2 cols.

Gary Panter, “Traffic,” 2004. Courtesy the artist and Clementine, New York.

3-7 must

THE ALDRICH CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM ‘GARY PANTER: DAYDREAM TRAP’ W/1 cut;

ak/gs set 2/20 #730020

RIDGEFIELD, CONN. — On March 9, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum will open Gary Panter’s first solo museum exhibition, “Daydream Trap,” which focuses on three facets of the artist’s career: his sketchbooks, which are the spawning ground for many of his ideas; his paintings, which are a significant part of his artistic output, yet have never been put in critical perspective; and his music, which he has pursued on a “part-time” basis for 20 years. The exhibition will be on view through August 31.

When talking about “Daydream Trap,” Director of Exhibitions Richard Klein said, “Panter’s memory is like an encyclopedic inventory of all visual experiences compiled since the midpoint of the last century. This inventory ranges from high art to advertisements to the history of comics and cartoons, and is the source of inspiration for his style, in which an amalgam of characters is presented in the manner of stream-of-consciousness, concrete visual poetry.”

The Aldrich will host an exhibition reception on Sunday, March 9, from 3 to 5 pm to debut the exhibition. Panter will be on hand to sign copies of Gary Panter, a major monograph published by PictureBox.

Panter is an Oklahoma-born illustrator, painter, designer and part-time musician, and child of the 1950s who blossomed in the full glare of the psychedelic 60s and, after surviving underground during the 70s, finally made his mark in the 80s as head set designer for the successful kid/adult TV show Pee Wee’s Playhouse, a job that brought his jagged art and surreal cartoon ideas into the homes of America and earned him three Emmy Awards.

Panter’s work has also appeared in (among other places) Art Spiegelman’s groundbreaking graphic magazine RAW and numerous major book projects. In 2000 he was the recipient of the Chrysler Design Award, an annual award that acknowledges individuals from the world of design who have significantly influenced American culture. In 2005 Panter’s work was included in the traveling exhibition “Masters of American Comics” that was organized by UCLA’s Hammer Museum and Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is at 258 Main Street. For information, www.aldrichart.org or 203-438-4519.