Last year, Ward Schumaker created a hand-painted book of quotes from the 45th president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, titled HATE IS WHAT WE NEED. Chronicle Books published a clothbound, hardcover edition of this one-of-a-kind book. But this year, as lies and injustices multiplied, that seemed insufficient. So he created a second one-of-a-kind book titled, The Administration of Cruelty and Stupidity. He also painted 40 large broadsides, with quotations not just from Trump, but also from victims who have suffered under his administration and those who have spoken out against it. Mounting them on the walls like the news of the last two years: as an onslaught, a deluge. We call them: trump papers (hoisted by his own petard).

Join Jack Fischer Gallery for an artist talk of The Administration of Cruelty and Stupidity and for a book signing of HATE IS WHAT WE NEED on November 3rd, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Lounge at Minnesota Street Project. Come by and see the exhibition of trump papers (hoisted by his own petard) at Jack Fischer Gallery up through November 6, 2018.

Ward Schumaker's fascination with the relationship between art and language began in Nebraska, where he grew up. A few decades later, in California, a chance encounter at an art center in his neighborhood, the San Francisco Center for the Book, inspired what has become a deep involvement in making books as art, featuring stenciled and hand-painted text. Though he claims to ignore the ideals of traditional craftsmanship, Schumaker’s expressionistic bookwork is of high order, and examples have found their way into collections throughout the United States.