The Syracuse Poster Project will unveil is 15th annual poster series Thursday, April 14. The illustrations were done by illustration students in the College of Visual and Performing Arts except for the one at right, which was done by professional illustrator Tim Coolbaugh.
The Syracuse Poster Project will unveil its 15th annual poster series Thursday, April 14, from 6-8 p.m. at City Hall Commons, 201 E. Washington St.
The Syracuse Poster Project brings together community poets and Syracuse University artists to create an annual series of poetry posters for the city’s poster panels. Each year, writers from throughout the community submit haiku about downtown, the city or the nearby countryside. Students from the the College of Visual and Performing Arts‘ illustration program then create posters based on the haiku of their choice. The project selects the top posters and displays them along Salina and Warren streets, beginning in April.
Since its founding, in 2001, the Poster Project has worked to enliven downtown and strengthen the city’s sense of community. The project highlights Syracuse culture and creativity, and reaches beyond the city through the sale of poster prints, note cards and poetry.
This year’s series includes 15 posters by senior illustration students, and one special poster by professional illustrator Tim Coolbaugh. For the special poster, the project commissioned Coolbaugh to illustrate a rescue dog scene. Poets then submitted haiku to complement the scene. The winning haiku was written by Aubrey Joy Cooper of Auburn.
At the unveiling, poets and artists will meet for the first time and briefly present about their work. Shortly after the unveiling, the Downtown Committee of Syracuse will install the posters along Salina and Warren streets. The posters remain on display for a year.
The annual production of posters is made possible by in-kind support from the Downtown Committee and financial support from corporate sponsors. This year’s supporters include: C&S Engineers, Byrne Dairy, Geddes Federal Savings and Loan Association, KS&R and Hueber-Breuer Construction Corp. This year’s series also received funding from Onondaga County through CNY Arts.
The Poster Project reaches the larger community by selling poster products, including poster prints, note cards and poetry booklets. It also exhibits a complete set of the prints at a different downtown venue each month. Prints can be purchased at Eureka Crafts in Armory Square; at the Copy Centers, 131 S. Salina St.; and at the Poster Project’s online store: http://www.posterproject.org. All proceeds help the project become self-sustaining.
For more information and general questions, please contact Jim Emmons, project coordinator, at jim@posterproject.org, 315-424-8099.
For more information about the artistic process, contact the coordinating professors from the illustration program: John Thompson, jmthom01@syr.edu, 315-426-0123; and Marty Blake, mablake@syr.edu, 315-492-1332.
The 2016 poet-artist combinations include:
poet Ellen Agnew and artist Christina O’Donnell
poet Dennen Bunger and artist Olivia Ferlenda
poet Grace Carroll and artist Madeleine Slade
poet Aubrey Joy Cooper and artist Tim Coolbaugh
poet Peter DeBlois and artist Tyler Bates Hill
poet Siliva de la Garza and artist Son Tuyen Huynh
poet Audia Denton and artist Elizabeth Michals
poet T. Michael Duncan and artist Cecily Thomas
poet Linda Green and artist Sarah Collins
poet Lewis Hylton and artist William Smith IV
poet Rachael Ikins and artist Lindsey Leigh
poet Jungtae Lee and artist Devyn Passaretti
poet Eric Lilly and artist Lazaro Sanchez
poet Joe Sarnicola and artist Vanessa Castillo
poet Susan Scholl and artist Ashley Petras
poet Martin Walls and artist Sabrina Elahi
