2019 has already established itself as a banner year here in the studio of Mrs. Collins.
After twelve years, the History of Graphic Design in South Louisiana (HGD-SL) project is soon to be finished! This project, which began in 2006, was championed by Mrs. Collins. It was covered by PRINT Magazine, and comprises original source material dating back to 1961. Remaining funds from the HGD-SL budget were recently donated to Artist Book Collection @ Paper Maching, ABC@PM. If you are unable to make it to the Old Arabi location to peruse the stacks on your own—no white gloves or gatekeepers necessary—browse this amazing collection of artists books here.
As part of the completion of this post-Katrina endeavor, sixteen fully indexed oral histories and a separate collection of physical artifacts are scheduled to be cataloged by Fall 2019. All of this is local, graphic design and typography-centric. The oral histories are housed at T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History, LSU and artifacts at Loyola University New Orleans Special Collections and Archives, respectively. Once cataloging and database processes are finalized, vital names, companies, and mid-20th century-subject graphic design processes will be findable online through the Louisiana library archive system.
LETTERS READ Season III begins Feb. 13, 2019, with the desegregation of New Orleans libraries ca.1954 at newly built Nora Navra Library. The original structure was built in 1946 as the second library in New Orleans serving a predominantly African American neighborhood.