I intended to attend a meeting to discuss publishing a new magazine about Art at the Brooklyn Artists Gym but stumbled upon a panel discussion about Designism at the Art Directors’ Club and I decided to stay and listen to it.  I guess the free wine helped too.

Design for Social Change had several well known social activist Art Directors, Kurt Andersen, Milton Glasser, Jessica Helfand, George Lois and James Victore.   The author of “The Messiah of Morris Avenue, Tony Hendra was there signing copies of his book.  Brian Collins, who heads Ogilvy’s Brand Innovation Group, moderated the whole thing.  

The panal discussion was a debate over advertising and design as instruments for social and political change. 

  

There was a debate over what causes social change and if mainstream media was to blame for support George W. Bush when it knew better.  Milton Glasser said it was not so much the White House making calls to publishers to stop stories from running as advertisers not wanting to turn off people with content that would impact their ability to sell what they are advertising.

Each of the speakers spent time talking about things they did to effect social change using their Advertising Art.   What was more telling was the audience.  The audience was entirely Anti Republican, about 500 Art Directors and Media Professionals in the audience, and not one person in the room had anything positive to say about the current regime.  It’s as if the entire Art Community has moved to the Left - everyone is sick of what the country is becoming and wants change - they just don’t know how to do it - which is partly why this meeting happened in the first place.

There was a great deal more that was discussed and we can only hope that the Art Director’s Club produces a Podcast for download of this excellent panal discussion.

I hope there will be other meetings at the Brooklyn Artists Gym about publishing a new magazine as I really intended to attend tonight’s meeting.  Often I feel “guided” by the idea of what I’m trying to do with my blogs and where I planned to be is not always where I end up; rather, it’s where I need to be. 

I accepted the verdict of fate, enjoyed this meeting at the Art Directors Club and then went home.