Jaume Plensa’s, “The Crown Fountain”: breathing neighborly life into the city and viva the façade as computer screen

Jaume Plensa, The Crown Fountain, 1999–2004, Millennium Park, Chicago, Illinois. Photographs by versluis. Top: tandem photos indicating a south view and directly above is a north view. 

The Crown Fountain in Chicago reminded me of a couple of appropos comments that provide interesting insights to the piece. The first is by Calvin Seerveld, Professor of Aesthetics, Emeritus, Institute for Christian Studies, Toronto. Seerveld has written the following:

A striking example of large-scale stewardship in art patronage is Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain (1999-2004) in Chicago’s Millennium Park. The two, 50-foot high towers of glass on which 1,000 different Chicago inhabitants’ faces are projected every thirteen minutes, smiling, slowly pursing their lips until a stream of water gushes out of their fountain mouths, preside over 2,200 square meters of black granite covered with a thin sheet (3 millimeters) of water. The wealthy Crown family has not sponsored an expensive piece of museum art plunked down somewhere (such as the Picasso and Miro sculptures a few blocks away) but has given a fortune for genuine public artwork that breathes neighborly life into the city—the distinguishing mark of real public artistry. [1]

The second comment is by Zoë Ryan, the John H. Bryan Chair and Curator of Architecture and Design, Department of Architecture and Design, The Art Institute of Chicago. The following comment written by Ms. Ryan was not directly made about the The Crown Fountain, but her reference to Robert Venturi seems fitting when juxtaposed with Seerveld's comment:

Robert Venturi [has called for the integration of] “iconography and electronics that engage digital media as a significant element in architecture.” and going so far as to proclaim: “Viva the façade as computer screen!”[2]

1. Seerveld, Calvin. “How Should Christians Be Stewards of Art?, A Response to Nathan Jacobs” Journal of Markets & Morality 12.2 (2009): 377-85. Web. 27 June 2012. Cf. Calvin Seerveld, “Cities as a Place for Public Artwork: A Global Approach,” in Globalization and the Gospel: Probing the Religious Foundations of Globalization, ed. Michael W. Goheen and Erin Glanville. Vancouver: Regent Press and Geneva Society, 2009, 53–80. Print.
2. Ryan, Zoë, and Joseph Rosa. Hyperlinks: Architecture and Design. New Haven and London: The Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2010. 32. Print. Cf. Venturi, Robert, and Denise Scott Brown. Architecture as Signs and Systems. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2004. 94-99. Print.

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Ed Fella: 1995 correspondence envelope

Ed Fella—correspondence with Rick Valicenti, number 10 envelope, 1995;
Ink and Prisma color. The artwork is published with permission.

One of the most delightful and whimsical pieces in Rick Valicenti’s art and graphic design collection at Thirst is this framed envelope art by Ed Fella, postmarked June 6, 1995, Royal Oak, Michigan. As with much of Fella's work he is able to give significance to the ordinary.

To fully appreciate Ed Fella’s artful graphic design one needs to be open to the possibilities and inspiration of graphic design from all sides. Mainly there’s sincerity in Fella’s hand-drawn sketchbook style that’s free from ulterior motives and thus seems ironic—contradicting, in a way, what graphic design should be. This piece conveys Fella’s personality and as someone said, “Ed Fella explored typography beyond what the computer provided.”

Envelope art is interesting because in spite of its unconventionality to postal regulations, the mail carrier can still decipher the address and return address, thus fulfilling delivery to the addressee.

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Victor Hammer—to the greater glory of God

This is a Transylvania College, Lexington, Kentucky, announcement for an exhibition of the work of Victor Hammer in the Lexington Public Library, June 10–July 1, 1950. This vintage portrait linocut and American Uncial type were both created and printed by Victor Hammer. Image is from American Artist magazine, June 1962. [1]

Despite the obvious religious imagery illustrated above, Hammer apparently was not an active member of a Christian church; nevertheless, according to Father Thomas Merton, Hammer was a very faithful servant and a believer. (See Father Louie)

Here’s a brief synopsis about Victor Hammer and his Uncial type, written by The Reverend Travis DuPriest, Book Editor for The Living Church:

A Note on Victor Hammer and His Work: 

An Austrian by birth, Victor Hammer (1882–1967) lived and worked throughout Europe and the United States. He was in every sense of the word a Renaissance man and was a close friend of Thomas Merton the monk, Jacques Maritain the philosopher, John Jacob Niles the musician and countless other writers and artists. His paintings and books have been featured in numerous shows; last fall [1995] the Grolier Club of New York City honored him and his wife, Carolyn, with an exhibition of their hand-printed books and prints. His work is a part of private and permanent collections in Munich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Lexington, Ky., Palm Beach, Fla., New York City, London, Paris and elsewhere. He and his family left Austria during World War II and made their way to the United States, where he taught at Wells College, Aurora, N.Y., and Transylvania College, Lexington, KY. He is buried in Lexington. The uncial type he designed and cut and printed with is based on classical and medieval lettering which is quite curvilinear; Hammer preferred this form for a variety of reasons, one of which is that it purposefully slows down the reader and induces a contemplative approach to the page, the book and the ideas. [2] 

1. Ettenberg, Eugene M. “Graphic Arts: U.S.A.” American Artist June 1962: 110. Print. 
2. Holbrook, Paul E. “The Art/Craft of Victor Hammer.” The Archives of the Episcopal Church: The Living Church, 1995-2001. Ed. Christopher S. Wells. The Living Church Foundation Inc., 17 Nov. 1996. Web. 19 June 2012.

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Translucent color and light: Morton Goldsholl and graphic design modernism

The image above is the title page from a 1948 textbook on color theory by Egbert Jacobsen. The book was designed and illustrated by Chicago based graphic designer, Morton Goldsholl. In this particular design Goldsholl gives the sensation of translucent color and color boundaries while the typography is nuanced, yet graphically bold. Goldsholl studied under Moholy-Nagy at the New Bauhaus in Chicago in the late 1930s. Basic Color: An Interpretation of the Ostwald Theory was written by Egbert Jacobsen and published by Paul Theobald, Chicago in 1948.



This image is a black and white version of the previous piece from a June 1962 article in American Artist titled “Graphic Arts: U.S.A.” In the caption Eugene Ettenberg describes the design as an “Early use of piggyback typography.” [1]

Obviously, the element of color in art and graphic design has the power to express boldness, mood, or a nuanced idea.  R. Roger Remington has written that, “Morton Goldsholl, a student of Moholy-Nagy’s, began his business in Chicago and put into practice many of the principles he had learned from his teacher about light, sequence and formalism in design.” [2]

Moholy-Nagy was convinced that design could make a better world. Egbert Jacobson was the knowledgeable and progressive corporate designer for the Container Corporation and one of the founder’s of CCA’s Center for Advance Research in Design.

Goldsholl’s sans serif typography and design is indicative of formal principles by twentieth century Cubists’ straight and curved lines along with color combinations influenced by the Futurists’ blend of art and science. The classical composition juxtaposes well the bold sans serif typography of “Basic Color” and is balanced by the smaller italic serif type for the subhead, “An Interpretation of the Ostwald Theory”. Goldsholl’s layout is derived from the ideology of Mondrian’s division of space.

In 1991 Goldsholl had a wonderful retrospective show, which was organized by the American Center for Design (ACD) and displayed in their gallery on East Ontario Street. The ACD was formerly the Society of Typographic Arts (STA). The opening reception was a special moment that included Morton’s wife, business partner and design collaborator Millie as well as their children and their families.

1. Ettenberg, Eugene M. “Graphic Arts: U.S.A.” American Artist June 1962: 110. Print.
2. Remington, R. Roger. American Modernism: Graphic Design, 1920 to 1960. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. 123. Print.

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Herbert Matter’s 1955 History of Writing Mural for the Grosse Pointe Public Library

The Central branch of the Grosse Pointe Public Library was designed by architect Marcel Breuer and opened in 1953 in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Shown (top is a vintage photograph of the library building that dates from the around the mid-50s. The image above is of Herbert Matter’s (1907–1984) History of Writing photomontage-mural for the Grosse Pointe Public Library, which was completed in 1955. This image is a clipping from a 1956 article in American Artist magazine written by Eugene M. Ettenberg. For the caption, Ettenberg summarized Matter’s project outline:

Matter’s mural, twenty-five feet long and nine feet high, for the new Grosse Pointe, Michigan Public Library designed by Marcel Breuer, portrays the history of the alphabet. Starting with the prehistoric stone scribblings, it follows the development of our letters through pictographs—cave drawings, hieroglyphs, Easter Island and Mayan markings—early communications from Crete, China, Arabia, and right up to the present-day letter form we term “Egyptian” to be seen on the locomotives and cars of the New Haven Railroad.

Detail images above are courtesy of the Grosse Pointe Public Library. Select image for a larger view.

According to library information, W. Hawkins Ferry felt it would be appropriate for the library to have art depicting the development of the written word (the idea was Matter’s concept) and commissioned Matter to do the mural. The mural, completed in 1955 for the adult reading room, is a photomontage—Matter’s preferred medium. The work displays a pattern of communication symbols and illustrates the evolution of writing from 12,000 B.C. It includes elements of Greek, Roman, Hebrew, Arabic, Sanskrit, Chinese and the typeface of the Gutenberg Bible.



Above is a brief, hand-written correspondence from Matter to Breuer (1955) that accompanied the enclosure outlining the chronology of artifacts and elements within the mural. Apparently there were inevitable delays in completing the mural on time and in the note Matter thanks Breuer for his patience. This piece is in the Marcel Breuer Digital Archive, Syracuse University Library. [1]

1. Matter, Herbert. Letter to Marcel Breuer: Mural for the Grosse Pointe Public Library. 1951-52 [1955]. Syracuse University, Syracuse. Web. 5 June 2012.

Below is the didactic for the mural indicating a caption for each sign, symbol, script, and letter. Note the columns of information in grid units which seems to reinforce the implied gird structure of the mural itself.


Image is courtesy of the Grosse Pointe Public Library.

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Daniel Burnham and the Dordt College east campus sculpture proposal

The illustrations above are renderings for a proposed Dordt College east campus sculpture in the grass area near Covenant Hall. The renderings are done in Solidworks and indicate the side view shown at the top and the viewer’s view shown beneath. Concept and design by David Versluis, all rights reserved. Illustration by William Morren.

The sculpture is entitled “Enlaced” and references Calvin Seerveld’s quote, “All creation is a burning bush of the Lord God.” The COR-TEN® steel sculpture will stand 7 feet wide x 18 feet high.

Working drawings for a campus sculpture are now finished and the piece is ready for fabrication. However, as the project is currently looking for funding, I’m reminded of this quote from the great Chicago architect, Daniel H. Burnham:

Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. [1]

1. Thorne, Martha. Unbuilt Chicago. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2004. 3. Print.

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Thirst / 3st posters on display at Dordt College

The Dordt College Department of Art and Design is currently featuring poster designs created by the Chicago-based design studio, Thirst.

The exhibit is currently on display in the Dordt College Art Gallery located inside the Campus Center, and it will run through July 15. The public is welcome to enjoy the exhibit free of charge Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Founder of Thirst and Graphic Designer Rick Valicenti has shared a sampling of posters that span the company’s nearly 25-year history including the 2011 Show Boat poster which is part of the seminal Lyric Opera of Chicago poster series, a decade of Illinois Institute of Design College of Architecture Lecture series posters, and the internationally acclaimed LOEB posters for Harvard’s Graduate Students of Design.

The exhibition was assembled by art (graphic design) professor David Versluis who spent the spring semester on sabbatical in Chicago working at Thirst. “This is the largest collection of Thirst’s posters outside of their studio,” said Versluis. “Viewers seem to be keenly aware that this exhibition is smart and special with exceptional imagination. Each poster has high visual impact while collectively this body of work is stunning.”

Valicenti has been influencing design internationally since 1988. He is a leader in design, taking on roles of practitioner, educator, and mentor.

In John Foster’s book New Masters of Poster Design, Valicenti says, “The best part of designing a poster is the hardest part of designing a poster—deciding what to actually print. Unlike when designing a catalog or book, the designer has but one page to express the program, the event, or the system, not 32 or 332 pages! I thoroughly enjoy the challenge.”

In 2011, Valicenti was awarded the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Award in Communication Design, an honor designated by the White House. The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) honored Valicenti the Medal in 2006, the highest honor of the graphic design profession, for his sustained contribution to design excellence and the development of the profession. He was recognized as an AIGA/Chicago Fellow in 2004 and has been a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) since being invited in 1996.

Valicenti has juried the President’s Design Awards for the National Endowment for the Arts during the George H.W. Bush and William Clinton Administrations. Valicenti also serves on the Board of Directors of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been published in major graphic design publications including Eye.06 (London), Émigré (twice) and Idea (in Tokyo). His book, Emotion as Promotion, was published by Monacelli Press in 2005.

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