New exhibition opening soon!
We're opening our new season with "Ideas at War: American Propaganda Posters of World War II," an exhibition featuring over 50 original wartime posters from the collection of the State Historical Museum of Iowa. The exhibition, curated by John Fender, designer and Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Drake University, will open on Friday, Sept. 11 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Anderson Gallery. “Ideas at War” will remain on display through October 23.
Exhibition Overview
“Ideas at War” highlights the work of American designers as part of the vast propaganda machine responsible for appealing to the public for support of the war effort. Visually striking modern designs from the “loose lips” campaign, or those urging the conservation of resources or purchase of war bonds all appear as part of the exhibition. Perhaps less well known are progressive posters such as those illustrating proud Woman Ordinance Workers or advocating for integrated workforces by highlighting the participation of African Americans in the war effort and the achievement of African American soldiers.
John Fender selected the posters on exhibition from among hundreds available within the State Historical Museum of Iowa’s collections. Fender approached the selection with two things in mind: in addition to selecting posters that were thematically unusual, visually stunning or socially progressive, he also selected posters that represent elements of an underlying conflict present within the American ad agencies and government offices responsible for creating and distributing posters. Progressive artists and designers utilizing the new modern visual language clashed - artistically and ideologically - with those who advocated the use of traditional illustration, much more in the vein of imagery popularized during the First World War. These “ideas at war” significantly altered the visual landscape of American wartime advertising and poster design, a theme explored in detail by Fender in his critical essay within the catalogue accompanying the exhibition.
