Earlier this month I returned to Harvard University, home to some of the best educational opportunities in the world, but also my eponymous gift and homewares collection that sells in their Coop Bookstore in Harvard Square.
I love this university, for its free thinking ideology as much as its beautiful architecture and super smart students. I was lucky enough to meet several of them as I carried out my live art installation within the Coop Bookstore during Family Weekend.
I was asked to create two paintings that represented the culture at Harvard, and so, as per the illustration I had previously drawn, and which was printed onto the merchandise that was rapidly selling in their store whilst I was there, I chose some of the iconic buildings such as Memorial Hall and the Widener Library, together with motifs from Boston itself, including the Boston red sock, the Charles River and state symbols including the mayflower and cute chickadee bird.
I also had time to run up another, smaller painting, which included a rainbow, to signify the tolerance and inclusivity that Harvard University promotes and that are values that I likewise subscribe to. I also included a cheeky little lobster, just so you know that we are in the beautiful city of Boston.
It's amazing to travel around the world and see so much of my art in stores. There are rows upon rows of products printed with my work in Harvard and over four hundred other universities and colleges across America, Canada, England, Hong Kong and Japan. It's an honour to collaborate with such amazing institutions, coordinated by a curated portfolio of business partners and licensees across the globe.
Thank you Team Julia around the world and Team Harvard for doing such a great job of being part of this unique and every growing, creative success story.
