Design community rallies around "Ink Bleeds" rock poster art exhibit and party

The Cincinnati chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) hosts the opening of its biennial “Ink Bleeds” exhibit of rock poster art Dec. 4 at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. The opening night event will feature sales by the artists showing work, live music, beer, food and a talk by Art Chantry, “the Godfather of modern rock poster design” who, according to event organizer and past president of AIGA, Mark Thomas, “really gave grunge rock its look” and visual identity in the 1990s.
 
This will be AIGA and the Art Academy’s fifth Ink Bleeds show. They’ve been holding the exhibit every two years since 2007 to highlight rock poster art culture in Cincinnati.
"Print your own shirt" design by Rob Warnick 
“I personally had been noticing around town such an amazing culture of rock poster artists,” says Thomas, who collaborated with artists such as Keith Neltner, Rob Warnick and Tommy Sheehan, and the event has grown to steadily attract an audience of about 600 each year. “This one looks like the biggest and best yet.”
 
This fifth show also promises to be the most Cincinnati-centric. Subtitled “Local Blood,” everything from the artists showing work in the exhibit to the bands playing to the beer selections chosen by HalfCut will be from Greater Cincinnati. Even the design work for marketing the show features four different designs of that iconic animal so linked with the city: the pig.
 
Those Ink Bleeds pig designs will be available for purchase on beer glasses Friday night as well as to be screen-printed for $5 “bring your own shirt” style. Besides the poster art sold by artists featured in the exhibit, pig merchandise will also be available as part of “bundles” along with tickets to Chantry’s talk.
 
All proceeds earned by AIGA will go to fund scholarships for art and design students associated with its mentorship program, which involves monthly networking meetings between students and professional AIGA members October-April. In the spring, the program culminates in a senior day, when students bring in portfolios to be reviewed by the professionals. Based on those reviews, three or four students each year receive $1,500 scholarships to assist them with education costs.
 
AIGA is a national organization for visual artists, with chapters all over the county. Cincinnati’s chapter has approximately 500 members who plan and participate in programs such as “Liquid Courage” networking events and “Design for Good” campaigns like a Match.com-style event matching designers with nonprofits that need design work.
 
For the past few years, the group has hosted Cincinnati Design Week, which has grown exponentially to become “like Midpoint for visual artists,” Thomas says. For an event of that scale, AIGA partners with a wide variety of other arts and creative organizations around town. Thomas emphasizes the incredible community of such organizations to choose from and the rich, deep creative culture in the region.
Artwork by Keith Neltner 
According to Thomas, “The creative community embraces alternative forms of music.” That creative community will be well represented at Friday night’s event, which features live music from Temple, The Recreational and The Tillers.
 
“Ink Bleeds” runs 6-11 p.m. at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, 1212 Jackson St. in Over-the-Rhine. Advance tickets are $20 for AIGA members and $25 for nonmembers and include admission to Art Chantry’s talk at 7 p.m. (limited to 125 seats). Get advance tickets here.
 
Admission to just the opening night exhibit is a donation at the door.