The art in this book speaks to a time when pot was smoked with optimism, as something potentially good for society and people, capable of activating profound transformation in the face of corrupt and powerful forces.
It's the story of the Underground Press Syndicate (UPS), a loose confederation of newspapers that reached millions of readers. UPS spurred the legalization of cannabis movement, and weed became its totem. Weed, its use, cultivation and political implications shared page layouts with civil rights, the women’s movement, student unrest, and protests against the Vietnam War. Gaps in text were often crammed with weed-inspired spot illustrations.
Heads Together collects these drawings, ads and cartoons. This artwork is hand-made and amateurish. It's innocence brings marijuana's once incendiary status into odd relief with the corporate profiteers who dominate the legal market today. Author David Jacob Kramer makes clear how the new "industry" does not reflect those who first fought for legalization, or the Black and Latino populations strategically criminalized for pot well before hippies were targeted, and long after.
Kramer concludes, "Like an old roach, pot as a symbol of civil disobedience has long ceased to smolder. The imagery in this book pertains to a time when pot was smoked with optimism".
Book: Heads Together: Weed and the Underground Press Syndicate, 1965-1973
|
|
