Colorado State University’s Clara Hatton Gallery hosts the first ‘Designers for Glaser’ exhibition in memorial to esteemed artist, Milton Glaser. Eighty-six posters from international artists are on display in homage to him after his death in 2020.

Milton Glaser made considerable contributions to the design and academic community and alongside multiple accolades, he became the first graphic designer to win the National Medal for the Arts. “When I was sitting in your chair, Milton Glaser was already a powerful force. He was productive all his life, all the way to the end…He was a gift,” stated John Gravdahl, a professor of graphic design and the curator and co-director of the Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition (CIIPE).

Since 1979, CSU organizes with CIIPE for a biennial event where prominent designers are invited to share their work. Though the opening lacked its normal festivities out of precaution for COVID-19, the exhibit’s unveiling was still special to artists.

Each piece in the gallery uses some aspect of Glaser’s style like his famous ‘I Love New York’ or psychedelic Bob Dylan posters. “There’s something very iconic to what it meant to this person, who worked with it, to who was inspired,” Director of the Hatton Gallery, Silvia Minguzzi, said.

“I’ve heard the name, but I guess I just didn’t connect him to making the iconic, ‘I Love New York’ quote,” said Kelsey Gruber, a junior majoring in Sculpture and Metal Work who visited the exhibit in between classes.

“CSU actually has one of the biggest collections of international posters of the United States,” Minguzzi said. She hopes to open the galleries for more interaction, accessibility, and notability for CSU students, faculty, and the surrounding public as time goes on. Adapting to the challenges created by the pandemic, she is currently creating a 3-Dimensional walking tour of the exhibits so those interested may revisit past works if they are unable to see it in person.

The exhibit was created in conjunction with the Bolivia Poster Biennial BICeBe, Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition (CIIPE), the Golden Bee, the National Design Biennial UBA – Argentina, the International Poster Festival of the University of Buenos Aires UBA, and organized with Diseñador Gráficos Bolivia, the Aurea Foundation for the Visual Arts and Design.

The exhibit leaves CSU on Oct. 15 and is set to open in Bolivia on Nov. 15 with a third installation in Buenos Aires possibly to follow. Currently, the display is available from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with free admissions to all.

More details about the Event, location, and how to attend Here

Written by Abigail K. Weaver (Independent Contributing Author)