Josh MacPhee of Chicago has been very busy this summer. Touring his stencil graffiti art show to infoshops, cafes, independent art galleries, and even the Allied Media Conference, selling prints from five to fifty dollars to raise funds for a book of collected stencils from around the country.
MacPhee facilitates “Just Seeds,” organizing artists from all walks, styles, and artistic backgrounds to create beautiful works of educational art entitled “Celebrate Peoples History.” Each poster is a highly unique tribute, honoring radical speakers, thinkers, organizers, agitators, and events. This is the history our textbooks seemed to have “left out.” The series pays homage to such prominent figures as Harriet Tubman, Augusto Sandino, and Fred Hampton. Shining light on events like Little Bighorn, the Stonewall riots, and the Battle of Homestead. This project continues to grow as new artists approach MacPhee with new ideas.
The “Celebrate Peoples History ” posters can be viewed or obtained at justseeds.org. They’re the perfect art for classrooms, infoshops, or just subversive living rooms.
Just seeds has also produced an incredibly insubordinate compilation CD: multiple versions of the NWA classic “Fuck the Police” done as a punk song, techno tune, and more. Straight outta Chi-town, this mix tape reminds us all of the need to challenge the inherent racism of cop consciousness in America. Get it and play it loud.
Graphic: An example of a Just Seeds Poster by Ben Rubin (Emma Goldman depicted as Queen of circle-A in a deck of playing cards).