The City of Slidell is rolling out the red carpet for the next exhibition at the George Dunbar Gallery in the Slidell Cultural Center at City Hall, ”Art of the Movie Poster”, exhibiting pieces from the Movie Poster Archives (MPA), a collection of movie posters and artifacts since the golden age of cinema. This exhibit will feature a collection of movie posters, lobby cards, and accessories.

The exhibit is on display January 13 – February 17, 2023 and is held in conjunction with the second annual The Art of Film: Louisiana Film Industry Expo, happening just across the street January 20-21 at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium. An opening reception will be held on Friday, January 13 from 5-7 p.m. with a special presentation by Ed Poole, Chief Archivist of MPA, at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Movie Poster Archives was founded in 2016 by retired Hollywood executive Linda Thurman for the preservation and research of film-related papers known as film accessories. In a few short years, MPA has amassed more than 1.5 million items from over 20 countries. The Permanent Collection is comprised of nearly 80,000 original posters, stills, and press kits representing some 30,000 film titles taken from over a century.

“Over 50 percent of all U. S. films and 80 to 90 percent of all silent films made in the United States produced before 1951 have been lost forever. Worldwide, the losses are comparable,” said Poole. “That’s why the work of the MPA is so important. The preservation of film accessories – the surviving historical documents – is increasingly important as time takes its toll on these fragile paper artifacts.”

Thurman is the author of “Hollywood South: Glamour, Gumbo, and Greed.” She retired from Emerald Bayou Studios which she co-founded. She is a veteran of Hollywood where she was the managing editor of the Hollywood Creative Directory.

Ed and Susan Poole have written more than 20 books on movie posters and film history. They are the founders of Hollywood on the Bayou and Learn About Movie Posters (LAMP). Ed coined the phrase “movie accessories” to denote movie-related paper.

For more information about Movie Poster Archives, please visit MoviePosterArchives.org or contact Linda Thurman at linda@movieposterarchives.org.

The George Dunbar Gallery in the Slidell Cultural Center at City Hall is located at 2055 Second Street, on the first floor of Slidell City Hall in Olde Towne Slidell. Gallery hours are by appointment Wednesdays – Fridays from 12 to 4 p.m. Same day viewings are available. Please call the City of Slidell’s Department of Cultural & Public Affairs at (985) 646-4375 to schedule a viewing.