Today's Poster Girls
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
On the heels of the Women’s March AND on the day we honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, this seemed a fitting “Quote of the Day.” As an anthropologist and media celebrity, Mead was a vocal commentator on a variety of issues, including women’s rights, nuclear proliferation, race relations, world hunger and environmental pollution.
40 years after her death, many of those same issues fuel the grassroots activism of the Women’s March. Mead’s words speak to the self-determination, dignity, and transformative social change that are its cornerstones—as does a new exhibit at Manhattan’s Poster House, 20/20 InSight: Posters from the 2017 Women’s March. Opened on June 20, 2019, Poster House is the nation’s first museum dedicated to posters. It explores mass communication and persuasion, and their unique ability to clearly reflect the place and time in which they were made. It’s that immediacy that struck me first when viewing the exhibit. Gifted to the museum by an anonymous donor, this disparate collection from the 2017 Women’s March in Boston is neither professionally or mass produced—and is all the more powerful because of it.
Relevant and resonant, each poster on display recalls America's response to the 2016 election as the 2020 election approaches.
Poster House has smartly grouped images into themes expressed during the 2017 Marches, including “Trump Opposition,” “Reproductive Freedom” and “Internet Influence.” Coming as it did in response to Trump’s election, the March’s varying degrees of disgust, pride and indignation are tangible.
From the humane (“He Builds Walls, We Build Bridges”) to the humorous (“You Can’t Comb Over Hate”), each poster delivers a powerful message. You’ll see symbols from poster history given new meaning. You’ll view the Women’s March within a century-long tradition of protesting for equal rights. And you’ll find inspiration to continue the fight.
When people take to the streets, posters are the messages they take away with them. I hope you’ll take the time to see these.
20/20 InSight: Posters from the 2017 Women’s March. Now through February 10th. 119 W 23rd St. (917) 722-2439. Info at PosterHouse.org
See your work or the work of someone you know? Poster House would love to credit you. Learn more at PosterHouse.org
Visit womensmarch.com to learn more about its mission, download its Unity Principles, and support its movement to create a more equitable and just world.