Online registration opens 9:00am
David Scadding’s Creative Ephemera
Last month David Scadding, former professor at York Sheridan College, charmed us with his collection of stunning printed artifacts. Attendees who ventured out west to Parkdale’s hip restaurant Parts and Labour were treated to a hands-on lecture on creative ephemera (along with delicious breakfast courtesy of Parts and Labour). David passed around several portfolios of food, wine and cigar labels he had collected and preserved over the years. The pieces within were intricate, colourful, and awe-inspiring artifacts of illustration and typography.
“We have a tendency to rush our messages, to rush into production. We as designers should be crafting our message.” –David Scadding
The significance of his collection became a fascination for David, and he asked the audience some difficult questions. What is the value of ephemera? What does it mean to keep something? What is the relationship between designers and their transitory creations? David walked between the communal tables, fielding questions and facilitating conversation about craft, discipline and how design has changed over the course of his career. He emphasized the need to take care with our designs, to be sure we are creating the best work we can and relaying messages with intention.
We were so excited to share a generous gift from David with each CreativeMornings guest: a beautiful print with “Koher’s Hand Made” in embossed, gilt lettering. We’re certain the prints will serve as inspiration as well as reminders to take pride in our craft.
UPCOMING EVENT
This month we’re thrilled to build on the excitement from David’s presentation by bringing Gary Taxali to the Gladstone. If you’re not familiar with Gary’s whimsical illustrations, you should know that one of his recent clients was the Canadian Mint, and his coins are like none you’ve seen before!
Gary will be sharing stories with us on May 31. Visit our blog on the morning of May 28 to reserve your place. (first come, first serve)
Photography by Connie Tsang / Visit the full album
Words by Cassie McDaniel for CreativeMornings Toronto
The story behind the happiest Canadian coins!
We have mentioned before that Gary Taxali, our speaker on May 31 at Gladstone Hotel, is the designer responsible for a new set of coins pressed by Royal Canadian Mint
Check out this clip from CBC News with an interview with Gary and a glimpse of the process of transferring his design onto the coins.
Creative Mornings Toronto 6 with Gary Taxali
Date: Thursday May 31
Time: Doors open + Coffee 8:30am / Lecture 9:00am / Event ends 10:00am
Location: Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto
This event is free. Registration opens on Monday May 28, 9:00am.
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www.garytaxali.com / @Garytaxali
Gary Taxali is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in many major magazines. He has exhibited in many galleries and museums throughout North America and Europe including The Jonathan LeVine Gallery.
Prixy | Mixed Media on Paper | © Gary Taxali
In 2005, he launched his first vinyl toy, The Toy Monkey, which included a special edition along with a silkscreen print commissioned by The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. This led Gary to create his own toy company, Chump Toys, which eventually saw the release of his OH NO and OH OH vinyl figures.
In 2012, The Royal Canadian Mint released a special edition of six Gary Taxali 25¢ coins which, in addition to original art uniquely created for the coins, Taxali also did the typography using his font Chumply. Each coin is stamped bearing his initials.
Aside from his gallery shows and illustration work, Gary also devotes a portion of his time teaching and lecturing at various arts organizations and schools such as OCAD University (Toronto, Canada), The Art Director’s Club of Houston (Houston, USA), Dankmarks Designskole (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Istituto Europeo Di Design (Rome, Italy). He is a Founding Member of IPA (The Illustrators’ Partnership of America) and sits on the Advisory Board of 3×3: The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration as well as the Stamp Advisory Committee for Canada Post.
Gary has also juried many student and professional competitions including The Juno’s (Screening Committee), The Society of Illustrators, The National Magazine Awards, The Dallas Society of Visual Communications and 3×3: The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration. Gary created the cover art and inside illustrations for Aimee Mann’s latest album @#%&*! Smilers, which won a 2009 Grammy Award Nomination for Best Package Design. Last year, he released his first children’s book entitled This Is Silly!, published by Scholastic Press. This past fall saw the release of his monographs entitled, I Love You, OK? published by teNeues in Germany and Mono Taxali published by 27_9 in Italy. He lives and works in Toronto.
More than a hotel,The Gladstone is a social and cultural incubator facilitating sustainable and accessible ways of experiencing art, culture, community, and local cuisine. We host over 100 arts-related events each and every month!
Sponsor
FreshBooks is the leader in online invoicing for creative professionals. Get your free account at FreshBooks.com
Creative Mornings Toronto in April was sponsored by Freshbooks and Hosted by Parts & Labour restaurant. See more photos of April session here.
Our speaker David Scadding brought a large selection from his personal collection of prints, lables and other ephemera and explained their significance.
Photography by Connie Tsang www.be.net/connietsang/frame
Creative Mornings Toronto 5, David Scadding
Speaker: David Scadding, Designer, Educator
After 12 years as principal of his own design firm focused on corporate communication, David started to teach visual communication and graphic design in the 1980’s.
Now retired from full-time undergraduate teaching, he keeps busy by advising and supervising Master and PhD candidates in design and related fields. A typographer by love and training, David started to collect ephemera for its wide range of typographic styles - some good, some bad and some really ugly. The study of ephemera has recently received renewed interest from researchers in the Social Sciences as ephemera communicates the “common folk’s” needs, wants and desirers.
David at the printing press. Courtesy of York Sheridan Gaduation Show 2008.
Lecture: History … if left in the past … is a waste of good history.
David is generously letting us into his personal collection of artifacts and ephemera. You will get to see some of his collection first hand while david explains how each object addresses issues that are as relevant today as they were in the past.
Be ready get your hands on some specimens, rare prints, and objects as David explains the significance of each.
Host: Parts & Labour
We are very excited to take you to a unique space this month. Parts & Labour is one of Toronto’s highly regarded restaurants, designed by Kei Ng and Brian Richer, partners of Castor and future Creative Mornings Toronto Speakers.
Image by Ryan Enn Hughes for this original review of Parts & Labour by The Globe and Mail
Refreshments by Chef Matty Matheson
Matty has kindly accepted to put together a nice spread for you to start the day with a special treat from one of the top chefs of our city.
Matty, born in New Brunswick and raised in Ontario, rose quickly through the culinary ranks. At the age of 30, he serves as executive chef at Parts and Labour where he daily satiates the appetites of hungry diners.
Sponsor
For those of you who were not among the 120 attendees of our last event here is the video of Vanessa’s talk. Vanessa elegantly illustrates themes, principles and beliefs that as made for an exciting and excellent carrer like her’s.
If you are into screen printing like us, or want to learn about it all from an expert don’t miss this funny yet informative presentation from Creative Mornings Chicago.
Today we had the pleasure of listening to Vanessa Eckstein who inspired the whole room with her ideas on redefining success, artistic inspiration, doing what matters and many more intriguing topics. We can’t wait to share the video of this talk with you.
CMTO Three: Vanessa Eckstein
Vanessa Eckstein is a bold designer with a fascinating background and body of work that demonstrates an inquisitive mind at work.
Originally from Argentina, Vanessa retured to Toronto just over a year ago after running her practice in Mexico City for 8 years. As a partner in Blok design she spends her days looking for “other ways” of doing work. She is a vocal advocate of embracing the chaos and unpredictability of the creation process as a fuel for strategic, exhilarating and effective work.
Vanessa will share her thoughts with us in an inspiring lecture in the cozy, friendly and roomy space in the Center for Social Innovation.
Registration and details here (Registration begins on Monday, February 20th)
Vanessa’s work is part of the permanent collection of the Royal Ontario Museum of Canada and she is recipient of numerous international awards and honors such as the Clio, The Type Directors Club of Tokyo, The One Show, ID, Brno Biennale, Biennale of Graphic Design Russia, Trnava Poster Triennial (Slovakia), The Art Directors Club of New York, The Advertising & Design Club of Canada, and the Type Directors Club among many others.
To learn more about Vanessa visit Blok Design and indulge yourself by reading this beautifully written piece by Ellen Shapiro:
“She’s not the bionic woman. It only seems that way.
She traverses continents, convinces an international roster of clients to move in new directions and takes care of business and family. Vanessa Eckstein, the willowy, thirty-something, Argentinean-born principal of blok design, seems to be doing it all beautifully— and if not quite effortlessly, at least in a way that 99 percent of professional women would find inspirational, if not intimidating.
‘I’m a juggler,’ she says. ‘You can’t really do it all, but it’s worth trying.’ “
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