It's everywhere. Plastered on the sides of buildings, stapled to telephone poles, peering out from behind the dingy glass of derelict newspaper boxes. It can be intricate, thought-provoking or simply eye-catching. It's art, and, on any given day, you've seen it a thousand times. It's poster art. Specifically, rock poster art. And (SCENE) Metrospace, 110 Charles St., is out to have you take a new look at this pervasive, but often overlooked, art medium. Opening Friday, (SCENE) is presenting "Sound & Fury: The Fine Art of Rock Posters," a collection of 75 rock posters from Lansing-area artists, along with nationally renowned poster artists such as Jay Ryan and the Bird Machine collective, Devon Varmega and Brian Methe.
While the national artists have pursued poster art as a career, some of the local artists, such as advertising senior Jack Muldowney, fell into it by chance.
"I got into it freshman year (of college), out of boredom," Muldowney said. "I've always been into drawing, so I went ahead and e-mailed bands, seeing if I could do shows for them. The bands were way more willing than I expected."
Others, such as artist and MSU assistant professor of graphic design Kelly Salchow, broke into designing rock posters more directly - she was friends with members of the band The National.
But it was passion, not familiarity, that drew her to creating rock posters, Salchow said.
"As a designer, I applied my creativity to what I enjoyed," she said. "I can work with what I'm interested in."
Muldowney's first job, however, was anything but local.
"The first one I did was for the Kills, in London," he said. "They'd pay to ship it, and they sent me a bunch of copies of the prints."
Since then, Muldowney has created 15 pieces for various bands and events, and plans to do more. But, beyond exposure, what drew Muldowney to (SCENE) was the public display of a neglected art form.
"The main thing is that people don't realize this is a medium that's overlooked," he said. "It's fun, it's art, but it's serving a communication purpose … It leaves open a lot of flexibility that a lot of traditional advertising doesn't."
The feeling that rock poster art has been jilted is not uncommon, but the problem might have to do with the very nature of the posters themselves, said Chris Van-Wyck, curator of the exhibit and MSU adjunct professor of art.
"Posters and flyers and things of that nature are thought of as disposable, where a lot of the art, both locally and nationally, is highly thought of," VanWyck said.
It's that deeper level of artistry that (SCENE) wants to represent and display with the exhibit, VanWyck said.
"We want to show the fine art aspect of it," he said. "The medium has a lot of pretty serious artwork thrown at it."
Despite the fact that the pieces on display are "fine art," the phrase has become loaded, VanWyck said.
"When you say 'fine art' to somebody, there's an automatic perception of what it is," he said. "(SCENE) is all about … educating people to non-mainstream art."
The familiarity and rawness of the art is part of its appeal, said Peter Richards, director and gallery coordinator for (SCENE) Metrospace.
"It's a very approachable art form," Richards said. "It's democratizing art to an extent, kind of like (electronic music) opened music to anyone with a computer."
Since the inception of poster art for shows at the dawning of the jazz age, it has become more refined and sophisticated, Richards said.
"There's been a lot more emphasis on the poster itself and less on the information," Richards said. "If you look at the old jazz posters, it's just color and text. In the '60s, they get crazy with illustration and hand-lettering. Then, they move on into the fine arts, where people are doing their own thing and bringing that out."
The sheer variety of styles on display demonstrates just how flexible the art form is and how much an artist can expand creatively, VanWyck said.
"Some are visually stimulating, others are just thought-provoking in their subject matter," he said. "One common thread the posters have for this show is visual impact. These are the kind of posters you can't just walk by."
Artists themselves, such as Salchow, recognized rock posters also can serve as a cultural litmus test: Each poster serves as a reflection for the fears, hopes, interests and attitudes of that generation.
"This is something worth seeing in a gallery - worth more attention than just being on the street," she said. "Rock poster art has gone into interesting phases historically, and those posters can be see as a sign of the times."
In order to bring a more visceral energy to the exhibit, (SCENE) has recruited Lansing-area band The Break-Ups to play a "semi-acoustic" set during the show's opening night. In addition to providing extra enticement to patrons, the music is part of the exhibit, serving to work in synergy with pieces on display, Richards said.
"I feel that tying in the purpose (of the posters) is really important," he said.
The music will serve to bring the energy of a live rock show to the art created to promote such shows, Richards said.
It's that immediacy and emotional connection to both the art and the music that Richards said he wanted to bring to the show.
"People tend to connect on a very personal level with music," he said. "Live music is a semi-devotional activity for many. Concerts and gigs arrive and pass, but the imagery persists and becomes one of the most lasting associations people have with the music."
