MIAD Illustration alum designs 2021 Kentucky Derby Festival poster

MIAD alum Andy Perez ’04 (Illustration) designed the poster for this year’s Kentucky Derby Festival. The legendary horse race, dubbed the “Run for the Roses,” is an annual tradition the first weekend of May in Louisville, Ky., and is the first leg of the American Triple Crown races.

“I have had my eye on the commission of the Kentucky Derby Festival for as long as I can remember,” said Perez, who lives in Louisville. “A couple of years ago I was able to network and figure out who makes the decision about the poster artist selection. I let them know that I was very interested in the opportunity. After staying in touch for a couple of years, the commission finally came my way.”

The 2021 Kentucky Derby’s theme is honoring traditions of the past. To create the final poster design, Perez created a collage of past years’ posters. He discovered this collage technique during his time at MIAD. 

“During my time at MIAD, I began to explore different ways of working and creating and eventually stumbled upon the collage technique that I [still] use to this day,” said Perez. 

Perez’s artwork features celebrities, locations and pop culture events using the same collage technique. His artwork also has been featured in a French Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial. 

“The most important thing I learned at MIAD is that by being true to yourself and working hard anything is possible … MIAD provided an environment that really pushed my creativity and thoughts about everything. The experience helped me uncover a way of creating that feels the most authentic to me,” said Perez.