Places That Inspire. “1968” at The Oakland Museum of CA.

“The 1968 Exhibit” is a blend of light pop culture—Mad Men style—that includes Jane Fonda’s Barbarellathe Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, TV’s Bewitched, Family Affair and Star Trek, Op art, macramé, trippy music, and Kodak Flashcube cameras, contrasted with the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, the demonstrations for Civil Rights and the Women’s Movement, and protests against the Vietnam War. In the end, the year witnessed the ominous election of presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon, and 1968 became a turning point for an entire nation.

Entry into the "1968" Exhibit.

"1968 just cracked the universe open for me."

"Wherever we looked, something was wrong."

Household furnishings, 1968 style.

Household furnishings, 1968 style.

Cissy of "Family Affair" gets hip to 1968.

On the TV: Cissy of “Family Affair” gets hip to 1968.

Spock gets hip to the scene.

Could Spock be rejecting trippy space psychedelia?

Bewitched in 1968.

Bewitching.

Blue Meanies.

"The youth is our nation's clearest mirror ..." — Robert Kennedy

Pop Artifacts, 1968.

Pop culture artifacts, 1968.

Arms up. Nixon.

“Arms Up” 1.0

Arms up. Black Power.

“Arms Up” 2.0

Barbarella.

Jane Fonda is “Barbarella”.

"1968" Exhibit.

The exhibit was originally mounted by the Minnesota Historical Society, where my  sister-in-law, Wendy, is Head of Museum and Education Programs (if it were up to me, I’d just tell you Wendy invented 1968).

There’s plenty to see at the Oakland Museum, including the first retrospective of graphic novelist, Daniel Clowes, a 1960’s protest poster exhibit, and Oakland’s great permanent collections.

After August 19th, the exhibit heads off for dates in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and St. Louis, through 2014. Highly recommended.

Read more about this year’s history in Mark Kurlansky’s book, 1968: The Year That Rocked the World.

All photos by Jay F. Miller.

This entry was posted in critical thinking, design, ideas that inspire, photo blog, places that inspire. Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Places That Inspire. “1968” at The Oakland Museum of CA.

  1. Stuart says:

    Thanks for taking us to the 1968 Exhibit, Jay. Jane Fonda is such an icon!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>