For the final rally of her relatively short campaign to be the next US president ahead of Tuesday’s (November 5) election, Vice President Kamala Harris chose a site best known for its exceptional collection of works by Marcel Duchamp, Constantin Brâncusi and others titans. of modern art—as well as a famous scene from a movie about an underdog boxing champion—Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA). (The museum was closed Monday due to security protocols related to the rally.)

After criss-crossing the state of Pennsylvania all day, Harris ended his 15-week campaign with a large rally on PMA’s so-called “Rocky Steps” alongside celebrities including media mogul Oprah Winfrey, pop stars Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, popular locally. -hop legends The Roots and DJ Jazzy Jeff and others. (His star RockySylvester Stallone, was not present, although at one point in late 2016 he was rumored to be the favorite choice of Harris’ rival, former President Donald Trump, manages the National Fund for the Arts.)

“It is good to return to the city of brotherly love, where the foundation of our democracy was forged, and here, on these famous steps, a tribute to those who begin as those who begin are those who climb to victory,” Harris told the gather with Benjamin. Franklin Parkway outside the museum after taking the stage around 11:30 p.m. “I want to thank all the exceptional artists and performers who are here tonight and sharing the gift they have with all of us.”

The Harris campaign’s choice of the PMA as the backdrop for its final rally is not entirely surprising. The museum is arguably the most famous, photogenic, accessible and welcoming outdoor venue in the largest city in what is considered the most critical state to win this election. The city of Philadelphia is also rich in historical symbolism, being the place where the US founders drafted the Declaration of Independence and serving as the country’s first capital.

“If you give me a chance to fight on your behalf as president, there’s nothing in the world that can stand in my way,” Harris said at the rally, drawing on her past work as a California prosecutor. “I don’t think people who disagree with me are the enemy. I’ll give them a seat at the table — that’s what real leaders do, that’s what strong leaders do.”

Trump, also hoping to get Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral college votes — the most of any election this year. seven battleground states— spent much of the day campaigning in the state after starting Monday in North Carolina (16 electoral votes) and holding his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan (15 electoral votes). Candidates need 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.

Harris’ ties to art institutions stretch back decades. She served on the board of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) from 1996 to 2011. She was a board member of the non-profit organization San Francisco Jazz and was involved with the San Francisco Symphony. In 2022 he spoke at the opening gala of the exhibition Afro-Atlantic Histories at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Winfrey, speaking to a group of 10 first-time voters she brought on stage with her at the PMA rally, said: “Thank you for exercising your freedom of speech and your power. I know some of you are feeling burnt out, bruised and unimportant. Nothing could be further from the truth.” She added: “If we don’t show up tomorrow, it’s quite possible we won’t get the chance to vote again.”

An active sector

Many in the art world, including high-profile philanthropists and organizers, have supported Harris’ campaign since she became the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21. Some, however, withheld their support because of frustrations with the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the Middle East war and, in particular, its failure to put more pressure on Israel to reach cease-fire agreements that would end the humanitarian crises in Gaza, the West Bank and now Lebanon.

More than 100 artists have donated work to a fundraising auction and art sale organized by online marketplace Artsy and non-profit organization Artists for Kamala. Through the Artists For Democracy initiative, the non-profit organization People for the American Way launched parallel billboard campaigns with images designed by artists encouraging people to vote, criticizing Trump and supporting Harris. On Tuesday afternoon and evening, the Gladstone Gallery in New York will host a marathon reading titled Remember to dream at its location on West 21st Street, in tandem with the current presentation of the work of Carrie Mae Weems, who participated in the Artists For Democracy display campaign and also contributed images from her famous Kitchen table series in one of Harris’ campaign ads.

Trump has received little public support from the art-donor class or the artists themselves. Many right-wing art philanthropists supported their opponents in the Republican primaries earlier this year.