January 2021, the East Asian Art & Archival Collection’s Chinese Cultural Revolution posters were sent to an art photographer in Chester, Connecticut to have professional, high-resolution images taken of each item in the collection. Wesleyan, the College of East Asian Studies, and the East Asian Art & Archival Collection staff patiently waited to receive the new images and have all unanimously agreed that the images are stunning and are a wonderful asset to add to the collection. These magnificently detailed images are able to be viewed on the collection’s website, and in the future, these posters’ images will be used for both virtual and in-person class visits and exhibitions.
“Having worked closely with the Cultural Revolution Propaganda Posters collection as part of my senior capstone project, it is incredibly exciting to see this collection be rediscovered and appreciated by the Wesleyan community. I feel fortunate to have been a part of the poster’s rediscovery, and I am grateful that Wesleyan has chosen to invest in not only the care of these items but also in making the posters more accessible to the community. The East Asian Art & Archival Collection has so much to offer to both students and faculty, so I am eager to see how the posters will be appreciated and used by future generations of Wesleyan students.”
– Samantha Smith, Class of 2020
Currently, there are plans for the Chinese Cultural Revolution posters to go on exhibition during the 2021-2022 academic year. This exhibition will be the perfect opportunity to not only see the exquisite works of art in person but also to showcase student research surrounding the historical and political nature of the posters.
