Center for the Study of Political Graphics
Encyclopedia
The Center for the Study of Political Graphics (CSPG) is a United States
non-profit, educational and research archive
that collects, preserves, documents, and circulates domestic and international political posters relating to historical and contemporary movements for social change
. From its base in Los Angeles, California
, CSPG organizes travelling exhibitions, lectures, and workshops, and publishes educational material. Their website also hosts virtual exhibitions.
CSPG was founded in 1989. The archive currently contains more than 60,000 poster
s and has the largest collection of post-World War II
social justice
posters in the United States and the second largest in the world. Media and techniques represented include offset
, lithography
, linocut
, woodblock
, silkscreen, stencil
, and photocopy. All prints are catalogued to aid researchers. CSPG’s traveling exhibitions are presented from a multi-issue and multicultural perspective, and tend to focus on current issues. For example, upon the death of Ronald Reagan
, CSPG mounted an exhibition of anti-Reagan posters. In the wake of the 2006 Great American Boycott
, CSPG organized a labor-themed exhibition. They are mounted at various galleries and other institutions, and are accompanied by translations and other material. In the last seventeen years, CSPG exhibitions have toured to more than 280 venues worldwide. CSPG also loans out prints to other institutions for exhibit.
CSPG depends upon the donation of posters to make this resource as representative as possible of the many historical and ongoing struggles.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
non-profit, educational and research archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
that collects, preserves, documents, and circulates domestic and international political posters relating to historical and contemporary movements for social change
Social change
Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. It may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socio-economic...
. From its base in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, CSPG organizes travelling exhibitions, lectures, and workshops, and publishes educational material. Their website also hosts virtual exhibitions.
CSPG was founded in 1989. The archive currently contains more than 60,000 poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
s and has the largest collection of post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
posters in the United States and the second largest in the world. Media and techniques represented include offset
Offset
The term offset may refer to:* Carbon offset, a financial instrument aimed at a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions* Offset agreement, trade practice in Aerospace and Defense Industry...
, lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
, linocut
Linocut
Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised areas representing a reversal of the parts to show printed...
, woodblock
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
, silkscreen, stencil
Stencil
A stencil is a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material. The key advantage of a stencil is that it can be reused to...
, and photocopy. All prints are catalogued to aid researchers. CSPG’s traveling exhibitions are presented from a multi-issue and multicultural perspective, and tend to focus on current issues. For example, upon the death of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, CSPG mounted an exhibition of anti-Reagan posters. In the wake of the 2006 Great American Boycott
Great American Boycott
The Great American Boycott was a one-day boycott of United States schools and businesses by immigrants, both legal and illegal, of mostly Latin American origin that took place on May 1, 2006.The date was chosen by boycott organizers to coincide with May Day, the International Workers Day observed...
, CSPG organized a labor-themed exhibition. They are mounted at various galleries and other institutions, and are accompanied by translations and other material. In the last seventeen years, CSPG exhibitions have toured to more than 280 venues worldwide. CSPG also loans out prints to other institutions for exhibit.
CSPG depends upon the donation of posters to make this resource as representative as possible of the many historical and ongoing struggles.