Anna Corpron is a savvy businesswoman who wears many hats: a jewelry designer, mother of two, and owner and curator of The Working Proof, an organization that seeks to promote art and social responsibility. The Working Proof is also Poketo’s latest collaborator in the new City Wallets series, and Poketo was thrilled to work with Anna on picking the theme and artists for this newly launched collection.

For the City Wallets series, Poketo will be donating 10 percent of proceeds from wallet sales to 826LA, while The Working Proof, which will also carry the wallets on their site, will do the same for 826National from March 11th to June 1st.

In our latest interview, we speak to Anna to find out more about the City Wallet series, her aesthetic and work.

1. Please tell us more about yourself, and share with us your background, how you got started in art and design.

I currently split my time between two businesses: The Working Proof, which pairs art with social responsibility, and my jewelry line, Brevity. My background is actually in architecture. I got my b.arch at Cornell University and practiced architecture for five years before going part time to work on my jewelry line, Brevity. I loved architecture and seeing my designs on paper become a reality, but found that my interests really lay in smaller-scale design. What began as a way for me to channel that interest, eventually became my full time job.

2. Can you share with us a bit about The Working Proof? How did it get started and what is its philosophy/mission?

The Working Proof is a collaboration with my husband, Sean. We wanted to find a way to integrate our interest in social responsibility with our love of art and design. Our church, Redeemer Presbyterian, holds an annual business plan competition, and we decided to enter, thinking that it would be good practice to put together a business plan. We never imagined that we would get past the first round, but as we fleshed out our idea and our business plan, we not only got through the first round, but we ended up winning the arts category of the competition. Through that, we received a grant that allowed us to launch our website.

The mission of The Working Proof is to support charity through art. We work with a great community of artists to release a limited-edition print each week. 15% of each print sold is donated to the charity of the artist’s choice. We offer our customers access to a wide array of amazing artwork on an immediate, affordable scale, with a positive social impact built right in. To date, we’ve donated almost $20,000 to our charities.

3. How did the collaboration with Poketo come about?

I’m a longtime Poketo fan. We love how Poketo integrates art into everyday objects, and we have actually released editions with many of the same artists at The Working Proof. A collaboration with Poketo just seemed like a natural fit.

4. How did you pick the artists and theme for the collaboration?

Angie and I selected the artists together – Dan Funderburgh, Emily Dumas, Linda Kim, and James Gulliver Hancock – all artists who have released editions with The Working Proof before. Being that Poketo is in LA, The Working Proof is in New York, and our artists come from everywhere in between, we asked them to illustrate their favorite cities.

Dan Funderburgh

Emily Dumas

Linda Kim

James Gulliver Hancock

5. How did you select the charity to support for this project?

The Working Proof has been a long time supporter of 826 National. We love what they do as an organization to encourage creativity and to make writing and learning fun for kids. On top of that, they have several amazing, playful stores that support their local chapters – I mean, come on, what kid wouldn’t love shopping at the Bigfoot Research Institute, The Museum of Unnatural History, or the Superhero Supply Co? Poketo will be donating 10% of the first month’s sales of the City Wallets to their local chapter, 826LA, and The Working Proof will continue to support 826 National.

6. What kind of art are you drawn towards featuring on The Working Proof?
I’m drawn to a wide range of artwork. Really, when I look for artists to feature, I’m just looking for individual pieces that speak to me, and hopefully to other people, as well.

7. Besides The Working Proof, what other projects or initiatives are you pursuing?
I mentioned my jewelry line, Brevity, before – between that and The Working Proof and my two kids, I’ve got a pretty full plate!

8. What is the inspiration behind Brevity?
The word brevity means “the quality of expressing much in few words”. That definition is what drives the design philosophy behind Brevity – I aim to create designs that are concise and simple, yet meaningful. My Geometric collection was inspired by my architecture background, and by geometric forms found in nature. The Lines collection was inspired by Native American symbols and the simple elegance of a line. The Horo Collection was inspired by vintage clock hands, fused in time. With my custom name necklaces, I was inspired to offer something beyond the standard nameplate necklace, and have loved partnering with calligrapher Crystal Kluge to provide one-of-a-kind custom necklaces.

Last week we launched our wrist watch collaboration with Canadian design studio, Furni. There has been an incredible response over the watches and for good reason; The studio makes awesome design objects, especially in the time arena. Meet Mike Giles, the proprietor, desinger, maker, mover and shaker of Furni.

Tell us about Furni, what do you guys do, what’s the Furni philosophy?

We’ve been designing and manufacturing design-driven goods ever since we saw space in the market about 6 years ago… since then we’ve also chosen to team up with other like minded businesses to offer cool collaborative products that allow us to keep on creating relevant stuff.

Tell us about the space, are you designing and making there? Describe your studio for us.

Right now “espace 215″ is Furni’s home, we founded the workspace about 4 years ago with some other friends, currently we share the space with a number of graphic designers, a product designer and a pair of interior designers. It makes for an awesome working atmosphere as well as allows us all a group space where we can share resources and bills!

What does a typical day look like at Furni?

Well as of Jan 1st I became the sole proprietor of the company (up until that point I shared the business with a friend who has decided to focus his time on contract work) so it’s quite interesting as I report only to myself…. having said that as I’ve always been one to “hussle” so I am always busy!  Most days I get to the office about 9am and work will about 1pm at that point I head home to have lunch with my girlfriend and 10 month old daughter….then the afternoon is usually spent in my home office e-mailing and working on design and logistics…

Currently on the playlist?

Really liking the Cults album and was also recently turned on to Malvina Reynolds, she was a folk singer back in the 50′s (she was actually born in 1900 and only discovered her love of music when she was 40!)

You live and work in Montreal. I’ve only heard amazing things about the city, but, haven’t been yet. What are some favorite places, where would we go if Angie and I came over?

I always ask friends who visit what kind of experience they would like while here, basically there is something for everyone…. shopping, dancing, design, adventure you name it. Personally I like to take people to quaint little restaurants and some of the less “travelled” landmarks here, most of the architecture in the subway system is from the 60′s and every station was designed by someone different, so on a cold day you can ride underground and look at some cool stuff! In summer we’ve got festivals up the yin yan, comedy, jazz, then there’s the Francopholies (French music) as well as fireworks twice a week at the theme park “La Ronde”.

On the same island as the theme park is the Expo 67 Dome that is by Buckminster Fuller, it’s a rad landmark. If people are down for a bike ride you can go around an check architecture and see some forgotten buildings like the Esso gas station by Mies van der Rohe!

Three words that describe our collaboration together, The Colorparty Watch…

pure unadulterated fun.

Check out the Poketo x Furni watch here.
More from Furni at FurniCreations.com

We are honored to launch a new wallet collaboration between Creative Growth & Poketo. Creative Growth Art Center serves adult artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities, providing a professional studio environment for artistic development, gallery exhibition and representation and a social atmosphere among peers.

The Creative Growth x Poketo series includes artists Dwight Mackintosh, Merritt Wallace, and John Hiltunen. All of the wallets are available at Creative Growth Gallery in Oakland and will soon be available online. I sat down with Creative Growth’s Projects Manager, Jennifer Strate O’Neal and asked her a few questions to get to know more about the history and awesome things that happen at the Creative Growth Art Center. Jennifer handles all of the special projects coming through Creative Growth including this one!

Tell us about the history of Creative Growth, your mission, and philosophy.

Creative Growth was started in 1974 by Elias and Florence Katz, a therapist and an art teacher who had incredible foresight, and trust in the notion that every person, regardless of any challenge, has the right to a creative voice and to tell their story. Today, our mission is the same, and we have expanded the mission, in the last twenty years, to support the artists as their work becomes exhibition quality and requires gallery management and representation.

What does a normal day look like there?

The studio program runs from 9:30am to 3:30pm and the artists work in rotation in a variety of media: Painting and Drawing, Printmaking, Textiles, Rug workshop, Ceramics, Wood and Video. Artists travel to the Center independently and others arrive on Paratransit buses. There is time for social interaction, discussion, and ultimately an incredible amount of focused art making.

Creative Growth fosters the growth of people who have become prolific and well established artists. Tell us a bit about the exhibitions you have at the art center in Oakland and what Creative Growth is doing globally.

Within the Creative Growth gallery we have seven annual exhibitions—themes emerge pretty naturally from the work that is being made in the Studio here–mostly from things the gallery staff are inspired by. Outside the Creative Growth gallery we participate in 20-30 exhibitions annually–from collaborations with White Columns gallery in New York, to art fairs like the Outsider Art Fair, NY and NADA, Miami to exhibitions in and around Paris, via a small space we have there to show work to European collectors. Creative Growth artist Judith Scott’s sculpture is included in the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Dan Miller has drawings in the collection at MoMA, New York. Many artists working here are thriving within the mainstream contemporary art world–they have been making work five days a week, some for over twenty years–they are very good at what they do.

Poketo wallet by Dwight Mackintosh

We are so excited to be working with Creative Growth on this collaboration. Is having art be utilitarian and part of the everyday something your artists love to do?

Art as an everyday function goes without saying at Creative Growth–this is what the artists here do, its their job, that they travel to each day–it turns the notion of art as a privilege upside down–Creative Growth is art doing something very important, more important than I have personally ever witnessed. The utilitarian part is certainly inherent in our history–painted chairs, handmade clothing, these items have been made here for years. We love working with Poketo and being able to create an item that makes people so happy to buy, and allows additional income to come into the artists and Creative Growth with out the pressure of having to create original artwork.

Poketo wallet by John Hiltunen

Poketo wallet by Merritt Wallace

How does the Visting Artists” program work? It sounds really interesting for all types of working artists that want to be involved with Creative Growth. What do you hope to achieve with this program?

We receive submissions from outside artists for four-day workshops, which are held in our Studio. We are interested in introducing new media and new ways of thinking to the artists at Creative Growth, as well as expanding the social atmosphere here to include contemporary artists and their world–a world in which many of the artists at Creative Growth have achieved much success. Often the work resulting from the workshop will be featured in an exhibition in our Oakland gallery.

Lastly, any future events or big plans you want to share coming up?

We are currently in the midst of our annual Holiday Show, runs through the end of December and is PERFECT for finding an original gift for your friends and family. Check our website for more info and for upcoming events and art fairs: creativegrowth.org

More info at creativegrowth.org.
Stay tuned for interviews with the artists!

Only a few more days until a big announcement between Booooooom and Poketo. We’ve never done something like this before. Watch out for it on Monday, folks!

In the meantime, let’s chat with Toronto-based artist Winnie Truong, whose follicle-filled design is part of our latest collaboration with Booooooom.

When you look through this 22-year-old artist’s work, you’ll find a collection of other similarly detailed works that often remind us of our long-forgotten adolescence (braces, blemishes and all). Despite that, Winnie’s work manages to show us that it really wasn’t so bad after all.

Could you tell us a little about who Winnie is?
A nice city girl with a zeal for art, parks and naptimes.

How did you discover your love for drawing?
Drawing has always been something I’ve done as preliminary work in my sketchbook. When I first started going to art school, I convinced myself that I wanted to be a painter only to later find that drawing was the thing I could handle with ease and that best suited what I wanted to express.

You work always sits at the borderlines of beauty and beastly, awkward and strangely graceful. Why is that?
The fascination comes from that tension between that attraction and repulsion the viewer experiences upon seeing the work… and people tend to have great opinions on one or the other. With every drawing I’m creating new viewpoint on that matter that I also have yet to resolve.

Your drawings look so detailed, how much time to do you spend on each?
The largest drawings take a few weeks to a month to complete. Sometimes I get really obsessive, and even after spraying fixative on the drawing, I am adding little marks and stray hairs here and there.

When drawing to that level of detail, what tip could you share with other people?
Patience. And hand exercises to avoid carpal tunnel.

Why hair as a subject?
Hair continues to fascinate me as a naturally occurring thing on our bodies that can be styled and adorn as expression of class, culture, gender, and even personality, and especially at its extremes. The act of drawing for me also has a direct connection to hair in that every mark translates into a single strand.

What about the gap teeth, braces and freckles?
My attraction to those attributes probably comes from the fact that we associate them with that adolescent stage in life when those things don’t seem beautiful, but rather as awkward and unwelcome features.

Are your drawings based on real people?
They aren’t based on anyone in particular. The faces are based loosely on people seen fashion and hair magazines. I take the models and their blank expressions as a platform and then the exaggerated hair and blemish stand in as extensions of personality and whim. Although I have a good idea of the final work will look like, I do let the hair and the strokes of colour develop intuitively on the way. Ultimately the portraits become anonymous projections of our feelings and notions towards the beautiful and grotesque, rather than of a specific likeness.

Tell us a little bit about your design for the “Afterlife” series.
I wanted to respond to the theme with an ambivalent point of view, in doing so I created the artwork using the changing states of ambiguous “life-forms” to tell a story through their disjointed relationships. I drew some not-quite-persons, and not-quite-creatures that I thought would illustrate both life and death simultaneously, so that the theme of “Life After Death” is open to individual interpretation.

Was it difficult to come up with your final illustration?
The hardest part was mulling over what theme meant to me personally.

When not drawing, what would you be doing?
Gallery hopping, bike riding, and noshing. And also doing the aforementioned with good friends.

What other things are you passionate about?
I’m currently addicted to watching Youtube snippets of ABC’s “What Would You Do?” with John Quinones.

What other things do you find awesome?
My cat, Berlin. The Wire. Midnight cycling.

What’s next for Winnie Truong?
I’m currently in studio working on new pieces for my upcoming solo show at ESP, opening this September in Toronto. I am also planning on releasing my first limited edition print in July, so look out for that!

Check out Winnie’s wallet at poketo.com.
Find more of Winnie on winnietruong.com.
Check out booooooom at booooooom.com