Art isn't what immediately comes to mind when I think about the nominating process of presidential candidates, but I guess it makes sense: Art has always been a driving force in creating change, or at least its sold that way. And the thousands of protest signs, many of them made by hand, represent some of the best and most thoughtful artwork I've seen over the course of the insane 2016 election cycle so far.
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Traveling to Cleveland and Philadelphia for the Republican and Democratic conventions this summer, I had hoped to find an exhibition that would blow me away–perhaps a burgeoning art collective organized in the wake of the 2016 primary season. I searched for a Dada-inspired critique of our political systems unique frenzy, but while the work I saw over the last two weeks didn't suggest that there was any cohesive movement underway, there were a few standout pieces that suggest the intersection of politics and art remains vibrant in these insane times.