Archives for March 2011

The Free University of San Francisco aims to make the highest level of education available, completely free, to any individual who wants it, regardless of color, creed, age, gender, nationality, religion or immigration status—a university free of money, taught for free. The only requirement for membership is a desire to teach and/or a desire to learn.

Winston Smith, Free University Art School Event

Sunday, March 27, 2011 – 2PM to 4PM

Viracocha

998 Valencia Street (at 21st Street)

San Francisco, CA

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Course Description:

The Free University Art School is very proud to present Winston Smith, world famous punk artist. Winston Smith will speak about his life, his work, and share his insurgent punk collage art with the class. The second half of the class will be a collage workshop with Winston providing some cut-ups and clippings from his image library – the class is invited to make their own collaborative creation.

Come early / limited room!

Bio:

Winston Smith (born May 27, 1952) is an artist who primarily uses the medium of collage. He is probably best known for the artwork he has produced for the American punk rock group  Dead Kennedys.

Smith is particularly known for his collaborations with Jello Biafra and Alternative Tentacles for whom he has done numerous covers, inserts, advertisements, flyers, and logos. He is responsible for the famous Alternative Tentacles logo as well as the well-known Dead Kennedys logo and six of their record covers. One of his compositions, “God Told Me To Skin You Alive” was used as the cover of  Green Day’s album “Insomniac.”

His name is a reference to the character of the same name in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty Four. Smith left the U.S. in 1969 to study art in Italy and, struck by the profound social changes that had occurred during his absence from the U.S., adopted the name after returning to America in 1976.

In Italy, Smith attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence studying classical Renaissance Art and later won a scholarship to study Cinema at the International University of Art (Florence & Rome). For a few years he traveled throughout Italy, roadie-ing for well-known Italian jazz band Perigeo. Over the last 30 years, Winston has had numerous one-man shows in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, London, Antwerp, Berlin and Rome.

His work has been included in numerous books chronicling the punk rock era as well as having his work included in art text books plus several book covers, such as Greg Palast’s best-sellers “The Best Democracy Money Can Buy” and “Armed Madhouse”. In addition, Winston has designed over 50 record covers including covers and insert art for Jello Biafra, Burning Brides, George Carlin and Ben Harper.