Prints Charming

The music industry may be ailing, but concert posters remain a healthy art form, with exciting, diverse artists working to create beautiful and eye-catching promotional illustration. Ink Lounge Gallery is bringing two of the best to town to talk about a new exhibit titled Made in the Midwest: Prints by Jay Ryan and Diana Sudyka.

Ryan, who uses traditional screen-printing methods, has been featured in the book The Art of Modern Rock and the documentary Died Young Stayed Pretty. Sudyka has a fine-arts background and works as an illustrator, creating everything from book covers to watercolors for her bird blog. Together they’ve designed gig posters for some of the biggest names in indie rock, including the Flaming Lips, My Morning Jacket, Modest Mouse, the Decemberists’ Andrew Bird and Jeff Tweedy. They’ll be showing a number of these pieces, along with a cross section of other work they’ve created. “It will be an opportunity to see stuff that isn’t usually out there,” promises Ink Lounge co-owner Nicky Alden.

Ryan and Sudyka will speak tonight starting at 6 p.m. at 7349 West Alaska Drive in Lakewood’s Belmar complex; afterward, head around the corner to the Ink Lounge Gallery, 445 South Saulsbury Street, for the opening reception for Made in the Midwest, which runs from 6 to 10 p.m. (The show itself will be up through August 1.) Tickets for the lecture are $10, or $5 for students; the exhibit and reception are free. For more info, visit www.inkloungegallery.com or call 303-321-7101.
June 26-Aug. 1, 2009