Saturday, January 31, 2026 from 1–3 PM
from workshop facilitator, tyler galloway:
graphic design can be a powerful tool for social change, whether on a national or individual level. in this brief workshop, i’ll share all of the basic things i know, as both an activist designer and a design educator, about what makes an effective protest poster. we’ll talk briefly about messaging, ideas, images, text, context, materials, and more. as we talk, we’ll quickly put those ideas into practice using a range of readily-available materials so you can try your hand at making your own posters for public use.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION, STAND UP, FIGHT BACK: DESIGNING AN ANTI-RACIST MOVEMENT FOR WORKER POWER
This exhibition tells the story of how thoughtful, sustained commitment to design for social change can become a force-multiplier that enriches the struggle for anti-racist, working class organizing. Through the creation of a visual identity using color, typography, illustration, and composition and its consistent application since 2011, Stand Up KC has become inseparable from their iconic red shirts with blocky white lettering and the matching posters and banners they carry at public actions. In a unique visual melting pot, organizational design works in concert with the artistic expression of low-wage workers to forge a compelling movement identity. A wide collection of graphic ephemera sits alongside photo and video documentation and cell phone photography from the workers themselves, which provide compelling visuals of everyday life of people working beyond full time and struggling to get by. This mix of design, documentation, and photography further cements the legacy of workers’ struggle for a living wage, protections on the job, and the right to unionize.
Now stretching beyond a decade, this rich narrative is told through a vast array of artifacts and media. Full-size banners and silkscreened posters carried on the street by workers will be featured alongside dozens of event flyers, documentary video and photos, used to publicize the group’s organizing. Behind-the-scenes process and unused designs, oral histories from workers, and a range of other ephemera will be on display to paint a multi-faceted picture of this ongoing anti-racist, working class struggle for economic justice.
ABOUT tyler galloway
tyler galloway is a graphic designer, professor, and Joyce C. Hall Chair of the Graphic Design department at Kansas City Art Institute. His primary research and practice interests focus on design for community-based social change through both client-initiated and designer-initiated work, which he pursues under his studio moniker, the new programme, alongside student collaborators. he brings 30 years of professional design experience and 20 years of teaching experience to his endeavors. tyler holds a BFA in graphic design from Missouri State University and an MGD from North Carolina State University. His work has appeared in several national and international political/social poster and art exhibitions and been published in the books “The Design of Dissent”, “Posters for the Planet”, “Graphis Poster Annual”, “Reproduce and Revolt”, in Communication Arts, and the Turkish socio-political design magazine “No Tasarim”. Coursework and student projects have been published in the book “Designing for Social Change” and the website “Design Ignites Change”, having won multiple grants through the latter. He has spoken locally and regionally on design for social change and was an invited participant in the LEAP symposium at Art Center College of Design. Design pedagogy papers have been presented at multiple AIGA national design education conferences, Typecon and the international MODE summit on motion graphics. But perhaps just as important, tyler loves riding bikes, punk rock, vegan cookies and being a husband and dad. @thenewprogramme
