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Organized labor has consistently produced more political graphics than any other domestic movement for social change.  Most labor posters were produced in the midst of a strike or boycott and convey the urgency of the times.  Some are commemoratives, marking the anniversary of a victory or a martyred labor leader. They remind the viewer of a too often hidden history, rally against dangerous conditions in the workplace, and warn that such injustices still occur. Although many of the posters are historical, the issues are not.  The eight-hour day is no longer sacrosanct. More and more children are entering the workforce. Pesticides threaten farm workers and consumers.  Sweatshops are reappearing domestically and internationally. These graphic expressions of international solidarity are a powerful combination of art and politics, crossing borders of time and place.

 

Funded in part by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, LEF Foundation, International Longshoreman Warehouse Union, Puffin Foundation 

 

Note: Images appear in the order intended for exhibition display. Prison Nation is available as a traveling exhibition using laminated, digital reproductions or the original vintage posters. Please contact us for more information on bringing an exhibition to your institution. 

 

To view the full Solidarity Forever exhibition with annotations, browse the publication below. Use the toolbar to navigate between pages, view fullscreen, and search annotations for key words and phrases.