New Hampshire Art Association hosts political art exhibition

Political art is sometimes dismissed by critics as too purpose-driven. It’s artwork with an agenda, they say. But when is art not political? The act of putting brush to canvas or hands to clay usually results in an image that portrays a unique perspective on human existence. And human existence involves the ordering of societies, which is what politics is all about. Even the choice to live a hermetic lifestyle, outside the influence of society, is a political choice in itself. Political art also attempts to portray the oppression that comes from an overbearing or neglectful system of government. Living under such a system affects people’s everyday lives. Anything created under the strain of such circumstances is likely to serve as a commentary on that situation. Perhaps all art is political.  

A new exhibition at the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery on State Street in Portsmouth will offer artists a chance to voice their insights, observations and, perhaps, dissatisfaction with the current political climate in the United States and abroad. The New Hampshire Art Association is presenting “Vision and Voice,” which will be open to the public from July 6 to August 6. Submissions will be accepted on June 30 and July 1, and all work must incorporate themes of political, social, religious or environmental commentary. Artists are allowed to submit old work, as long as it is still relevant to the exhibition. NHAA executive director Lisa Polay said she is looking forward to the exhibit, which she called “a survey of political art.”

“Vision and Voice” is a juried competition open to all artists and photographers. Michael Shaughnessy, chair of the art department for the University of Southern Maine, will judge the submissions. Seven prizes will be awarded with a total monetary value of $2,500. As a regional organization, with membership extending throughout New England, the NHAA is accepting entries from any artists who can make it to the Portsmouth gallery to drop off their work.

Two years ago, the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery held an exhibition in conjunction with the Treaty of Portsmouth celebrations. “The Art of Peace” was a juried competition and exhibit that featured artwork in various mediums that explored the theme of peace. The success of this exhibit inspired the association to hold another themed exhibition. When asked why political art was chosen as this exhibition’s theme, Polay said, “I don’t know, but it certainly seems appropriate.”

With the United States currently fighting at least two wars, the importance of so-called “political art” has been heightened. Hours of newsreel cannot always capture the experience of war. As participants in the march of history, people with creative talent are compelled to record the human experience through art.