Call for Artists / Graphic Designers

Graphic designers: AIGA Detroit is looking for submissions for Design Re:View 2011. This competition only happens every other year. This year, AIGA Detroit and AIGA Toledo are joining forces, making this the first regional competition of its kind. It will showcase the most successful and creative print, interactive, motion and environmental graphic design created in the region over the past two years. More than 300 entries were received for the competition in 2009, from which 55 pieces won awards. Pretty good odds, yes? Check out the Call For Entries website for details. The deadline is January 26.

Artists: Kill Taupe is curating a show at Lift! Meth & Hot Dogs 2 is a group show celebrating original character art by emerging and established artists. The show will contain artwork and custom toys featuring characters that are unscrupulous, mischievous, lowbrow, shady, crazy, and unkempt. The opening reception will be on April 30th. There is no fee to apply or participate in the show. To apply please send a link to your online portfolio / website to killtaupe@gmail.com. Selected artists may send one wall piece and one custom toy or original sculpture to be included in the show. Artwork must arrive at Lift no later than April 15th. Information on the first installment, which took place in St. Louis in 2009, can be found on the old Kill Taupe blog.

Recap: Natural Resources 3 @ Lift

We’ve been playing catchup after our World Tour of Ohio ended in Cleveland this past weekend. A full month ago now, we visited Lift Detroit to see Natural Resources 3. Artists customized Mike Burnett’s Neighborwood and Average Joe Schmo wood toys for this traveling show. Detroit was the last leg of the three city tour.  Check out the gallery behind the cut to see renditions of these toys from many artists, including Detroit faves Kill Taupe, Heather Hansma, Audrey Pongracz and Carl Oxley III.

READ MORE: Ginormous gallery of pics from Natural Resources 3

Starred #34

Daniel Danger‘s toy debuted today at Gallery 1988

Logotype by Timba Smits (via Grain Edit)

Wood block print on a map by Best Made Company (via The Best Part)

New stuff from Dalek (via Arrested Motion)

Antique fans (via A Beautiful Mess)

Named after the Add Star feature in Google Reader, “Starred” is a column about things that catch my eye as I peruse the blogs I subscribe to. If you’d like to subscribe to Perfect Laughter, here’s a link to our RSS Feed.

Circus Mobius: Audrey Pongracz + Mark Nischan @ LIFT Detroit

On Saturday night, Dennis and I stopped by LIFT to check out Circus Mobius. Audrey Pongracz and Marc Nischan shared the walls and put on a great show of circus themed paintings, vinyl toys and plushies.

Marc Nischan

Full gallery is behind the cut. Our pictures from this show as well as past Detroit art shows can be seen on our Flickr page.

Read more…