I’m a morning person. That’s why I didn’t mind waking up even earlier than usual to get some shots for the upcoming issue of Block Club. Silo City and Allentown are beautiful places to visit when the sun is just coming up.
- Steve
Here are some images from the new identity, stationery and brand standards project we recently wrapped up for Ristorante Lombardo.
See more images and the full case study at our website.
-Brandon
Putting the Street back in Main Street. #buffalo #construction
Montague and Byrnes Dwell together
Our friend Julian Montague was interviewed in Dwell magazine’s blog by another friend, and Block Club contributor, Mark Byrnes. Super cool conversation about Montague’s fake-book art, states poster series, and his beautiful Stray Shopping Cart Project.
Follow these fellas’ work. They’re doing good stuff.
-Ben
Photo courtesy Julian Montague Projects
Record Store Day is right around the corner, folks.
In honor of the independent music mini-holiday, I wrote a guest post for local music website, buffaBLOG.
Music has always played a major role in my life, and I can trace that back to my pop’s passion for the stuff. A big thanks goes out to that guy.
Anyway, check out my blog post here, and support your local record store and music scene.
- PS
Photos from TriMania 2013.
-Patrick F.
Hosting a party is one thing—having enough food and drink, good music, the right combination of guests—but conducting a philosophical conversation throughout all the catching-up, the elbow grabbing, the networking, is something else.
We launched BCM31 with that exact creative challenge. The goal with each issue’s launch is to not only display artwork and cover art from the issue, but to interact with it somehow. Block Club is a magazine that relies on conversation and thought, where you can put it down and think about it days later, bring it up with friends and talk about it some more. We craft each issue to be an experience, starting with the launch party.
When guests arrived, they were instructed to choose a mysterious piece of white paper.
On the backs of most papers was the word “Quantity” with an image of something mass-produced—Velveeta cheese food product, identical suburban-development homes, reality TV star Honey Boo Boo, sliced white bread, Chili’s restaurant, a plastic bag, pop star Christina Aguilera, and processed ground beef. If you received one of these, you were the proud winner of the miniature poster you were holding.
On the backs of 40 papers was the word “Quality” with instructions to see a Block Club employee throughout the night. If you were lucky enough to snag one of these, you won a limited-edition print of one of the four letterpress prints we made in collaboration with the Western New York Book Arts Center, who also supplied a limited-edition print from their Small Press Book Fair, held the same weekend as our party. The prints hung as the artwork for this opening installation, but by night’s end, our walls were bare—another rumination on the relationship between quality and quantity.
This simple instruction begat a night’s worth of interaction, conversation about art, printing, installation, clichés, design, marketing, and the stories told in the issue. And dancing, of course. Lots of dancing.
-Ben
E.R. Barry's As Yet Untitled Blog of Things: Short Fiction: "Thank You for Shopping"
Issue 31 of Block Club Magazine is out and about in Buffalo, and inside you can find my latest piece of short fiction, “Thank You for Shopping.” Block Club hosted a launch party this past Friday at their office, a fabulously hip working environment that—and I’m not sure if they even realize…
Block Club contributor E.R. Barry writes about the new issue’s launch party, cleverly and unbeknownst-to-us-at-least-….ly working in our office as a character in the issue’s conversation about quality and quantity.
Thanks, E.R.
-Ben
What should I put in my art bubble?
These little green pods are being distributed around Buffalo right now. You’re asked to fill it with art, whatever can fit. Once collected, they will be installed in vending machines around town.
How sweet is that!
I need to figure something out. Stay tuned.
UPDATE! Word has it, this nifty project is known as the Buffalo Art Dispensary Project, and is headed by a small group of fine arty people. Lots of interest in this project already, hopefully yielding a great collection of small art.
-Ben
Issue 31: Quality/Quantity hits the street this week. Thanks for reading.
Block Club’s Issue 31 on Cover Junkie
No big deal or anything, but Block Club is on Cover Junkie today!
Cover Junkie is at the top of our blogroll when researching the industry’s most innovative, inspiring magazine covers. The site regularly features cover art from New York Magazine, Vice, Wired, The Sunday Times Magazine (UK), The New York Times Magazine, Adbusters, Time, and many more from the world’s best magazine brands.
It goes without saying, though I’ll say it, that we are honored to be in such esteemed company. Thank you Jaap Biemans, founder of the site and art director of Volkskrant Magazine, for featuring us today!
And a huge thank you to our friends at the Western New York Book Arts Center, especially Chris Fritton, for their collaborative efforts on this cover. We’re thrilled to share the page with you, and all the wonderful work you’re doing for publishing here in Buffalo and around the world.
A great way to kick off our launch party tonight for Issue 31: Quality/Quantity! Have a great day everyone!
-Ben
Issue 31 Launch Party!
Join us in launching Issue 31: Quality/Quantity with an opening on Fri., April 5 from 6 to 9 p.m. at 731 Main St., near West Tupper.
The evening will showcase letterpress posters produced for the cover and photo essay in the latest issue of the magazine, in collaboration with the Western New York Book Arts Center.
Music by ABCDJ. Snacks and drinks will be served.
Block Club presents this exhibit with support from Chris Fritton, studio director at WNYBAC. The event also helps kick off the Small Press Book Fair, which will take place Saturday and Sunday. Block Club will also be in attendance at this year’s fair.
We’re looking forward to sharing our stories and conversations about quality/quantity with you and our WNY community. See you on Friday!
They’re hereee!
Our first batch of Fridge Phrases samples is in.
We’re taking these to eight additional cities and we made a few theme packs as well.
Be on the lookout!
- PS
A few of our friends just installed a “Before I Die Wall” at 595 Fillmore Avenue in Buffalo. Originally the group was going to put it on the old Utica Club building on the West Side but a friend convinced the group to install the wall on a building on the East Side that’s slated for demolition.
The idea was inspired by Candy Chang. Be sure to check out her TED talk.
There’s a basket of chalk on the wall. Walk up and write down what you’d like to do before you die.
-Patrick Finan
Hey boo.
