NPR Poster Series: Artists At Work
Meet the illustrators behind the 2019 Poster Series.
On the fifth floor of NPR headquarters, there’s a quiet little group in the corner plucking away at their keyboards and mice, delivering creative assets for new and existing programming here at NPR. Think of us as the friend with good taste who is always coming up with fresh ways to visualize and articulate the many identities living under the NPR umbrella. We wanted to come up with ways we could turn the tables on the work we do for NPR by devising a unique artist-run initiative — one that wouldn’t scream “NPR,” but was a subtle nod to the creative work we do. Our team of eight scouted out artists around the world to make the idea tangible. Get featured for our next poster.
The NPR Poster Series showcases talented artists from around the world who interpret the phrase, “NPR is the home for storytelling across America.” Each poster is hand-signed and numbered as limited edition pieces. Every two months, a poster will be created by a new artist to reflect this working theme. As time goes on, the Creative team plans to diversify poster offerings based on NPR programming. For this project, we want to give artists an opportunity to showcase what NPR means from their lens. With minimal direction, our artists are able to craft something beautiful for NPR listeners to resonate with.
The first artist we selected for the poster series was Luke Martin. Martin is an illustrator based in Baltimore who owns a small artists’ space called Suburban Avenger Studios. He specializes in screen printing, his preferred medium. His work has been featured at our 2018 All Crafts Considered event and he has been an NPR fan for years, so we knew he was an ideal candidate for the initial kickoff. Martin has done work for several clients including Childish Gambino, Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails and NPR, of course. The poster depicts a city constructed of listening devices that transcend time. He wanted to emphasize the different ways NPR has connected listeners across America and the world. Martin’s poster titled “All Sounds Considered” sold out in the NPR Shop within weeks of its release.
The second artist in the series is Maia (Meech) Boakye who took on the prompt “NPR is the home for storytelling across America.” Meech is a 21-year-old Toronto-based illustrator who focuses on the ways textured hair and androgynous figures are represented in contemporary art. This was a perfect opportunity for Meech to illustrate the diversity of our listeners and the ways people listen to NPR with a poster titled “Always Listening.”
“I drew this illustration to reflect a sense of connectedness and nostalgia. I remember listening to NPR as a kid in the backseat of my dad’s car. We both had to wake up at 5 AM to start our day. When I went off to university several years later, I got into podcasts, listening to stories on NPR to get myself to an 8 AM class. My family was now thousands of miles away and I realized how comforting it was to hear a familiar voice every morning.”
The Creative team is constantly brainstorming new and unique ways to get people thinking and talking about NPR. This mission will continue with 10 TBA artists in 2019. If you’d like to recommend an artist for our poster series, please email marketing@npr.org. Each hand-signed and numbered poster is available for $30 before sales tax, online and in the shop while supplies last.
