Mr. Pin-up
Spotlight on Dan Murphy's Illustration Art Collection
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune featured a wonderful story today about Dan Murphy and his illustration art collection. We had the pleasure of working with Dan and Sarah on two different occasions: once in 2007 for The Dream Girl exhibit and again in 2008 for The Cream of Wheat exhibit.
Dan has an impressive collection and is a recognized expert in this genre. I look forward to working with Dan again this year, possibly on a pulp men's magazine (think True Detective) or a science-fiction exhibit.
The War on Poverty
Steve Liss: Photojournalist and Humanitarian
Steve Liss is a highly accomplished photojournalist, with an impressive 43 Time Magazine cover photos to his credit.
However, it is not just his professional success that Liss takes the most pride in. Steve Liss is a humanitarian who uses photo essays to shed light on tough topics. His subjects have included poverty in the Mississippi Delta, runaway youth living on the streets of Hollywood, and studies of the Nuns of Mankato and Alzheimer's disease. He has been honored with the Soros Justice Media Fellowship for his work on juvenile justice and the Alicia Patterson Fellowship for his work on domestic poverty.
We are thrilled and honored to be invited to participate in his latest project, titled In Our Own Backyard: U.S. Poverty in the 21st Century. This unique poverty awareness initiative is being undertaken by more than 15 preeminent American photojournalists. The project's goal is to utilize the visual power of large-format documentary photography to elevate the discussion of making the fight against poverty a national priority.
This project is in partnership with Catholic Charities and their campaign to cut poverty in half by 2020. Starting in the fall of 2009, nine major photographic and multimedia exhibits, each featuring 50 emotionally moving large-format photographs, will tour throughout the United States.
The project will kick off at a leadership summit on April 20, 2009, at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN. For more information, you can register here and view the invitation postcard here.
Poverty has many faces, and it is impossible to ignore when seen up close and personal. It is projects like this that make our work feel less like work and more like purpose.
Leah Lundgaard
Introducing 'Art al fresco' Artist: Leah Lundgaard
Leah Lundgaard is the latest 'Art al fresco' artist. We have had the pleasure of knowing Leah for several years and have enjoyed watching her grow as an artist. Leah is a full-time artist, both a painter and a potter.
She typically paints with either a watercolor pencil or oils. A common element in her paintings is a burst of color and activity, such as fall leaves or waves crashing on beach rocks.
Her pottery features an interesting pattern of geometry. I see a Fibonacci sequence in her patterns, a common sequence found in nature. Sunflower heads, honeybee combs, and artichoke flowers are all examples of Fibonacci patterns.
Leah is modest, soft-spoken, and a very genuine person. She clearly has an inner voice that she expresses through her art.
Cream of Wheat; 1913-1925
Hosting Our First Major Exhibit at the New Location
This week, we decided to host our first major exhibit at our new location. It features original art from the Cream of Wheat advertising campaign from the period of 1913-1925. The exhibit begins on October 10, 2008, which doesn't leave much runway for a show of this magnitude, but it was a fairly spontaneous decision by all the players involved.
The worst thing an art gallery can do is be boring, and this exhibit is anything but.
This exhibit is fascinating on many levels. To begin with, the art is amazing. The campaign director was very insistent on using the best available illustration artists, and the art reflects that. The imagery is very wholesome and comforting, and humor is a common element in many of the illustrations.
The exhibit also presents and discusses the use of racial stereotypes in the media. Times change, and so do acceptable standards. The Cream of Wheat campaign usually used an African-American chef as a welcoming and reassuring icon. Was this naive, demeaning, or enlightened on the part of Cream of Wheat?
Additionally, Cream of Wheat went from a minor grain mill in North Dakota to a major worldwide cereal company in ten years because of its effective use of advertising and image branding. This alone is worthy of a Harvard business case study.
Cream of Wheat was located in Northeast Minneapolis from 1897 to 2002. The company has changed hands several times and is no longer independent. These paintings were in storage in the archives of the headquarters until the building was converted to condominiums in 2005. This might be the last opportunity to see a body of work this complete.
The best part of this exhibit is the chance to work with Dan and Sarah again. We first worked with them last year for The Dream Girl exhibit, and they are a class act. Maybe next year we can do a pulp fiction or science fiction theme?
Red Wing Photography Club Exhibition of Photographs
Red Wing Photography Club Exhibition
On April 18th, 2009, at the Goodhue County History Center (1166 Oak Street, Red Wing, MN), the Red Wing Photography Club will present an Exhibition of Photographs.
Ardent readers will remember that this club was formed about this time last year. This is the first time the club has formally exhibited members’ photographs. Assuming there isn't a repeat of the Rolling Stones incident in Altamont, CA, it's likely this group will exhibit again.
The rules were pretty simple: no more than three pieces and nothing larger than 16"x20". And like most good photographers, the rules were almost immediately broken.
This exhibit is non-juried, non-themed, non-competitive, and not-for-sale. The objective is for members to share their favorite images, and for many members to exhibit for the first time.
A public reception will be held on April 18th at 2 pm at the History Center.
I did the poster layout, which is absolutely derivative of a WPA poster from the 1930s (read: rip-off).
You're welcome, and thank you.
Blog from the Baghdad Bureau
Photojournalism Exhibit by Max Becherer
In September 2005, we hosted a photojournalism exhibit by Max Becherer. Max was an embedded photographer during the initial 'Shock and Awe' invasion of Iraq in 2003 and has traveled back and forth between Iraq and Afghanistan several times, often for months at a time. Max's exhibit presented various storylines depicting what life is like for Iraqis in the post-Saddam era. The objective was to offer an honest portrayal; it is what it is.
The exhibit was very moving, and I am proud to have Max as a friend. Max is a giant of a man with an uncanny eye for capturing the emotion within an image. His work includes some pretty horrific combat photography, requiring a special skill set to be both sensitive to the subject matter and still tell the story.
Max has shared some very emotional reflections on the past five years in Iraq. His piece was published in The New York Times on March 18, 2008. You can read it here. After that, visit his website at www.MaxBecherer.com.
To Max: Keep your head low and travel safely.