When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, well, that's Project M at Winterhouse. This year's Project M, sponsored by the good folks (William Drenttel and Jessica Helfand--below top) at Winterhouse in Falls Village, Conn., this past Saturday, was called Pizza Farm, a collaborative effort between designers and local produce-producing farmers in Litchfield County. The notion was to show the community the bounty in their midst, through the wonders of homemade pizza. All the ingredients, from the flour for the crust to the vegetables and meats were donated by local farmers and offered to all for free. And hmmmm, it was good.

 

The event, which was advertised in the local Lakeville Journal, was a resounding success (as the line below attests). But more remarkable was how in just a short two weeks, the students identified a need--to promote local farm goods in an area where farms are closing down--and bring awareness to the public. In addition to getting the farmers' cooperation, prepping the food, finding a venue in Canaan, Conn., and promoting and advertising with smartly designed tees, ads and signs, pulling off the massive event would have taken even veteran planners weeks, if not months.

 

Bravo goes to Winterhouse/Project M and this year's student participants (in orange). Do you know of other such initiatives that bring designers together with social entrepreneurism? Share them here. (Photos taken by me.)

 

 

 

 

Steven Heller is the cofounder and the co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author program at the School of Visual Arts. He writes the Visuals column for the New York Times Book Review and the Graphic Content blog for T-Style.  He is the author, coauthor, and/or editor of more than 120 books on design and popular culture, including the forthcoming New Ornamental Type (Thames and Hudson).