On the Walls of Revolution: The Intersection of Art, Solidarity, and Historical Memory

The late art historian David Craven referred to Revolutionary Nicaragua as the “‘world capitol’ of muralism in the 1980s.”  Artists from around the globe flocked to the country in a display of solidarity where they donated their time, talents, and art supplies painting murals throughout the country.  Despite the praise of Craven, the transnational character of the movement, and the amount of attention paid to other Latin American muralist movements historians have either overlooked the murals of Nicaragua or are unaware of their existence.  In addition to being a piece of my dissertation on the broader Nicaraguan Solidarity Movement, my research on the Revolutionary Nicaraguan muralist movement serves as a historiographic intervention.  

This poster will investigate the intersection of art, global solidarity, and historical memory represented by the murals.  In an act of solidarity, artists conferred with local Nicaraguans to determine the content of their murals.  Packed within this deliberation over the content of the murals lies the deliberate act of remembrance and representation.  I will analyze the representations of the past chosen by local Nicaraguans and foreign artists through a critical interpretation of the content placed within the larger context of both the past and the revolution.