What happens when graphic design is reclaimed as a site of political self-determination, ancestral memory, and contemporary creative sovereignty? For centuries, commercial media and colonial pop culture subjected Native Americans to extractive marketing, caricature, and historical erasure. In a groundbreaking response, Designed to Be Red: Native American & Indigenous Poster Works centers the graphic agency of Indigenous designers who have continuously exerted authority over their own stories.
Curated by Brian Johnson (Monacan Indian Nation), this milestone exhibition at Poster House in Flatiron brings together a vast, historic survey of works representing over 60 Native American and Indigenous tribes and nations.
Reclaiming Graphic History & Sovereign Agency
Designed to Be Red traces a vital thread of visual history that subverts dominant colonial narratives. Spanning protest art, land rights advocacy, cultural festival promotion, and contemporary fine art editions, the exhibition affirms that Indigenous graphic design is living, resonant, and inherently sovereign.
The exhibition underscores several core thematic pillars:
- Protest & Land Reclamation: Grassroots print media created for movements like the American Indian Movement (AIM), the Black Mesa Defense Fund, and Akwesasne Notes that directly challenged land theft and federal policy.
- Subverting Colonial Tropes: Graphic interventions that dismantle caricatures and extractive advertising, reclaiming visual narratives on the designers’ own terms.
- Ancestral Memory & Modern Innovation: Contemporary poster art that blends traditional tribal motifs, typography, and vibrant color palettes with modern graphic techniques.
The presentation offers a profound reflection on how Indigenous artists have used print to connect communities, assert land rights, and celebrate Native joy.
Key Works & Visual Highlights
1. Grassroots Media & Movement Posters
Historic works such as Shrine of Hypocrisy and Let Us Put Our Minds Together by Akwesasne Notes (Mohawk Nation), alongside movement prints by Louis Karoniaktajeh Hall and Joseph “Indian Joe” Morris (Blackfoot).
2. Contemporary Indigenous Collaboration
Collaborative print projects like Because Once You Enter My House, It Becomes Our House (2021) by Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi Choctaw/Cherokee) and Dana Claxton (Hunkpapa Lakota), which references Cahokian architecture and modern pop culture.
3. Sovereign Typography & Iconography
Bold, graphic poster editions by artists such as Ryan Red Corn (Osage Nation), Melanie Cervantes, and Crystal Worl (Tlingit/Athabascan) showcasing sovereign visual voices across generations.
Why This Exhibition Matters
Designed to Be Red is a crucial correction to the canon of graphic design. By highlighting nearly two centuries of Indigenous print culture, Poster House honors the perseverance, humor, and resilience of Native designers who refuse to be defined by colonial stereotypes.
For design enthusiasts, art historians, and New York museum-goers, this landmark exhibition is an unmissable testament to the enduring power of poster art.
Exhibition & Visitor Details
- Exhibition Title: Designed to Be Red: Native American & Indigenous Poster Works
- Guest Curator: Brian Johnson (Monacan Indian Nation)
- Venue: Poster House (Main Gallery)
- Address: 119 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011
- Dates: September 25, 2026 – February 21, 2027
- Hours: Thursday to Sunday, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Closed Monday – Wednesday)
- Advisory: Rated PG-13 for historical depictions of racist imagery and violent colonial language.
