From Deseret News archives:

1960s pop-art posters highlight Utah Historical Society event

Published: Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005 1:47 p.m. MDT
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Knowing of Sanders' posters and his memories, some folks on the board of the state history association asked him to make a presentation at their annual meeting. "The radicals have taken over the Utah State Historical Society," Sanders notes, laughing.

He's only an amateur historian, he adds. Still, soon after he agreed to speak, he became the headliner for Friday's meeting.

The '60s were a dynamic time, explains Philip Notarianni, director of the Division of State History. As they put together the schedule for the annual meeting, the historians got more and more excited about the rock posters.

So now Sander's slide show is the main event Friday night — and there's a dance to follow. There will be displays of the posters in the Rio Grande, and also several blocks away in his store, Ken Sanders Rare Books. With all the interest the posters are generating, Sanders has decided to keep them displayed in his store until the end of September.

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There will be many topics covered in the three-day annual history meeting, Notarianni adds. Archivists and journalists, and historians, too, of course, and even some young winners of the state history fair, will encapsulate certain moments in Utah history. Some will talk about disasters and diseases (including the flu epidemic of 1918). Others will talk about Camp Floyd, Westminster College, Utah's Scandinavian pioneers, ethnic diversity, horrible trends in historic neighborhoods, or agriculture and rural life. There will be walking tours (of Gateway and the Warehouse District and the Governor's Mansion and the Salt Lake City and County Building) and a bus tour (in Box Elder County).

When they hold lectures at the downtown library, they get an audience of people who might never go to the Rio Grande Depot, Notarianni says. He also hopes the posters and the dance, which will be at the Rio Grande, will bring out people who have never come before to the annual meeting.

Sanders says the history of the '60s has been grossly overlooked. Notarianni hopes this year's annual meeting will motivate more Utahns to look through their own collections. Maybe someone will do an oral history project, interview Utahns who made music — or who made political statements — back then.

Notarianni says people usually think of history as something more than 50 years old. But in fact, state historians want to collect artifacts from the '60s now, so that 50 years from now Utahns will have them. "It's our job," he says.

As for Stephen Holbrook, he wasn't sure the state historical society would be interested in his memorabilia from the '60s. The former state legislator only knew he needed to clean out his closets.

Recent comments

I HAVE SEVERAL OF NEIL PASSEY'S POSTERS. HE WAS A GOOD FRIEND. I...

DEBBY GOATES | Aug. 20, 2009 at 4:48 p.m.

Image

Ken Sanders holds up a 1974 Chambers Brothers concert poster.

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