Chuck Sperry

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“Litmus Test” Exhibition at Fort Wayne Museum of Art on September 14

Litmus Test: Works on Paper from the Psychedelic Era

Fort Wayne Museum of Art

Exhibition Opening Party: September 14, 6-9pm

September 15 – December 9, 2018

The Psychedelic Era was, among many things, a cultural frontier for colors and imagery. Music, politics, and drugs ignited an unprecedented expansion of art revolving around these elements. College campuses around the country, now seen as the birthing grounds for much of the psychedelic era’s ideals, were hotbeds for bright young minds to organize politically and artistically. From Berkeley College to the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, young idealists organized and the art of the era came to fruition. This exhibition will be our bridge to that time, showcasing a variety of psychedelic era works on paper.

Highlighting this experience is the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan. The poster work and ephemera of Gary Grimshaw and the photography of Leni Sinclair will showcase the art that poured out of that time and place. Blotter sheets from Mark Mothersbaugh, H.R. Giger, S. Clay Wilson, Chuck Sperry, and more will represent the creative fuel for many of the artists of the time. Also featured will be the work of the poster artists of the time: Wes Wilson, Victor Moscoso, Stanley Mouse, Rick Griffin, and Alton Kelley. Lastly works by artists Alex and Allyson Grey and Isaac Abrams will display the fine art guided and influenced by the era and movement.

Exhibition Opening Party: September 14, 6-9pm

Celebrate opening weekend of this exhibit and Litmus Test: Works on Paper from the Psychedelic Era with live music, cash bar, appetizers, with many of the artists in attendance!

This exhibition is curated by independent curator and critic Carlo McCormick and FWMoA Curator of Contemporary Art Josef Zimmerman.

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Chuck Sperry in “Litmus Test” Exhibition at Fort Wayne Museum of Art in September

Litmus Test: Works on Paper from the Psychedelic Era

Fort Wayne Museum of Art

September 15 – December 9, 2018

The Psychedelic Era was, among many things, a cultural frontier for colors and imagery. Music, politics, and drugs ignited an unprecedented expansion of art revolving around these elements. College campuses around the country, now seen as the birthing grounds for much of the psychedelic era’s ideals, were hotbeds for bright young minds to organize politically and artistically. From Berkeley College to the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, young idealists organized and the art of the era came to fruition. This exhibition will be our bridge to that time, showcasing a variety of psychedelic era works on paper.

Highlighting this experience is the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.  The poster work and ephemera of Gary Grimshaw and the photography of Leni Sinclair will showcase the art that poured out of that time and place. Blotter sheets from Mark Mothersbaugh, H.R. Giger, S. Clay Wilson, Chuck Sperry, and more will represent the creative fuel for many of the artists of the time. Also featured will be the work of the poster artists of the time: Wes Wilson, Victor Moscoso, Stanley Mouse, Rick Griffin, and Alton Kelley. Lastly works by artists Alex and Allyson Grey and Isaac Abrams will display the fine art guided and influenced by the era and movement.

Exhibition Opening Party: September 14, 6-9pm

Celebrate opening weekend of this exhibit and Litmus Test: Works on Paper from the Psychedelic Era with live music, cash bar, appetizers, with many of the artists in attendance!

This exhibition is curated by independent curator and critic Carlo McCormick and FWMoA Curator of Contemporary Art Josef Zimmerman.

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Garbage at the Warfield 10/1 & Shpongle at the Warfield 10/5 – Hurricane Sandy Benefit Releases

Garbage at the Warfield, October 1, 2012

Firehouse-Goldenvoice No. 165

15 x 22.5

Edition of 125

3 colors on archival cream paper

Signed and Numbered

SOLD OUT – Thank You!

________________

A portion of my proceeds from this release have been donated to the American Red Cross.

Shpongle presents The Masquerade at the Warfield, October 5, 2012

Firehouse-Goldenvoice No. 166

16.75 x 22.5

Edition of 125

3 colors on archival cream paper

Signed and Numbered

SOLD OUT – Thank You!

________________

A portion of my proceeds from this release have been donated to the American Red Cross.

Shpongle / Garbage Uncut Variant

35 x 23

Edition of 20

3 colors on archival cream paper

Signed and Numbered

SOLD OUT – Thank You!

________________

A portion of my proceeds from this release have been donated to the American Red Cross.

________________

Here are the final two designs I worked on last month – while working on my presentation for Trimarchi, the largest design conference of it’s kind in the Spanish speaking world. Steeped in the amazing psychedelic poster art of Stanley Mouse, Alton Kelley, Wes Wilson, Victor Moscoso, Rick Griffin – and having the original Mouse/Kelley 13th Floor Elevator poster framed and hanging on my drawing studio wall for twenty years – I made this as a very tongue-in-cheek parody of that poster. I liked that Gary Grimshaw (making a poster for the Grande Ballroom) and Mouse/Kelley (making a poster for the Avalon Ballroom) had coincidentally drawn from the same source photo in Life magazine. I felt it would be interesting to draw the syllogism into my own re-contextualization of the same source in the 21st Century. I altered the source image into a portrait of Shirley Manson, lead singer of Garbage. I invented a parody of the Family Dog logo with one of my masonic zombie shriners which says: “The Snot-nose Kid Pays Homage to Mouse • Kelley.”

Photo source: “Art of the Dead” soon to be published book by Phil Cushway

As an illustration of why this release demands a benefit to the American Red Cross and hurricane Sandy relief, here is a photo of Stanley Mouse and I calmly texting friends and family as we are being evacuated from our hotel in Manhattan which was directly under the infamous damaged construction crane many of you, no doubt, saw on CNN.

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Dark Star Orchestra – Firehouse Goldenvoice Series reaches 100

FHGV100_closeup

The Firehouse Goldenvoice Series of posters has reached number 100, with the promise of the next 100 posters and a bright future for the series ahead.

Many Thanks to David Lefkowitz for commissioning 100 posters for Goldenvoice, and making all this possible.

That’s why this pivotal poster includes numbers 100 and 101 in one piece designed and printed by Chuck Sperry and Dave Hunter.

The band on the poster is the Dark Star Orchestra, who recreate the music of the Grateful Dead. Dark Star Orchestra gathers the tribe – really most of the same people, their children and friends -  who inspired The Original psychedelic rock promoter Chet Helms to commission the very first modern rock posters by Stanley Mouse, Wes Wilson, Rick Griffin, Alton Kelley and Victor Moscoso.

The venue is the Regency which occupies the very same room -  then called the Avalon Ballroom -  where Mr. Helms promoted the first Grateful Dead shows for his production company, the Family Dog. It seemed appropriate to end the first 100 and begin the next 100 right where it all started.

In fact, when Dave and I delivered the posters on Friday to The Regency, there was Stanley Mouse with easel and canvas – painting a Skull and Roses – right in the lobby.

The inspiration for the poster is the Grateful Dead song “Sugar Magnolia” with it’s follow through to “Sunshine Daydream.”

With much respect and appreciation to the roots of the modern rock art poster, and with “next-level” design and printing techniques, Dave Hunter and Chuck Sperry present 100-101 – a psychedelic thank you, a friendly rock and roll IOU to the masters of the past, and a cheerful iridescent / metallic good morning to the future.

Dark Star Orchestra at The Regency

April 23 and 24, 2010

Firehouse Goldenvoice Series Number 100

Edition of 150

6 colors on archival cream paper

35″ x 23″

Signed and Numbered

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FHGV100_3

Regular Edition of 150

on archival cream paper

SOLD OUT

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EGG_FULL

Speckled Egg Edition of 20

on white with reflective white flecks paper

SOLD OUT

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BLUEWAVE_FULL

Blue Wave Edition of 10

on blue with opalescent wave pattern paper

SOLD OUT

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MARBLE_FULL

White Marble Edition of 10

on white marble paper

SOLD OUT

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Dark Star Orchestra Photo Gallery

I’ve moved the additional photos of Dark Star Orchestra, here below, so it’s easier to reference each poster when they are released.

Below are two full sized photos with differing light effects (click to see larger):

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FHGV100_1FHGV100_2

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Below are detail photos of the three variants showing the corner of the image and paper style (click to see larger):

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Speckled Egg Variant (click to see larger):

EGG_CORNER

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Blue Wave Variant (click to see larger):

BLUEWAVE_CORNER

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White Marble Variant (click to see larger):

MARBLE_CORNER

Archives

Sperry Books: “Color x Color” • “Helikon” • “Chthoneon” • “Idyllion”

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