Mouse & Kelley 10th Annual Biennial Wilderness Conference 1967 Poster (AOR-2.365). ...

Description

Mouse & Kelley 10th Annual Biennial Wilderness Conference 1967 Poster (AOR-2.365). An original first-printing event poster for the Sierra Club's "10th Biennial Wilderness Conference" sponsored by the Sierra Club and held at the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco over the weekend of April 7-9, 1967.

Although not involving music, this is a very popular poster amongst 1960's S.F. psychedelic concert-poster collectors. For one thing, it was designed by Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley, two of the Bay Area's all-time "big five" poster designers and an unbeatable team at Mouse Studios.

Another big reason is this poster's usage of Native American Indian imagery, a key theme winding its way through the mid-60's San Francisco hippie world, embraced by many. (Just take a look at the FD-1 concert poster.) And this is a particularly striking image of a Native American Indian on horseback looking up toward the heavens, arms outstretched in a gesture of forlorn appeal. It's a very compelling poster that will likely pass the test of time much longer than your standard Quicksilver or Moby Grape poster. And because of its sheer attractiveness, it was usually tacked or taped up on walls all over the place, so it's extra hard to find this poster in totally clean condition.

This specimen is officially known as AOR-2.365-OP-2, meaning a second printing but also done before the event, and with the yellow color left off, which was said to have been Stanley Mouse's personal preference (no yellow). In fact, this yellow-less version is the one the Art of Rock book chose to show.

This poster measures 13 7/8" x 20" and grades to Near Mint Minus condition, with a crossed-off number written in the upper left corner of the verso, and a distributor's rubber stamp in the bottom right area of the verso. The front is completely clean. From the Tim Backstrom Grateful Dead Collection. COA from Heritage Auctions.

Literature: See Grushkin, Paul, The Art of Rock: Posters from Presley to Punk, Abbeville Press, New York, 1987, p.239 (illus.).

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