Currently on display in the Donohue Rare Book Room is the recent acquisition, The Radical Imagination: A Retrospective Portfolio by the artist, Favianna Rodriguez. The portfolio includes over twenty broadsides on themes of immigrant rights, racial justice, Palestine, reproductive rights, somatic awareness, and climate justice. Included also in the portfolio is a container for Pecan Resist ice cream!
Rodriguez is an Oakland-based artist known for her activism and use of bold shapes and colors to address a wide range of present-day issues and topics. Earlier this semester Rodriguez spoke on campus and shared her message of the power of art in activism and in fighting for social justice. As the artist recently shared on Instagram “We need art and culture to shift hearts and minds towards a revolutionary future.”
Favianna Rodriguez’s portfolio is an exciting acquisition for the Gleeson Library, underscoring the Rare Book Room’s commitment to develop collections that celebrate values of anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion and document activism in our communities. The exhibition of the portfolio will continue through December 13, 2024. Rare Book Room hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
John Hawk
Head Librarian, Special Collections & University Archives