Event Review - Artist Now! Robert Grame

Robert Grame
Raven Mrozek

BUILD SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL!

Robert Grame gave a fantastic artist lecture, however the one concept her brought up that stuck with me was his statement "build something beautiful."In regards to design work, the thought of accessibility lacks due to the fact design is generally a form of art that us done for a specific reason to carry out a specific function. Even though it seems as if design lacks accessibility in some sense, it is the designers responsibility to "build something beautiful;" it is the designers responsibility to create something that will stand out and be remembered in order to be effective. This is necessary because of the fact design work is an ephemeral craft.

It was interesting being able to view this ephemerality through Robert Grame’s work. He showed such a variety of his designs, ones from years ago and ones more recent. This made it possible to see the design elements that over time became less prevalent in design work. This also more easily previewed how Grame utilized a theme throughout his works over the years, mainly with his design of text and how he utilized them in his works. Back to the idea of accessibility, designers work to persuade and entertain. It is important to think about how to use signifiers, and how to engage the mind especially in regards to shape and meaning. 

There was a second topic Robert Grame discussed that interested me, and that was his tangent on the subtractive process.He discussed that it was almost necessary to study the micro and macro in a work of design in order to create a sense of three dimensionality and space, giving more dynamic to the overall composition.I appreciate the simplicity provided by the subtractive process. In my opinion, any artist could be given a lump of material or an idea and do virtually anything to it; they can add, and add, and continue to add to this material or idea and turn it into a heavy space. Think about it this way however, maybe the key to creating a more effective visual whether it be design, photography, or anything else is to subtract.

I appreciated Robert Grame's artist lecture and really enjoyed how he spoke about his work.His work was fantastic and he really did show the ephemorality of art as well as the beauty behind it all.If anyone gets the chance to hear him speak, I highly recommend it.