PHOENIX — It's that time of year when campaign signs line the streets.
One yard in Phoenix's Coronado neighborhood is loaded with them. Yet, all the candidates, except one, aren't running for office in 2024.
“All of these people actually existed. All of these people lost," said Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) Registrar and Collections Manager Carrie Tovar.
The signs belong to the "Monument to the Unelected," an art installation by Nina Katchadourian for SMoCA. It was originally created for the museum's 10th Anniversary Seriously Funny exhibition in 2008.
“(Katchadourian) just got this idea of 'I’m going to create an artwork that references all of the failed past elections in American history'," Tovar said.
Each contemporary sign features the losing presidential candidate from elections past, dating back to the beginning of the country's history.
“It’s not meant to be political. It’s apolitical," Tovar said. "It’s factual in a really whimsical and playful way.”
The installation started on a Valley street corner in 2008 and quickly became a hit.
SMoCA and the artist have brought it back every election cycle since, adding a new sign each time.
All 58 signs are now on display in Tovar's front yard, where she said hundreds of people stop to look.
“(Visitors) spend a lot of time reminiscing because some of them, they really want to reminisce about elections that they witnessed or that they were a part of," Tovar said. "It also garners a lot of Google searching... so there’s also kind of like an educational element to it which is really fun.”
While all of the signs represent real candidates, the signs are completely fabricated.
"All of the slogans are made up by (Katchadourian). All of the designs are made up by her," Tovar said.
Tovar told 12News the installation puts a whimsical spin on what could have been the American presidential lineage.
“It’s really a part of our American history and I think it’s something to be proud of, like these are all times that could have been tough or filled with turmoil and it just shows that as a democracy, we just keep moving forward in a really wonderful way," Tovar said.
Once the 2024 presidential election results are finalized, the museum will host a sign placement ceremony. A first-time voter will be asked to add the newest unelected candidate to the collection.
The installation will be on display through the first week of December.
