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August 4, 2008
Latin American posters are vivid documentation of history

From Aug. 22–Dec. 14, the Schatten Gallery will host “Latin American Posters: Public Aesthetics and Mass Politics,” an exhibition that traces four decades of Latin American social and political history during a time of widespread crisis and unrest.

Drawing primarily from the University of New Mexico’s unparalleled, 10,000-strong Sam L. Slick Collection of Latin American and Iberian posters, the exhibition features 75 works that document and explore Latin America’s contemporary social and political history.

Dating from the 1950s to the present, the posters originate from 11 Latin American countries, complemented by several works from the United States. The exhibition includes posters by such well-known artists as Raúl Martínez, René Mederos Pazos, Alfredo Rostgaard, and Eduardo Muñoz Bachos of Cuba; Jesús Ruiz Durand of Peru; Antonio Martorell, Rafael Tufiño and Lorenzo Homar of Puerto Rico; and Rupert García and Ester Hernández of the United States.

The political and cultural posters presented document the period vividly and irrefutably. The simplicity and directness of the political poster made it a powerful instrument for announcing the mood of the moment, transmitting messages and mobilizing mass action.

This exhibition is organized by UNM University Libraries’ Center for Southwest Research in collaboration with the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Support for this project was provided by the University of New Mexico Center for Regional Studies.

Presented in partnership with the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program, co-sponsors include the Hightower Family Fund, Institute for Comparative and International Studies, Department of Political Science, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, John Gordon Stipe Memorial Lectureship Fund, and the Theory Practice Learning program.

Schatten Gallery is located on Level 3 of the Woodruff Library. The exhibition is free and open to the public during regular library hours.