"Can't You Hear Me?" Student Strike Protest Poster
Chicago: Columbia Collective, 1970
Screenprint on paper. 27 x 22¾ inches
 
Produced in the aftermath of the Kent State shootings and amid the expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia, this powerful screenprint was created by the Columbia Collective, a group of student artists at Columbia College Chicago. The stark black-and-white photographic image of a wounded civilian, paired with the impassioned appeal, "can't you hear me? we are striking, the killing must stop!", captures the grief, outrage, and urgency that defined the nationwide student strike movement of 1970.
 
One of a series of antiwar posters created by the Columbia Collective, the work exemplifies the bold visual language of protest graphics produced during one of the most turbulent moments of the Vietnam era. Its uncompromising imagery and direct message remain an enduring testament to the role of student activism in shaping public discourse during the final years of the conflict.
 
Condition: Excellent.