Front Room

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Julie Hill, Untitled (detail), 2007.

Fine Line Between Art and Design
An exhibition exploring the fine line between art and design. Curated by Brittany Hudak.

Opening Reception Friday, September 12, 2008.
Open September 12–October 24, 2008.

Front Room gallery is proud to present an exhibition showcasing five graphic artists whose work toys with the boundary between fine art and design. Curated by Brittany Hudak, CWRU PhD candidate.

As graphic artists increasingly use fine art techniques and mediums, exhibit their work in galleries, and utilize the language of “fine art”, what was once dismissed as merely “commercial art” is now not so easily defined. Between two seemingly different disciplines, it seems that the line between art and design is not only fine, but constantly shifting. These five artists individually express these shifts, and as a group demonstrate the fluid nature of defining graphic design today.

Joey Parlett is an artist/designer from Northeastern Ohio who currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He received his BS/MA from Kent State University in 2D design and Illustration. Joey's day job is Art Director for Death and Taxes magazine and is an illustrator for Little Jacket, a small creative design company. He likes the automatic, surreal, psychedelic and furry things that are all part of his daily practice.

Julie Hill is an interactive designer from Cincinnati, Ohio, who has shown work at Thinkspace in LA and Bodhi in London, and is part of a creative collective called Projectmill. Working mainly in pen and ink, Julie likes drawing details and romance, which often translates as girls, birds and the occasional bunch of flowers. For The Fine Line, Julie has produced a group of portraits illustrating characters in stories only she knows.

Damien Correll is a freelance designer and illustrator living in New York. He spends his days working at the Brooklyn-based studio collective, Rad Mountain. He studied Multimedia in his home-state of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia's University of the Arts. Since completing school he has had the chance to work on a slew of interesting projects for Urban Outfitters, Nike, Yale University and Chocolate Industries to name a few. He has also been featured in the pages of New York Magazine, IdN, STEP, NOVUM and The New York Times Magazine.

Ryan Santos enjoys canal riding in his hometown with his weird dog and numerous female liaisons. He prefers wheat-free tamari for his octopus sashimi and lay-ups to slam-dunks, which he considers uncouth.

Dustin Amery Hostetler – A.K.A "UPSO" is a graphic artist living and working in Toledo, Ohio. Focusing on bold colors, human narrative and a strong graphic base, his work frequently appears in design and art publications around the world. In the past two years he’s had solo shows in Denver, Carrborro and NYC, and appeared in several group shows in both LA and NYC. Hostetler also publishes the critically acclaimed Art magazine "Faesthetic,” and has taken on the role of curator, working on the “Select Series” line for T-shirt giant Threadless.com.

Visit our website, frontroomcleveland.com , for more info.