Make a Poster. Make a Difference.
From June 4 - September 3, 2017 MODA’s galleries were filled with the stunning and important work of Luba Lukova. Luba Lukova: Designing Justice featured over 50 of Lukova’s powerful and brilliant posters, which spotlight the critical social justice issues that currently dominate our socially and politically polarized news cycle, including health care, women’s rights, LGBT rights, immigration, gentrification, and corporate corruption.
Born, raised, and educated in Bulgaria under the communist regime, Lukova immigrated to the United States in 1991 and established her studio in New York City. She is known for her mastery of line, color, and form and for her ability to transform recognizable images and objects into powerful symbols that convey potent messages.
Lukova's posters arouse empathy and provoke conversation across traditional social and political divisions, so we took the opportunity of her exhibition to integrate interactive activities meant to inspire contemplation and conversation into the galleries. One of these interactives challenged visitors to use basic craft materials (colored paper, scissors, and glue sticks) to make a poster about a social justice issue meaningful to them and then to hang their work on the wall.
And, something magical happened at this interactive station! Patrons young and old embraced this activity, often spending the better part of an hour crafting posters that emulated Lukova's style and addressed issues large and small. Gorgeous work done by visitors graced our walls. Those who didn't choose to create a poster spent significant time looking at and talking about the work done by others. And the posters on the walls served as a mirror of the world around us, reflecting the issues that were occupying the hearts and minders of MODA visitors on any given day.
Some of posters we found most inspiring and insightful are shown here:
Though visitors were free to address any issue they chose, we sometimes suggested that they respond to current events. For example, when a man rammed a car into anti-racist protesters Charlottesville, Viriginia on Saturday, August 12, we asked attendees of our monthly Family Free Day on the following day to create posters responding to these attacks and they did so artfully and thoughtfully as seen in the selection of posters shown below.
Luba Lukova: Designing Justice was curated by Luba Lukova. Exhibition design by Susan Sanders. Interactive design by Susan Sanders and Laura Flusche.
