The People’s Declaration: Grassroots Posters from 1976 and 2026

Join us for a panel discussion and exhibition tour exploring how people made themselves heard through printmaking.
About this Event

Philadelphia’s commemorations of the Declaration of Independence have always included big plans, but haven’t always embraced grassroots communities, especially those marginalized by race, class, gender or sexual orientation.

Curators from the Free Library and Penn’s Kislak Center will explore how people made themselves heard through printmaking -- posters, newspapers and other materials – in the 1976 and 2026 commemorations of the Declaration’s anniversaries.

Mitch Fraas will show highlights of an exhibition of materials from the “counter-celebrations” in 1976. Suzanna Urminska will discuss Mural Arts 2026 project, “Printmaking by the People,” in which everyday Philadelphians have imagined a new Declaration of Independence, and Rhonda Babb will discuss the poster–mural design she created to convey the “people’s vision” inspired by the project.

The discussion will be followed by a tour of the “Printmaking by the People” exhibition in the Heim Center.

Speakers:

• Suzanna Urminska, Curator of Exhibitions, Free Library of Philadelphia
• Mitch Frass, Senior Curator, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania Libraries
• Rhonda Babb, Printmaker, Designer of Behold These Truths

Photo caption: Printmaking by the People Exhibition Opening at the Parkway Central Library, April 16, 2026. Photo by Amna Khalafalla.