FAR-OUT ART
‘Blacklight Magic’ salutes trippy counterculture posters from 1960s and ’70s
The peace sign, the pill, the smiley face, the Age of Aquarius and a clenched, raised fist: They all conjure up the counterculture days of the 1960s and ’70s. Fluorescent colors, black lights and 3D glasses add to the experience of a funky, psychedelic exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art.
“Blacklight Magic” continues through Sept. 8 in the Open Gallery, a hallway on the museum’s first floor. It includes 24 large posters and two cases filled with smaller images, vintage works from the collection of Daniel Donahue. The Madison, Wisconsin-based historian is author of the book “Ultraviolet: 69 Blacklight Posters from the Aquarian Age and Beyond.”
The exhibit posters — filled with swirling images that celebrate peace, environmentalism, free love and revolution — are hung in relative darkness with black lights shining from the ceiling. Kaleidoscope and 3D glasses are available, making the flower-power images pop out or swirl in trippy fashion.
Jeff Sims, the museum’s creative producer, programmed the exhibit as part of an ongoing look at pop culture.
“I thought black light posters were something that visitors would be familiar with but also would fall outside the normal realm of fine art,” Sims said. “I thought we could look not just at the ‘wow’ factor, but also at the social role the posters played.”
Many of the posters are not dated and many of the artists are anonymous or unknown. And proving that the age wasn’t as enlightened as one might think, most of the known artists were men. Only one woman, California artist Nancy Parker, has works in the show. Her “Citadel” (1969), in purple, green and red, could be an aerial view of a fortress. In “Dove of Peace” (undated), the central avian image is
surrounded by the word and symbol for “peace.” Both mosaic-like pieces are lovely.
Also beautiful is Jupiter Rubin’s “Zephyr” (1970), a utopian vision of a lush landscape with a lime-green background, vivid-colored plants and flowers, a hummingbird and a black couple with planets and stars as their eyes and other features.
“Age of Aquarius” (artist and date unknown) shows a couple basking in the alignment of planets believed to increase chances for love, peace and empathy on Earth.
“Black Power” (1971) boldly expresses the movement in artist Zash M.J.B.’S lime-green, red-and-black poster of a man with a raised fist.
Matt Boulton celebrates “Peace” (undated) with the iconic two-finger salute set against the letter “V” and swirling green leaves that include hidden symbols.
Much more from the era is highlighted: the classic hairstyle in “Afro Queen” (1972); environmental activism in “Give Earth a Chance” (undated); and a poster version of “The American Dream” from Art Bevacqua’s 1967 work featuring a star-spangled banana (just like it sounds).
Found in the cases are smaller images of symbols and personalities from the era, including Muhammad Ali, Angela Davis, James Brown, Diana Ross, the Jackson 5 and the Beatles.
Not everyone was thrilled with the movement, and that also is reflected in the exhibition. Cartoonist R. Crumb’s well-known “Keep on Truckin’ ” quartet of bigshoed guys ambling down the road, from the underground magazine Zap Comix (1968), shows up with a disclaimer.
The image, widely appropriated without his permission, became a thorn in Crumb’s side. He is quoted in the accompanying panel: “This stupid cartoon caught on hugely … I didn’t want to turn into a greeting card artist for the counter culture.”
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