Commune is a movement of musicians, artists, designers and people who are taking a stand against the tobacco corporations and their pervasive marketing in the indie and creative scenes. On the last Wednesday of each month at the
Whistle Stop in South Park, Commune Wednesdays showcases bands, DJs, artists and designers to support the local scene while raising awareness of Big Tobacco's presence and the horrible things we fund – things we're generally against, like world hunger, deforestation and neoconservative policies – when we purchase cigarettes. "Commune isn't against the smoker," notes founder
Jenny Kondrasky, "but we do think the scene would be better smoke-free. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for them, but there are a lot of other things that Big Tobacco contributes to that people aren't aware of."
Commune started in February of 2008. "After receiving anti-tobacco grant money from UCSF," says Kondrasky, "we noticed there was a gap in fun things to do on Wednesdays. So we started an event that would be every last Wednesday of the month that celebrated the local and thriving talent in the neighborhood. Having grant money has helped us put money back into the community while spreading our anti-tobacco, anti-big industry message through art."
Anthony Callico
Spotting a new poster each month for Commune Wednesdays is always exciting.
Anthony Callico, Commune's poster designer, begins each month's design with a basic idea in mind, and listens to the bands in the lineup for inspiration. "If they have a distinct sound, it will influence the overall feel of the design," explains Callico. He then creates a composite from many different source photos and images. With the creative freedom Commune offers, Callico says, "I rarely use standard images for Commune. My goal is to create a unique image for every event and not have it focus on an identifiable model."
Callico's flyer posters aren't the only ones to grace Commune. Kandusky selects featured artists for the events, and each month, a different artist designs a very limited edition poster and t-shirt illustrating a
fact on the Commune website. They are signed and numbered, and given away at the event for free. Check out the posters, and the links below to the artists' websites, including
Marcus Price, whose work will be featured in tomorrow's Commune.
L: Marcus Price, R: Nik Ewing
L: Andre Power, R: Farrell Lynn
L: Charlene Espinoza, R: Adam Jafry
L: Danielle Nagel, R: Dion Terry