I’m glad to see that the New York Public Library is continuing their collaboration with artists and crafters after their popular Design By the Book series with Design*sponge. This time they are partnering up with with Maura Madden, author of Crafternoon: A Guide to Getting Artsy and Craftsy with Your Friends All Year Long, to bring Crafternoons to the Public Library. Anyone lucky enough to live near the NYPL should check them out.
It has been awhile since I posted something art or design related. I saw this video from Etsy today and immediately fell in love, not only with the beautifully shot video, but with the whole experience of the Nature Lab at the Rhode Island School of Design. While the curator talks of the space as a museum, it really seems to function as more of a non-circulating library of specimens. I love how they allow students to pull out and really explore each of the items in the collection. They have some freaky looking skeletons, skulls, etc., but I know I could loose myself for hours in the Nature Lab.
And only because it is also art related….
I have been noticing more and more fantastic book art on blogs and in the art world lately. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Thomas Allen--Maneater, 2006
Sue Blackwell--A Quiet American
Sue Blackwell--Birds in the Open Forest
I saw this on the DCPL Labs website and had to repost because I loved it that much. The Johnson County Library in Kansas has covered their delivery trucks with these gorgeous and funny advertisements referencing classic books found in the library. According to this article in the Kansas City Star, the ad agency involved with the project (Barkley Advertising Agency–which offered its services free of charge) wanted to “curtail the ‘traditional’ and ‘conservative’ perceptions some have of the library.” I feel they have done a great job of it!
The final episode of Design by the Book is here and it is a good one. The final projects of the artists are revealed alongside the library items that inspired it all. (I am particularly entranced with the navy men pattern). Great outreach by the NYPL librarians–apparently a few hundred people showed up for the finale party.
I came across this library orientation video when I was looking through the CCA library blog. Considering that this is an art school, I can’t think of a better way to inform students about the library or library policies than with a beautifully artsy video such as this. Oh, and one of the creators is a SJSU alum. Enjoy!
I posted a link to this on Twitter, but I love this project between one of my favorite design focused blogs, Designsponge, and the New York Public Library. I believe there is a final episode still on its way, but I love to see how artists can be inspired by old books, maps, etc.
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