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The Kentucky Derby Festival poster
series began in 1981 as a marketing tool
designed to generate pre-season interest
in the Derby Festival. Over the years,
it’s become a unique symbol of the
community. The Festival’s Official
Poster Series is nationally recognized
and has helped to enhance the careers of
artists from around the country.
2008 marks the 28th year of the Official
Poster Series. The work of Rick Garcia of
Santa Fe, New Mexico, was selected as the
official art of the Festival’s 53rd annual
celebration.
“I attended my first Kentucky Derby this
year [2007] and I was just blown away by the
excitement of the Derby Festival and all the
activities leading up to the race. I was
absorbing every minute of it,” said Garcia,
a graduate of the Art Institute of Miami. “I
was thrilled to have the opportunity to
submit a poster image for the 2008 Kentucky
Derby Festival. I tried to capture all the
elements that make the Kentucky Derby and
the Derby Festival so very special. I’m
really looking forward to returning to
Kentucky for the unveiling.”
Garcia is a celebrated artist who created
the official posters for three Grammy Awards
(1998, 1999 and 2001), the Telluride Jazz
Festival (2001), print advertisements for
Absolut Vodka and numerous other projects.
His paintings were also featured on several
episodes of the hit television series “Miami
Vice.”
Past Derby Festival poster designs
decorate offices and homes throughout the
region. Peter Max's expressionistic
"Bluegrass Pegasus" launched the series in
1981, and a stylistic and geographical mix
of artists have been showcased over the
years. The signed collector editions
continue to significantly increase in value,
and the quality of the Poster series has
been recognized worldwide.
Elements of the 2008 image will grace
posters, t-shirts, glasses, television
commercials and more than 100 retail items
in celebration of the Kentucky Derby
Festival®. The Derby Festival® Poster is
printed by Preferred Marketing Solutions.
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