ELAF Poster Art Exhibition

(SCENE) Metrospace’s second exhibition of 2013, “The East Lansing Art Festival 50th Anniversary Poster Art Exhibition,” will be unveiled at an opening reception on Friday, Mar. 1 from 6-9 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public. The exhibition will be on display during (SCENE) Metrospace’s regular gallery hours until April 13th.

“The East Lansing Art Festival 50th Anniversary Poster Art Exhibition” will feature many of the posters designed for the festival over the past five decades, including the very first poster designed by Mike Bidwell. Bidwell not only created the first poster, he helped launch the East Lansing Art Festival 50 years ago. Bidwell was an MSU advertising student, who had been seeking a project for Alpha Delta Sigma. He approached the City of East Lansing and Chamber of Commerce about producing an event similar to a street fair held in Ann Arbor the year before. The first event, called “Greenwich Village Days,” was the result. Bidwell went to Chicago after graduating, never realizing that when he returned 11 years later he would find it flourishing as an annual downtown event.

Posters designed by Dennis Kallek, chair of the festival from the mid-1970’s to 1984, will also be on display; as well as posters designed by the talented graphic design artists at Lansing-based CiesaDesign from 1991 to present day.

In addition to the posters, a number of award-winning pieces of artwork from past festivals will also be on display.

This latest (SCENE) Metrospace exhibition is just one part in a series of events the East Lansing Art Festival (ELAF) has planned in celebration of its 50 years in the community. Community members are encouraged to stay tuned for additional ELAF 50th Anniversary event announcements.

(SCENE) Metrospace is East Lansing’s City-funded alternative art gallery and performance space. It is located at 110 Charles St. in downtown East Lansing. Contact Tim Lane at scenemetrospace@gmail.com or visit www.scenemetrospace.com  for more information about the space. Regular gallery hours are Thursdays from 2-5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 2-6 p.m. and Sundays from noon-4 p.m.; and by appointment.