Up Against the wall: Posters of Social Protest

Up Against the Wall: Posters of Social protest
April 15th - August 7th
L Gallery

Curated by Kate Bonansinga, Antonio Castro, Clive Cochran, Anne Giangiulio and Albert wong

Up Against the Wall: Posters of Social Protest , was an invitational exhibition co-curated by Rubin Center director Kate Bonansinga and University of Texas at El Paso graphic design faculty Antonio Castro, Clive Cochran, John Dunn, Anne Giangiulio and Albert Wong. It featured a group of thirteen international graphic designers who use posters to engage important contemporary and social issues. The exhibition raised awareness about the role of graphic design in spreading the ideals of the Mexican Revolution.

The penny broadsides of Mexican graphic designer Jose Guadalupe Posada addressed the political and social issues of his day using imagery that was accessible literate and illiterate alike. His work was widely believed to have increased public support for the ideals that would spark the Mexican Revolution. Building on that history, this exhibition brought an international and contemporary framework to the use of design as social protest.

This bold and colorful display of 100 posters from a group of 13 high-profile graphic designers highlighted the power of design to engage people in creative thinking about world problems.

The Designers:
Click on Each designers name for an in-depth interview (PDF) with the designers who participated in Against the Wall: posters of Social Protest

Fang Chen
Seymour Chwast
Paul Davis
Alice Drueding/ Joe Scorsone
Milton Glaser

Brad Holland
Yossi Lemel
Luba Lukova
Alejandro Magallanes

Mirko LLC Corp
Lanny Sommese
James Victore
Lourdes Zolezzi