Arnold Skolnick

American graphic artist and book publisher (1937–2022)

Arnold Skolnick
Born	Arnold H. Skolnick (1937-02-25)February 25, 1937 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	June 15, 2022(2022-06-15) (aged 85) Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Graphic Designer, book publisher

Arnold H. Skolnick (February 25, 1937 – June 15, 2022) was an American graphic artist and book publisher.^[1]^[2] His best-known work is the original 1969 poster for the Woodstock Art and Music Fair.^[3]

1969 Woodstock poster

Skolnick's 1969 Woodstock poster showed a white catbird perched on the neck of an acoustic guitar with a hand holding it.

Woodstock Ventures asked Skolnick to design a music and art fair poster. Skolnick's son Peter remembers watching his father cut the words and bird from paper. He also remembers his father trying different layouts. Skolnick was hired on a Thursday and delivered the poster the following Monday around 11 am. Although much money has been made from Skolnick's symbol, he received only one royalty check of about $15. While Skolnick won many awards, perhaps his 1969 and his 40th anniversary Woodstock posters are his most famous.^[4]

Book publishing

Skolnick next started Imago Imprint, a company that published, designed, and produced mostly art books. It was established in New York City and led to a number of published books such as Lightest Blues (Great Humor from the 1930s) and Paul Cadmus. His company Chameleon Books led to many more art books such as The Lyrical Constructivist: Don Gummer Sculpture, The Girl with the Watering Can, Hyman Bloom, and Times Squared (photographs by Toby Old). He also worked on projects with companies such as Carl Little, Pomegranate, Down East Books, Potter, Rizzoli, First Glance Books, and Chronicle Books.

Fine artist

Skolnick's drawings, paintings, and photography have been exhibited in Massachusetts at the Oxbow, Michelson & William Baczek Fine Art Galleries and in various galleries in New York City.

Death

Skolnick died on June 15, 2022. His son, Alexander Skolnick, stated that the cause of death was respiratory failure.^[5]

Gallery exhibitions

1976 Rolly Michaux Galleries, New York, NY
2004 Members Group Show (Paintings), Oxbow Gallery, Northampton, MA
2005 Earth, Water, Sky (paintings & photographs), Painter Arnold Skolnick and Photographer Robert Aller, Oxbow Gallery, Northampton, Ma
2006 Nudes and Still Life, Paintings & Drawings, (with Robert Aller, photographer), Oxbow Gallery, Northampton, MA
2008 Landscape Paintings & Drawings, Oxbow Gallery, Northampton, MA
2008 Love Song: The Erotic Photographs of Arnold Skolnick, Michelson Gallery, Northampton, MA
2008 Love Song: The Erotic Photographs of Arnold Skolnick, Babcock Galleries, New York
2010 Antique and Artisan Center, Stamford, CT
2011 Color and Rhythm, Paintings by Arnold Skolnick, Elizabeth Moss Gallery, Falmouth, Maine
2014 Spinoza's God: Paintings by Arnold Skolnick, Elizabeth Moss Gallery, Falmouth, Maine
2017 Light Touch, Nudes In White Charcoal, Elusie Gallery, Easthampton, MA
2017 Eyes of Western Massachusetts, Colson Gallery, Eastworks, Easthampton, MA

Articles and reviews

Hennessy, Christina, "Woodstock poster designer's paintings on exhibit in Stamford", Stamford Advocate, Friday, October 15, 2010

References

^ Genzlinger, Neil (June 30, 2022). "Arnold Skolnick, Whose Poster Embodied Woodstock, Dies at 85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
^ Schudel, Matt (July 2, 2022). "Arnold Skolnick, designer of renowned Woodstock poster, dies at 85". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
^ In french : Grégoire Leménager, Le miracle Woodstock, L'Obs (issn:0029-4713), n°2852, 4 au 10 juillet 2019, total pages:73 à 77, page:75
^ "Woodstock Story Interview with Arnold Skolnick"
^ Genzlinger, Neil (June 30, 2022). "Arnold Skolnick, Whose Poster Embodied Woodstock, Dies at 85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 13, 2023.

Woodstock Festival

List of performances and events

Founders

Artie Kornfeld
Michael Lang
John P. Roberts
Joel Rosenman
Max Yasgur

Perfomers

August 15, 1969	Richie Havens Swami Satchidananda Sweetwater Bert Sommer Tim Hardin Ravi Shankar Melanie Arlo Guthrie Joan Baez
August 16, 1969	Quill Country Joe McDonald Santana John Sebastian Keef Hartley The Incredible String Band Canned Heat Mountain Grateful Dead
August 17, 1969	Creedence Clearwater Revival Janis Joplin Sly and the Family Stone The Who Jefferson Airplane Joe Cocker and The Grease Band Country Joe and the Fish Ten Years After The Band
August 18, 1969	Blood, Sweat & Tears Johnny and Edgar Winter Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Paul Butterfield Blues Band Sha Na Na Jimi Hendrix

Media

Woodstock Nation (1969 Abbie Hoffman book)
Woodstock (1970 film)
Making Woodstock (1974 book)
My Generation (2000 film)
The Road to Woodstock (2009 book)
Taking Woodstock (2007 book)
- 2009 film
Woodstock Revisited (2009 film)
Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage (2021 film)
Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 (2022 miniseries)

Songs

"Woodstock"
"Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)"

Recordings

At the Woodstock Festival (1970)
Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More (1970)
Woodstock Two (1971)
The Best of Woodstock (1994)
Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music (1994)
Woodstock (Jimi Hendrix) (1994)
Woodstock Diary (1994)
Woodstock 94 (1994)
Live at Woodstock (Jimi Hendrix) (1999)
Woodstock 1999 (1999)
The Woodstock Experience (2009)
Woodstock 40 Years On: Back To Yasgur's Farm (2009)
Live at Woodstock (Joe Cocker) (2009)
Woodstock 1994 (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (2016)
Woodstock 1994 (Green Day) (2019)
Woodstock – Back to the Garden: 50th Anniversary Collection (2019)
Woodstock – Back to the Garden: 50th Anniversary Experience (2019)
Woodstock – Back to the Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive (2019)
Live at Woodstock (Creedence Clearwater Revival) (2019)