Steal This Poster was a collaborative public art project organized by Centre[3] in partnership with Atelier Circulaire (Montreal) and Martha Street Studio (Winnipeg). Originating from a 2012 initiative by Martha Street Studio, the project was revitalized in 2022 and continued into 2023. It aimed to democratize art by placing screen-printed posters in public spaces for people to freely take.
In the 2023 edition, each participating studio selected four local artists to design posters intended for public “theft.” These designs were then hand-printed by local screenprinters: Michael Schnittker at Centre[3], Dominique Desbiens at Atelier Circulaire, and Alison James at Martha Street Studio. The resulting posters were installed across Hamilton, Montreal, and Winnipeg, transforming city streets into open-air galleries.
The project culminated in the exhibition A Change of Scene: Steal This Poster Exchange, held at Centre[3].
Through its playful approach to art dissemination, Steal This Poster challenged traditional notions of art ownership and accessibility, inviting the public to engage directly with contemporary printmaking in their everyday environments.
