Noel Martin, 1922-2009

March 06, 2009 - May 03, 2009

The Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) honors renowned local designer, Noel Martin, with an intimate exhibit of selected works he created during his tenure as the Cincinnati Art Museum’s first staff designer. Beginning in 1947, Martin designed everything from the museum’s first logo to the graphics and installations of various exhibitions in his characteristic minimalist style. In addition to his work for the CAM, Martin was active as a freelance graphic designer and art director for many clients, including the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC), Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, RSM Company, Champion Papers and Federated Department Stores. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions, including Four American Designers at the Museum of Modern Art New York, a solo exhibition organized by the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 1958 and a 1971 retrospective at the CAC. Martin was also very active in the Cincinnati arts scene, inspiring many students through his tenures at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati. Throughout his career, Martin constantly looked for new and innovative uses of printing, typefaces and papers. The selections in Noel Martin, 1922-2009 offer a glimpse into the legacy of graphic design that Martin imparted to the CAM and museums nationwide.