WICKER PARK — Protest signs and protest marches go hand in hand.
Printmaker Justin Santora designed a pair of simple black-and-white signs for friends attending Saturday's Women's March on Washington and in Chicago, and received so many messages and requests when he shared the images on Facebook that he's making copies of the posters and a file of the artwork available for free.
Santora dropped off a limited number of the signs — "Take only what you need," he said — at Reckless Records, 1379 N. Milwaukee Ave., while supplies last.
The artwork can be downloaded and printed at home, as well. (See below.)
Having participated in anti-Donald Trump protests following the election, Santora said he noticed a need for signs. A friend suggested slogans and it took him approximately 15 minutes to lay out the type for his designs.
"The Future Is Female" is a "really current" message that's "undeniably positive," he said.
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun-Damental Human Rights" speaks to concerns about women's healthcare under the incoming administration, and "everyone likes Cyndi Lauper," said Santora, who works out of a Wicker Park studio.
"We've never had an incoming president with such phenomenally bad character ... and his relationship with women is especially concerning," he said.
Though most of his work is commercial in nature, Santora, a grad of Northeastern Illinois University, is well schooled in printmaking's longstanding role in social movements and revolutions.
While attending a poster event in Hamburg, Germany, he had the opportunity to visit a modern history exhibit, which featured old Soviet propaganda posters.
"It becomes a cultural artifact," he said.
Santora isn't placing his posters in that same category — he's just doing his part for Saturday's rallies to help those who might be artistically-challenged.
He and his wife plan to join the Chicago march and yes, "We'll be carrying signs."
Signs for 2017 Womens March by DNAinfo Chicago on Scribd
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