Thoughts on Democracy: 07/01/2008

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Dynamo Museum Shop Spotlight: Propaganda Products by CP+B

Can’t get enough Thoughts on Democracy, but don’t have enough wall space for a poster? Check out these ToD inspired products created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, one of the exhibition contributors. Exclusively on sale at The Wolfsonian’s Dynamo Museum Shop and Café, these interactive products stimulate your creativity in thinking about your own “thoughts on democracy.”

Thoughts on Democracy Ad Lib Pads:
Building on the interactive nature of the fill-in-the-blank Star Spangled Banner poster (and because of its overwhelming popularity) CP+B has created a portable note pad version so you can have a little fun with democracy anywhere, anytime. Just gather ye patriot friends, and throw a late night ad lib karaoke party. “Oh, say can you blank by the dawn’s early light.”
Dynamo Price: $5.00

Political Post-it® Notes:
If only it were this easy to get the candidates to echo your exact thoughts and sentiments. These quirky illustrated Post-it® Notes feature Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain with blank word bubbles. That’s where you come in. Use them to create your own spirited political debate between the Democratic and Republican sparring partners. But please, use them responsibly. The last thing we want to encourage is making a complete mockery of our nation’s sacred democratic process.
Dynamo Price: $10.00

If you have questions or would like to purchase one of these items, visit The Dynamo Café at The Wolfsonian-FIU (located at 1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL). Or, contact the museum shop manager at paola@thewolf.fiu.edu or 305.535.2680.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Banned Books. Designer Housewares. Wearable Art. Unusual Toys…These and books by Thoughts on Democracy contributors on sale at The Dynamo

Voted “Best Bookstore” in Miami by the New Times, The Dynamo Museum Shop and Café is (in)famous for its “propaganda products” and book collection – which include design periodicals, exhibition catalogs, banned books and other titillating titles. Now, books by and about Thoughts on Democracy artists have been added to the Dynamo shelves. From essays and art books, to do-it-yourself design and collections of poetry, the Dynamo’s collection of ToD related titles include:

Women by Ruth Ansel
Looking Closer 1, Looking Closer 2, Looking Closer 3, Looking Closer 4, Looking Closer 5, and 79 Short Essays on Design by Michael Bierut
Graphic Design History featuring references to R.O. Blechman
How to be a Graphic Designer without Losing Your Soul (featuring references to Neville Brody)
Designers are Wankers by Neville Brody
Graphic Style and The Push Pin Graphic by Seymour Chwast
The Miracles of Passover and The Miracles of the Bible illustrated by Seymore Chwast
Wim Crouwel Alphabets
Letters on America (OP) by Ed Fella
As Far as the Eye Can See by Liam Gillick from a Lawrence Weiner exhibition at the Whitney Museum
Liam Gillick by Liam Gillick
Essays on Graphic Design, New Media, & Visual Culture by Jessica Helfand
Iron Fists by Steven Heller
Illustration coauthored by Steven Heller and Seymour Chwast
Pentagon Papers and Profile Pentagram Design by Kit Hinrichs
Spencer Finch: what time by Tim Hossler
Guillermo Kuitca by Guillermo Kuitca
American Illustration 26 – by contributing author Anita Kunz
DIY, DIY Kids, Thinking with Type, Letters from the Avante Garde, Graphic Design, and Skin – Surface, Substance & Design by Ellen Lupton
Seven Notebooks by Campbell McGrath
Caution Five Hungry Soviet Cows by Richard Massey
Design of Dissent and Graphic Design Time Line featuring Chaz Marviyane-Davies
Design Evolution: A Handbook of Basic Design Principles Applied in Contemporary Design with references to Armando Milani
Gary Panter by Gary Panter
Make it Bigger by Paula Scher
How to be a Graphic Designer without Losing your Soul, Cover Art By, and Look at This by Adrian Shaughnessy
Dot dot dot 16 by Dester Sinister
Art of Richard Tuttle and A Project by Richard Tuttle by Richard Tuttle
Francesco Vezzoli by Francesco Vezzoli
Fresh Dialogue 6 with contributions by James Victore
Deep Blue Skylight and Lawrence Weiner by Lawrence Weiner

If you have questions or would like to purchase one of these titles, visit The Dynamo Café at The Wolfsonian-FIU (located at 1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL) OR contact the museum shop manager at paola@thewolf.fiu.edu or 305.535.2680.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

New! At Aventura Mall

Next time you are shopping at The Aventura Mall, don’t forget to visit the second floor space outside of Nordstrom’s to view selected posters from the Thoughts on Democracy exhibit! The Thoughts on Democracy exhibit at The Aventura Mall is co-presented by Turnberry for the Arts, and will be on view through the end of August 2008.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Politics and Design: The New Yorker cover

As has been widely reported, the July 21, 2008 cover of the New Yorker magazine has been become a major subject of debate and controversy. Illustrated by Barry Blitt and entitled “The Politics of Fear,” the cover depicts presidential candidate Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as caricatures of anti-American sentiment, illustrating some of the accusations that have been attributed to them during their campaign.

David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker, discusses the cover here.

While some interpret the cover as satire, others have labeled it slander, believing that the New Yorker should not have had it published. Whatever your perspective, Kate Rawlinson, Wolfsonian Assistant Director for Education and Public Programs, points out that the cover controversy “connects to issues around propaganda, visual literacy, and personal perception,” and relates to the overall mission of The Wolfsonian. Indeed, the New Yorker cover is insightful in terms of the Thoughts on Democracy exhibition, particularly since some ToD artists are contributors to the New Yorker.

Feel free to leave your comments about the New Yorker, Thoughts on Democracy, or, more generally, the relationship between politics and design on this blog.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Posters from Thoughts on Democracy Available for Purchase

Based on interest from Thoughts on Democracy enthusiasts, The Wolfsonian's museum shop and cafe, The Dynamo, is now taking orders for posters from the exhibit.

All of the posters from the exhibit will be printed in 16" x 20" format for $25 plus shipping and handling. Posters will be printed as ordered, and will be available at the end of July.

To place an order, please contact the museum shop manager at paola@thewolf.fiu.edu or 305.535.2680 with the name of the designer and poster of your choice. You can use this blog, www.thoughtsondemocracy.blogspot.com, or The Wolfsonian's Flickr account, www.flickr.com/thewolfsonian, to view and select from all of the Thoughts on Democracy posters. To use the blog, just scroll down the website until you see the "Contents" heading on the right-hand tool bar. Under contents, you can either click on a designer's name to view their poster OR, if you do not know the name of the designer or want to see all of the posters, click on the "ToD posters" link to see all exhibition images. To use The Wolfsonian's Flickr account, click on sets and then select from the posters in the "Thoughts on Democracy" set.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

What are YOUR thoughts on Democracy?

During the exhibition opening on July 3rd, 2008, visitors were asked to share their own "Thoughts on Democracy." The following videos represent a selection of visitors' ideas about democracy, and reflect the range of perspectives and conversations that the Thoughts on Democracy exhibition has sparked.

Contributing artist George Mill shares his Thoughts on Democracy

The Thoughts on Democracy opening

Last week, over 250 people visited The Wolfsonian-FIU to attend the member's preview and exhibition opening of Thoughts on Democracy. With a mixed crowd of young and old, families and singles, artists and patrons of the arts, attendees at the opening enjoyed classic American refreshments while viewing the posters on display. Find more pictures from the event on The Wolfsonian's Flickr account.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Thoughts on Democracy opens today!

Today is the member's preview of Thoughts on Democracy and A Bittersweet Decade: The New Deal in America, 1933-43. The event takes place at The Wolfsonian-FIU (1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach) from 6:30-8:30pm. Free for Wolfsonian members, guests of members $10. RSVP 305.535.2631 or rsvp@thewolf.fiu.edu

The exhibitions will officially open to the public on July 5th.

Please note, the museum will be closed on Independence Day.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Thoughts on Democracy in The Miami Herald

To celebrate the Fourth of July, Thoughts of Democracy will be delivered to your door in the July 4th edition of The Miami Herald.

Exhibition Brochure

Campbell McGrath

Campbell McGrath is the author of seven books of poetry, including Seven Notebooks and Florida Poems. His many awards include Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundation fellowships and the Kingsley Tufts Prize. His work has been published in The New Yorker, Atlantic, Harper’s, and on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times, as well as in the Paris Review and other literary journals. He lives in Miami Beach and is the Philip and Patricia Frost Professor of Creative Writing at Florida International University.

Thoughts on Democracy is coming to The Aventura Mall

After visiting the exhibition opening at The Wolfsonian, head to The Aventura Mall to view a selection from Thoughts on Democracy outside the museum walls. Opening for Independence Day, and on display thorugh August 2008, works from Thoughts on Democracy will be exhibited in The Aventura Mall, next to Nordstrom's on the second floor of the mall.

Current View...

Coming soon...

In the spirit of democracy, this timely and relevant “graphic remix” project is co-presented by Turnberry for the Arts exhibited at The Aventura Mall.

Thoughts on Democracy opens tomorrow!

There is 1 Day until Thoughts on Democracy opens at The Wolfsonian!

Get ready for the opening by "browsing" the lobby walls! Click on the images to enlarge the size.

North Lobby Wall