Photo:Caroline Ulbrich
Austin is a very creative and unique town, so what better place to showcase the creative and unique designs of Polish poster art? Over the years we have tried to expose the public to this rare and beautiful art genre through exhibits and speakers, and now we have taken it to the streets.
We selected iconic “Austin” landmarks and brought a variety of Polish posters out with us to shoot in these locations. Each poster held a spot in each locale for only a brief few moments, just enough for some curious onlookers to start to wonder and for a camera to capture the occurrence.
In this exhibition of photographs, we want Austinites to see this unfamiliar art form in a very familiar way, immersed in our city and in our lives.
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Caroline Ulbrich graduated from the Photocommunications department at St. Edward’s University in 2005. Since then, she has explored commercial photography outlets through weddings and portraiture as well as the technical side of the art as the manager of a local specialty printing company, Canvas Press. She donates her photography skills to the Austin Polish Society and is excited to be working on this creative project blending art and photography into one.
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POLISH POSTER
The Polish poster is recognized internationally as a unique contribution to the world of the visual arts and design. In the words of Steven Heller, editor of the American Institute of Graphic Design's AIGA Journal of Graphic Design in his article about American films in Polish posters for a 2002 Chicago exhibit: “Polish poster artists overcame some remarkable challenges and American designers looked enviously and admiringly to the Polish poster. “ The APS maintains a proud contemporary Polish art tradition by annually supporting the Polish poster art exhibit. We are always looking for a way to improve our festival poster art exhibit and this year we have found it! We are setting into motion several creative partnerships and a set of unique events that will all focus on the art of the Polish poster.
In partnership with Dr. Zbigniew Wojciechowski, Houston Polish poster collector, the Austin chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), the 2010 Polish Poster Exhibit Streetwise: Polish Film Posters will be a unique presentation of the Polish poster as it lives on Austin streets. In addition we have invited a special guest: professor, film director, designer, and writer Andrea Marks, who has agreed to present her documentary film on Polish poster history: Freedom on the Fence.
Ms. Marks, who produced and co-directed the Polish poster documentary, is an associate professor and coordinator of the graphic design program at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. She is the recipient of several grants and awards including an NEA Design Arts grant for her project Women of the Bauhaus. Her writing has been published in Voice: AIGA Journal of Design and she is a frequent speaker at design education conferences. Her design work has been included in the American Institute of Graphic Arts Communication Design show. She is the author of the Ebook Writing for Visual Thinkers, published by New Riders/AIGA Design Press. The book examines the role of writing in the creative life of artists and designers.
Ms. Marks will be addressing professionals, students and the general public during her brief stay in Austin. New partnerships with Austin organization, institutions and business people will introduce APS to new people in Austin and bring APS added attention, new donations, members, sponsors, students, educators, and volunteers. Supporting the 5th Austin Polish Film Festival and Polish Poster Exhibit is supporting the future growth of the Austin Polish Society.