In Review • International Handwriting Day 2016
On January 23rd, 2016, Handwritten celebrated National Handwriting Day by showcases international alphabets. We opened a call to hand-writers around the world, and received characters of all kinds, including invented alphabets, like the one above by writer and artist Tatiana Roumelioti. Halfway through the day, we even received four letters from The Smithsonian's Archives of American Art, which are forthcoming in their new anthology Pen to Paper. Though we celebrate on this scale once a year, the pen party never stops. Enjoy the work we received below, and stay tuned for our celebration in 2017.
1. Creative Quotables.
2. Letters from The Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
3. Poems from around the world.
4. Invented, Real, Permanent, No Longer.
5. Messages of Love.
6. #BICDROP
What does seeing all this make you want to do? Hopefully, pick up a pen. But after such an incredibly fun and wide-reaching celebration of handwriting this past weekend, all we can think about doing is one giant #bicdrop. And thanks to our brilliant graphics design, Megan Sykes, for providing us with a way to express this feeling.
Seven Years After Bopomofo Was Left Behind • Joyce Chen
By Joyce Chen
One of the most common shared experiences of second generation Chinese American kids everywhere is spending three hours every Saturday morning at Chinese school — often held at empty high schools, in community centers, or in rented spaces above storefronts — from the age of 5 to about 18. And one of the very first things said kids were taught is how to write the Chinese alphabet, otherwise known as Zhuyin fuhao (注音符號).
Or, in plainer terms, bopomofo. The form is phonetic, so it's possible to read an entire page of the characters without knowing what exactly you're saying. But, as times have changed, so has language, and the language system is no longer widely taught, if at all. Now, in place of thing phonetic characters, kids are learning the pinyin system — phonetics written in English letters.
What used to be 手寫 and pronounced ㄕㄡ(3) ㄒㄧㄝ (2) is now Shǒuxiě.
2 Composers Separated by 68 Years and 2 Drawings • Graydon Hanson
When 12-year old aspiring composer, Graydon, was tasked with following in the footsteps of a composer, he chose Estonian composer Arvo Part, who happened to draw significantly by hand. Above and below are two images from Graydon's presentation, illustrating his journey through the past and toward the future.
The Script Inside a Manuscript • Tomas Cohen
With best wishes from a Chilean poet in Berlin,
Tomas | www.tomascohen.com
Backwards Cursive, or should we write, Evisruc Sdrawkcab?
CURATED BY CARLY BUTLER
Yep, this person is more talented than the entire planet.
Love in Vietnamese, Punjabi, Mandarin, English, Spanish & Backwards Cursive
HANDCOLLECTED BY CARLY BUTLER
At work today, Handwritten curator Carly Butler shares International Handwriting Day with colleagues and customers. So far, they have collected handwriting in Vietnamese, Punjabi, Mandarin, English, Spanish, and to top it off, backwards cursive. That's right, backwards cursive. #bicdrop
Lenore Tawney postcard to Maryette Charlton (1969) • Smithsonian Archives of American Art
FROM THE SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART
Lenore Tawney postcard to Maryette Charlton, February 16, 1969. Maryette Charlton papers. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. This letter will be featured in Smithsonian's forthcoming book, Pen to Paper: Artists’ Handwritten Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016).
Thank you to Mary Savig, Curator of Manuscripts, for opening up the Smithsonian Archives of American Art for a Handwritten celebration.
Maxfield Parrish letter to Cecilia Beaux, July 11, 1909 • Smithsonian Archives of American Art
FROM THE SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART
Maxfield Parrish letter to Cecilia Beaux, July 11, 1909. Cecilia Beaux papers. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. This letter will be featured in Smithsonian's forthcoming book, Pen to Paper: Artists’ Handwritten Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016).
Thank you to Mary Savig, Curator of Manuscripts, for opening up the Smithsonian Archives of American Art for a Handwritten celebration.
Eero Saarinen letter to Aline Saarinen, 1953 • Smithsonian Archives of American Art
FROM THE SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART
Eero Saarinen letter to Aline Saarinen, 1953. Aline and Eero Saarinen papers. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. This letter will be featured in Smithsonian's forthcoming book, Pen to Paper: Artists’ Handwritten Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016).
Thank you to Mary Savig, Curator of Manuscripts, for opening up the Smithsonian Archives of American Art for a Handwritten celebration.
Winslow Homer letter to Thomas B. Clarke, January 4, 1901 • Smithsonian Archives of American Art
FROM THE SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART
Winslow Homer letter to Thomas B. (Thomas Benedict) Clarke, January 4, 1901. Winslow Homer collection. This letter will be featured in Smithsonian's forthcoming book, Pen to Paper: Artists’ Handwritten Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016).
Thank you to Mary Savig, Curator of Manuscripts, for opening up the Smithsonian Archives of American Art for a Handwritten celebration.
