Virtual auction of historic posters of the Civil Rights era and the Peace Movement in support of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security
PRESS RELEASE
Cambridge, Ma., November 17, 2021: The Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security (CPDCS) announced the launching of a virtual auction of historic posters from national and international peace and justice organizations. Two famous pieces, “One Man One Vote” and “Is He Protecting You?, by noted documentarian of the Civil Rights movement, photographer Danny Lyon, head the fundraising event. Issued by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee around 1963, they are part of a series of five SNCC posters featuring the work of Lyon while he was staff photographer for the committee. Lyon is highly regarded as one of the most influential documentary photographers of the last six decades.
The collection on sale, which spans from the 1960s to the 2000s, also includes an original wood engraving by renowned German-American artist Fritz Eichenberg (1901-1990). This signed piece, titled “Peace Endangered,” was produced for a fundraiser in 1983 and is a new version of Eichenberg’s famous classic engraving “Peaceable Kingdom” of 1950.
Among the thirty-four original items offered for auction are anti-Vietnam war era pieces, an illustration by Japanese artist Anno Mitsumasa, and an original 1982 poster created by the Third World and Progressive People’s Coalition to promote the largest peace demonstration in U.S. history.
“This selection of posters represents fifty years of history of the Freedom Struggle and Peace movements. We hope people are inspired by the Poster Art of our movements. Sharing visions and commitments for peace, justice, and environmental sustainability with family, friends (and even oneself!) is the perfect way to end this year,” says CPDCS president and executive director, Dr. Joseph Gerson. A long-time activist and organizer, Dr. Gerson, is the owner of this collection, which he began building during his days as a civil rights organizer in the South and has since then continued increasing as a leading figure of the American Peace Movement.
The auction, held virtually, was launched on November 11 and will continue through December 18. Interested bidders can place their offers on the auction’s site: bit.ly/posters-auction.
Founded in 2017, the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security advocates for peace and nuclear disarmament with justice and serves as a bridge between movements in the U.S., Asia, and Europe. To learn more about the organization’s important mission, visit: www.cpdcs.org.
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Virtual Auction site: bit.ly/posters-auction
Contact: Joseph Gerson, JGerson80@gmail.com, (617) 661-6130
CPDCS website: www.cpdcs.org
