The show is publicized to the community at large so the entire community can see what our students have created. I encourage my graphic design students to participate in poster design competitions. We select design opportunities that focus on extremely important and timely issues in their lives. For example, the AAA sponsors an annual traffic safety poster contest. I challenge my students to use real-life design opportunities not only as a way to showcase their talents but also to communicate proper and safe behavior concepts involved with vehicles.
Students receive prizes and have their artwork on public display.
More importantly, the messages communicated by their skillful graphic designs are lessons for a lifetime. The students from Parsons School of Design were challenged by the Vera List Center for Art and Politics to visually represent America's strength through its diversity. They created a collection of thirty posters to illustrate this theme. I applied for permission to exhibit these posters, which were designed by graphic art majors at Parsons. The School of Design loaned us the collection of thirty posters and the exhibition was held in our school's centrally located library.