In early October, a new exhibition titled “‘Everywhere I Go’: Sketchbooks from Cyrus Highsmith” opened on the third floor of the Providence Public Library at the Joan T. Boghossian Gallery. The exhibition displays a variety of sketchbooks created and curated by featured artist, Cyrus Highsmith, a senior critic of graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Jordan Goffin, the director of special collections at the PPL, first ran into Highsmith at an instructional session on the library’s various artistic collections.
When Goffin asked Highsmith if he would donate his sketchbooks to the PPL, Highsmith was initially “pretty surprised,” never imagining that his sketchbooks would end up in a library exhibit, he said.
“But I loved it. I really believe in public libraries,” Highsmith added. He curated his own exhibit and chose which of his sketchbooks would be on display.
To decide which would make the cut, Highsmith simply flipped through the books and chose the pages he liked the best, he said. His goal in curating the exhibit was to convey the “process” of creating a sketch, trying “not to be so focused on the results,” he added.
When describing his artistic journey, Highsmith noted that he has always been surrounded by art. “My mother’s an artist, so I’ve been drawing and making art all my life,” he said.
Although his mother wanted him to pursue painting, Highsmith studied graphic design as an undergraduate at RISD. After graduating in 1997, he realized how much he actually enjoyed drawing — having developed an interest in typography and sketches while on College Hill. Highsmith credits one of his teachers, former RISD Professor Jan Baker, who encouraged students to sketch for her class, with sparking the beginning of his sketchbook journey.
After graduating, Highsmith continued to extensively produce typefaces, mainly for newspapers and publication designers. Over the years, though, his work and interactions with other designers inspired him to continue sketching. For Highsmith, letters are a “very challenging thing to draw,” and he was especially attracted to drawing them in his books.
“I’m proud of (my) 30 years worth of sketchbooks,” Highsmith said. Looking back at his exhibit, he said, “I had that many books on my shelf, and they’re fun to look at.”
Highsmith hopes that his exhibit motivates young, aspiring artists to begin creating their own sketchbooks. “It’s had such a big impact on my career, and I hope that it could have that kind of impact on other people’s work,” he added.
Highsmith also runs Occupant Fonts, a brand of Morisawa, Inc. — a typefacing company that combines Western and Japanese styles.
Highsmith teased that he’s working on a new Korean-language children’s book that will feature his artwork. Through the process, he’s been learning about the Korean writing system and working with a publisher in Seoul.
“I’m really excited about (it),” he said. “It’s very poetic.”
Once the “Everywhere I Go” exhibit wraps up at the end of December, visitors may set up an appointment with the special collections department if they wish to physically turn the pages of Highsmith’s sketchbooks, according to Goffin.
Goffin emphasized that the department’s mission is to provide a broad community of researchers access to their collections and materials.
“(We) want people to be aware that anything we have here, they can come in and use on an individual basis,” he explained.
