Bowtie #20
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The red side of this bowtie is a lot of fun. In a very abstract way, it makes me think of the aliens from the Simpsons, who have one big eye and tentacles. I guess if they were red.
It also makes me think of indigenous art, especially the medicine iconography of the tribes in the Southwest/Southeast United States. I work on the American Indian Employee Resource group's communication workstream, which I also led for a few years. I brought into the workstream a graphic designer from a team I had previously been on and asked him to create a new design language for the ERG, as well as a new logo.
His design for the logo was set of diamonds nested inside each other with a dot at the center. It was inspired by his Cherokee heritage, and referenced the iconography of the eye of the Medicine Man, and the connection to the life force, which is a really great meaning behind the logo of an indigenous resource group in a medical device company.
So, to be clear, I don't think this is exactly that, and I don't claim that this is an indigenous art inspired tie, just that I am reminded of our employee resource group logo.
On that note, this would be a good tie to wear in support of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Relatives (MMIW), which just so happens to be the day on which I am publishing this post (I will have a different red bowtie on for the day). You are encouraged to wear red to show awareness. If you are interested in learning more, resources we shared with the ERG are here:
Okay, the reverse side of this bowtie is fun and has context to where my mother grew up, Oak Park, Illinois. This features art by Frank Lloyd Wright, famous for his architecture in the Chicago area and specifically his house in Oak Park, which is just a few blocks from where my mom currently lives.
I wish I had more bowties based on art from some of my other favorite architects, like Philip Johnson, Imhotep, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. I do have another pair of fabric prints that are based on Frank Lloyd Wright's geometric glass designs (one side in red, one side in blue), and the pattern on this tie has at least one other colorway I hope to find. A brighter one. A better one.
I wore these sides on March 25th and 26th..
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