Penn College gallery showcases international stickers

Exploring the creative and cultural power of visual communication, “Re-Writing the Streets 2.0: The International Language of Stickers” is on display through March 5 at The Gallery at Penn College.

Incorporating the finest examples of two global collectors, the exhibition features over 900 original, unused stickers, representing a diverse array of voices and perspectives.

Street art has evolved dramatically from the aerosol and painted mural graffiti that pepper subway stations, back alleys and train yards, and which has typically been seen as vandalism. Today, new forms of visual communication are created in public spaces, often attracting viewers in more contemplative and interactive ways. Street art stickers have emerged as a provocative vehicle for self-expression and an effective way to engage passersby.

A lecture and exhibition reception are set for Tuesday, Feb. 4. Beginning at 3:30 p.m. in Penn’s Inn on the second floor of the Bush Campus Center, the lecture – “Sticker Shock” – will be delivered by Nicholas L. Stephenson, instructor of graphic design at Penn College, as he examines the sticker as a pop-culture medium. The reception will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. in the gallery on the third floor of The Madigan Library. Both events are free and open to the public.

“Re-Writing the Streets 2.0: The International Language of Stickers” showcases pieces collected by Germany’s Oliver Baudach and the U.S.’s Catherine Tedford.

Based in Berlin, Baudach is the founder and director of Hatch Kingdom, the world’s first museum devoted to sticker art, opened in 2008. His international collection numbers over 30,000 stickers and spans genres, including character design, skateboarding, streetwear and music.

“When I was 14 years old, I bought a wallet that had a really cool skull logo on it, and inside the wallet was an exact replica of that skull as a sticker,” Baudach said. That sticker is among those on display in his museum.

Tedford, who is gallery director at St. Lawrence University, in Canton, New York, has collected over 18,000 international stickers and writes about contemporary and historical political stickers on her research blog, Stickerkitty.

“I first noticed stickers, by chance, on a trip to Berlin in 2003, and since that time have collected stickers from over 20 countries around the world, including Canada, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Indonesia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Ukraine and the U.S.,” she noted. “At St. Lawrence University, I have been actively building a Street Art Graphics digital archive of stickers since 2004.”

Baudach and Tedford first collaborated on an exhibition in 2010 and have continued their creative partnership. Their original “Re-Writing the Streets: The International Language of Stickers” exhibition premiered at Susquehanna University in 2015. A second worldwide call was issued in 2024 for the expanded 2.0 edition.

The second iteration features individual artists and artists’ collaborations, including Cupco (Australia); Hoplouie (Denmark); Flying Fortress, Haevi, Ping Pong, Prost, Tower, 24/7 Crew (Germany); Bust, Sol Crew (Netherlands); and Dignidad Rebelde, Evoker, Obey Giant, RobotsWillKill, Zoltron and 14Bolt (U.S.). The artists use humanoid figures, robots, zombies, food, animals, insects, eyes, hands and other imaginative designs. The artists also play with type fonts and graphic design elements to subvert corporate logos in what’s known as “culture jamming.” Stickers in the exhibition address a range of subjects such as animal rights, civil liberties, the economy, environmental issues, identity, political protest and sports.

Stickers may be used to “tag” a space and make it temporarily one’s own, to sell products or services, to publicize social media sites, or to offer social commentary and critique. As one of the most democratic art forms, stickers can be hand-drawn or printed on paper or vinyl as silkscreens, stencils, linocuts, Xeroxes or offset lithographs, and are distributed quickly, cheaply and widely. Some artists create homemade do-it-yourself stickers in small numbers, while others mass-produce hundreds at a time.

Measuring about 2 by 2 inches to 3 by 4 inches, stickers are “hidden in plain sight” on street signs, telephone poles, dumpsters and windows. In urban sites dominated by commercial advertising and corporate logos, publicly placed stickers “re-write” the streets and produce creative disruptions. Representing a wide range of voices and perspectives, stickers offer a spirited “ground-up” alternative to the often “top-down” media-saturated environment. And although ephemeral by nature, stickers capture the creative, cultural and political pulse of time and place.

The Gallery at Penn College is a cultural asset to the college and local communities, providing the opportunity for appreciation and exploration of contemporary art and encouraging critical thinking and meaningful experiences.

Gallery hours are: 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; Noon to 4 p.m. Fridays; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. (The gallery is closed on Mondays and Saturdays.)

For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.