The Catskill Chronicle

BETHEL, NY (March 7, 2012) – Four decades after the Woodstock festival, The Museum at Bethel Woods examines the work of artists Edward Byrd and Arnold Skolnick in a stunning retrospective exhibition, Byrd/Skolnick: A Tale of Two Posters, opening Sunday, April 1 and running through  Sunday, July 22. The exhibit will highlight their contributions  to rock and roll poster design and tell the tale of two artists’ storied careers, featuring work from both artists as well as an amazing collection of graphic art inspired by or satirizing the famous Woodstock posters.

As the Woodstock Music and Art Fair established itself as the defining moment for the generation of the 1960s, Skolnick’s design for the festival poster and logo, a white dove perched atop the neck of a guitar held by a hand, became immediately iconic. His poster created a brand identity for the rock festival and spawned hundreds of copycat posters for everything from environmental causes to barbeque festivals.  Skolnick’s more widely distributed, simple design stood in stark contrast to the original design for the festival poster, designed by Fillmore East’s house artist, David Edward Byrd, whose ornate, foliated “Aquarian Exposition” design featured a full-frontal nude depiction of a woman pouring water from an urn. Wade Lawrence, Museum Director explains, “Their Woodstock posters are a part of our popular culture, the scope of their careers is amazing, and their impact is still being felt today.”

This special exhibit brings together over 150 items that show the broad range of Byrd’s and Skolnick’s artwork: rock posters, posters for Broadway shows, television, movies, impressionistic oil paintings drawn from nature, fine-art compilations and sensitive photographs of erotic nudes.  Lawrence adds, “I am really excited about this exhibition, not only because it brings David Edward Byrd and Arnold Skolnick together for the first time, but because it will introduce their work to a broader audience and give them the recognition they both deserve.”

The special exhibition is included in the regular Museum admission.

In conjunction with the special exhibit Byrd/Skolnick: A Tale of Two Posters, Bethel Woods will host a weekend-long Bethel Woods Rock Art Poster Fair Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The two-day poster fair will provide the opportunity for poster collectors, vendors, scholars and enthusiasts to convene at the historic location to sell and purchase vintage posters and prints.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to try their own hand at poster design. On Saturday, April 28, New York Fine Art Appraisers will be on-site from 12:00-4:00 pm providing consultations to visitors who are interested in learning more about posters in their personal collections. Admission to the Bethel Woods Rock Art Poster Fair is $10.00 for regular admission and $5.00 for students. Appraisals are $25.00 apiece.

As part of Bethel Woods’ Speaker Series, Stephanie Plunkett, Chief Curator and Deputy Director of the Norman Rockwell Museum, will lead a conversation with artists Byrd and Skolnick on Saturday, April 28 at 2:00 p.m. The free-flowing dialogue will cover the artists’ work, posters and other graphic works of the mid-20th century, and the dynamic relationship between art and political and social issues. Plunkett will provide a historical perspective on graphic art and illustration in America in the mid-20th century, before inviting the artists on-stage. The event will conclude with plenty of time for Q&A with the audience.  Admission to the Speaker Event is $5.00, free for members and free with Rock Art Poster Fair admission. (Complimentary tickets may be picked up at the box office.)

A screening of the film “American Artifact: The Rise of American Rock Poster Art” kicks off the weekend on Friday, April 27 and the 2012 Spring Film Series. The film explores rock poster art since the 1960s and will be introduced by director Merle Becker, who will also lead the post-film Cinema Conversation.

To purchase tickets in advance or for more information about these events or Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, including museum hours, please visit www.BethelWoodsCenter.org or call 1-866-781-2922.