With everything going on in the world it's hard to believe our Posters for Social Change: Green New Deal Art launch party was only a little over two weeks ago! It was a truly magical night, packed with artists, activists, Bay Area locals and art lovers of every age who turned out in support of the Green New Deal. And even though our show has temporarily closed due to California's shelter in place order, the posters remain up on the gallery walls and they're definitely etched in our hearts. We're so happy to share some highlights of the evening with you and be sure to check out the video too!
The party kicked off on Friday, March 6th at Canessa Gallery in downtown San Francisco, and we cohosted the evening with our friends from the Living New Deal. Canessa Gallery is over 100 years old and was the perfect backdrop for the over 100 contemporary Green New Deal posters and vintage WPA Federal Art Project prints we installed! The gallery survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, and the space was once a print shop where activists gathered during the 1930s and 1940s. Not only was the space beautiful but it was full of history as well.
We timed the show to coincide with SF's First Fridays Open Studios downtown art walk and throughout the evening, we livestreamed the party on social media so remote fans could still experience it firsthand. This was wonderful because several artists had work in the show but were unable to be there in person, so watching on our Instagram was the next best thing! Artists Christopher Wachter and Clare Rickard each contributed a design to the show and were able to attend in person which was amazing! Equally amazing was seeing all the art together in one place and thinking about how some of the posters will look in our Green New Deal book (coming September 2020).
During the show we hosted a mini CAN popup shop and sold Green New Deal posters, books and limited edition Green New Deal pins, and it seemed like folks were eager to take things home with them! We capped off the evening with discussions led by CAN and the Living New Deal, as well as a rousing protest song led by special guests from Sunrise Movement. Best of all, the show was proof of our mission at CAN that art truly is the best way to inspire social change, and that by bringing people together around a common cause we can make the world a better place. ❤️
Want to know about CAN and the Green New Deal? Be sure to read our previous blog posts Introducing Posters for a Green New Deal and People Will Say It's Propaganda for more about how our company was inspired by the WPA and New Deal. Remember to keep an eye out for our Green New Deal tear out poster book launching in September 2020 and featuring a lot of the great art in our show! In the meantime, you can buy all of the posters framed or unframed on our website. ~Team CAN
