Countless Stories Still to Tell
As part of MICA Weekend and our bicentennial celebration, “Stoop Storytelling” took the stage on October 11 for an afternoon of heartfelt, humorous…
BALTIMORE, MD — As Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) celebrates 200 years of shaping American art and design, the College is spotlighting another Baltimore institution whose bold fluorescent posters defined the look of American music and pop culture: Globe Poster Printing Corp. In honor of more than 80 years of Globe’s cultural impact, MICA will host a series of events including a new exhibition, the world premiere of See It Loud: The Globe Poster Story, and an exclusive sale of some of Globe’s original posters.
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, MICA will host the world premiere of See It Loud: The Globe Poster Story, a documentary by filmmakers John Lewis and Rei Perri. The film draws on interviews with the musicians who commissioned Globe’s iconic posters, the printers who made them, and the artists and educators keeping its legacy alive at MICA. Before the screening, Super Fan ticket purchasers will enjoy a pre-screening reception with the filmmakers and get early access to shop hundreds of Globe posters from the Cicero Archives, the collection of Globe’s former owners, dating back to 1988. The sale will open to the public following the screening and all proceeds from poster sales benefit the Globe Collection and Press at MICA. The collection features posters promoting artists such as Gladys Knight, Rare Essence, Johnnie Taylor and Little Milton, among others, with many one-of-a-kind pieces being offered to the public for the first time. The premiere anchors Globe Posters for the People, a bicentennial exhibition on view Oct. 26 through Dec. 8.
“For 200 years, MICA has been part of Baltimore’s creative life, and Globe is one of the great stories in that history,” said MICA President Cecilia M. McCormick, J.D. “When Globe closed in 2010, our students and neighbors refused to let its legacy disappear. Today it lives on as a working press where a new generation is learning to print the Globe way. That’s exactly the kind of legacy we want to carry into our third century.”
Drawing from an archive of more than 15,000 items, the Globe Posters for the People exhibition traces Globe’s evolution from a neighborhood print shop into a cultural force whose reach extended far beyond Baltimore. Its signature combination of fluorescent DayGlo inks, silkscreen printing and letterpress typography produced striking designs that captured the energy of the times while making promotional art accessible to broad audiences.
“Globe posters were made to be seen from across the street and torn down the next week, which is what makes the ones that survived so remarkable,” said Allison Tipton, manager, Globe Collection and Press at MICA. “Walking through this exhibition, you’re seeing the same type and blocks that announced [artists] in towns across the country. The sale is a rare chance to take a piece of that history home.”
After Globe ceased production in 2010, Baltimore community members and MICA students helped bring its archive to the College. Today, MICA is home to the permanent Globe Collection and Press, where more than 80 years of printing history are preserved, including original wood type, letterpress cuts, printing blocks and other tools of the trade.
The Globe Collection and Press continues to serve as both an educational resource and a working print studio that still takes commissions from clients including CFG Bank Arena, Smithsonian Institutions, Hello Kitty and Visit Baltimore. Students and artists explore Globe’s signature techniques to create new work inspired by its iconic style, bridging the company’s historic printing traditions with contemporary art and design.
The exhibition will be on view Oct. 26 through Dec. 8, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is free. The one-hour screening of See It Loud: The Globe Poster Story will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, in Falvey Hall, in MICA’s Brown Center, followed by the poster sale from 8 to 10 p.m. General admission tickets are $20; tickets for MICA students and staff are $15. Super Fan tickets are available for individuals seeking early access to shopping the Cicero Archive. Tickets are $100, and the pre-screening sale is from 5:00 to 6:45 p.m in MICA’s Main Building.
More information about the exhibition is available at https://www.mica.edu/events-exhibitions/current-upcoming-exhibitions/details/globe-posters-for-the-people/. Tickets for the documentary screening and poster sale can be purchased here.
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ABOUT MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART (MICA)
Founded in 1826 and celebrating 200 years, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a premier epicenter of art and design education and the nation’s oldest continuously degree-granting college of art and design.
Based in Baltimore, MICA is entering its third century with renewed purpose and a deep commitment to its city and the wider world. MICA delivers an education that combines a rigorous fine arts foundation with design, liberal arts, and real-world experience—preparing students to apply art and design to real-world challenges.
Through creative entrepreneurship, professional practice, and community and industry partnerships, MICA graduates build sustainable careers, launch ventures, and contribute meaningfully to the creative economy.
To learn more about MICA’s Bicentennial, visit mica.edu/200.
