Lafayette College Library

Mexico’s tradition of using printmaking as a way to protest injustice is highlighted this semester in exhibitions in the Lass Gallery. This rich and vibrant graphic tradition is represented by two portfolios of posters that have just been acquired by Special Collections from the Escuela de Cultura Popular Mártires del 68 (ECPM68) in Mexico City.

January 30-March 9
Con o sin Papeles Todos Tenemos Derechos (With or Without Papers We All Have Rights)

These fifteen posters take on a contentious aspect of the immigration debate in America: rights of undocumented immigrants. The posters were designed to remind immigrants that they are entitled to equal protection under the law and to due process, including the right to hire a lawyer; the right to a public education through grade 12 for undocumented children; and the right to emergency medical care from publicly-funded hospitals. This project was conceived as a response to the passage of SB1070 in Arizona last year, with the proceeds intended to support organizations working to address immigrant issues.

March 19-July 31
¡Ante le Destrucción Ambiental, Organización! (Before the Destruction of the Environment, Organize!)

This poster series was screen printed at the ECPM68 in response to the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Cancun, Mexico in December 2010. Some of the climate justice themes addressed by these visually stunning prints include the loss of wetlands, the cutting of forests, unbridled consumption of natural resources, the use of dirty energy, and the monopolization of water. The participants in the project developed the following slogan: “No to climate change, yes to system change. No to environmental destruction, yes to the destruction of capital.”