Designer Reflects on Smithsonian Poster Series Amid 'Inaccurate Information' Sign Order

In July, the Trump administration ordered signs to be placed outside Smithsonian museums warning visitors that exhibitions might contain 'inaccurate information,' reigniting debates over who controls historical narratives. In response, MiresBall partner and creative director Scott Mires (implied) reflects on his team's 2012 design work for the Smithsonian traveling exhibition 'Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942–1964.' The exhibition addressed the Bracero Program, a WWII-era guest worker initiative that brought millions of Mexican laborers to the U.S., shaping Mexican American communities while exposing workers to exploitation, including pesticide spraying. MiresBall designed a national poster series to bring the exhibition to schools, libraries, and community centers. The design process involved prioritizing text over photography, drawing inspiration from traditional Mexican woven blankets, and alternating English and Spanish lead languages across six posters to avoid linguistic hierarchy. Mires emphasizes that design should not neutralize complex stories but rather create space for audiences to engage with contradictions. He criticizes the 'inaccurate information' signs as coded signals reinforcing existing beliefs, noting that even the Smithsonian's trusted brand is not immune to political polarization. The exhibition ran from 2010 to 2017, and Mires sees its themes as prescient to current debates over immigration and historical representation.