Nov.-Dec. 2011 - Maryland Institute College of Art

04 CONNECTIONS
MICA Acquires Historic Globe Poster Collection
Materials Preserve Legacy While Providing Learning Opportunities for Students
(left to right) A classic reprint of the poster from a Miles Davis concert in Baltimore (courtesy Globe Poster Printing Corporation); Bob Cicero (left) gives the spring 2011 letterpress class (pictured: student
Nate Cubeta and faculty member Mary Mashburn) a crash course in poster lockup; finished poster from Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors free festival (2011).
Globe Poster PrintinG CorPoration, historically
one of the nation’s largest showcard printers, has been telling
the story of American music and entertainment through bright
and iconic posters since 1929. Globe began by printing posters
for vaudeville acts, movie theaters, drag races, burlesque houses,
and carnivals and became known for its work with R&B, soul,
and jazz performers—including James Brown, B.B. King, Otis
Redding, Ike and Tina Turner, Billie Holiday, and Solomon
Burke—as well as gospel, rock, hip hop, funk, and go-go acts.
When Globe Poster closed its doors in late 2010, owners
and brothers Bob and Frank Cicero hoped to keep the collection
in Baltimore. Welcoming the opportunity to maintain a local
legend’s collection and an important piece of entertainment
history, MICA acquired more than 75 percent of the Globe
collection of wood type, images, and illustration cuts employed
for letterpress and screen printing. The acquisition strengthens
a relationship developed with Globe over recent years through
letterpress class visits, a graduate student thesis, and other
student projects.
Bob and Frank worked with their father, Joseph Sr., and
brother, Joe, since they acquired the shop from its previous owner,
Norman Shapiro, in 1975. “My father would be pleased Globe is
staying here,” Bob said. “It’s part of this city’s heritage and shows
Baltimore’s contributions to music and entertainment.”
Big, bold, fat type, DayGlo colors, and distinctive lettering
were hallmarks of the Globe style. The company’s unrivaled archive
includes letterpress wood type, printing cuts and images, sketches
and mockups, and original posters. Globe’s sturdy wood and metal
type and cuts have survived decades of use, outliving the hands
that created them and many of the musicians they popularized.
While preserving the legacy of these historic assets, MICA
is also using items in the collection as academic and research
resources. Through this acquisition, young artists and designers
have the opportunity to learn first-hand traditional printing
practices and the Globe style, even as they explore contemporary
methods in the digital age. The materials are being utilized in
classes and workshops by several graduate and undergraduate
departments within the College, including printmaking, graphic
design, and illustration.
“Globe is a national treasure and a unique part of Baltimore’s
cultural history. MICA is thrilled to be able to bring this
extraordinary collection onto its campus and allow its legacy to
live on through the eyes and hands of the many artists, designers,
and scholars who will benefit from its continuing to serve as
an active, working press,” MICA Provost Ray Allen said. “The
integration of Globe will distinguish MICA among its peers
nationally and make Baltimore a special destination for those
with a special interest in hand letterpress work.”
Allison Fisher, who graduated in the spring and now works
as a letterpress printer at Gilah Press + Design, was a student
leader in bringing the collection to MICA and is learning Globe’s
style first-hand from Bob. Fisher explained, “I love letterpress,
and I got involved in this project because it meant preserving the
collection for future generations to see in its magnificent glory.”
Story continues on page 6.