“Vote Joy”
24″ h x 16″ w, lithograph (signed, numbered 22/100) (2024)
When I purchased this print in October 2024 (what better way to donate $250 to the Harris campaign?), I joked that in one month it would either become the most treasured or the most depressing item in my household. Sadly, it is the latter. Nonetheless, I do not regret purchasing it at all. Even, or perhaps especially, in dark times, it is important to remember what could have been, because it is also a reminder of what could one day become. And I am a deep believer in joy as an important political emotion; that is something I will never apologize for, no matter how grim the world sometimes seems.
I have idly wondered, though, if I should start a niche collection of failed presidential campaign art. Calder’s “McGovern for McGovernment” is a classic. I actually threw a bid at Jamie Wyeth’s “To Sail Against the Wind” print for the Ted Kennedy ’80 campaign. There are no doubt plenty of others. Could be a fun, if potentially demoralizing, little corner!
“AOC (Blue)”
16″ h x 16″ w, giclee print (signed, numbered 37/50) (c. 2025)
I like AOC. I think that is a rare opinion, since most seem to love her or hate her and I just like her. Still, I think the emoji-like hearts reflect the attachment and adoration AOC has cultivated among a younger crowd–this felt like a clever contemporary twist on political pop on behalf of a politician already well on her way to iconic status.
Ultimately, I thought this piece was an excellent addition to my small but growing collection of political art. Who knows—maybe it will one day become part of a collection of presidential candidate art? (I imagine AOC hopes it does not become part of a collection of failed presidential art).
David Schraub 