“I can see [my career] a couple of ways, either as a series of detours, or I can look at as a righteous path that’s never going to end,” said Hillman Curtis in a 2011 interview. “If I see whatever I’m currently doing as just another stop along the way, then I think I’m on the right path.” The filmmaker, designer, and author died on April 18 at the age of 51, after a three-year battle with colon cancer. Curtis left behind a stunning body of work, from the beloved “Artist Series” of documentaries and short narrative films to national commercials and three books on design and film have sold 150,000 copies and counting (in 14 languages). His friends, colleagues, and the subjects of his films have planned “a celebration of the life and work of Hillman Curtis” for the evening of Thursday, June 21, at the School of Visual Arts Theatre in New York. Special guests such as Milton Glaser, Stefan Sagmeister, Paula Scher, and James Victore will be on hand for a reception followed by a film program. Tickets are on sale now ($20 general admission, $15 for students, VIP $50). Proceeds from the evening will benefit the PS29 Arts Fund, the Carroll Gardens elementary school attended by Curtis’s two children, Jasper and Tess.