In Pictures: Arresting protest art from 1970s US student activists
- Text by Adam White
- Photography by American Flag [Untitled], 1970. Courtesy Shapero Modern.
Berkeley University in California has long been associated with student activism. Starting with the free-speech protests and the beginnings of the counterculture movement in the 1960’s, to the week-long rallies against police violence in 2014, and everything in between.
The posters stem from demonstrations against a wave of militant conservatism in the early 1970’s. Not only the 1970 massacre of four unarmed students at Kent State University by members of the National Guard, but also the continued Vietnam War and President Nixon’s decision to reinstate the military draft.
Belloli (Jay), Amerika is Devouring Its Children, 1970. Courtesy Shapero Modern.
The posters themselves are the work of the university’s Political Poster Workshop, a campus collective of art, design and politics students. In the wake of the Kent State killings, the group immediately launched a production line of silk-screening and cardboard printing for protest, with the 50 posters on display the last remaining relics of their demonstrations.
Barry Miles, curator of the exhibit, says that the posters are “a frozen snapshot of American graphic design at the end of the sixties, as well as a unique sociological record of a society in crisis.”
Your Son Next?, 1970. Courtesy Shapero Modern.
Imagi-Nation, 1970. Courtesy Shapero Modern.
Bring Us Together, 1970. Courtesy Shapero Modern.
Did We Really Come In Peace For All Mankind?, 1970. Courtesy Shapero Modern.
Fascist Infested!, 1970. Courtesy Shapero Modern.
Amerika, 1970. Courtesy Shapero Modern.
Find out more about America in Revolt: The Art of Protest, at Shapero Modern until February 27.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Bobby Gillespie: “This country is poisoned by class”
Primal Scream’s legendary lead singer writes about the band’s latest album ‘Come Ahead’ and the themes of class, conflict and compassion that run throughout it.
Written by: Bobby Gillespie
Vibrant photos of New York’s Downtown performance scene
‘Balloons and Feathers’ is an eclectic collection of images documenting the scene for over two decades.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Picking through the rubble: Glimpses of hope in the US election results
Clambering through the wreckage of the Harris campaign, delving deeper into the election results and building on the networks that already exist, all hope is not gone writes Ben Smoke.
Written by: Ben Smoke
US Election night 2024 in Texas
Photographer Tom “TBow” Bowden travelled to Republican and Democratic watch parties around Houston, capturing their contrasting energies as results began to flow in.
Written by: Isaac Muk
In photos: “Real life is not black and white” – Polaroid x Magnum Open Call winners
See pictures from the competition organised by two titans of contemporary photography, which called upon artists to reject the digitalisation and over-perfectionism of our modern world, technology and image-making.
Written by: Huck
In photos: Rednecks with Paychecks
‘American Diesel’ is a new photo series that looks at the people, places and culture behind the stereotypes of rural America.
Written by: Ben Smoke