Rex Parker’s “Integrity” Poster Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Paul Simon Public Policy Institute

Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute has announced the recent acquisition of Rex Parker’s Paul Simon “Integrity” Poster.

The Paul Simon “Integrity” Poster depicts a resolute Paul Simon behind his trusted Royal typewriter,with his signature bow tie and beaming smile. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, other visual elements in the poster highlight the Senator’s passion for journalism, foreign policy and politics.

“I’m from a small town, my grandfather was a farmer who served on the board of the local grain elevator and the county 4-H Fair. He was also a founder of the local Lion’s Club and was elected a township trustee,” Parker recalls. “I grew up with my grandfather telling me stories about this mythical figure, a man of his word, a straight arrow, a politician who fought for the common folks of Illinois — Paul Simon.

“In 2002 I finally got to meet Paul Simon, while organizing a breakfast event in my current town of Park Ridge where he was the special guest of honor. Retired from politics, Mr. Simon still drew a bipartisan, overflowing crowd. I can remember people saying, “I saw him in high school” or “Always proud to vote for him.” The elder statesman shook every hand, posed for all the selfies and delivered a great speech. It was so inspiring I decided to run for city council. I won the race and got the chance to improve people’s lives through public service.

“I humbly hope the “Integrity” Poster captures Paul Simon’s boundless energy for life and is a inspiration for a new generation of public service.”

Le Grand Rex, Paris prints available

This is a bold and powerful art deco poster design of the largest single movie theater in Europe. Le Grand Rex opened on December, 8th in 1932, its art deco facade is aglow with dazzling neon signs and a dramatic soaring tower. The cinema is considered to be a landmark of art deco architecture. — Rex

Shelbyville’s Public Library adds the Frederic Goudy “Sunday School Murals” poster to its permanent collection

I grew up nearby Shelbyville, Illinois where Frederic Goudy attended high school. It was my pleasure to present the Shelbyville’s Public Library Director Monica Cameron with my “The Sunday School Murals” poster for the Library’s permanent collection.

The Sunday School Murals in Shelbyville became the seventeen year old Goudy’s first lettering project in 1882. These letter patterns would be the inspiration for Goudy’s typeface Ornate Title which he would design in 1931 at age 66.

Shelbyville’s Public Library is of classic French Renaissance design, built with funding provided by Andrew Carnegie, and dedicated in 1905. “I’m amazed how your design captured the Arts & Crafts stained glass windows of the building,” said Cameron, “It’s a wonderful addition to our Library’s collection.”

“The Park Ridge Art Colony”: A New Book of Posters by Rex Parker

Fearless. Trend-setting. Tradition-Bending. Fun! That’s the art colony history of Park Ridge. This spiral bound book is 10 1/4 x 14 1/4 — features 30 powerful poster illustrations by award winning artist, Rex Parker celebrating the vibrant heritage of the Park Ridge art colony and, through his own artworks, the vitality of Park Ridge today.

Art is most often displayed in the world’s glittering big cities, but it doesn’t always start there. The quiet Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, Illinois, was home to a thriving art colony that attracted some of the country’s most remarkable talents. Painting, sculpting, metalwork, musical composition, architecture and even typeface design that attained worldwide recognition was abundant here from the late l890s through the Depression. But in our busy post-WWII society, this treasured local art history went unnoticed by many.

Rex’s bold colorful, book of collectible posters on “The Park Ridge Art Colony” is a celebration of Clara Barck Welles, Kalo, Grant Wood, Alfonso Iannelli, Frederick Goudy, The Village Press and John Alden Carpenter. Included in the book is one of Rex’s own favorite poster series “Legends of the Pickwick Theatre” these posters herald movies, locally raised celebrity actors and other creatives that enriched Park Ridge; a series some have called a modern Art Deco masterpiece. Rex simply calls it doing good works.

Spectacular Movie Palaces

Rex’s love of movies and architecture are intertwined in this poster series of “Spectacular Movie Palaces”. The Golden Age of Hollywood is most visible in Rex’s sleek, streamlined — “Normal Theater” poster an Art Moderne-style theater that opened in 1937, in Normal, Illinois.

Rex’s “Mayfair Theatre” poster infuses Art Deco with a nautical flair. The 1934 building in Kaikoura, New Zealand, with its perfectly symmetrical design has patterns of lines that stretch the length of the building’s facade with wonderfully pastel hues of pink and sandstone. It is an exceptional example of New Zealand’s Art Deco style.