Hunter College’s Center for Puerto Rican Studies is showcasing a series of iconic cultural posters in a month-long exhibition opening June 5. The posters of the collection were produced by DIVEDCO, a government agency under the Department of Education, from 1949 to 1989. Some of the images evoked themes of working-class rights, migration and health education, while others were ads for short films and plays produced in Puerto Rico.

The collection includes images from famed Puerto Rican graphic artists including Rafael Tufino and Lorenzo Homar. Most of the posters were donated, although some were acquired before they became prized by art collectors. The artwork will be a backdrop for a forum at the college examining how the arts can promote social and economic change within the Puerto Rican community. Melendez, the center’s director said about the exhibition: “You can affect social change by engaging the interest of people through art. That’s why the social message of this collection is so strong.”

Via Daily News.