Rock On! The Art of the Music Posters from the 60s and 70s, the summer exhibition at the Amarillo Museum of Art, will set the theme for the opening night fundraising gala on Friday, June 18, 2010. Party goers will enjoy a private viewing of original posters of the period; the opportunity to purchase authentic rock and roll memorabilia (such as a one-of-a kind handcrafted bracelet made from guitar strings played by Peter Frampton); and eat, drink and be merry with MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC. Lovers of the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Clash, the Who, Pink Floyd, the Talking Heads, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and their contemporaries will dance the night away while helping support AMoA’s school outreach program that serves Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle. For reservations and ticket pricing, please email amoa@actx.edu, call 806-371-5050, or visit AMoA’s website at www.amarilloart.org.

The exhibition will be open to the public from June 19 until September 5. More than 75 vintage offset lithographs will be on display. From late 1960s psychedelia through the emergence of punk in the late 1970s, Rock On! highlights the work of leading graphic artists who fused their visual talents with the musical vision of the era’s influential bands to create some of the most enduring pop culture images of the 20th century.

Many of these posters came out of the San Francisco Bay Area, home to a crop of young visual artists and two now-legendary rock clubs during the 1960s—Fillmore West and the Avalon Ballroom. Numbered among the artists were Stanley Mouse and the late Alton Kelley, the San Francisco-based team who created the Grateful Dead’s famous skull-and-rose emblem; Milton Glaser, photographers Brian Duffy and the late Richard Avedon, Gerald Scarfe, Victor Moscoso, and John Pasche.

Their colorful and highly creative promotional posters represent a unique intersection of fine art, music, and commerce. They reflect the “hippie” ethos and anti-war, anti-establishment attitudes that were prevalent in San Francisco and across the U.S. in the late 1960s and into the 1970s.

During the exhibition AMoA will host author Paul D. Grushkin, who will speak about his book  The Art of Rock – Posters from Presley to Punk, and  artist Victor Moscosco, whose Swirl Dance poster for Quicksilver Messenger Service and Steve Miller Blues Band at Avalon Ballroom will be on exhibition.

The Amarillo Museum of Art is located at 220 South Van Buren on the Washington Street campus of Amarillo College. Hours are Tuesday- Friday from 10 – 5 and Saturday and Sunday from 1-5. Every day is free admissions day at AMoA.  For more information, please call 371-5050 or check our website at www.amarilloart.org.

The Hanging is open to any artist working in any medium. One work per person will be accepted. The show is hung, by the artists, salon style from floor to ceiling. Artists may hang their work on Thursday, May 27, 10 – 4 pm, and Friday, May 28, 10 – 4 pm.

An Opening Party will be held on Friday, May 28 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Admission is $10 per person with AMoA Members free.

Memberships for AMoA begin at $10 for seniors and educators and $50 for families and continue to $10,000. For more detailed information, please visit www.amarilloart.org.

Museum hours are Tuesday – Friday from 10 – 5 pm, Third Thursdays (once a month) until 9 pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 1 – 5 pm. AMoA is located on the Amarillo College Washington Street campus at 2200 South Van Buren with entrance through the Fine Arts Plaza. For more information, please call 371-5050 or 371-5392 nights and weekends.

When: Thursday, March 18, 2010 6:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Amarillo Museum of Art, 2200 S. Van Buren St.
What: THIRD THURSDAY at AMoA in partnership with STARBUCKS COFFEE CO.

Ongoing:
Music: Katy Ely
Children/Adult Art Activity: Wire Sculptures!
Complimentary Starbucks Coffee and Refreshments

Current Exhibitions:
AMoA Achievements in Art 2010: An Uncommon Dream -The Amarillo High School Collection
Pantheon of Gods, Deities and Guardians of Asia
Afghanistan Textiles
Price Collection of Asian Art

More on the music: AMoA is pleased to present a concert by Amarillo musician Katie Ely. Born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas, Katy studied voice and received her Bachelor’s of Music from West Texas A&M. Ms. Ely’s musical style is influenced by her southern roots, love of jazz and classical training. Her influences include Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday, Willie Nelson, Trisha Yearwood, Cecilia Bartoli, Rene Fleming and many more musical greats from various genres. Katy’s first album, Me & the Wind, was released February 20, 2010.

More on the art activity: Wire Sculptures! Using multi-colored, soft, pliable, wires create your own 3D masterpiece. AMoA has a large variety of sculpture, from Abstract to Hindu, so explore our galleries for inspiration then join us in the art lab to create your own work of art.

General Information: THIRD THURSDAY is FREE and open to the public. No reservations are required. It is a great opportunity to view the current exhibitions and participate in the offered activities. The Amarillo Museum of Art invites everyone in the community to enjoy this event.

The Amarillo Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with extended evening hours until 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Saturday and Sunday the Museum is open from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. except for exhibition installation weeks. It is located at 2200 S. Van Buren on the northeast side of Amarillo College’s Washington Street Campus. There is no admission fee. Call the Museum at 371-5050 for more information or visit www.amarilloart.org.