Flatstock 20
Austin Convention Center, Friday, March 20
The halls were alive with the smell of Krylon well into the second decade of South by Southwest’s annual poster art exhibit, a sign that screen-printing remains vital to music scenes across the country. Local artists Mig Kokinda and the Decoder Ring Design Concern showcased both old- and new-school Austin, respectively. It was also nice to see so many women exhibiting this year, and from different corners of the country no less. Salt Lake City artist and mother of three Leia Bell’s posters of toddlers being licked by dogs and largely animal-themed rock posters were delightfully unsettling. Minneapolis’ Amy Jo took a Midwestern approach to her art, the hand-screen-printed ladies on her wall buxom, blonde, badass, and sometimes accompanied by bears. NYC fine artist Tara McPherson’s talent is in making posters for behemoths like Mastodon and High on Fire seductive and girlie. Chicago’s Diana Sudkya explained she got into poster art after picking up some of her husband’s extra work. A background in book illustration shows: Her posters for Andrew Bird and the Decemberists are elegant, intricate, and flush with color. That’s when I realized I have one of her gorgeous screen-prints for a Breakfast at Tiffany’s screening at Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse on my wall at home. Keep getting your hands dirty, ladies.
This article appears in March 20 • 2009.