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Guide to the Acid Test Poster Reprint Collection MS.339
Nicholas G. Meriwether University of California, Santa Cruz 2014 1156 High Street Santa Cruz 95064 [email protected] URL: http://guides.library.ucsc.edu/speccoll Note Finding aid revised in 2018
Guide to the Acid Test Poster MS.339 1 Reprint Collection MS.339 Language of Material: English https://www.gdao.org/ Contributing Institution: University of California, Santa Cruz Title: Acid Test Poster Reprint Collection creator: Kesey, Zane Identifier/Call Number: MS.339 Physical Description: 2 Linear Feet1 box Date (inclusive): 1990-2000 Abstract: The Acid Tests were a series of multimedia events held by author Ken Kesey and his associates, nicknamed the Merry Pranksters, from 1965-1966, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area but also in Portland, Los Angeles, and Mexico. Centered around the use of the psychedelic drug LSD, which was legal at the time, the Acid Tests featured light shows and performances by the Grateful Dead, Neal Cassady, Hugh Romney (later Wavy Gravy), and others. Posters and handbills associated with the Acid Tests are very scarce, and Zane Kesey created these modern reprints and variants to meet collector demand. All are signed by Kesey and some of the Pranksters. Special Collections and Archives, McHenry Library, UC Santa Cruz. Access Collection is open for research. Publication Rights Property rights for this collection reside with the University of California. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. The publication or use of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use for research or educational purposes requires written permission from the copyright owner. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information on copyright or to order a reproduction, please visit guides.library.ucsc.edu/speccoll/reproduction-publication. Preferred Citation Acid Test Poster Reprint Collection. MS 339. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz. Acquisition Information The collection was acquired from Key-Z Productions, who produced these reprints, in 2010. Digital Surrogates Digital images of these posters are available online at Grateful Dead Archive Online (GDAO) Scope and Content of Collection This collection comprises modern reprints and variants of posters and handbills associated with the Acid Tests, created by Ken Kesey and his son Zane Kesey and sold through their business, Key-Z Productions. Arrangement The collection is arranged chronologically by the date of the original. Subjects and Indexing Terms LSD (Drug) Posters, American -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area Merry Band of Pranksters Kesey, Ken
box 1, folder 3 "Can You Pass the Acid Test" Poster, Orange Variant [1965] ms0339_gra_000333293 Abstract: The artist primarily responsible for this poster is Paul Foster. Norman Hartweg was misidentified as the artist in the book The Art of Rock (Abbeville Press, 1987), p.91, a mistake that stemmed from the copyright notice on a reprint of the poster Hartweg commissioned in the 1980s. Interviews with Foster, his associates, and other Merry Pranksters confirm Foster's authorship, although several Pranksters, including Carolyn "MG" Adams Garcia, contributed to the piece.
box 1, folder 7 "Can You Pass the Acid Test" Poster, Blue Variant [1965] ms0339_gra_000733294
Guide to the Acid Test Poster MS.339 2 Reprint Collection MS.339 box 1, folder 6 "Dress the Way You Are" Trips [Festival], Apr.21-23, 1966 ms0339_gra_000633296 box 1, folder 1 Acid Test Diploma [1966] ms0339_gra_000133291 box 1, folder 2 Acid Test Graduation Poster [Oct. 31, 1966] ms0339_gra_000233292 box 1, folder 4 "Can You Pass the Acid Test" Poster, Uncle Sam Variant ms0339_gra_000433295 box 1, folder 5 "Can You Pass the Acid Test?" Signboard Poster ms0339_gra_000533290 Description Reproduction of the signboard collage (now at the Smithsonian) used to advertise the Acid Tests.
Guide to the Acid Test Poster MS.339 3 Reprint Collection MS.339