Poster for Gem of the Ocean designed by Gail Anderson: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a poster for the play Gem of the Ocean, with graphics designed by Gail Anderson. The poster depicts a giant figure in profile submerged under water with only the back of its shoulder and head rising above the waves. The giant figure is stepping forward with one leg bent and its head thrust forward and down. It holds its right arm down and out in front of itself underwater and holds a small sailing ship on its palm. There are two much smaller human figures standing on the shoulder blade of the giant figure, just above the water line. The two tiny figures are holding hands. One of the figures appears to be wearing a knee-length skirt and hat. The other tiny figure is wearing trousers and a hat. All three figures are rendered as black silhouettes. The bottom two-thirds of the poster has a bright blue background with waves on the top surface. The top third of the poster is a soft yellow color. Across the top third is large black text that reads “GEM / OF / THE / OCEAN.” On the right side of the poster halfway up the right margin is medium sized white text that reads “ THE GUTHRIE / presents / THE PENUMBRA THEATRE / production of / AUGUST WILSON’S/ GEM OF THE OCEAN / directed by / LOU BELLAMY.” In the bottom left corner is white text and a logo. The logo consists of a stylized uppercase ’G’ in white ink and the text underneath it reads “GUTHRIE.” Next to this logo is white text that reads “April 22-May 22 18, 2008 / McGuire Proscenium Stage / 612.377.2224 guthrietheater.org.”

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2008
• Designed by: Gail Anderson, American, born 1962
• Subject of: August Wilson, American, 1945 - 2005
• Subject of: Lou Bellamy, American, born 1944
• Type: posters
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W: 22 × 14 in. (55.9 × 35.6 cm)
• Place used: Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Advertising
• Topic: Art
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Drama (Theatre)
• Topic: Graphic design
• Topic: Mass media
• Object number: 2020.11.19
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gail Anderson
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © SpotCo Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.