BOSTON.- First Night Boston is pleased to announce that the work of illustrator Rachel Maguire, 27, of Whitman will be used in the design of this year’s First Night button. The button design will be implemented by Doug Chapman of Kelliher Samets Volk - Boston, First Night’s Creative Communications Firm, and Scott Woolwine. The First Night Boston 2009 button will be unveiled at a ceremony in mid-November.

Rachel Maguire grew up in Pembroke, Mass. She earned her BA in Illustration and Animation from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2005. Both her acrylic paintings and digital work have been described as whimsical and fun. Currently she works at Soup2Nuts animation as character designer for the award winning PBS show The Amazing Colossal Adventures of WordGirl. Her art has in The Weekly Dig, Parents and Kids magazine, and Live Nation’s Rock and Art charity auction. Her animations have aired at film festivals all over the country in such venues as the San Diego Woman’s Film Festival, Animation Block Party, Boston’s Underground Film Festival, Woods Hole Film Festival, the Port City Animation Festival, and a previous Boston First Night Boston celebration. She resides in Whitman, Mass., drawing and painting the wonder and beauty she continues to find in this world. You can see some of her work at www.rayarray.com.

In addition to being the ticket for admission to performances and exhibits throughout Boston on Dec. 31, the First Night button with Maguire's image is featured in all First Night collateral materials, such as print ads, posters, billboards, and MBTA car cards. For more than ten years, Boston’s WBZ-TV has been First Night’s exclusive television sponsor and as such features the button in promotional announcements. WBZ-TV News will have an exclusive series of news features about artists and community groups preparing for First Night in the weeks leading up to the event, and will broadcast live from several downtown locations on Dec. 31. First Night’s other media sponsors include Metro Boston, the MBTA, Clear Channel Outdoor and Wall USA. All will carry advertising that will include images of the button with Maguire’s work.

This will be the 33nd First Night Boston. Founded in 1976, First Night was started by artists who sought an alternative to traditional New Year's Eve revelry. The celebration has grown from a small arts event centered on the Boston Common to an arts organization that showcases work by local, national and international artists. First Night has gone from attracting about 25,000 people to drawing crowds over one million, and generating an estimated $47 million dollars in revenue for business in the City of Boston. The concept that originated in Boston 33 years ago has served as a model for more than 200 similar celebrations worldwide.

All First Night outdoor events are free, though supported by sales of the First Night button, which is the ticket for admission to all indoor events. Buttons are $18 (children under 4 admitted free) and will be available beginning Nov. 28 at Boston-area Shaw’s and Star Markets, Store 24, Au Bon Pain and dozens of other locations. For a complete list of advance sale locations or to buy buttons online, visit www.firstnight.org. Buttons are available at a special web price of $15 at www.firstnight.org through Dec. 26. Information about the 200 performances and exhibits at First Night Boston 2009 will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information, visit www.firstnight.org.