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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2004
Contact: Patricia Fraga, Austin Public Library, (512) 974-7528
Fax: (512) 974-7442
Austin Public Library, Austin History Center extends popular Exhibit–
“Artists Among Us: Poster Art in Austin”
The Austin History Center, in collaboration with the Austin Poster Enthusiasts Society (A.P.E.S.), announces the extension of the popular exhibit featuring poster art in Austin. Since the opening day of the exhibit in February hundreds of people have come to view this historical portrayal of poster art in Austin, TX.
The Exhibit, entitled: “Artists Among Us: Poster Art in Austin”, will be on display through Sunday, August 29th. The exhibit marks Austin’s 165th anniversary of poster art and will guide the visitor through the simple advertisements of the 1920s through the 1950s, to the explosion of the psychedelic and colorful posters of the 1960s and 1970s, on through to the outrageous and almost offensive posters of the punk era in the 1980s, ending with the incredible array of style from today’s artists. Visitors will be impressed with the color and imaginative styles of art created by Austin’s precious artists. Come and see for yourself, you will not be disappointed.
WHERE: The Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe Street, on the southwest corner of Guadalupe and 9th Streets in beautiful downtown Austin, Texas.
HOURS: (closed holidays): Mon–Wed: 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sat: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun: 12 noon –6 p.m.
DIRECTIONS & FURTHER INFO: Call (512) 974-7400, or visit online: www.cityofaustin.org/library/ahc/.
CONTACT: Sue Soy, Austin History Center Director (512) 974-7388 or Patricia Fraga, Media Relations (512) 974-7528.
ADMISSION: FREE
 About Austin Poster Art
When Republic of Texas president Mirabeau B. Lamar and his commissioners selected Austin as the capitol of Texas in 1839, Lamar sent Judge Edwin Waller to build the town. To feed and entertain the city builders, the Bullock House opened up at the corner of 6th Street and Congress Avenue; and to quickly start work on the state printing, Samuel Whiting and his typographer, Joel Miner (Austin’s first poster artist) set up their print shop right next door. Months before the influx of citizenry to the new capitol city, Austin had its first live music venue and poster (broadside) printer and artist – ten years before San Francisco even had a press. It is well known that the city of Austin boasts of a lively musical heritage; however, what is not as well known is that Austin can also boast of a 165-year tradition of producing music advertising posters, whether it be a simple black and white ink drawing, clip art photocopied on a Xerox copier, or a beautiful design rendered through dozens of colors pushed through a silkscreen.
More well known to today’s citizens of Austin, are the venues such as the famous Armadillo World Headquarters, Antone’s, the Continental Club, Raul’s, Club Foot, Liberty Lunch, Stubb’s Barbeque, and La Zona Rosa. These clubs and music venues, among hundreds more, have nurtured and supported artists through the decades by soliciting and inviting their music poster advertisements. The sixties and seventies were represented by artists such as Jim Franklin, Gilbert Shelton, Robert Burns, Micael Priest, Guy Juke, Kerry Awn, Rick Turner, Danny Garrett, Ken Featherston, Cliff Carter, Bill Narum, and Sam Yeates; the eighties spawned artists such as Nels Jacobson, Mike Nott, the Art Maggots, Lyman Hardy, Jason Austin, Richard Mather, Biscuit, Brian Curley, Lindsey Kuhn, and Frank Kozik; in the nineties and today, Austin is home to the likes of Jared Connor, the Factor27 boys, Billy Bishop, Billy Perkins, Jamie Ward, Mark Pedini, Mig Kokinda, Rob Jones, and as many more artists as there are music venues.
THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER, a part of the Austin Public Library system in Austin, Texas, focuses its collections on all things Austin and Travis County. The center holds impressive collections of photos, periodicals, newspapers, videos, maps, architectural drawings, and family papers and archives. The Austin History Center depends on donations for a large portion of their collections.www.cityofaustin.org/library/ahc/
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