Much of Hernández’s work is informed by the challenges of rural life, which she learned of firsthand through her parents’ experiences working on farms. In this screenprint, the artist replaced the Sun-Maid Raisins mascot with a smiling “mad” skeleton. Hernandez hoped her print would “unmask the truth behind the wholesome figures of agribusiness” by suggesting the health dangers faced by agricultural workers exposed to pesticides. Though created slightly later than many works in this gallery, Hernandez’s Sun Mad is part of a history of recognizable figures used to communicate revolutionary ideals during the 1960s and ’70s.
2025
Kids label from 2025
What is different about this image of a raisin box?
In this poster, Ester Hernández redesigns the Sun-Maid raisin box. When visiting her parents in California, they couldn’t drink tap water. Nearby farms had polluted it. Those farms grew grapes used to make raisins. Hernández made this artwork to show how some farming methods can harm our health and the planet.
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