Sm{art}: The People's History series by Just Seeds

Art and Design post by Kjerstin Johnson, November 26, 2009 - 2:12am; tagged activism, art activism, Just Seeds, people's history, posters.

As the American calendar rolls around to another historically-dubious holiday, it's comforting to know you can celebrate the righteous kind of history year-round with People's History posters from Just Seeds. At four bucks a pop, you can afford to load up on your favorite activists, or give them as presents to remind folks of the heroes that History-with-a-capital-H (not to mention present-day media) tends to conveniently forget. Here are just some of the offerings...

A woman raises a CNT flag. Text at the top reads Las Mujeres Libres celebrate people's history

The women-anarchist militias of the Spanish Revolution of 1936 by Cristy Road

an orange poster depicts aesthetically graphic Oaxacan women. Two carry pans, one is wearing a bandanna and raising her fist. Another towards the front carries a mirror reflecting armed guards
Resistance during the 2006 teachers' strike in Oaxaca by Tim Simons and Barucha Calamity Peller

a woodcut depicts a man in a hat that reads No To WTO and who has a handful of rice. The poster text is in English and Korean
The Korean Peasants League, indigenous farmers who stood up to the WTO by Nicole Schulman

And you can buy the People's History series as postcard packs too! Here's one of Sylvia Ray Rivera, NYC drag queen and activist in the Gay Liberation Front, Black Panthers, and Young Lions, and a Stonewall rioter (art by John Gerken).

Sylvia and the poster's text look like spray-painted stencils. Sylvia is raising a fist and her mouth is shouting. The text beneath her reads Stonewal 1969.

Just Seeds is an artist cooperative whose artists are scattered throughout the United States, and have plenty of other cool artwork besides the People's History series! Check out the selection at JustSeeds.org.