A little chat with BSV founders Brad & Jared

In between all the preparing for the Blood Sweat Vector exhibition, after hanging canvases, drilling holes and fixing lights, I had a little talk with BSV founders Jared Nickerson and Brad Mahaffey. Read what they told me about BSV..

Hi guys, let’s get straight to the core: what’s the idea behind BLOOD SWEAT VECTOR?
To create a community where artists could communicate and gain publicity through a combined public medium. The artists at BSV were specifically invited to participate, with adding their news, updates, and other general vector news because of the respect they garner in the international vector community.

As BSV is strictly based on invitation, how do you choose the members?
We selectively invite members based on work history, popularity, and our personal taste.

How many artists are involved at the moment?
We currently have 36 artists participating.

I really like that there are so many diverse styles at BSV, you get a really good impression of how different artistic expression can be exhibited within vector design…
Definitely. We try to select artists with many varying styles so we have a little something for everyone to enjoy. What remains consistent is the quality of the artists and their work, which is reflected by the BSV exhibition.

This is the first exhibition in a gallery that shows your community as a group – what plans do you have for the future? Are there more exhibitions or other collaborations planned?
We definitely hope so! Immediate plans for the future include a possible exhibition in Vancouver, CA. As for collaborations, we have some upcoming vinyl toys and playing cards planned with a few selected BSV artists.

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And what are you two doing apart from BSV? Tell us a little bit about your daily business…
Brad: Apart from my BSV activities, with Vanillagreen I specialize in graphic and web design/development work, independently contracted with clients on a case-by-case basis. I also run Zidalgo, a premium wordpress theme outlet.
Jared: I run my own design studio, J3Concepts, based out of Seattle, WA. I’m also the art director for laFraise. I also like long walks on the beach, and vigorous hand-jobs.

You are in Berlin at the moment and will attend the opening of the show – are you excited?
Of course! We are very pleased so far in the preparation and promotion of the exhibition. It will run for a whole month, and should be great exposure for everyone involved, as well as the BSV platform.

Thanks a lot, Jared and Brad, we really appreciate to have you here at West Berlin Gallery!
And you all don’t miss the chance to talk to Brad and Jared in person, meet them tomorrow at the ‘WEST BERLIN GALLERY presents BLOOD SWEAT VECTOR’ opening. See you there :)