An exhibition of a book-in-progress using a distinctive narrative and visual approach to examine and celebrate a raucous gathering of smart, off-beat, innovative, ground-breaking graphic design from the “Left Coast” between 1935-1985.

The exhibition is divided into 4 themes – “Sun-Baked Modernism,” “The Industry and the Indies,” “Sixties & Alt. Sixties,” and “California Girls” — each showcasing a sampling of the many images from the project. Also included are excerpts from newly commissioned essays by Lorraine Wild, Holly Willis, and Denise Gonzales Crisp, as well as reprints from historical writing and quotes about California typeset in California typefaces. Turn in, turn on, and drop by!

As clichés go, California is the place where anything goes and everyone does their own thing. Maybe that’s because in California there’s no terra firma: Earthquakes, fires, mudslides, and the occasional civil uprising, cause constant upheaval and change. California is fluid. It has a sense of humor. It is a place of constant innovation where entertainment, aerospace and high tech found a cozy home, as well as a place of great creativity and social consciousness where the status quo undergoes constant renovation.