringing and self-loathing. That doesn't mean they have the right to escape scrutiny. LINK

Sometimes I wish we could have another civil war in America so we could purge the nation of these fifth columnists. LINK

How Much Does SF Hate America? Let Us Count The Ways! The photos (from the show) will make you want to wretch. The more the United States comes to resemble SF, the quicker it will be erased from the face of the earth, to be replaced by more ‘progressive’ systems of power, such as communism (heroically depicted in the Propaganda III exhibit) or Islamism (heroically depicted in the Propaganda III exhibit)... LINK

SAN FRANCISCO is the most vile place in america the best thing we can do its to boycott the whole damn place let them have their stupid gay pride day and have their rainbow flags and sissy pink ribbons... LINK

I'm ashamed I ever lived in the Bay Area. It's sick, truly sick. LINK

I can't remember a city that does a better job of abusing their freedom. Obviously, they don't appreciate it or even want it. Maybe we could turn San Francisco into an overpriced penal colony and start shipping them our malcontents from other areas of the country. A camp, sort of, to concentrate them all in one spot. Make their paranoid dreams come true. Orange jumpsuits for all. Perhaps they could apply for citizenship again before they can leave, using the normal naturalization process... LINK

...as long as it's Leftists and/or queers going over the top, it's free speech... LINK

Just another Fourth of July celebration in San Francisco...this is the heart of Leftist America, celebrating their violent hatred for America...NOW can we question their patriotism? LINK

You f##king people should be sent to Gitmo! F##k you, if you don't like America then get the hell out. Why the f##k would you stay here? Could it be because this is the best Country In the world could it? F##k you liberal assholse (sic). I can't wait until Habib Cuts your f##king head off. LINK

At least one online commentator posited that we were perhaps mocking the expressed viewpoints:

I do have to say one thing about that show, it was called "propaganda". So couldn't an argument be made that they were using that term in its negative connotation and that they were putting down the obvious, heavy-handed propaganda on display? I mean, if they were going to put down America, they would have put up "Uncle Sam Wants You" posters and some of the realy (sic) heavy-handed, anti-Hun and anti-little-yellow-bastids posters from WWII or anti-commie stuff from the 50s? LINK

A few online commentators did not believe that PROPAGANDA III was truly without CENSORSHIP or CURATION:

If (we) submitted a piece of art with "conservative" content...do you really think it would have been shown? Say, if (we) painted a picture suggesting that slavery should be re-instituted, do you REALLY think it would have been shown? If you do, I have 500 acres in Manhattan I will sell you for $1,000. LINK

"This is NOT a commercial art show, but rather a celebration of free speech + untrammeled freedom of expression." Yeah, I bet. I bet your art can be a part of this show as long as it is from a leftist anti establishment slant. I wonder what would be said if I submitted some art that was from a pro imperialist world domination slant. Sort of like I wish the USA would start dropping lots of bombs on brown skinned people just so I can have some 55 cent a gallon gas?????? I wonder how well that would go over...I am sorry. That art show, no censorship. I am not buying it. I am sure their (sic) is no censorship as long as you meet what they are trying to portray. You have the remember liberals are often to (sic) most intolerant species... LINK

And one conservative blogger actually suggested that the Iranian government was somehow involved with the exhibition:

...many of the posters were actually from Iran itself. And most were so "official" - seeming, so professionally crafted, it dawned on me that these entries were either designed and submitted by the government of Iran, or at the very least vetted and approved by the Iranian government, which apparently must have heard about a crazy American art exhibit in which there would be no curator, and decided to take advantage of the situation. The organizers ended up getting more than they bargained for: they wanted artists to submit pseudo-propaganda, but what they got was real propaganda! But as far as I could tell, I was the only one who noticed... LINK

link to submissions received from Iranian artists