Art | the mehallo blog. beta.

Soviet Design talk, by mehallo

I’ll be giving a talk Wednesday as part of The DESIGNSPEAK Series at The Art Institute of California-Sacramento:

Changing the World:
The Russian Avant Garde, NEP and Soviet Graphic Design
An overview of the history, politics and graphic design of the Soviet Union and how it changed everything.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at noon
at The Art Institute of California-Sacramento, 2850 Gateway Oaks Drive, Room 241, Sacramento, CA 95833 [map]

Free admission
and limited ‘first come, first served’ pizza, cut into geometric triangle forms.

Tags: art, design, design history, education, events by steve
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John Downer exhibition in El Lay

John Downer doing his thing, via The FontFeed

An Exhibition of Hand Lettered Posters by John Downer
Opening Reception Thursday, August 13, 2009 from 8 to 11 p.m.

At RESERVE, 420 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036
(directly across from Canter’s Delicatessen) [map]

Details here.

Tags: art, cool finds, design, design history, events, exhibitions, typography by steve
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Dichotomy

A few images from ttv : testify! and houndstooth heels, two of many contrasted photo sets posted on juxtapositioning.

Found via Twitter.com/morganirene

Tags: art, cool finds, photography by steve
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Sacramento’s Horse Cow: these days

‘Sacramento needs the Horse Cow!’ Vanoni exclaimed. ‘Urban artist communities are needed globally. They are happening centers of culture—thriving and alive. They represent talent, energy and culture; they make a place live—or not.’

Despite a fire, Allen Denault and Steve Vanoni’s underground Horse Cow collective is still kicking. Read the detailed cover story in this week’s News and Review.

And here’s a link to the Horse Cow website.

Tags: art, cool finds by steve
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The Toyroom Online

Emergence by Justin Lovato

It’s been awhile since The Toyroom Gallery shut its doors on Sacramento’s K-Street Mall. But that hasn’t stopped Craig Maclaine.

Still showcasing (and selling) incredible work, the Toyroom Gallery online has prints from Shepard Fairey, Dave Kinsey, Justin Lovato, Bask, Jeff Boyes, David Choe . . . Just click over for new arrivals.

Regeneration by Dave Kinsey

Tags: art, cool finds by steve
3 comments . . .

Students: sell your wares or start an art collection . . .

‘Sarah’ by Annie Purpura, silver gelatin print

The brain child of Vincent de Sarthe, CollegeArtOnline is a one stop source for starting a reasonably-priced art collection.

Featuring work by recent college grads or professors (only these two groups can sell at the site) – CollegeArtOnline can be a career launching pad or cultured resource for a lonely wall. Drop by, see what catches your fancy/matches your credenza.

‘No, I Don’t Even Know Your Name’ by Josh Bernstein, india ink & digital print

‘29’ by Becca Ahlf, digital photography

Found via Nylon, August 2009

Tags: art, cool finds, education, photography by steve
2 comments . . .

Not Ben Franklin

Photographic Quaker Oats advertisement, 1897

I always thought the Quaker Oats guy was Benjamin Franklin.

He actually started as a printer’s cut – clip art, in today’s terms – that was selected to go on the Oats packaging to show ‘purity.’ Quakers always looked pure, let’s sell some oats with that in mind.

Benjamin Franklin was really smart, not quite pure though.

Tags: art, cool finds, culinary, design history, education, photography, thoughts by steve
3 comments . . .

Ben Franklin ‘can do’

Click the image to read Maira Kalman’s ode to Franklin . . . .

Benjamin Franklin was fun. So much fun, the International Printing Museum has on staff the incredible Phil Soinski.

Soinski portrays Franklin as part of their educational services; and does such a fantastic job, I learned more about Hot Type in one hour with ‘Ben’ than reading thru whatever pile of type books are currently stacked on my desk. Drop by the museum, set up a tour, take a class – their programs, their dedication to the craft of printing can be contagious.

And illustrator Maira Kalman gives us a bunch of really cool things to know about ultramegasuperinventor Ben Franklin in yesterday’s New York Times . . . .

Tags: art, cool finds, design history, education, illustration by steve
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The collage work of Cristiana Couceiro

When one thinks of collage, it’s usually something . . . scrapbooky. Not always the case.

Here’s some clever modernist-influenced work by Lisbon-based artist Cristiana Couceiro. Love the hint of Univers and the careful subtle essences of Lester Beall, Bradbury Thompson, Tschichold . . .