Augusta Poster Show Offers Creative Takes On Community
The Augusta Poster Show offers the opportunity to purchase unique prints by 30 artists inspired by Augusta.
Special | Jason CraigDesigner/artist Jason Craig with a poster from the Third Annual Augusta Poster Show.
Sometimes the best ideas are borrowed, and Augusta is surrounded by cities with great ideas.
Local artist and designer Jason Craig is just like a lot of people, attending unique events outside of Augusta and thinking how great it would be to have something similar back home. It’s certainly how he felt participating in poster shows in cities such as Atlanta and Austin. That’s when he realized he had the ability to bring something similar to Augusta and introduced the first Augusta Poster Show in 2023.
The concept is simple. Thirty artists provide an original piece that is a representation of Augusta. There are 30 poster-size (18x24) prints of each piece and each print is $30. You can also purchase three for $80, five for $100 or the whole collection for $500.
The concept has been a resounding success, and the third installment takes place this weekend.
Craig opened the submission window earlier in the year and has received submissions from all over the country, as well as from local artists.
“I’ve had people from Seattle, Chicago, Austin, New York, California, Florida, North and South Carolina, and from all over that have applied for this show,” he said. “Until I started doing this, I really didn’t understand how recognizable Augusta is to the world.”
Craig looks for artists that can attend the show and that have some tie to Augusta. He said some grew up here, some have siblings who work here, and one artist from Jacksonville, comes up for the Masters.
“He made a really cool Fruitland poster a couple years ago,” Craig said.
Thematically, the posters have ranged from illustration to photography to paintings and abstract pieces and have always sold very well. They’ve become popular in restaurants, medical offices, and local corporate locations.
Craig encourages people to attend the V.I.P. preview on Friday night, saying that some of the more popular artists’ pieces sell out quickly. Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman’s posters, for example have always sold out and he suspects they will again this time.
“I think the last time they sold out in like 5 minutes,” he said.
Craig himself has collaborated with North Augusta artist Henry Wynn on a piece that he believes will sell out.
“You don’t really get a chance to buy Henry Wynn prints at that price very often,” he said.
The Third Annual Augusta Poster Show is free and open to the public Saturday July 19 in the Miller Theater’s Knox Music Institute. The VIP preview takes place the night before and$20 tickets that can be purchased at AugustaPosterShow.com.
WHAT: The Augusta Poster Show
WHEN: 10am – 6pm Saturday, July 19 | VIP Preview 6 – 9pm Friday, July 18
WHERE: The Miller Theater, 708 Broad Street
COST: Free. VIP Preview $20.
