Home News Events Get Involved Our Supporters Contact Us About Us AHCA Store

POSTERING IN AUSTIN: New Looks for the Old Tradition

This exhibit featured select music posters by Austin artists. The Austin History Center’s grand hallway was the venue of an innovative exhibit of music posters by up and coming Austin artists. “Postering in Austin: New Looks for the Old Tradition” * displayed from January through April 17,2006. The exhibit featured a select cross section of music posters from ten artists and design studios including: 8ball, Jared Connor/Mexican Chocolate Design, Decoder Ring Design Concern, Bobby Dixon/Kollective Fusion, Rob Jones/Animal Rummy, Mig Kokinda, Erick Montes, Mark Pedini, Noel Waggener and Jamie Ward.

“Austin has an extremely rich tradition of music and music posters, and while the Austin History Center’s collection is extensive, we don’t have as many posters as we should,” said exhibit curator Jennifer Connor. “For example, we do not have any posters from the Vulcan Gas Company, one of this town’s heralded music venues. But we do have hundreds of posters for those who want to research music poster art and the artists who create them.”

Advertising art and posters have a long history and individual works can give a great deal of insight into, not only the musicians they feature, as well as the artistic values of the community from which they emerge.

“Aside from the musicians, the art and the artists are the focus of this exhibit,” notes Connor. “Austin’s art community has a vibrant tradition of poster work and the artists are some of the more creative- as well as commercially successful- in the community.”

Why, besides a paycheck, would an artist focus their creative energy to promote a band or show that often fades into history after the last song is sung? Because it does, in fact, allow for a great deal of artistic freedom and expression, from idea to execution.

“I enjoy every aspect of it, from coming up with a concept, to printing and going out and putting up posters,” said Erick Montes, one of Austin’s newest poster artists. “I like that, most of the time, I have control over the entire process…the design, mixing inks, all of it.”

HISTORY IN YOUR HANDS*

Displayed in the lobby, this exhibit celebrated the 50th year of existence of the Austin-Travis County Collection (predecessor to the Austin History Center) this April year. The collection began as a local history collection and part of the reference department of the Austin Public Library. Since 1955, the collection has grown under the thoughtful guidance of curators Katherine Drake Hart, Audray Bateman Randall, Biruta Celmins Kearl, and most recently, Susan K. Soy.

“History in Your Hands” provided a timeline of events related to the first fifty years of the Austin History Center. “History in Your Hands” also illustrated the types of archives that the Austin History Center is so well-known for preserving and making available to the public and featured the people who have worked so persistently to create this fine example of a local history repository situated within the public library setting.

Photos in Banner

(Left) Austin History Center, circa 1930s. Detail from PICA 01493, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

(Right) Welcoming Arch, 1889. The arch was erected by the local German Saengerrunde (singers union) on Congress Avenue to greet other Texas singing societies to the 1889 Saengerfest (German singing festival). C0024, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.