Monday, May 17, 2010

Spirit of Nashville poster sales help cleanup

The "Spirit of Nashville" series of posters that showcases iconic Nashville places and moments, from the Loveless Café to the Iroquois Steeplechase, now includes two designs that commemorate the historic floods of two weeks ago.
Both posters feature rising floodwaters in the same vintage art style that is a hallmark of the series created by the Anderson Design Group.

Available today, 100 percent of the $30 price will go to flood relief organizations Samaritan's Purse and the Red Cross.

Joel Anderson, owner and creative director at Anderson Design Group, said he was inspired to create the posters after spending a day with his sons last week helping with cleanup in hard-hit Bellevue.

RelatedNashville Flood 2010Complete coverage of Nashville flooding Flood of 2010 resource guide

"We were picking up trash and pulling out drywall, and we were blown away by the attitude and spirit that was out there," Anderson said.

After that experience, he returned to his studio and designed a poster that shows two hands joined in lifting a guitar out of the water with the words "Courage, Hope, Strength, Pride, Generosity" across the top and "Spirit of Nashville" along the bottom, with a Tennessee flag motif in the background. It is a brand-new design.

The other poster is a take on a 2005 poster that features a female musician performing in a spotlight on the Grand Ole Opry stage. The redesigned version shows floodwaters up to her knees and the phrase "Play On." Matt Lehman, a former staff designer, created the original poster, and Anderson did the redesign.

"Our city came together," Anderson said. "I'm really glad to be able to put that into art."

McQuiddy Classic Printing and Athens Paper contributed their services to create the limited-edition run of 500 prints of each design. The prints are 18 by 24 inches.

Posters can be purchased at the firm's office, 116 29th Ave. N. That's off West End and near Centennial Park. Orders also can be placed at www.spiritofnashville.com.

Contact Bonna Johnson at 615-726-5990 or bjohnson@tennessean.com.



Building Credibility and TrustTips ease process of applying for aid