The Warbonds Project began as a means to raise moneys to support another project, called Fighting Forces. To be realized, Fighting Forces requires the mass production of 100,000 custom toy soldiers. For an emerging artist, this is an expensive undertaking. Rather than waiting for my career to advance to another stage before executing an expensive project such as Fighting Forces, I began searching for alternate methods of funding. Insights from complex systems theory and real world examples, both in the public and private sector, suggested that a distributed approach might work.

But like most everything I make, this project could not be just a money making scheme. Its existence needed to be thorough and real. I wanted to make an object (or series of objects) that manifested a movement of support, a device that helps us grasp that abstract shape of social support for projects too large for a single person to accomplish. Very quickly, producing my own "war bonds" became the most obvious solution. And these bonds too needed to be hyper-real. In the Autumn of 2002, I began researching security documents to learn what features would be available and affordable for a limited edition (2500), commercially produced art document. This was prior to the U.S. led invasion of Iraq. As I got a sense of what features would be available to me with my budget, I incorporated them into my design. These include: individually numbered documents with "bleed through" serial numbers (pictured right); seven colors of ink (as opposed to standard CMYK offset printing); split fountain plates where one printing plate fades from one color to another as on the newly colored US currency; microprinting as seen in the close-up below; and an embossed holographic foil tape. All these features are printed onto an archival security paper stock with continuous a continuous watermark pattern.

The array of security features included in this artwork can only be provided by specialized security print houses. Many of these houses print US municipal bonds, federal bonds, stamps, and stock certificates. By the time the designs were ready for press, the march to war was in full swing. In the highly partisan cultural climate leading up to the war, the openness and subtlety present in my work was muffled. The warbonds were easily construed as a simple antiwar and anti-military statement.

Citing concerns of conflict of interest, houses that had been able to furnish me with an estimate eight months prior were no longer interested in printing the job. Ultimately, I found a printer overseas in Great Britain who was both able and willing to print the certificates. I have no idea what they thought of the documents, and if political obstacles I encountered here in the US helped in getting these printed there.

Early in this process, a number of questions were raised regarding the legality of these documents. Legal consultation helped me redraft the legal copy printed on each document to ensure that I was in compliance of all applying US laws. To the left is the final legal that appears on each certificate. After two years in production, half of which was spent overcoming unexpected obstacles, The Warbonds Project is nearly ready to be officially launched. The first wave will include a limited tour of US cities with appearances at emerging artist spaces and alternative bookstores. Appearances will include a brief presentation of this document, a synopsis of The Warbonds Project and Fighting Forces, town hall meeting-style discussions, followed by the sale, signing, and stamping of certificates. On this tour, the bonds will be available at $25 each plus markup determined by the venue. If you are in charge of booking appearances at an appropriate venue and are interested in The Warbonds Project, please contact me. As each bond certificate needs to be signed by the purchaser and by myself, and then get stamped with an embossed seal, please do not send requests to purchase certificates over the internet. As tour dates are firmed up, a schedule will be posted here at jamesleonard.org.