Be the Artist for 2024 Is Coming and Asks “Who Made That?”

The summer is upon us and it is almost time for this year’s fortnightly series where we seek to inspire you by looking at various art and artists.

There are artists we know immediately by name, like Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. There are others everyone knows for their most famous works like the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

However, there are many artists, designers, and craftspersons whose names you might never know… yet you know something they did.

Last year we asked the question, “Is it art” (spoiler alert… yes!). In this year’s series, we ask “Who made that?”

That well-known item may have been the only thing someone designed, or it just may be the most recognizable piece from a lifetime of creative endeavors. Other times, a piece of art or artistically-driven item may have been created by someone who wasn’t even considered a visual artist. There are album covers and movie posters we all know. There are logos and works of architecture. There are movie props and costume pieces. There are works of commercial art, pop art, and fine art… all known better than their creators.

One thing we are going to realize in this series is how many different types of creative endeavors overlap. Music, filmmaking, architecture, city planning, and pretty much everything else feature some sort of art. When you see a famous mascot or a product logo, someone out there has to design it. It may have been for a paycheck or for the appreciation of the project. It may have been as a resume builder or just because they love what they do. Everything you see from stickers to staircases started in the mind of an artist, well-known or anonymous.

There are some cases where the design has been around so long, the name of its creator may have been lost in history.

Who was the person behind the first recognized logo to be associated with a rock band, for example? Follow along and find out!

We’ll start the series off next week with a single piece from an attraction at one theme park that, on its own, has become an inspiration for designers and graphic artists from all over: the wallpaper from the Haunted Mansion.

Many fans of the attraction and Disney lovers know it… but who is the woman who gave us this design?

We all want to be humble, but it is admittedly a satisfying feeling for people to know your name along with your achievements. For creators, that name can become so famous, it is synonymous with an art style or occupation.

For many, their names may disappear into the index pages of art and design books. Only those in a particular profession may know about them. But that’s okay. They made their mark. They left their artistic footprint. Their ideas are still being seen and, in some cases, still being loved.

Hopefully, this year’s “Be the Artist” ideas will help to inspire others to create and imagine. It doesn’t matter if it is your name or your idea that is remembered.

Even if it is neither, you can still create something for others to see. Whether it is just seen by a few people, just yourself, or the entire world, a spark of inspiration doesn’t have to be big to be noticed.