Passport | December 2024 | Now Streaming | PBS
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Penny Stamps Speaker Series: Fernando Laposse
Fernando Laposse specializes in transforming humble natural materials into refined design pieces. He has worked extensively with overlooked plant fibers such as sisal, loofah, and corn leaves. Laposse’s works are the result of extensive research which culminates in objects of “endemic design” where materials and their historical and cultural ties to a particular location and its people take center stage. He often works with indigenous communities in his native Mexico to create local employment opportunities and raise awareness about the challenges they face in a globalized world.
Laposse’s projects are informative and educational and touch on topics such as sustainability, the loss of biodiversity, community dissolution, migration, and the negative impacts of global trade in local agriculture and food culture. He does so by documenting the issues and announcing possible resolutions through the transformative power of design.
Laposse’s projects have been exhibited in the Triennale di Milano, the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, The Design Museum in London, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the World Economic Forum, among others. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Design Museum Gent, Le centre national des arts plastiques, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Victoria, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Laposse studied at Central Saint Martins in London as a product designer and currently lives and works in Mexico City.
Presented in partnership with Design Core Detroit
Series presenting partners: Detroit PBS and PBS Books. Media partner: Michigan Radio.
PBS Books Readers Club | LEONARDO DA VINCI
Join the PBS Books Readers Club as Walter Issacson shares his vision behind this powerful biography and reveals in the novel how his extensive research into this most famous portraitist changed him. The conversation continues from novel to screen, as filmmaker Sarah Burns joins the PBS Books Readers Club to discuss LEONARDO da VINCI a new two-part, four-hour documentary directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon.
Congrat to WXXI President & CEO Chris Hastings for receiving the Industry Trailblazer Award from American Documentary!
Exploring Bipartisanship: Conversations with Western Governors' Leadership Institute Part 6
Jim Ogsbury, President of the Western Governors’ Foundation sits down with Current WGLI Delegate, Isaiah Torres, New Mexico and former WGLI delegate, David C. Saavedra, to understand the reluctance of the next generations to devote their lives to public service, new ways people are choosing to consume information, and the hopes for change in the future.
The Marlow Murder Club: Episode 3 Preview
Have Judith, Suzie, and Becks been barking up the wrong tree? Everyone's a suspect on a new episode of The Marlow Murder Club, Sunday at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
Penny Stamps Speaker Series: Emil Ferris
Emil Ferris, acclaimed for her graphic novel My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, blends visual art with storytelling to create impactful works. Overcoming the West Nile Virus, which left her partially paralyzed, Ferris demonstrates remarkable resilience and dedication in her intricate cross-hatching and emotionally charged illustrations.
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters intertwines a coming-of-age story with a murder mystery and a historical reflection on the Holocaust. Through young Karen Reyes, Ferris delves into themes of identity, fear, and the complexities of humanity. Her art, inspired by horror magazines and pulp fiction, juxtaposes the grotesque and the beautiful, fostering empathy and understanding.
Ferris challenges the boundaries of graphic literature, using the medium to address complex social issues and personal histories. Her work confronts internal and external monsters, revealing profound truths about the human experience. By pushing the limits of graphic novels, Ferris elevates the form to explore deeper narratives and emotional landscapes, inviting readers into a world where art and story are inseparable.
Ferris's contributions extend beyond her graphic novels. In April 2022, Ferris was reported among the more than three dozen comics creators who contributed to Operation USA's benefit anthology book, Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds, a project spearheaded by editor Scott Dunbier, whose profits would be donated to relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees resulting from the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
My Favorite Thing is Monsters has been translated into French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, and Korean. It has been honored with numerous awards, among them: The Lambda Literary Award, multiple Eisners, the Ignatz, and the Fauve d’or at the Angouleme Festival, France.
Ferris has exhibited her art extensively in the US and Europe, and prior to the pandemic she was honored to teach classes at the Louvre.
Presented in partnership wit
Exploring Bipartisanship: Conversations with Western Governors | Part 5 Former Nevada Governors Sandoval & Miller
Join us for Exploring Bipartisanship: Conversations with Western Governors - Part 5! Former Nevada Governors Brian Sandoval (R) and Bob Miller (D) discuss the importance of nurturing the next generation of leaders, regardless of party lines. Tune in for this vital conversation about leadership and support for a brighter future!
Penny Stamps Speaker Series: Irma Boom
Irma Boom, commonly referred to as the “Queen of Books,” is a book maker based in Amsterdam. She redefines the boundaries of book design with her bold, experimental approach. Educated in fine art and graphic design at AKI Art Academy, Boom began her career at the Dutch Government Publishing and Printing Office before founding Irma Boom Office in 1991. With a portfolio of over 500 books, she seamlessly blends design and editorial work, challenging traditional conventions in both physical form and printed content. Notable among her projects is the 2136-page SHV Thing Book, a monumental work published in English and Chinese.
Boom makes use of various fabrication processes in her printed material such as embossing and die cuts. In her commissioned book for Chanel, Boom printed an entire 300 page book devoid of ink, using instead embossed text and image to create a semi-invisible narrative of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. Scent is another unusual feature Boom has utilized in her book design. Her conceptual book design for The Road Not Taken has 718 pages printed using ink mixed with a base of beef bouillon. Coffee filter paper is another material choice she has used.
Boom’s innovative designs have earned her numerous accolades, including the prestigious Gutenberg Prize, making her the youngest ever laureate. Her works are part of permanent collections at institutions such as MoMA in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Her complete oeuvre and archive are preserved in the Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam, known as the living Archive. In 2014 Boom received the Johannes Vermeer Award (the Dutch state prize for the arts) from the Minister of Education, Culture and Science. The jury unanimously awarded Boom for her unparalleled achievements in the field of graphic design. Boom is an honorary Doctor of the Royal College of Art in London for her inexhaustible contribution to the book.
Presented in partnership with Des
One Nation, Divergent Views: A Pre-Election Roundtable
In the run-up to the presidential election, hear from special guests Bret Stephens and Lydia Polgreen of The New York Times, María Elena Salinas of ABC News and Vincent Hutchings of U-M Center for Political Studies, in conversation with “American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson, as they provide insights on critical issues shaping the 2024 election and social science research on the American voting public.
PBS Books partners with the University of Michigan Wallace House Center for Journalists and the Institute for Social Research on this special event, at the intersection of journalism and social science.
Drawing on findings from the 75-year-long American National Election Studies, the discussion will explore the dramatic rise of political polarization, the significant decline in public trust in government and other key factors influencing voter behavior.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear diverse perspectives on the forces shaping the upcoming election. It’s part of the University of Michigan’s Year of Democracy, Civic Empowerment and Global Engagement initiative.
