Center for the Study of Political Graphics id75
Mailing Address:
8124 West Third Street, Suite 211
Los Angeles, CA 90048-4309Phone: 323/653-4662
Fax: 323-653-6991
Email: cspg@politicalgraphics.org
Contact: Ms. Carol Wells, Executive Director
Institution Type: Archive, Arts Institution/Center, Research Center/Institution, Study Center
Location of Institution: Mid-Wilshire
Archive and Collections
Description: The Center for the Study of Political Graphics is an educational and research archive that collects, preserves, documents, and exhibits domestic and international poster art. The Center’s domestic and international collection of more than 60,000 political posters dates from the early 20th century to the present, and includes the largest collection of post World War II political posters in the United States. The posters are produced in a variety of artistic mediums— offset, silk screen, lithography, woodblock, linocut, stencil, photocopy, and computer-generated prints. The collection is focused on international, domestic, and Los Angeles-specific human rights issues, with an emphasis on progressive movements in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Poster topics include the women’s movement, racism, peace, apartheid, labor, liberation theology, AIDS, gay and lesbian rights, immigrants’ rights, children’s rights, and ecology. Between one and two thousand posters are acquired annually, primarily through donation. Approximately half of these are given by collectors in Los Angeles and reflect the diverse political interests of the donors. This has yielded a collection that, in part, documents important but often underrepresented aspects of local history and life in the Los Angeles area. The collection contains approximately three thousand human rights and protest posters produced in Los Angeles from 1965 to the present. The earliest of these came out of the Watts Uprising of 1965, while the more recent posters not only reflect prevailing concerns but commemorate older events, such as the U.S. government’s internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Altogether, the posters illustrate the commitment of many Los Angeles-based artists, organizations, and individuals to a variety of social and political issues over the last five decades.
Regions Covered: Domestic and International
Type of Materials: Cultural Artifacts, Materials & Objects
Time Periods: 1900-1920, 1921-1949, 1950-1963, 1964-1980, 1981-Present
Languages: Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog, Vietnamese
Sectors of the Population Represented in the Collection: , African Descent, Artistic Communities, Asian Descent, At or Below Poverty Level, Community Service Organizations, Developmentally Disabled, Education, European Descent, Gender Specific, Homeless, Jewish Descent, Labor Unions, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Lower to Middle Income, Mexican Descent/Chicano/Latino, Middle Eastern Descent, Migrant Workers, Multiethnic, Native American Descent/Indigenous, Politics/Government, Youth
Access
Year Round Access: Yes
OnSite Technology: Yes
Workspaces: Yes
Open to the Public: Yes
Public Hours: By appointment only
Reservations not requiredOpen for Research: Yes
Research Hours: By appointment only
Reservations not requiredAccess Procedures: Sufficient advance notice.
Management
Catalogue System: Materials are cataloged using MIMSY XG Uncatalogued posters are filed by subject and/or geographic location of origin. At present, more than 75% of the collection has been sorted and filed and close to 50% has been catalogued.
Digital Format: Approximately 3,000 posters have been photographed and digitized.
Repository/Depository: Yes
Loan To Others: Yes
Exhibited: Yes
Exhibition Frequency: Year round throughout the United States. International loans also.
Makes Purchases: Yes
Formalized Purchases: No
Outreach: Brochures/Flyers/Pamphlets, Conferences/Conventions, Internet, Newsletter, Public Lectures & Programs, Radio/TV/Video, Radio/TV/Video
Last Updated Date: 7/16/2004
