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June 2002 «
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INSURGENT IMAGES The Agitprop Murals of Mike Alewitz
“Mike Alewitz’s art has given eloquent voice to the aspirations of working people throughout the world. His heroic figures and vibrant colors are powerful weapons in the hands of the oppressed.” — MARTIN SHEEN “A vibrant, full-color presentation of the vivid and powerfully themed mural artworks done by Alewitz, an outspoken labor activist since the 1940s. Presenting a strong political theme of worker's rights and solidarity, capturing the imagination with its outspoken message, and offered alongside a sensible commentary that places pieces in context to the labor and humanitarian issues they illustrated, Insurgent Images is a stunning collection of art created to serve showcase and advance the cause of worker and human rights.”— MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW The most prolific U.S. labor muralist since the 1940s, Alewitz follows the traditions of Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Siqueiros as well as the early painters of the Russian Revolution. With a demonstrated blend of artistic integrity and political commitment, Insurgent Images combines grand historical themes with enlivening detail, to illustrate the interplay between personality and event. Alewitz brings to this tradition his own rich sense of irony, humor, and fantasy to illuminate the hidden spaces where connections between the workforce of the U.S. and its extended relatives across the planet are to be found. Insurgent Images contains murals for the Teamsters—their “Victory Mural” after the United Parcel Service (UPS) Strike of 1998—the Oil Chemical and Atomic Workers, the Communications Workers, United Electrical Workers, the United Farmworkers, as well as the Highlander Folk School and other labor institutions. Other works respond to dramatic events such as the 1984 strike of P-9 workers in Austin, Minnesota, the 1991 rebellion in Los Angeles, and the tragedy at Chernobyl. Altogether, this collection presents an inspiring artistic reading of our epoch, sometimes poignant and yet full of promise. Foreword by Martin Sheen Introduction Chapter One: The Education of a Radical Artist Postscript Notes Acknowledgments Selected Muralography Index About the Authors PAUL BUHLE teaches history at Brown University and is the author of A Very Dangerous Citizen: Abraham Lincoln Polonsky and the Holllywood Left. His previous books include Taking Care of Business: Samuel Gompers, George Meany, Lane Kirkland, and the Tragedy of American Labor, Tender Comrades: A Backstory of the Hollywood Blacklist, The Encyclopedia of the American Left, and C.L.R. James's Caribbean If you have any technical comments or suggestions, about this web site, please send e-mail to Our Webmaster at mrwebmaster@monthlyreview.org.  |
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