Photo courtesy: Dr. Rikizam M. Joya.

How far have you ever traveled to take a job? Many of us gulp at the thought of moving just a few hundred miles from a familiar place. But others dream in thousand-mile increments. One very successful example is CCAD alumnus Christopher Maslon (Fine Arts, 1996), who has spent most of the last decade working as an expatriate high school teacher, then college professor, in South Korea. (Columbus to Daejeon? It’s 6,818 miles.)

“Living and working in Korea has been the greatest time of my life,” Maslon says. “I absolutely love my job, I’ve written and published two books, and I’ve also had time to create and sell art—printmaking, papermaking, and photography.”

Not to mention his frequent travel, which might be fairly called an obsession now that he’s visited his 43^rd country. “My next will be either Fiji or Mongolia,” he says.

Maslon is, in his own words, “mind-bendingly busy,” but he’s certainly not slowing down. Last spring, he was named the newest member of the Executive Liberal Arts Board of Daejeon Health and Sciences College (DHSC), the college where he teaches. He says, “Now I have the opportunity to shape the future face of a college with an enrollment nearly equal to the total population of my hometown. My mother often told me, ‘The future is wide open—anything can happen,’ and how right she was.”

Given that CCAD students are now looking at a job market that is global, rather than regional, we knew how valuable it would be to find out more about Maslon’s experiences. So we sat down—albeit at our own computers on opposite ends of the world—for a chat about his life and career.

IMAGE: What is the impact of having a US citizen on the board of a Korean college? What are your plans?

CM: It is quite unheard of for someone with foreign views and ideas outside the Korean mainstream to hold this type of post. I feel blessed and utilized by the staff of DHSC and respected for my ideas and input.

The college is expanding rapidly. My role is to create new courses in art and design, including color study, printing, papermaking, and silkscreen, and to open a new, state-of-the-art exhibition gallery.

Because my employers know I have an art degree, they will knock at my door and say, “This is our design, [or] we got this logo, [or] we paid a lot for this to be made…but what does Mr. Christopher say about it?” I go into this CCAD-trance of explaining, critiquing, and re-correcting every time I’m asked my opinion.

IMAGE: How did you end up in Korea?

CM: After CCAD, I was earning an MFA from Ohio State University. I lived near campus, and there were seven Korean families—all professionals who worked at OSU—living on my street. They shared many wonderful stories. In November 1999 I had the chance to make my first trip to Korea with a good friend who had found cheap tickets online.

Then, in January of 2002, my Korean friend Dr. Joseph Lee emailed, saying that he had a friend in Korea, Isaac Kim, who was a high school vice principal and needed a teacher. I deleted the email but suffered for three days because I kept thinking about it. I finally picked up the phone and said, “Joseph, what did you email me?” His wife asked him who was on the phone. He said, “It’s Christopher.” And his wife started yelling in the background, “He’s the one, he’s the one!” They had been praying for a person to contact them, and I was the only person out of the hundred or so emails he sent who called and inquired. After hearing the details, I accepted the offer, and in less than one month I was packed and had signed a one-year contract with Dong Ah High School.

I thought that on the final day of my contract I would run to the airplane and get home to the USA as soon as possible. But nine years later, I’m married to a wonderful Korean woman, with a beautiful five-year-old daughter—still here and loving it.

IMAGE: Any big cultural differences?

CM: Yes. The cultural differences are massive. Our American ways of working, greeting each other, shopping, eating, having relationships, equality between people, equality between men and women are all different [than the Korean].

IMAGE: What has been hardest to get used to?

CM: Language barriers, misunderstandings, and cultural flubs. Since I speak Korean, a lot of language barriers have disappeared as my skill level has increased. But even now I suffer from misunderstandings and times when I can’t say exactly what I want to.

Also, in Korea, hierarchy plays a major role in society. Your bosses at your workplace are your superiors, and you don’t question them like we do in the West.

Another thing is that space boxes do not exist here. This means touching other people without saying sorry is completely appropriate. It’s not uncommon to be in an elevator with 17 to 20 people, or for another person to be standing so close to you that you can feel their breath on your neck.

IMAGE: Any advice to CCAD students and alumni who might be considering overseas employment?

CM: Absolutely. Get your act together. Do your homework first about where you might seek employment—learn as much as you possibly can about that country before you go. You will need to get an up-to-date passport. You will also need a resume that shows who you are for real. People overseas are counting on you to be who you say you are and deliver. Remember, you are becoming an ambassador and representative of your country, your school, and your knowledge. Also remember you are stepping into someone else’s world. This is not your home. Your ways and their ways are different.

CCAD is an excellent school that prepares us for many challenges. I would like for CCAD students to step forth, do their homework, get their passport, and fly. The sky is the limit, and the future is wide open for all of us.

Starting in back left corner: Jeong Woong Lee, Eunji Paek, Sun Young Park, President Griffith and wife Beth, Christopher Maslon, Jeong Hoon Tony Lee, Mose Jeung, Seo Yeon Hur, Kyung Rim Vicky Kim, Gaeul Oh, Jonathon Neeley, Seon Mi Bae, Min Young Alice Lee, and Eun Hae Bae.

During a recent trip to Asia, President Denny Griffith met with two decades of CCAD alumni in Seoul, Korea to catch up on life and remind the graduates of the pride CCAD has in them.

In attendance were student Jeong Woong Lee; Fashion Design alumnae Seo Yeon Hur (CCAD 2010) and Kyung Rim Vicky Kim (CCAD 2009); Illustration alumni Eun Hae Bae (CCAD 2004) and Eunji Paek (CCAD 2008); Interior Design alumni Sun Young Park (CCAD 2010), Yong Ah Shin (CCAD 2008), and Jeong Hoon Tony Lee (CCAD 2005); Media Studies alumna Min Young Alice Lee (CCAD 2005); Fine Arts alumnus Christopher Maslon (CCAD 1996); and Advertising and Graphic Design alumni Seon Mi Bae (CCAD 1997), Gaeul Oh (CCAD 2008) and Mose Jeung (CCAD 2004).

“It was great to find that most of the alumni with whom we met were working in their fields,” said International Admissions Officer Jonathon Neeley who joined President Griffith on his trip. “Hur and Kim both work in the fashion industry. Eun Hae Bae is currently pursuing her Ph.D. and teaches art to undergraduate students. Paek is a freelance illustrator and designer.

“Park, Shin, and  Jeong Hoon Tony Lee are working interior designers. Seon Mi Bae teaches children’s art classes at the Korean Church of Columbus. Oh and Jeung both work at advertising firms, and Jeung received his Master’s degree from Hongik University.

“Maslon is the first foreign elected official appointed to Daejeon Health and Sciences College board for the Executive Committee of Liberal Arts (ECLA). He has also published two books to assist Korean students with English language issues and study abroad advice.”

View more pictures from the gathering here.

Illustration alumnus David Breaux worked as an animator on feature film "Thor."

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, too, 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 February-May 2011.

Ron Miller (CCAD 1970) has provided cover and interior art for Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, Scientific American, and Geo magazines. His work has also been featured on two Scientific American sites and on the cover of a new science fiction novel. Miller has also written and illustrated three new young adult books for Lerner Publishing and is working on a coffee table art book for Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux. Read more on the CCAD News Blog.

Kurt Fondriest (CCAD 1985) partnered with the Brookfield Zoo to provide a learning experience for his students at Misericordia Home North through expressive art. Read a complete article and see the amazing footage here.

Lisa Horkin (CCAD 1985), Marty Husted (CCAD 1979), Ryan Orewiler (CCAD 2004), and Denise Romecki (CCAD 1976) all exhibited in Face 2 Face: 25 Years of Art and Community, which opened Friday, April 15. Read an article about this show on the CCAD News Blog.

Tracy Hayes (CCAD 1990) has opened a new Skuba Design Studio location on Magazine Street in New Orleans. Click here to learn more.

Peter Wachtel (CCAD 1990) has published two new e-books—Kid Toyology and The Wonderous World of Wonders. Read more here.

Hilary Frambes (CCAD 1992) was chosen as the Ohio Delegate to Parenting magazine’s Mom Congress, April 10-13. More information about her trip is available in the CCAD News Blog.

Celene Hawkins (CCAD 1992) was awarded a 2010 Aid to Individual Artists grant through the Summerfair Foundation in Cincinnati. Read more here.

David Breaux (CCAD 1995) completed animation work on Iron Man 2, Tron Legacy, Real Steel, and Thor. Read an interview with Breaux on the CCAD News Blog.

Tiffany Liss (CCAD 1995) has accepted the position of marketing communications specialist manager for Rexford Industries, LLC, in Indianapolis.

Christopher Maslon (CCAD 1996) was the first foreign elected official appointed to Daejeon Health and Sciences College’s board for the Executive Committee of Liberal Arts. The college is located in Daejeon, South Korea. Included in his nomination was a move by the board to add more arts and design courses to the college’s curriculum. Maslon will head the arts courses offered. Read a complete story about his appointment in the CCAD News Blog.

Anthony Anselmo (CCAD 1998) recently returned to CCAD to provide mock interviews to current students. He shared this album from his self-guided tour with us.

Justin Shady (CCAD 1998) wrote about Joshua Peters (CCAD 2008) on his blog. Peters recently designed a poster for Billy West’s appearance at Packrat Comics in Hilliard, Ohio. Read the blog here.

Michael Guinane (CCAD 2000), Marc Lincewicz (CCAD 1992), Ryan Orewiler (CCAD 2004), Michele Ulmer (CCAD 2005), Molly McNitt (CCAD 2004), and Jurate Phillips (CCAD 2002) participated in the German Village Art League exhibition The Language of Art. Learn more on the CCAD News Blog.

Anthony Nesossis (CCAD 2000) worked as creative director and graphic designer—along with MediaFLOW’s Vincent Blake—to create a new logo, tagline, and web presence for the Educational Council Foundation of Ohio.

Beth Dean (CCAD 2003) has accepted the position of director of user experience at Ongo.

Anousone Panyanouvong (CCAD 2007) received a $10,000 grant from Microsoft to launch her urban forest plan as part of the company’s Make it Great competition. Read more about her project (and how CCAD helped to make it happen) on the CCAD News Blog.

Chelstin Ross (CCAD 2009) exhibited her work during the 2011 Columbus Arts Festival. She was one of 10 central Ohio artists selected to participate in this year’s Emerging Artists Program. She was also featured in the Columbus Dispatch. Read the article here.

Nick Cavalier (CCAD 2010) directed the Felix Culpa’s Our Holy Ghost music video, which debuted at Alternative Press magazine and was featured on Absolute Punk and Blank TV (and the CCAD News Blog). The video has also been entered into the Chicago Underground Film Festival and the Chicago, NY, and SF United Film Festivals.

Katrina Seitter (CCAD 2010) was promoted from freelance designer to graphic designer at Stonefly Communications Group in central Ohio.  She has also taken up a freelance position with the Creative Good, which was started by CCAD alumnus Brian Greenwood (CCAD 1999).

Have news you’d like to share? Click here.

Photo courtesy: Dr. Rikizam M. Joya.

Fine Arts alumnus Christopher Maslon (CCAD 1996) is the first foreign elected official appointed to Daejeon Health and Sciences College board for the Executive Committee of Liberal Arts (ECLA). Included in his nomination was a move by the board to add more arts and design courses to the college, which Maslon will head up.

“My CCAD education and the professional body of work I have showcased and presented over the years to the college and galleries helped to make my election for the position on ECLA a possibility. It’s an honor for me—being an expat living and working in a foreign country—to be accepted to an all Asian committee. My thanks to CCAD.”

Maslon currently resides in Daejeon, South Korea with his family. Prior to his promotion, he worked as a Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences professor for Daejeon Health and Science College. Maslon is also an avid collector of antiques. Read more about this in our blog, Alumnus’s Love for Travel Leads to Award-Winning Photograph.

Maslon's award winning photograph taken in Hallstat, Austria.

Christopher Maslon (CCAD ’96) has spent the past 14 years traveling to 42 countries, collecting one-of-a-kind objects along the way. But it was the photographs he took during his travels that caught the eye of a fellow professor, landing him acceptance into a prominent South Korean gallery.

“I met a professor at my college who is deeply involved in photography. He has seen my photographs from many of my country travels,” said Maslon. “For years, he has asked me to give him an image or two to have framed and shown in one of the galleries he knows. Well, finally I gave in, and I did it.”

Both of the photographs he submitted were accepted into the Yee Ri Gallery in Daejeon, South Korea. One, taken during a trip to the village of Hallstat, Austria, was awarded Best of Show.

“I took 50 pictures of the village that day. And this one just happened to say ‘perfection,’” Maslon said.

During his travels, Maslon has collected more than 3,000 objects. “I have everything,” said Maslon, “religious objects from India; Muslim prayer rugs; an Egyptian camel harness from the 1880s; Chinese writings; 300 hundred year old coins; dried bear liver; Edison phonographs; beach sand from over 4,000 locations, including North Korea and Antarctica; stones from The Great Wall of China; grass skirts from the native Indian people of Yap Islands and Pohnpei Islands (Micronesia); a baby man-eating clam; and a cookbook from 1773… and that’s just for starters!”

“While at CCAD, I took a class called Museum Exhibition and Design taught by Professor Richard Aschenbrand,” Maslon said. “He was always putting stuff, amazing stuff, on show at CCAD. Every time I get another ‘wonder,’ I always think of CCAD. I say, ‘Ashenbrand would like that.’”

Maslon is not alone in his travels: His wife has visited 23 countries and his 4 year-old daughter just completed 10. The family currently resides in Daejeon, South Korea, where Maslon works as a Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences professor for Daejeon Health and Science College.