International Poster Exhibition Opens Sept. 14 at Colorado State University

More than 180 posters from artists worldwide will be showcased at Colorado State University, home to the only international poster exhibition held in the United States.

The 12th Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition, which opens on campus Sept. 14, features posters by 101 graphic artists representing 33 countries. Much of the work featured in the exhibition offers global viewpoints of the political, social and cultural issues that shape contemporary society.

Featured among the artists is honor laureate Kari Piippo, a Finnish designer whose posters have won more than a dozen major international awards, including first prize in the 11th biennial exhibition in 1999. Piippo founded his own graphic design studio in 1987, and has presented lectures and poster workshops around the world.

Posters from invited artists will fill the Clara Hatton and Curfman galleries on the Colorado State campus through Oct. 19. The exhibition officially opens with a reception and poster sale 7-9 p.m. Sept. 14 in the Visual Arts Building at Colorado State. During the reception, exhibition winners will be announced. The poster sale will take place in the Hatton Gallery, located in the Visual Arts Building, and in the Curfman Gallery, located in the Lory Student Center. Catalogs and a limited number of exhibition posters will be available for purchase.

Posters by the honor laureate and the exhibition juror, Canadian designer Andrew Lewis, will be exhibited at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center, 417 W. Magnolia St. Posters designed by area high-school students also will be part of the show. This exhibition opens with a presentation by the laureate and a reception 4-6 p.m. Sept. 15.

A symposium with presentations by Piippo, Lewis and other artists whose work is featured in the show will run 2-5 p.m. Sept. 14 in Room 113, Natural Resources on campus.

The Lincoln Center and the Hatton and Curfman galleries will remain open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays and 1-4 p.m. Saturdays through Oct. 19. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

This year’s show will feature poster designs by artists from Argentina, Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Japan, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States, Venezuela, Yugoslavia and Zimbabwe.

Satellite poster shows at Colorado State and at locations in Fort Collins and Loveland also will take place as part of the international exhibition. A complete schedule follows.

  • The Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art will feature "Generations in Czech Poster Design," an exhibition of work by Jan Rajlich Jr. and Sr., distinguished designers from the Czech Republic. Jan Rajlich Sr. began the Brno biennial-the first international poster biennial. The show will run Sept. 6-Oct. 19, with an opening reception Sept. 15, 7-9 p.m. Reception cost is $5 for non-members, members free. The museum is at 201 South College Ave., Fort Collins. Hours are Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday noon-5 p.m. The Rajlichs will speak during a gallery talk at 7 p.m., Sept. 11, as part of the museum’s Conversations with Contemporary Artists Lecture Series.
  • The Loveland Museum/Gallery, 503 North Lincoln, will feature a show titled "Russian Posters" Aug. 18-Oct. 4. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Saturday; noon-4 p.m. Sunday.
  • Colorado State University’s First National Bank Gallery in Morgan Library will feature a show titled "Contemporary Latino/a Graphic Artists: Works from the International Poster Collection at Morgan Library" Sept. 21- Nov. 2. The gallery is located on the first floor of Morgan Library. Hours are 7 a.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday; 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; noon-midnight Sunday.
  • Colorado State University’s Provost’s Office will feature "CIIPE Directors’ Exhibition," with work from the 2001 show directors, John Gravdahl, Phil Risbeck and Bob Coonts. The show opens Sept. 13 with a reception from 5- 7 p.m. The Provost’s Office is in 108 Administration Building. Hours are Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sponsors for the poster exhibition include Colorado State University, the Fort Collins Lincoln Center, Poudre School District, the Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Collins Convention and Visitors Bureau. Financial sponsors include Colorado State’s Department of Art, the Colorado Council on the Arts, Fort Fund from the City of Fort Collins, Roy Toma and Associates and many private donors.

For more information, call (970) 491-1989 or visit http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Art.