Susan Simensky Bietila

Saturday, November 7, 2026
3pm, Gateway Room

From underground comix and feminist collectives of the 1960s to puppet-filled protest marches and Indigenous-led water protection actions of today, Susan Simensky Bietila has put her art in the service of social justice for her entire adult life. Rejecting the male-dominated art world, she embraced radically democratic forms of creativity instead, leading her political posters, comics, protest banners, masks, and giant puppets to appear on front lines of struggle around the world and in magazines such as The Nation and World War 3 Illustrated. Her insightful account of her history, Front Lines: A Lifetime of Drawing Resistance, is more than a memoir; it’s also an archival testimony about the art of activism and an inspiring manual on making activist art, with eleven comics and scores of posters and prints, photographs, and tips—a handy guide for kindred artists and artistic spirits who want to fuel social change. Join us for a special slide show presentation as Bietila discusses observations and inspirations gleaned from a life of making trouble—and making art—with special attention to the Indigenous-led anti-mine, anti-pipeline, water protection struggles of the Upper Midwest.

About the Author

Susan Simensky Bietila is based in Wisconsin and works with Indigenous water protectors and allies to stop toxic mines and oil pipelines by organizing art builds and creating banners, puppets, and masks. She works with social justice movements including Voces de la Frontera, Jewish Voice for Peace, Communities United by Water, and many others. She was a coeditor and collective member of RAT—the pioneering second-wave feminist newspaper—and later joined the World War 3 Illustrated collective, where she continues to create graphic nonfiction rooted in her activist experience. Her work has appeared in the streets and halls of power to galleries and magazines, including Fifth Estate, The Nation, and In These Times, and in books, including Anarchy and Art: From the Paris Commune to the Fall of the Berlin Wall; Wobblies: A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World; and World War 3 Illustrated: 1979–2014.