Jeff Knight

Jeff Knight's Story

*Original audio collected 6/30/2020*

Jeff Knight is a graphic designer and co-owner of the creative studio Cereal. While he mainly focuses on digital work, he has worked on public art in the form of the sign language bike racks and the Wildflower Mural. In this interview, Jeff talks about his inspiration behind the pieces; the way community impacts public art; and on future work he is excited to bring to Fargo.

Full Interview Below

Jeff Knight's Story Transcript:

I originally grew up in the Fargo-Moorhead area. I graduated with my undergrad degree from Concordia College, Moorhead, and then I spent a few years in Georgia. I earned my MFA in graphic design at the Savannah College of Art and Design there. Eventually, I made my way back to this area where I was from and started to volunteer and be more involved in the local art seen.

Typically, I work in digital mediums. I'm a graphic designer, but I like to think sometimes the project sort of dictates the medium. So I've worked in wood, screen printing, painting, sculpture. In terms of a style, I guess I'm more illustrative. A little bit of a nouveau, simplistic approach to visual communication. I like to create pieces that involve the audience's participation or interaction. Sometimes that's utilitarian, sometimes it's additive, or sometimes it's destructive, but I prefer to know that in order for the work to exist, it needs someone to engage with it. Usually, I start with paper and pencil. Lots of sketching, lots of sketch books filled with drawings. That's typically where I start, and then usually, it's a digital. I'll move to the computer, kinda re-arrange some things. It's easier to play with color and kinda some stuff like that. Once I'm done with that, then we figure out how to translate that into the actual work.

One of the projects I have coming up is a project to do another mural dedicated to Duke Ellington, who's a famous jazz musician. So he actually came to Fargo and played a show in the 1940's. There was someone from NDSU in the crowd who recorded that show. That show went on to win a Grammy, that recording went on to win a Grammy, so I really wanted to highlight that event because I don't think most people in Fargo know that even happened, or that he even was here which is a really big deal at the time. He played at the Crystal Ballroom which is no longer a thing. It was a really great show. I have it on vinyl at home, but I wanted to do something to celebrate that and to commemorate that and to highlight hey, we actually had some really interesting musicians come through.

Fargo Sign Language Bike Racks

North Art Tour

A Thought from the Artist:

By Jeff Knight

*Original audio collected 6/30/2020*

#fargoaslbikeracks

Wildflower Mural

South Art Tour

A Thought from the Artist:

By Jeff Knight

*Original audio collected 6/30/2020*

#fargowildflowers

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