State of the Art Collateral
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
State of the Art brings together the artwork of more than 100 artists, examining the ways in which today’s artists are informed by the past, innovating with materials old and new, and engaging deeply with issues relevant to our times. Here’s a link to a video that explains how this idea came about. Click here to explore the documentary of the show created by PBS.
DESIGN GOALS
This exhibition was a unique idea with lofty goals. I created the identity at a time when the exhibition was only a concept and full of unknowns. The galleries themselves were quite simple and let the art sing, but I made the design incredibly flexible because it supported an immense amount of wayfinding and collateral.
The Commemorative Edition of our member magazine, above, is likely the best entry into the design concept for State of the Art. 8 months before opening we decided to announce the exhibition with a full page ad in the New York Times. Nothing had been finalized, no art determined, no themes had emerged. I needed to create something visually compelling about art with no art imagery.
I created an abstract concept born out of our curators traversing the entire country, seeking art, which had never been done before on this scale. While the exhibition identity itself remains abstracted so it could fit any format, this cover of C Magazine shows where it was born, pulled from the shape of the US. This cover is one of the few times we used matte gloss stock as an institution, because all of the art was UV spot-coated, as well as the state of Arkansas, for a subtle nod to where this began.
Below you can see more of the collateral I created for State of the Art, including the full magazine and the exhibition catalog.
We produced a unique catalog in record time. The concept was a book to house the essays, but each artist had their own card, which could be stacked together to encourage making connections and having fun.
The main piece for the exhibition, which included information on the journey, how to access all of the content we produced, as well as a map through the museum as well as the art placed throughout the community. Below is a detail of the art file, one side of the roll-fold.
The family guide for State of the Art.
The inside of the family guide, which acted as a seek-and-find while giving information and playing into some of the exhibitions themes. The map was integral to the activity because of the complex nature of the building.
Through a partnership we Coca-Cola, we created commemorative Coke bottles.
The State of the Art Commemorative Edition of our Member Magazine, C.
The State of the Art Catalog’s book portion.
See my State of the Art exhibition work here.