- Designed by
- Anderson, Gail, American, born 1962
- Illustrated by
- Allen, Terry, American
- Subject of
- President Obama, Barack, American, born 1961
- School of Visual Arts, American, founded 1947
- Date
- 2009
- Medium
- ink on paper (fiber product)
- Dimensions
- H x W: 45 7/8 × 30 in. (116.5 × 76.2 cm)
- Caption
- Gail Anderson is a New York based designer and partner at Anderson Newton Design. Since 1987, Anderson has worked in the field of design at design firms, advertising agencies, and publications. Her work has received awards from major design organizations, including the Society of Publication Designers and the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). In 2008 she received a Lifetime Achievement Medal from the AIGA. Anderson currently works as Creative Director at the School of Visual Arts Press and is on the Citizen Stamp Advisory Committee for the US Post Office. In 2013, the US Postal Service commissioned Anderson to design the commemorative stamp for the sesquicentennial of the Emancipation Proclamation. Anderson was only the second African American designer tapped to design a commemorative stamp, the first being Georg Olden who designed the Proclamation’s 100th anniversary stamp in 1963.
- Description
- This is a subway poster for the School of Visual Arts designed by Gail Anderson and illustrated by Terry Allen, featuring a quote from President Barack Obama on the bottom half and an abstract lion’s face on the upper half. The lion’s face consists of a two-tone yellow circle with geometric shapes for a nose, large black circle for a mouth and small red circles for eyes. Its whiskers are two sets of parallel yellow lines. Red, white, and blue pencils radiate outwards from the face, creating the appearance of a mane. The bottom half has a quote in white text from President Obama’s Inaugural Address. The text reads “In Reaffirming the / Greatness / Of Our Nation / We Understand That / Greatness is Never A Given / It Must Be Earned. / President Barack Hussein Obama / Inaugural Address – January 20, 2009.” In the bottom right-hand corner is a small red flower next to white text that reads “School of VISUAL ARTS / SVA.EDU.” The poster has a black background. Below this text is copyright information.
- Place depicted
- New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Type
- posters
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gail Anderson
- Object number
- 2020.11.31
- Restrictions & Rights
- © School of Visual Arts
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




