The iconic "I Love NY" logo, featuring a red heart to represent "love " and using the American Typewriter font, was created by Milton Glaser in 1970. That poster and 64 others make up the exhibition " Underground Images," which came directly from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) to the university's main lobby.
The exhibition features sixty-five of the best posters created by SVA since 1947 for New York City’s extensive subway system. This selection offers a glimpse into SVA’s history as well as the collective talent of its faculty in design, illustration, and photography.
Universidad ORT Uruguay the first stop for this traveling exhibition, which will be open to the public through March 22.
Posters that emphasize critical thinking
This exhibition features works by faculty members of the School of Visual Arts in New York. Gabriel Benderski, a graduate of the Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design program, was the one who introduced ORT to SVA during one of his trips to New York.
The exhibition consists of posters created throughout the school’s history—it was founded in 1947—to be displayed in the New York subway. “Why the subway?” asks architect Carlos Devicenzi, academic coordinator of the Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design. “Well, it’s a very smart move. Because everyone passes through there: people of all ages, from all social classes, and with all levels of education.”
These are posters that hint at something, catch your eye, and spark your curiosity. And if you really want to develop your skills in illustration, art, visual arts, and graphic design, you know exactly where to go.
The School of Visual Arts has been at the forefront of training artists, designers, and creative professionals for more than seven decades. With over 6,000 students on its Manhattan campus and 37,000 alumni in 75 countries, SVA is also one of the most influential artistic communities in the world.
This exhibition is curated by Anthony P. Rhodes, executive vice president of the SVA and creative director of these posters since 2007. The 30 artists who created these posters are: Gail Anderson, Marshall Arisman, Chris Buzelli, Gene Case, Ivan Chermayeff, Paul Davis, Pablo Delcan, Sal DeVito, Louise Fili, Audrey Flack, Nathan Fox, Bob Gill, Robert Giusti, Milton Glaser, Phil Hays, Steven Heller, Mirko Ilic, Viktor Koen, Stephen Kroninger, Marvin Mattelson, James McMullan, Jerry Moriarty, Tony Palladino, Edel Rodriguez, Julia Rothman, Stefan Sagmeister, David Sandlin, Paula Scher, Yuko Shimizu, Eve Sonneman, George Tscherny, James Victore, and Robert Weaver.
In my view, the fact that a globally recognized brand like SVA has chosen ORT to host the exhibition is highly significant. It undoubtedly helps position our School of Design as a leading center for graphic design, illustration, and art, in line with our respective degree programs.
The posters focus on “the importance of critical thinking.” “They are a free interpretation of each artist’s feelings at that moment; they vary widely in terms of the techniques used to create them and the messages they convey,” Devicenzi summarized.
"At ORT," the teacher adds, "the goal is for students to explore these paths and see that they are related and share common ground." He noted that the School of Design has already seen some results from curriculum-based projects "that follow a similar development and have a similar impact."
In addition to the tour of the 65 posters—the suggested route is chronological—the exhibition space will feature a video compilation of testimonials from about 15 artists (at least half of the artists in the exhibition), in which they share their perspectives and discuss their training and their commitment to the school.
https://youtu.be/QXtmhJaW7xw?si=f0p7Ov0hPPh9gQkv
Exhibition: "Imágenes subterráneas"
Main Hall of Universidad ORT Uruguay.
Setup: Monday, February 25.
Opening: Tuesday, February 26. The exhibition will be open until Friday, March 22.