The archive contains many kinds of objects that are created as part of social movements by the participants themselves: posters, flyers, publications, zines, books, T-shirts and buttons, moving images, audio recordings, subject files, and other materials.
Through our programming, we use this cultural ephemera to animate histories of people mobilizing for social transformation. We consider the use of our collection to be a way of preserving and honoring histories and material culture that is often marginalized in mainstream institutions.
On View
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Walkout: A Brief History of Student Organizing
Online Only
June 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
May 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Kent State and Jackson State massacres, which set off a historically large-scale student strike across the nation. With the anniversary as an entry point and frame of reference, this exhibition uses archival material from the Interference Archive collection to examine the broader scope of student movements that both led up to and followed in the wake of May 1970.
More View Online ExhibitionUpcoming Events
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Film Screening: Wahenga (The Ancestors) 2018
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 7:00 PM
As part of our exhibition Call & Response: Songbooks to Power the Movement, we will be celebrating liberation music from the international left. Join us for a screening of the documentary Wahenga (The Ancestors) by dir. Amil Shivji and Rebecca Mzengi Corey with a talkback with Corey after the film. John Kitime, an energetic musician […]
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Volunteer Orientation
Monday, November 16, 2026 @ 7:00 PM
Join us for the next volunteer orientation to learn about getting involved in Interference Archive’s non-hierarchical community. You will learn about Interference Archive’s collection of social movement materials, how we work together as volunteers, and have a chance to meet fellow comrades and volunteers. This orientation is open to everyone who would like to be […]
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Now Streaming
Audio Interference 88 – Archiving Stop Cop City: This Is Not A Local Struggle
Hear from one of the organizers behind the Stop Cop City exhibition currently on view at Interference Archive (Sep 2024 – Jan 2025). We learn about the goals of the show, how it came together, and the important role that archiving has in the movement. This episode was written, narrated and co-produced by Rob Smith. […]
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Exhibition Catalog: Walkout: A Brief History of Student Organizing
May 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of the Kent State and Jackson State massacres, which set off a historically large-scale student strike across the nation. With the anniversary as an entry point and frame of reference, this 96-page full color publication uses posters, buttons, pamphlets, flyers, zines, and more—to examine the broader scope of student movements that both led up to and followed those of May 1970.