Power to the Press Exhibition

This exhibition was inspired by the Fall of Freedom, an artist-initiated protest happening throughout t he United States on November 21–22, 2025. Art and culture help shape our understanding of the world around us, and the arts community has chosen to respond to threats against free expression across the country through acts of creative resistance: exhibitions, performances, and public events that channel the urgency of this moment.

This exhibition was curated as one such response through the powerful medium of printmaking. These posters were created by students in Natasha Pestich’s Fall 2024 Print in Public class. Print as a medium has a long history of being a vehicle for change due to the ease with which messages and imagery can be proliferated. For this assignment, students developed a social justice poster to help viewers imagine a better future. They began by considering what they cared about and how best to communicate their values to a broader audience through compelling imagery and slogans. The expectation for this assignment was to develop ideas and imagery in the form of a poster while exploring color layering, shape, and composition in print-based media.

Participating artists:

• Sofia Vasquez
• Becky Mutrux
• Randy Papesh
• Alex Stoner
• Ella Rios
• Sasha Anauo

Curated by Becky Mutrux

Image credit: Sasha Anaou, Politics Require Your Empathy, 2024, archival inkjet print