A couple years ago I contributed to a tremendous project curated by Dan Cassaro called “50 and 50.” Fifty designers were invited to represent their home states by illustrating its motto. Each day Dan posted another artist’s contribution. The artists in the “50 and 50” lineup are insane. I was/still am honored to have been able to participate among ‘em all.
I am proudly representing Kentucky. Motto: United we stand. Divided we fall. Why not Indiana? Cause I was born in Illinois and spent my pre-teens in California. Why not either of those? I’ll tell you why.
Some odd number of generations ago, a young Iroquois woman fell in love with a pasture-man in the Appalachia state of Kentucky. Fast forward to the War of 1812—US Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry proclaims, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” Ancestors of the aforementioned couple would stake claim and raise a family in the Perry County town using the Commodore’s namesake. Hazard. Fast forward to circa 1930. Dick Van Dyke, Gene Hackman and astronaut Joe Tanner are raised in Danville, Illinois. Elsewhere in Danville, a young woman meets the man of her dreams in an assembly line packaging Chuckles candies. She happens to be daughter of the young Iroquois woman through many generations. Fast forward to Danville, Illinois, 1981—son of the Chuckles candy couple and his wife give birth to a boy with two broken legs. Me.
Why am I posting this now? Because Dan recently organized a physical exhibit of the project at the Ace Hotel in Manhattan. And then a couple days ago The Wall Street Journal covered it. Again… so honored to be amidst all the artists in this project.
