An international poster exhibit from the collection of Stephen Lewis

On View: June 12 – August 22, 2019 in the MATV Gallery, MATV, Malden’s Media Center, 145 Pleasant St, Malden, MA -2148

Public Reception & Discussion: Thursday, July 18, 2019, 6:30 – 8:30pm

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. NAIDOC Week – a celebration of the culture, history, and achievements of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – is held the first week of July each year. The first NAIDOC poster was created in 1972.

Not all of the posters in this exhibit are about NAIDOC, however. Other posters are by Aboriginal artists or about Aboriginal rights, history and culture.

Posters are a unique form of communication – they broadcast a call to action, using the written word to communicate an idea. Posters are a form of art that goes to the people rather than people having to go to a museum to see it. The posters in this exhibit feature themes such as the journey from childhood to adulthood, and the inherent dignity of all people.

Stephen Lewis is a long-time activist in the labor movement, and the former Treasurer of his union. Stephen has exhibited at a number of public libraries in Massachusetts, Boston and Malden City Halls, and two of the state Heritage parks. He has presented at the annual conference of the National Council on Public History, and on some cable television programs. He can be reached by email at lewisposters@gmail.com or at Facebook under labor/progressive political posters. The posters/photos were contributed by friends, collected at conferences, visits to some of the organizations, and from connections made through the internet. In total, Stephen’s private collection contains more than 8,600 works of art.

This project is supported in part by LIUNA Local 22, Carpenters State Council, and Asbestos Workers Local 6.