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CHICAGO CUBS LAUNCH LIMITED-EDITION COLLECTION
May 19, 2021, 11:37 AM
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CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today launched a limited-edition collection with visual artist Efdot in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month that aims to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and provides a message of support to those who may be living with mental health conditions. The limited-edition collection, which includes a short-sleeve T-shirt, New Era hat and 18-by-24-inch screen print, will be available for purchase starting tomorrow, May 20, while supplies last, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit Bring Change to Mind.
Eric Friedensohn, or Efdot, is a visual artist and community builder known for his abstract-meets-figurative style which explores the balance between playfulness, sophistication and mischief. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design, cum laude, from Drexel University in 2012 and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
For the collection, Efdot incorporated designs that showcase his interpretation of one’s personal journey toward self-acceptance which he chose to articulate through the layering of multiple faces inside a mosaic of shapes.
“The colors, lines, and light in this collection were inspired by the neurodiversity of the human condition,” said Efdot when asked to describe the collection. “Depicting multiple faces through a mosaic of shapes felt like the best way to celebrate this idea.”
For the short-sleeve T-shirt, which comes in white and navy blue, Efdot wanted to provide a message of support to those who may be living with mental health conditions that they are not alone. For the New Era hat, which comes in royal blue, Efdot incorporated his signature “Blob” character sitting in a contemplative pose while wearing a Cubs uniform and holding a bat. For the 18-by-24-inch screen print, the designs incorporated showcase the artist’s interpretation of the complexities that lie within us, the neurodiversity in our world and the highs and lows we all face as humans. The inclusion of the abstract interpretation of the Cubs’ dugout at the bottom of the screen print also symbolizes that no one should be alone in their mental health struggles and that the support and camaraderie of those around us is what ultimately gets us through tough times and to self-acceptance.
“This piece felt like there is a lot of emotion happening here but leaves a lot up to interpretation from the viewer,” said Efdot when asked to describe his design for the screen print. “There’s definitely some ups and some downs, some twists and turns, and things that are fixed and things that are broken. I wanted to capture all of it because we’re human first before we are performers or artists or athletes or brands. That’s something I try to carry with me everywhere. That we are only human, and we are humans first.”
In the process of developing the collection, the Cubs also engaged outfielder Ian Happ to help inform potential beneficiaries given his passion around mental health. With Happ’s role as an ambassador for Bring Change to Mind through his own family charity which promotes mental health and wellness, the nonprofit, which works to end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness, was an obvious choice to serve as the beneficiary of the proceeds.
“My dad was diagnosed with brain cancer when I was 20 and passed away really early on,” said Happ in the collection’s debut video. “I was having a lot of success personally because I was getting drafted to the Cubs and kind of fulfilling a lot of things that I’d worked my whole life for while he was dealing with terminal cancer. It took for me to learn about my own mental health to continue to live my life and get through some of those really difficult times for me personally. I share my story so that more people feel comfortable doing the same.”
This limited-edition collection is the fourth in?a series of?collaborations the Cubs will launch this year created to amplify these important voices, foster a dialogue around societal and cultural topics and recognize significant moments in time. The first collection in the series launched in February with Hyde Park native Nikko Washington in celebration of Black History Month, the second collection launched in March with Logan Square resident Kate Lynn Lewis to celebrate women making history and the third collection launched in April with Chicago street artist Penny Pinch in celebration of Earth Day.
Fans can purchase items from the limited-edition collection starting Thursday, May 20, at 9 a.m. CDT, at www.cubs.com/efdot while supplies last. The “Not Alone” short-sleeve T-shirt is available for $39.99, the “Efdot x Cubs” New Era hat is available for $34.99 and the “Your Team” 18-by-24-inch screen print is available for $99.99 (plus applicable taxes and fees).
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