"The Posters of Discontent," an exhibit of contemporary political posters, will be on display from March 12 to April 15 at the Rebecca Randall Bryan Gallery of Coastal Carolina University. The public is invited to the opening reception on Thursday, March 12 from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m.

Nineteen designers from seven countries are represented in the exhibition, which is curated by Eastern Michigan University graphic design professor Andrew Maniotes. In the election year 2008, Maniotes sent out invitations to various professionals, educators and artists known for formal and/or political poster making. Designers were invited to submit posters from recent years about current political causes.

"The exhibition is an excellent opportunity for the students and public to see how graphic design can be a catalyst for civic dialogue about important political issues," says Bryan Gallery Director Cynthia Farnell.

"The last eight years have been a tumultuous time in history and politics," says Maniotes. "We have seen major upheavals in America and abroad following 9/11, which brought large scale governmental and military actions as a result. As we saw in Vietnam, times of war, especially the more publicly disapproved wars, tend to bring out the poster makers to voice opinions and often make the public question the official policies and status quo. I hope this show will be a similar visual call to arms. This show and catalog serve as a snapshot of contemporary political issues."

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed weekends and University holidays. For directions: www.coastal.edu/bryanartgallery/

The Bryan Gallery is supported in part by the Coastal Educational Foundation, the South Carolina Arts Commission and the Friends of Bryan Gallery. All Bryan Gallery programs are free and open to the public.

For more information contact Farnell at 843-234-3466 or cfarnell@coastal.edu.