This digital archive is a curated selection of works that combine scattered artworks and archival documents that show how political activism was represnted during the twentieth century. The project is focused on the visual and documentary traces left by two politically engaged artists. Artworks and documents sourced for this archive are situated in both Mexico and the United States. 

David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jose Clemente Orozco are presented side by side to highlight the parallel and contrasting ways they engaged with the political and social crises of the twentieth century.  Both artists were central figures of the Mexican Muralist movement, and their approaches diverge. Where Siqueiros embraced and participated in militant activism, Orozco used only his art to showcase the tragic and contradictory outcomes of revolution. By placing them together, this archive emphasizes the breadth of political expression, and frames the archive through intersecting perspectives. 

Ultimately, Traces of Activism describes both the polticial histories these artists were engaged in and the incomplete archival record. With much of the documentation surrounding these artists remain behind paywalls or held in restricted collections, what remains publicly accessible are fragments. Surveillance files, photographs, artworks, and a few published sources. These traces do not tell the whole story, but they reveal enough to highlight the complex political dynamics that shaped each artist. 

View each collection to learn more about its purpose.