For some insight into the “Not What You Think” campaign, take a look at their flickr page

From the Reader by Alison True

The Bird Machine’s Jay Ryan will be on the panel judging the Chicago Public Library’s design contest. The library’s trolling for a poster to promote its new url, chipublib.org, and its Not What You Think campaign, which the library says “challenges perceptions and highlights the library’s less well-known free services such as music and audiobook downloads, new release DVDs, and free Wi-Fi.”

Entrants need to be “residents of the Chicagoland area eligible for a Chicago Public Library card.” Click here for the rest of the offical rules of entry.

And for profiles of many of the artists who could enter, and samples of their work, here’s a screenprinting scene roundup by Liz Armstrong.

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Jay’s work is not limited to band posters, however to dismiss them as simply posters would be a true injustice.  His work, like that of Pettibone or Kozik, has helped to define a genre of music.  Looking over his portfolio of work, its impressive to see the how each creation is unique.  His work is, like all great things, limited in number.  When you see a Jay Ryan poster, you can bet that its only one of a few and not thousands.  In today’s era of digital reproduction, social media and Kinko’s, you typically get the mass produced flyer, facebook or myspace invite. The real rock poster has become a difficult sell to most bands, who either lack the time, money or desire to produce something of quality.  Not so with Jay, and despite these factors, Jay Ryan is in high demand.  Having Jay make a poster for your band, makes the event that much more special.  It helps lock in that piece of history and the poster itself becomes a meaningful piece of art by which to remember it.

Here’s a great video of Jay in action, making a poster for Coudal

Jay’s Bio

jay learned to screenprint beginning in 1995, working under steve walters at screwball press. jay printed posters for his own band (dianogah), his friends’ bands, and the clubs they played at. slowly, work from other clubs and other bands came in.

in 1999, jay started the bird machine print shop in the basement of his apartment building, and soon hired mat daly to help with the printing responsibilities. mat worked with jay until the end of 2007.

in 2002, the bird machine moved to proper commercial space in chicago’s ravenswood neighborhood, during which time the national poster community really took off, as reflected by jay’s constant travel, showing posters and talking to students around the country. during this time, the crew of people working around the shop included diana sudyka, nick butcher, dan grzeca, kevin duneman, nadine nakanishi, sue demel, alana bailey, jack ryan, and, of course, mat daly.

in 2007, the bird machine moved a final time, to a small building in skokie, a near-north suburb bordering chicago, where the print shop runs now.