When SLUMA (the Saint Louis University Museum of Art) presented its latest exhibit, Roads to Freedom: Europe through Solidarity, it opened the doors to a world that many know little about. It features photographs and documents surrounding the foundation of the solidarity movement in 1980’s Poland.
The movement itself was centered around the workers of the country rejecting the Polish People’s Republic, a governmental group that was supposed to be protecting their rights, but rather, was doing little to support them. After years of social abuse and neglect from their government, the working class of Poland started waves of massive protest under the guidance of Lech Walesa, leading to strikes and the eventual acceptance of solidarity within the Polish government.
The solidarity movement, known by the people as Solidarno, was a push for a non-communist government in Poland. It was one of the first of its kind and marked the beginning of the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. The movement was one of the broadest anti-communist social movements. After several years of repressions and the institution of martial law in 1981, the Polish government was eventually forced to start roundtable talks with the union.
In August of 1989, the first free elections were held, and Walesa was elected president. Though solidarity has little prominence in the Polish government today, it marked the start of something great when it came about, playing a pivotal role in ending Polish communism.
The exhibition marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Solidarno by the workers of the Lenin shipyard complex. The photographs and historical documents presented masterfully tell the stories of various people involved in the movement, from the leadership of Walesa to the diligent following of underappreciated workers. The pieces, ranging from times of harsh communist rule to those of jubilant freedom manage to truly take the viewer on the road to freedom. It shows the diligence of the common people, working to carry out their personal beliefs and ideals regarding political policies of the time. The heroes of this story are not the political leaders, the religious heads or the upper class minority. The heroes are the common people, the hard workers that risked the most by stepping out and making their voices heard. This inspirational story of suffering, determination, defiance and success is one that is both emotionally relatable and visually stunning to those that see it. Europe through Solidarity truly does take the viewer on a trip down a road of inspiration that he or she may not have ever known about otherwise.
Roads to Freedom: Europe through Solidarity is a traveling exhibit that has been in such major cities as Boston, Chicago, New York and Washington D.C. It has also visited numerous countries throughout Europe. The exhibit is sponsored by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a group established by the Polish Government and working in part to establish worldwide awareness of Polish history. The photographs, articles and other historical pieces were collected and organized by the Foundation for Solidarity Center of Gdansk, Poland. This memorable exhibit will be open to the public until Feb. 18, and can be found in the Judith and Adam Aronson Gallery of SLUMA.
