 Excerpts
from Signs of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960s to Now 171 Cedar Arts Center presents a selection from Signs of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960s
to Now, an exhibition of activist graphics that was originally presented at Exit Art, NY. In conjunction with a celebration
to honor Martin Luther King, the exhibition at 171 Cedar Arts Center focuses on the cultures created by during the Civil Rights
Movement in America and the fights for freedom that were waged by oppressed people globally. In
Signs of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960s to Now, hundreds of posters, photographs, moving images, audio clips,
and ephemera bring to life over forty years of activism, political protest, and campaigns for social justice. Curated by Dara
Greenwald and Josh MacPhee as part of Exit Art’s Curatorial Incubator Program, this important and timely exhibition
surveys the creative work of dozens of international social movements.
Organized
thematically, the exhibition presents the creative outpourings of social movements,
such as those for civil rights and black power in the United States; democracy in China; anti-apartheid in Africa; squatting
in Europe; environmental activism and women's rights internationally; and the global AIDS crisis, as well as uprisings and
protests, such as those for indigenous control of lands; against airport construction in Japan; and for social change in France.
The exhibition also explores the development of powerful counter-cultures that evolve beyond traditional politics and create
distinct aesthetics, life-styles, and social organizations. Although histories of political groups and counter-cultures have been written, and political and activist
shows have been held, this exhibition is a groundbreaking attempt to chronicle the artistic and cultural production of these
movements. Signs of Change offers a chance to see relatively unknown or rarely seen works, and is intended to not only provide
a historical framework for contemporary activism, but also to serve as an inspiration for the present and the future. ____ Signs
of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960s to Now is an exhibition produced by Exit Art, NY, and was the inaugural project
of the Curatorial Incubator Program. The program expands Exit Art's commitment to young and emerging curators and scholars
in contemporary art, by giving material, financial, and human resources to developing curatorial talent. Working with Exit
Art directors and staff, fellows curate large-scale exhibition projects, learn fundraising, develop outreach and educational
programs, and co-publish a catalogue. Signs of Change was presented at Exit Art from September 20 - December 6, 2008 and traveled
to the Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, and the Arts Center of the Capital Region (co-presented
with the Department of the Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY). EXHIBITION SUPPORT Signs of Change is supported by a major grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the
Visual Arts. Additional support
provided by the Museum program at the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency, and the Starry Night Fund at The
Tides Foundation. Public programs
are supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Material support for the screen printing studio provided
by the Lower East Side Printshop, New York. General exhibition support provided by Bloomberg LP; Carnegie Corporation;
Jerome Foundation; Pollock-Krasner Foundation; Exit Art’s Board of Directors and our members. We gratefully acknowledge
public funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and New York State
Senator Thomas K. Duane. Sponsoring partners
of Signs of Change are The Center for the Study of Political Graphics (CSPG) in Los Angeles and the International Institute
of Social History (IISH) in Amsterdam.
 Ain’t I A Woman, 1970 Iowa City Women’s Liberation Front
(Artist: Unknown) original is offset lithograph poster USA
Courtesy of Interference
Archive
Forward to Freedom, 1984 United Democratic Front (Artist: Unknown) original is offset lithograph poster
South Africa Courtesy of Interference Archive Originally designed and printed in South Africa, this poster was reprinted in the United States as a solidarity gesture
with the anti-apartheid movement. In the 1980s many South African posters were reprinted in the US and Europe to raise
awareness and money for the movement.
 |
|
exhibition by Exit Art Signs of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960's to Now Jan 8 - Feb 5, 2010
Opening Reception: Fri. Jan 8, 5:30 - 7:30 PM ___________________
|
