Introduction:
Throughout the history of the United States, some form of poster has been used in promoting democracy. The poster has been used in promoting democracy. The poster served to motivate the need for enlistment and to call upon every citizen to make it their private mission to fight the war from the home front. Reproduced at times in the millions, the poster proved to be an effective and economical method for getting the message out to the public. The mission was to display as many posters as possible in all public places, both interior and exterior. The message was clear, emotional, and simple.

The poster would vary in size from approximately 7" by 10" to 40" by 60", and their design was democratic. Designers were usually urged to incorporate red, white and blue wherever possible. Shortly after the onset of World War II, the primary theme of war posters shifted from "defense" towards "victory". The posters movement also united the talents of many fine illustrators and designers with the world of advertising, such as the poster by Norman Rockwell which depicts soldiers from 1812 to 1943.

This project is devoted to posters created during the 20th century to the present and covers a variety of issues dealing with both war and peacetime activities. In their interpretation, the researchers provide commentary on various posters for their aesthetic, democratic message, and propaganda. They will also identify the influences the posters had on everyday mass media, such as advertising illustration and movie poster design.

Due to the substantial number of posters in the Army and Navy archives and reproductions from various other sources, the researchers of this project feel this collection is an ample sampling. This project is also designed to display in collaboration with the researchers' previous project "Rendering Democracy", which features 36 two-dimensional combat artworks.

This exhibition is another example of the use of visual art for the promotion of democracy.

 James L. Knutson and Dave Wilson

Acknowledgements:
The curators of this exhibition would like to acknowledge the following for the support and assistance in organizing this exhibit and catalog.

• The Chiesman Center for Democracy, Inc.
• The Chiesman Center for Democracy Black Hills State University, Dr. David Wolff, Chair
• Sharon Hemmingson, Director of Grants and Special Projects
• Renee Klish, Army Art Curator, U.S. Army Center of Military History, Washington, D.C.
• Karen Navhistcen Haubold, U.S. Navy Art Collection, Washington, D.C.
• The Ruddell Gallery, Black Hills State University
• Cal Crooks, Director, Graphics and Media, Black Hills State University
• Shawna Walsh, Graphics and Media Assistant, Black Hills State University
• Deaver J. Traywick, Director, Writing Center, Black Hills State University, for his assistance in editing this catalog
• The Armed Forces Recruiting Office
• Special Thanks to the Army and Marine Corps recruiting office, Rapid City, SD

With a sincere thank you from Dave Wilson, Assistant Professor of Visual Art, and James L. Knutson of Visual Art, co-curators of "Promoting Democracy: Mobilizing a Nation Through War Posters"

The images, information and materials included in this exhibition are intended for education purposes only.

Introduction:
Throughout history, military conflicts have been an important subject matter for the visual artist. By WWI the U.S. military saw the importance of the Visual Arts for historical interpretation and acceptance on the home front. WWI was the first time the U.S. Army selected recognized illustrators and gave them direct commissions as captains to depict the war. By WWII all branches of the military had groups of artists recording war images. Also several private sector groups such as Life Magazine and Libby (a medical supply company) had their own artists recording the war and its effort to further democracy by exposing the reality of war to the people at home.

During WWII artists were commissioned for their interpretation of the war usually depicting the every-day soldier. Each conflict had its own group of military artists who were "common men", becoming both artist and fighter. These artists showed the American public combat-life through reproductions in publications of the time. The artists sent home first hand visual accounts of life on the war front. Their efforts were well received by the American public and reinforced the ideal of a democratic way of life.

The importance of this project became clear during our initial research. As a brief part of our art history course, we were surprised that our students were unaware work of this nature even existed. When lecturing and presenting on this topic, we were surprised by the interest of the students. By having a show and program related to this topic, it exposes and educates the students to one of the most powerful promotional examples of democracy through the creative endeavors of the visual artist.

The artwork selected for the exhibition and catalog represent a chronological order from WWI to the present. Our original intention was to equally depict artwork from every war and conflict. However, the sheer volume of work housed in the U.S. Army Center of Military History and the U.S. Navy Art Collection made the original idea difficult because there are many more important examples than just pure combat art. Hubert Lanzinger's commissioned painting "Flag Bearer-Hitler in Armor", with a soldier's bayonet stab through the plywood panel, displays an aggressive disapproval of a dictatorship and its threat to democracy, while Gene Klebe's "Visiting U.S. Navy Paints Church-Karachi, Pakistan" depicts U.S. sailors as foreign diplomats during peacetime. Both examples are extreme opposites but we feel they represent actions motivated by democracy other than through acts of combat.
Why else would the military and private entities commission interpretations of the wars/conflicts, except to promote the American way of life and Democrat ideals?

James L. Knutson and Dave Wilson

Acknowledgements:
The curators of this exhibition would like to acknowledge the following for the support and assistance in organizing this exhibit and catalog.

• The Chiesman Center for Democracy, Inc.
• The Chiesman Foundation for Democracy Black Hills State University
  Dr. George Earley, Chair
• Sharon Hemmingson, Director of Grants and Special Projects
• Peggy Gubbrud, Grants Office Program Assistant
• Renee Klish, Army Art Curator, U.S. Army Center of Military History, Washington, D.C.
• Karin Navhistcen Haubold, U.S. Navy Art Collection, Washington, D.C.
• The Ruddell Gallery, Black Hills State University
• Cal Crooks, Coordinator, Graphics and Media, Black Hills State University
• Michelle Tracy, Information Specialist, Graphics and Media, Black Hills State University
• Steve Parker, Associate Professor of Music, Black Hills State University

With a sincere thank you from James L. Knutson, Professor of Visual Art, and Dave Wilson, Assistant Professor of Visual Art, co-curators of "Rendering Democracy".