Photo Flash: Woodstock Film Festival Releases Poster Art

The Woodstock Film Festival has unveiled its 13th Anniversary poster image, an assemblage made entirely from recycled linoleum flooring called "Eye of the World" by Hudson Valley artist Bill Miller.

This year's festival will be held October 10-14 in the arts colony of Woodstock and across the Hudson Valley region including the historic towns of Kingston, Rhinebeck, Rosendale, and Saugerties. An exhibit of Miller's work will be on display in Woodstock during the Festival at VARGA Gallery, next door to Upstate Films, one of WFF's primary screening venues.

Miller has been working with vintage linoleum for almost 20 years, using only the found surface and adding no paint to create his images. His innovative and unexpected use of familiar patterns taps into the medium's nostalgic qualities, imparting a sense of history and rediscovery within each collage. His subjects range from bucolic landscapes to fiercely political pieces incorporating iconic news and pop culture images that helped shape our society's common memory.

Miller joins notable artists Peter Max, Milton Glaser and Bill Plympton who were among those previously selected for this honor. In 2010, Miller was chosen to create the cover image for the Frank Zappa CD "Congress Shall Make No Law", issued to mark the 25th anniversary of Zappa's testimony on Capitol Hill in support of artistic free speech. He has had many solo shows across the country including in NYC, LA, Philadelphia, Seattle, New Orleans, Austin, Pittsburgh and just outside of Woodstock at James Cox Gallery. His work has been featured byNational Geographic Channel, New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune and in the coffee table book Found Object Art. This year Miller is one of only two Americans accepted into Drap Art '12, a prestigious international exhibition of recycled art opening in Barcelona this September. He will also have a solo show beginning this November at Mr. Rain's Fun House at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD.

Woodstock has long been known as center for creativity and the Film Festival is an increasingly important platform for independent voices from around the world. "It's amazing what Miller can do with old flooring and his innovative use of recycled materials is very much in alignment with the spirit of Woodstock," said WFF co-founder and executive director Meira Blaustein. "The dramatic image he created for this year's poster literally depicts the Eye of the World gazing out from right here in the Hudson Valley, a perfect metaphor for the Woodstock Film Festival."

"It's a real honor and privilege to be selected," said Miller. "I hope my interpretation of this area as both a cultural center of gravity and a place of natural beauty resonates with people who see it."