Poster House in New York presents Designed to Be Red: Native American & Indigenous Poster Works, an exhibition curated by Brian Johnson of the Monacan Indian Nation. Open through February 21, 2027, the show brings together more than a century of Indigenous visual communication and creative expression.
Developed following Johnson's 2022 lecture, the exhibition responds to a growing need for accessible references that reflect Indigenous design histories and contemporary practices. It positions Native artists not as figures of the past, but as active contributors shaping visual culture today.
A living language of design
The exhibition explores posters created for public information, community campaigns, cultural events and popular culture. Across these works, typography, symbolism, color and storytelling reveal the breadth of Indigenous approaches to graphic design.
Contemporary voices including Kent Monkman, Jeffrey Gibson and SIYO-WIN demonstrate how Indigenous perspectives continue to expand the possibilities of poster-making. Their work connects heritage, humor, identity and modern visual language in ways that speak to broad audiences.
Organized into five thematic sections, the exhibition highlights Indigenous Joy, creative sovereignty and the evolving relationship between art, communication and representation. A companion publication, Designed to Be Red: Native American & Indigenous Graphic Works, further documents the artists, ideas and visual traditions featured in the project.
By placing Indigenous designers at the center of graphic-design history, the exhibition opens a wider conversation about authorship, cultural memory and who gets to define visual culture. Its long-term impact may be a more inclusive design education and a richer creative future shaped by many perspectives.
