Portfolio
Client: Department of Safety
Family Creative’s Patriarch Alex Mahan co-founded the Department of Safety in 2002 with Aaron Flint Jamison, Tammy Masalonis, and Melissa Sinclair (they were all college friends). It’s a multi-faceted creative space located in the old fire station in Anacortes, WA. Through the years, the space has included an all-ages music venue, 2 recording studios, an art gallery, a darkroom, 3 art studios, a traveler’s hostel, and home to people too numerous to mention.
Alex has been involved with practically every aspect of the Department of Safety’s development and operation: Interior renovations, booking bands, promoting concerts, designing posters, performing the duties of sound engineer at live shows, website design and updates, setting up art shows, bi-monthly promotional emails, liason between the DoS and the city, etc.
Although Alex no longer lives at the Department of Safety, he is still heavily involved in operations and you can find him there at least a couple evenings per week.
Work:
The Department of Safety
The Department of Safety is a project we co-founded in 2002 with some friends and artists. It’s an all-ages music venue, art gallery, recording studio, art space, and home. We relaunched the site in January 2006 to great fanfare and acclaim.
Karl Blau / Mt Eerie / Paleo
Karl Blau released an album called “Beneath Waves” on K Records in February, 2006. We highly recommend picking up a copy. This is the poster for the Anacortes album release show.
The Graves / The Poison Dart / The Stares
A stormy poster for warm winter music.
Mt Eerie and Friends
Paintings by Phil Elverum of Mt Eerie, layout by Family Creative. Greyscale.
The Graves, Squid Vs Shark
Cartoony, overly-literal poster for an enjoyable summer pop concert: The Graves, Squid Vs. Shark, and International Falls.
Viva Voce + Many Others
A neopolitan flavored poster for a ridiculously good show: Viva Voce, The Robot Ate Me, Mt Eerie, and The Poison Dart.
Wintry Laura Veirs
A blood red poster for a show in deepest winter with Laura Veirs and friends. Dang, that show was cold!
Thanksgiving / Cains & Abels
A poster for the bands “Thanksgiving” and “Cains & Abels.” Unfortunately, World and the Dirty Projectors canceled at the last minute, so the poster is only 50% relevant.
The Pale
The Pale played with n.Lannon and Thee More Shallows in Oct 2004. Here is the poster for that show.
A Very Veirs Valentine
Valentine’s Day show, 2004.
Damien Jurado poster
Damien Jurado and The Graves, among others, played a show at the Department of Safety in July of 2005. A nice poster for an even nicer group of musicians!
Bookmobile
Poster designed in conjunction with Jessica of Slow Loris, who did the illustrations for this piece. Traveling bookmobile.
Robert Deeble
Guitar-based, brown and cream, Robert Deeble.