Designasaur: Open through October 26

Designasaur: On display at USC Upstate through October 26.

A few weeks after I started my 52 Shirts project, I decided that at the end of the project, I wanted to have a show featuring my creations. I started sketching some ideas out, but honestly, I wasn’t sure where to even start. I’ve never held an art show before. I started looking into how to get gallery space, paying attention to other shows and asking questions.

After I wrapped up the project this summer, I wanted to take a couple of months off and then start working to make my art show a reality.

While I was on vacation in the mountains of North Carolina, I got an email from Jane Nodine at USC Upstate asking if I’d be interested in bringing a show to the Curtis R. Harley Gallery at USC Upstate in Spartanburg, South Carolina. I responded immediately that I was absolutely interested and started working on how to build a show.

I edited my 52 Shirts project down to a selection of shirts that discuss my creative process and evolution as a designer. Designasaur is my look at creative process and the quest to avoid creative extinction.

The show was installed last week and I get to do an artist’s talk on campus this Thursday, October 4 at 4:30 pm. I’m so happy with how it turned out and excited about the talk this week. If you are in the Spartanburg area between now and October 26, stop by to see the show in the Curtis R. Harley Gallery on the first floor of the Humanities and Performing Arts Center.

I can’t begin to tell you how nervous I’ve been for the last three months planning the show. This isn’t something I’ve ever done before and I had so many questions. I need to thank a lot of people: my wife and kiddos, my friend Marius Valdes, Jane and Mark at USC Upstate and all the people that bought shirts and encouraged me along the way. I really couldn’t have done it without you all.

To celebrate the show, everything in my Threadless store is discounted. If you want to pick up one of my shirts, now is the time to do it. The promotion will run through the end of October. (The featured shirts have been collected into their own “Designasaur” gallery on my Threadless site.)

Also, I’ve designed a poster for the event. In keeping with the on demand nature of the project, you can order it from Threadless, too.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, creative director, grad student, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. He recently finished a project to design a new shirt a week for an entire year. Follow Bob on Instagram and Micro.Blog.