JANUARY 2018 - International Art Exhibit: Art for a Cause

For the month of January, we will have on exhibit international posters of Art for a Cause, a new exhibit from the art collection of Stephen Lewis. Please stop in during normal open hours for viewing.

Art that wears its politics on its sleeve, that is a good way to describe a new exhibit at the Newbury Town Library. The exhibit consists of posters from several countries, and the causes they espouse are many. Posters on display are about issues like the Spanish Civil War, migration, anti-Fascism, Angolan independence, censorship and other subjects. In addition to the subject matter, viewers are treated to art styles from many artists, and many countries. Stephen Lewis, the exhibitor, describes the exhibit as “a bit of art, a bit of message and a bit of history”. Around 35 posters will be on display from January 3 through January 27.

Even if people are not familiar with the issues, the various styles of graphic art should interest people who view the exhibit. This is an opportunity to view artistic expression that is as varied as the themes of the posters.

If people want to see more of Mr. Lewis’s posters, they have no further to drive than to the Beverly Public Library. The theme of the exhibit there is Ban the Bomb. That exhibit is posters protesting the development, testing retention and use of nuclear weapons. The other exhibit is The Struggle for Women’s Equality at the Peabody Institute Library. Both of these exhibits run for the month of January

These posters are part of 6800 posters in the collection of Stephen Lewis, a retired trade union activist. He has been gathering posters in many countries over the past 20 years, and been sharing them with the general public for the past 15 years. Stephen has exhibited at a number of public libraries in Massachusetts and two of the state Heritage parks. He has presented at the annual conference of the National Council on Public History, and on some cable television programs. This is his seventh exhibit at the Newbury Town Library. His exhibits have been well received by many library patrons.