Local artists and Bowling Green State University graphic design instructors Jenn Stucker and Amy Fidler helped launch The Urban Forest Project (UFP) in Toledo. The project celebrates the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in April with 50 banners created by area designers. The unveiling party for the banners will be held on Friday, January 22 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Space 237, 237 N. Michigan Street.

“Cities such as Baltimore, Denver, San Francisco and Albuquerque have participated in this project since it originated in Times Square, New York in 2006,” Stucker said. “It’s huge that Toledo will now be among these cities.”

“This is so good for the northwest Ohio region,” Fidler said. “It’s important for area businesses to remember how much talent is here in Toledo.”

Fidler said that for the last several years it has been common for area businesses to purchase their graphic designs from artists in major cities such as Los Angeles and New York rather than purchasing from local talent. She said hopefully this will remind Toledo-area companies that they do not have to look elsewhere for incredible designs.

Gene Powell, President of Toledo-based Spoke LLC, created one of the 50 selected banners.

“What is cool about this project is that it’s part of a national movement,” Powell said. “We didn’t invent it, but we are participating. This helps to show [Toledo’s] progressive thinking.”

Stucker said the support of the community was imperative.

“[Fidler] and I brought this idea to the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo for sponsorship and all of the pieces just came together,” Stucker said. She said the City of Toledo’s 1% for Art Program has also been a major asset. Stucker and Fidler agreed that the success of Toledo’s UFP is great for the AIGA Toledo chapter.

“AIGA is a professional association of designers,” Fidler said. She said AIGA helps connect and advance local designers, and that AIGA’s support of UFP was crucial.

“I entered in an effort to spur the activity of others,” Powell, an AIGA board member said. “It is silly for board members to sit on the sidelines, but expect other designers and artists to participate. Low and behold the judges accepted [my banner].”

“The banners all use the metaphor of a tree. It’s the idea of sustainability,” Stucker said. “We had 33 national and international judges. We wanted our judges to be objective and to insure a high caliber of work. There were 140 banner submissions, and we selected 50. All of the banners are done by northwest Ohio residents, but the artists are pretty well mixed.” She said Toledo’s Off Contact Printing printed all of the banners with donated labor.

Fidler said the banners will be up from Earth Day through Labor Day.

“The banners will hang in downtown Toledo from April to August,” Fidler said. They will be strategically placed to connect galleries during the Art Walk season. When the banners come down, they will be used to create tote bags. Purchasing a tote bag is basically a donation. The funding goes to supporting mentorships.”

Stucker said the banners at the unveiling party Friday night will be the actual banners that will hang downtown. She said a ribbon cutting ceremony will follow in April.

“We are so excited to see the banners go up,” Stucker said. “They will be up for people to see and enjoy through Mud Hens season.”

“[Toledo’s UFP] shows the range of talent we have in our own backyard,” Powell said. “The goal was to bring that talent to the surface. As Toledoans, we’re hardest on ourselves. It’s easy to lose sight sometimes of what is really great about Toledo.”

To learn more about UFP, visit www.ufp-toledo.com.

Tags: Urban Forest Project

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 3:49 pm and is filed under Community.
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