In con­junc­tion with the spe­cial exhibit Byrd & Skol­nick: A Tale of Two Posters (see below) Bethel Woods will host a weekend-long Rock Art Poster Fair, pro­vid­ing the oppor­tu­nity for poster col­lec­tors, ven­dors, schol­ars and enthu­si­asts to con­vene at the his­toric Wood­stock loca­tion to cel­e­brate the iconic art forms of posters and prints.

On Sat­ur­day, April 28, New York Fine Art Apprais­ers will be on-site from 12:00–4:00 to offer oral appraisals of rock posters from per­sonal col­lec­tions. Limit one item per per­son. Each appraisal will take approx­i­mately 5–10 min­utes. Cost is $25 per appraisal, and tick­ets may be pur­chased at the Bethel Woods Box Office. Appraisals will be done in the main Poster Fair gallery so that vis­i­tors can observe apprais­ers at work.

The week­end will cen­ter around the Poster Mar­ket­place, fea­tur­ing poster and print ven­dors and rock mem­o­ra­bilia, as well com­pa­nies from related fields (light­ing, fram­ing, art con­ser­va­tion). The mar­ket­place runs Sat­ur­day, April 28 — Sun­day, April 29.

Through­out the week­end, local and regional artists will demon­strate poster-making tech­niques, mod­el­ing meth­ods used from the 1960s to the present. Vis­i­tors will also have the oppor­tu­nity to try their own hand at poster design. An appraiser will be on-site for lim­ited hours, pro­vid­ing con­sul­ta­tions to vis­i­tors who are inter­ested in learn­ing more about posters in their per­sonal collections.

The week­end begins on Fri­day, April 27 with a screen­ing of the film Amer­i­can Arti­fact, which explores rock poster art since the 1960s. The film will be intro­duced by direc­tor Merle Becker, who will also lead the post-film Cin­ema Conversation.

more info at bethelwoodscenter.org

April 1, 2012 — July 22, 2012

Byrd/Sklonick: A Tale of Two Posters

A ret­ro­spec­tive of the work of David Edward Byrd and Arnold Skolnick

Arnold Skolnick’s poster design for the 1969 Wood­stock Music and Art Fair was imme­di­ately iconic, cre­at­ing a brand iden­tity for the rock fes­ti­val and spawn­ing hun­dreds of copy­cat posters for every­thing from envi­ron­men­tal causes to bar-b-que fes­ti­vals. But many peo­ple aren’t aware of the OTHER Wood­stock poster, David Edward Byrd’s intri­cate design that pic­tured a nude “Aquar­ius” pour­ing water from an urn.

Both artists con­tributed to the leg­end of that fabled rock fes­ti­val, and this spe­cial exhi­bi­tion, researched and curated by the staff of The Museum at Bethel Woods, high­lights their con­tri­bu­tions with a stun­ning ret­ro­spec­tive exhi­bi­tion that tells the story of two artists’ sto­ried careers. To round out the tale, the exhi­bi­tion also fea­tures works inspired by or that par­ody the famous Wood­stock posters.

This exhi­bi­tion is a must-see for every Wood­stock fan, poster col­lec­tor, art his­to­rian or stu­dent, art lover, or fol­lower of pop culture.

The Museum at Bethel Woods presents two to three major spe­cial exhi­bi­tions each year, trav­el­ing exhibits from other muse­ums or orig­i­nal exh­bits curated by museum staff, that expand upon the themes of the main museum exhibit.

more info at bethelwoodscenter.org