Illustration of four children holding a white sign with black text on it on a white background

This button promotes a New York education program called Children First, which was announced by Mayor Bloomberg of New York City in 2003. Bloomberg wanted to reform the local public schools and increase student test scores. To achieve these goals, the education system was centralized under the Mayor's control and school districts were combined. The program trained principles to make decisions and then gave them more control to budget and hire for their schools since they were closer to the classroom and could see student needs better. They created smaller schools to reduce dropout rates by giving students more personal attention and allowing students some choice in which high school they attend. They allocated more per pupil funds to schools with special education students and English learners rather than allocating money based on the salaries of the teachers. The success of these reforms has been strongly debated since Bloomberg left office in 2013.

Illustration of a white turn arrow pointing to the left with a red stripe going diagonally across the button and white text above the arrow on a blue background.

This button was used in John Milan Ashbrook's campaign for Presidency in 1972. Ashbrook was running against the incumbent President Richard Nixon as an alternative conservative candidate. 

The button became a famous symbol among the conservatives, as it symbolized their frustration with Nixon, whom they saw as having abandoned conservative principles and "turned left" on foreign and domestic issues. During his first term, Nixon had resumed relationship with the People's Republic of China, pursued détente with the Soviet Union, and launched a series of liberal domestic policies such as canceling the convertibility of US dollars to the gold standard and endorsing Equal Rights Amendments; those policies had subsequently raised eyebrows from his fellow Republicans.

Although Ashbrook's campaign was unsuccessful, its messages had resonated with many conservatives, and thus paved ways for the ascent of Ronald Reagan in 1980. 

Brown text and an illustration of a beaver's head wearing glasses on a yellow background

This button was created as a playful promotional item for selling mass-market paperbacks. It features a cartoon beaver and the phrase “I’m eager to sell mass paperbacks!”—a pun based on the idiom “eager beaver.” This expression can carry both positive and negative meanings: it may describe someone energetic and hardworking, or it can be used sarcastically to suggest someone is trying too hard. In the case of the button, the tone is cheerful and positive, with the beaver image emphasizing enthusiasm and motivation.

Research suggests that the beaver character was once associated with the Tattered Cover Book Store, a well-known independent bookseller based in Denver, CO. While the store does carry branded merchandise today, there are no official records indicating this character was part of its history. It’s more likely that the button was part of a broader marketing effort during the rise of paperback sales, designed to draw attention to book promotions in a lighthearted, engaging way.

White text on a brown background

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Red text and an illustration of a red person with a colorful outer ring circling it and purple, pink and green rays coming out of the top on a white background

The Spirit Sings: Artistic Traditions of Canada’s First Peoples was an exhibit held at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta as part of the Arts Festival of the 1988 Winter Olympics. The exhibit featured over 650 pieces of First Nations art and artifacts.The Spirit Sings faced controversy as the Lubicon Lake Cree called for a boycott of the exhibit in an attempt to draw attention to their unresolved land claim. The protest centred on the fact that the exhibit was sponsored in part by Shell Canada.

The logo seen on this button was derived from an image on an Ojibwa drum on display in the exhibit. The drum was on loan from the civic museum in Bergamo, Italy. 

Illustration of sliced loaf of bread on a white background

This button has an illustration of a bale of cotton. It most likely would have had a ribbon attached with more information. It could have been part of a fraternal badge, a souvenir or possibly from the 1895 Atlanta Cotton States Exposition. 

Black illustration of a woman and two children with black text on a lime green background

Born in 1620, Marguerite Bourgeoys was the French founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal. She lived in Fort Ville-Marie (now Montreal) in 1653, educating young girls, the poor, and natives until her death at age 79 in 1700. She also developed one of the first uncloistered religious communities in the Catholic Church. She was beatified (blessed) in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. Canonized on October 31, 1982 by Pope John Paul II, St. Marguerite became the first woman saint of the Canadian Church.

Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts.

Blue illustration of a musical note with a person inside the note on a yellow background

green and blue sunburst around a blue circle with an orange ribbon illustration across it with white text and black text

Founded in 1975, Lillstreet Art Center is located in Chicago, Illinois and is a community of artists and students encouraging artistic growth. Lillstreet includes art education for all skill levels, a gallery, custom parties, an artist residency program, and studio space rentals. The Center is also the home of ArtReach, an organization providing arts education to underserved communities in Chicago.