Frank Viva is an in-demand illustrator and branding expert whose work has appeared on the cover of The New Yorker, in Time and Esquire, the New York Times and Toronto Life: commercial clients include Butterfield and Robinson, New York Life and Le Creuset. But busy as he is, Viva found the time to do a pro bono job being unveiled today (August 26) at the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street); the OCAD-educated artist has lent his talent to Poet Laureate Dionne Brand’s Poetry is Public is Poetry project, an initiative designed to etch some of Canada’s most celebrated poetry into public spaces.
A collaboration between City of Toronto’s Cultural Services, Transportation Services and the Toronto Public Library and the TPL Foundation, the project will embed two to four installations per year in outdoor library spaces. Viva’s hoarding design (above) blends his whimsical art with snippets of poems by 34 Canadian poets.
“I do quite a bit of pro bono work,” says the artist, left. “We’re doing some work for Domtar right now, three ads and posters, which we’re selling with the proceeds going to a childhood literacy organization. Literacy tends to be the focus of much of our pro bono work, we’ve done a lot of this kind of work for World Literacy over the years including engagement calendars and logos, that kind of thing.”
Viva is internationally recognized as an illustrator but his passion for words is deeply ingrained. His first book, a children’s work called Along A Long Road will be issued next spring by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers: a delightful illustration depicting a bicycle trip is accompanied by Viva’s rhythmic couplets.
“Words are incredibly important to me,” says the artist. “The combination of words, pictures and design, where those three things intersect, can be incredibly powerful, whether it’s on a greeting card or on the cover of The New Yorker or a headline in a catalogue combined with a photograph.”
Greeting cards are an increasingly successful facet of Viva & Co.’s business, an entity formed with partner Todd Temporale. Working under the Whigby brand, Viva’s team has poured their talent and humour into a delightful line of cards, wrapping papers, posters and souvenirs.
The media may be trumpeting print’s demise but Viva is deeply attached to the experience of touching paper and turning pages. “I feel like there’s this huge capacity that’s being underused,” he says of print. “There’s a real interest in the tactile. I think Whigby’s on the cutting edge, taking advantage of a form that’s fading . . . I think there will always be a place for print, I can’t imagine kicking back at the cottage and reading an iPad, I’d much rather read a book. It will diminish but there will always be a place for print.”
Viva’s Poetry is Public design will be up until the end of the year in front of the Reference Library. Stop by and take in some of Canada’s finest poetry presented by one of the city’s most accomplished illustrator/designers.
Library hoarding image by Stuart Brown
Social bookmarks
Scroll to the Form to leave a comment.
Some of this poetry is very thought provoking. And thanks to Frank Viva for volunteering his time and talent. I look forward to seeing this hoarding.
I very much enjoyed the poetry and the brush and ink paintings while waiting for a classmate outside the Reference Library. Thanks to everyone who put this together. God Bless