(Editor’s note: Columns may contain opinion)
As I headed downtown to the Augusta Poster Show Friday, I saw my brother Leonard Porkchop Zimmerman walking to the Miller Theater, wearing a brightly-colored shirt emblazoned with Happy robots and carrying a bag full of Happy buttons, so I slowed down to give him a ride.
We got there a few minutes before the doors opened and already a line had formed. He handed out the Augusta Poster Show Happy buttons to people waiting in line.
The third and final one that Jason Craig is spearheading alone featured 30 artists and 30 glimpses of Augusta.
One thing that Jason said he has loved about the show is the uniqueness of the pieces created. In four years, 90 posters highlighting different aspects of Augusta through different lenses.
My brother had one idea for a poster, and it just wasn’t working. Hours before the deadline the right idea came to him. Luigi’s, the family-owned restaurant that has been part of the fabric of downtown for 76 years.
Outside was parked a Ford Falcon, the car my parents drove to Luigi’s the night they got married and went there on every anniversary until my dad’s death in December 2020.
Luigi’s holds a special place for others at the show. The poster sparked memories and anecdotes.
Artist Syd Padgett told us that he and his wife went there after they got married too. And Carrie Brooks told me of her love for it recalling her high school years when she and several of her teammates took their coach there after the season ended. She also enjoyed a few romantic dates there over the years.
Speaking of Carrie. Her entry in this year’s show highlighted the donkeys of Stallings Island. She loves to kayak to them and give them a carrot or two. She lamented that she hasn’t had the chance to get on the water lately because her schedule has been packed this summer, and she heads back to teaching ceramics at Greenbrier High School soon.
Every poster showed Augusta from a different perspective; some focused on history; others nature; others the people.
Kenneth Benson’s poster was of an Augusta arcade with video games for businesses such as Soul Bar and the Book Tavern. He added an interactive touch. Using a phone app, viewers could bring the poster and its games to life.
Another fun one for me was created by Mariana Dixon Williams, who was part of the Pink Slips Analog artists’ creative with Jason, Matt Porter, Brian McGrath and Lauryn Sprouse from 2016-2020.
Her “The Rumors are True!” is in a retro comic style. I felt like I matched her work as I wore a dress with a similar motif.
I’ve always been a fan of Henry Wynn’s work. I met him about 25 years ago when he was an illustrator for the Army. He uses pointillism to fashion his pieces.
His poster focuses on the Augusta legend of Maude Dean Williams whose spirit is said to linger at the Benet House on the Summerville campus of Augusta University, according to his description of his poster.
As I said, my brother and I arrived early, and some people immediately got in line to purchase posters sight unseen. Some sold out on Friday night.
While Jason said this is the last show he’s heading by himself, he will help Augusta Magazine, which will take it over.,
And if social media is kind and you see this story in time, the show will be open until 5 p.m. July 19.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards and is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
