Every year the rollout of O Bee’s annual calendar is a much-anticipated event. The FREE calendars are available now in all branches. However, this year is extra special because the 12 images featured on the 2018 Calendar are part of a larger retrospective of Olympia Brewery advertising art that is part of an exhibit titled The Olympia Beer Advertising Art Show.

This free show runs from November through December at the Schmidt House and features over 50 original, full-color advertising artworks created for the Olympia Brewing Company during the 1930s through 1950s. Hidden away for decades and only recently rediscovered, most of these charming paintings were produced by artists hired through the Seattle advertising agency of Botsford Constantine and Gardner, which handled the Olympia Brewery account for decades. Featured artists include Richard Wiley (1919 – 2013), best known for illustrating the Sally, Dick and Jane books so familiar to schoolchildren of 1950s and 60s.

The paintings in the exhibit were translated into billboards, and illustrate the social norms during the Depression and war years. The billboards depict “typical” mid-century family life with the husband shown doing physical chores around the house and the housewife grocery shopping with white gloves and pearls. The exhibit will feature written insight and discussion of the artwork by nationally known poster artist and art critic Art Chantry.

The artwork is from the collection of the Olympia Tumwater Foundation which sponsors this free art show along with O Bee Credit Union.

Olympia Beer Advertising Art Show
November 4 – December 9, 2017
10 AM - 4 PM
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays Only
(Closed Thanksgiving Day)

The Schmidt House
330 Schmidt Place SW
Tumwater, WA 98501