April 7, 2026
Recounted by Ms. Hill (Subject Expert Teacher, World History)
Our grade 7 students stepped out of the BASIS Independent Manhattan Upper School to take an eye-opening field trip to the nearby Poster House, America’s first—and only—museum dedicated entirely to posters. This interdisciplinary field trip to see “The Future Was Then: The Changing Face of Fascist Italy” helped students make connections between World History and visual art by seeing how Mussolini’s government designed posters that shaped Italian culture.
Identifying the Exhibition’s Key Focus
The exhibition featured 75 pieces from the Fondazione Massimo e Sonia Cirulli in Bologna that exposed the intersection of propaganda and art during Mussolini’s rule. The posters were visually stunning, with dramatic designs and vibrant colors that promoted a dangerous political ideology. Many students identified the strangeness of seeing something so artistic on the surface, yet how it was used with malicious intent.
Understanding Propaganda vs. Art
These middle school students were most taken by how much there was to learn from a single poster. Each one had a story to tell. Through deep analysis and thought, students identified the propaganda that the poster was intended to communicate.
By taking on the poster designers’ perspectives, the students weighed what choices they would need to make using just images, colors, and a few words to communicate a specific and complete message. Which colors should be used? How should the text be arranged? What emotions do the images evoke? A student favorite was the “creepy pasta baby,” which demonstrated the lie that Italy was flourishing economically and could support and feed such a vast population in its Empire.
Difficult Questions and Important Lessons
Our students took away from this field trip a key lesson that governments, activists, and companies have used posters to influence public opinion over time. After understanding that some posters encouraged people to buy chocolate with added ingredients to save money, or showed how chocolate and colonialism were connected, group discussions ensued about how even history can be used to change people’s minds.
With this newfound understanding, students are writing essays using propaganda posters from the exhibition. Their goal is to show how Fascism manipulated art and twisted history for its harmful ends.
Final Thoughts
Our grade 7 students found that a small museum can make a big impact, and our students made a lasting impact at the museum, too. The exhibition curator was so impressed by their knowledge, curiosity, and insights that he thought they were high school students in an AP class!
Experience Joyful Rigor Firsthand
BASIS Independent Manhattan, a private school offering PreK through Grade 12, is based in Manhattan, New York. Students thrive alongside Subject Expert Teachers as they engage in a liberal arts program with STEM offerings.
