The Bonsack Gallery Presents 1968: A Portrait of Rock & Roll

The Bonsack Gallery opens "1968: A Portrait of Rock & Roll" with a reception on Friday, January 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The exhibition includes vintage rock posters from the collection of Ted L. and Maryanne Ellison Simmons; vintage photographs by Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone magazine’s chief photographer between 1967 and 1971; display pages from vintage Rolling Stone magazines loaned by J. Appel Photographs; and a collection of record albums from 1968. Visitors to the gallery will also hear a curated playlist from that year. 

As music journalist Chris King writes in the exhibition notes, “the second half of 1968 was relatively quiet on the streets of America — quiet compared to widespread riots in the aftermath of the assassination of a nonviolent protest leader — but loud with transformative rock ‘n’ roll. In August, Janis Joplin’s band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, released Cheap Thrills. Jimi Hendrix released Electricladyland in September. The Beatles released the self-titled, white-covered record known as The White Album in November. And their fellow British rivals The Rolling Stones released Beggars Banquet in December. Rock music continued to evolve and shoot off sparks, even if ‘the incredible springtime’ that ushered in the ‘Summer of Love’ was over.” Some of those sparks included art and street fashion, including the hippie style on display in Wolman’s portraits of rock artists like Jim Morrison, Hendrix and Joplin. The concert posters and handbills in the exhibit mirror the flamboyance of the era’s music, with their combination of Pop Art colors, nonlinear typefaces and surreal imagery.

During the run of the exhibition, visitors may purchase raffle tickets ($10, or 5 for $40) to win a signed Baron Wolman photograph of their choice. Tickets may be purchased at the opening reception on January 18, and will be available at the John Burroughs School bookstore through the run of the show. All proceeds go to the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund. 1968 closes on Wednesday, February 20. 

The Bonsack Gallery is a not-for-profit educational gallery on the campus of John Burroughs School. Regular gallery hours are 8 am to 5 pm, weekdays. For more information, contact Donya Allison (Fine Arts) at 314/993-4045, ext. 229, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

http://www.jburroughs.org