Flyer for Designed to Be Red: Native American & Indigenous Poster Works at Poster House: On view Sep 25, 2026–Feb 21, 2027 at Poster House

Illustration by Stumblday, not event photography

← See all this weekend's NYC picks

Exhibition

Designed to Be Red: Native American & Indigenous Poster Works at Poster House

Check hours before you go

Poster House

Chelsea / Flatiron, Manhattan

See Poster House for admission

Official site
Add to calendar
ArtIndigenous designGraphic design

Nearly two centuries of posters from more than 60 tribes and nations recast Native designers as authors, in Poster House's main gallery.

For generations, marketers used posters to tell stories about Native peoples rather than with them; this show flips that, presenting Indigenous designers as innovators across nearly two centuries and more than 60 tribes and nations. It leads Poster House's fall season and makes a pointed visit around Indigenous Peoples' Day. If you care about graphic design, this is a rare chance to see a history the field has mostly left out.

What to expect

Expect a main-gallery survey of posters and printed graphics that range from subversive to optimistic, set against the stereotyped imagery they push back on. Poster House rates the exhibition PG-13 for some racist and violent imagery and language.

Good to know

  • Poster House is at 119 West 23rd Street; the F/M and 1 at 23rd Street are close
  • Rated PG-13 by the museum for some racist and violent imagery
  • Allow about an hour for the main gallery
  • The Lefor-Openo poster show and Reading Under Fire are in the same building

Common questions

Who curated the show?

Poster House highlights designer and curator Brian Johnson of the Monacan Indian Nation, co-founder of BIPOC Design History.

Is it suitable for kids?

The museum rates it PG-13 for some racist and violent imagery and language.