Cream of Wheat; 1913-1925
This week we decided to host our first major exhibit
at our new location. It is an exhibit of original art
from the Cream of Wheat advertising campaign from the
period of 1913-1925. It begins on October 10, 2008,
which doesn't leave much runway for a show of this
magnitude, but it was a fairly spontaneous decision
on the part of 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?
And finally, Cream of Wheat went from a minor grain
mill in North Dakota to a major worldwide cereal
company in ten years because of their 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?