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The New Deal (Re)Turns 75 (continued)
This year marks the 75th Anniversary of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal presidency - and the time couldn't be better to reflect upon and celebrate the ideals of that effort. For those of us devoted to working for the public interest, the New Deal approach to fixing a country in the wake of a disastrous economic Great Depression feels so familiar and so important. Of course, the FDR Administration created programs and policies, but what is important about the New Deal is that it conveyed and emphasized a belief that America was a place of hope and that its people could pull together to fix just about any problem facing them. In the past few issues of The Griot, I have shared my hope that our movement would use more inclusive and positive messages and images to get our issues out to the public and encourage their involvement. That importance was also felt during the New Deal era from the speeches of the President to the works programs that helped employ one-third of our country out of work at the time. But, what is most important for us at Design for Social Impact is that we are part of a lineage of artists who put our craft to work to help perpetuate a positive social agenda. The New Deal's Federal Art Project employed writers, actors, painters, sculptors - and most notably graphic designers - to help enhance the quality of life for citizens and tell the story of the social programs of the government. Artists were valued just as much as bridge builders, tree planters, factory workers, and government agency employees - and the government's support of the arts as a key message-maker was never as high before or since the New Deal. To celebrate this anniversary, Design for Social Impact will be creating and hosting many special events and projects over the course of 2008. This fall we'll launch the WPA Living Archive and publish the book Posters for the People with QuirkBooks - both part of the effort to document the incredible posters that were made under the New Deal project but never fully catalogued by the federal government. Read more in this issue of The Griot about our involvement with the latest special New Deal issue of The Nation and their radio show RadioNation. And, finally, keep watch for announcements about our Expo Festival the weekend of October 24th, where we'll celebrate the many programs of the New Deal through an interactive, fun and educational series of events and happenings that highlight the story the posters have to tell. Of course, the best way we can celebrate is to keep the legacy alive. We are proud to be part of the history of the artists of the New Deal and we reaffirm our commitment to carrying out our work as skilled craftspeople devoted to telling the best possible story about the most important subject: a positive and hopeful America for all its people. Return to Top |
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At Your Best When You're At Your Worst (continued)
So if it's not doing good, being good or feeling good I had no idea what it could be. Having a particularly draining week, I realized I was angry with anyone that would get in my way on the sidewalk. For some reason I thought I had the right of way, and deserved it. And there was no way I was going to take one second out of my sidewalk rage to help any woman with bags. These are the times I realized when I'm at my best, or at least have the opportunity to be. It's easy to feel my best when I'm doing meaningful things and not in a strained state of mind. Of course I feel at my best when there's something there to tell me so, a compliment, an achievement. What really counts is when I can pull myself out of those bad places and do the good things, even if they're smaller. I think it's these moments where our greatest displays of strength can happen and where we may just be at our best. Return to Top |
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From Paint to Print! (continued)
As part of the My North Philly project culmination Design for Social Impact worked with the Mural Arts team of ethnographers, artists, photographers and project managers to design a book that would celebrate the vibrant voices and compelling lives of those who call North Philly home. The 140-page book, titled "My North Philly: Neighborhoods. Murals. Stories." is a woven tapestry of personal interviews, photographs and murals that capture the essence of this unique area of Philadelphia. This book is not to be missed. Purchase your copy at www.muralarts.org Return to Top |
Founder and director Ennis Carter has teamed up with The Nation magazine for their Special Anniversary Issue The New Deal (re)Turns 75. Her title, design and illustration work appears on the cover and throughout the issue, alongside contributions by Frances Moore Lappé, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bill McKibben, Howard Zinn, and more. Issues hit the newsstands next week; 
Ennis also joined other New Deal experts to talk with Laura Flanders on RadioNation - a program aired on Air America, NPR affiliates nationwide, and on The Nation.com. 
The whole team at Design for Social Impact and The Social Arts has been helping Ennis pull together a new book called Posters for the People: Art of the WPA, coming out this October through QuirkBooks. 
We'd like to introduce you to the voice you may have heard on the phone. Tesha Kelley is our resident bookkeeping expert, and thanks to her, we can balance all the challenges of cash flow and make sure we get our bills paid on time! As a part-time consultant, Tesha provides expertise from her own woman-owned company JIREH Consulting. To find out more about her dedication to helping clients "eliminate stress of accounting and record keeping" (who couldn't use more of that?!) you can contact Tesha at 