¡VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN!
Two striking exhibitions of political posters are touring the country this summer. Enhanced by the added dimension of our contemporary troubles, The Graphic Imperative: International Posters of Peace, Social Justice, and the Environment 1965–2005, unveiled at AIGA’s National Conference last September, is at The Design Center at Philadelphia University until May 23. Then it travels to the AIGA National Design Center in New York June 15–Aug. 18. Revolutionary Tides: The Art of the Political Poster, 1914–1989 is another impressive collection of this often overlooked media stalwart. Garnered from the Hoover Institution at Stanford and The Wolfsonian-Florida International University, Revolutionary Tides is on view at W-FIU until July 30.
www.thegraphicimperative.org, www.wolfsonian.fiu.edu

CAMP KADEL
She’s just a two-mile drive from downtown Los Angeles, but when illustrator Mel Kadel is working in her log cabin nestled in wooded Echo Lake Park, she feels far removed from the hustle and flow of L.A. And the summer-camp environment she has created for herself is now feeding into her work. Thick and abounding vines are swarming—perhaps consuming—mankind in her latest pieces. In this fantastic series of illustrations, a cloud of knotted vine engulfs an idling car while another bundle of tangled wisteria takes on the shape of a dog that, in turn, overpowers its owner. This series of delicate line work addresses a familiar theme—man’s struggle for survival with nature and his surroundings— but with a refreshing sense of humor. Kadel’s pretty-near-pastoral work will debut at the urbane Richard Heller Gallery in Santa Monica, Calif., June 3–July 1.
www.richardhellergallery.com

FAMILY F.U.E.L.
Jennifer Yaron left Drexel University as a graphic design student in the middle of her junior year to open an art gallery in downtown Philadelphia. With childhood friend Marguerite McDonald (a business major at Brown, class of ’04), they were able to raise enough money to move into the old Merchant Seamen’s Institute and Church on the corner of Third and Arch Street—better known to some as the site of MTV’s somewhat recent Real World Philadelphia. The women are restoring the Old City storefront property to exhibit and sell the contemporary work of undergraduate art and design students. Knowing the treacherous art market you might ask: “What kind of business plan is that?” One backed by Yaron’s father, real estate developer and general contractor of the property and the 19 luxury apartment units above it! The 20,000-square-foot space—Fostering Undergraduate Exposure on Location (F.U.E.L.)—opens to the public May 5.
www.fuelcollection.com

CARING TO SEND THE VERY BEST
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo., recently acquired the complete Hallmark Photographic Collection, considered the broadest and most important private holding of American photography. It consists of 6,500 images by 900 artists, and has an estimated market value of $65 million. The Hallmark Photographic Collection was born in 1964 with the company’s acquisition of 141 prints by the estimable Harry Callahan, then chairman of the photography department at RISD. With a strong sense of design, Callahan was known for his ability to transform his subjects into arresting compositions of simplicity and grace. Today the collection holds 320 works by Callahan, more than any other collection in the world, as well as iconic photos like Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” and Gordon Parks’ “Emerging Man, Harlem.” The entire collection will be housed in the museum’s new Bloch Building when it opens in 2007.
www.nelson-atkins.org

LESS IS MORE
The most dynamic aspect of Friend & Johnson’s new brand identity, designed by San Francisco’s Templin Brink, is the website. While the new blocky F&J logo succeeds in stamping as singular the cool creative representatives oÙ- and online, the smart architecture of the site invites visitors to take their time pursuing the 18 portfolios of its elite stable of talent; and the “What’s New” section showcases breaking work from artists like Graham Westmoreland’s photo shoot for Nissan Pathfinder (TBWA\Chiat\Day), and Brian Cairns’ illustration for United Airlines (Fallon). Finally, a portfolio site that is selective with its content.
www.friendandjohnson.com, www.templinbrinkdesign.com