Abby Seale

Margaret Walker

ABOUT:

Margaret Walker, a poet and novelist, was born on July 7, 1915, in Birmingham, Alabama. With her first poem being published in 1934, this marked the start of her writing career. In 1936, she became a part of the Federal Writers’ Project and the South Side Writers Group where she participated in the movement called The Chicago Black Renaissance. One of her most reputable pieces, Jubilee, is regarded as “the first truly historical black American novel.” Walker’s work was well-received because of the realism of her work and how she was able to accurately represent the black experience and culture of her time. Margaret Walker passed away on November 30, 1998, in Chicago.

CONCEPT:

Since she wrote poetry, I wanted to base my poster on this concept. I knew I wanted to include a quote by Walker, or any quote from her writings, and manipulate it into a beautiful form and stanza layout. The overall goal was to create a very simplistic and elegant layout, which relates back to the way that poetry is typically perceived. I found the image of her (shown in poster) and knew immediately that I wanted to use it because of how happy she looked. Though the areas of her face were placed randomly, seeing it now, her senses become showcased. She sees, she hears, then she speaks — mainly through her writing. I wanted the colors to compliment this idea of simplicity, so I went with a muted yellow and purple. Additional shapes and textures were then overlayed to create a few pops of bold color which helped add more contrast to the design. I really wanted the poster to feel like it was a piece of paper taken out of a book. The featured quote is from her poem “For My People.” The bottom shapes begin to take on the shape of a flower, and the placement of “let a people loving freedom come to growth” just seemed to naturally belong there.

Clayton Moore
PORTFLIO

B.B. KING

ABOUT:

B.B. King, born Riley B. King, was born in Berlcair, Mississippi on Septemeber 16th, 1925. He became known performing on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, where he got the nickname “Beale Street Blues Boy”, later shortened to “Blues Boy” or B.B. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential blues artists of all time, even earning the title of “The King of Blues”. He is a 1987 inductee into the Rock and Roll hall of fame, a Presidential Medal of Freedom receipient, and number 3 on Time magazine’s Top-10 electric guitarists of all time, just to name a few accolades. He died in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2015.

CONCEPT:

The idea came from King’s close connection to his guitar and the idea of it being an extension of himself. The design went through multiple iteratins before landing on the final one, but simplifying the idea and the relationship of King and his guitar and thus his music became the focal point of my work. King is an extremely influential artist in the history of Memphis, Tennessee, where I’m from, and it was very exciting for me to able to work on something for him because of that connection we share.

Erin Herald
PORTFOLIO IG

SAM COOKE

ABOUT:

Sam Cooke was born in Clarksdale, MS in 1931. His death - while officially reported as a case of justified hoimcide commited by Bertha Franklin - has always been shrowded in mystery. Sam Cooke grew up in the church, and when he began making music he started with gospel. Over the years he transisitioned into making more secular music. His music began to take a turn in favor of the civil rights movement, with “A Change is Gonna Come” becoming one of the anthems of the movement.

CONCEPT:

In researching Sam Cooke, the very first thing I noticed about him was his joyful smile. I wanted to capture that in a simple way, while still exemplifying his role in the the civil rights movement. I did this by including the colors and lines of the African American flag subtly while keeping his smile and name at the forefront.

Jadalyn Triplett
PORTFOLIO

FANNIE LOU HAMER

ABOUT:

In Montgomery County, Mississippi, Fannie Hamer was born on October 26, 1917. She passed on March 14, 1977 from breast cancer. She was known for co-founding the freedom democratic party and many notable orations, the most famous being at Williams Institutional Chuch title “Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired”. She was not only concerned about the rights of minorities, but also their economic power. In order to aid this disparity, she launched the Freedom Farm Cooperative that allowed for black farmers to come together and farm collectively. She was also able to purchase land and ensure that 200 affordable housing units were built and many still stand today in Ruleville.

CONCEPT:

While doing research, I discovered that she was barred from the Mississippi House of Representatives ballot in 1964. I decided to scan in majority of my poster and manually layer type because it was more authentic and true to the nature of Fannie. I also think scanning in documents like the ballot allows for a document to be seen that would otherwise be forgotten to us. I think the most important design philosophy behind my work is to look at objects for what they are as well as what they could be tranformed into.

Juliet Buckholdt
PORTFOLIO IG

Medgar Wiley Evers

ABOUT:

Evers was born on July 2, 1925 in Decatur, Mississippi, and his work began when, after being barred from voting upon his return from fighting in World War II, he got involved with the Regional Council of Negro Leadership, or RCNL, organizing boycotts and distributing promotional material. His work promoting desegregation and his contributions to the Emmett Till and Clyde Kennard cases led to his becoming a highprofile target for white supremacists. In 1963, Evers was shot just outside of his home in Jackson, MS at the age of 37, and his murderer was not convicted until February of 1994. In the time since his death, Evers’ legacy has become one of eventual justice and long overdue acknowledgement and appreciation of his work. Today, Evers’ story has inspired numerous pieces of media and he is remembered through the Jackson Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport, the Medgar Evers Institute, and many other memorials, scholarships, and landmarks.

CONCEPT:

My final design was inspired by the idea that both Evers’ fight for justice and the injustice he faced are at the foundation of the progress being made today. The visuals were developed through experimentation with overlaying an image of the house in Jackson where Evers was assassinated and an image of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. The typography includes his quote, “Freedom has never been free” and a variety of dates which I hope might inspire viewers to pursue further research about his life and work. The events referenced include: Evers’ birth (07.02.1925), his death (06.12.1963), his marriage (12.42.1951), the date he was named as the NAACP’s first field secretary for Mississippi (11.24.1954), the day his murderer was arrested (06.21.1963), and the day his murderer was finally convicted (02.05.1994).

Lexi Wingfield
PORTFOLIO

(Son House) Edward James House Jr.

ABOUT:

Son House was born in Lyon, Mississippi in March of 1902 and passed on October 19, 1988. He was known best for preaching and spreading the gospel during the day and playing at blues clubs by night.

CONCEPT:

I worked in a style I haven’t tried before, collaging, and I learned a lot through the process. Finding textures that work together when layered that don’t overwhelm the poster was difficult. It’s especially hard to layer things for such a lively person when you re trying to create a poster that isn’t too overwhelming to the eye because of the style, but still draws the eye in and around.

Mary Kathryn Sanders
IG

Sister Rosetta Tharpe, “The Original Soul Sister”, “The Godmother of Rock n’ Roll”

ABOUT:

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born in Arkansas on March 20, 1915. While women playing the electric guitar was almost unheard of in her day, she created her own distinct style of using electric guitar and RnB influences to create something the modern world would later define as Rock ‘n Roll. This innovation in music was even more impactful as Rosetta danced across the lines of secular and gospel music regularly. She was actively providing music for the religious and secular groups, the white and black communities, and the straight and gay communities. A large audience fell under the scope of her influence in a way that had never been seen before, and her Rock n Roll style was the inspiration for many to come after her. Her life was an eventful one, and on October 9, 1973 she passed away in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

CONCEPT:

I was heavily influenced by Reid Miles’ style for blues design. Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a bold performer with an electric sound who played for many different types of audiences. I wanted to capture this boldness by using only graphic shapes and text. I chose different shapes that I believed replicated the distinct style of her sound, and I used bold reds and blacks to be really eye catching. The overall goal was to allow the viewer to experience her music and performance through a simple, visual interpretation.

Maycie Martin
IG

Lizzie Douglas , better known as Memphis Minnie

ABOUT:

Memphis Minnie, known as the “Queen of the Country Blues,” was a singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Her title stems from her legacy of successfully recording music across four decades as well as being the lone female voice in a male dominated blues scene. She was born in Tunica County, MS and died on August 6, 1973, at the age of 86. Her title “Queen of the Country Blues” was no hype. Minnie did everything the boys could do, and she did it in a fancy gown with full hair and makeup. She had it all: stellar guitar chops, a powerful voice, a huge repertoire including many original, signature songs and a stage presence simultaneously glamorous, bawdy and tough.

CONCEPT:

For my poster I wanted to focus on the idea of her feminity yet also being very tough by using a lot of contrast. I did a rough sketch of her that I then edited and then used a very heavy bold font to contrast that. The font that I chose was designed by a black designer who’s goal is to break the stero types in design. I added the crown because Memphis Minnie is known as the “Queen of the Blues.”

Mary Katherine Oglesby

Lizzie Douglas (a.k.a. Memphis Minnie)

ABOUT:

Lizzie Douglas was born 3 June 1897 and died 6 August 1973. Though she sings about being born in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, she was born in the Delta of Mississippi. She came from a large family and ran away to Memphis when she was 8 and became the persona of Memphis Minnie. She had 3 husbands and her career spanned over 30 years. She is known as the “Queen of Blues” but she was part of the transitional period of blues to the electrified Chicago sound. She lived the last of her years in a nursing home and was buried in Walls, Mississippi.

CONCEPT:

One of Memphis Minnie’s famous songs was titled “Bumble Bee.” Since she was known as the Queen of Blues, I decided to combine these facts into the personality of a Queen Bee. My poster design is inspired from a playing card (which also reflects the risks she took as a young artist who often had to gamble her career and survival as a woman). The alliteration of her name allowed me to easily play with the reflective design of a playing card. The bees are the card’s suit. I included hexagons as well, not only to add to the connection of the bees, but also because the shape itself has 6 sides; the instrument she played the most (guitar) has 6 strings.

Will Ford
IG

Jimmy “Duck” Holmes

ABOUT:

Jimmy was born and raised in Bentonia, Mississippi. Jimmy is known for playing a specific type of blues called the “Bentonia Blues.” Jimmy is still the owner and operator of the blue front cafe. The cafe has been honored with a prestigious blues trail marker for such a historic blues history.

CONCEPT:

The main tool that I used for my design was illustrator, but I incorporated my own type into the design. All of my analog type was brought into Photoshop and edited to the final version of the design. The overall use of abstract forms is probably my most important design philosophy.

Noah Madison
EMAIL

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

ABOUT:

Kingfish was born in Clarksdale, MS on January 19, 1999. He became interested in blues around the age of 5 and has been invested ever since. Kingfish began playing guitar around age 11 and started performing in his teen years. Kingfish has performed with artists like Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, and Tedeschi Trucks Band. Kingfish has now released two studio albums, his most recent being “662”, released in July 23, 2021.

CONCEPT:

The idea behind my design was to create something that appeared “old” but new. I researched old blues and jazz ablums that featured reduced forms and color palettes, and wanted to have the subject of the poster be a callback to that.

Retta Maxwell

Mamie Smith

ABOUT:

Mamie Smith was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on May 26, 1891. She started performing as a dancer when she was only 10 years old, which was the start of her career. Around 1913, she moved to New York City to pursue being a performer in Harlem. In February 1920, she made history by being the first African American vocalist to record a blues song, with her hits “That Thing Called Love” and “You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down”. Later in the year in AUgust, she recorded her most popular song “Crazy Blues”, which in 1994 was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2005, it was selected to be preserved in the Library of Congress. Around the 1940s, she made appearances in some films. She passed away in 1946 in New York, where her grave went unmarked for decates until a monument was made in her honor in 2013.

CONCEPT:

Mamie Smith seemed like a really classy lady, adored by many, so I wanted to honor her with a minimal, nonrepresentational style for the poster. I chose fonts that called back to the 1920s but still felt modern. There was a quote I read that someone had described her as “a riot of whirling color, twinkling feet, and jazz melodies”, and I really wanted to integrate that quote into this project because that felt personal to her, not just statistics about her life or when her songs were produced.

BISHAV RASALI

John Smith Hurt (Mississippi John Hurt)

ABOUT:

Mississippi John Hurt was born on March 8,1892 in Caroll County, Mississippi. There is a dispute over exactly where he was born, but the most likely spot is Avalon, near Greenwood. He is very well known for his own guitar style, unencumbered by popular influence. It may have been the part of isolation from the modern blues world that allowed his music to continue to remain pure Delta Blues sound.Unfortunately, it was also the isolation that prevented the folklorists from finding him again.They certainly tried, but no avail, simply assuming that he had died.He was rediscoverd by Tom Hoskins in 1963 back down in Carrol County,MS. After comeback, he seems to achieved national recognization in a short time.He had only more three years of additional fame before he died.

CONCEPT:

What was it that you discovered in your research that informed your design choices? What styles, methods, and tools did you work with and why? What is the most important design philosophy behind your work? Honestly, listening to his music was my first discovery of this project.Additionally,his life story about his isolation for 35 years during the time of depression was more interesting to me.After some research, I came up with the idea of representing him with graphic shapes and texture which seems confusing and little amount of roughness.Listening and feeling his music in my head, I drew the whole thing in illustrator and a took little help from photoshop for my texture.

Ash Martin
PORTFOLIO IG

Denise LaSalle

ABOUT:

Denise LaSalle was born in Sidon, Mississippi, but spent most of her life in Tennessee. She passed away on January 8, 2018 in Jackson, Tennessee. She was known for her blues and R&B music and was known as the Queen of Blues. One of her first albums was called Trapped by a Thing Called Love was a gold record.

CONCEPT:

When I saw that Denise LaSalle was known as the Queen of Blues, a lot of my design choices were centered around royalty imagery and symbols. The main one that stood out was a crown. I worked in Adobe Illustrator to create a crown out of letters from Denise LaSalle’s name and names of her songs and albums. I worked in Illustrator because it was easier for me to manipulate the type in the way that I wanted. I think the most importatn design philosophy behind my work is the consideration of type and the imagery of royalty that I wanted to be consistant.

Cameron Holloway

Mamie Smith

ABOUT:

Mamie Smith was born on May 26, 1883 and passed away on September 16, 1946. She is from Cincinnati Ohio and moved to Harlem in 1913, at age 20. She became most popular from her record version of “Crazy Blues” in 1920. This song is considered to be the first blues recording, as it proceeded to bring much attention the blues genre.

CONCEPT:

The design concept behind my poster in particular was focusing in on being able to incorporate each important part about Mamie. I used Procreate to create each piece of this poster. In my initial reseach I planned on adding some blues, golds, and purples to make the connection with old jazz music. Also, wanted to find for some big bold type that fits her name and the composition well.

Chloe Welch

Chester Arthur Burnett, known as Howlin’ Wolf.

ABOUT:

Howlin’ Wolf was very passionate about music and nothing not even a few heartattacks could stop him from recording/performing. Howlin’ Wolf was born in Whites, MS in 1910. He died in 1976 suffering from kidney disease, and having suffered several heart attacks over the years. Wolf was known for being a successful bluesman in Chicago.

CONCEPT:

I worked in illustartor, photoshop, and indesign to create this poster. Through my research I wanted to create a bold typeface that highlighted Howlin’ Wolf’s style music.

Christy Brennan

Denise Lasalle

ABOUT:

Denise Lasalle was born in Leflore County, Mississippi on July 16, 1939. When she was young, she dreamed of being a writer. She began singing with the Sacred Five,an all female gospel group, when she was thirteen. In 1962 she signed with erh first record company, Chess Records. Soon after she signed with Westbounf Records and began putting out hit singles such as “Trapped By A Thing Called Love”, “Now Run and Tell That”, and “A Man Size Job”. In 1998 she received the 1998 Living Blues Critic’s Award for her album “Smokin in Bed” and the 1998 Blues Artist of the Year. She founded the National Association for the Preservation of the Blues in 1986 to give more recognition to Southern Blues artists who were getting overlooked in the mainstream media. Sadly, Denise Lasalle passed away on January 8, 2018.

CONCEPT:

One thing that stood out to me was Denise Lasalle’s fashion. The bright colors and sparkling rhinestones compliment her personality. I included the bright pink from her albums “Unwrapped” and “I’m So Hot” to further accentuate her personality. I wanted to combine her eye catching outfits with her iconic music. To achieve this goal, I photographed a pattern that I made with rhinestones on a bright pink piece of fabric. I used the photograph to mask out the shape of Denise Lasalle’s hairstyle from the “I’m So Hot” album cover.

DOMINIK WALKER

"Big Joe" Williams

ABOUT:

Big Joe Williams was born in Oktibeha County Mississippi on October 16th 1903. He was a famous delta blues artist how was well known for playing on his nine string guitar. He travelled around the country and was known for working with other blues artists such as Bessie Mae Smith and Muddy Waters. Big Joe passed away in Macon, Mississippi on December 17th 1982.

CONCEPT:

The concept was to represent the nine string guitar Big Joe played in an abstracted way with his name forming the neck of the guitar.

Emma Carr
PORTFOLIO IG

Joseph Lee Williams / “Big Joe”

ABOUT:

Born October 16, 1903 in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, Williams was an American Blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was notable for creating such a distinctive sound with his unique nine-string guitar. He performed for almost four decades, before passing in Macon, MS on December 17, 1982.

CONCEPT:

I had envisioned using type as a visual element from the very beginning. I wanted to use the symbolism of the nine guitar strings, since this was an important element in the history of “Big Joe” Williams. Using tools like liquefy, outer shadows, and texture, I was able represent what Williams in a more abstract way. These were skills I had never explored with, so it was really interesting to explore with.

Genesis Guzman
PORTFOLIO

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

ABOUT:

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born on March 20, 1915, in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. She became known for her picking technique and upbeat melodies. Rosetta ultimately created a new genre known as rock’n’roll paving the way for big names such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Johnny Cash. She continued to make music and perform till her death in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 9, 1973, and was elected into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, forty-four years after her death.

CONCEPT:

My design philosophy was to accurately represent Sister Rosetta Tharpe. After researching I discovered how she used her guitar and her voice to shape future history. Her voice was powerful and her guitar made sounds that were never heard of. The way I choose to represent this was to mimic rhymic soundwaves and abstract the idea of a guitar. Lines across the page represent the guitar strings vibrating the lyrics from her most popular songs.

Kasey Wynn
PORTFOLIO

Lizzie Douglas aka “Memphis Minnie”

ABOUT:

Lizzie Douglas was born in 1887 and it is unclear whether she was born in Louisiana or Mississippi. At the very least, she lived in Walls, Mississippi for the majority of her childhood. As the years went on, Douglas continued to work her way up through the blues scene of Beale Street. The record company she signed to gave her a new stage name, and “Memphis Minnie” was born. She was known for her sassy and bold style, as well as her impressive picking technique on the guitar. Some of her most famous songs include “Bumblebee”, “When the Levee Breaks”, and “Hoodoo Woman”. Lizzie passed away in 1973 at the ripe old age of 86.

CONCEPT:

For my poster, I wanted to convey her essence through my use of type. I wanted any illustration to be secondary. She was very bold and brash, but she also was very feminine. I wanted her stage name “Memphis Minnie” to be the main focus, as it is the name that she created for herself. I wanted there to be a minimal representation of a female figure that is both sexy and powerful. There is an essay/poem that Langston Hughes wrote about one of her performances and I really wanted to include that because I felt like it beautifully conveyed her essance as a performer. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t relying on it too much, however, because it would have felt like I was appropriating his work - so I tried to make the type a bit illegible, so the sentiment is there without being quite so literal.

Maggie Heckler
EMAIL IG

Ma Rainey

ABOUT:

Ma Rainey was an influential American blues singer and early blues recording artist. She was known as the “Mother of the Blues.” She was born April 26, 1886 in Columbus, Georgia and sadly died December 22, 1939 in Rome, Georgia. Ma Rainey was known for her deep throated voice and mesmerizing stage presence that drew packed audiences and sold out hit records in the early 20th century. Rainey’s songwriting was notable for its raw depiction of life from the perspective of a woman struggling with heartbreak, depression, and other maladies. But amidst these difficulties, Rainey’s protagonists did not rely on male partners or submit to the rules society tried to inflict on them.

CONCEPT:

Ma Rainey’s lyrics and her melodies reflected her experiences as an independant openly bisexual African-American women. I originally wanted to do an all black and white poster but, once I found out she was bisexual, I immeidatly thought including bright, fun, pops of color would be perfect for my poster. I knew I wanted to focus my poster on Ma Rainey when she performs and one thing I found out is that she always performed with a blue feather fan. I really wanted the poster to circle around that fan beacause it was a staple of hers. I used photoshop for most of my project to really make those bright colors work.

Reagan Ruff

Medgar Evers

ABOUT:

Medgar Evers was born in Decatur, MS on July 2, 1925. After serving in europe during World War II, Medgar realized how restrictive Jim crow laws were in his country and hometown. He attended Alcorn college and we on to become a civil rights activist. He focused on crimes against African Americans and set up boycotts against businesses that practiced discrimination. He also worked to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi and expand opportunities for African Americans, which included the enforcement of voting rights.

CONCEPT:

I was immediatly drawn to Medgar’s qoute , “You can kill a man, but you can’t kill an idea.” I also wanted to include his patience towards violence. I kept my illustration of medgar happy and soft, even though he had sharp opjects pointing at him, to represent his patience. I also included the second part of the qoute with all black text to stand out more. The circle behind Medgar represents his legacy and ideas that can’t be killed. Finally, I added a texture using type of the word “idea” repeating to further elaborate his ideas being alive and living on.

Trisha Harjono
PORTFOLIO IG

Margaret Walker

ABOUT:

Margaret Walker (1915-1998) was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She was a poet, novelist, and she was an educator. During her time teaching in Jackson State College, Margaret Walker founded the Institute for the Study of History, Life, and Culture of Black People (now called the Margaret Walker Alexander National Research Center). This institute was founded to preserve and interpret Black history and culture in America. Margaret Walker influenced many writers around the country and made a lasting impact and legacy in Jackson State University. She is still remembered as one of the foremost transcribers of African American Heritage.

CONCEPT:

For this project, I wanted to emphasize Walker’s poem “For My People.” To me, the poem was very powerful in the word choices Walker choose and it uplifts the spirit of the Black Americans who were suppressed during the 1940s. I discovered many pamphletes of complilation of poetry that she wrote and sold to the public. For the background of this poster, I handwrote stanza 1-4, and the last stanza of the poem on loose leaf paper to represent Walker’s academia career. The poem was handwritten because I want to preserve Walker’s writing as she has created a center for preserving African American Heritage in Jackson State University. To me it symbolizes the preserving her work while still adding my own personal touch to the design. The doodles that are on the page were taken from Walker’s own personal journals from the Margaret Walker Center digital archives. I highlighted all the “-ing” verbs from the poem to show how slaves were treated to just work, “never gaining, never reaping, never knowing, never understanding.” I crossed them out as a symbol of going on strike, and to represent the civil rights movement. I wanted to highlight the last stanza of the poem since it is the call to action. “Rise and take control” was the last line of the poem, and I superimposed it on top of the handwritten poem on the background to depict that there is always a way to arise from all the hardships and take control of the circumstances. My design process was mostly doing extensive research and scanning manuscripts that I created. I think the most important design philosophy behind my work is that I wanted to represent Margaret Walker both explicitly and implicitly through every step of my design process. From the loose leaf paper background to the message, I wanted this poster to be an extension of Walker’s beliefs and uplifting words that can create an impact in the viewer’s life.

Molly Beth Covin
PORTFOLIO IG

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes

ABOUT:

Jimmy “Duck” Holmes was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi and is 74 years old. He earned his platform with the Bentonia Bluesman playing at the oldest surviving juke joint in Mississippi, Blue Front Cafe.

CONCEPT:

Jimmy “Duck” Holmes doesn’t know where the nickname “Duck” came from- which is what inspired this piece. I wanted the focus to be on a bold rubber duck that prefaces his name without actually spelling it out. I illustrated the rubber duck in a way that represents him to help further reach the point.