2026 Black Swamp Arts Festival Poster Artwork Reveal

Black Swamp Arts Festival (BSAF) is pleased to reveal its 2026 poster artwork in anticipation of this year’s festival, scheduled for September 11, 12, and 13. 

This year’s festival poster features the art of local resident and artist, Taylor Vanek, and the artwork for the poster will be unveiled at a Poster Reveal event scheduled for 5:30pm - 8:30pm Thursday, June 18, 2026, at Arlyn’s Good Beer, located at 520 Hankey Ave., in Bowling Green, Ohio. Event attendees will have the opportunity to receive a hand-printed, artist-signed, black and white copy of the poster artwork ahead of the full poster reveal which will be released at a later date. Vanek shared the following artist statement regarding the poster: 

“Throughout my life, I have always had a profound love for the outdoors and all things nature. I spent my weekends camping with my friends in high school, and during my time at BGSU, I made it my mission to hike whenever I could. Now, I am the Community and Communications Assistant at the Wood County Park District. This role has not only allowed me to grow as a graphic designer but also to deepen my love and fascination with the outdoors. I’ve gotten the privilege to explore the lives of birds; to learn from the many native plants that call Bowling Green home; and to marvel at every bug I pass by.

Nature is the simplest form of art and to celebrate it is a gift that I wish to share with the Black Swamp Arts Festival community. I chose to include the native plants featured on the poster (e.g., Butterfly Milkweed, New England Asters, and Ohio Spiderwort) because they represent how people experience the Black Swamp Arts Festival—an explosion of vibrancy, diversity, and importance for the community of Bowling Green and beyond.

The star of the show, seeing as they are Wood County’s only native lizard species, is the Common Five-Lined Skink. They are known for their vibrant blue tails as juveniles and bright orange heads as adult males; they, too, show how intentional and stunning Wood County’s natural art can be.

The font I chose for the “Black Swamp Arts Festival” is a direct shoutout to the active community of printmakers in Bowling Green, myself included! Learning to print was and continues to be my favorite form of creating art. For our poster reveal event, I was inspired to create a screen printed version of the poster art that people could take home as a souvenir—I printed over 75 editions on colorful paper that reflected the color pallette of the original artwork. 

Ever since I moved to Bowling Green six years ago, the Black Swamp Arts Festival has been a staple of my summer experience. From visiting my first year as a freshman at BGSU with my college roommate Hannah, and now as a community member with my partner Zach, I cannot believe that I get to contribute directly to the festival and help create the wonderful festival experience for the Bowling Green community and beyond. Thank you Black Swamp Arts Festival for this incredible honor!”
~ Taylor Vanek

All work for the BSAF, including the poster art and graphic design, is on a strictly volunteer basis. The festival would not be possible without the work of many dedicated volunteers in the area. Information about volunteering, sponsoring, or donating to support this year’s festival can be found at www.blackswampfest.org/support.