In 2021, The New School launched an important initiative to preserve José Clemente Orozco’s 1931 five-panel mural cycle, A Call to Revolution and Table of Universal Brotherhood through renovations designed to stabilize the environmental conditions in the room and the entry space housing the murals. A rare example of early 20th century Mexican muralism, it is the second of only three mural commissions the artist produced while in the United States and the only surviving public site-specific example of Mexican fresco painting in New York City.
The New School is grateful to the Mellon Foundation, the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative, and the Terra Foundation for American Art for their support of this critically important endeavor. Once the renovations are complete, further conservation work to address the effects of decades of fluctuating temperatures and humidity can take place, carrying forward the university’s ongoing stewardship in preserving the murals for future generations.
Please check back for updates on our progress.
To learn more about this keystone work in the university’s art collection, please visit this page dedicated to the murals.
Read an article from Parsons’ re:D magazine about the Orozco murals and the role they’ve played in The New School’s history of employing art to spark lively and productive debate on pressing issues of the day.
