This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Posters by art students are being shown at Allentown Art Museum in connection with an exhibit of Edward Weston photographs on display through May 25.
Completed as a class project to promote the Weston show, the posters, 15 in all, were created in Graphic Design: Solving Communication Problems, taught by Lew Minter, director of the media lab in the Williams Visual Arts Building. Robert Mattison, Metzgar Professor of Art History, is guest on-site curator for the traveling exhibit, entitled “Edward Weston: Life Work.”
Minter’s students were charged with creating graphically designed posters that advertised the show according to stringent requirements of size, shape, orientation, and information.
“The assignment created a situation where students had to be very organized in their design; problem solving and critical analysis were aspects that came into play,” says Minter.
The artists are seniors Alison Ahart, a double major in music and English from Phillipsburg, N.J.; Martin Brecht (art), Jeannette, Pa.; Krista Catalano (art), Greenwich, Conn.; Michelle David (art), Baltimore, Md.; Kara Henry (history and art), Sandy Hook, Conn.; Shannon Rowe (art), Winchester, Mass.; Keely Schmidt (economics & business and art), Andover, Mass.; Tom Sheehan (psychology), Clifton Park, N.Y.; Janice Truszkowski (art), Phillipsburg, N.J.; and Scott Yunes (psychology), Sharon, Mass.
Also participating are juniors Marisa Damiano (art), Easton, Pa.; Samuel Innes (English), Towanda, Pa.; and Donald Smith (art), Patchogue, N.Y.; sophomore Stephanie Moss of Linwood, N.J.; and first-year student Rosina Bosco of Millburn, N.J.
“Originally Bob Mattison was just going to choose one [poster],” says Minter, “but he couldn’t decide. So then he left the decision up to the Allentown Art Museum, which ultimately decided to make all 15 a part of the exhibit. It went beyond my expectations and I’m proud of them.”
“I find this particular class as a whole just exceptional,” Minter continues. “They are a mixture of majors and a mixture of years, and they all work together amazingly well. For example, when it was finally decided that the museum wanted all of the posters, students who were done stayed well into the night to help everyone else get the posters done in one day. Sometimes you’ll have a class of 15 and five or six stand out, but all 15 stand out. They’ve just outdone themselves.”
Bosco says she is excited about the project because it has an official purpose besides being graded for the course.
“I was very excited when we received the assignment for the poster, because it was our first project for a real client, not a hypothetical one,” she says, adding that the exhibit contains 100 Weston works, so there were “infinite” design options to choose from.
“There were so many different design options that could have been aesthetically appealing. However, I found the project challenging, because I had to create an attractive poster that communicated the information in an effective way, while avoiding a layout that was too busy or too boring,” she says.
Moss feels Weston’s work provides a great platform for an individualized piece.
“His images are very expressive, so I loved working with them. I felt that this quality allowed for a variety of ways to combine the photographs to create an intriguing design.”
Moss’ personal experience with Weston’s work inspired her to create one of the most appealing posters of the group.
“I thought most of the photographs had a reflective quality, so in my design I tried to exemplify an introspective nature,” she says. “His photographs were really amazing, so I just played off them to formulate some ideas and had a lot of fun with it.”
“I think it’s pretty cool that my poster is on display at the museum. It’s really nice that our posters essentially advertise Weston’s life,” she adds.
Weston’s work is comprised of seven themes, so there were many different types of photographs from which to choose. Each poster was dramatically different, and that is why Moss enjoyed experiencing her classmates’ work.
“I think it’s great that the museum decided to display all the posters; that way patrons can see how diverse they are and associate the way they feel about the Weston collection with what each of us felt about it and tried to convey though our designs.”
Smith enjoyed the freedom he had in creating the posters.
“Because we could use any dimensions for the poster and there were no restrictions on what pictures to use, we were really at liberty to be creative,” he says.
Smith’s poster was originally chosen by the curator to be the single one to promote the exhibition. “I am honored that my piece was selected to be in the museum. I had an image I wanted to express, and I’m glad that it translated well.”
Mattison is excited that the works of one of the most important photographers of the 20th century are on display in the area.
“It is a 100-work survey in which signature works as well as unseen pieces from his family collection are displayed,” he says. “Weston had a gift for turning the ordinary to the extraordinary. He took common objects and portrayed them in creative new ways that gave them a sense of hyper clarity.”
The exhibit also includes cameras he used, a video of historic Weston footage, and a computer program that allows the viewer to make the photographic choices that confronted Weston. The exhibit room is designed after what Weston considered his ideal room in Mexico.
“This is a great opportunity to see some influential pieces of photography,” Mattison says.
Minter’s design class also worked on a similarly demanding design project to create a brochure for a graphic design project by visiting artist Wopo Holup; both brochure and project are intended for display at Queens Art Museum.