The Wake

When most people think about art and fashion, New York City comes to mind. An art gallery or top-notch art school sits on nearly every corner, and lauded designer names litter the streets. The Big Apple is also the place where many aspiring artists go to make it big. But Minneapolis’ art scene is well poised to take its own bite out of the apple — especially when it comes to graphic design.

Want proof? Look no further than Density Studios’ second annual exhibit, Art of Design: The Future. The Northeast Minneapolis gallery is showcasing work from 13 up-and-coming Twin Cities graphic designers. And thanks to gallery director Kate Iverson, many of the artists will be framing and selling their work for the first time.

“A lot of graphic designers aren’t used to the art scene,” Iverson says. “They aren’t typical artists, like painters.” So, Iverson had to do a little hunting to find some of the creative talent in the show.

She stumbled upon graphic design artist Josh Clancy through www.computerlove.com, a site where an international roster of designers can post their goods. “Clancy’s graphic design work is pretty amazing,” Iverson says. “And he’s very young.”

Nineteen, to be exact — and Clancy’s work has already been featured in the cutting-edge publications Beautiful/Decay and Alternative Press magazine He has crafted graphics for various websites, band T-shirts and album covers.

“I’ve always been into anything visually compelling,” says Clancy. “I love things that look interesting and love making things my own.”

Just two weeks ago, he helped launch a graphic design group, called Wish Well, with design freelancers Collin Strandberg and Travis Stearns. The trio’s collaboration has already resulted in new work for Density’s show.

Their first submission, “Natural Sound for Natural People,” is a three-piece set of 24-by-36 inch prints inspired by music. “The first panel is blank,” Clancy says. “The second panel has some typography cut from actual records that spells the phrase ‘let’s regress,’ and the third panel is our perception of the free forms that music creates when it is listened to.”

Their second piece, “Crisp and Carefree,” is an exploration of technique, composition and color. “We just started playing around with a picture that we scanned in from an old book,” Clancy says. “And from there, we let it grow.” The picture, of a woman’s body, is in the center of the print, and doused in drops of blue and pink. Iverson describes it as “design overlaying photography.”

It is nothing more than an experiment,” Clancy says. “Kind of like art for arts sake.”

With plenty of creativity and hard work, Wish Well hopes to make a lasting impression on gallery-goers.

“The showcase is the perfect chance for ‘Wish Well’ to get exposed to the art scene,” Clancy says. “There are so many talented graphic designers in the Twin Cities; we are just excited to have people appreciate our artwork.”

Posters aren’t the only form graphic design work will take in Art of Design. “The artwork ranges from product packaging to album covers for bands,” Iverson says. “We also have some artists who specialize in T-shirt and poster design.”

To help the show’s participants gain the widest exposure on the Minneapolis graphics scene, Density Studios invited nearly 100 design and advertising firms to the showcase. And Iverson put together an experienced panel of judges to critique each piece.

“We will be looking for good graphic skills, interesting concepts and the types of graphic implementation used,” says Izaak B, a judge and senior designer for L’etoile magazine, a local fashion rag. “Overall, we are looking for what looks good and what doesn’t.”

The winner of the showcase will receive a large spread in L’etoile, and second- and third-place finishers will also be featured. But “Art of Design” isn’t solely about winning or loosing — Iverson says it’s also about helping everyday people appreciate graphic design as an art form.

“Graphic design is a type of art that is not very well-known,” Iverson says. And since the show will be open to the public, she hopes to inspire and surprise viewers who may think dubiously on the field as a legitimate art outlet. “Overall, we just hope that some people who never looked at design as an art form will leave the show with a new appreciation for it.”

Art of Design: The Future, will be on display at Density Studios through Sept. 16.

www.densitystudios.com
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