Tomie Arai
b. 1949, New York, NY
Asians in America poster, 1972
Silkscreen print
Courtesy the artist
Arlan Huang
b. 1948, Bangor, Maine
All Out for African Liberation Day poster, 1977
Offset print on newsprint
Chinatown Street Fair poster, 1977
Offset print on newsprint
Arlan Huang, Karl Matsuda, Phil Gim, Peter Jung, William Leong, Rose Chew, May Chew, Mae LingCourtesy the artist
John Woo
b. 1951, Seattle, WA
Mei Mei Brussenburge
b. 1947, Beijing, China
Mei Mei Brussenburge Chronicle, Mei Mei Brussenburge Poetry Broadside, 1978
Silkscreen print
Courtesy John Woo
John Woo
b. 1951, Seattle, WA
Asian American Folk History and Arts Festival poster, 1978
Silkscreen print
Courtesy Wing Lee
Wing Lee
b. 1952, Macau, China
Rock Springs poster, 1977
Contemporary Music Comes to Chinatown poster, 1977
Silkscreen print
Courtesy the artist
Alan Okada
b. 1948, New York, NY
24th Annual Obon Festival poster, 1974
Silkscreen print
Arlan Huang, Karl Matsuda, Alan Okada, Henry Lau
Courtesy Arlan Huang
Arlan Huang
b. 1948, Bangor, Maine
Ping Pong Ball poster, 1974
Silkscreen print
Arlan Huang, Karl Matsuda, Alan Okada, Henry Lau
Courtesy the artist
Silkscreened poster prints were commonplace throughout the 1970s, oftentimes used in demonstrations and political protests. From fighting against the Vietnam War to advocating for workers’ rights, these posters motivated and educated both creators and viewers.
As a political and arts-centered organization, members of the Basement Workshop held silkscreen printing workshops and designed their own prints in order to advertise Basement’s programs or to bring to protests and marches around the city. Tomie Arai, a public artist, regularly contributed her designs for silkscreens. Her work frequently depicts and engages with Chinatown.
Though not originally conceived of as art, these posters were designed to send specific political messages. However, as Basement developed its arts-focus into the late 1970s and 1980s, poster printing became less a tool for political organizing and more a visual arts medium.