38. AND PARTNERS
When David Schimmel asked 24 designers—among them some of his heroes —to create posters based on an assigned punctuation mark, he didn’t know they’d all say yes. Nor did he expect that the process would testify to the human level—fertile with doubt and discovery—on which even the most exalted artist operates.

Sponsored by Neenah Papers, a November 2004 exhibition presented the 200 limited-edition posters. “It literally felt like you were back in design school again,” says Schimmel, “and it’s that moment when your assignment goes up on the wall for critique.” Upon submission, one illustrious designer wouldn’t allow Schimmel to look at her poster until she left the building. Another designer with the human urge to compare begged to see the others’ work before the show.

In the midst of his curatorial duties, Schimmel had a moment to look up. “People on the Who’s Who list of design were asking me what to do, and suddenly I realized, ‘What am I going to do?’” He came through with a poster that elegantly implies the ampersand through the swoosh of a cowboy lasso, but Schimmel’s sense of creative fulfillment hinges on the strength of the collection: “There’s no weak link,” he says.

As for Neenah Papers, the company met its goal to expand its presence in New York—with panache. “Lots of mills sponsor events,” says Maria GarΩer, specification account manager. “This was diΩerent. It’s about displaying a commitment to the design community that runs deeper than buying an ad.” Tiffany Meyers