Furthur Magic at the Hall of Flowers

If you’ve missed our annual Festival of Rock Posters at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park as much as we have, then do yourself a favor and head over to our home court for “Furthur Magic: A Psychedelic Poster Journey,” which is an exhibition of around 150 posters and photographs—Lights by Bill Ham!—celebrating the park’s 150th birthday. Organized by the Haight Street Art Center, this free show is open to the public Thursdays through Sundays from 11am to 5pm and runs through Sunday May 16.

As you might expect from an event in Golden Gate Park that touches on music and art, the show takes a “Hardly Strictly” approach when it comes to pieces selected for display. There are, of course, multiple photographs and posters from the Human Be-In, which took place on January 14, 1967, at the Polo Fields, but the exhibition also features posters advertising the California Shakespeare Festival in Santa Clara and Whole Earth Week in Davis, as well as a sizeable group of images commissioned by an Austin, Texas, record label. But in flaunting mere geographic boundaries, the exhibition gets the spirit and sensibility of psychedelic posters right, delivering on its almost Castanedian promise of magic and a journey.

To celebrate both the park and the exhibition, HSAC has released a number of posters, including three digital prints by Chris Shaw, Alan Forbes and Caitlin Mattisson, and Carolyn Ferris, as well as a screen print by Gary Houston. On Friday, May 14th, Shaw, Houston, Mattisson, and Forbes will be on hand from 2pm – 5pm for a poster signing. The release of a limited-edition screen print by Mattisson and Forbes will commemorate the occasion. For more information, visit the Haight Street Art Center.