“To be abnormal... to deviate from the style of government that I deplore in America today... is not only wise but necessary.”
Hunter S Thompson
Corrupt politicians, hippies, and a cry for change. See how politicians used art to mobilize young people to vote and transform their local government.
Browse over 100 vintage screen-printed posters, photos, films, and texts related to the Hunter S Thompson's Battle of Aspen. Explore how artists, beatniks and other concerned citizens creatively fought against gentrification, oppression, war, and environmental destruction in the elections of 1969.
Freak Power tells the story of Thompson's plan to become sheriff, take control of Aspen and transform it from a conservative mining town into a mecca for artists, rebels and activists. Through original print material from the campaign, photographs and political art, Freak Power chronicles a little known period in Hunter S Thompson's life, a period when he wrote prolifically about politics, the environment, drugs, and American values. As the conservatives and Thompson led liberals battled it out, the campaign became fraught with violence, accusations and moments of absurdity that bordered on fiction. As weird a tale as Thompson ever wrote, his own forays into politics may have been his wittiest and wisest escapade of all.
Freak Power collection curated by Daniel J. Watkins with original artwork by Ralph Steadman and Thomas W. Benton. The exhibition is presented by Aspen/Snowmass Express Travel Related Services Inc, with additional support provided by Michael Justice Buysse and Alex Buysse.
