Art and politics have long gone hand-in-hand, and many art world figures have already engaged or weighed in the political process this election cycle. As America goes to the polls to vote for a new president, the Los Angeles gallery Blum & Poe has offered its own unique contribution to the political process by opening their doors to the public as an official polling station.
The gallery strategically timed their exhibition schedule to coincide with the presidential election, having just closed its most recent show by the Los Angeles-based artist Henry Taylor on Saturday. Before the upcoming show by Quentin Morris is installed the 5,000 square foot space has been temporarily transformed into a voting station.
A voter leaving the official polling site at Blum & Poe. Photo: courtesy of Blum & Poe.
On Tuesday morning Angelenos patiently lined up outside the gallery’s LA space in the heart of the gallery district on La Cienega Blvd. to cast their vote for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton or her Republican counterpart Donald Trump.
“Important political issues hang in the balance in this particularly polarized election year,” co-owners Tim Blum and Jeff Poe said in a joint statement. “And on this Tuesday, the 8th of November, Blum & Poe has opted to function as an official polling site in order to encourage and support voters to engage.”
It is the third time the gallery will act as an official polling station, having been an official polling venue in the last two election cycles in 2012 and 2014.
The gallery is an official polling site for the third time. Photo: courtesy of Blum & Poe.
Another art gallery that has contributed to the political process is New York’s Jack Shainman, which became the headquarters of an artist-funded Political Action Committee (PAC) run by Eric Gottesman and Hank Willis Thomas. The funds raised by the PAC were spent on commissioning artists to make political advertisements.
Other art world figures who have weighed in on the election include Jeff Koons, who declared his support for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who while not eligible to vote, urged both candidates to strengthen America’s ties to his home country.