This summer, Merge Records will celebrate their silver anniversary, and no, not with flatware. From July 28 through August 9, the label will hold an exhibit aimed to “unite art and music fans,” by celebrating not only the label’s best albums of the past twenty-five years, but its album art, which caught our attention before any groovy bass line or sparkling percussion. The iconic cover artwork for some of Merge’s most influential releases, including those by Superchunk, Lambchop, Arcade Fire, Spoon, and many more, will adorn the walls of the LIGHT Art + Design gallery in Chapel Hill, NC.
Merge co-founder, Mac McCaughan, said this about the motivation behind the landmark celebration: “Inspired both by the community we live in—where you can see incredible art at numerous museums and galleries—and by the artists we work with every day, we decided to populate a great local space with some of the original art that’s made it onto the covers of Merge releases over the last 25 years.”
LIGHT Art + Design will hold a reception for the exhibit on Friday, July 9, with a performance by Merge’s own pop-meets-bluegrass group, Shark Quest.
Check out your cordial invite here.
