The gig poster. The visual representation of the engagement of art and music. A poster designed to alert when a buzz band, your favorite band, “that band” is coming to town. A really cool poster thingy with interesting graphics that a lot of people can gravitate toward. Whatever the definition, the gig poster has definitely served a purpose in the music industry, supporting one of the holiest unions – music and art.
The people who are responsible for making these posters are diverse. They’re screen printers. They are illustrators. They are painters and graphic designers, but the common tie that binds them is their shared love of music that translates fluidly into their artwork. Their art is the reason that some gig posters end up immortalized, sometimes only one one’s bedroom wall, but other times on the more prestigious walls of record labels and even museums.
Jimmy Nienhuis is behind BunnyLuv Studios, named after his love of drawing animals, specifically bunnies. He is one of the many purveyors of the art scene that produces the epochal gig poster. The studio he’s currently working with is a few bus stops away from the Western Blue Line stop.
It took forever just to find it. A slew of public transportation mishaps and one is finally led to the hidden gem known as Heavy Gel Studios, an almost clandestine studio tucked away near Logan Square, by a currency exchange.
Jimmy Nienhuis is standing outside of his studio, dressed in black, donning a leather jacket and smoking a cigarette. He joins the efforts of fellow artists Cait Stephens and Adam Jones.
Upon entering, Christmas tree lights, probably left over from a show in the space, hang in one corner, catching one’s eye. There are materials strewn across the floor, everything from rulers to measuring tape, and unfinished canvases. Soft acoustic music plays in the background as Stephens and Jones work diligently on their respective projects.
Jimmy expressed his interest in working at Heavy Gel. Now, he is a part of the team.
“I was interested and wanted to wait until school was done so I could join,” says Nienhuis. “It’s been around for half a year.”
Nienhuis is used to being part of a team. He worked at Firecracker Studios for five years while screen-printing in Wisconsin, but returned to Chicago to get his BFA at School of the Art Institute.
“I always knew Chicago had a great screen-printing scene,” says Nienhuis.
“There’s a huge concentration of artists that do gig posters and I guess that kind of drew me to look into Chicago.”
Nienhuis’s love of art eventually collided with music and led to him designing gig posters. His use of surrealism, combined with comic book-like elements and some watercolor cameos translate well into posters he’s done of bands and artists such as Sid Vicious, Glen Matlock & Hugh Cornwell and Grimes. Most of his posters feature animals, such as elephants. For Nienhuis, the transition between music and art is fairly simple.
“You can kind of play off imagery and song lyrics from like, chords or whatever,” he says. “You use that vibe and make it into a poster. It’s like a fun, playful way of bringing art to life with my painting and communicating with a larger audience. Not just an artistic audience, but a music audience. You can channel their vibe.”
It’s easy to see how his art and music fascination blend well. One of his posters promoting Wild Flag features a plainly dressed woman in only a white t-shirt, jeans, and Converse, strumming her guitar in front of a gigantic amplifier as a nod to the girl rock aesthetic of the band. Another poster is for the Walkmen, and only focuses on the elongated legs of five barefeet men, as a play on the band name. The types of bands booked by venues can also determine the feel of the poster.
“It’s good to go to the venues and listen to music and get a feel for a music scene,” says Nienhuis. “Every venue has a different style. It’s kind of like, you gauge what your style and adhere to what’s more conducive to that style of music.”
He has seen his fair share of great posters from artists such as Justin Santora, he’s done posters for the Lumineers and Beth Orton, and Sam Johnson, who designed for the Melvins and They Might Be Giants. It’s hard for him to choose his favorite gig poster or a specific one that inspired him.
“I know a lot of musicians who make art on the side,” says Nienhuis. “It has a direct relationship.”
This direct relationship is the reason why he believes that gig posters will remain relevant in the music industry as a means of combining music and art in “good fusion.”
With a strong sense of community among artists and musicians, gig posters also seem to be a part of this community, which breathes life upon itself. There will never be a shortage of bands, therefore there will never be a shortage of band posters and the artists who enjoy making them.
Currently, Nienhuis is preparing for the Head of the Mammoth, a showcase of authors and poets with a few live acts strewn in. He has plans to continue his work, as he does not feel like he’s exhausted his talent.
“I’m still kind of getting there,” Nienhuis muses. “I wouldn’t say I’ve reached where I want to be yet. Still working toward that.”
