"Finally, a true American form of artistic expression is given the long-overdue credit it deserves!" - Scott Mantz, Access Hollywood

"American Artifact" beautifully captures how artists pushed the boundaries of their own work in solidarity with the musicians who mattered most to them." - Christian Toto, Whatwouldtotowatch.com

"It will lead, for many, not only to an enjoyable couple of movie-watching hours, but also to a lifetime of collecting gig art." - Paste Magazine

"American Artifact does a fine job of explaining why this visual offshoot of the musical medium might be considered equally important."
- Detroit Metro Times

"A stylish and imaginative film that does its subject matter justice" - The Moving Arts Film Journal

"Wonderfully meticulous, inspired and enthusiastic" - Exclaim Magazine

"American Artifact is a captivating and long-overdue tour through one of pop culture's most fascinating sub genres" - Chronogram Magazine


ABOUT:
American Artifact chronicles the rise of American rock poster art since its birth in the '60s.

The film explores the history and rise of the current rock poster movement in America, and features a cast of quirky, interesting, and extremely talented rock poster artists talking about their work and telling the story of their underground art movement.

Beginning in the 1960s in San Francisco with the birth of the dance concert, a rock poster accompanied almost every show that was put on during that era. Soon, people began pulling the posters off of the telephone poles almost as quickly as they were put up.

In the '80s, flyers were done for punk shows on Xerox machines in local libraries or at Kinko's. They were glued to buildings and phone poles surreptitiously at night by kids in the scene.

Today, America is seeing a resurgence in this art form brought upon by the popularity of websites like GigPosters.com, and the ease of screenprinting.

This extraordinary film, which includes interviews with over 30 artists, takes the viewer on a journey through the different decades and incarnations of this rebellious art form. It spends time with, arguably, some of the finest artists of this era talking about what inspired their truly American works of art.

FEATURING: Stanley Mouse, Frank Kozik, Art Chantry, EMEK, COOP, Derek Hess, Mark Arminski, Tara McPherson, Justin Hampton, Victor Moscoso, Jermaine Rogers, Jay Ryan, Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Lindsey Kuhn, Leia Bell, Jim Pollock, Randy Tuten, Jim Sherraden & Hatch Show Print, Scrojo, Winston Smith, Print Mafia, Paul Imagine, Kevin Bradley, Julie Belcher, Jeff Wood, Steve Walters, Mat Daly, Stainboy, David Singer, Dennis Loren, Mike Martin, Gary Grimshaw, and Chris Shaw.

trt: 88 min
---------------
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Producer / Director Merle Becker is a 17+ year veteran of film and television. Credits include "CBS Tony Awards", "Beavis & Butt-Head", Comedy Central's "Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn", and MTV's "Total Request Live". She has worked on several feature films, including "Rising Low" (with Warren Haynes and Phil Lesh), and her work has been included in the permanent collection at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Copyright 2015, Freakfilms, Inc. All Rights Reserved.