Primarium: A Case For Cursive
An exploration of global evolution and the enduring relevance of cursive writing.
Primarium: A Case for Cursive presents a timely look at the role of cursive as a living practice in a world dominated by screens, where digital tools can serve as companions in preserving its cultural, educational, and cognitive significance.
ArtCenter College of Design’s Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography (HMCT) presents a thought-provoking new exhibition on view at the HMCT Gallery featuring an international array of handwriting models, teaching tools, and typographic works. The research-based exhibition invites visitors to rediscover the history, education, and evolution of cursive writing, not as a relic of the past, but as an evolving form of communication.
The exhibition is based on the work of renowned type designers Veronika Burian and José Scaglione, co-founders of the independent font foundry TypeTogether. Their groundbreaking, long-term research project Primarium (which inspired the name of the exhibition) maps handwriting instruction for Latin-script learners in over 40 countries.
Through a combination of infographics, historical references, contemporary textbooks, and cross-cultural comparisons, the first physical exhibition of Primarium demonstrates how cursive styles have adapted across geographies and eras, shaped by cultural shifts and technological advances.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Opening Reception
Thursday, July 3, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Exhibition Talk
Speaker: Veronika Burian and José Scaglione
Wednesday, July 2, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
More information
Join renowned typeface designers Veronika Burian and José Scaglione of the independent type foundry TypeTogether for a special talk discussing their research into global handwriting instruction. Through their project Primarium, they examine cursive writing methods from over 40 countries that use the Latin script. Their presentation will also introduce Playwrite, a recently released and extensive type family designed to reflect diverse cursive styles and enhance handwriting instruction around the world.
This talk kicks off the opening week of the exhibition Primarium: A Case for Cursive at the HMCT Gallery.
This exhibition is made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Milken Family Foundation. For more information, contact hmct@artcenter.edu.