Andrew Blauvelt’s Work 1
For his work, I chose to learn more about one of his most renown exhibitions that he did in 2011 called Graphic Design: Now in Production. He did this project with the help of Ellen Lupton at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York. With Ellen’s help, Blauvelt was able to show the mix of the white collar world of design and the photomechanical reproductive part of design. In addition, Andrew Blauvelt wanted to capture the freedom of design that a lot of graphic designers actually don’t have in their workplaces. It’s often catering to what the client wants, but in this exhibit Blauvelt and Lupton collected pieces to show how design has changed over time and how freeing it can be when the artist chooses their own restrictions. This exhibit was for the Walker Art Center, where Blauvelt previously worked, but it was also published as a book.
In this project, Blauvelt also aimed to show the impact that design programs and schools have on the shape of contemporary design. I looked further into a piece from this exhibit that I thought captured what Blauvelt meant by allowing graphic designers to do what they wanted. In this example, it shows collaging that draws the viewer in. In these pieces you can see the similarity and the story that they tell. They do an amazing job of showing how graphic design can be, and is, modern and abstract. The designer of this piece masterfully executed a design by using strong colors, bold typefaces, and unique images.
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Experimental Jetset, Statement and Counter-Statement, 2011
Bibliography:
https://walkerart.org/magazine/gdnip-1-experimental-jetset-posters-statement-and-counter-statement
Graphic Design: Now in Production
https://walkerart.org/calendar/2011/graphic-design-now-in-production
I love this chaotic, contemporary collage exhibit. I would say this art is very impactful. Combing words, images, and vivid colors conveys the artist’s message well. When I saw the featured image, I wanted to know what the story was behind the art. From a glance it has this effect of drawing you in, and I thought it was interesting that you spoke on that because this was my first thought when I saw the image. One thing that I thought was interesting is how I can sense some emotion in these pieces, even without there being a focus on faces. There are some touches of human expression, but for the most part it relies on color and recognizable symbols mixed in through these jagged panes. Even though the work is simple, there is skill in evoking emotion through the abstract.