(Scioto Society, Ross County) -- A design studios' collaboration with the producer of "Tecumseh!" has received statewide recognition.
In 2015 Scioto Society CEO, Brandon Smith, ran across some artwork on a poster hanging in a coffee shop in downtown Chillicothe. It caught his eye and he snapped a photo of it with his cell phone.
“I’m a fan of Rock and Roll poster art. I’ve collected them for years and just really enjoy the free creativity that they express while putting a sensory experience like music into another sensory experience like printed art. I liked the aesthetic of what I was looking at and we happened to be in the process of redesigning our CD.
"So I asked around and contacted Metropolis Design Studios through Facebook and we set up a meeting. The knocked the CD project out of the park and a few months later we hired them on retainer for all of our design needs.“ said Smith.
The Scioto Society has a long history of using artists to create it’s program cover each year. Among those Nationally Recognized artists who have done work are Jim Yellowhawk and local artist Alan Gough.
Jarrod DePugh and Chad McAllister, the team who makes up Metro DS, spent a lot of time exploring previous designs, reading the script and learning about the Shawnee people who are portrayed in the show. Neither the theatre nor the designers wanted to just throw something out there.
Smith commented; “We were specific in what we wanted so far as we knew it needed to be fresh and new, while giving a nod to previous looks. We pulled a few design elements that have been in our designs for decades and asked them to use those in their new designs. Then they took it from there.”
“We took our time, making sure the design was beautiful, but also that it had a message, and honored the past while visually pushing the show into the future. I had played around with watercolors in the past, including on the CD cover we did the previous year. This gave us an opportunity to explore that even deeper, layering images and meanings.
"The longer you look at the finished product, the more you’ll see in it. The red ribbon that runs down the side is an element that Allan W. Eckert used in his concept art way back in 1972. Alan Gough used it in his artwork and so did Jim Yellowhawk. Honoring tradition is important in something that goes back 5 decades.” Said Jarrod Depugh.
Metro DS also produced posters for the Bluegrass Concert Series, the season brochure, countless print ads and the souvenir program book. Those projects all taken together were submitted to the Ohio Travel Association for consideration during its annual RUBY Award ceremony in November.
The RUBY Awards, sponsored by Ohio Magazine, are the Ohio Travel Association's way of honoring those who have found the most innovative ways to market their destination, experiences or services. In the 20th year of the RUBY Awards, OTA recognized and rewarded outstanding artistry in the diverse field of travel and tourism marketing and advertising at the 2017 Ohio Conference on Travel.
The campaign received a special recognition award…the first such award in the history of the Scioto Society.
“We were extremely proud and grateful to be recognized in such a way. We strive for excellence in all areas of our operation and its nice get such positive feedback. I very much look forward to continuing our collaboration with Metro and see what we all come up with for 2018 and beyond. It’s great to be working with such thoughtful, creative artists and the fact that they’re right here in Chillicothe speaks volumes for the health of our artistic community!” Said Smith.
First staged in 1973, TECUMSEH! (a 501-c3 non-profit) is one of the nation’s top outdoor dramas. Written by Pulitzer Prize Nominee, Allan W. Eckert, the 46th anniversary season plays June 8 through Sept 2, 2018 at The Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre, near Chillicothe, OH. Curtain time is 8:00 pm. For tickets and information, go to www.tecumsehdrama.com or call 1-866-775-0700.