MCAC announces Chad Moore as its 2014 Poster Artist

Chad Moore’s art photography will make you smile, and even laugh. Aside from the fact that the images are great compositions and intellectual ticklers, their innate sense of humor is one of the reasons why Magic City Art Connection (MCAC, #MCACBham) selected his photography as the featured art for its 31st annual marketing campaign.

Since Chad’s first year at MCAC in 2012, the festival has watched with interest the evolution of his growing body of work. His booth is regularly overflowing with people, and there is an infectious positive energy that spills out as patrons beckon their friends and family to view his many humorous stories in photo. That comical and visceral point of view hits you in the face upon seeing Chad’s work, which centers around quirky and sometimes familiar toys in creative, fun story-lines juxtaposed against pop culture moments to create timely social commentary as well as new takes on nostalgic moments of the past. These toys, which usually originate from his kids’ room, get hijacked by Chad to become his photos’ subjects. One can just envision them lying in wait for their moment in the spotlight, even going as far as positioning themselves underfoot to trip Chad up in an attempt to get discovered as his next big model.

Even though Chad says, “The truth is…I kinda backed in to being an artist”, we think his evolution was a natural and eventual progression. What started as a favor to his wife to create a piece for an art auction using his newly purchased camera, evolved into an annual photo donation, and later, stretching his reach to be an exhibitor at Artwalk. Alex Kunzman, assistant director of MCAC, recalls jurying his images for that first art show. “I distinctly remember being attracted to his work. It was new and had a fresh, fun perspective. In my mind, I was already making plans to get my hands on a piece for my collection. And I did!”

The more you learn about Chad, it becomes clear how much his art and point of view revolve around this humorous perspective and making people laugh, down to the clever titles he gives each photo, and even the comical artist statement he has posted on his website, in which he focuses on quirky, possibly imagined, descriptive qualities about himself like having one hand that is bigger than the other. “I was once the editor of a humor magazine (when I was at Vanderbilt), so I find it hard not to at least attempt something along the lines of a silly falsehood.”

Help MCAC welcome Chad as its 2014 poster artist along with his vintage 1969 “Chubby Cub” Fisher Price toy spreading utter joy and happiness for the highly anticipated arrival of MCAC’s artists and visitors to downtown’s Linn Park on April 25-27. If you’re happy and you know it, “…then your face will surely show it”. Go ahead and clap!

And stay tuned for MCAC’s upcoming blog chronicling “the making of the 2014 poster”, which was designed by Scott Miller of Miller Communications. Hear about the search for the perfect toy to photograph, the staging of various poster shots and scenarios around the festival’s home in Linn Park, and the other choice for the winning photo title “…then your face will surely show it”, plus much more.