“Harvest of Wisdom,” the seminal film about graphic communication and its influence on civilization has been recently updated through a joint effort of the Nolan Moore Memorial Education Foundation and the Graphic Communication Institute at Cal Poly.

Although “Harvest” was produced 20 years ago, the film has stood the test of time. Nolan Moore, a printing industry visionary and scholar, who passed away in 1995, created the film to be used in classrooms and demonstrate how written communication and print affected civilization and the dissemination of knowledge. Indeed, the film is a statement on the relevance of print throughout the ages and the important and continuing accomplishments of the printing industry.

Since the last few minutes of the film was no longer current, a decision was made by the Trustees of the Nolan Moore Memorial Education Foundation, created by PIA MidAmerica after Moore’s death, to update the film.

Led by Jerry Waite and Phil Snyder of the University of Houston along with Harvey Levenson of the Graphic Communication Institute at Cal Poly, the film has been updated to reflect the massive changes in communications and print.

“I am proud to have been part of the team,” stated PIA MidAmerica’s Joe Polanco. “I was fortunate to have worked with Nolan Moore when he produced the film, and Harvey, Jerry, and Phil showed the same passion and incorporated many of the same ideas Nolan had in his original creation.” 

Levenson said, “This is an educational documentary for people of all ages and backgrounds. It provides a perspective on the role of written and printed communication on the development of civilization, particularly in the Western World. It clearly demonstrates how graphic communication, with its technology undergirding, falls within the realm of the liberal arts. It is about history and civilization, culture and values, communication and language knowledge and learning, writing and literacy, democracy and freedom, invention and technology, advances in digital imaging, evolution and genesis. It is a statement that all interested in or involved in graphic communication should view—students, employees, managers, practitioners, technology developers, and so on. The movie instills pride in one of the most important industries that has shaped civilization—the printing industry.”

The film will be available through online media and it’s the intention of the Foundation to partner with other graphic arts organizations and media to distribute “Harvest” to the broadest audience possible. The film can be viewed on line at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daSc2vgZMZQ Inquiries regarding the film can be made by contacting PIA MidAmerica at [email protected]