A 1xRUN Retrospective: The Best of 2019

Wow, 2019 was an incredible year. Since January 1, 1xRUN has released over 400 distinct editions by more than 140 different artists, shipping to collectors in over 70 countries. We expanded upon our big collections, bringing bigger and better talent to Go Skate Day, International Women’s Day, Bicycle Day, and Printsmas, and we made some big structural changes to our website and with our staff in Detroit.

And that’s not the half of it. Kevin Lyons installed his life-sized music monsters at Movement Festival Detroit; 1xRUN brought 30+ artists to Detroit for its fifth annual Murals In The Market Festival; and we created limited-edition collectibles for Eminem.

Here were some of 1xRUN’s proudest moments of 2019:

 

International Women’s Day

On Friday, March 8, we released over 30 limited editions by woman-identifying artists from around the globe, including Caroline Caldwell, Ann Lewis, Carly Chaikin, Kristin Liu-Wong, Mary Iverson, Dee Dee, Fafi, and more.

Murals In The Market Festival

Since 2015, 1xRUN’s Murals In The Market Festival has brought artists from around the globe to color one of Detroit’s most storied neighborhoods with innovative and exciting artwork. 1xRUN and Eastern Market Corporation have produced more than 125 murals in Eastern Market, transforming the district into one of the most vibrant collections of street art in the world.

 

Go Skate Day

3d5de01a-b604-4881-a6f8-4318591abd9a

In partnership with local skateboarding advocacy group Community Push, 1xRUN released 60+ fine art skate deck editions to coincide with Go Skateboarding Day. This year, Go Skate Day was our biggest and most popular collection to date.

Bicycle Day

1xrun-collection-bd2019-promo-card-960x600

April 19 marks the anniversary of Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann’s famous discovery of LSD as a psychoactive substance. Better known as Bicycle Day, we celebrate by publishing one of the greatest collections of blotter art in the world. This year, we released 60+ blotter editions by Stanley Mouse, Lauren YS, Niagara, Buff Monster, Luke Chueh, Wayne White, and more.

Movement 2019

ruFm2saw

Every year, 1xRUN partners with Detroit’s Movement Electronic Festival to choose an artist-in-residence and install a massive, life-sized installation to integrate into the festival. This year, Kevin Lyons brought his party of music monster sculptures to Hart Plaza.

 

Record Store Day

5c2d786a-62aa-4300-8c76-e09b43eeb67b

At the heart of where fine art and music intersect, we honored Record Store Day with 12″ tributes to our favorite musical artists. ABCNT, Jim Houser, Jesse Kassel, and many other artists payed homage to David Bowie, A Tribe Called Quest, Black Flag, Dolly Parton, and more.

Ron English’s Welcome Walls

As the migrant crisis at the United States-Mexico border continues to be a critical political issue, American artist Ron English and Canadian artist Denial teamed up to jab Donald Trump’s “Build The Wall” campaign promise: each artist installed Welcome Walls separating the United States from Canada, facing each other from across the Detroit River.

“Borders are man-made, arbitrary concepts, and the idea of putting up a border to keep Canada out kind of extends the conversation. We’re also doing a wall on the other side of the border, so Americans can see what it feels like for Canada to say, ‘stay the fuck out of our country, our free health care, and our better society’.”  –Ron English

Denial installs his wall in McKee Park, Windsor, Ontario

Denial installs his wall in McKee Park, Windsor, Ontario

 

Ron English's Welcome Wall, located in Detroit’s Berry Joseph Subdivision

Ron English’s Welcome Wall, located in Detroit’s Berry Joseph Subdivision