ROCK! PAPER!

- A Pathfinder on Gigposters

Audience: Ages 13 and up (for potential objectionable content)

Introduction: The purpose of this resource is to introduce the viewer to the art-form of the rock
concert poster. Prior to the 1960’s psychedelic scene in San Francisco the concert poster was more
advertisement than art form. Artists such as Wes Wilson, Rick Griffin, Bonnie MacLean and Stanley
Mouse injected simple advertisements for concerts with an artistic sensibility that took the medium to a
new level. After a lull in the 1980s the medium was resurrected by a new group of artists from the
burgeoning alternative music scene (Frank Kozik, Derek Hess, Jermaine Rogers and Emek).

Site Index:

Subject Headings & Keywords

Call Numbers to Browse

Research Materials

Local Information

FAQs

Pathfinder URL
Subject Headings & Keywords:
Keywords- concert posters, gigposters, art of rock

Subject Headings – rock music - posters, rock musicians - portraits

Call Numbers to Browse:

The Art of Rock: Posters from Pressley to Punk – Call No. 784.54002 fG892
The Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion - Call No. 741.67409 fG892
The Art of Classic Rock - Call No. 741.67409 fG892a
The Art of the Fillmore: 1966-1971 - Call No. 741.674097 fL554
SWAG: Rock Posters of the 90’s - Call No. 741.674 fS971
SWAG 2: Rock Posters of the 90’s and beyond - Call No. 781.66092 fS971

Research Materials:
Materials Available at the Cincinnati Public Library:

The Art of Rock: Posters from Presley to Punk (Book) – This is the bible of concert poster art
which documents the genesis of the medium from 1960s San Francisco up to the art of the late
80s.
The Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion (Book) – The follow-up to The Art of Rock which
picks up with the 1990s resurgence of the medium and documents the new generation of artists
who have picked up where the masters left off.
The Art of Classic Rock (Book) – Chronicles a collection of rare music memorabilia (including
concert posters for a group of prominent artists (The Rolling Stones, The Who, Elton John, and
Alice Cooper).
The Art of the Fillmore: 1966-1971 (Book) – A collection of images from the Bill Graham
collection of concert posters commissioned for shows at San Francisco’s Fillmore auditorium in
the 1960s – the birthplace of the rock concert poster.
SWAG: Rock Posters of the 90’s (Book) – A collection of 90s rock concert posters from
established designers (Art Chantry and Frank Kozik) to a new era of artists and designers who
take the art form to exciting new heights.
SWAG 2: Rock Posters of the 90’s and beyond (Book) – Second volume of Swag continues to
chronicle the evolution of the concert poster art-form into the new millennium.

Resources Available through Inter-Library Loan:

Gigposters Volume 1: Rock Show Art of the 20th Century – First volume that highlights the
artwork displayed on Gigposters.com – the Internet’s first and best resource for modern concert
poster art. (WorldCat)
 American Artifact: The Rise of American Rock Poster Art DVD – Documentary film that
chronicles the rise of American Rock Poster Art from its inception in the 1960’s to its place in
contemporary American culture. (WorldCat)
Died Young, Stayed Pretty DVD – Documentary film that looks at the modern underground
concert poster culture in North America. (WorldCat)

Online Resources

www.gigposters.com – the Internet’s first and best resource for modern concert poster art.
www.expressobeans.com - another excellent resource for poster are. An excellent collector’s
resource with information on print runs and the technical aspects of collecting.
www.rockposters.com – excellent resource for information on the classic psychedelic posters of
the 1960s
www.wolfgangsvault.com/poster-art - good resource for classic psychedelic posters of the 60s.
Contains many images from the personal archives of Bill Graham, concert promoter from 1960s
San Francisco.

Agencies, Organizations and Events

American Poster Institute- a California non-profit corporation that promotes poster art and
serving the poster artist community. www.americanposterinstitute.com
Flatstock – a multi-annual convention sponsored by the American Poster Institute (held at
South-by-Southwest in Austin, Texas, Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, Illinois and
Bumbershoot Music Festival in Seattle, Washington) that features poster artists and their craft
www.flatstock.wordpress.com
Art of Musical Maintenance Poster Show – annual poster exhibition in Portland, Oregon that
features over 50 of the most prominent artists working today. http://thegoodfoot.com/gallery/

FAQs
What is a gigposter?

A gigposter (also referred to as a concert poster) is an advertisement for a live musical

performance.

Pathfinder URL
http://rockpaper-apathfinderongigposters.blogspot.com/

©2010 Brian Methe