Jason Pickleman Explained

Jason Pickleman (April 6, 1965 – May 12, 2024) was a graphic designer, artist, and art collector. From 1992 until 2023 he ran JNL Graphic Design, a Chicago-based studio he cofounded with his wife, Leslie Bodenstein.^{[1] [2]}

Early life and education

Jason Pickleman was born on April 6, 1965, the son of Jack and Brenda Pickleman. He grew up in Hinsdale, a western suburb of Chicago.^[3] He studied English literature at Boston University, graduating in 1987.^[4] At Boston University, he met Leslie Bodenstein.^[5] She would become his partner in JNL Graphic Design, the studio the pair founded in 1992.^[6]

Work

After graduation, Pickleman moved to Chicago and worked for Michael Glass at Michael Glass Design as his studio assistant for four years. In 1992, he and his wife Leslie Bodenstein founded JNL Graphic Design, whose clients included the Millennium Park Foundation, SkinnyPop, Blackbird, the Chicago Transit Authority, The Field Museum, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, the University of Chicago, and the Prada Foundation.^{[7] [8] [9]} JNL additionally designed books for artists including Ai Weiwei,^[10] Moshekwa Langa,^[11] and Ralph Arnold^[12] and the first books by Kerry James Marshall^[13] and Kara Walker.^[14] Pickleman and his projects have been celebrated by institutions including the James Beard Foundation,^[15] the Museum of Contemporary Photography,^[16] the Chicago Design Archive,^[17] and the Society of Typographic Arts,^[18] and artists including Tony Tasset, The Aluminum Group, and Rick Valicenti.^[19] The studio was located on the second floor of a decommissioned US Post Office in River North, Chicago. The studio closed on May 31, 2023.^[20]

Pickleman started making art in the mid-80s, including text-based paintings, collages, and Polaroid photographs.^[21] His work exhibited in individual and group exhibitions such as "Young Chicago" at The Art Institute of Chicago,^{[22] [23]} "Making Time for Joy" at The Suburban in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,^[24] "Light Reading" at Ken Saunders Gallery,^[25] and the Neon Light Museum.^[26] The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), through their Arts in Transit program, commissioned MONT/ROSE Area (2007), a mural of 318 anodized aluminum letterforms celebrating the surrounding street names at the CTA Brown Line Montrose Station.^{[27] [28]} In 2021, Pickleman created "Hand Heart," a monumental public sculpture for Sculpture Milwaukee, now permanently installed at Governor State University’s outdoor sculpture garden, theNate.^{[29] [30] [31] [32]}

Pickleman additionally taught in several universities, including Merz Academy in Stuttgart, Germany (1999, 2003), The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2000), Archeworks in Chicago (2002–2005), and the University of Illinois Chicago School of Architecture (2004–2005).^[33]

Lawrence & Clark

Jason Pickleman started actively collecting art in 1988. By his own account, he and his wife had a collection of more than 1,000 works, hundreds of which were displayed at their home and office.^{[34] [35] [36] [37]} On July 12, 2015, Jason opened his collection gallery, Lawrence & Clark, named for the Chicago intersection where it stood (4755 N. Clark St).^{[38] [39]} Here, Pickleman curated and installed works from his own collection and organized several exhibitions, including the annual mail art show^{[40] [41]} and "SEX."^[42] He said,

“I want to allow the art to be public again. When it’s in a private collection, its power to influence is severely curtailed. But this will change the equation by letting the work be viewed and discussed, hopefully by viewers who have never seen it before.”^[43]

The gallery closed on June 6, 2020 during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, after a five-year run. In October 2020, Jason Pickleman published Lawrence and Clark, a book documenting the history of the gallery.^[44]

Wright, a modern and contemporary design auction house, presented “Every Day is Different: The Collection of Jason Pickleman,” on September 14, 2023.^{[45] [46]}

Awards and achievements

• On February 29, 2024, Pickleman was an honoree of the Museum of Contemporary Photography's DARKROOM annual benefit.^{[47] [48]}
• His work for The Publican restaurant was twice nominated for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Graphic Design.^{[49] [50]}
• His design of the Hidden issue of MAS Context was recognized as a winner in the 2017 STA 100 competition organized by the Society of Typographic Arts.^[51]
• He was included in the Design 50 Hall of Fame by Newcity, an honor based on the determination that they are "well-established and foundational to the design world of Chicago."^[52]
• The work of JNL is held in the collections of Columbia College in Chicago and The Art Institute of Chicago.^[53]
• In 2023, Pickleman was the Neon Dreams Benefit Honoree.^[54]

External Links

• JNL Design website
• Barash, F. Philip. 'One More Day in the Life of Jason Pickleman," NewCity
• Foumberg, Jason. "Jason Pickleman, Chicago's Brand Maker, Shares His Favorite Things", Chicago magazine.
• Gil, Iker, editor. "JNL Graphic Design: Celebrating a Studio that Sculpted the Visual and Cultural Landscape of Chicago and Beyond," MAS Context
• Pickleman, Jason. "Language and Letterforms: Typography and Design in Chicago," Chicago Humanities Festival

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2024-05-13 . Jason Pickleman (1965–2024) . 2024-05-15 . Chicago Gallery News . en.
2. Web site: 2024-05-19 . Jason Pickleman . 2024-06-01 . Chicago Tribune . en-US.
3. Web site: Tribune . Chicago Tribune Chicago . 2001-04-08 . TAKE IT AND LEAVE IT . 2024-05-15 . Chicago Tribune . en-US.
4. Web site: May 14, 2024 . Jason Pickleman Bio, Devening Projects Art Gallery .
5. Web site: Trailblazers . 2024-05-15 . Chicago Magazine . en-US.
6. Web site: JNL Design . 2024-05-15 . JNL Design . en-US.
7. Web site: 2024-05-13 . Wright to Celebrate Chicago Legend Jason Pickleman with 'EVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT' . 2024-05-15 . Chicago Gallery News . en.
8. Web site: 2024-05-14 . Joey Orr Joins MCA as Deputy Director David Cromer x George Clooney For Broadway CTA Chief Ouster Gains Momentum . 2024-05-15 . en-US.
9. Web site: 2022-03-02 . New public art project captures Lake Michigan through 'eye of the community' University of Chicago News . 2024-06-02 . news.uchicago.edu . en.
10. Web site: #AiWeiwei . 2024-06-02 . shop.mocp.org.
11. Web site: Langa . Moshekwa . 2002 . Moshekwa Lange . June 1, 2024 . Stevenson Gallery.
12. Web site: The Many Hats of Ralph Arnold: Art, Identity & Politics . 2024-06-02 . shop.mocp.org.
13. Web site: Kerry James Marshall: Look See David Zwirner Books . 2024-06-02 . David Zwirner . en.
14. Web site: 205: KARA WALKER, Kara Walker: The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago Wright20.com . 2024-06-02 . www.wright20.com.
15. Web site: Brion . Raphael . 2011-05-07 . Winners: 2011 James Beard Foundation Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards . 2024-06-02 . Eater . en.
16. Web site: 2024-05-28 . MoCP's 2024 Leap Night DARKROOM Honors Dawoud Bey and Jason Pickleman . 2024-06-02 . Chicago Gallery News . en.
17. Web site: Jason Pickleman The Chicago Design Archive . 2024-06-02 . chicagodesignarchive.org.
18. Web site: Arts . The Society of Typographic . 2024-01-01 . Winners . 2024-06-02 . STA 100 . en.
19. Web site: JNL Graphic Design: Celebrating a Studio that Sculpted the Visual and… . 2024-06-02 . MAS Context . en-US.
20. Web site: JNL Graphic Design: Celebrating a Studio that Sculpted the Visual and… . 2024-05-15 . MAS Context . en-US.
21. Web site: Every Day is Different: The Collection of Jason Pickleman, 14 September 2023 < Auctions Wright: Auctions of Art and Design . 2024-05-15 . www.wright20.com.
22. Book: Rosa, Joseph . Young Chicago . The Art Institute of Chicago . 2007 . 978-0-300-12067-7.
23. Web site: Young Chicago: Department of Architecture and Design Looks at Avant-Garde Designers . The Art Institute of Chicago. 16 November 2006 .
24. Web site: The Artists - 2023 Walker's Point . 2024-05-15 . thesuburban.org.
25. Web site: Jason Pickleman: Light Reading . 2024-05-15 . Ken Saunders Gallery . en-US.
26. Web site: 2021-09-03 . Neon and Light Museum popup a showcase for the art form's 'positive vibe,' curator says . 2024-06-02 . Chicago Sun-Times . en.
27. Web site: cta Public Art: Montrose (Brown Line) . 2024-05-15 . CTA . en.
28. Web site: Chicago L.org: Stations - Montrose . 2024-05-15 . www.chicago-l.org.
29. NEW ACQUISITIONS: Hand Heart, by Jason Pickleman . News from the Nate . November/December 2023.
30. Web site: Jason Pickleman, "Hand Heart" . 2024-05-15 . www.sculpturemilwaukee.com . en.
31. Web site: Scott . Chadd . From Milwaukee To The World, Sculpture Milwaukee Returns For Fifth Edition . 2024-06-02 . Forbes . en.
32. Web site: In Memoriam: Jason Pickleman . 2024-07-26 . In Memoriam: Jason Pickleman . en-us.
33. Web site: Jason = More . 2024-05-15 . MAS Context . en-US.
34. Web site: 2010-10-05 . House call: Jason Pickleman's Lakeview East attic apartment . 2024-06-02 . Time Out Chicago . en-US.
35. Web site: Trailblazers . 2024-06-02 . Chicago Magazine . en-US.
36. News: Murphy . Kate . 2007-02-08 . Bargain Time for Antiques . 2024-06-02 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
37. Web site: Jason Pickleman, Chicago's Brand Maker, Shares His Favorite Things . 2024-06-02 . Chicago Magazine . en-US.
38. Web site: Avid Art Collector Opens Uptown Gallery, Where Pieces Aren't For Sale . 2024-05-15 . DNAinfo Chicago .
39. Web site: 2015-07-24 . News: Graphic Designer Jason Pickleman Opens Collection-based Gallery Lawrence & Clark Newcity Art . 2024-05-15 . en-US.
40. Web site: Dafoe . Taylor . 2020-05-01 . Mail Art, a Quirky Pursuit That Hasn't Been Popular Since the '60s, Is Suddenly Having a Renaissance Amid the Worldwide Lockdown . 2024-06-02 . Artnet News . en-US.
41. Web site: Taub . Matthew . 2020-05-06 . 'Mail Art' Makes a Comeback During Quarantine . 2024-06-02 . Atlas Obscura . en.
42. Web site: Jen . Alex . 2017-09-27 . Getting Comfortable with Sexy and Silly Art . 2024-06-02 . Hyperallergic . en-US.
43. Web site: Skolnik . Lisa . 2015-09-01 . This Chicago art gallery doesn't actually sell anything . 2024-05-15 . Chicago Tribune . en-US.
44. Book: Lawrence and Clark by Jason Pickleman Blurb Books . 2020-10-02 . 978-1-715-58527-3 . en . Pickleman . Jason . Blurb, Incorporated .
45. Web site: 2024-05-13 . Wright to Celebrate Chicago Legend Jason Pickleman with 'EVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT' . 2024-05-15 . Chicago Gallery News . en.
46. Web site: Every Day is Different: The Collection of Jason Pickleman, 14 September 2023 < Auctions Wright: Auctions of Art and Design . 2024-05-15 . www.wright20.com.
47. Web site: 2024-05-13 . MoCP's 2024 Leap Night DARKROOM Honors Dawoud Bey and Jason Pickleman . 2024-05-15 . Chicago Gallery News . en.
48. Web site: DARKROOM 2024 – MoCP . 2024-05-15 . www.mocp.org.
49. Web site: Norkin . Willie . 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards Nominees Announced . May 14, 2024.
50. Web site: Brion . Raphael . 2011-05-07 . Winners: 2011 James Beard Foundation Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards . 2024-06-02 . Eater . en.
51. Web site: Arts . The Society of Typographic . 2024-01-01 . Winners . 2024-05-15 . STA 100 . en.
52. Web site: 2019-02-28 . Design 50: Who Shapes Chicago 2019 Newcity Design . 2024-05-15 . en-US.
53. Web site: Jason Pickleman, The Art Institute of Chicago Catalog . 1965 . May 14, 2024.
54. 2023 Neon Dreams Benefit Honoree - Jason Pickleman . 2023-05-15 . ArtsOfLife . 2024-06-02 . YouTube.