About the Exhibition

Last fall, students from Henrique Nardi’s ART 346 Basic Graphic Design class were challenged to create a 50th-anniversary poster for the Kohler Art Library utilizing different library collections for their inspiration. Using one of the following areas as the departure point for their designs – African art, artists’ books, Islamic art, pop-up books, or sketchbook facsimiles – students were asked to visually communicate why an art library is essential to today’s student. 

To become familiar with the Kohler Art Library and its history, three sections of ART 346 visited the library for an information session with Reference and Instruction Librarian Anna Simon. Students toured the library, learned about the history of the Elvehjem Building and its Brutalist design by architect Harry Weese, and discussed the role of the art library on campus, both historically and in the future. Finally, students were introduced to various special collections such as the Artists’ Book Collection (one of the more extensive academic library collections in the country) and a whimsical pop-up book collection, a gift to the library. 

Over several weeks each student developed dozens of manual concept sketches, distilling these ideas into six digital poster iterations. After several rounds of peer critiques and feedback from Henrique and Anna, students submitted their final solution. The strongest designs were selected for this exhibit, and eight were chosen to be the official Kohler Art Library 50th anniversary commemorative posters, to be released throughout 2020.

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