Walker Art Center Curator to Speak at SECCA “Design Talk” Series Presents Andrew Blauvelt February 21

Andrew Blauvelt, Curator of Architecture and Design and Chief of Communications and Audience Engagement at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, will speak at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art on February 21, 2014 at 7 p.m. As co-curator of the exhibit, Blauvelt will discuss development and themes of Graphic Design–Now in Production, currently on display at SECCA. This will be the capstone event of the exhibition and the SECCA “Design Talk” series.

Over the years, Blauvelt has worked in multiple design-related roles, often serving in various creative positions simultaneously. Blauvelt first started at the Walker Center in 1998 as Design Director, providing creative direction for the museum’s communications and publications. During his twelve years in this role, Blauvelt’s work with the 2009 National Design Award for Institutional and Corporate Achievement garnered museum recognition from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. As Curator of Architecture and Design, Blauvelt has organized exhibitions such as Strangely Familiar: Design and Everyday Life (2003) and Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes (2007).

Blauvelt has also received over a hundred design awards for his personal work, which has been profiled in design magazines including I.D., Surface and Metropolis, and has been shown in museums worldwide. His critical writing has been published in books, such as the anthologies Critical Writings on Graphic Design and The Education of a Graphic Designer (Allworth Press). “We feel incredibly fortunate to be able to host Mr. Blauvelt at SECCA,” says Curator of Contemporary Art Cora Fisher. “Through his work as designer and curator, he has propelled the field of graphic design and advanced its history. His lecture is sure to provide valuable insights to the audiences he is impacting here.”

Featuring work produced since 2000 in the most vital sectors of communication design, Graphic Design–Now in Production explores the worlds of design-driven magazines, newspapers, books, and posters; the expansion of branding programs for corporations, communities, and individuals; the entrepreneurial spirit of designer-produced goods; the renaissance in digital typeface design; the storytelling potential of film and television titling sequences; and the trans- formation of raw data into compelling information narratives.

The opportunity in Winston-Salem to hear Blauvelt speak concludes the latest lecture series at SECCA “Design Talk,” which highlights various ideas and topics provoked by Graphic Design: Now in Production. The event is free, open to the public and will take place in SECCA’s McChesney Scott Dunn auditorium. The exhibition Graphic Design–Now in Production closes February 23. Further information on this or any event can be found at secca.org/events.