CPFA 1979. The 13th Annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts 1979

Lanny Sommese created this poster for the 13th annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in 1979. Its bright pink ground supports a vividly colored and roughly textured head in profile, with a pencil clenched in its teeth. The CPFA is an interesting example of how cultural institutions in the US, such as universities, sponsored popular art events in the late 20th century. The figure with a pencil in their mouth may represent the idea of the artist as a vital, but also disruptive force. To understand the poster’s significance, we can turn to archival materials related to the CPFA, as well as studies of graphic design and cultural festivals in the United States. It would be interesting to find out how the poster was received at the time, and what it meant to the people who attended the festival. In this way, we can appreciate how art is always made in a specific social and institutional context.