Obama Art: Candidate on the canvas

by Jason George

DENVER -- What's the subject of Denver's newest art show?

Sen. Barack Obama, of course.

Obama appears in almost all of the artwork at this week's Manifest Hope Gallery, just 2 miles from the site of the Democratic National Convention. About 125 artists from across the U.S. have pieces on display: There's Obama as Abraham Lincoln. There's Technicolor Obama. There are portraits of the candidate as a young man.

"The show's really about five themes -- hope, change, unity, progress and patriotism -- but Obama is pretty much throughout," said Yosi Sergant, a show co-producer. "The artists kind of see him as a symbol of change itself -- he looks like 'change.' "

Ray Noland of Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood has employed Obama themes in his art since 2006, but witnessing all the other artists' work in Denver left him nearly speechless Sunday.

"It's amazing to see such collaboration," he said, as he stood beside pieces such as Obama-painted sneakers and "Yes We Can" cheerleading outfits.

Noland, aka CRO, whose paintings and posters often deal with Obama and race, said he came to his muse as a supporter and an African-American, but his work's purpose has expanded.

"It's grown really to try to record what's happening in this country," he said. "I am really trying to document this moment in time."

Details on the event, which runs through Friday, can be found here.