Cover of New York Neon, by Thomas Rinaldi

“Neon lights were both…loved and hated like no other element of the built environment,” Thomas Rinaldi says in his new photo book New York Neon.  They are both modern and nostalgic.  They are ubiquitous, and yet often no one gives them a second thought.

What are the hallmarks of urban experience?  Concrete and neon. Neon is imbedded in our cultural psyche, especially as a defining visual element of the biggest, grittiest urban environment in America, New York City. Consider the Drifter’s lyric: “They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway.” Or Petula Clark’s “Downtown”: “Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city; Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty.”

Perhaps the most iconic (and nostalgic) collection of neon signs in the City is at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park in Coney Island. Most of these signs date from mid-century, although one small one is from the 20’s and may be the oldest neon sign in the metro area.

Neon gas was only discovered in 1898, by British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris W. Travers. The word neon means “new one” in Greek; as a side note, krypton and xenon were discovered at the same time, and mean “hidden” and “stranger” respectively in Greek. Neon is a noble gas, and one of the residual inert gases found in the air we breathe, when other gases such as oxygen and nitrogen are removed. Neon glows brilliant reddish-orange when illuminated.

Neon sign technology took some time to fine-tune, but by 1915 signs illuminated with neon were all the rage with New York City leading the craze. It’s no accident that Broadway is known as the “Great White Way”—by the year 1923, less than a decade later, there were over 1,300 illuminated neon signs on that street alone!  Sign-making workshops of all sizes sprang up across the city.  A typical business would employ about 15 people in three departments: art or layout, sheet metal construction and glass blowing or tube bending.  Designs for neon signs were available in pattern books, but often layout designers would work to develop their own distinctive styles.  Some would stay with one sign company for decades, making their style synonymous with the company name; others would “move from one shop to another, thus perpetrating certain visual similarities among the collective output of neon shops throughout the New York area”. “Rinaldi, page 24”

A design drawing for the Papaya King sign at Third Ave and 86th St in Manhattan, designed by Samuel Langsner of the LaSalle Sign Corp in 1964.

Here is the sign from the drawing in situ. Papaya King is an NYC institution; founded in the 1930’s they serve an unlikely combination of fruit juice and hot dogs.

Rinaldi’s book is a personal documentary record and an elegy to New York City’s wealth of neon signs, across all five boroughs. He was attracted to the idea of recording New York’s neon signs because they seemed to him “poised to disappear.” Sure enough, more than half of the signs recorded in the book (all of which pre-date 1970) have been taken down in the past decade. All the pictures in the book were taken by Rinaldi himself, mostly in the witching half-hour of dusk, often with the aperture set to create a dramatic, graphic color-against-pure-black effect.  Some signs are instantly recognizable, some are unfamiliar, all are skillfully crafted, bold and unique.

This book is a labor of love, and a visual feast of illumination.

NYC’s neon signs are as iconic for the names they illuminate as they are graphically interesting.

This sign was from the M & G Diner, a soul food restaurant on 125th St in Harlem. It closed in the summer of 2008.

This sign, from the Collins Bar at 735 Eighth Ave, was one of the oldest in NYC, dating to circa 1930. The bar closed and the sign was removed in 2007.

Italian dining room, c. 1500. The objects in this room were inspired by both Italian sources (the Davanzetti Palace in Florence) and Viennese interiors. The chest in the corner is one of the few pieces carved by Mrs. Thorne herself.

If you want to research historic interiors, where do you turn?  You could buy a book like Mario Praz’s indispensible An Illustrated History of Interior Decoration; search the internet or a digital photo archive for specific dates and locations. Or, for an especially fun field trip, you could visit the Thorne Miniature Rooms.

French Louis XV Salon, 1715-1754. The reign of Louis XV was an age of feminine influences, as seen in the gentle, curving lines of the furniture and walls. Even the corners of this room are rounded! The parquet floor is made of oak and walnut, and laid in a Versailles pattern.

The 1:12 scale Thorne Miniature Rooms cover European, American and Asian interiors ranging in date from the late 13th century to the 1930s. The models are the brainchild of Narcissa Ward Thorne of Chicago (daughter-in-law of Montgomery Ward co-founder Richard Thorne). She began by amassing a collection of miniature furniture from around the world. By the early 1930s she had decided to have the rooms painstakingly and perfectly executed by master craftsmen, work which continued over the next decade.  Some of them replicate actual rooms that Mrs. Thorne saw in her travels, while others are simply true to period. To give an example of the level of detailed execution, in some cases period rugs were woven in miniature scale specifically to fulfill her vision!

French Louis XVI dining room, 1774-1793. Similar in style to the Louis XVI drawing room, this room also has pastel colors and simple gilded decorations. There is almost perfect symmetry and balance in the arrangement of the furnishings.

French Louis XVI bedroom, 1774-1793. Celadon green and rose were popular colors in this period of interior decoration, mostly because they were favored by both Louis XV’s and Louis XVI’s mistresses.

I:12 scale (one inch to the foot) means that a 20 foot square room is 20 inches square in model form—miniature yes, but by no means tiny! The rooms are impressive in their meticulous detail, and especially lovely when decorated for the holidays.

Nearly 100 rooms were created over the years—the original thirty were displayed at the 1933 Chicago Century of Progress Exhibition.  Twenty of these originals are on permanent display at the Phoenix Art Museum (where these pictures were taken); another 68 of the rooms are on display at the Art Institute of Chicago, and others can be seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London England, the Knoxville Museum of Art, the Kay Museum of Miniatures in LA, and the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.

While the Thorne rooms are best experienced in person, if none of these cities are on your next itinerary the next best thing is photos of these magical miniature spaces…  Enjoy!

French Louis XVI drawing room, 1774-1793. Delicacy, restraint and elegance are characteristics of the Louis XVI style. The landscape paintings in this room are copies of originals by Jean-Honore Fragonard.

French Directoire room, 1795-1799. The term “directoire” refers to the period at the end of the French Revolution, when France was ruled by a series of “directeurs”. This new style drew from classical Greek and Roman models, inspired by findings at Pompeii.

English lodge kitchen, 1840-1850. Also known as the “porter’s lodge”, these buildings were located at the gate of English country houses. Beamed ceilings and leaded windows are elements of 19th century Gothic Revival style.

Art Deco Hall, 1925. An entrance hall as sizable as this would only have been found in the wealthiest urban apartments in Europe and America. The teakwood furniture and consoles are inspired by Asian designs.

Rei Kawakubo for Comme de Garcons, Dress, 1983. All images courtesy Art Institute of Chicago.

Ever since Japan was first opened to trade with the West in the mid-19th century, Japanese arts and crafts have had an enduring influence on those of the West. Fashion is perhaps the most public face of this influence. Designers such as Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons led the wave that continues with younger designers such as Harajuku. Japan remains a nation whose rich textile and costume traditions have translated into cutting-edge innovation.

In Japan both courtly life and samurai culture were highly stylized. In the late 17th century the cultural focus shifted from military actions to bureaucratic ones. With this shift came the popularity of dark colors, especially black, which symbolized self-discipline. Even today the same phenomenon indicates urbane good taste.

Issey Miyake, Garment, 1987.

Junya Wanatabe, Dress and hat, Summer 2000.

The impact of Japanese designers really took root in the 1980s, when couturiers such as Rei Kawakubo and Issey Miyake revolutionized clothing with avant-garde creations that blurred the line between fashion and art. Some of the key pieces from this now-iconic period are on view as part of “Material Translations: Japanese Fashion from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago,” which runs through April 7. Herewith, a look at some of the exhibition’s highlights.

Rei Kawakubo for Comme de Garcons, Jacket and skirt, 2005

Junya Watanabe, Skirt, 2006

Yohji Yamamoto, Dress, 1991

Currant bowl; black Maiolica. By Alicia Benoist, from the Facebook album “Pots”, September 2010. Photo by Russell Dian.

We recently met Alicia Benoist, a studio potter from New York City whose work stole our hearts! Her hand is expressive and robust, and the way she paints her glaze brought to mind the impasto strokes of Vincent Van Gogh and the stained glass of John LaFarge. But on second look we saw that she was fluent in two different glaze-painting styles: black and white maiolica. Her white pieces are subtly different. Fresh but subdued colors are stroked onto a white ground. They resemble watercolors, especially those of the Omega Group from England in the early 20^th century.

Her inspiration comes from her garden: irises, lily of the valley, floppy poppies, fiddlehead ferns and an array of fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition to being a potter, Alicia is also a cellist and choral singer.  She draws a parallel between music and ceramics.  “You use the same vocabulary to discuss both, such as ‘color’ and ‘rhythm’.  One tends to describe both the same” she explains.

Fiddlehead nest cheese platter; black Maiolica. By Alicia Benoist, from the Facebook album “December 2010 Pots”. Photo by Russell Dian.

This isn’t crockery; these are pieces that are sure to become cherished heirlooms.

Maiolica (pronounced mayh-ol-ica) is a classic ceramic technique that originated in the near East but was popularized in Italy during the Renaissance.  Have you ever seen those colorful Italian plates that are highly patterned and are typically golden yellow and navy blue? You guessed it! It’s maiolica. The word is derived from the name Mallorca, the tiny Italian island that served as the port of entry for Islamic ceramics that were exported to the European market.  Majolica—spelled with a “J”—refers to 19^th century wares.

Iris bowl; black Maiolica. By Alicia Benoist, from the Facebook album “11/11 Pots”. Photo by Russell Dian.

Bowl; white Maiolica. By Alicia Benoist, from the Facebook album “11/11 Pots”. Photo by Russell Dian.

The technique is typically done on terra cotta, with opaque white glaze base and colored glaze decoration painted over the white. Historically the white glaze was made out of tin but today it is made from the element zirconium, the same that is used for the simulated diamonds.

There is a second and lesser-known variation, black maiolica, which results in a more dramatic and dimensional surface. In this variation the black glaze is painted onto bisque ware and then an outline is traced around the line with wax.  This is similar to the painted wax resist lines in batik dyed textiles.  The wax leaves a little space between the black and the other colors that give the surface a greater sense of dimension.

You can look at more of Alicia’s work on Facebook at Alicia Benoist

Peach and berries platter; white Maiolica. By Alicia Benoist, from her Facebook album “Spring 2012 Pots”. Photo by Russell Dian.

Veggie casserole; black Maiolica. By Alicia Benoist, from the Facebook album “11/11 Pots”. Photo by Russell Dian.

Funnybone Toys color card games. All images courtesy Funnybone Toys.

The Denver-based company Funnybone Toys has come up with not one but three color card games that provide amusement for both kids and adults. And who knows? You just might find the perfect palette!

Train your brain while you excite your eye.  These games are as much art as they are entertainment; like a kaleidoscope, as you play the color patterns shift and excite the eye.  This is no accident.  Funnybone Toys is dedicated to stimulating creativity and improving cognitive function with good design. They work with bringing in experts on type and graphic design as well as childhood education.

Array, a colorful take on Rummy.

ARRAY • Ages 8 and up
Similar to the game of dominoes, Array explores connections using color.  Octagonal pie-like pieces have 2,3 or 4 colors on them; match the colors and watch the intricate maze grow.  Colors can be played strategically, slicing and splicing trails together, and there are wild cards that throw everything into “DISarray.”  Points add up over several quick rounds in this fast-paced game.  Watch a video about how to play Array at  YouTube: Array

The fast-paced color stacking game CUBU.

CUBU • Ages 8 and up
Playing CUBU is like thinking in several languages at once, albeit ones in which we’re firmly grounded from a young age – size, color, position, and direction. Each CUBU card contains multiple rectangles of varying size and color, nested within one another like Russian dolls. Players take turns creating sequences using the color and position of any rectangle they choose as a starting point. The deck also contains action cards that throw curve balls and can wreak havoc on players’ progress. You can also play SPEED CUBU, a faster free-for-all in which players race head-to-head instead of taking turns.  A video about CUBU is at YouTube: Cubu

Spectrix is like playing dominoes with color.

Spectrix • Ages 8 and up
Spectrix is like Rummy using the colors of the spectrum. There are 96 cards in 12 solid colors—you start by making sets of either “three of a kind” (three of the same color) or a “straight” (three colors that are in consecutive order as they appear on the spectrum).  Each player adds to and divides up the color sets, and the first to use up their hand of cards wins. Your ability to survey the table, to see and weigh the possibilities in your mind, can win you the game, all the while developing an appreciation for color and turning the tabletop into a work of art!  Here is a video demonstrating how to play Spectrix:  You Tube: Spectrix

All three color games, Array, CUBU and Spectrix, jointly won the Tillywig Summer Brain Child Award in 2012, and have received ecstatic praise nationwide, from parenting magazines to toy design competitions.

You can find these games at museum shops including the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Denver Art Museum gift shops, or they can be ordered directly from Funnybone’s website, www.funnybonetoys.com.

Judith Gura’s definitive new sourcebook. All images courtesy W. W. Norton.

A compendium, with more than five hundred full-color illustrations, of the best modern furniture from the Nordic countries.

Scandinavian design brings to mind forms that are minimal and clearly functional out of beautiful, if not sumptuous materials. It is the kind of design that most of us “know when we see it” but we don’t often know what the pieces are actually called. Now, luckily for us, there is a “bible” for that kind of design.

Judith Gura is a decorative arts historian and professor at the New York School of Interior Design. She is an authority on the history of interiors, especially 20^th century interiors, and their furnishings. Her 8^th book includes a CD-ROM with easy-to-use screen resolution files of all the illustrations.

PP 225 Flag Halyard Chair; design: Hans J. Wegner, 1950; Sheepskin over flag halyard rope back and seat, steel frame. Producer: PP Mobler.

The five countries known collectively as Scandinavia were the source of some of the most important furniture designs of the twentieth century and the influential concept of “Scandinavian modern.” Today, a new generation of designers continues the tradition, creating pieces that are functional, comfortable, and appealing to look at. This book—the first American summary of modern design in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden in more than two decades—updates the history of design in the Nordic nations and illustrates in full color more than five hundred of the best current furniture from over seventy producers. The Sourcebook also includes detailed product specifications and sources, biographies of important Nordic designers, and a helpful bibliography.

#EJ 100 Oxchair; design: Hans J. Wegner, 1960; Leather upholstery over molded polyurethane foam, matte chrome-plated steel legs. Producer: Erik Jorgensen

Laminated chair and table, Grete Jalck, 1963; Producer: Poul Jeppesen, not in current production. www.Jacksons.se

PP 19 Papa Bear; design: Hans J. Wegner, 1954; Upholstery over wood frame, teak arm caps and legs. Producer: PP Mobler

PK-25; design: Poul Kjaerholm, 1956; Wicker over tubular steel frame, also available in leather. Producer: Fritz Hansen

This textile clearly reveals an ogival pattern. Fragment of green-ground kemha, Istanbul
, First half 17th century
. TM 1994.27.3. Gift of Neutrogena Corporation. All images courtesy the National Textile Museum.

This is an excellent example of a typically Ottoman stylistic interpretation of naturalistic flowers. Kemha with small-scale floral decoration (detail), Probably Istanbul, 
Last quarter of 16th century. 
TM 1.72, Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1952

The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. is currently featuring the exhibition “The Sultan’s Garden: The Blossoming of Ottoman Art”. This exhibition chronicles how one of the world’s most powerful empires developed a singular artistic style and how that style gained lasting influence, just as modern brands strive to do today. In the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire began representing itself at home and abroad through a single, instantly recognizable visual aesthetic. Their stylized tulips, roses, carnations, and other flowers came to embody the influence of the empire, and even today continue to epitomize the arts of Turkey.

Debut of the “Floral Style”

Notice the undulating pattern. Fragment of yellow-ground kemha, 
Istanbul, 
Second half 16th century. 
TM 1.47, Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1947

Ottoman art reflects the wealth, abundance, and influence of an empire that spanned seven centuries and, at its height, three continents. Ottoman court style developed during successions of sultans and changes in the court’s design workshop. Prior to 1550, Ottoman art had primarily employed an artistic language common to the greater Islamic world which frequently depicted geometrical designs, fantastical animals, and flora. However, under Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566), a single artist—Kara Memi—introduced a new design repertoire inspired by forms found in nature. The stylized tulips, carnations, hyacinths, honeysuckles, roses, and rosebuds immediately gained popularity across a broad range of media, carrying connotations of Ottoman court patronage, luxury, and high taste.

A Style that Blossomed Across the Empire

Tulip silhouettes are the focus of this pattern. Cover (detail), 
Istanbul
, Mid to late 17th century. Private Collection

An age-old Turkish (specifically Ottoman) fascination with flowers accounts in part for the widespread adoption of this new artistic style. Flowers and flower gardens were an important feature of Ottoman upper class and court culture. After all, the tulips which were so wildly popular in Europe were originally cultivated in Turkey. In the sultan’s palace, flowers embellished architectural tiles, opulent textiles (such as velvets), and monumental carpets. While abundant at court, trade also introduced far-flung nomadic communities to the floral style. Despite being far from the capital city, and far from ornamental gardens, artisans in small villages and nomadic encampments emulated these stylized blooms. The floral style continues to embody Turkish culture: today Turkey’s tourism bureau markets the nation with a tulip logo.

International Influence

The arabesque is a decorative motif that is iconic of Ottoman design. Loom-width length of velvet
 with ogival layout and floral design, Bursa or Istanbul, 
Circa 1550-1560. 
TM 83.10. 
Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1951

The floral style on view in “The Sultan’s Garden” has had a lasting impact over the past four centuries on the later Ottoman Empire, modern Turkey, the broader Islamic world, and Europe. Court workshops exported luxury items to European customers whose own economies lacked either the technology, tradition, or access to materials to produce such goods themselves. Floral style patterns also appear on costumes in Italian Renaissance portraiture and influenced designers of the Arts and Crafts Movement in Great Britain, including William Morris.

The S-curved saz leaves in blue and red carnations dance across the surface of this plate. Dish with a design of saz leaves and red carnations, Îznik, ca. 1600
. Metropolitan Museum of Art 66.4.14. 
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1966.

Notice the medallion in the center of this ogival shape. Loom-width of ogival-layout kemha (detail), Istanbul, 
Third quarter 16th century. 
TM 1.50.
Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1951

A catalog titled The Sultan’s Garden: The Blossoming of Ottoman Art is available.

Photo courtesy Mark Perlson

What comes to mind when one hears the words Danish Design: Modern furniture with long thin legs, teak and rosewood, maybe Hans Wegner? How about pepper mills?

While Danish design is synonymous with restraint, in contrast Danish teak pepper mills are expressive and idiosyncratic. Teak is a material that has become a leitmotif of Danish furniture. Danish pepper mills share the use of this richly colored, water resistant and durable wood. The similarities, however, stop there.

Since the 1950s, Dansk has been the dominant brand for mid-century-style Danish design; in fact, the word “dansk” means “Danish” in Danish.  They are famous for their housewares, especially flatware and the brightly colored Koben-style pots. But in addition to the Museum of Modern Art-accessioned masterpieces, Dansk produced a series of sculptural pepper mills, designed by Jens H Quistgaard.  These quirky, charming pepper mills were sold by Dansk for nearly 30 years, from the late 50’s to the early 1980’s.

A Koben style pot, designed for Dansk by Jens Quistgaard. One of the first “stove to table” lines of cookware, the lid could also be used as a trivet. Photo courtesy Julie Sandy

Quistgaard’s designs are simple and ergonomic, showcasing the natural materials while still remaining “user-centric” in their forms.  When it came to the pepper mills, Quistgaard let his imagination run wild.  Wood was almost always his material of choice, and most often teak.  Teak was in common use for kitchen-wares by the mid-20th-century, but due to its high oil content and density, no one had figured out how to adhere smaller pieces together—objects were simply carved from a single piece of teak.  Single-piece wood objects were limited in their size, prone to splitting dependent on the grain, and the off-cuts were considered waste.  Quistgaard pioneered the use of modern epoxy to glue smaller pieces of teak together, which when combined with staving techniques used on barrels, resulted in a strong, long wearing, water-resistant and more cost-effective decorative objects.  The resulting truly unique pepper mills were advertised by Dansk as novel gifts, with Quistgaard’s enthusiastic creation of new designs year after year keeping demand fresh.

Photo courtesy Julie Sandy

An ad from the sixties describes Dansk’s pepper mills as “Dignified. Audacious. Timeless.”  Given the current prices that they go for in the antiques/collectibles market, that is certainly true!  In the last few years, picking up on the resurging trend, Dansk has started producing modern pepper mill designs that hark back to Quistgaard’s originals.

Quistgaard was, co-incidentally one of the founders as well as the design genius behind Dansk Designs.

Photo courtesy Mark Perlson

Mark Perlson has written the first-ever book dedicated solely to Quistgaard’s Danish teak pepper mills, titled Danish Pepper. The book could be considered an exhibition catalog, including nearly all of Quistgaard’s designs, with clean, beautiful, full-page pictures of each of the pepper mills.  Perlson’s book is available through Amazon.com, and also via www.danishpepper.com

Cover image courtesy Storey Publi

It is generally accepted that natural fibers are more sustainable than synthetic ones but how much do we know about natural fibers?

Storey Publishing has recently released what may be one of the single most comprehensive reference books on natural fibers. The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook is a 448 -page resource on natural materials, specifically fibers gathered from mammals. Almost every breed of sheep in the world is included as well as goats, camelids (the family that includes camels, alpacas, llamas, and vicunas), bison, horses, musk oxen, rabbits, and even dogs. Each entry includes photographs of the featured animal; samples of its raw fleece, its cleaned fleece, and yarn spun from the fleece; and samples of the yarn, knit and woven. Included is information on each animal and its fiber, including the fiber’s color, density, strength, and staple length, and recommendations for processing and using it.

Excerpted from The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook © Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius, photography © Jean G. Green, used with permission from Storey Publishing

At the core of the book is the question “Why Choose Natural Fibers?” There are many reasons, but Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius boil it down to four main points.

1. Natural fibers are healthy. We all know about “wicking” fabrics, from sports clothing, but did you know that natural animal fibers (specifically wool) are the original wicking fibers?  Because of the molecular structure of the proteins in the fibers, which have kinks and bends, air is trapped in the little pockets that are formed.  This air acts as insulation, which can keep you either warm or cool. Furthermore natural fibers are not derived from petroleum, unlike all synthetics.

The Hampshire breed. Excerpted from The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook © Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius, photography © FLPA John Eveson/agefotostock (on right) and © John Polak (on left), used with permission from Storey Publishing

2. Natural fibers are responsible.  Natural fibers are produced NATURALLY, grown and not manufactured. In terms of “green Economy” natural fibers are more energy efficient, renewable, sustainable and recyclable.  Millions of small-scale farmers worldwide make their living producing and processing natural fibers—by investing in objects made of these fibers, we are investing in these communities.

Sheep shearing and the resulting raw wool. Excerpted from The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook © Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius, photography © Mars Vilaubi, used with permission from Storey Publishing

3. Natural fibers have industrial value.  Natural fibers have high mechanical strength and are lightweight. They are excellent thermal and acoustic insulators. Wool is the only fiber that absorbs moisture and releases heat. Lanolin, derived from wool, is naturally fire and water-resistant. All of these qualities make natural fibers excellent, if not superior choices for industrial, safety and other high-performance applications.

4. Natural fibers are chic again.  With a new focus on sustainability, ethically & locally sourced and heritage species; young designers today are rediscovering and promoting the beauty of natural fibers.  Organic wool is becoming more and more popular; with heirloom or heritage breeds receiving new attention.  Locally sourced materials from farmers markets and hand crafted items can now be seen on websites like Etsy as evidence of this eco-centric sensibility.

The American Miniature Cheviot. Excerpted from The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook © Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius, photography © Sue Weaver (on right) and © John Polak (on left), used with permission from Storey Publishing

This book will increase your awareness of the phenomenal range of animal fiber options and the unique fiber characteristics that are available. The 3.8-pound resource will increase your delight, interest and proficiency in the subject with each turn of the page. Moreover at a modest price of $35, this end-all-be-all resource is accessible to almost everyone.

Image courtesy Edward Morris and The Canary Project

If you want people to save something you have to show it to them. People only save what they see.”  Sharon Motola, Director of the Belize Zoo, from the book “The Last Flight of the Macaw”

Posters are a form of media that can be compared to wildfire—they crop up like sparks landing on trees, lampposts, buildings; they spread ideas to the public, stir up excitement and anger and passion; they incite people to action.  Posters have been around since the 16^th century, when the printing press was invented and it became possible to print pages quickly and cheaply and then distribute them to the masses.

For centuries, effective posters have worked on the most basic of levels, with strong slogans and powerful images, giving all the information that is needed, but only the information that is necessary.

Image courtesy Edward Morris and The Canary Project

Famous posters over the centuries have been created for advertising, for education, for propaganda.  What are the posters of the 21^st century?  How do they capture the look and feel of our time?  What do they inspire us towards?

The Canary Project is a collective of artists, run by creative directors Edward Morris and Dmitri Siegel.  Their organization functions on many levels—they create exhibitions and installations, they get involved in political campaigns, they inspire others to create their own art by taking action in their communities and making change.  Their message is that the actions of individuals DO make a difference, especially as steps in our global movement toward sustainability.  What better way to spread this message than through posters?

Image courtesy Edward Morris and The Canary Project

Green Patriot Posters is just one of the Canary Projects many art campaigns for change.  Starting in 2008, they commissioned top graphic designers from Shepard Fairey to the Thumb Project to DJ Spooky to make posters on topics general and specific, most focused on the environment, climate change and energy. The resulting posters show a wide range of graphic styles; all are bright, bold, attractive and clear, inspiring people to strength, unity, and above all optimism.  These posters were put online for the community to vote on their favorites.  But the project doesn’t end there—anyone who goes onto the Green Patriot Posters site has a chance to design their own poster, which in turn can get voted on.  As their website states, “OUR PROJECT IS TOTALLY OPEN”. The favorite posters have been featured on the website, in a recently published book, “Green Patriot Posters”, and have been printed for distribution in cities across the U.S.  The current exhibition “Graphic Design—Now in Production” on Governor’s Island, co-sponsored by the Smithsonian, Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum and the Walker Art Center features some of the printed Patriot Posters.

Image courtesy Edward Morris and The Canary Project

Image courtesy Edward Morris and The Canary Project

This campaign is not over, and there is still time to get involved –the Canary Project will keep publishing new designs generated from their website for the foreseeable future.  Check out the campaign’s website:  http://www.greenpatriotposters.org.  Creating change is not just about one action on one day—it is a way of thinking every day, seeing yourself as part of a larger picture, and realizing that even the smallest things can make a difference.  Plus, it gives everyone a chance to be a designer, and to inspire others to care about the things they feel are important on this planet we all share.

Image courtesy Edward Morris and The Canary Project