Gallery 212
Second Floor
On View May 1 – May 23, 2025
Exhibition by the
San Francisco Poster Syndicate
Saturday, May 10
Speaking in the Active Voice:
A Lecture and Discussion on Art, Politics, and Activism
Gallery Hours
Monday – Saturday, 9 AM – 5 PM
Free to the Public
Building location & information here.
SCC Disclaimer
Rise Up! showcases the history of the Poster Syndicate and the ability of art to impact the public’s perception of the social and political issues that shape our world. This timely show, invites us to consider diverse perspectives and calls us to stand up for what we believe in. The thoughts and opinions reflected in the artwork of Rise Up! are solely those of the artists and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sonoma Community Center.
About the Exhibition
Since 2014, San Francisco Poster Syndicate has been actively live printing at public events including mass actions, community art center openings, mural unveilings, overdose awareness campaigns, during strikes, and city budget struggles. Over the last several years, the Syndicate has been screen printing and giving away free posters at political actions and large-scale events such as the Women’s March, climate actions, March for Our Lives, the inauguration protest, and dozens of other protests throughout the Bay Area.
Rise Up! is a collection of political posters created by over 100 artists and activists who make up the San Francisco Poster Syndicate. They have produced more than six hundred designs over ten years. The exhibition presents a range of approaches to political posters and includes descriptions of the context in which the posters were created, how they were used, and the outcomes of the actions.
While many members of Poster Syndicate prefer to remain anonymous, member Art Hazelwood, a founding member of the Syndicate had this to say. “As the sequence of disasters unfurled over the last few months, Poster Syndicate has stepped up to create new designs to protest the alliance between authoritarianism and the oligarchy, to support public education, and to continue the alliances built over the last decade to bind our communities together. The focus of this exhibition is on work that is relevant to the current political reality.”
About the San Francisco Poster Syndicate
The San Francisco Poster Syndicate grew out of the crisis around higher education, student debt, and the abuse of adjunct faculty. It has become a diverse and ever-evolving group of political poster makers and muralists. Now it embraces political struggles of all kinds, bringing printmaking to the street. They create posters in dialogue with movements, unions, and organizers and seek to give visual power to causes in hopes that their message can be heard and seen more loudly.
These collaborations have played a significant role in successful campaigns. Posters printed and given away for free during events often resonate deeply. These free posters may end up in protest organizers’ offices or social justice spaces. Their shelf life may be brief as the politics shift and the memory of current events is often short. Some posters today make little sense after the heat of the moment has passed, while others retain a haunting relevance long past their intended expiration date. The vast majority of the posters that survive might end up bleached out in a window or well-worn as a protest placard. San Francisco Poster Syndicate retains an archive of the posters they have produced from which this exhibition is drawn.
Rise Up! A Poster Call to Action from San Francisco Poster Syndicate will open in Gallery 212 in support of Sonoma Art Walk on May 1st at 5:30 p.m. It will remain open daily, Monday through Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The public is invited to an opening reception on Saturday, May 3rd, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. with light refreshments, a live printmaking poster demonstration, and an artist talk with members of the Syndicate.
The Poster Syndicate is here to bring art and design to many different people’s movements in hopes that their message can be heard and seen more loudly.
You may contact the syndicate directly at: sfpostersyndicate@gmail.com
You can view more of their work at: https://sfpostersyndicate.com/
Gallery 212 at Sonoma Community Center is free and open to the public, 276 East Napa Street in Sonoma. For more information call (707) 938-4626.
