An expert on the “gigposter,” the latest art trend in rock and roll, will discuss the genre in conjunction with an exhibit, “Graphic Content: Art of the New Music Poster,” on display at the Texas A&M College of Architecture’s Wright Gallery through Nov. 22.
Exhibit curator Dirk Fowler, associate professor of communication design at the Texas Tech University School of Art, will examine this emerging art form in a guest lecture slated 5 p.m. Nov. 13 in the gallery, which is located on the second floor of the Langford Architecture Center’s Building A.
The Wright Gallery exhibit includes 100 gigposters, which promote “gigs,” or performances, by rock bands.
“Students are interested in these posters because they’re not done on a computer, they’re either silk-screened or done on a letterpress,” said Donna Hajash, senior lecturer in the Department of Visualization, who helped bring the exhibit to campus.
Gigposters, say Paul Grushkin and Dennis King in their book “Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion,” are increasing in popularity due to the growing presence of the independent music scene and the disappearance of the vinyl album cover.
Fowler sees gigposters as the descendants of the psychedelia of San Francisco’s music scene in the 60s and the posters advertising rock bands in the 50s.
“The 25 artists chosen for this exhibit seem to produce a different sort of music poster, no longer dominated by Art Noveau-inspired patterns and hand-drawn typography, day-glo colors and nudes,” says Fowler.
“Overly frustrated with their day jobs and longing to get away from the computer and get back to basics,” he continues, “these designers and illustrators produce something much more than an advertisement for a show.”
“They labor deep into the morning hours, pulling squeegees in garages and warehouses, screen printing beautiful posters that have become as highly prized and collected as those made by their San Francisco predecessors.”
The show is sponsored by the Department of Visualization, the College of Architecture’s Artist in Residence Program, the Cushing Library and the Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts.
