Maitin produced art to support local causes as well as national politics. This poster promoted the Artists Equity Triennial Exhibition, which was a recurring art show run by Philadelphia’s local branch of Artists Equity. Maitin described the group as a type of “artists union” that fought to protect the rights of artists. He was an active member in the 1970s and even testified on their behalf in a court case that wanted to win printmakers stronger protections from fraudulent
fabrications.

Maitin often made colorful abstract prints similar to this one to support other causes. Sometimes he donated artwork to charities or made them to decorate public gathering places such as children’s hospitals and the Philadelphia Jewish Community Center. Maitin also took direct action to support local communities facing hardship. When urban developers sought to preserve the historic architecture of Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood in a project of “urban renewal,” Maitin protested the displacement of Black and Eastern European immigrant families that this project of gentrification caused. In January of 2022, Maitin’s daughter Ani Maitin displayed his art in their family home on Pine Street in Society Hill to remember his dedication to the people of Philadelphia.