Blog
Art and Social Movements
May 01, 2024
Images (left to right)
Envisioning Freedom: Grand Rapids Furniture Workers Strike
1911, Brett Colley, Digital Print, 2018. 2019.25.11.
Celebrate People’s History: ADAPT, Jen Cartwright, 2 Color
Offset Printed Poster, 2006.
2020.23.18.
Asalto en Tepito y el Relox de la Catedral (The Assault in Tepito
and the Clock of the Cathedral), José Guadalupe Posada,
Restrike Print, 2004.
2005.0022.1
Make Art Not War, Shepard Fairey, Offset lithograph on cream
Speckle Tone paper, c. 2016. 2021.34.1.
Seeds are Common Property, Alynn Guerra, Monotype, 2009. 2009.40.17.
Think of a social movement that has taken place within the last 50 years.
Now, can you think of any visual element – an artwork, a poster, graffiti, a photo – that is associated with that social movement?
Social movements involve groups of people trying to create change in the world. These changes could be political, social, cultural, or environmental, among other topics. Artworks can be created in direct response to a movement that is happening in the moment, such as Rhiannan Sibbald’s Use Your Voice, which was created after the 2020 Black Lives Matters demonstrations in downtown Grand Rapids, or many years afterwards, as a way to keep history alive, such as Meredith Stern’s poster about the Jane Network in Chicago.
Artworks created in response to a social movement can be created in all media but prints and posters are particularly popular. Prints and posters are relatively affordable to both create and purchase and can be produced on a mass scale. They can be plastered around a city, sold at artist markets and street fairs, or shared digitally on social media.
The GVSU Art Gallery has collected many works of art that relate to social movements and will continue to do so. These artworks are an important reflection of our times and the topics that have been historically of concern. These artworks spread knowledge and keep history alive.
Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey is perhaps best known for his OBEY branding that began with a sticker of Andrew the Giant, and the “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama. His style reflects his background as a street artist and skateboarder. Fairey’s artworks portray his anti-war, anti-discrimination beliefs, and he works with many organizations to promote social movements he believes in. He has stated that the message behind his artwork is to “question everything.”
Explore more artwork by Shepard Fairey.
Brett Colley
Brett Colley is a professor of drawing, printmaking, and foundations in GVSU’s Visual and Media Arts Department. He created two posters remembering the 1911 Grand Rapids Furniture Strike, one of the largest strikes in U.S. history that was not led by a unionized group. This poster is part of a series of posters by Colley titled “Envisioning Freedom.”
Explore more artwork by Brett Colley.
Alynn Guerra
Alynn Guerra is a Grand Rapids artist who was born and raised in Mexico City but has called Michigan her home for over 20 years. While working on a graphic communication degree, Guerra had a change of heart when it came to her future career, and instead decided to learn traditional art forms. During her quest, she found printmaking, a medium that has a history of empowering social movements and being accessible to the people. Through her woodcut and linoleum block prints, Guerra creates images that inspire conversation around nature, culture, and social justice issues. Today she runs Red Hydrant Press and is an active member of the local Mexican Heritage Association, through which she creates several public art projects involving the Latinx community.
Explore more artworks by Alynn Guerra.
José Guadalupe Posada
Born in 1852, José Guadalupe Posada was a vital artist who helped pave the way for the Mexican Revolution utilizing political satire in his printmaking. Throughout his life, Posada worked as a lithographer for a number of Mexican newspapers, creating cartoons to ridicule politicians and upper-class members of society. His distinct style is characterized by skeletons known as calaveras, which Posada used to both mock the rich and demonstrate the struggles of the poor.
Explore more artwork by Jose Guadalupe Posada.
Celebrate People’s History
The Celebrate People’s History posters are rooted in the do-it-yourself tradition of mass-produced political propaganda. These posters exemplify inclusion, equity, and social justice. Unlike most political posters, the Celebrate People’s History series voices the stories of the underdogs, those individuals and groups helping to move forward the collective struggle of humanity to create a more just world. The GVSU Art Gallery has a large collection of these posters, many of which are on public display in various GVSU buildings.
Explore more artwork in the Celebrate People’s History series.