March 28–August 3, 2014
RISD Museum
224 Benefit Street
Providence, RI 02903
T 
+1 401 454 6500
This spring, the RISD Museum explores some of the most cutting-edge concepts and creative practices in 21st-century graphic design as the ambitious international exhibition Graphic Design: Now in Productionculminates its national tour in Providence—complemented by an exciting series of public programs and events.
Graphic design has broadened its reach dramatically in the 21st century, expanding from a specialized profession to a widely deployed tool. Today, graphic design is the largest of the design professions in the United States, with more than a quarter-million practitioners using color, typography, images, symbols, and systems to make the surfaces around us come alive with meaning. The revolutions in desktop computing and networked communication have raised public awareness of graphic design, and the field is shifting and expanding in unexpected ways as social media and other technologies change how people consume information. As design tools have become more widely accessible, designers’ roles have also expanded: more designers are becoming producers—authors, publishers, instigators, and entrepreneurs.
Co-organized by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York, Graphic Design: Now in Production explores some of the most vibrant graphic design work produced since 2000, including magazines, books, and posters; the expansion of branding programs for corporations, institutions, and subcultures; the entrepreneurial spirit of designer-produced goods; the renaissance in digital typeface design; the storytelling potential of film and television titling sequences; and the transformation of raw data into compelling information narratives.
Related events:
“Critical Encounters with Type, Image, and Print”
Wednesday, April 16, 1–5pm & 6:30–8pm
Andrew Blauvelt and Ellen Lupton, curators of Graphic Design: Now in Production, lead a two-part discussion, co-sponsored by the RISD Museum and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Graphic Design department. The co-curators debate graphic design’s past, critique its role today, and imagine its future, joined by graphic designers Jessica Helfand of Winterhouse Studios and Prem Krishnamurthy of Project Projects, along with RISD faculty members Lucy Hitchcock, Bethany Johns, Douglass Scott, Benjamin Shaykin, and Nancy Skolos. Faculty/students: no charge; Museum members/non-members: fee, reservations required at risdmuseum.org
Later that evening, Blauvelt, Lupton, Helfand, and Krishnamurthy explore the concept of the designer as producer and the future of graphic design education in a panel discussion moderated by John Caserta, RISD Graphic Design department head and founder of The Design Office. Free, reservations required atrisdmuseum.org
Design the Night: WYSIWYG
Thursday, April 17, 5–9pm
Free
The RISD Museum’s dynamic evening event series kicks off its third-annual season with a celebration of graphic design. What you see and what you get are lively discussions with graphic artists, designers, and students; hands-on art making; music and more.
Graphic Design Lecture Series
Visit risdmuseum.org for a complete schedule.
RISD’s Graphic Design programs—ranked among the best in the world—guide students toward culturally connected learning, creative making, and critical thinking in the ever-expanding realm of visual communication. In this free series sponsored by RISD’s Graphic Design department, visiting designers Dan Michaelson, Tamara Maletic, Lev Manovich, Peter Bil’ak, and Armand Mevis share their philosophies and practices with the greater public.
*Left to right, top to bottom: Peter Buchanan-Smith, First Aid Kit. David Bennewith, ChurchwardInternational Typefaces. John Morgan, Dracula. Best Made Company, American Felling Axes. Mike Perry,Eames Eiffel Side Chair. Peter Buchanan-Smith,C.C.G.F. Badge Set. Anthony Burrill, Oil & Water Do Not Mix. Antoine et Manuel, Comedie de Clermont, Saison 2011-2012. Fanette Mellier, Specimen. Eric Ku,Chair/Chair. Laurenz Brunner, Akkurat. Forsman & Bodenfors, with Evelina Bratell (stylist) and Carl Kleiner (photographer), Homemade is Best. Meike Gerritzen, Beware of Software vest from the Saved by Droog Project. Aaron Draplin and Coudal Partners, Field Notes (dry transfer letter version). Justin Manor, John Rothenberg, and Eric Gunther, Set Top Box. Charles S. Anderson Design, Tiny Bubbles Soap, Pop Ink brand.
