Christo Wraps Snoopy!

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Santa Rosa, CA -- The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center is proud to offer a limited edition, signed and numbered lithograph/serigraph titled Wrapped Snoopy House—Project for the Charles M. Schulz Museum, designed and drawn by the internationally acclaimed artist Christo.

Printed by Landfall Press, each unique art work features a combination of color lithograph and serigraphed on B.F.K. Rives paper and incorporates ebony pencil, broadcloth fabric and cotton twine, mounted on museum-quality board. The price of $5,500* each is guaranteed only through April 2005. Sales of the prints will benefit the Charles M. Schulz Museum.

The artwork depicted in the print, Wrapped Snoopy House, is a sculpture that was presented by Christo and Jeanne-Claude to the Charles M. Schulz Museum on October 8th, 2003. Snoopy’s house is wrapped with drop cloth fabric, polyethylene, rope and wood. The sculpture can be seen on permanent display in the Charles M. Schulz Museum, in Santa Rosa, California.

Founded in 1970, Landfall Press has collaborated with artists to produce original editions in a broad range of techniques and media. Christo & Jeanne-Claude and Landfall Press celebrate twenty-nine years of collaboration with this publication of Wrapped Snoopy House—Project for the Charles M. Schulz Museum.

Christo Wrapped Snoopy House

Project for the Charles M. Schulz Museum

Hand-collaged Lithograph, 2004

Fabric, Twine, Serigraph, Tape

24-1/8 inches x 21-5/8 inches

Limited Edition of 200

$5,500* Plus any applicable local sales tax when appropriate

Price guaranteed only through April 2005

.: Reserve Your Print Here!

Flattery or Theft?

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Boulder, CO -- University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill has been outed by the local CBS affiliate because he may have violated copyright law by making a mirror image of an artist's work and selling it as his own.

Placing Churchill's work beside that of renowned artist Thomas E. Mails and the two look like mirror images. But one is a copyrighted drawing. The other is an autographed print by Churchill.

When CBS News reporter Raj Chohan tried to talk to Churchill about a possible copyright infringement, Churchill took a swing at the reporter. The attack took place outside of Churchill's office on public property. With the cameras roling, Chohan asked, "This is an artwork we've got called 'Winter Attack.' It looks like it was based on a Thomas Mails painting; it looks like you ripped it off. Can you tell us about that?"

That prompted Churchill to take a swing at Chohan while he held a stack of papers in his hand.

Churchill made the serigraph in question in 1981 and called it "Winter Attack." He made 150 screenprints. One buyer, who paid $100 for the print in 1981, realized while flipping through a book of illustrations by renowned artist Thomas E. Mails, found an artwork of striking similarity.

The pen and ink sketch by Thomas Mails first appeared in his 1972 masterpiece, "The Mystic Warriors of the Plains." Compared side-by-side to Churchill's serigraph it is instantly recognizable as an exact mirror-image that has been colored.

Several minutes after the attack on the CBS reporter, Churchill came back out from his office. He claims that his artwork was based on the Thomas Mails piece.

"It is an original art work by me, after Thomas Mails," Churchill is heard saying on the tape that was rolling. "The fact that the purchaser was ignorant of the reality of what was perfectly publicly stated at the time the edition was printed is not my responsibility."

A close examination of the Churchill piece by CBS revealed there was no credit given to Mails as the original artist. Churchill also refused to provide documentation that would prove his claims.

But even if Churchill had mentioned in writing that his serigraph was based on Mails work he would still be guilty of copyright infringement unless he had written permission from the copyright holder.

The heirs to Mails works stated that they doubt that Mails would have ever given his permission because he was a fierce defender his works.

Churchill's works are sold by American Design Ltd. of Aurora, CO. American Design established in 1972 is a major art publishing house, and is one of the largest wholesale and retail galleries in the country. The company owns 12 retail galleries located in Aspen CO, Denver CO, Vail CO, and Santa Fe NM. American Designs is privately owned and operated by the well-known art dealer, Paul Zueger, who has extensive knowledge of the art industry. American Design Ltd. owns over 30,000 works of art in inventory.

A quick Internet search resulted in other Churchill serigraphs being sold on Ebay. One can look at the images there and come to your own conclusion as to their originality.

The University of Colorado Regents are investigating Churchill's work at the university on whether he has violated tenure. Well, duh!

And, now the rest of the story...Controversy erupted around Churchill last month, when one of his essays made it into the national spotlight.

Written shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, it describes the thousands of American victims who died in the World Trade Center inferno as "little Eichmanns" – a reference to notorious Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann – who were perpetuating America's "mighty engine of profit." They were destroyed, he added, thanks to the "gallant sacrifices" of "combat teams" that successfully targeted the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.

Churchill resigned his position as head of the Colorado University ethnic studies program but kept his $96,000 per year teaching post. He steadfastly has refused to apologize for his comments. Colorado Gov. Bill Owens has urged the university to fire Churchill. And the Colorado State House passed a non-binding resolution yesterday calling his comments "evil and inflammatory." A similar measure was awaiting action in the Senate.

Churchill was scheduled to speak at Hamilton College, in Clinton, N.Y., near Syracuse today, but officials at the school canceled the appearance, citing security concerns and death threats they had received.

He's also come under fire for claiming an American Indian heritage, training terrorists, and meeting with Libya's Moammar Gadhafi in the 1980s when the U.S. had banned travel there.

In addition, he's accused of writing essays with passages "almost identical" to those of other authors.

T-Shirt Folding 101!

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Internet -- Are you still folding shirts the old fashioned way. Maybe you actually purchased one of those boards like they use at those trendy clothing stores like The Gap and Old Navy. Or did you get on the of those Flip-Folds that seem so easy to use.

Sometimes it is just simply faster to do things by hand. Of course, one must know the secrets to folding to actually make it easier to do. Now, there is a site on the Internet that professes to do just that. How to Fold a Shirt is just the place to learn. They even have an AIM Buddy Icon that you can download for free.

.: See the High Resolution Video here!

T-shirts are a Girl's Best Friend?

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Los Angeles, CA -- Mausser Designs, a Los Angeles-based designer and diamond broker, has become a girl's best friend by incorporating a guaranteed 100% authentic natural diamond onto a custom-made top -- which is claimed to be the most valuable T-shirt in the world today.

Combining both top-of-the-line couture and hip fashion sensibilities with a touch of modern inspiration, Mausser has created a garment that can be worn at any place and at anytime.

Each top has been hand-made using 92% domestic cotton and 8% of the finest Lycra(TM) to give a comfortable, distinctive fit.

Mausser Designs feature a unique diamond which means each garment is one-of-a-kind and will truly last forever.

Sold in the most exclusive, high-end boutiques around the world, prices for the Mausser top range in the thousands for a full carat diamond shirt.

"We've been selling custom shirts directly to top models and celebrities for the past year," said D. Jason Mausser, founder and creator of Mausser Designs, "but now we are excited about expanding the line to high-end boutiques such as Emphatic at Fred Segal in Santa Monica."

Mausser Designs is changing fashion forever with its original concept of merging clothing with diamonds. Said Mausser, "A first of its kind, nothing compares to a Mausser."

If you are serious about owning this shirt you can contact D. Jason Mausser of Mausser Designs, +1-310-528-0402.

T-shirts are a Girl's Best Friend?

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Los Angeles, CA -- Mausser Designs, a Los Angeles-based designer and diamond broker, has become a girl's best friend by incorporating a guaranteed 100% authentic natural diamond onto a custom-made top -- which is claimed to be the most valuable T-shirt in the world today.

Combining both top-of-the-line couture and hip fashion sensibilities with a touch of modern inspiration, Mausser has created a garment that can be worn at any place and at anytime.

Each top has been hand-made using 92% domestic cotton and 8% of the finest Lycra(TM) to give a comfortable, distinctive fit.

Mausser Designs feature a unique diamond which means each garment is one-of-a-kind and will truly last forever.

Sold in the most exclusive, high-end boutiques around the world, prices for the Mausser top range in the thousands for a full carat diamond shirt.

"We've been selling custom shirts directly to top models and celebrities for the past year," said D. Jason Mausser, founder and creator of Mausser Designs, "but now we are excited about expanding the line to high-end boutiques such as Emphatic at Fred Segal in Santa Monica."

Mausser Designs is changing fashion forever with its original concept of merging clothing with diamonds. Said Mausser, "A first of its kind, nothing compares to a Mausser."

If you are serious about owning this shirt you can contact D. Jason Mausser of Mausser Designs, +1-310-528-0402.

The Chicago Twenty-Seven

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Chicago, IL -- It started out with a group of eighth-graders trying to clear their good name.

They were "gifted students" who studied their American history textbooks well enough to fight back when officials at Beaubien Elementary School allegedly threatened them with suspension and confined them to their rooms.

Their offense: Wearing a T-shirt with the word "Gifties" on it.

Saying they have the First Amendment right to wear something nonoffensive without having to fear punishment, they took the issue to federal court.

Now high schoolers, the 27 students haven't backed down. They're suing for damages and asking the school to expunge records of any disciplinary action against them for the 2003 episode.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve gave their case steam by certifying the students as a different kind of class -- the kind that can legally seek damages by attaining class action status.

The Chicago Board of Education had asked for students to submit to depositions before the class status was determined, but when St. Eve denied the motion, board attorneys said they would no longer oppose class certification. St. Eve quickly asked if the two sides could settle now that the students have the status, their attorney Irene Dymkar said.

The issue centers on a 2003 vote for a class shirt at the school, 5025 N. Laramie. Students believed one concept won: The name "Gifties" written on the back and a caricature of a boy walking a dog on the front. But school administrators didn't like the design and kept the election results secret, telling students to take another vote, according to the federal complaint.

The students, who were in the gifted program, challenged the election and asked the school to disclose the results. Students and parents said they didn't get anywhere, so students decided to wear the "Gifties" design they believed won.

Though students were asked not to wear the design to school, they wore the shirts anyway in protest.

"That's when the principal told them they'd be suspended for five to seven days," violating the students' First Amendment right to free speech, Dymkar said.

However, none of the students was suspended.

Was there a bathroom ban? Dymkar said Principal Chris N. Kotis did try to punish them. The students say Kotis confined them to their classrooms and denied them access to different parts of the school. Administrators wouldn't allow them to use the bathroom unless they removed the shirts, according to the students.

At one point, they were forced to write an essay describing whether they felt worthy of using the computer lab, the lawsuit says. Later, the school allegedly threatened disciplinary action against any student who signed a petition supporting the T-shirt.

The students are asking the school to release their records to review whether the episode tarnished their records in any way.

Dymkar said an administrator would tally each morning which students wore the shirts.

"Is that on their records? Will it affect their college applications?" Dymkar said.

Chicago school officials would only say that the lawsuit was at one time dismissed before it was reinstated.

"Freedom of expression is not just about fighting for big issues but defending small issues, too." said Michael Brandt, now 16. "That's what we did."

New T-shirt has Anti-UV and Quick-Dry Functions

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Taichung, Taiwan -- Yell Dar Enterprise Co. Ltd has released a T-shirt with anti-UV and quick-dry functions.

Short-sleeved model JY-021 is made of polyester fabric that has a strong water-wicking property. This makes the T-shirt capable of drawing sweat away from the skin and channeling it to the surface for quick evaporation. The T-shirt is also post-treated with additives that protect the skin from harmful UV rays.

The model has a round collar and front zipped closure. Solid and striped versions in S, M, L and XL are available. Embroidered logos or woven labels are accepted.

FOB Taichung, Taiwan price is about $7 per piece, with a minimum order of 500 pieces per model per color.

Delivery time is negotiable. Contact Even Lee with Yell Dar Enterprise Co. Ltd at 886.4.22732656 or by fax at 886.4.22732556.

.: Visit Yell Dar on the Internet

Bickering Bikers Bilked

'American Chopper' stars sue over Trim Spa bike T-shirt

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Montgomery, NY -- The bickering Teutuls -- Paul, Paul Jr. and Mike -- of TV's "American Chopper," have sued a company for infringing on their fame.

The question is whether when you buy a bottle of Coca-Cola, do you have the right to print T-shirts with the Coke logo on them? Contractually, you can enjoy the Coke and in fact take photos of you drinking the Coke and put that on a T-shirt, but not the logo. This is why you see so many things blurred on television and why movies have to be very careful to not show the logos of beverages, unless of course, the company has agreed in writing (and usually for an appearance fee!) to be shown.

The trio, appearing as the Orange County Choppers, accuse Goen Technologies of illegally capitalizing on their stardom with the Discovery Channel's cult favorite, "Celebrity Justice" said.

The Teutuls said the problem started when they custom-made a bike featured on an "American Chopper" episode for Goen, the company behind Trim Spa, the weight loss product endorsed by Anna Nicole Smith.

The Teutuls say the bike soon turned up on Goen T-shirts endorsing Trim Spa. The Teutuls say Goen also used their OCC logo on the shirts without their permission. A Goen spokesman said there is a contractual agreement covering the situation.

.: Visit Orange Country Choppers on the Internet

.: See the Trim Spa bike by Orange Country Choppers

Plant Closed, Workers Subsidized by Government

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Point Marion, PA -- A total of 57 employees, who produced screenprinted ceramic mugs and glassware, lost their jobs when the Point Marion's Houze Glass Corporation closed in December. U.S. Rep. John Murtha said former employees are eligible for retraining or wage subsidies under federal programs designed to return trade-affected workers to the work force more quickly.

The programs - Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) - are provided for workers who have become unemployed because of increased imports or shifts in production to foreign countries. Services under TAA include two years of eligibility for income support, relocation and job search allowances, a health coverage tax credit and occupational training. For workers age 50 and older who find new, lower-wage jobs with 26 weeks of separation, ATAA helps bridge the salary gap by providing subsidies of up to half of the difference between the old and new wage levels. Workers may be paid up to a maximum of $10,000 during a two-year eligibility period.

"The glass industry in Southwestern Pennsylvania has been hit hard by foreign imports, and hundreds of hard-working employees have lost their jobs in the recent past," Murtha said. "I know it's a setback for these workers and their families, but I'm hopeful that these programs will help relieve some of the financial and emotional stress they're experiencing and provide them with the opportunities they need to get back on their feet."

The United Steelworkers of America filed the petition for TAA and ATAA certification on the workers' behalf.

The government must restrict imports or tax them so that the price points are not different from those items produced locally. Also, companies should take more care to run their operations in such a manner that they do not have to cut back on jobs, file for bankruptcy or close down. And, there should be penalties for those employers who don't practice good management.

Art Shirts on the Runway

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Providence, RI -- The Escape Artists of Providence show off their stuff in style. The group is hosting a runway show at the Island Arts Center.

The group knows how to promote their newest Spring Line of Art T-shirts. They have local teens wear the tops as they prance down the runway. Of course all the kids will invite their family and friends, which means more possible sales for the group. There will also be food, music, dancing and a demonstration of the screenprinting process. And, yes they do charge for the event. $3 donation will get you in the door.

What Art?

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Notre Dame, IN -- An exhibition at Notre Dame missing its art. It seems that a "political screenprint" by Meeghan Conroy, which was a political commentary on George Bush, Jr.

The piece apparently went missing on the weekend after the opening of the show. No one is sure if the piece was taken because someone did not agree with Meeghan's political statement or perhaps they did. The artist was just a little surprised, but realized that her art was indeed successful in moving at least one person, perhaps a little too much. Everyone knows that an artist is known by how many pieces of their work have been stolen. Meeghan is well on her way, already having had her fifteen minutes of fame.

The piece was shown in the campus news a week after the show, and drew comments from at least one person who asked, "Who would steal that?"

I suppose it is true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Brothers Embezzle Screenprint Shop

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Covington, LA -- Two brothers have been arrested on charges of embezzling more than $50,000 from a Covington area T-shirt printing shop while the owner was on sick leave for years, authorities said.

The thefts at Action Screen Printers date back to 1995 when the owner asked Terry Guillory, an employee and family friend, to run the shop while he recovered from a lengthy illness, sheriff's deputies said.

The owner, Sidney Guillot, notified deputies when he returned to work four months ago and discovered tens of thousands of dollars missing from the shop's bank accounts, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman James Hartman said.

During an extensive review of the shop's financial records from the past decade, detectives recently determined Guillory, 43, had cashed numerous checks payable to the business and pocketed the money, Hartman said.

Guillory, who left the shop in 2003, allegedly cashed the checks at the Goodbee Quick Stop, a convenience store owned by his brother, Kevin Guillory, who is 44, deputies said.

Detectives have documented about $55,000 stolen from 1995 to 2003, but they believe the final total will be "much larger," Hartman said.

The Guillory brothers, who both live at 14 Plantation Lane near Covington, were arrested Monday night.

Terry Guillory was booked with felony theft, and Kevin Guillory, who deputies said admitted his involvement in the scheme, was booked with being a principal to felony theft.

Terry Guillory took over the business in 1995 when Sidney Guillot began suffering from complications from surgery, said Guillot's son, Ryan Guillot, who began working at the shop in 1999.

"My parents looked at him like a son," he said. "Trust was never a question, because our families were close. I mean we went to New Year's parties and Super Bowl parties together for 10 to 12 years."

Terry Guillory managed the shop for four years until Ryan Guillot began working there. They ran it together for four more years until Guillory left in the summer of 2003 amid arguments about the shop's shaky finances, Ryan Guillot said.

Ryan Guillot said the shop has filed civil suits against the Guillory brothers to recover some of the allegedly embezzled money.

He said that after several rough years, the more than 30-year-old family business is back on sound financial footing.

"There's all kinds of money coming in now that no one is stealing it all," Guillot said.

Holloway - Humpy’s Hunky Hero!

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Anchorage, AK -- If you have seen ABC’s “Lost” you know that almost every event is a mystery. Even down to the clothing worn by the actors - such as the Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse T-shirt. One has to ask how a group of plane crash survivors stranded on a strange island enroute from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles, California could end up with the clothing choices as represented on the show.

Take for instance, the aforesaid Humpy’s Tee. But first a little background. You see Humpy’s is a “dining establishment” located directly across the street from the
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage, Alaska. But what they are well know for is the beer. Lot’s of beer. The small place with the big menu serves over 40 draught speciality and micro beers. Of course this is in addition to the wonderful seafood, burgers, pasta and oysters that most people come to Humpy’s for in the first place. Come for the food, stay for the beer. But wait, it ain’t over until ... well, they do have live music at Humpy’s as well. Open Mic Night on Mondays is an especially good time to enjoy some burgers and beer. But that isn’t what we were going to tell you about, is it? The T-shirt - The Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse T-shirt.

You see, Humpy’s manager Cyndi Ramirez (and wouldn’t that more properly be “womanager” or “personager” today?) started getting emails and phone calls from people every where who had seen the shirt on the popular television show and wanted to buy one. Suddenly, she couldn’t keep enough of them in stock.

It seems that the hunky Humpy-wearing antihero Sawyer, played by Josh Holloway - was wearing the shirt on the show. But the question was, how did Holloway get the shirt, because the shirt he was wearing did not actually come from Humpy’s. The “real” Humpy shirts feature a small logo on the upper left breast and a large emblem across the back, but none have the banner across the front like Holloway’s. Another mystery was in the works and Cyndi, being the inquisitive type, wasn’t going to let it go.

Cyndi called Hollywood to find out. Touchstone Television’s publicity department helped her to track down Billy Ray McKenna, the shows costume designer and longtime wardrobe guy to the stars, who was more than happy to clear up the mystery.

It seems that one of the shows creators had stopped in at Humpy’s during a vacation to Anchorage and thought that the Humpy T-shirt was a perfect match for Holloway. However, it had to look as though it was something he had purchased at an Australian pub, not an Anchorage pub. So McKenna called Humpy’s and reached a general manager, who McKenna said gave him permission to use the logo. Of course that general manager no longer works at Humpy's and failed to tell many staff members about the dealwith McKenna.

McKenna then waited until he received written permission from the general manager and clearance from ABC’s legal department. When the authorization finally came through, McKenna didn’t have time to actually get the design separated and printed, so he did what any wardrobe manager would do. He went to Kinko’s! He got online, visited the Humpy’s website and downloaded the logo. Made the decision to move the logo to the front and blew it up. He then had Kinko’s make iron-on transfers for eight of the shirts and had them applied at a local T-shirt shop.

When "Lost" debuted in September, Sawyer was wearing an “Australian” Humpy's shirt during the program's dramatic plane crash scene.

Look for the shirt to make a cameo appearance in a future episode of “Lost,” when a boar pig pees on Holloway’s bag soaking the shirt. He pulls the shirt out of the bag and says, “This is the only thing that was mine on this damn island and a pig peed on it!”

Now here is the catch. Under the current agreement between Touchstone and Humpy’s, the pub can’t advertise its shirts “as seen on ‘Lost’ “ But that doesn’t stop us from helping with the cause. Somewhere in Anchorage is a T-shirt printer that stands to get more orders out of any advertising that the shirt gets and we want to help in our own little way.

So, go to Humpy’s and buy a shirt. You’ll impress your friends who will mistake you for one of the cast members on “Lost” but just can’t quite put the name to the face. But more importantly you will be helping a T-shirt printer who opened a T-shirt shop in a town known more for sno-cat skiing and snowboarding than your typical T-shirt wearing sports and where there is a law on the books stating that it is illegal for moose to have sex on the city sidewalks!!! But that, as they say, is another T-shirt story.

.: Buy a T-shirt - Support a Printer!

I'm Having a No Hair Day!

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- DeForest, WI -- Chris McHugh is a 34-year-old mother of two with a thriving hair salon in DeForest, Wisconsin. When she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in 1997, she was told that the rare, aggressive cancer has a much higher mortality rate than other forms of breast cancer, and McHugh’s case was considered terminal.

But Chris is a fighter, and with what others call an incredibly positive attitude she decided to turn her problem into a solution. Despite a double mastectomy, stem cell transplant, chemotherapy, and radiation she has created a new business that not only helps to eradicate cancer but gives others hope.

Partnering with two friends, one of whom also suffered from breast cancer, the three started Choose Hope Inc., a business that sells humorous and inspirational gifts for cancer patients, include T-shirts and buttons proclaiming everything from “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow” and “I’m Having A No Hair Day,” to “Miracles Happen” and the wildly popular “Cancer Sucks.”

The gifts, available online at www.choosehope.com and in a smattering of breast prostheses boutiques across the nation,

Better than 30 percent of the business’ profits have been donated to the American Cancer Society, the Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center; the rest have been plowed back into the business.

Most people would have been happy to have a successful business and giving a little back, but Chris didn’t stop there. The year Chris was diagnosed with cancer, DeForest held a Relay for Life fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society in which participants walk or run continuously around a track for 18 hours in exchange for pledge money.

Thirteen teams raised $18,000. Then Chris thought they could do better and became involved in the event. With her assistance and spirit, participation vaulted to 50 teams and proceeds climbed to $87,000. Eventually the Relay for Life event raised an estimated $115,000, and is expected to be among the top 10 grossing events, per capita, in the nation for the third consecutive year.

Chris has helped raise approximately $500,000 for cancer research in the last three years between her business, the relays, and a host of other fund-raisers she’s initiated.

Now that is what we call a class act!

.: Visit Choose Hope on the Internet

Mommy Wants a New President

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Chicago, IL -- "Around our house anyhow, what Mommy wants, Mommy usually gets. And just because things didn't go the way we had hoped in the last election doesn't mean Mommy feels any different." That's the lead at Lowercase Tees, where they are taking their political opinions to a new low, er, well...new heights? Well, they are putting words into the mouths of babes.

The company believes that, rightfully so, that the future of the U.S. belongs in the children, who will make their decisions based on what we do today. The company has created a breath of fresh air in America by simply listening to their Mommy. Bush...take note!

Buy two or more shirts and shipping is free. Send them a pix of your kid in his or her Lowercase Tee and they will post the photos up at their web site.

.: Visit Lowercase Tees on the Internet

Giving Back to the Community

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Las Vegas, NV -- Works by Robert Rauschenberg, one of the more acclaimed and influential artists of the past century, are on display at Godt-Cleary Projects in the Gateway Arts District.

Rauschenberg, who lives in Captiva, Fla., but maintains a studio in New York City, is noted for combining materials as diverse as steel, wood, fabrics, bottle caps, light bulbs and Plexiglas with screenprinting and lithography.

Of the more than 20 pieces on display, the earliest work in the exhibit is "Sand," from 1974, a transfer of offset lithographed and newspaper images and a collage using paper bags and fabric, while the most recent are the color screen prints "Reunion (Marrakitch)," "Gossip (Marrakitch)" and "Slink (Marrakitch)," all completed in 2000.

Prices of the paintings, drawings and prints range from $2,600 to $18,000.

Rauschenberg, born in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1925, didn't set out to be an artist. He had planned a career as a minister and, later, a pharmacist before discovering an aptitude for art in 1947 while serving in the Marines.

After the service, Rauschenberg studied art in Paris on the GI Bill, but quickly became disenchanted with the art scene there and moved back to America.

He enrolled at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, but he soon took off for New York and a life as a painter.

Long a fan of popular culture, Rauschenberg searched for ways to apply that enthusiasm with the high art of painting. The result, in the 1950s, was his "combines," three-dimensional collages.

Rauschenberg's 1959 "Monogram," for instance, contains a stuffed angora goat, a tire, a police barrier, the heel of a shoe, a tennis ball and paint.

In the 1960s, however, Rauschenberg abandoned the three-dimensional work and concentrated on two-dimensional, using silk-screened photographs from current events magazines overlapped with painted brushstrokes. The results were a commentary on modern society.

By the 1970s, Rauschenberg had moved on to aluminum, moving Plexiglas discs and clothing for his surfaces.

Like the best artists, Rauschenberg continued to experiment, using collage and different means of transferring photographs. And his stated aim continued to be "to operate in the gap between art and life."

As fellow artist Jasper Johns said, "Rauschenberg is the man in this century who has invented the most since Picasso."

The show will run 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays through Feb. 28 at the Godt-Cleary Projects, 1217 S. Main St, Las Vegas, Nevada. Admission is free.

Mandy Moore Creates New Line

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- New York, NY -- T-shirts. Everyone’s got them, but no one has enough. Pop star Mandy Moore created her own line and label, Mblem, so that she could have an unlimited supply of “functional, casual and sexy” T’s.

“It all evolved from the fact that I’m totally the jeans and T-shirt girl. If I can get away with wearing jeans and a T-shirt somewhere, I’ll do it,” Moore said.

For Moore, whose screen credits include “The Princess Diaries” and “Chasing Liberty,” fit comes first.

“I’m a tall girl (5-foot-10), so I’m always searching for the perfect jeans and T-shirt,” the 20-year-old singer-actress said. “I’m a huge fan of shopping – I am a girl, after all – but I find that a lot of the popular T-shirts are too short. I mainly just wanted something that I could kick around in.”

Her Mblem shirts, which are priced at about $50, are available in some of her favorite color combinations, including orange and brown and pink and brown, printed with lyrics of some of her favorite classic rock songs.

Primitive State Launches Online Shop

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Edinburgh, Scotland -- Edinburgh based partnership Primitive State has launched an innovative web site to sell their original and exclusive T-shirt designs.

The website contains a unique interface that allows the user to preview the Primitive State designs on any combination of style and colour of T-Shirt.

"The trick was finding a good balance between freedom of choice for the user and ease of use." says Nick Haworth, Creative Director and Partner at Primitive State. "Many of our competitor's web sites try and do a similar thing but just end up confusing the user with too many choices or frustrating them with too little. I think we got the balance just right".

The web site also makes good use of cutting-edge scripting and database technology.

"We weren't very impressed with any of the off-the-shelf shopping cart systems available so we built our own." commented Ben Dawson, Technical Director and Partner. "This gave us the freedom to design the shop around the web site instead of the other way round, making the site very easy to navigate and use in general".

Of course, at the end of the day, any T-shirt shop is only as good as it's designs. Nick Haworth had this to say about the Primitive State T-Shirt range:

"We currently have around three hundred original designs available arranged into thirty or so categories such as Film, Retro, Music, Gaming and Braille, with many more in the pipe-line. We are continuously reviewing our range of designs by listening to feedback from our customers and so far the response has been excellent".

.: Visit Primitive State on the Internet

Art Contest in Fond du Lac

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Fond du Lac, WI -- Festivalgoers at the 2005 Walleye Weekend to be held in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin could be fashionably garbed this summer in designs created by aspiring area artists. The winners’ creation will grace the ‘official’ shirts for the event.

Hopper’s Custom Screenprinting and All Star Trophy, working in conjunction with Fond du Lac Festivals Inc., is sponsoring a contest to find the winning designs for the first official Walleye Weekend T-shirts. The North Fond du Lac company will screenprint the winning designs onto shirts.

“We’ve been with it (the festival) from Day 1,” said owner Mark Hopper. “We really are excited about the contest.”

The competition will be judged in two age divisions: 14 years of age and younger, and 15 years and older. The winning design in each division will be printed on T-shirts, and both shirts will be sold in the official vendor’s tent at the festival.

In addition to seeing their designs incorporated into festival fashion, winners in each division will receive prizes that will make the effort worthwhile. The person who submits the winning design in the younger division will receive a mountain bike and the winner of the older division will receive a $500 savings bond.

“We decided to try something new this year,” said Festivals Director Mary Ann Dilling.

In the 28 years since the festival began, there has never been an official T-shirt aside from those created for participants in the annual Walleye Run/Walk and other sporting events held throughout the weekend. Dilling said a lot of the bigger festivals have official T-shirts, and she’s hoping the contest will get more people involved in the city’s annual three-day event.

A committee, made up of people from the graphics field and some Fond du Lac Festivals officials, will judge the contest entries.

“We’ll be looking at the originality of the designs,” Dilling said. “We’ll be asking, ‘What sets this design apart from another design?’”

Time and research went into choosing the prize for the younger division: a DK Six Pack mountain bike with 100 percent chrome frame, three-piece tubular cranks and 48-hole Sun Black Box rims.

“This is the bike,” Dilling said. “We hope it will attract kids to enter the competition.”

Michelle Novak, who has worked in the sales division of Hopper’s eight years, said the company has been involved in the creation and sales of merchandise designed for the festival.

“We would usually start around this time of the year,” she said. “We think of ideas we have seen and incorporate our own designs into that. Then we all sit down for a brainstorming session, where we suggest things like new shirt colors or the use of neon in the designs.”

Dilling said the contest would help to personalize the popular festival.

“We have always looked for ways to involve community members,” she said. “We want everyone to have ownership of the festival.”

Portraits of Artist by Other Artists

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Boston, MA -- “Likeness: Portraits of Artist by Other Artists,” is a current exhibition mounted at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. The theme features 50 diverse, noteworthy images surpassing the traditional notion of portraiture; its common denominator is an overt meta-commentary on the artist, and on the subject’s celebrated personal visual vocabulary.

These artists were interested in presenting an image of something way beyond the face of the subject. Some artists were serious in their approach, while others were light-hearted in capturing the essence of a fellow artist’s work that had influenced them.

Andy Warhol’s (1928-1987) well-known Pop Art portraits of celebrities were not hung in this ICA show but three artists did pay tribute to Warhol in their works.
Deborah Kass (1952- ), in allusion to Warhol’s artwork, imitated his signature screen print style. Her 1994 piece was a screenprinted ink and acrylic on canvas of her friend, photographer Cindy Sherman (1952- ). She made Sherman look just like Liza Minnelli twins as if Warhol had executed the work himself.

Kass’ double commentary also calls attention to the consumer culture, advertising, product packaging pervasive in our daily life identifying with the thrust of Warhol and the Pop Art movement in the mid 1950s.

Chuck Close (1940- ) was the dominant, pre-eminent American photorealist painter. Like Warhol, Close chose many of his friends as subjects. He took photographs of them, then projecting the image onto a large canvas that he had pre-gritted into squares. Then, he airbrushed the canvas square by square, often taking more than six months to complete the entire canvas.

In the show, his color screenprint, “Lyle” 2003, measured 65_ in. x 53_ in. was completed in his familiar “pixilated” style. It showed his intense interest in transferring photographic information into paint information. Close capturing the likeness of Lyle was incidental, and not his primary concern.

Chuck Close’s subject, Lyle Ashton Harris (1965- ), whose own work explores issues of identity, race and sexuality is often autobiographical in context also showing his fascination in technical manipulation of the photographic image.

Chuck Close’s pixilated, super-realism portrait of President William J. Clinton hangs in the company of portraits along side of every single US Presidents from George Washington onward at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute.

The exhibition was co-organized by CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in San Francisco, and Independent Curators International in New York. ICA’s current show acutely demonstrates that excellence in producing compelling art, including portraiture, has never been about material or techniques.

The exhibition will run at the ICA until May 1, 2005. More information is available at (617) 266-5152

Shop Highlight - Big Jims

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Taunton, MS -- Big Jim's is a full service purveyor of custom screenprinting, embroidery and promotional products located on historic Main Street in Taunton, Massachusetts, and is a member of the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI).

Founded in 1983 by Jim Gillispie, an advertising specialty consultant and distributor, Big Jim's quickly expanded, adding screenprinting, computerized embroidery, digitizing and an art department as well as a wide array of wearables and promotional products. Today, Big Jim's is still growing and has remained family owned and operated.

Big Jim's specializes in small orders of quality custom goods at reasonable prices. Their flexible ordering policies and production schedule are perfect for the demands of small businesses, organizations and sports teams. They also serve larger customers, such as Motorola, Pepsi, and AT&T with the same flexibility and service.

Big Jim's

25 Main Street, Taunton, MA 02780

Phone: 508-823-6719

Toll Free: 1-888-BIG-JIMS

.: Visit Big Jims on the Internet

Giving Back to the Community

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Escondido, CA -- After years of promoting business growth in Escondido, California Marie Waldron can finally make an impact. The newly elected City Councilwoman has moved from the role of advocate to public servant.

Waldron and her husband own Waldron Enterprises, a graphics and screenprinting business that operates Top End Tees & Apparel at 146 E. Grand Avenue downtown.

Since joining the council in 1998, Waldron has had a general policy of abstaining from council votes on the downtown Business Improvement District and its mandatory annual fees, because her shop is within the district's boundaries. But that doesn't stop her from being a great promoter for economic development in the area, which is good not just for her business but all business.

Why simply sit there waiting on the phone to ring. Getting involved in the community allows you to give back, but also to help with promoting and improving business in general. After all, your business depends on other businesses in the area. Get involved - whether it is serving on the city council, or joining your local Rotary Club - and make a difference in your community and yes - in your own business.

Roya Serigraphs

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Elm Grove, WI -- The Gilded Edge Frames and Gallery will feature original and serigraph reproductions of works by Spanish artist Royo through Feb. 26. Opening night will be from 1 to 7 p.m. Feb. 11.

Born in Valencia, Spain in 1945. He studied at the renowned Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes de San Carlos in Valencia. Additionally, as an artistic prodigy, he studied privately with the famous painter Adolfo Ferrer Amblat, a senior lecturer at the San Carlos Fine Arts School. He specialized, in his studies, in late 18th and early 19th Century painting. These studies resulted in a commission for restoration work on the Palace of the Marquis of Dos Aguas in Valencia. He is admired and collected world-wide. In 2000, Royo will exhibit work at shows in London, Lisbon, Mexico City, Abudabi, Washington D.C., and Las Vegas.

The world of the artist Royo is one that is lush and rich, saturated with light and color. The light is that of his birthplace and chosen home near Valencia, Spain. Spanish light has a unique clarity, brightness and softness, which suffuses throughout the artist's incredible paintings.

Inside his private orchards and gardens, he begins each day by arranging his model(s) into the scene he has envisioned. He mostly works plein aire, outside, in order to capture the true light and color for the painting. His pieces are wonderful symphonies of color that capture the beauty of Royo's world.

The gallery is located at 13475 Watertown Plank Road, Elm Grove, WI. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. For more information, call 782-2803.

http://www.gildededge.net

.: More info on the exhibition and gallery.

Cock-A-Doodle-Donate

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Aberdeen, SD -- United Blood Services of Aberdeen, South Dakota is hoping that a T-shirt will make people want to "Cock-a-Doodle-Donate."

The promotion is meant to celebrate the Chinese "Year of the Rooster." All donors who donate in the center through Feb. 14 will receive a commemorative T-shirt that bears the "Cock-a-Doodle-Donate" emblem.

Kathy Boschee, United Blood Services representative, said, "We wanted to have fun with this theme, and our hope is that donors will respond and make appointments to donate without issuing an appeal. If just 3 percent more of the population rolled up their sleeves, we would never have a shortage."

Why not consider using a T-shirt for any event as a fundraiser. People like receiving a colorful t-shirt with a meaningful and well-executed design. T-shirts can be used as a promotional item for everything from family reunions to political campaigns.

Textile Expo Dubai

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Dubai -- Textile Expo Dubai, the International Machinery and accessories Trade fair for the textile and fabric industry will take place at the Airport Expo Dubai – DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE from 20 to 23 March 2005.

The event that is well on track to become the largest textile machinery and accessories show of the Middle East, will showcase the latest and most innovative textile machines, equipments and allied products and services for the industry.

The exhibitors to the show include manufacturers from all sectors of the textile machinery industry (spinning, nonwovens, weaving, knitting, dyeing and finishing, garment making, testing, software, leather and shoe making) as well as dyestuffs and chemicals, fabrics, fibre and yarn producers.

Around 12,000 trade visitors are expected to attend the show from all the key textile markets of the area – including Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, India, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Africa.

The city of Dubai as venue for the event is ideally suitable and is fast emerging as the leading international textiles and fashion hub for the Middle East region.

.: More info on the exposition

UK Printwear & Promotion

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Birmingham, UK -- The 2005 Printwear & Promotion exhibition will be held at the Birmingham NEC between Sunday 27th February and Tuesday March 1st.

Attend the Printwear & Promotion exhibition and you will find yourself in the ideal situation to meet with your existing suppliers or meet new suppliers and see what new brands and products they are able to supply to you.

The exhibition is also the best opportunity to see machinery across the board that caters for all forms of garment decoration. Leading names from the embroidery market are as common a feature as the noise of the latest machinery and wide colour varieties of the threads.

All the big names from the wide world of transfer technology are expected to be present, so whether you are looking for heat presses, plotters, printers, garment film or perhaps the whole package, then there is ample opportunity to get involved in this popular and thriving form of decoration.

Not forgetting screenprinting, that will also be a part of the exhibition, and still continues to be among the most popular forms of garment decoration. Another flourishing form of embellishment is digital printing, the past year has seen the profile raise higher of wide format textile printing and your chance to see new developments will be at Printwear & Promotion 2005.

Last but by no means least there is the clothing, as along with suppliers and distributors there will be, as always, a huge range of clothing on display. With options ranging in styles, colours and embroidery s you are guaranteed to discover what you want to find!

You will also find that is it not only the existing styles on show. January is traditionally when the garment brands launch new lines and styles and with Printwear & Promotion following in the next month, this is often the first opportunity that UK decorators and readers get to see the new products that will be featured in the January issue of Printwear & Promotion.

The biggest change at the Printwear & Promotion 2005 exhibition is that it will open on a Sunday following requests from exhibitors and visitors who feel that this will not only bring more visitors to the NEC, but also allow the visitor to visit freely and not interrupt a working week.

So now, if you have not had the time to spare from the workplace in previous years, you can now simply visit the show on the Sunday and return to a full working week the next day. This new opening time has already proved popular with returning exhibitors who are anticipating a very popular show.

Or why not take the advantage to only miss one day out of the workplace and visit the show on the monday as well? Or perhaps stay both nights and visit the exhibition on all three days - really seeing what this vibrant and popular exhibition has to offer!

As the exhibition will be held at the world-famous Birmingham NEC, there is the benefit of a central location of which is beneficial to exhibitors and visitors. The Birmingham NEC is served by Birmingham International Airport, Birmingham International train station which is served by trains from across the UK and the nearby M6 motorway.

There is also extensive parking at the exhibition centre. The Printwear & Promotion exhibition will this year be held in Hall 20, which is considerably larger than halls that the exhibition has been held in previously.

For further information on where to stay during the exhibition, the following websites offer a simple and straightforward guide to accommodation and activities in the Birmingham and NEC area;

www.necgroup.co.uk/visitor/directorybirmingham-nec.conventioncenterhotelsguide.com

All entry for visitors is free. To attend the exhibition there are several options available to you. You can either visit the official exhibition website at www.printwearexhibition.co.uk, where you can register for free online. Simply fill out the necessary information on the screen and your pass will be sent to you prior to the event.

Alternatively fill out the visitor ticket that you will find loose in this magazine and post back to receive your pass, or simply turn up at the NEC and fill out a ticket when you arrive to gain immediate access. Once you are inside what can you expect to see? Along with the exhibitors, here is some of the highlights of what will be going on.

Fashion show

An annual treat for all visitors, this is easily found at the back of the hall and with professional models and lighting, is often an attractive and entertaining way to see the clothing, and decorated garments, on display.

Situated close to the catering facilities and on show several times a day, the fashion show seating area also provides an area to relax and take a break while enjoying the entertainment!

Awards - Over the next two pages you will find the terms and conditions and rules of entry to the 2005 awards, as well as an entry form for the awards. When your entry is received, it will be displayed at the show and judged by a group of industry experts.

When the winners are confirmed, they will be announced both at the show and in the April issue of Printwear & Promotion.

Seminars - Again, Printwear & Promotion exhibition will host seminars from a host of respected and renowned speakers. All seminars are free to attend and will run at set times over the three days in a specially-located seminar theatre.

Exhibitors - As we approach the 2005 exhibition stands are already being snapped up and as usual, you can expect to see a host of big name exhibitors at the the UK's largest and only dedicated garment decoration show.

For further information on exhibiting, contact Richard Smith on 01622 687031.

.: More info on the exhibition

Arrested for Insulting

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Northfields, Norwich, UK -- Knock, Knock...You open the door and there stands one or more children in some sort of costume, highly excited and all screaming at the top of their lungs... "TRICK or TREAT."

The Halloween tradition began over 2000 yrs ago with people known as the Celtics. They lived in what is today England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This was also the beginning of the Celtic new year, a time to give thanks to the sun god for the harvest.

Halloween, All saints day, All hallows eve or All souls day is a festival. It was held to honor the Samhain the so called "lord of death". It was a Druidical belief that on the eve of this festival Samhain, lord of death, called together the wicked spirits that within the past 12 months had been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals.

It was a pagan belief that on one night of the year the souls of the dead return to their original homes, there to be entertained with food. If food and shelter were not provided, these evil spirits would cast spells and cause havoc toward those failing to fulfill their requests. And, so today, we offer treats to the children to carry on the tradition.

Halloween is a time when people dress up in scary and yes sometimes and offensive costumes to "shock" others. We do however, have to exhibit some sort of decorum in choosing our costumes.

A man who wore a heavy metal band T-shirt bearing an insulting picture and slogan last Halloween pleaded guilty yesterday to religiously aggravated offensive conduct.

Dale Wilson, 35, of Northfields, was arrested by two police officers in The Avenues as he walked to a local newsagent to buy some tobacco on Halloween wearing a T-shirt promoting Ipswich-band Cradle of Filth.

The front of the T-shirt showed a sexual image of a nun while the back carried an extremely offensive reference to Jesus.

He pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared at Norwich Crown Court yesterday. Sentencing was adjourned for reports until March 11 and Judge Simon Barham warned him that all sentencing options would be open.

Wilson was given conditional bail pending the next hearing. Foremost on Wilson's mind was what he will wear next Halloween.

First it was white, now it's Red

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Lubbock, TX -- Perhaps you read an earlier report about students being expelled for wearing plain, unprinted, white T-shirts to school because the administrators thought it signified gang activity. Well, now it's red T-shirts and in Lubbock, Texas of all places.

New developments in the controversy concerning the way a Lubbock ISD principal handled a group of sixth grade students. Last week, the principal of Hardwick Elementary called nearly two-thirds of the sixth grade students into the cafeteria for wearing red. That's where a police officer discussed the dangers of gang activity with students. But many parents argue the officer threatened students.

Several parents say they are livid with the principal. They say he as much as accused them of being in a gang because they were wearing a red t-shirt.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is now investigating the incident. Meanwhile, a concerned parent continues to demand an apology, which she says she hasn't received.

Parent of a sixth grade student, Laurie Long said her daughter told her this, "She said he told them he could hurt them, handcuff them and as he spoke to them, he spoke to them with handcuffs in his hand; that's how he pointed to them."

Long says her daughter was accused of being in a gang. "They called everyone, they told everyone in there, you're gang members. You are the 'Bloods," said Long, who also works in the library at Hardwick. She says she didn't hear school officials talk about gangs until last week. She feels the school took the wrong actions to approach any existing problem.

President of the local ACLU, Harvey Madison agrees, and he plans to move forward with an investigation. "We don't need policemen coming in and threatening sixth graders who've done absolutely nothing except wear the shirt their father put on them," said Madison.

In a letter, the principal says they've dealt with a gang that wore white t-shirts. The letter also says students "Proceeded to tell their friends in the sixth grade to wear red t-shirts the next day as a sign of defiance."

The message was to wear red, however some students knew why and some did not. Madison says what happened to the students behind closed doors doesn't reflect freedom. "This is an example of what happens when we become paranoid about crime and violence and so forth," said Madison.

Many parents have defended their children. Now evidence of support was visible Wednesday with stickers for Principal Neeb, which Long says creates a larger distraction than gang activity ever did. "Kids are wanting to know what's that for? I guess they're asking whose side are you on," said Long.

The ACLU says this will be a difficult case because the state has been lenient in the past when it comes to disciplining children.

Lubbock Indepentent School District still refuses to comment on the incident.

Okay, tomorrow everyone wears blue!

When Lawyers Produce Serigraphs

(ScreenprintNews.com) -- Baltimore, MD -- During a concert by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, William Rawn anxiously scribbled notes into a small notepad. Several times, the tall, well-dressed Rawn would move to a new seat. He moved from the center of the balcony to the side, and then later to the floor.

It was the first time the new Music Center at Strathmore, a $100 million concert hall and education center was filled with people. Rawn was in fact not looking for the best seat, but to see how well the building functioned with people in it.

"It's for my next project," he said of the note-taking. "I was writing down what we could do better, to learn what questions I have to ask the next time."

It's an important moment for Bill Rawn.

I know you are wondering what this has to do with lawyers and serigraphs, but it’s coming…just read on.

Born in Berkeley, Calif., and raised in San Marino, Calif., Rawn showed an early interest in drawing, and admits, in retrospect, that he might have liked to study architecture immediately after high school. But his father, who owned and operated a steel-fabricating company, discouraged him from going that route.

Rawn majored in political science at Yale, earned a law degree from Harvard in 1969, and then practiced law for two years in Washington. Restless, and interested in housing issues, he went to work at the University of Massachusetts, where he became an assistant to the president and then assistant chancellor for physical planning.

On the side, Rawn was making limited-edition screenprints and selling them to augment his meager salary at the University - first in New York City's SoHo district and then at the prestigious Pace Gallery in Manhattan. That success gave him confidence to start another career in the visual arts. In 1975, at the age of 32, he enrolled in architecture school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In March 1983, Rawn opened his own architecture office on Tremont Street in Boston. His first commission was the house in House, a $146,000, five-bedroom Greek Revival residence for Judith and Jonathan Souweine. Rawn got that commission largely because he was a friend of the Souweines. They thought they were helping him by hiring him as he was just starting his practice.

Today, at 61, Rawn is winning prestigious commissions and critical praise. Edizioni Press published a monograph of his projects and essays, titled William Rawn: Architecture for the Public Realm. Last fall, he completed a tower for Northeastern University that Boston Globe architecture critic Robert Campbell called "the most elegant high rise in Boston" since the John Hancock tower.

In Rawn, Strathmore hired one of America's leading architects. Since he was featured in House 20 years ago, his practice has grown from one employee (himself) to 55. Much of his time is now spent creating large-scale projects for the public realm. He has worked for clients such as the Walt Disney Co., DreamWorks SKG and the Lincoln Center, and received more than 65 design awards.

Not too bad for an artist that sold serigraphs on a street corner just to get by.