Bozeman Magazine

BOZEMAN – The Montana State University School of Art will exhibit artifacts from the Seattle-based independent music label that was a pioneer of the grunge music movement Jan. 8-31 in the Helen E. Copeland Gallery.

The collection, which represents 30 years of Sub Pop Records, will culminate with a lecture by award-winning creative director Jeff Kleinsmith and Sub Pop Records graphic designer Sasha Barr at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, at Inspiration Hall in Norm Asbjornson Hall.

Kleinsmith and Barr will discuss the independent music label that grew from humble beginnings in 1988 to become a pioneer of the grunge music movement. The label became a force in independent music, producing more than 1,2000 releases, including music for Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, The Shins, Sleater-Kinney, Shabazz Palaces, The Postal Service, Beach House and more.

Jeffrey Conger, professor of graphic design in the School of Art in the College of Arts and Architecture, said the exhibit will appeal to anyone interested in the evolution of underground marketing as it relates to the shifting landscape of the independent music industry. The exhibit will feature iconic album covers, gold records, retro posters, mechanical paste ups, music magazines, skateboard decks, flannel shirts, and concert photographs.

“Over its 30-year rocket ride, Sub Pop has established itself as an iconic brand in the Pacific Northwest,” Conger said. Conger and Kleinsmith curated the one time only exhibit, which is free and open to the public. The Copeland Gallery, which is located on the second floor of Haynes Hall across the street from the MSU Duck Pond, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Kleinsmith and Barr’s lecture on Jan. 30 is also free and open to the public. It will be followed by a closing reception of the Sub Pop Records exhibition from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Copeland Gallery.

For more information, go to: https://www.montana.edu/calendar/events/32560 or the Helen E. Copeland Gallery, www.hecgallery.com.