CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION IN LAS VEGAS

Animazing Gallery To Feature Works by Grateful Dead Artists and Photographers Including Appearances by the Artists Over the Six Weekend Run of Sphere Shows  

A Special "Bicycle Day" (April 19) Event

Celebrating the Psychedelic Revolution with Unique Blotter Art on Display

LAS VEGAS, March 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Set to coincide with Dead & Company's "Dead Forever – Live at Sphere" concerts March 22 through May 17, Animazing Gallery in Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas will host a Grateful Dead Art and Photography Exhibit with a series of events in honor of the band's 60^th Anniversary.

The retrospective exhibit and sale will showcase the work of renowned Grateful Dead artists including psychedelic rock artist Stanley Mouse (creator of the Grateful Dead's iconic skeleton and roses image, as well as countless Iconic Grateful Dead imagery), Jay Blakesberg (long time photographic documentarian of the Grateful Dead experience) and photographer Chloe Weir (a young talent and daughter of Grateful Dead and Dead & Company founding member Bobby Weir). Additionally, the exhibit will showcase historical Grateful Dead images from the earliest years of the band curated by Ricki Blakesberg from Retro Photo Archive. Animazing will also be debuting the "Jerry Gnome" a limited edition cast bronze 27-inch-tall statue celebrating founding Grateful Dead member Jerry Garcia created by Bay Area artist & metal sculptor Zim Caroselli.  Zim was one of the original artists who created the giant "Puppets and Floats" at the Grateful Dead's annual Mardis Gras concerts in the Bay Area in the mid 1980s and 1990s.

A series of personal appearances by the artists at Animazing Gallery will allow fans an opportunity to meet and chat with the artists.  Appearances will include:

• Jay Blakesberg and Chloe Weir on March 22, April 19, and May 10 from 12 noon to 2 p.m.  In addition to mingling in the gallery, Weir and Blakesberg will share stories about the photos on display.
  
  
• Stanley Mouse on April 18 and 19 from 12 noon to 3 pm.
  
  
• Jay Blakesberg Book Signing on March 29 at 12 noon - celebrating his new fine art coffee table book – Dead & Company: Rainbow Full of Sound. 

Additionally, Animazing Gallery will host a special event on Bicycle Day, April 19, celebrating the psychedelic revolution.  In addition to personal appearances by all artists, the event will feature unique Blotter Art produced with Shakedown Gallery's Matthew Rick and will be on display and for sale at Animazing.

The exhibition will also include a life-size, lifelike stature of Jerry Garcia created as a tribute to the iconic musician and founding member of the Grateful Dead by artist Larry "Rubber" Torro.  Also featured will be a custom Gibson SG guitar that includes Jerry Garcia's original stage played humbucker pickup. The guitar was customized by San Francisco guitar tech, Gary Brawer in 2007.

"This will be a powerful show, featuring some of the most recognizable Grateful Dead art and photography in one place," said Nick Leone, owner of Animazing Gallery.  "This collection really shows many of the most iconic works that have visually defined the Grateful Dead's long strange trip! They have captured and created imagery that documents this pop culture zeitgeist that is now 60 years in the making."

For more information visit www.animazing.com or Instagram @animazinggallery.

ABOUT STANLEY MOUSE

Of all the great visual artists who have been associated with music in one way or another over the years, none have been more rock and roll than Stanley Mouse.  He has produced some of the most lasting visual images in rock history.

He became a part of 1960s psychedelic art scene in San Francisco, creating what he called "weirdo art," which today are some of the most collectible Stanley Mouse paintings. He often collaborated with the late Alton Kelly, and together they created iconic works, including Grateful Dead's 1966 Avalon Ballroom concert poster skeleton and roses, as well as countless psychedelic concert posters spanning decades.  Stanley designed the covers for Grateful Dead's debut album as well as the compositions used for the covers of the band's Workingman's Dead, American Beauty, Europe '72, From the Mars Hotel, and Terrapin Station albums, and Jerry Garcia's Cats Under the Stars album cover.

For more information about Stanley Mouse, visit https://www.mousestudios.com.

ABOUT JAY BLAKESBERG

Jay Blakesberg is a San Francisco-based commercial photographer whose work has appeared in numerous magazines over the last four decades including Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Guitar Player, and Time among many others.

Over the last 47 years, his rock and roll journey has seen him work with many legendary artists including Grateful Dead, Carlos Santana, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Radiohead and Phish among others.

Blakesberg has published 16 coffee table books of his music photography, including books on the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, Dead & Company, Primus, The Flaming Lips along with his visual autobiography retrospective entitled Retro Blakesberg – The Film Archives, Volume 1.

His work has been exhibited in commercial galleries nationally, and currently a large-scale retrospective exhibition entitled RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped is on display at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles through August 2025.

Retro Photo Archive, is a collection of archival images captured on film from 1966 through 2005 and is owned by Ricki Blakesberg.  The archive features a treasure trove of pop culture and music imagery, including photographs of the Grateful Dead throughout their career beginning with images from the halcyon days of the Summer of Love, Europe 72, Wall of Sound, and the band's legendary trip to Egypt, where they played in front of the Great Pyramids.

For more information about Jay Blakesberg, visit https://www.blakesberg.com and https://www.retrophotoarchive.com. 

ABOUT CHLOE WEIR 

Chloe Weir's journey into photography began at an early age. Growing up amidst the atmosphere of concerts and performances, she developed a profound passion for encapsulating moments through the lens of her camera. Even in her youth, Chloe exhibited a remarkable artistic vision, capturing the essence and energy of these events with an intuitive understanding that belied her age. This early exposure as the daughter of Bobby and Natascha Weir laid the foundation for her future endeavors in photography, shaping her into the talented and perceptive artist she is today. Chloe's photograph gracing the cover of Bobby Weir's album, Blue Mountain, was taken when she was 14 years old and was an early testament to Chloe's capacity to create captivating visuals that leave a lasting impression.

Seeking guidance and mentorship, Chloe reached out to Jay Blakesberg, a renowned photographer associated with Grateful Dead. Under his tutelage, she refined her skills while documenting shows by Dead & Company, a band that carries on the legacy of Grateful Dead. Chloe's portfolio extends beyond her work with Dead & Company, encompassing a diverse array of artists such as the Eagles, Willie Nelson, Lukas Nelson, Billy Strings, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson and Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros.

For further updates and insights into Chloe Weir's work, interested individuals can connect with her on Instagram @chloekeiliaweir.

ABOUT ANIMAZING GALLERY

Animazing Gallery began in 1984 as a gallery specializing in conceptual animation art. Over time, the collection expanded to include works by a wide range of renowned illustrators and pop culture artists. Animazing Gallery has become an industry stronghold for illustration art and contemporary art inspired by the masters of illustration.

Upon acquiring a collection of comic strips by Charles M. Schulz in 1995, the gallery began to focus on at American Illustrators. In the gallery's search to find art exhibiting "the perfect line," the owner soon discovered an important collection of drawings and watercolors by Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. The artwork was exhibited in numerous museum exhibitions. 

Additionally, owner Nicholas Leone works with and represents a number of notable rock musicians to showcase their art in the galleries. The galleries also feature a significant collection of autographed guitars and rock and roll treasures.  

Leone serves as a consultant for numerous auction houses and handles gallery sales and acquisitions.  He curates and hosts pop up events throughout the United States to celebrate gallery artists and their works. The company has two galleries located in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas featuring an abundant repertoire of work by classic illustrators and contemporary artists. 

ABOUT GRAND CANAL SHOPPES

Located inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, the center boasts 160 specialty brands and world-class restaurants nestled around a charming and faithful reproduction of Venice's Grand Canal, complete with cobbled walkways, street-side cafes and live entertainment. Signature brands including Burberry, Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, and Tory Burch create an unparalleled retail environment that includes a star-studded line-up of restaurants headed by famous celebrity chefs: Wolfgang Puck's CUT, Emeril Lagasse's Delmonico Steakhouse, Buddy Valastro's Buddy V's and Carlo's Bakery, Lorena Garcia's CHICA, as well as Mercato della Pescheria, SUGARCANE raw bar grill, SUSHISAMBA, and Smith & Wollensky. The center is also home to the all-new ATOMIC SALOON SHOW by Spiegelworld. For more information, visit www.grandcanalshoppes.com.

Media Contact: Terry Wills
[email protected]
310-877-1458

SOURCE Animazing Gallery