CCAD Exhibitions Director Michael Goodson.

When Michael Goodson joined Columbus College of Art & Design as director of exhibitions in August, he hit the ground running and quickly began tapping alumni and faculty talent.

With a fall exhibition still being pulled together, Goodson came to Columbus ready with ideas for spring. But where most people would have curated one spring exhibition— to fit nicely between CCAD’s hosting of the regional Scholastic Art Awards and the college’s first MFA thesis exhibition—Goodson curated two, brought in a rarely-seen installation piece by Malcom Cochran for its own show, and to top it off, traveled south to curate an exhibition of work by CCAD artists for the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio.

“Putting together this exhibition has been an affirmation of the great work being done in my new home town,” Goodson said of Looking Forward, the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio exhibition. “In the end, the exhibition is a meditation on the harmony that is created when we share a starting and a finishing point and the dissonance that pushes us along the path in between.”

Looking Forward went up in January and includes artwork by 10 CCAD artists: Julie Abijanac (assistant professor), Carol Boram-Hays (adjunct faculty), Matthew Flegle (instructor), Dennison Griffith (CCAD president), Danielle Julian-Norton (assistant professor and 1999 Fine Arts alumna), Michael Litzau (adjunct faculty and 2004 Fine Arts alumnus), Kelly Malec-Kosak (assistant professor), Ric Petry (director of graduate programs), Tim Rietenbach (associate professor and 1977 Fine Arts alumnus), and Mariana Smith (adjunct faculty and 2002 Fine Arts alumna). The work is on view through May 20, 2012.

Goodson also curated Bending the Mirror and home., which graced the Canzani Center Gallery, Feb. 10–March 16.

Bending the Mirror featured work by 15 artists (including alumna Danielle Julian-Norton) and sampled the fecund diversity of international figurative art today.

“The history of CCAD and the use of the figure are paired going back to the inception of the school,” said Goodson. “With Bending the Mirror I wanted visitors and students to be aware of the various ways in which this long tradition still imparts ideas and how varied the methods, perspectives, and ideas can be.

home. examined what we might call “normal” suburbia and the lives of those within. The artists involved included New York City painter Jessica Rohrer, iconic 1970s photographer Bill Owens, and Cleveland-based artist Mark Slankard.

“In many ways home. was my attempt to understand the recent transition in my own life from the endless flux of Brooklyn and New York City to the relative quiet and peace of Columbus,” explained Goodson. “What I found, however, (and what started to drive the show) was that this is not a bucolic place. Perhaps no place in America is anymore. home. has become an attempt to understand the true complex nature of American suburban life. It’s an attempt to explore the dream within the American dream.”

“Michael has a sophisticated grasp of contemporary developments in diverse fields of visual creativity,” CCAD President Denny Griffith remarked. “His fresh and inspiring ways of contextualizing contemporary art and design through exhibitions and programming will be key to the continued prominence of the college’s exhibitions program.”

Goodson comes to CCAD from the James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY, where as exhibitions director he was active in the selection of works for group and solo shows and art fairs.

Goodson has also maintained a diverse teaching practice at several institutions of higher learning. He was adjunct professor of art at Hunter College and Wright State University. He earned a BFA in sculpture from Wright State University and an MFA in sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

In addition to curating at CCAD he is taking a very hands-on approach to the installation of other exhibitions being shown in the gallery.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s my exhibition. If it’s going up in the Canzani Center Gallery, I want to be sure that the way the exhibition is prepared and presented is a positive reflection on the college,” said Goodson.

Exhibition installation will keep Goodson busy with First: The 2012 New Projects MFA Thesis Exhibition opening March 30. The MFA exhibition closes April 27 leaving a short window of time to prepare for the May 11 opening of  Show: the 133rd Annual Student Exhibition. As these shows are coming together Goodson will also be preparing for the fall exhibitions and developing opportunities for artists to visit and present at CCAD.

“My goal for the CCAD exhibitions program is to provide the public consistent, compelling information, with a dedication to making people aware of the art of their time, the art of this moment,” said Goodson. “I always tend to think of an exhibition as a kind of theater. This sometimes entails the use of a kind of flow and narrative—at very least it involves a clear consideration of the viewer’s time, body, and perspective thoughts within the exhibition space.”

To stay up-to-date on what the exhibitions program is cooking up follow the Alumni Facebook page.

Check out images from the opening reception for both Bending the Mirror and home.

Bindernagel working in his studio

CCAD alumnus Steven Bindernagel (CCAD 2002) is often in his New York City studio for 15 hours a day, six days a week. His intense dedication began at CCAD and has continued to support him as he displays his work in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally.

“CCAD really infused me with a strong work ethic,” Bindernagel said. “I remember staying up for three days straight to finish my freshman year final projects.”

Bindernagel works as a full-time artist and is represented by CRG Gallery in New York City. In the latter half of 2012 the gallery will feature him in a solo exhibition, his first with CRG.

Richard Desroche, one of CRG’s co-owners, describes Bindernagel’s work as “…unabashedly beautiful. Color resonates and explodes off paper and canvas and at the same time a dark, brooding, even stained background is ever-present. For Bindernagel, soft and gentle must always be juxtaposed with harsh and aggressive.”

Bindernagel creates abstract paintings using a variety of techniques. His process is layered and can include pouring paint, glazing, painting out and erasing areas, and reworking the same area several times over.

Bindernagel’s success is no accident. Even in his undergraduate years at CCAD he was realizing the importance art would have in his life—and he was seizing every opportunity to learn, explore, and take risks.

“It was at CCAD that I realized I love making art and I was willing to do everything possible to do it for the rest of my life,” he said.

During his undergraduate years, Bindernagel learned to take criticism and defend his work. He enjoyed the critiques in his classes, learning to better himself and his peers. In particular, Professor Gordon Lee taught him how to defend his work and creative ideas and the importance of helping other artists grow.

“I remember his insights and keen ability to speak simultaneously to the emotional content of a painting as well as to the technical aspects of creating—it was in these classes that I really fell in love with the complexity and nuance of painting,” Bindernagel said.

His color concept and 2D design classes had a profound technical and tactile effect on his art. Today, Bindernagel still loves to use modulated color and semi-sculptural low-relief techniques in his paintings, which can be traced back to those classes.

Bindernagel participated in the New York Studio Residency Program in 2001, while at CCAD. The program allows students to study among art and design professionals in New York City for a semester, and Bindernagel capitalized on every minute of the experience.

"The Inevitable Yield"

“I spent a lot of time working in the studio, where I would spend hours and hours painting, and outside of classes I would try to visit as many gallery and museum shows as possible,” Bindernagel said. “I also spent a good amount of time just wandering around the city. It was an amazing, concentrated, and enlightening experience for me.”

He knew he wanted to return and live in New York following graduation. Bindernagel admits that the amount of time he was able to focus solely on his work during the program directly and positively influenced his last year at CCAD and was a precursor to further his studies.

Bindernagel did return to New York and earned his MFA at the School of Visual Arts (SVA). From his lessons in the studio program and at CCAD he was able to understand intense studio hours prior to grad school and “knew where to buy $1 noodles for lunch in the city.”

The move from Ohio to New York for Bindernagel was not just about attending graduate school; it was also about diving into the arts and culture scene.

“Once here [in New York] I set up a large support network of fellow artists and colleagues, friends, and mentors,” Bindernagel said. “As people know, New York is expensive and somewhat chaotic, and the art world is extremely saturated and competitive, but having a strong network here has been invaluable on countless levels—from help finding work when I needed a job, to swapping studio visits with friends, to devising how to make our goals and dreams a reality.”

Upon graduation from SVA, Bindernagel found himself searching for a full-time job to pay the bills. He had to learn to adapt to a life of balancing a full-time job with up to 40 additional hours a week in the studio.

CRG Gallery began showing Bindernagel’s work in 2010 and eventually offered to represent him. The gallery was founded in 1990 and has exhibited work by artists from the United States, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and China. It  remains committed to providing exposure to emerging artists from around the world.

“I have known everyone at CRG for about five years,” Bindernagel explained. “I admire, respect, and trust them all, so I feel fortunate, and I couldn’t be happier to be working with them so early in my career.”

Bindernagel has been able to quite his job and now works more than 60 hours a week in his studio. But that doesn’t mean he has no free time. On Sundays he makes sure to take the day off to relax, read, and upload the photos of his artwork.

“Being an artist is a lifestyle choice rather than solely a career choice,” Bindernagel explained. “I came to terms [with the fact] that I was in this for the long haul, whether it ever paid off financially or not, because it is what I love to do.”

Since being able to devote himself solely to his artistic pursuits, Bindernagel has followed advice that he received from a professor years ago: as an artist, he needs to focus on making his art practice his primary and unwavering ambition. He understands that financial demands and countless other obligations may come up, but despite all of that he will find a way to stay unconditionally dedicated to his practice. His advice and motto: “Don’t stop creating”

Bindernagel believes possibilities are truly limitless for today’s artists, but times have also drastically changed due to technological advancements.

“Being an independent artist is like running a small business—you need a website, quality jpegs, business cards, etc. This may be common sense now, but in the late 1990s we were still looking at artwork on slides and projectors.”

Bindernagel’s success includes four solo exhibitions and 18 group exhibitions, and yet he still looks back to work completed his freshman year at CCAD.

“When I go home for the holidays and open the box with my work from CCAD, the memories flood back,” Bindernagel admits. “I still remember making every single project and the countless sleepless nights.”

His solo exhibition at CRG will run Nov. 15–Dec. 22, 2012.

Nationwide downtown office

They can be found working on branding or pulling together a commercial or photograph. They’re our alumni, and they work for one of the leading insurance companies in the country, Nationwide. We recently got a chance to chat with four CCAD grads about what it is like to work with fellow alumni at Nationwide.

Meet Brand/Reputation Director Tara Roe (Illustration, 1999), Campaign Manager Pamela Watkins (Advertising & Graphic Design, 1983), Creative Director Marc Lincewicz (Illustration, 1992), and Multimedia Senior Coordinator Mary Kay Kemper (Advertising & Graphic Design, 1991).

Q) What is it like to work with other CCAD alumni?

Tara Roe (TR):  It’s fun! There is a common understanding of design and color because we all had the same foundation courses. CCAD grads have a lot of pride in their work and it helps Nationwide’s design continue to grow and evolve.

Pamela Watkins (PW): It’s great to find out someone is a graduate of CCAD—because of foundation courses and instructors, you immediately have a bond with a co-worker. It is also fun to see where we have landed; our careers can take such diverse courses.

Marc Lincewicz (ML): I guess I would say that when I discover that someone I’m working with has graduated from CCAD it forms sort of an instant bond. We have an understanding that we both went through a similar learning experience and probably have similar levels of understanding with regards to finding creative solutions to complex problems. It’s sort of that unsaid wink and smile that we get each other.

Mary Kay Kemper (MK): It’s great to re-connect with people I went to school with and to meet other alumni. It’s almost like they get it and they have a slightly better work ethic then others (at times).

Q) Why do you think Nationwide has a lot of CCAD alumni?

TR: Nationwide is a great place to work! We have a great creative culture within our design teams and they are encouraged to challenge ideas and push the envelope. There are also a variety of projects and opportunities to move within the company.

PW: There are so many opportunities at Nationwide that incorporate a part of your education from CCAD. We have great creative teams. Having both CCAD and Nationwide as such a big part of Columbus’ culture, it only makes sense that so many of us end up here.

ML:  Some people may be surprised to learn that Nationwide recognizes the impact that strong creativity has on our ability to communicate with our members. In my experience, on the design side of my training, CCAD taught me to always create with users in mind. People may be unaware that Nationwide sells much more than just auto insurance. Our in-house creative also consists of an internal photography department, web and interactive teams, video production, photo retouching, and we’re even moving towards 3D modeling. I also think Nationwide understands that CCAD turns out quality people who are prepared to take on a variety of creative challenges. Finally, the combination of the company wanting to be a creative leader and having a leading creative institution in the same city simply works well together.

MK: A big perk is having Nationwide located conveniently near the school. I was out of state for a while and when I returned to find work in Columbus I knew having a CCAD education on my resume would be a big benefit.

Remodeled Nationwide plaza/lobby

Q) Any advice for current students or fellow alumni who want to become involved at Nationwide?

TR: I started at Nationwide as an intern after attending a job fair just before graduating. My advice is to show up to job fairs and make connections. It truly is a key to building your network. It’s all about who you know. That will help you get the time to prove yourself to a potential employer. Have a strong portfolio, practice interviewing, and continue to push yourself creatively.

PW: Never close the door on what you might bring to the table as a result of your excellent education at CCAD. After a long career in graphic design, my first job at Nationwide was as a print buyer. That opened so many doors, and now I’m a campaign manager for Nationwide Financial, who would have thought!

ML: It can be a long, hard, and competitive process to break into Nationwide. The best approach is to be willing to start in a junior position and work your way up. If you are an alumnus with experience, your book needs to show serious talent and a commitment to your craft. Either way, a candidate’s book needs to be excellent, clean, and professional.

MK: A good way is to start as a contractor and test the water, see if Nationwide is right for you while the company will see if you will work out. I contracted for a while before going full time.

Q) Why do you love your job?

TR: I love managing a team of campaign managers and working daily with designers and writers. Although I’m no longer designing myself, I know that I need to stay close to it. Creative people bring so much more energy to the table.

PW: I still get to be a huge part of the creative process without doing the actual designs. I co-lead projects from strategy through completion. I’m always working on various platforms from collateral to conferences to web presence. I still get to partake in the background I love, while learning new things and developing new relationships every day.

ML: I love that Nationwide offers more creative opportunities than many people realize. I love the variety of creative challenges—there’s something new each day. I’ll be honest, I love a steady paycheck; the freelance world wasn’t for me, although I understand the corporate world is certainly not for everyone. I also like that what I do plays a small part in helping people get their lives back together after a problem. This company believes in the success of our city and our community.

MK: I just love it here and love the people! It’s a great creative environment!

Q) What past experiences do you share and remember from being a student at CCAD? How has this impacted your professional career? 

TR: I do lunch with Marc Lincewicz. We challenge each other to work on our art outside of Nationwide since we are both in management roles. I continue using my Color Concept and 2D skills in creating cards and occasionally selling them at the CCAD Art Sales, and Marc has showed his drawings/paintings in local art galleries. It’s great to have a fun, creative full-time gig, but also express our art on the side.

PW: All nighters! I worked part time, so my time was valuable and every minute counted. That taught me the discipline it takes to run a large campaign, work with so many teams, and balance budgets and deadlines. I also have an eye for what works and what doesn’t from messaging through design and that doesn’t come naturally. My education taught me to look at the details.

ML: My experience at CCAD was about constant work, a ton of pressure, and deadlines. I learned those deadlines had to be met. (Even the time I was at the hospital at 3 a.m. getting stitches for an Exacto knife cut.) It was an endless period of trial and error, of reworking and refining. I remember on my orientation day, President Cazani said to the freshmen, “Look to your left, look to your right, those people will not be with you on graduation day.” I knew at that moment I was probably facing a tough four and half years (it took 4.5 years to earn a BFA when I attended CCAD).  But the program being that tough taught me that I could take on seemingly impossible challenges. While I was never the smartest or the most talented artist, I knew I could hold my own. That core idea has stayed with me during my 17 years with Nationwide. It also applies to my fine art work that I do outside of the office.

Add the following dates to your calendar.

Per usual there is a lot going on at CCAD. Whether you’re local or planning a trip back to Columbus, here are a few things coming up that might interest you.

March 28
Visiting Artists Series: Fritz Haeg
The Visiting Artists Series will have a special evening program featuring fine artist Frtiz Haeg. To view more information about the event click here. To see the full Visiting Artists Series calendar click here.

March 30–April 27, 2012
First: The 2012 New Projects MFA Thesis Exhibition
Featuring the college’s inaugural master of fine arts graduating class, the exhibition includes artwork ranging from glass, installation, social practice, and photography to fabric design, illustration, painting, and digital media. Opening reception is Friday, March 30, 6–8 p.m. Find out more here.

April 14, 2012
Spring Art Sale
Come check out the fantastic work of your fellow alumni and our current students. Stay up to date by following our Facebook page and information here.

April 25, 2012
Directions Career Fair
This reverse career fair allows employers to check out portfolios and speak to soon-to-be CCAD graduates. If you are one of the many alumni that take advantage of this annual event to find fresh talent, check out more information here.

May 11, 2012
The 2012 CCAD Senior Fashion Show Event
To find out more information and purchase tickets click here.

May 11, 2012
SHOW: The 133rd Annual Student Exhibition opens.

Oct. 12–13, 2012
Homecoming & Family Weekend

For a complete list of upcoming events, check out our event listings.

CCAD is making a video about the journey that creative professionals take from childhood through college and into the creative economy. And we want you to be part of it.

We’re looking for video footage of kids being creative at any age from early childhood through high school. (Drawing on walls? Building the most magnificent sand castle ever? Videotaping a sibling’s every move?) So we’re turning to our CCAD family first. Can you help? The footage could be of you, your brothers or sisters, your kids, or others. All time periods are welcome—older footage especially appreciated.

We can’t wait to see what you’ve got. Please upload your short videos or excerpts to https://dropbox.yousendit.com/CCAD-Video-Submissions by April 6.

If you have any questions contact the Alumni Relations office via email.

John Jude Palencar’s illustration for the best-selling children’s novel “Eragon”

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but since there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from December 2011, January 2012, and February 2012.

Ron Miller ’70 created the illustrations for an iPad app Journey to the Exoplanets. Read more here.

Nicky Epstein ’74 has finished her 24^th book about knitting design. Read more here.

Tim Rietenbach ’77, Danielle Julian Norton ’99, Mariana Smith ’02, and Michael Litzau ’04 were among 10 CCAD-affiliated artists in a recent exhibition. Read more here.

Tim Rietenbach ’77 is a participating artist in FINDING TIME: Columbus Public Art 2012, a multi-artist public art project to celebrate the city of Columbus’ 200^th birthday. Read more here.

Kent Roberts ’77 had his work accepted in the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s Annual Show.

Wong Wo Bik ’77 was in the group exhibition Memory and Fiction at Blindspot Gallery in Hong Kong. Read more here.

John Jude Palencar ’80 illustrated the newest book in a best-selling children’s series, the Inheritance Cycle. Read more here.

Michael Neno ’84, Andy Bennett ’94, and Ryan Brinkerhoff ’08 all worked on the fourth issue of a Columbus based comic book. Read more here.

Kurt Fondriest ’85 was featured in the film Operation Rhino, which received a Midwest/Chicago Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Read more here.

Inka Essenhigh ’91 had a solo exhibition at Tomio Koyama Gallery in Kyoto, Japan. Read more here.

Anita Miller ’91–’99 continues to tour her exhibition The Eyes of Freedom: the Lima Company Memorial. Read more here.

Nathan Greno ’93–’96 co-directed Disney’s animated short Tangled Ever After. Read more here.

David Breaux ’94 is a senior animator on the FOX television series Terra Nova, produced by Steven Spielberg. Read more here.

Sandy Kessler Kaminski ’93 had her piece Around 65 featured in Studio Visit magazine, vol. 14.

Ron Stasko ’93 had his work Liquid Color displayed in Tsunami, a Baton Rouge restaurant.

Kathleen ’94 and David Hartman ’95 both worked on the film John Dies at the End, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Read more here.

Samantha Bennett ’95–’99 had a solo exhibition, Scars, Portraits and Beyond, at Hayley Gallery in New Albany, OH. Read more here.

Michael Newton ’96 and Jeremy Sorrell ’04, exhibited their work at Rivet Gallery in downtown Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Laine Bachman ’97 had a solo exhibition, Birds of a Feather, which was reviewed by The Columbus Dispatch. Read more here.

Nicole Bruckman ’00 was in a group exhibition at WWA Gallery in Culver City, California. Read more here.

Michael Guinane ’00 showed his work at the Cultural Arts Center in Columbus, OH.

Adam Brouillette ’02 and Boryana Rusenova Ina ’00 were on the Best Local Artists list of 2011 in Columbus Underground. Read more here.

Anne Holman ’02 is featured in The New Artisans: Handmade Designs for Contemporary Living. Read more here.

Carl Bork ’03 had a solo exhibition at Tointon Gallery in Greeley, CO. Read more here.

Kenneth Hall ’04 had a solo exhibition at Parkland College Art Gallery in Champaign, Ill. Read more here.

Manjari Sharma ’04 was featured in The New York Times discussing her photography project Darshan. Read more here.

Melissa Spencer ’06 displayed her photography in Cleveland, OH at Sunny Side Up Gallery.

Maris Turner ’07 and Sara Renner ’08 opened a boutique in Ann Arbor. Read more here.

Genoveva Christoff ’09 was a finalist in the E! Live from the Red Carpet Design Contest and presented her work at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.