Multimedia artist created official 51st GRAMMY Awards artwork and accompanying performance video

GRAMMY.com

Innovative artist Phil Hansen has been selected to create the official artwork for the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards. The imaginative and unique piece will be used as the official artwork for the 51st GRAMMY Awards and will grace the cover of the awards program book, telecast tickets, and promotional poster. Additionally, a unique and entertaining time-lapse "making of" video is available on YouTube and will also be featured on GRAMMY.com, CBS.com and numerous social networking sites.

"We are so proud to have Phil Hansen, who has a truly one-of-a-kind vision, create this year's vibrant artwork," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy." By creating not only a physical work but also a video companion piece with a musical element, Phil combines many of the artistic disciplines The Academy strives to celebrate and puts a unique stamp on our annual artwork as the GRAMMY Awards head into the next 50 years. This piece truly exemplifies the spirit of the music industry's most coveted award."

Hansen has been on the cutting edge of online distribution and using the Web as a virtual museum for his paintings, videos and multimedia pieces. His approach has allowed audiences to connect with his artwork in creative new ways. His work often incorporates surprising media (eggs, Oreo cookies, matchsticks) and often has a video component. With some of his most daring work, the video is the only remaining evidence of the art.

For "Jimi," Hansen constructed an image of guitar great Jimi Hendrix in performance mode out of matchsticks, and then lit the piece on fire as a fitting tribute to Hendrix's own legendary guitar-burning performances. His piece "Destruction" used graphite on eggs, the latter of which were then broken one-by-one.

Hansen's creative approach of utilizing the Web to connect individuals with his art has been featured on "Good Morning America," CBS' "The Early Show," "The Rachael Ray Show," CNN, and on the CW's Online Nation as well as internationally in South Korea, Canada and England. His "Bruce" creation, which he submitted to CNN via its iReport site, has been viewed more than 3 million times on YouTube, Break and MySpace combined. 

Hansen, a self-taught artist, grew up in Shelton, Wash. He began his artistic career evolving the craft of pointillism but soon discovered that time-lapse videos capturing the process of creating his art was an art in itself. He continues to improve his technique and currently lives in St. Paul, Minn., where he creates most of his art in the basement of his home. To learn more about Hansen and to experience some of his work, please visit www.philinthecircle.com.

The 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on Feb. 8, 2009, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).