Artist renders Louisville Courier-Journal's A1

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Readers might have done a double-take when they saw Friday's edition of The Courier-Journal.

The front page was reproduced in its entirety as an artist's rendering, from photographs to type — even the masthead. Only the bar code was untouched.

The original Page One was on page A3, instead.

The hand-drawn replica, by Turkish conceptual artist Serkan Özkaya, represents a public-art partnership involving the artist, the newspaper and artwithoutwalls, a Louisville-based nonprofit that strives to bring art to new audiences in nontraditional places.

"We're actually delivering a work of art," said Alice Gray Stites, who heads artwithoutwalls.

"For 75 cents," added Özkaya, 36, referring to the newsstand price of the newspaper.

The Courier-Journal, owned by Gannett, said the artist has worked on similar hand-copying projects at four other newspapers worldwide, including The New York Times, though Friday's collaboration was the first involving an U.S. newspaper's front page.

Arnold Garson, publisher of The Courier-Journal, said the project intrigued him because it can generate discussion and points out the value of art in everyday life.

"It is about starting the thought process, which is what art is about," Garson said. "It makes you stop and think."

The work to produce the replica front page took six people about one hour. Özkaya worked with a team of five University of Louisville art students.