Her prize included a cash award and the publication of her book in early 2014. Elixir Press specializes in publishing poetry and literary fiction. It has two poetry contests for full-length books every year and a fiction contest for a full-length book every two years.

Kartsonis’ chapbook Aloha Vaudeville Doll will be published by Dancing Girl Press in summer 2013.

Associate Professor Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis gives reading in the William H. Danforth Chapel

Associate Professor Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis was invited by Florida Southern College’s English department to lead a class discussion and read her poetry in Lakeland, FL.

Kartsonis’ book Intaglio is being taught in a class at the college by professor Erica Bernheim. Kartsonis participated in two class discussions and also gave a reading in the William H. Danforth Chapel that included work from Intaglio, her chapbook EmuSEUM, and her manuscript Aloha Vaudeville Doll.

Kartsonis teaches fiction, poetry writing, and contemporary literature at CCAD.

Zipline during Family Weekend & Homecoming, photo courtesy of Katlin McNally

Six New Faculty Named

CCAD’s realignment into two schools—Design Arts and Studio Arts—has brought six new faculty to campus this fall. Their hiring reflects the college’s commitment to providing students the real-world skills to lead in the growing creative economy, says Char Norman, dean of faculty.

“We seek out professionals who have proven teaching experience combined with significant current work in the field,” Norman says.

We welcome:

Kelly DeVore (Interior Design and Advertising & Graphic Design), a LEED-accredited architect who has also done research in socially responsive design education.

Steve Elbert (Interior Design), a licensed architect with international teaching experience and significant 2-D and 3-D modeling software skills.

Phil Garrett (Cinematic Arts), who has worked as a special effects artist on films such as Madagascar and Shrek and as a writer, producer, and animator for a large variety of indie films as well as animated features for DisneyToon Studios.

Mathew Mitchem (English and Philosophy), a philosopher, author, and web designer who has worked with topics ranging from advertising ideology in the world of political campaigns, to the cultural implications of participatory video, to online videos during the political uprisings of 2011.

Adam Osgood (Illustration), a creator of web designs, animation, and motion graphics for major brands including Exxon and Barnes & Noble.

Rebecca Robinson (Fashion Design), who has created her own fashion designs as well as contributing to books on the history of men’s fashion, American football uniforms, and hip-hop gear.

2012 Family Weekend & Homecoming

Campus was packed with hundreds of students, parents, alumni, staff, and friends for Family Weekend & Homecoming on Oct. 12 and 13.

Things kicked off Friday evening with dinner and a comedy show on campus.

Saturday began with free breakfast and ended with an alumni reception. In between were a CCAD MindMarket open house, a carnival on the quad, a zipline down East Gay Street, a lecture from recently retired Dean Richard Aschenbrand, and much more.

The energy was contagious and all-ages: View photos on our Columbus College of Art & Design facebook page and our CCAD Alumni facebook page.

Comic book artist Chris Ware’s keynote conversation, photo couresy Danielle Ford (2013)

Mix 2012

In early October, more than 200 people came to campus for Mix 2012: CCAD’s Celebration of Comics.

A highlight of the event was the participation of Chris Ware, an Eisner-Award-winning American comic book artist who is perhaps best known for his graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth. Ware delivered the keynote presentation, exhibited original artwork from Jimmy Corrigan, and participated in a symposium panel called The Epic Ordinary.

In all there were three exhibitions and two-and-a-half days of panels and workshops—all kicked off by a student comic-making marathon. Eleven teams were challenged with producing a 24-page comic in 24 hours. The results were then displayed for the rest of the symposium.

The plan is to make this symposium an annual event.

Mix 2012 was sponsored by State Auto Insurance Companies, with media sponsorship provided by WCBE 90.5.

Teaching Award Winner Connects Art to Literature

Associate Professor Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis with CCAD President Denny Griffith, photo courtesy Lian Dziura (2012)

Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis, a poet who has become a writing mentor to many of her CCAD students, was selected as the winner of CCAD’s 2012 Teaching Excellence Award. The award celebrates the exemplary contributions faculty members make to the college as a whole.

“She encourages critical thinking and nurtures an artist’s curiosities, helping us all to see the correlation between the art realm and the realm of literature,” said a student nominator, “and empowers her students to want to develop their skills and techniques as writers not just for class, but for themselves.”

Kartsonis, who is an associate professor in Liberal Arts and Graduate Studies, teaches fiction and poetry writing, contemporary literature, and special topics in literature. With dozens of published poems, as well as fiction and nonfiction works, she also has served as editor of a number of literary outlets, including wordsonwalls.net, scene360, and Shades Literary/Art Review.

Her most recent work is EmuSeum, a collaborative chapbook with Caleb Adler, MD, published by Dancing Girl Press.

Ten to Watch

Doesn’t everyone love a “where are they now” story? Well, we do, too—so we’re starting a feature called Ten to Watch.

Ten to Watch will follow a group of students from CCAD’s Class of 2012 as they take their first steps into the professional world after graduation. You’ll read about where they are, what they’re up to, and how they feel about their paths so far.

Annual feature stories will start in spring, but we couldn’t wait until then to introduce them:

Kattie Baker (Advertising & Graphic Design), Chavilah Bennett (Advertising & Graphic Design), Rachel Cass (Fashion Design), Sara K. Diesel (Illustration), Lian Dziura (Photography), Ryan Christopher Evans (Media Studies), Leah Fisher (Photography), Jake LaBombarbe (Industrial Design), Sarah McCance (Interior Design), and Erin McKenna (Fine Arts)

A few teasers to think about in the meantime:

1. Who’s working on a project in Abu Dhabi?
2. Who’s already moved to New York?
3. Who did a residency that comes with a show in Chicago?

Yu Qiduo (left) and Leah Wong (right) on Yu’s television show in Shanghai.

CCAD Discussed on Shanghai TV

Leah Wong, who has taught at CCAD and is assisting the college with a teaching exchange with the China Academy of Art, recently appeared on an education-focused show in Shanghai.

The show’s host, Yu Qiduo (Duoduo), brought CCAD into the conversation as they discussed Wong’s personal opinions on art and art education and talked about her teaching experiences in both China and the United States.

The half-hour program focuses on education programs and is aimed toward middle and high school students and their parents.

Glass Alumna Helps Cruise Line Fight Cancer

Fine Arts alumna Megan Mathie (CCAD 2006) has just returned from working on the Celebrity cruise ship Solstice as a glassblower for the Corning Museum of Glass.

Over a three-month tour of back-to-back 12-day cruises around the Mediterranean, the hot glass team stayed busy.

“On sea days we do two shows. On port days we usually do an evening show,” Mathie says. “I like the 12-day cruises because as people come back again and again, they ask smarter and smarter questions. Instead of having to explain ‘what is glass’ over and over, we can talk about some of the more sophisticated techniques and tell stories.”

Megan Mathie (CCAD 2006) doing a glass show at the Corning Museum of Glass

Although she loves the work, leaving home this summer was difficult for Mathie because both her sister and her mother are fighting breast cancer. She was thrilled to find out about a new project in Celebrity Cruises’ longstanding support of the breast cancer research.

The glass team refers to it as “the Pink Show.” During one show per cruise, they make everything pink, and one of the resulting pieces of glass is auctioned—with all of the profits going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Mathie also found strong support among her fellow crew members. Just one example: On her sister’s birthday, the Ringmasters, a world-champion barbershop quartet, sang happy birthday into the phone for her.

“I was so fortunate to have found myself surrounded by kindness and love where I never expected it and when I needed it the most. Being able to take this job, this opportunity, turned into so much more of a gift than I thought it would be, and a big part of that is because of the people I’ve gotten to know. I know they care about Jen and Mom, and I know they care about me,” Mathie says.

For more photos and lots of Mathie’s engaging writing, visit her blog.

To check out the online print version of IMAGE, click here.

Her collaborative short prose sequence, One Night, One Hundred Wails Ago, was selected to be in Black & Grey, a magazine focused on fashion, art, and literature.

Her poem Cisterna was published in the book Love Rise Up: Poems of Social Justice, Protest, and Hope. She also had her poem collection The Rub chosen as a finalist for the Elixir Antivenom Poetry Award, offered by Elixir Press, a nonprofit publisher of poetry and literary fiction.

Kartsonis teaches fiction, poetry writing, and contemporary literature at CCAD.

Student looks at work

Each semester, the Honors Program at CCAD hosts a symposium where students and faculty present their semester’s work. This year it took place on May 7, starting with a reception for all CCAD faculty, staff, and students.

Work ranged from puppets to glass installations, and the projects came from two honors classes: Associate Professor Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis’ Ekphrasis: Art Begets Art and MFA student Elena Harvey Collins’ Art as Social Practice.

The following students showed their projects: Fine Arts seniors Jack Ramunni, Alejandro Bellizi, Krista Sison, Yezen Abusharkh, and Mary Nemeth; Media Studies senior Brian Liston; Fine Arts junior Eric Sherwood; Advertising & Graphic Design junior Danielle Williams; Photography junior Derrick Whitson; Industrial Design sophomore Kelly Lee; and Fine Arts sophomores Esteban Gonzalez, Nicole Santos, and Hannah Mason-Macklin.

Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis and President Denny Griffith

Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis, a poet who has become a writing mentor to many of her art students, was presented with the CCAD Teaching Excellence Award during a ceremony in the Canzani Center on April 11.

A student nominator said of Kartsonis: “She encourages critical thinking and nurtures an artist’s curiosities, helping us all to see the correlation between the art realm and the realm of literature.” The student added, Kartsonis “empowers her students to want to develop their skills and techniques as writers not just for class, but for themselves.”

Each year CCAD recognizes one outstanding faculty member for excellence in teaching. The award celebrates the exemplary efforts faculty members contribute to the college as a whole, using the classroom setting to engage and enhance students’ experiences. Nominations are accepted from alumni and current CCAD students and faculty.

Kartsonis is an associate professor in the Liberal Arts and Graduate Studies departments. She teaches fiction and poetry writing, contemporary literature and special topics in literature. With dozens of published poems, fiction and nonfiction works, she also has served as editor of a number of literary outlets, including wordsonwalls.net, scene360 and Shades Literary/Art Review. Kartsonis’ collection of poetry, Intaglio, won the 2005 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize and was published by Kent State University Press. EmuSeum, a collaborative chapbook with Caleb Adler, M.D., was published by Dancing Girl Press.

“She is, in a word, excellent as a classroom professor and writing mentor. Her gracious enthusiasm for her field as a professor and writer is obviously contagious—especially with students,” said Ed Lathy, dean of Liberal Arts at CCAD.

Kartsonis earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Utah, her MFA in English from the University of Alabama, and her doctorate in literature and poetry from the University of Cincinnati.

Kartsonis was a part of the Art School Faculty Caucus where art school faculty members discussed pedagogy, programming, administration, and best practices pertaining to art school writing classes and programs.

Kartsonis teaches fiction writing, poetry writing, contemporary literature, and special topic literature at CCAD and recently won the 2011 Dream Horse Press National Chapbook Prize.

Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis

Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis was the winner of the 2011 Dream Horse Press National Chapbook Prize for By Some Miracle a Year Lousy with Meteors, a manuscript written in collaboration with Cynthia Arrieu-King.

Kartsonis is an assistant professor of Liberal Arts and Graduate Studies. She teaches fiction writing, poetry writing, contemporary literature, and special topic literature. Her collection of poetry, Intaglio, won the 2005 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize and was published by Kent State University Press.

Her work has also appeared (or is forthcoming) in ACM, Canwehaveourballback?, Colorado Review, Denver Quarterly, Diagram, Hotel Amerika, Passages North, Slope, West Branch, and Born.

The 2011 Dream Horse Press National Chapbook Prize awards the winner $500 and 25 copies of a printed chapbook (a small published booklet) of their poetry.

When Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis, assistant professor, Liberal Arts and Graduate Studies, learned of the challenge she assigned students in Contemporary Literature, Writing Poetry, and Writing Fiction classes to send in a manifesto that addressed a social issue or concern or to find ways to broadly share literature.

Bolden was “absolutely ecstatic” to receive “a slew of Yawp offerings from some bright and brilliant students at CCAD.” She wrote, “I’ve been absolutely blown away with their work, which is sophisticated and shows a sense of honesty and dedication to art and truth-speaking and sooth-saying.”

The first CCAD response that Bolden received was from Katherine Adkins. The Fine Arts senior’s work is posted online at The Yawp, a public poetry project. To read it and to understand more about “yawp” go to http://theyawp.com.

Bolden also was impressed and appreciative that Kartsonis decided to incorporate the assignment into her teaching. A thank-you note she sent to the professor said, “I’ve been so very impressed with your students’ work — they’re a wonderful group, and they’re lucky to have you as a teacher. I wish I could take your class!”

Go to CCAD faculty bios to learn more about Kartsonis.