Currently on display in KidSpace are a selection of limited run posters created and screen-printed by local artist Jay Ryan. He began screen printing posters in 1995 for various bands and music venues and opened his own print shop The Bird Machine in 1999 in the basement of his home. As his posters became more in demand his shop found its permanent location in Skokie.
Jay has been creating original screen prints in the Chicago area for nearly thirty years. He draws and prints daily at his shop, and often travels to conferences and universities to speak about his work. His murals can currently be seen inside and outside local establishments such as Backlot Coffee, Desalvo’s Pizza, and Rex’s Place in Evanston, as well as Sketchbook Brewing Company and Community Animal Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.) in Skokie.
The posters on display are on loan to the library courtesy of a Youth and Teen Services staff member who has been collecting Jay’s work for 20 years.
Artists interested in exhibiting their artwork in the Library’s Third Floor Franklin Gallery should contact Victoria Luz by phone at 847-663-1234 or by email at exhibits@nileslibrary.org.
