As Americans nationwide commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Haggerty Museum hosts the exhibition Declaration of ____, asking what declarations are being made now, and by whom, through contemporary print culture. The show foregrounds the accessible medium of zines (low-tech, DIY publications) and prints sourced from Upper Midwest art collectives and zine distributors. Highlights include Aaron Hughes鈥檚 Autonomous Democracy suite from Spudnik Press Cooperative, a project exploring experiments in direct democracy within liberation movements. Art Build Workers contribute banners to be carried and seen at educator and labor organizing events. Nicolas Lampert鈥檚 Water Is Life design, created in solidarity with Standing Rock, shows how a single graphic can signal a movement. Presented together, these works situate contemporary print and zine practices within ongoing debates about liberty, rights, and representation.
This founding document of the United States of America asserted the right to self-governance, rejected tyrannical rule of a king, and established that the new government would protect (a select group of) people鈥檚 rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In this exhibition, the voices and perspectives of artists who are, among other things, parents, immigrants, educators, activists, veterans, authors, documentarians and curators are central to reflecting on the legacy of America as a nation, concept, and identity. By centering historically underrepresented voices, the exhibition reflects on the evolving legacy of the United States as nation, concept, and home, an inquiry that gains particular urgency as the country marks the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary era and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Declaration of ____ is curated by Rose Camara, Charles Hummel Curatorial Fellow, The Chipstone Foundation and coordinated by Jessica A. Cooley, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Curatorial and Teaching Fellow.
This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Chipstone Foundation. Support for this exhibition is generously provided by the Stackner Family Endowment Fund.
Images: (left) Aaron Hughes, American, b. 1982, Printed at Spudnik Press Cooperative, This is What Democracy Looks Like from Autonomous Democracy, 2021, Screen print on French Paper, 25 x 19 inches; (right) Fatherless Print Posse, USA and UK, founded in 2010, Javier Jimenez, Greg Lang, David Menard, Ben Rider, Elections Not Auctions, 2023, Monoprint on wood panel, 34 x 48 inches
