While walking through Green Hall on Chapel St yesterday, I noticed a bold new poster hanging outside of the main gallery. The current exhibition features work completed over the summer by participants in the Auvillar and Norfolk studio programs and by undergraduate art majors. The summer session in Auvillar, France, is an intensive study abroad course for Yale undergraduates focusing on painting and drawing, while the six-week Norfolk program provides fellowships for undergraduates from all over the world to work on-site with teacher-artists across a variety of media.

This poster reminds me of graphic designer Bradbury Thompson's explorations because of its simple colors and shapes and slight mid-century feel. It is surprising -- and successful -- for its lack of contemporary design tropes. I also like the sly allusion, created through color, to the locations of the two summer programs.

The undergraduate summer show is on view through 9 October 2012 in Green Hall at 1156 Chapel Street.