The Publikum Calendar was developed by the FIA Art Group for the Belgrade-based offset lithographic printer, Publikum, under the creative direction of George Mill. Mill, who also practiced under the artistic name Stanislav Sharp as a photographer, conceived of this extraordinary project, along with his partner Nada Ray, as a means to promote Serbian culture. “All projects that I was working on in the ’90s were produced by my partner Nada who has served as the Publikum Calendar editor and project manager from the start,” says Mill. “We founded the FIA Art Group studio, which specializes in nonprofit and cultural projects, and have worked in collaboration with many other artists.”

The calendar pages have been filled with work created by over 100 Serbian designers, artists, and photographers including Slavimir Stojanović´, Borut Vild, Igor Oršolić, Aleksandar Kujucev, Goranka Matić, Vladimir Perić Talent, and Dragan Papić; as well as non-Serbians like illustrator Andrea Drezsö, designers Karlssonwilker, Mirko Ilić, and currently, Pentagram’s Paula Scher. Each of the calendars is given a unique title and is designed by a different person.

Since the calendar is a nonprofit project, all the artists generously donate their work free of charge. Over the years, Publikum has provided an unprecedented level of support for the project, allowing FIA and their collaborators to have complete freedom of expression. “We couldn’t have done it without their enlightened support,” says Ray, “They didn’t meddle—they trusted us. They provided unique corporate patronage in the truest sense.”