1907 May 22Born, Caro, Mich.1928Graduated from the
Art Institute of Chicago; worked for several
years for various newspapers and advertising agenciescirca 1933Joined
Outdoor Advertising, Inc. (OAI)circa 1938Became an Associate Art Director,
OAI1957Married Janet Brewster, then-Executive Secretary of the
National Society of Art Directors1958Became President,
Art Directors Club of New York, and Art
Director,
OAI1959Became Chairman, Art Division,
Sister Elizabeth Kenney Foundation Fund, a
public service campaign to fight polio1965Won a gold medal for water colors at the 25th Annual Members
Exhibition of the
Art Directors Club of New York, for his
painting entitled Composition No. 1circa 1968Retired as Art Director of
OAI, to become a consultant art
director1988 July 4Died, Montville, N.J.
Garrett Orr was a graphic artist and billboard designer. A director with Outdoor Advertising, Inc. (OAI) for over 30 years (1938-1968), Orr oversaw national outdoor advertising campaigns during a period where technological advances and a developing interstate highway system stimulated rapid growth in the U.S. outdoor advertising industry. Stan H. Henderson, President of the Georgia Outdoor Advertising Company, Inc. once said of Garrett Orr, Garry probably produced more outdoor advertising art than any other man in history.
From the guide to the Garrett Orr Papers, bulk, circa 1873-1994, 1890s-1914, 1935-1965, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)