Widespread Panic at Red Rocks, 2019

For a three-night run at Red Rocks, June 28, 29 & 30, 2019, Widespread Panic commissioned several posters, including this six-color screen print by Brad Klausen. Dimensions are 15.75 x 24 inches, edition of 93. The purple palette is not usually my thing, but I'm a sucker for that rock lettering. Here's what the artist had to say about the imagery:

"The Red Rocks Park website states: 'There have been many caretakers of the Red Rocks in this Front Range Colorado location, from the Clovis People, Woodland Indians and the Lodeska Tribe to its former owners/occupiers, the Ute Mountain Tribe.

"I wanted to honor this history of Red Rocks and the previous caretakers, the Ute Native Americans. The image in the poster represents a combination of two important dances / ritual ceremonies of the Ute in Colorado. The Bear Dance and the Sun Dance.

"The Bear Dance is based off a story of two brothers who were out hunting when they saw a bear standing upright and seemed to be dancing by a tree. One brother continued to hunt, the other brother stayed and observed the bear. The bear taught that brother the dance and the song that went with the dance. The songs according to legends show respect for the spirit of the bear and the respect to the bear spirit makes one strong. After a long winter, everyone was ready to be outside. The Bear Dance was one way which people could release their tensions. The men and women, as they entered the corral, would wear some sort of plumes which at the end of the fourth and final day, they would leave on a cedar tree at the east entrance of the corral. As the Ute’s say, leaving the plume on the tree was to leave your troubles behind and start your life anew.

"The spiritual aspect of the Sun Dance ceremony is the most important part both for the dancer and the community. For the dancer his participation represents a quest for spiritual power, a purification, and a communion, or at least an attempted communion, with the Great Spirit. Each participating dancer seeks his own 'medicine power' sometimes with only a minor direction from the Sun Dance Chief or leader. This is so because during the dance the spiritual relationship, which includes the power, purification, and communion, between the dancer and the Great Spirit is purely individualistic. Therefore the individual seeks through his efforts to be purified so his communion with the Spirit will be more intense. Frequently visions are seen which help the individual during the dance and throughout his life. These visions can be very powerful when having special meaning for the individual.'"