A GLOBAL LEGACY
GLOBE AT MICA PRESERVES A PIECE OF MUSIC HISTORY
If you were a concertgoer in the 1950s through the early 2000s , odds are you ’ ve encountered a poster made by Globe . Defined by their vibrant inks and bold hand-lettered type , the iconic screen-printed signs once plastered street poles , advertising the biggest names in music , boxing matches , carnivals , circuses and political campaigns .
It all started with a card game between friends . Norman Goldstein and Harry Shapiro picked Baltimore as the location for their budding company after folding a map in half and finding Charm City at the center of the East Coast . Longtime employee Joseph Cicero , Sr . acquired the company in 1975 , and he and his sons introduced Globe ’ s signature style to the rap , hip hop and go-go scenes .
Over the years , Globe posters have advertised innumerable artists , from Otis Redding and the Jackson 5 to Snoop Dogg and Rage Against the Machine . Utilitarian by design , Globe posters confirmed that rumored concerts and festivals were actually happening and conveyed key logistical information to fans , pointing to the company ’ s crucial role in the live music industry .
Globe Posters closed in 2010 , but the Maryland Institute College of Art ( MICA ) quickly took over the company ’ s rich collection of printing materials , including sans serif wood type , 20,000 photo cuts , tools and more .
Today , The Globe Collection and Press at MICA uses these materials to teach the art of printmaking to a new generation and design posters for the modern era , including two for Visit Baltimore that feature commissioned work by local poets Mecca Verdell and Kondwani Fidel . Shop them both — and the rest of the collection — online at GlobeAtMica . com . VB
72 BALTIMORE . ORG