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CSU Art Exhibit Takes Posters Off The Wall And Into The Spotlight

When you think of a poster, you might be thinking of it hanging on a teenager鈥檚 bedroom wall rather than in an art museum. But for almost 40 years, Colorado State University has been showing off the poster鈥檚 more artistic look -- along with its message.

鈥淧osters in general are a great medium both for their economics and their portability, but also because they really do allow for what graphic design is really about, which is communicating strongly through image and typography and language and to make statements that can really reach people deep down,鈥� said Jason Frazier.

The CSU art professor is the co-director for the Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition. The biennial event honors the art and the impact of the form.

With the deep divide -- politically and socially -- across the country right now, Frazier says the role of the poster might be more important than ever.

鈥淎rt in general -- and the poster in our context -- really is a great vehicle for that because it allows somebody to express a frustration or to introduce something bigger to the conversation that forces people to think about their own position or their own preconception about something,鈥� he said.

Credit Scorsone Drueding Posters
'Girls Belong In School' (2014), Scorsone Drueding Posters

Philadelphia graphic artists Joe Scorsone and Alice Drueding have been expressing their frustrations through posters for more than 20 years. As the 2017 CIIPE honor laureates, Scorsone and Drueding have a retrospective of their work on display in the university鈥檚 Gregory Allicar Museum of Art.

鈥淲hat I like about posters is that unlike other forms of graphic design, it鈥檚 pretty ephemeral,鈥� Scorsone said. 鈥淧osters have a life -- like, let鈥檚 say if you do a poster for a music festival and it鈥檚 there to announce the event but then after the event, if you like that poster it becomes part of the environment. People frame them. They put them up. It鈥檚 the one form of graphic design that has a life after its initial use.鈥�

In the early 1990s, Scorsone and Drueding ran a commercial graphic design business. Their clients included arts groups such as dance companies and music festivals, who commissioned posters.

But when government funding for a lot of those arts organizations dried up, there was no more money for posters. The duo missed that element of their work, but soon realized they could still design posters -- they just needed to change their focus.

鈥淭he preconception we had is that to do design you needed a client,鈥� Drueding said. 鈥淭hen we realized you could be your own client.鈥�

Credit Scorsone Drueding Posters
'Fema In New Orleans" (2005), Scorsone Drueding Posters

Now the posters they design are for themselves.

鈥淭his is our voice,鈥� Drueding said. 鈥淭his is our chance; this is the way we contribute to the conversation.鈥�

A large percentage of the conversations they contribute to are about hunger, the environment, immigration and human rights.

鈥淵ou know, one poster is not going to change the world,鈥� Drueding said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 all of our voices together, it鈥檚 the unity of the voices, and the very different ways we express our ideas about the same sort of themes.鈥�

Credit Scorsone Drueding Posters
'Save Water' (2011), Scorsone Drueding Posters

Sometimes the posters are silly, like one they did for water conservation. The poster shows a top-down view of two pairs of cartoonish-looking feet facing each other. In the center is a shower drain, and at the bottom of the poster it states: 鈥淪ave water. Shower together.鈥�

鈥淲e do have a terrible crisis -- and a growing crisis -- with the availability of water,鈥� Drueding said. 鈥淲e decided to do a poster that sort of made the idea of saving water a fun idea.鈥�

But sometimes you need a little shock value, Scorsone said, pointing out the piece 鈥淐onsumption.鈥� The poster shows a side profile of a person -- mouth open -- eating the word 鈥榚cosystems鈥� and...

鈥淎nd uh, how do you want me to describe this?鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd uh, 鈥榙efecating鈥� all the products of manufacturing.鈥�

Credit Scorsone Drueding Posters
'Consumption' (2001), Scorsone Drueding Posters

Scorsone鈥檚 discomfort in explaining the poster is intentional.

鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 uncomfortable for us,鈥� Drueding said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 go around intentionally trying to offend people, but we don鈥檛 want to soft pedal what鈥檚 going on and so to really capture someone鈥檚 attention sometimes you have to shock them a bit.鈥�

Sometimes the message of an old poster gets new meaning. The poster 鈥淓lection Fraud Sucks鈥� features a red backdrop and a vacuum cleaner with the word 鈥楶utin鈥� on it and it鈥檚 sucking up ballots.

The poster was designed in 2012 in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 controversial win. But with questions swirling about Russia鈥檚 involvement in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, it feels like something that could have been made yesterday.

鈥淪o yes -- this poster that was done some time ago -- it鈥檚 having a sort of renaissance,鈥� Drueding laughed.

Credit Scorsone Drueding Posters
'Election Fraud Sucks' (2012), Scorsone Drueding Posters

That鈥檚 what she likes about using posters as art.

鈥淚t lingers with someone,鈥� Drueding said. 鈥淎nd is something that is easy to keep in your memory. It鈥檚 not something that鈥檚 easy to forget because it is so, you know, immediate and impactful and sometimes with very few words -- or even no words -- you can say so much.鈥�

Stacy was 皇冠网址's arts and culture reporter from 2015 to 2021.
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