Juried by Sandy Simon
Celene Aubry
Amos Kennedy Visits Lillstreet, 2011 Letterpress , 12 x 19 inches
© 2012 Lillstreet Art Center 4401 N. Ravenswood Ave. Chicago, IL 60640 Artwork © the artists. Text © Paul Smirl Photographs by Joe Tighe Photography. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic or mechanical means, without permission in writing from Lillstreet Art Center. Cover: Graphic Noise show poster by Starshaped Press
GRAPHIC NOISE by Paul Smirl
Lillstreet Gallery examines the current
With the rare ability to penetrate
state of the Chicago gig poster scene
popular culture, street culture, and
in its latest exhibition, “Graphic Noise:
the white cube, poster artists have
Gig Posters from Members of the
undoubtedly seen growing success in
Chicago Printers Guild”. Dedicated to
recent years; in spite of the Internet’s
Screenprint and letterpress prints,
reduction of music and art to mere
the exhibition displays fourteen local
digital files, contemporary bands and
artist-designers whose work first
fans have been drawn to gig posters
promoted concerts at famed venues
as collectible, aesthetic objects that
such as Washington D.C.’s 9:30 Club and
connect the spirit of music with an
Chicago favorite, The Hideout. With
audience far beyond the attendees of
aims at exploring the duel nature of the
a specific show. Yet, while gig posters’
gig poster as both commercial object
popularity have clearly exceeded their
and fine art piece, “Graphic Noise”
initial promotional purposes, their
puts forth a wide array of print styles,
consistency as accessible, affordable
spanning 1960s typography, cartoon
pieces has their designers in a culturally
drawing, photographs, and patterned
intriguing place as both sculptors of
abstractions.
popular branding and proliferators of their own personal styles.
Examining the exhibition, one sees a
rock poster palette, promoting not
selection of markedly different posters
only concerts but art and poster
from artists of varied backgrounds.
festivals as well. With elaborate story-
With a commercial duo that has done
telling scenes displayed next to playful
graphic work for Mozilla and Nike,
childhood images, darkly graphic
a multimedia artist that produces
works and text-focused posters,
woodcuts, etchings and rugs, a pair of
“Graphic Noise” serves as an exemplary
designer-painters that create textually
introduction to the Chicago Printers
abstract pieces and a printing company
Guild’s network of printers and print-
that works closely with Chicago music
minded people, keeping print culture
labels, “Graphic Noise” delivers the
alive and visible.
diversity found within the gig poster scene.
Ultimately, music culture is the primary influence for each poster artist, but their individual artistic personalities make “Graphic Noise” a wide-ranging exhibition that twists the traditional
Paul Smirl is a writer and artist from Waukesha, Wisconsin and currently a senior at Lawrence University. He is interning at Lillstreet this semester as a part of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest’s Chicago Program.
W or k s are pictured in alphabetical order by artist name. See back of catalogue for biographies. To inquire about availability or to purchase, please call 773-769-4226 or email lillstreet@lillstreet.com.
Celene Aubry
Amos Kennedy Visits Lillstreet, 2011 Letterpress, 12 x 19 inches
Baker Prints
Georgia Peach, 2010 Screenprint, 18 x 22 inches
Baker Prints
Moonshine Residency, 2009 Screenprint, 18 x 22 inches
Baker Prints
Todd Snider 11-11-11, 2011 Screenprint, 16 x 20 inches
Baker Prints
Winter Rock Gig, 2011 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Baker Prints
Farmfest 4, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Crosshair
The Cairo Gang, 2012 Screenprint, 17.5 x 23 inches
Crosshair
Lucero, Chicago, 2012 Screenprint, 17.5 x 23 inches
Crosshair
Goose Island Block Party, Chicago, 2012 Screenprint, 17.5 x 23 inches
Crosshair and Sonnenzimmer Codeine, Chicago, 2012 Screenprint, 23 x 23 inches
Crosshair
Codeine, Barcelona, 2012 Screenprint, 23 x 17.5 inches
Dan Grzeca
Andrew Bird, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Dan Grzeca
Swans, 2011 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Dan Grzeca
Trampled by Turtles, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Dan Grzeca
Melvins, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Dan Grzeca
Jeff Tweedy, 2011 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Delicious Design League Part II, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Delicious Design League Rashomon, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Delicious Design League Snow White, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Delicious Design League Chicago Style, 2011 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Delicious Design League DDL Lion, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Fugscreens Studio
M. Ward, 2012 Screenprint, 19 x 25 inches
Fugscreens Studio
Peter, Bjorn & John, 2011 Screenprint, 19 x 25 inches
Fugscreens Studio
Rabble Rabble, 2012 Screenprint, 19 x 25 inches
Fugscreens Studio
Dinosaur Jr., 2012 Screenprint, 19 x 25 inches
Fugscreens Studio
Yonder, 2012 Screenprint, 25 x 19 inches
Matthew Ginsberg
White Mystery Dark Foe, 2012 Screenprint on Vinyl Record , 12 inch diameter
Matthew Ginsberg
Chicago Psych Fest 3, 2011 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Kathleen Judge
Hideout Block Party, 2012 Screenprint, 24 x 18 inches
Kathleen Judge
Hideout Block Party, 2011 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Kathleen Judge
Out of Range, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 26 inches
Kathleen Judge
Neko Case, 2011 Screenprint, 22 x 16 inches
Kathleen Judge
Sharon Van Etten, 2012 Screenprint, 22 x 17 inches
Angee Lennard with Colin Palombi Thomas Comerford, 2011 Screenprint, 12 x 17 inches
Angee Lennard
Jonas Friddle & the Majority, 2012 Screenprint, 17 x 25 inches
Angee Lennard
5th Battle of the Jug Bands, 2012 Screenprint, 11 x 17 inches
Angee Lennard
Jugapalooza, 2012 Screenprint, 12 x 17 inches
Justin Santora
Tony Lucca, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Justin Santora
Rise Against, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Justin Santora
Beth Orton, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Justin Santora
Will Hoge, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Michael Schwindenhammer
Joey Cape, Tony Sly, Jon Snodgrass, 2010 Screenprint, 17 x 21 inches
Michael Schwindenhammer Dave Hause, Cory Branan, 2011 Screenprint, 16 x 24 inches
Michael Schwindenhammer Chuck Ragan, 2011 Screenprint, 16 x 24 inches
Michael Schwindenhammer Two Cow Garage, 2012 Screenprint, 12 x 23 inches
Michael Schwindenhammer
Micah Schnabel, Michael Dean Damron, Chad Price, 2010 Screenprint, 15 x 23 inches
Michael Schwindenhammer Drag the River, 2009 Screenprint, 16 x 21 inches
Sonnenzimmer
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, 2012 Screenprint Diptych, 18 x 24 inches each
Sonnenzimmer
Fischerspooner, 2009 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Sonnenzimmer
Kraftwerk, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Sonnenzimmer
Aphex Twin, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Starshaped Press
Butterwolf ‘12, 2012 Letterpress, 14 x 18 inches
Starshaped Press
Paper Arrows, 2011 Letterpress, 12 x 19 inches
Starshaped Press
Concert for Carlos, 2011 Letterpress, 12 x 19 inches
Starshaped Press
Midnight Oil, 2010 Letterpress, 12 x 19 inches
Starshaped Press
Mission of Burma, 2009 Letterpress, 12 x 19 inches
Starshaped Press
Wells Next the Sea, 2010 Letterpress, 12 x 19 inches
Megan Sterling & Duffy O’Connor Imagine, 2010 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
Megan Sterling & Duffy O’Connor Imagine, 2012 Screenprint, 18 x 24 inches
ABOUT THE CHICAGO PRINTERS GUILD
The Chicago Printers Guild fosters
network and pick up tips of the trade
community within the graphic arts
from fellow printers at the casual
by building a supportive network for
monthly meetings, and share information
printers and print -minded people. The
on upcoming shows, contests, and other
CPG bridges the gap between industrial
opportunities to promote their work.
printing and fine art printmaking and
The meetings are usually held in a Guild
supports the work of printers of all
member’s studio or shop, with a tour, a
backgrounds. The CPG strives to bring
demo, and a presentation of artwork.
awareness of print culture to the greater Chicago area through activities such as
The Chicago Printers Guild provides
lectures, workshops, field trips, and art
opportunities to its members to share
exhibits.
knowledge, information, and ideas, and works to keep Chicago’s print culture
The central aim of CPG is to explore
alive and visible to the general public.
aspects of print culture at the monthly meetings of its members. Guild members
www.chicagoprintersguild.org
A RT I S T B I O G R A P H I E S
Celene Aubry has been letterpress
successful years doing print and web
printing for five years, with an intent
design in-house at a small multi-national
focus on wood type and ornament, and
electronics company, he quit his job to
linoleum and wood cuts. She relishes
pursue freelance opportunities which
the never-ending process of learning an
were popping up more and more. That
outmoded technology and using type
December, in 2008, he took Steve Walters’
and presses that are over 100 years old
Screwball Academy screen printing crash-
to create something that carries on the
course. It was a transformative experience
conversation of letterpress printing
that stands as the single most influential
into the 21st century, and greatly enjoys
event of his young career. Since that time
the history of the trade of printing, and
Kyle has been breaking his ass in half trying
advertising, and being a part of the story.
to produce great work for his clients,
Celene currently works at Hatch Show
whether they’re rock stars or workaday
Print in Nashville, Tennessee.
musicians, massive corporations or scrappy start-ups, big ad agencies or fellow
Kyle Baker (Baker Prints) has been
solopreneurs. He prides himself on being
working as a creative full time since
trustworthy and honest, and providing
graduating college in 2005. After 3+ highly
conscientious and responsive service.
Dan MacAdam (Crosshair) has been
Dan Grzeca is a Chicago-born
screenprinting in Chicago since 1996,
illustrator and printmaker (b 1968).
operating under the nom-de-guerre
He has been screenprinting since
Crosshair. Crosshair is most widely
the mid-nineties, contributing to the
known as a creator and printer of
nascent and then burgeoning roster
screen-printed concert posters, but also
of Chicago Poster makers by creating
produces fine art prints, record covers
a visual documentation of the Free
and custom packaging, both as an artist-
and Improvised music being made by
printer and as a printer of others’ work.
Ken Vandermark, The Peter Brötzmann
Dan’s most recognizable work uses his
Chicago Tentet,and Caffeine among
original photography as the basis for
others. He has gone on to make work
heavily layered and intricately detailed
for big, famous bands, but still gets the
silkscreen prints. His prints frequently
most satisfaction out of making work
present man-made structures in contrast
that ties into music produced by talented
or consonance with their landscapes, in
friends. His idiosyncratic style is achieved
decay or in defiance of disintegration.
using pencil and scratchboard drawing
He has produced artworks for bands and
techniques which are then transferred to
musicians ranging from international
screens. Dan spends a lot of time thinking
superstars, to the underground and
about the screenprinting process in
obscure. His prints have appeared in
both a painterly and stripped down way;
numerous publications and have been
attempting to achieve aesthetic freedom
exhibited widely in the USA and Europe.
by limiting choices in the composition
Dan sits on the Board of Directors of
process. Success to him is measured by
the American Poster Institute, and is
visual boldness, stark imagery, subtle
an organizer of API’s Flatstock series of
color layers, and ink-stained clothing.
international music poster exhibitions.
Delicious Design League was started in
art prints. Tasseff-Elenkoff has printed
2006 by two friends; Jason Teegarden-
for a wide array of clients, including
Downs and Billy Baumann; in Chicago
Dinosaur Jr., Clear Channel, Overcoat
Illinois. With over ten years of experience
Management, and Corona.
in the design and ad biz they started Delicious simply as a rock poster design/
Matthew Ginsberg is a Chicago artist,
screenprinting hobby but by 2008 it had
musician, and voice over actor who has
quickly grown into a full-time design and
been teaching at Lillstreet Art Center
illustration studio. Over that span they had
for more than five years. Whether he is
gone from designing rock posters for bands creating his own print works or pulling you’ve never heard of for lunch money to
silk screened editions for fellow artists,
designing and illustrating for some of the
Ginsberg approaches art making with
most recognizable brands in the world.
good humor and a friendly attitude. That certainly shows in his work, which
Zissou Tasseff-Elenkoff (Fugscreens
tends to be vibrant, colorful, and quirky.
Studio) was born in San Francisco but
In addition to poster and design work,
lived most of his life in Paris and London.
Ginsberg has created a series of works on
He attended Central St. Martens for
scratched LPs which were displayed at his
a year before moving to Chicago in
solo Saki Records show in 2011.
September of 2003. He finished his B.F.A. in Printmaking at the School of
Kathleen Judge (Judgewworks) was born
the Art Institute of Chicago, where he
and raised in the Midwest and has been
also studied photography and video.
deeply influenced and inspired by living
He opened FugScreens Studios in 2009,
in the Great Lakes states. Judge studied
now functioning as a premiere silkscreen
painting and animation at The Rhode
studio specializing in gig posters and fine
Island School of Design and has worked
in the fields of animation, illustration and her apartment to create a live/work printmaking since 1990. In 2000, Judge
space. The following year, the press
began working in silkscreen and over
moved to a dedicated studio space,
the past twelve years she has created
and programming expanded to include
screen-printed posters for many bands
a residency program, keyholder
and venues around the world. In 2008,
memberships, consignment printing,
Judge returned to animation and video
and collaborative projects. She has
and spent two years creating and mixing
participated in group shows at Green
live video projections for the Neko
Lantern, Heaven Gallery, Butcher Show,
Case touring band. Recently, Judge has
Beverly Art Center, and Chicago Urban
been experimenting with members of
Art Space. She has been an Artist in
the Chicago performance art group,
Residence at AS220 in Providence, RI.
Opera-Matic, creating a video projection
She currently teaches at Marwen, CAPE,
sculpture to be used in a mobile street
and Spudnik Press, and has previously
performance. Over the past few years,
taught at Rumble Arts and Paper Source.
Judge has also been developing video
She has been a panelist at Zygote Press’
and theater work in collaboration with
Collective INK and moderated the panel
artists Susan Hall and Jason Creps within
“Printmaker as Distributor, Collaborator,
their Chicago-based company, One
and Facilitator” at DePaul University
Degree Off.
Museum through Nomadic Studios. She is a member of the Chicago Printers
Angee Lennard is the founder of Spudnik Guild and Southern Graphics Council. Press Cooperative, and currently serves
She received her BFA with an emphasis is
as the Executive Director. Establishing
Print Media from The School of the Art
the space in 2007, she built the press
Institute of Chicago in 2005.
from the ground up, initially utilizing
Justin Santora grew up in the greater
Michael Schwindenhammer designs
Chicagoland area and graduated from
his posters with the same sense of
Northeastern Illinois University with
proportions and composition that he
a degree in studio art and secondary
learned while studying architecture. His
education. Unenthused with the
designs tend to reflect both his clean
prospect of a career as a high school art
and uncluttered sensibilities as well as
teacher, Santora took a cue from some
his attachment for the landscapes of the
of Chicago’s well-known rock poster
Midwest.
artists and began working as a freelance illustrator and screen printer. Justin has
Sonnenzimmer is a Chicago-based
been producing handmade posters, screen art and screen print studio owned printed art, and paintings professionally
and operated by Nadine Nakanishi
since 2009. Much of Santora’s work is
and Nick Butcher. The couple merges
focused around images of quiet rural
backgrounds in typography, printmaking,
or suburban settings, construction,
graphic design and fine art to create
architecture, and large open spaces. His
hand-crafted posters, books, and music
approach is also informed by an interest
packaging for a wide array of projects and
in social justice, egalitarianism, and animal
clients. Working closely with Chicago’s
rights, as well as a lifelong passion for
bustling free jazz and improvised music
skateboarding and punk rock. Santora
community, Sonnenzimmer has found
has exhibited work in various cities in the
a place where experimentation and
United States, Canada, and Europe. He
abstraction are not only respected, they
currently lives in Chicago with his girlfriend
are demanded. This freedom has allowed
and cat and enjoys riding his bike to the
them both to work through countless
studio every day to draw and print.
ideas and styles of execution, helping to
shape their visual language, one that is
and sympathetic nature of collaboration.
simultaneously quiet and bold.
This is played out in these posters created for Imagine, Harrington College
Jennifer Farrell (Starshaped Press) has
of Design’s annual art exhibiiton and
been at this letterpress thing since
charity auction. In the first (2010), rabbits
1999. She cut her teeth working at the
and bombs compete for attention in
venerable Fireproof Press right here in
a bleak landscape, the small mammals
the Windy City and struck out on her
act as a ballast against industrial and
own after that, armed with the ideals of a
dangerous manmade objects. This
Luddite and ridiculous notions of keeping
contrast is presented with a more overtly
letterpress as old school as possible.
hopeful message in the second poster
She hates when presses are incorrectly
(2012). Animals in need receive aid from
called ‘letterpresses’ or ‘printers’, when
the sky in the form of an air drop.
stationery is spelled incorrectly and when
This contrast explores the innate tension
two spaces are used after each sentence
between the natural world and human
in digital typesetting. She dreams of being
civilization but also creates a link
interviewed by Steve Edwards someday.
between the two.
Duffy O’Connor and Megan Sterling have collaborated with each other for the past several years having formed a friendship in 2006. Their work celebrates drawing, the contrast present in juxtaposing the Sweet and the Sinister as well as the simultaneously competetive