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July 3, 2009 by Vince Darcangelo
Filed under Calendar
The Bay Area of the 1960s is a time and place etched in American history. It had a sound and culture all its own: tie-dye, LSD and the Grateful Dead. Peace, love and flower power. A counter-culture fueled by eastern philosophy and acid rock.
Thanks to the work of cutting-edge graphic artists such as Wes Wilson and others, that moment in time had its own unique look as well — a tapestry of vibrant colors, richly textured images and a chaotic, silly string-like font that was as much optical illusion as advertisement.
It’s a style we now know as psychedelic, and the artwork of this period is celebrated in the Denver Art Museum’s new exhibit, “The Psychedelic Experience: Rock Posters from the San Francisco Bay Area, 1965-71,” which runs through July 19.
The exhibit features more than 300 posters promoting Bay Area concerts from that time, from headlining acts like Jefferson Airplane, Santana and Jimi Hendrix to era-defining events like the Trips Festival, the Haight-Ashbury Festival and Ken Kesey’s Acid Tests. The names and venues are part of the rock ‘n’ roll pantheon: promoters Bill Graham and Chet Helms and Family Dog Productions, the Fillmore Auditorium, the Avalon Ballroom.
If you go
What: “The Psychedelic Experience: Rock Posters from the San Francisco Bay Area, 1965-71″
When: Runs through July 19.
Where: Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway
Tickets: $15 adults, $12 seniors and students, $7 ages 6 to 18, free for museum members
Info: 720-865-5000 or www.denverartmuseum.org
