San Francisco designers, artists, cyclists: ARTCRANK headed to Bay Area for Bike Poster Art Show

Image Courtesy ARTCRANK

If you’re an entrepreneur (or ever had daydreams during death-by-boredom conference meetings of becoming one) you’re familiar with the process of trying to come up with “the big idea.” It ain’t easy, to say the least: researching, brainstorming, sleepless nights, feeling like your banging your head against a brick wall, headaches (from actually banging your head against a brick wall), more sleepless nights (from uncomfortable bandages wrapped around now bruised head). Then, finally, at 4:23am as you lay in bed ready to strangle the 1,099th sheep you’ve counted – the idea finally comes!

Understanding this crazy, difficult process, I’m ever more appreciative of creative, original, inspired new business and product ideas. Thus, the moment I heard about ARTCRANK, the bike-themed poster art show (coming to San Francisco on October 24 at 580 4th Street), I had to know – who the heck thought of such a brilliantly simple concept of combining bikes and art??

Now before you go banging your head against a wall (again) in a “why didn’t I think of that” frenzy, check out this insightful interview with the clever brains behind ARTCRANK, Director/Curator Charles Youel. And then go check out an art show like you have never experienced before.

Image Courtesy ARTCRANK

How did you think of the idea for such a cool business?
My relationship with bicycles has always resided somewhere between “fascination” and “obsession.” Minneapolis has an amazingly diverse and intense cycling culture. Working in advertising, I had a lot of friends and colleagues who were both great designers and avid cyclists.

ARTCRANK grew out of that, but it really came to fruition after I did some ad work for a bike shop in downtown Minneapolis that also houses a coffee shop and a small gallery space. I ran into the owner of the shop at a political poster art show, and as we were talking, the idea to do a bike poster show sort of hit me right between the eyes.

What is ARTCRANK’s mission?
To showcase bike-inspired poster artwork that people can enjoy looking at and afford to take home. There’s never a charge to get into the show, and the posters are all priced to let everybody take home at least one.

When and how did you start it?
I started ARTCRANK in 2007, at a time in my career when I was looking for creative avenues outside of advertising. I come from a writing background, but I’ve always worked with artists and designers. Basically, it’s a combination of two things I love: bikes and art.

Originally, ARTCRANK was just a hobby – I call it my cure for spare time. I never envisioned the show growing beyond Minneapolis. But after the first show in Minneapolis back in 2007, I started getting emails from people from across the country, saying, “This is such a cool idea. You have to do a show here.” That’s pretty much how the Denver show came about.

At the end of January this year, my full-time job in advertising disappeared. Suddenly, I had a lot more free time on my hands, so I started seriously pursuing the idea of growing ARTCRANK into a multi-city event. I got connected with the messenger bag company CHROME in San Francisco through the magic of the Internet, and the San Francisco show grew out of that relationship.

Are you a bicyclist? An artist?
A bicyclist, yes. I currently own four bikes, but the one that gets the most riding time is the simplest of the lot: a Surly Steamroller fixed gear bike that I use to get around town and run errands. I’ve also got two mountain bikes and a road bike. An artist? Maybe. I’ve done posters for ARTCRANK and other art shows. But I think my talents lie more in putting together ideas for art shows and pulling them off.

Do you do this full time?
Right now, I split my time between freelance work in advertising and design, and ARTCRANK. It’s a good balance: doing one makes me better at the other.

Image Courtesy ARTCRANK

How do you choose the artists for the shows (can anyone submit work)?
First of all, I try to work with artists who live in and around the city that hosts the show. I want the posters for every ARTCRANK show to reflect the local cycling and creative cultures. I work through personal contacts and my online network to find artists, and people reach me through the show web site (www.artcrankpostershow.com).

If someone’s interested in doing a poster, I ask to see samples of their work. And if they’ve got a great style, they’re in. That said, I have to limit the number of artists per show based on available gallery space. Usually the number of artists in a show ranges between 30 and 40.

Do the artists get paid?
Yes. I take a commission from poster sales that helps support the show web site, my expenses and the marketing I do to promote it, both locally and nationally. But the majority of poster sales go directly to the artists.

When / where is the SF Show?
The San Francisco show is a one-night-only event on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24. The fine folks at CHROME Bags are hosting it at their retail store, which is located at 580 4TH STREET.

What can you tell me about ARTCRANK that people don’t already know?
People are usually surprised at how different the vibe at ARTCRANK is, versus a more traditional art show. Bikers of every stripe like a good party, and that’s the atmosphere we try to create. The ideal show for me is a big roomful of people talking, laughing and having a good time looking at amazing bike-inspired artwork. And of course, taking a few posters home with them at the end of the night.