Continued from: New Poster from Peter Max
Peter Max
When I read the press release for this month's &Else, I just had to go and dig up more info on Peter Max. You see, I had long forgotten that Peter Max was one of my graphics heros back in the late 1960s -- his art and design which accounted for the look and feel of the Beatle's "Yellow Submarine" movie had a great impact on me. So much so, much of my graphics and paintings were influenced by Max during my college days. (Remind me to show you some of those works, which I've managed to retrieve from storage!)
Peter Max is one of the most public and accessible artists of our era. His appeal is like those of America's most enduring icons, spans all demographics, and has done so for several generations. Max's famous signature style and depicts a joyous, exuberant, sustainable world. Max has been an advocate of ecology and sustainability since the first Earth Day and was moved to create posters for Greenpeace, the Peace Corps, Save the Whales, and many more environmental causes.
Even today, when you need a Peter Max image, there's only one place to get one! From Max himself! Many other artists have attempted to emulate Max, (including me,) with not such good results. In fact, at left you see a recent NEWSWEEK magazine cover created specifically by Max for an issue relating to the era.
In 1974, Max created the first 10-cent U.S. postage stamp, with the slogan, "Preserve the Environment." He was also the Official Artist for three United Nations Earth summits and created a series of twelve U.N. postage stamps for each of the summits. As official poster artist for more high-profile global events than any other contemporary artist, Max has championed the causes of world peace, ecology, human and animal rights, and space exploration-confirming that he is not only one of America's most famous and prolific living artists, but also one of the most relevant. Max has virtually redefined the role of the artist in American culture.
Max used his work as a means of giving to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the Pentagon and New York. After the attacks, he designed six posters to raise money for victims' funds. He presented prints of those six posters to hang in the rebuilt section of the Pentagon. (Read more)
"They cost $150 a piece," Max said, "and $145 of that goes to the victims' funds. So far, the prints have raised "hundreds of thousands of dollars."
I tried to purchase one, but by the time I got there, unfortunately, they were all sold out very quickly.
You can still own an original Peter Max, and support nonprofits at the same time! At the Peter Max web site, you can support The Marine Mammal Conservatory, a non-profit all-volunteer organization, who rely 100 percent on monetary donations, by purchasing any of 5 posters. The proceeds will go towards the rescue and rehabilitation of marine mammals. Proceeds from these six posters will benefit the Marine Mammal Conservatory. See them and purchase them here.
Newsweek Voices features a nice slideshow of Max's work, along with commentary from the artist himself on each slide. 'We Wanted to Change the World' A history tour of 1968 through the eyes and art of Peter Max, in conjunction with the above mentioned Newsweek cover design. You can also take a little tour of Peter Max work at Laurel Neustadter's "Artists Journey" blog.
Most importantly though, visit Peter himself at his web site PeterMax.com. Even if you weren't around during the '60s and '70s, the lively vibrance of his art transcends all ages and backgrounds. It's just fresh and invigorating! I think you'll like it!
Until next time... keep on drawing!
Fred Showker, Editor/Publisher
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