Works from Luis JimŽnez (1940-2006) are on display at the NAU Art Museum for the "Right to Print: Segura Publishing Company. Bryan Kinkade / The Lumberjack

While walking through the front doors of Old Main, a set of double doors straight ahead leads to the NAU Museum gallery.

Inside lies the art exhibit “Right to Print,” a show focusing on highly controversial and political artwork.

Cassandra Coblentz, the associate curator of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, selected specific prints from the portfolio of the company to bring controversial artwork to campus through Segura Publishing Company.

Ty Miller, the program coordinator for the NAU Museum, said he believes exposing students to controversial and political art creates an opportunity that opens minds to otherwise ignored perspectives.

“In my opinion, the importance of students and non-students alike being exposed to political art, as with all challenging art, is the exposure to new ideas, or old ideas in new ways,” Miller said. “Controversy is simply the opportunity to open a dialogue through which we, as members of society, can sift through the various bias and opinion to find underlying truths.”

The artists showcased throughout “Right to Print” include Peter Drake, Mark Klett, Vik Muniz and Enrique Chagoya. Every piece included within the exhibit makes a political or controversial statement.

Junior print-making major Griffin Byerly’s family looks at works from the “Right to Print: Segura Publishing Company” exhibit at the NAU Art Museum. The exhibit, organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, is on display until Dec. 10. Bryan Kinkade / The Lumberjack

Chagoya, for example, used etching, aquatint and rubber stamps in a series of satirical political cartoons titled “Homage to Goya II: Disasters of War.” These cartoons protest the actions of former President George W. Bush and the war
between the United States and the Middle East.

Miller said he is both aware and highly appreciative of the credibility of the artists featured in the showcase. Because Flagstaff is not often exposed to this sort of art, he said he recognizes the value of this opportunity.

“This is a rare opportunity in Flagstaff,” Miller said regarding the artists presented at the show. “There isn’t an artist in the show that a student shouldn’t be familiar with.”

Stephanie Smith, a freshman business major, said she appreciated the variety of art within the exhibit.

“It’s interesting and different,” Smith said. “The [prints] I scoped out made me think and really see into the artists’ eyes.”

Krista Gast, a freshman with an undeclared major and an aspiring artist, said she greatly enjoyed the constant diversity in the various tools used by the different artists to create the many prints including in the show.

“‘Right to Print’ was very intriguing,” Gast said. “I liked the use of mediums in each print to portray the impact of how the artists felt about their respective controversial topics.”

The gallery is located in Old Main on NAU’s north campus and runs until Dec. 10. The event is free and open to the public.