The Power of Art to Create Change
Posters and signs are global art forms that belong to everyone. They use a message to capture the attention of an audience. Over the past century, the role and appearance of posters have evolved continuously to meet the changing needs of society. Posters and signs are powerful tools that amplify one’s voice in a community and they can be used for many purposes.
Artists have created entire bodies of work in poster form. Posters give them the ability to reach people in their everyday environments, educating, empowering and confronting them with issues that are otherwise easily ignored.
Currently we are witnessing the poster as a global tool to create collective actions. We see posters as an instrument to make demands for change in cities, plazas and parks where people gather in support and solidarity.
Prompt: Create a poster or sign featuring an inspirational quote that communicates a message that you want to share. Posters and signs may include both text and graphic elements, or it may be either alone. Place your poster where people will see it.
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The Rights of All Men by Corita Kent, 1964
Learn More About protest posters
The History and Art of Protest Posters
Protest Posters in Our Current Time
An Emergency Guide to Writing Protest Signs
“No one needs a guide to writing protest signs. The whole point is that they’re a (literally) crowd-sourced tradition that springs from raw political feeling distilled into urgent slogans that often prove surprisingly enduring.” This is an interesting reference for signmaking.
Corita Kent
We Can Only Speak of Hope by Corita Kent
Corita Kent (1918–1986) was an artist, educator, and advocate for social justice. Her work evolved from figurative and religious to incorporating advertising images and slogans, popular song lyrics, biblical verses, and literature. Throughout the ‘60s, her work became increasingly political, urging viewers to consider poverty, racism, and injustice.
Emory Douglas
Emory Douglas is an American artist who worked as the Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party from 1967 until the Party disbanded in the 1980s. His graphic art was featured in most issues of The Black Panther newspaper.
Emory Douglas poster mosaic from Google images
Hold Hands by Alexis Lovely
Protect Trans Youth by Lauren Simkin Berke
11 of the Most Iconic Protest Posters from History
“While today’s protest posters have indeed evolved with new media, they are by no means the first to visualize the frustrations of the masses.” The Poster House museum in New York City shares some of history’s most iconic protest posters and words on the cultural significance of these designs.
The Sea is Rising by Janina A Larenas
With Fleets Of Planes, Artists Take To Skies Nationwide To Protest Mass Detention
“As Americans celebrate Independence Day, a group of artists and activists are flying pro-immigrant, anti-incarceration messages in the skies. They hired fleets of airplanes to sky-write their slogans over 80 locations, including immigration detention facilities, jails, courts and the U.S./Mexico border.”
Care Not Cages Xmap Patrisse Cullors Los Angeles, LA County Jail July3, Chris Mastro
