Media contact:
Leah Spellman
APR Director of Communications
Columbus College of Art & Design
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Humorous and charming, These Are Things pins, patches, and keychains are iconic reflections of contemporary culture. From endearing, happy images like a smiling sun and a giddy narwhal to ones that make a statement—a grinning Earth asking “please save me” and a celestial swirl reading “give me space”—at only one or two inches tall, these small works of art carry some big messages. A new exhibition at Beeler Gallery at Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) celebrates the work of alums Jen Adrion (Advertising & Graphic Design, 2008) and Omar Noory (Advertising & Graphic Design, 2008), the Columbus-based artists/designers and entrepreneurs behind the wildly successful brand.The eponymous exhibition These Are Things is free and open to the public and on view Monday, Jan. 31–Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. See hundreds of the pins and patches in a mesmerizing display that wraps around Beeler Gallery’s Project Room.Adrion’s and Noory’s line can be found in thousands of stores, from Urban Outfitters to Barnes & Noble to the Smithsonian. More than 2 million Things have been sold to customers around the world.
“Our pins and patches serve as shorthand labels for people to bestow upon themselves or to gift to others,” says Noory. “We try to boil down objects and ideas into their smallest, simplest essence, often using a little bit of humor and charm.”
CCAD Faculty Director of Galleries Tim Rietenbach says the exhibition will look at the works of art holistically. “The pins and patches of These are Things would normally be out moving around the world attached to clothing or bookbags telegraphing the wit or temperament of the person donning them,” says Rietenbach. “This exhibition will treat them as a collection of objects attached directly to the gallery walls, shifting the viewer to a broader look at the popular culture they define.”The exhibition These Are Things is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Ohio Arts Council. To learn more, visit beelergallery.org.
