Haverhill Public Library Presents Stephen Lewis’ Collection of May Day Posters in June

May Day poster. (Courtesy of Stephen Lewis.)

As a public service, 97.9 WHAV presents Community Spotlight at no charge for the benefit of Greater Haverhill nonprofit organizations. To submit news of events, fundraising appeals and other community calendar announcements, Click image.

Area residents have a chance to have a taste of May Day as it is celebrated around the world, with a poster exhibit at the Haverhill Public Library during June.

Stephen Lewis’ collection of May Day posters will be the first to display in the library’s reopened exhibit gallery hall. Lewis presents posters he has collected from France, Spain, Namibia, Australia, Denmark, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Germany and Liechtenstein, among others.

He describes the exhibit as part graphic art, part history, part culture and part political message. He includes translation of key phrases to English. “Historians can see what social and political changes were being advocated for in different countries at different times. Activists can see some of their favorite causes, including the celebration of May Day itself, agitated for in these posters,” he said, adding, “Artists may appreciate the various ways a theme is depicted by many different artists, hailing from different countries and cultures.”

The exhibit is available from June 2-June 28, Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.- 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

A part of the legacy of May Day was the struggle for the eight-hour work day, the cause of the famous Bread and Roses Strike which took place in 1912 in Lawrence. Lewis is a former member of the board of directors that presents the annual commemoration of that struggle on Labor Day.

Comments are closed.