AIGA Raleigh’s 25th Anniversary party took place on Friday, October 7th. Students, professionals, and local design heroes alike converged on The Hive at Busy Bee Café in downtown Raleigh to eat, drink, socialize, and see an exhibit of selected design work that included pieces from as far back as 1986. About sixty-five people returned RSVPs for the party; even more drifted in from the First Friday Artwalk to see what was going on.
Nine displays of design work were exhibited at the party, including: an original hand-colored photograph and the final ad in which the photo appeared; a deck of custom playing cards created by 56 area designers and agencies for AIGA Raleigh’s 2007 Casino Night fundraiser; an original layout board with hand-set type that was assembled without the aid of a computer; and three oversized posters depicting ad campaigns from SAS. The work was collected by AIGA Archivist Jason Rizzo and myself. Thanks to Howard, Merrell and Partners, AIGA Raleigh, and SAS for lending the work. Jason Horner helped me assemble the displays; many thanks are due him as well.
Five chapter presidents attended the party, including founding president David Burney and current president Matthew Muñoz. Educators from as far away as Johnston County Community College attended. Occasionally, people from the Artwalk came in from the street for a beer, stopping to ask questions and peer at the displays along their way. The party ended around nine PM; a good time was had by all.
After the party, many AIGA members joined the First Friday Artwalk. The anniversary party served as a kick-off for an AIGA Raleigh group that will meet on First Fridays to enjoy the Artwalk together.
Earlier that day Joe Schram, Vice President of Community Resources at AIGA Raleigh, unveiled a new online directory for Triangle creatives called, aptly, CreativeTriangle.me. The site allows a wide variety of creative professionals to post a simple profile with links to their Twitter page or online portfolio for free. It’s a fitting gift for a creative community that has promoted excellence for the past 25 years.
Images courtesy of Jason Rizzo