Poster Archives 2001-2024

In 2001, Michelle Lockwood, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, partnered with Fosdick-Nelson Gallery Director Sharon McConnell to establish an internship for graphic designers. The intention was to create opportunities for highly motivated undergraduate students to experience client-designer relationships by producing graphics for the gallery. After Michelle Lockwood’s departure in 2008, the internship continued as an independent study under Gallery Director McConnell. Successive graphic design faculty members—Nick Kuder, Judy Livingston, and most recently Anthony Nguyen—continued to recommend talented students for the internship and provided necessary guidance.

Gallery interns were regularly tasked with designing posters, cards, banners, wall text, event calendars, and title cards—typical promotional materials for a professional gallery. Designing exhibition posters was particularly prestigious for gallery interns, offering them the chance to incorporate imagery by innovative artists and tackle the challenge of creating highly visible, public-facing exhibition announcements for the school, university, and beyond. Interns worked closely with the gallery director, in tandem with exhibition curators, exhibiting artists, or faculty members to collectively conceptualize a graphic identity. They dedicated extensive time to refining their designs, enduring substantial critical feedback and multiple revisions to see the process through to final printing. The long hours invested have proven invaluable; exhibition posters have bolstered professional portfolios and launched the careers of interns featured in this catalogue and exhibition, many of whom are now employed as professional designers. Read their personal accounts of "the intern experience" in the back section of the book.

The catalogue and exhibition serve as an important time capsule, allowing reflection on design trends spanning more than 20 years and recalling the wide spectrum of exhibitions that have enriched the School of Art and Design galleries for nearly a quarter-century. Represented herein are solo exhibitions by internationally prominent artists such as Fred Wilson (2002), Joan Livingstone (2006), Devorah Sperber (2006), Nick Cave (2008), Michael Jones McKean (2013), and Woody Vasulka (2020), as well as group exhibitions featuring works by Viola Fry, Christian Boltanski, Gary Hill, Sol LeWitt, Louise Bourgeois, Ann Hamilton, Anish Kapoor, Ron Nagle, Shirin Neshat, Cindy Sherman, Betty Woodman, and Tip Toland. The archive also includes ambitious thematic shows like Off the Grid: Selections from the LeWitt Collection (2003), Material Matters (2004), Re:Currents (2005), Table Space (2011), Open Press: Contemporary Chinese Printmaking (2013), As the Air Moves Back From You (2015), Artists as Innovators: Celebrating Three Decades of NYSCA/NYFA Fellowships (2018), and Perhaps Home is Not a Place (2023).

The catalogue and exhibition stand as a testament to over two decades of arts programming at the School of Art and Design. Throughout these years, the galleries have evolved alongside changing tastes and priorities, reflecting dynamic shifts in the art world and broader cultural landscape. It has been a privilege to witness and contribute to this transformation over my 26 years here. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have collaborated with so many bright and talented interns whose creativity and commitment have enriched our gallery experiences and educational mission, making a lasting impact not only within our university community but also in the broader professional realm of graphic design. As I reflect on this journey, I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the interns, dedicated faculty, and visionary artists, all of whom have been part of this remarkable endeavor.

—Sharon McConnell, Director of SOAD Galleries

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many individuals have contributed to making this project possible. Firstly, Jemma Lindquist and Juliet Lyons, our current gallery interns, provided invaluable production assistance and oversight for the layout and design of this catalogue. Former intern David Real organized all the data and poster files, while photo interns Lindsay Richardson and Alexander Jonsson stepped in to photograph printed posters when digital files were unavailable. Special thanks to former intern Natalie Burns, who generously provided feedback, technical support, and encouragement to the interns during the design process, and to Olin Gannon, Gallery Preparator, who meticulously organized the archives chronologically and constructed custom frames for the exhibition posters. Scholes Library Archivist Laura Habecker’s interest in the project led to the permanent housing of the complete poster archive in Scholes Library.

The galleries would like to acknowledge the Division of Expanded Media for their unwavering support of the internship from its inception, particularly Don Weinhart, Print and Photo Technician, for his generosity and time spent assisting interns, and Professor of Expanded Media Kathy Vajda, who stepped in to design an exhibition poster during COVID. Becky Comer at Alfred State Print and Mail provided invaluable assistance over the years printing intern poster designs and producing this catalogue. Special thanks to Alfred State graphic design students Natalie Burns and Jacob Yatsko for seeking out a gallery internship across the valley at Alfred University.

As the saying goes, “It takes a village,” and the successful functioning of the galleries is no exception. Director Sharon McConnell would like to acknowledge past curators, Gallery Committee members, and SOAD faculty whose exhibition proposals continue to bring an outstanding array of artists and exhibitions to the galleries, and all the artists who generously loan their work for exhibition. The day-to-day commitment of dedicated gallery staff, interns, and work-study students is essential for gallery programming. Special mention goes to Jesse Plass, who skillfully installed and lit over thirty curated exhibitions during his tenure as Gallery Preparator.

Director McConnell extends heartfelt thanks to the twenty-five interns who participated in the Galleries Graphic Design Internship, noting their fortitude, skill, humor, and astounding commitment to creating quality exhibition graphics. According to McConnell, "Working with and watching the gallery interns develop and hone their craft has been the absolute high point of my twenty-six years directing at the galleries."