Bernie Sanders has been compared to a muppet time and time again, but as far as we know, only one artist has lovingly turned him into one. (That said, we have seen a Bernie puppet before). Donny Miller’s handiwork, above, will be on display on the Bowery this weekend, as part of a pro-Bernie art exhibit, “The Art of a Political Revolution.”
Yes, that’s right, on the same day Hillary supporters square off in a pantsuit competition in Bushwick, Bernie’s artsy crowd are invited to what amounts to a Sanders shrine. Inside of it will be works by Shepard Fairey, the Obama “Hope” poster boy who in February unveiled a t-shirt in support of Bernie; Claw Money, the graffiti artist with a store on the Lower East Side; Atiba Jefferson, the skate photographer who’s a fixture at Max Fish; Gilf!, the artist behind the “Gentrification in Progress” tape; Ron English, whose work you’ve seen everywhere from the Bowery wall to Coney Island; Gregory Auerbach, who has given away thousands of free posters as part of his Bernie poster project; and Molly Crabapple, the artist, activist and Vice columnist whose work appeared in a “Weekend With Bernie” exhibit in Bushwick back in February.
Other participants — like Ellen Voorheis, Jermaine Rogers, Aaron Draplin, Dug Nap, Dylan Fant, and Cody Hudson — have created a series of posters hyping the candidate. Sure, we could ask them why they’re for the bank-busting bird whisperer instead of, you know, Andrew WK’s Party Party. But you’ll be able to ask at least some of them yourself. Auerbach, Rogers, Hudson and Claw Money will be scribbling autographs throughout the weekend, per the schedule here.
The show, part of a traveling exhibit that opened in Los Angeles in February, runs Saturday through Monday. After you’ve bought some prints at the Sunday installment (proceeds go to the Sanders campaign), you can hop on over to Williamsburg for a NYC Artists for Bernie party at Black Bear Bar, where even more visual art will be projected while bands and performers like Varick, Kodomo, and Sandflower do their thing.
“The Art of a Political Revolution,” April 16 (10:30am – 5pm), April 17 (10:30am – 7pm), and April 18 (10:30am – 7pm) at 312 Bowery, nr. Bleecker St., East Village.
“NYC Artists for Bernie,” April 17, 6pm – 11pm, at Black Bear Bar, 70 N. 6th St., nr. Wythe Ave., Williamsburg.