Ed Lathy, Bill Hunt, Richard Aschenbrand, and Carl Garant at the Teaching Excellence Award ceremony.

The end of this school year was bittersweet as five members of the CCAD family (including three deans) retired from the college.

Deans Richard Aschenbrand, Carl Garant, and Edward Lathy have given a collective 126 years to CCAD. In addition to the deans, faculty Steven Botts and Bill Hunt also joined the ranks of retirees.

Richard Aschenbrand has served CCAD for 45 years. He joined the faculty in 1967 and became dean of Visual Communications in 1995. He has taken on a variety of roles at the college, from gallery manager to director of arts and grants. In addition to his CCAD work, Aschenbrand has maintained a robust graphic design business and schedule of exhibitions and guest lectures.

Carl Garant bestows an Outstanding Senior award.

Carl Garant joined the CCAD faculty in 1974 and became dean of Industrial and Interior Design in 1991. After 38 years with the college (where he is known affectionately as Big Dog), he retires having authored three books and dozens of academic papers on design, in addition to his countless hours working with students. The Industrial Designers Society of America honored Garant with its 2005 National Educators Award.

Ed Lathy joined CCAD’s faculty in 1969 and became dean of Liberal Arts in 1981. He has taught courses in writing, criticism, and metaphor and the arts, as well as serving numerous academic leadership roles during his 43 years at the college. Lathy has presented papers regionally and nationally on post-modern criticism and symbolism in writing. He is also a jazz drummer (and in that capacity is fondly known as Fast Eddie).

Ed Lathy at the 2012 Teaching Excellence Awards

Steven Botts is a CCAD alumnus (1970) who graduated with a degree in Illustration and went on to teach in that major.  In addition to his teaching career, Botts has maintained a successful freelance illustration business. His client list includes Bank One, Ross Labs, 20th Century Fox, Ohio Historical Society, Warner Communications, Zaner-Bloser, and numerous other educational publishers.

Professor Bill Hunt has balanced his professional ceramics work with full-time teaching in the Fine Arts and Graduate Studies departments. His studio work has been represented in numerous national and international exhibitions and collections, including the permanent collections of the Saga (Japan) Prefectural Art Museum, the American Museum of Ceramic Art, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, and the Canton Museum of Art, as well as in a variety of books and magazines. Hunt also has extensive experience as a curator, editor, and writer in the art and craft fields.

The retirees were honored at the 2012 Teaching Excellence Award (TEA) reception, which was capped by the announcement of this year’s recipient, Liberal Arts Assistant Professor Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis.

In addition, the deans were awarded honorary doctorates during the 2012 commencement ceremony.

Richard teaching a class at CCAD

Vice President of Academic Affairs Kevin Conlon underscored the impact each dean had on his department.

“Richard Aschenbrand is known for his energy, commitment, and passion about no-compromise design, and he’s literally inspired generations of students here at CCAD. Alumni consistently ask about Richard because, whether they loved him or hated him, they learned from him. The continuing quality of the programs he supervised was evidenced in this past year’s work, and those major’s continuing growth is a testament to the hiring, guidance, and development of the faculty that he recruited over the last several years.”

“Carl Garant has been impressive as a force within both Industrial and Interior Design for several years, looking for creative ways to integrate those two majors while at the same time offering other majors across the college the opportunity to understand “Big D” design. It’s not just making things that matters to him, but a way of thinking about problem-seeking and problem-solving.  His way of thinking about design—manifested most recently in his biomimicry course—and the partnerships that he helped to think about and forge, will continue.”

“Ed Lathy’s sense of humor and quick mind has entertained faculty and students for years.  But he’s more than just a fun and funny guy. He’s been a strong mentor to many great faculty within the Liberal Arts department and has created a legacy there that will endure through the leadership he created within the program.  So whether students are taking courses in writing, philosophy, science, or art history, a little bit of Ed exists in each of those courses.”

While CCAD is sad to see such wonderful colleagues depart, there is no doubt their retirement will bring many more accomplishments in their art and design fields.

Student looks at display.

A decade ago, the worlds of science and art collided in an albino bunny named Alba. Alba was normal by all accounts—until the lights were turned out. Then, thanks to an intervention by Brazilian-born, Chicago-based artist Eduardo Kac, the fluffy white rabbit glowed neon green as she hopped around the room.

Today, the same science that allowed Kac to transfer the “glowing genes” from a jellyfish to a rabbit egg is being taught—albeit on a more basic level—at CCAD. Why is this important? Because in today’s world, concerns about cost and sustainability are causing artists, designers, and scientists to find more and more to learn from one another.

“The point is not to teach the students how to create glowing animals,” says Julie Posey, chair of CCAD’s science department. “It’s to get them thinking about how science can be used not only to influence their work, but to create it.”

Student looks under microscope.

In CCAD science courses, students examine cadavers; dissect eyeballs, hearts, and brains; test body fat and blood pressure levels; extract DNA (creating glowing bacteria à la Kac); and explore a myriad of other experiments and observations designed to help them think differently about art and design.

“The small but imperative details that make the heart beat, the issue of sustainability, potential health hazards—we teach students all of this to give them the information they’ll need to step back and take a second, deeper look at their work,” Posey says.

The newest example of art and design blending with science is taught by Dean of Industrial and Interior Design Carl Garant and ecologist Kim Landsbergen, who is an associate professor of cross-disciplinary studies and sustainability research. Together they have created a course in biomimicry, in which students explore the application of nature’s solutions to a wide variety of design challenges.

Although there are a few other schools of art and design that teach biomimicry, CCAD is the only one at which the course is fully co-taught by a scientist and a designer. “Nature’s diversity presents us with a wide selection of viable design strategies that are sustainable and worthy of recognition and application in today’s world,” Garant says.

If this is the first you’ve heard of biomimicry, it probably won’t be the last. Biomimicry is being pursued by everyone from InterfaceFLOR, a leader in commercial flooring, to the consumer product giant Proctor & Gamble. In fact, Proctor and Gamble’s Behavioral Science Organization (the branch of the company that works with biomimicry) has already hosted an intern from CCAD: Joel van Gilder, a senior Industrial Design major who participated in the inaugural biomimicry course last spring.

Students listens during science lab.

Students in the course research the unique biological and ecological characteristics of a particular insect and then develop a variety of design solutions informed by their work. Like many science-focused courses at CCAD, the biomimicry class takes advantage of the resources at nearby Ohio State University—in this case, with a visit to the entomology collection in OSU’s Museum of Biodiversity, where students come face-to-face with the biology of their organisms, measuring and drawing their insect subjects. Students ultimately present their biologically inspired designs in portfolio-quality, self-published books.

“Students cannot learn in a vacuum,” Garant says. “Biomimicry asks them to look to nature for design inspiration and to think about the sustainability ramifications surrounding their design choices. It’s about understanding the impact and importance of the design process as we strive to design more intelligently.”

Passenger shelter concepts by Industrial Design students

Soon thousands of urban travelers will see new and improved bus shelters thanks to the innovative design work of Columbus College of Art & Design students.

The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) worked with 12 CCAD students enrolled in the Contemporary Issues in Design class to design new bus passenger shelters to replace existing ones in downtown’s central business district. Three of the designs are under consideration and are currently on view and open for public review and feedback.

The students were challenged to incorporate innovative materials, sustainable or “green” features, protection from the elements, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in their designs. In addition, they needed to incorporate a unique, signature design to complement the urban environment and serve as an attractive focal point to the streetscape.

Tom Williamson, an assistant professor of Industrial Design, and Carl Garant, professor and dean of Industrial and Interior Design, worked with the following students and now-alumni on last year’s project: Caleb Boller, Gregory Holmes (CCAD 2011), 
Steve Hughett (CCAD 2011), Lyndsye Maez, Jeff Ras (CCAD 2011), Scott Stewart (CCAD 2011), Daniel Tsorin, Joel Vangilder, Joe Washington, Michael Young, and 



Igor Zemskov (CCAD 2011). Interior Design alumna Ashley Randolph (CCAD 2011) also was one of the participating students.

COTA is seeking feedback on three student designs, which are on view through Friday, Aug. 12 in the lobbies of the Franklin County Courthouse, 373 S. High St., the Rhodes State Office Tower, 30 E. Broad St. and the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation William Green Building, 30 W. Spring St.

Comment cards (as well as collection boxes)  are provided at the displays. Comment here or to COTA directly by calling 614.228.1776 or via email at www.cota.com under “Contact Us.”

After the public comment period COTA will choose a final design. Then the process of replacing a few shelters in the central business district with shelters that incorporate the chosen design will begin. The transit company hasn’t determined the exact number of student-designed shelters to be installed but expects to have them in place by the end of 2012.

Sabbatical Exhibition 2009

CCAD family and friends came to an opening reception Nov. 19 to celebrate Sabbatical Exhibition 2009 in the Canzani Center lobby.

The exhibition features work, created during sabbaticals, by Carl Garant, Carol Griffith, and Walter King, and will remain on view in the Canzani Center Gallery through Dec. 18.

Mark Hall and Bernard R. Stockwell

Mark Hall, a junior majoring in Industrial Design, is the newest recipient of the Bernard R. Stockwell Industrial Design Scholarship.

Stockwell, a former department dean, and Hall recently met for lunch. Joined by Carl Garant, CCAD’s current dean of Industrial Design, and department Chair Tom Kier, Hall enjoyed the unique opportunity to tap into the experience and knowledge of three seasoned professionals. The Stockwell scholarship was established in 2006 thanks to a generous donation by Howard D. LeFevre.

To contribute to this scholarship fund, contact the Development office at 614.222.3268 or via email.

Admission is free. Donations accepted.

Read Garant’s faculty bio and his blog for more information.