Charlie Kelsch, a lifelong Cincinnati native, is a retired commercial artist who has produced a diverse body of design work since the 1970s. While employed at the Crest Craft company in Madisonville, Charlie was tasked with designing graphics for a deck of playing cards for the Grateful Dead band’s limited-edition album Dead in a Deck (1989). His design of the King playing card was used on the inner sleeve cover of the boxset.
His 1991 illustration of “Psycle Sam” continues to be used to this day for t- shirts, pins, mugs, buttons, and stickers. In 1992 a limited number of Psycle Sam belt buckles were made and presented to the Grateful Dead band and crew members. In addition to these images, the exhibit will showcase Charlie Kelsch’s various backstage pass designs for the Grateful Dead from the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The run of this exhibit is coinciding with the 55th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s first live shows in Cincinnati in November 1968. The opening will be on Friday October 27, 4-7 PM at MOTR Pub. Jim Tarbell, “Mr. Cincinnati” will discuss how he was able to bring the Grateful Dead to play at the Hyde Park Teen Center for two shows. The music playing during the opening will be live recordings of the Dead from their Cincinnati appearances from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Discussion will start at 530.
