Features

10 of the Best Pollock Phish Prints

© Jason Kaczorowski

Whether you’re a collector or not, posters are an important part of Phish. Many fans head to shows early to pick up a limited edition print and can be seen walking around holding the print in a tube throughout the show. Today is the birthday of artist Jim Pollock who was one of the earliest and today, one of the most iconic artists in the Phish world. His prints are often the hardest to find and very valuable. Starting by making simple flyers for the band’s gigs in the late 1980s, Pollock did not know what he was getting into. He later moved on to designing t-shirts, album covers (LivePhish), and most importantly, limited edition prints. Here is a look at some of Pollock’s work with Phish.

1. Junta – Album Cover and Print
Even if you are less familiar with Pollock’s prints, you’ve surely seen the cover of Phish’s first studio album, Junta. For Record Store Day 2012, Pollock designed a special poster for Junta’s vinyl reissue. Though 2,500 of these prints were slipped into the record packaging, they sold out incredibly fast.

2. The Great Went
In support of Phish’s two-night festival The Great Went, Pollock set up a printmaking shop on site. Many fans sat and waited for prints to come out. Many were handed the prints before the inks had dried. The run of 100 was less than enough to satisfy fans. These sell on the Internet for an average of $3,750.

3. Camden 2003
A run of 1,000 posters commemorated Phish’s two-night stand at the Tweeter Center in 2003. Depicted is the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which connects Philadelphia, PA to Camden, NJ.

4. Shoreline 2000
First appearing in an edition of 600, this poster was popular enough that the art was used for a lithograph and a stash tin. It was the last print Pollock made on his bookbinding press.