ART - CRITICAL STRATEGIC COMPONENT OF FUTURE SUCCESS

I was encouraged to read today the words of Patricia Martin, founder of Litlamp, who predicts a rise in the relevance of Art and Technology, and their closer integration.  “The starving artist is a tired concept. Expect a renaissance in the role artists play in what we see—everywhere, everyday.  Who’s your artist? Oops, your company doesn’t have one?  Dude . . . art and technology have been courting for a decade or so, but the demand for interactive graphics means increased economic value for artists, especially graphic artists.  The influence of art can also be felt in game designs.”  And also the words of Hilary Jay, Founding Director of DesignPhiladelphia:  “Design, coupled with a true understanding of the power that design has over our everyday lives, is emerging as a critical strategic component of American success.”

Illustration:  Adrian Fisher's 7 x 7 ft Tiling Mural in his 1997 one-man art show at the Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida.  The piece is now part of the permanent collection of the Museum.

Washington Spy Museum

It's great that ARGO is capturing the imagination of the filmgoing world.  During the master planning for the Washington Spy Museum, I spent a day in a boardroom with various experts on espionage including Antonio Mendes, who was the real-life hero of this film.  He told me not just of that mission to rescue the Canadians from Tehran, but also of the "Moscow Rules" which he developed to help spies survive in Moscow during the Cold War.  I have his book  "The Master of Disguise" - a fascinating read!  Today, the Washington Spy Museum is an outstanding success, in bringing the issues of espionage to the public in an intriguing and effective way.  My literary agent, Peter Knight, who was attached to Bletchley Park during the Second World War, says that if I had been of that generation, I would have been snapped up too. 

Adrian Fisher