COKE label, Keith Haring

Exhibition Label: “Big Shots: Andy Warhol, Celebrity Culture and the 1980s,” Aug-2009, Susan Earle This drawing was made on a Coca-Cola bottle label. Haring was known best for his drawings in the New York City subway system and t-shirts that raised awareness of the AIDS crisis. He knew Warhol and their artwork shared a profound integration of democratic ideals and popular culture. On a local scale, Haring visited Lawrence, Kansas, in 1987 to participate in the River City Reunion, which featured writer and Lawrence resident William S. Burroughs and was organized by longtime Burroughs companion James Grauerholz. During his visit, Haring also allegedly created a graffiti piece on the walls of Lucifer’s, an abandoned building (now destroyed) that was a favorite hangout of local punk rockers.