SEATTLE, WASH. – Seattle Sounders FC today announced that it is launching Posters by the People – a fan-driven design initiative that celebrates Seattle’s civic pride and distinct soccer culture – ahead of its seventh Major League Soccer campaign. Before every Sounders FC home contest throughout the 2015 season, a new matchday poster will be unveiled to commemorate each game. Driving the design process and creative direction for these posters, Sounders FC fans have the opportunity to celebrate a unique piece of club history that pays homage to players, supporters, the city of Seattle and soccer culture.
Posters by the People is being sponsored by Museum Quality Framing, the official framing partner of Seattle Sounders FC. Competition guidelines and deadline dates can be found online, and final poster entries can be submitted on the same platform. Winning designers receive match tickets, a special Sounders FC matchday experience, their specific poster in a limited-edition frame, a $100 Museum Quality Framing gift certificate, recognition on SoundersFC.com and on the CenturyLink Field video board, as well as an invitation to an exclusive end-of-season art event.
“Other than soccer, art is one of my biggest passions. We’re excited to launch Posters by the People as we combine Seattle’s prolific artistic community with its leading soccer culture,” said Sounders FC Owner Adrian Hanauer. “We live in one of the most innovative communities in North America, and I’m eager to see our city’s creative spirit on display throughout the season as the matchday posters are revealed.”
Synonymous with Seattle’s deeply ingrained soccer history and culture is Sounders FC’s renowned supporter base. With an active home sellout streak of 107 MLS matches and a 2014 average attendance of 43,734, Seattle’s soccer culture is spearheaded by the passion and commitment of its fans. This dedication is on display at CenturyLink Field at every Sounders FC home match in the form of supporter-created artwork and tifo displays.
“The artwork that Sounders FC fans create during our matchday experience is genuinely inspiring, and I’m hopeful that much of the same creativity shines throughout Posters by the People,” continues Hanauer. “To help kick-start the creative process, we’ve enlisted the help of my long-time friend and renowned local artist Mary Iverson. She will design the first matchday poster for our March 8 opener against New England.”
Iverson is a painter and a public artist with paintings focusing on the shipping industry and its influence on culture and the environment. In 2011, her work was profiled in Juxtapoz Magazine and High Fructose Magazine. She is represented by G. Gibson Gallery in Seattle as well as galleries in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Germany and Singapore. Iverson teaches drawing and painting at Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, Washington, where she is a tenured faculty member.
“It is such an honor to be invited to participate in the Posters for the People program, and I am especially excited to design the poster for the team’s first home match,” said Iverson. “What is especially cool about the poster program is that Sounders FC fans, including me, will create all of the artwork. What a great way to harness the intense energy of the best fans in MLS!”
Iverson continues, “I am excited about creating the first poster. My design places the matchup in the context of our city’s bustling waterfront. For me, one of the joys of going to the games is that I get to be near the port activity that interests me so much. Seattle has a beautiful and busy container port, with CenturyLink Field right there in the middle of it, capturing the energy of the city.”
Seattle begins its 2015 MLS campaign on Sunday, March 8 at home against defending Eastern Conference champion New England Revolution at 6:30 p.m. PT on FOX Sports 1.
