Utopia in Our Time: The Posters of Molly Crabapple at Poster House

Poster House, the first museum in the United States dedicated to the global history of posters, presents a new capsule exhibition for the fall 2025 season. Utopia in Our Time: The Posters of Molly Crabapple will open on November 13, 2025 and close on April 12, 2026. The two main exhibitions, The Future Was Then: The Changing Face of Fascist Italy and Blazing A Trail: Dorothy Waugh’s National Parks Posters are on view at the museum now until February 22.

Utopia in Our Time features a collection of posters by beloved New York City illustrator, Molly Crabapple. Known for her eccentric and winsome images, the posters in this exhibition chronicle her 21st century observations of the resilience of community, the power in solidarity, and the spirit of celebration.

Deeply intersectional and inspired by a range of historic sources and her own life experiences, Molly’s messaging in her illustrations—including some from as recently as 2024—exhibit touches on global issues, from activism against anti-Muslim sentiment to the uplifting of Puerto Rican culture to burlesque entertainment.

Her poster designs combine dreamlike and satirical motifs, paired with symbolic animals and pretty figures that comment on some of the complexities of national and international establishment. Molly embraces the contemporary and rejects the rigidity of traditional art and the labels of “activist” or “social-practice artist.” Instead, her posters are focused on recognizing every person’s capacity for creativity, joy and rebellion.