State Senator Laura Murphy Celebrates the 115th Anniversary of the Village Press

Illinois State Senator Laura Murphy, joined Rex Parker in celebrating the 115th anniversary of the Village Press.“It is always a pleasure to celebrate our community’s successes and rich history,” Murphy said.

Senator Murphy secured Senate Recognition for the 115th anniversary of the Village Press at the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield, Illinois. In part, it reads that the Senate... “Though the Village Press called Park Ridge home for only a short time, it went on to win acclaim at the 1904 World Exhibition. The memory of the Village Press lives on through its publications and the designs of its founder, Frederic Goudy.”

The Village Press was established in Park Ridge in 1903 by Frederic W. Goudy and was modeled on the ideals of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The McLean County Museum, located in Goudy’s hometown of Bloomington, Illinois honored Goudy’s work and the anniversary of the Village Press with an exhibit titled “Frederic Goudy: Titan of Type” fall, 2018.

The City of St. Charles adds “Zook: Fox River Moderne” Poster by Artist Rex Parker

The City of St. Charles, Illinois has announced the acquisition of American artist Rex Parker’s “Zook: Fox River Moderne” Poster. The poster is of the iconic St. Charles Municipal Building, a Streamline Moderne masterpiece, created by R. Harold Zook in 1940. This poster combines visual elements of a classic wooden roundabout boat, a geometric fox motif and brilliant colors to create this stunning art deco design.

“I am thrilled that the poster will be displayed at The St. Charles Municipal Building,” said Parker. “The building is an architectural marvel on the majestic Fox River.”

Rex Parker’s “Miss Pleasant: One-Room School Teacher” Poster finds a home at Illinois State University, College of Education.

Illinois State University, College of Education has announced the acquisition of American artist Rex Parker’s “Miss Pleasant: One-Room School Teacher.” Poster. The image is a tribute to the steadfast commitment to teaching excellence at Illinois State University.

The poster dramatically integrates visual elements of several historic photographs of the artist’s grandmother Monona “Pleasant” Parker (1895-1994) from Moweaqua, Illinois who was a remarkable one room school teacher in central Illinois and southern Indiana during the 1910’s.

“I am thrilled that the poster will be displayed at the Eyestone School Museum on the ISU campus, my grandmother loved teaching,” said Parker. The Eyestone School is a one-room, old-fashioned school house that offers wooden desks, McGuffey Readers, slates, and a coal stove. It was named for Lura Eyestone, a loyal alumna and a retired member of the Thomas Metcalf School. Eyestone graduated from Illinois State Normal University in 1892 and joined the Illinois State faculty in 1903. She remained on the faculty until her retirement in 1939.

Poster commemorating WJE’s award-winning restoration of the Miami-Dade County Courthouse in Miami, Florida

I created this image for Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc to celebrate their award-winning restoration work on the Miami-Dade County Courthouse. “This exhilarating Jazz Age poster captures the heroic essence of this awe-inspiring building,” said Parker.

Built in 1928, the Miami-Dade County Courthouse is 360 feet tall and was the first high-rise building constructed in Miami for the County. For decades after construction, it was known as the tallest building south of Baltimore. The building is in the art deco style of South Florida and is clad in terra cotta with a granite base. The plaza encompasses nearly a square city block and includes granite and slate paving. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

The William Morris Society Museum in London, England adds “Kelmscott Press” & “Village Press” posters to its remarkable collection

Helen Elletson, Curator for The William Morris Museum holding two posters — the “Kelmscott Press” and the “Village Press,” each dramatic image integrates elements of the trusted Albion letterpress which William Morris used to create legendary Arts & Crafts impressions. These posters were created in celebration of the upcoming 115th Anniversary of the Village Press which Frederic W. Goudy established in Park Ridge, Illinois.

The first poster was inspired by the Kelmscott Press, founded by William Morris in Hammersmith,London, in 1891, where he produced the highly-regarded book, The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (1896). This poster is a tribute to William Morris and his Arts and Crafts ideas which inspired The Park Ridge Art Colony — from Frederic W. Goudy to Clara Barck Welles and her hand-wrought pieces by Kalo artists that were the preeminent silver of the American Arts & Crafts movement.

The second poster celebrates the artistry and craftsmanship of The Village Press, founded in 1903 by Frederic W. Goudy in Park Ridge, Illinois. The Village Press venture was modeled on the ideals of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The first publication of The Village Press was the William Morris essay, Printing which was awarded prizes at the 1904 World Exhibition in St. Louis. The Village Press went on to publish The Door in the Wall & Other Stories by H. G. Wells, Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving and many other classic impressions.

It was Goudy’s international reputation for type design that made this private press so extraordinary. In 1924, Goudy purchased a model Albion letterpress used by William Morris himself. That press is now famously called the Kelmscott/Goudy Press and is in the Cary Graphic Arts Collection at Rochester Institute of Technology.