Ohio Governor John Kasich with winning design Aaron Roberts

CCAD-Designed Licenses and Plates Hit the Road

It was a pretty big deal when Gov. John Kasich asked CCAD to help design new driver’s licenses and license plates for the Ohio BMV. And ever since the selected designs were unveiled in November 2011, we’ve been itching to see them out in the real world.

Well, that time has come. The new driver’s license went into circulation in January, and the new plates are due to come into use as this magazine hits the mail. So watch the wallets, purses, and bumpers near you for clean, elegant new designs by CCAD’s very own Aaron Roberts (Advertising & Graphic Design 2012)!

Informal Critique Blooms on Campus

Want to get unvarnished opinions about your art? Ask your peers.

That’s the approach Fine Arts alum Erin McKenna (CCAD 2012) adopted for a student-driven critique program she started at CCAD.

During her junior year, she participated in the semester-long New York Studio Residency Program. “There were kids from all over the United States,” McKenna says. “Nobody knows anybody when you get there. We decided that on Wednesday nights we’d make dinner together and walk around the studios, giving critiques. It was at night, much more relaxing; there were no professors there. We listened to each other. I learned a lot; it was nice to have the perspective of a peer.”

McKenna liked the idea so much she brought it back to campus, organizing evening critique sessions for students during her senior year. Up to 30 participants, mainly Fine Arts majors with some from Illustration and Advertising & Graphic Design, visited studios. “I had a lot of people come up to me after they had their critique and say it was very helpful.”

“It’s still going on Wednesday nights and has even more people,” she says.

Animation students during Skype conversation

Animation Students Skype for Advice

For members of the Animation Student Collective at CCAD, professional advice is only a Skype away.

Skype, an Internet voice and video service, links the student animators to professionals, including CCAD alumni. Animation senior Rico Jackson, president and founder of the Animation Student Collective, explains: “Most of the professionals are in California because that’s where the animation industry is, the bulk of it. We can’t bring them to Ohio because that would cost entirely too much money.

“Instead, we Skype them.”

The group meets in Kinney Hall. Using a computer linked to a video projector, Jackson asks the guest animator questions; other students also can come up to the computer’s camera and pose questions as well.

Chris Oatley (CCAD 2001), a former Disney character designer who now runs an online art academy, held a session with students last semester. “Chris is a phenomenal speaker,” Jackson says.

Jackson hopes to have Skype sessions with three guests during spring semester. He says the sessions have an impact. “With Chris, a lot of people sent us messages or talked with us afterward. They said it was really inspirational. Students made some artwork right away because they were inspired.”

Students work in the MindMarket

Students Embark on Two-Year Project with Electronics Company

The CCAD MindMarket’s DesignLab is giving students the chance to dig into an extended design project with the advanced electronics company InPower.

“InPower reached out to CCAD after learning about some of the offerings CCAD has for Industrial Design,” says Cynthia Gravino, CCAD MindMarket director.  “We determined that a DesignLab partnership would best serve their needs and would provide a great hands-on opportunity for our students in a client-based project setting.”

Tom Gattis, dean of the School of Design Arts and chair of Industrial Design, stepped in to lead the project.

For the first semester (fall 2012) students conducted a comprehensive market, product, and competitive landscape analysis.

This spring, they’ll incorporate that research into a redesign of InPower’s product packaging.

InPower will continue to tap into CCAD talent throughout 2013­–2014, focusing on work to find new avenues for their products.

“As an engineering-based organization, InPower provided an opportunity to expand the types of companies we serve,” Gravino says.

“The only difference [from the real world] is we are doing it within the safe confines of the college,” Gattis says. “Students have expert guidance from faculty and can try a lot of things and really explore concepts that in a corporate setting would be a bit too risky.”

Science Chair’s Research Presented

CCAD Chair of Science Julie Posey has worked with Ohio State University’s Division of Infectious Diseases since 2010 to create a tracking profile for a specific strain of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Posey’s research studied nearly 500 positive cases of MRSA.

The resulting paper, Development of Bio-informatics Research Network for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Blood Stream Infections (BSI): A Multicenter Regional MRSA Surveillance Collaborative for Genotyping, Geocoding, and Data Collection for Outbreak Investigation, was presented by OSU researchers at the Infectious Disease Society of America conference last fall.

Alexa Carson’s holiday card design

’Twas the Season — for a Holiday Card Contest Winner

CCAD teamed up with the Columbus Partnership last year to create a new tradition — a holiday card design contest.

The Columbus Partnership is a nonprofit, membership-based organization of 49 CEOs from Columbus’ leading businesses and institutions. Its primary mission is to improve the economic vitality of the Columbus region.

“Partnering with CCAD was a great opportunity to support an incredible educational asset in our community and work with the creative student innovators of Columbus who help drive our economic growth,” said Stephen Lyons, vice president of member services and community engagement at the Partnership.

A jury reviewed 38 entries and selected Illustration senior Alexa Carson’s design.

Carson received a $1,000 cash prize, and the card, which included her name and contact info, was distributed to more than 3,000 Columbus Partnership clients and friends.

Fine Arts Faculty Member Keeps Active Practice

Danielle Julian Norton’s approach to artmaking? Two words: keep moving.

Norton, a 1999 Fine Arts alum and now an assistant professor of fine arts and graduate studies, is keeping up an almost dizzying itinerary of residencies and exhibitions in the United States and Europe.

This includes stints last fall at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, CO, and last summer at I-Park in East Haddam, CT.

A year earlier, she did residencies at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, NE, and in Dresden, Germany, under the sponsorship of the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

Her exhibition schedule last year ranged from the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster to the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO, to the Cynthia-Reeves Gallery at Art Miami. A show at Ohio Dominican University will have just closed as this magazine mails.

“To grow as an artist I feel it’s important to meet other artists and go outside my comfort zone.” Norton says. “Each time I go and meet a new art community and group of artists, it’s like a mini-graduate school; you learn new approaches to art-making.”

“I think it works well in the classroom,” she says. “I can give [students] real-world examples. A teacher should also be an active artist.”

Norton calls her work interdisciplinary, “a cross between sculpture, photography, and performance.”

Next on tap is I Forgot to Forget, a June 15 – July 20 exhibition she is curating at the Urban Arts Space of Ohio State University.

For new CCAD graduates with a creative degree in hand, the horizon is vast, and to each destination lays myriad paths. This is both super exciting and—we’re not afraid to say it—daunting. Between launch and land there will be a bit of unknown, which is why we decided to contact 10 of our top 2012 grads and ask them how things are going.

From these 10, we found that two have formed LLCs, four have shown in galleries, one has “gone viral,” and, among them, there are nine cats, two dogs, and one “very handsome” fish named Columbus. Their workplaces are diverse: while one is at an international clothier, another might spend all day in a urethane-casting lab.

To what do they owe their successes so far? CCAD comes up—the inspired friendships, life-altering classes, and amazing professors are too many to list — but so do hard work, integrity, connections, knowing one’s priorities, curiosity, and gumption.

They are a grateful bunch. Asked to be specific, classmates and sweeties get a mention, and from Alex Trimpe, “Just being alive is pretty nice, wouldn’t you say?” But overall, their greatest gratitude is to mom and dad. (Awww…)

May we introduce: our Ten to Watch.

Chavilah Bennett at work

Chavilah Bennett

Major: Advertising & Graphic Design

City: Columbus

Position: Motion graphics designer at S77

Cause: The Maximin Project

Go-to Food: Avocado

Chavilah Bennett was warned she’d be a coffee girl or a “pair of hands” at her first job. “That was a lie,” she says. Already, at S77, she’s designed the opening titles for a CeeLo Green/Muppets holiday video, worked post-production on a “T.I. featuring Lil Wayne” music video, and helped to direct and shoot footage for a series on the Bio Channel. Bennett’s job is in motion graphics, though her training is not. When she was hired—because of “people saying nice things about me behind my back”—it was with the understanding that she’d be learning on the job. No problem:  “The great thing about CCAD,” she says, “is it teaches how to think creatively, how to problem-solve, and how to work efficiently, and those are qualities that transfer to any career.”

Lian Dziura

LIAN DZIURA

BFA: Photography

City: Columbus

Position: Freelance photo assistant for Michael Cogar at Lane Bryant

Inspired by: Medieval and Renaissance art

Fave CCAD class: Still-life photography

A day at work for Lian Dziura might be spent assisting photographer Michael Cogar on-set, editing and color-correcting final images, photographing an edible tableau for a freelance client, or maybe even working on her own collages. Since graduating, she’s shown in two galleries, including the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, where she received an honorable mention. While she wasn’t sure what to expect post-college, to have a job she enjoys and to show and sell work “is a great feeling,” she says. “I’m glad it’s turned out the way it has.”

Rachel Cass

RACHEL CASS

BFA: Fashion Design

City: New York

Position: Assistant designer at American Eagle Outfitters (AEO)

Fave CCAD Class: Collection (“the class where all the hard work pays off”)

Words to Live By: Grow or die.

Talent, skill, and education are all key to landing a dream job, but for Rachel Cass, so were patience and confidence. Certain she’d find the right job, she looked at a lot of companies, even turned down some. Then she applied to AEO. “I left my interview knowing I would work there,” she says. Sure enough, she’s now in New York designing denim jeans and jackets. The transition was smooth, something she credits to all her hard work at CCAD. She plans on growing with AEO and looks forward to “seeing where my adventure takes me.”

Leah Fisher

LEAH FISHER

BFA: Photography

City: Columbus

Position: Archivist and evening supervisor at CCAD’s Packard Library

Go-to Food: Gatto’s Pizza

Creative Jumpstart: Crossword puzzles

Leah Fisher didn’t look for a job—she already had one. Since 2007, she’s been transforming a roomful of boxes into a digitized, cataloged, and shared archive about the history of CCAD. She’s added to that history by, for instance, replicating old photos for a Then-and-Now exhibit. It’s the kind of project that keeps her passionate. Fisher also remains focused on her art. Nine of her “drive-bys” (photos she takes from a moving vehicle) are part of Image Ohio 2013, one of those won an Honorable Mention in that exhibition, and she’s applied for a show at the Urban Arts Space. “Life right now feels great,” she says.

Jake LaBombarbe

JAKE LaBOMBARBE

BFA: Industrial Design

City: Columbus

Position: Lead industrial designer at Concept Engineering

Cause: Toys for Tots and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Hobby: “I am a connoisseur of terrible movies.”

“It may be corny,” says Jake LaBombarbe, “but to hold something you’ve designed as a tangible object is still one of the greatest feelings in the world.” At Concept, LaBombarbe does design, research, product testing, and modeling; he’s overseen a new silicone and urethane casting lab; and he’s the go-to guy about additive manufacturing and prototyping capabilities. Owens Corning is a big client, but potentially so is anyone with, as he says, “great concepts but no idea how to make them.” His ultimate aim is the toy industry (and he’s developed some ideas, so keep an eye out on Kickstarter). Although he had a job ready and waiting after graduation, his advice is to never take anything for granted. Also, “do right by others,” and, sharing a tip once given to him, “don’t ever point out a flaw in your own sketch: chances are, only you see it.”

Sarah McCance, photo by Kevin Brown

SARAH McCANCE

BFA: Interior Design

City: Dallas

Position: Interior designer for Wilson Associates

Go-to Food: Hot Cheetos

Tool to Unwind: Jim Henson’s The Labyrinth

Designing interiors for a palace in Abu Dhabi may not have been on Sarah McCance’s career to-do list, but because she made the most of opportunities while at CCAD, it’s one item she can now check off. “My company designs luxury,” she explains—often for high-end resorts, casinos, and, yes, palaces. After careful research, McCance applied to be a student intern at Wilson and, while there, was “a sponge, absorbing everything,” she says. Afterward, she prioritized those professional ties and was hired on full time after graduation. Time to set new goals: she’s now focused on professional certifications—and recruiting more CCAD students for Wilson internships.

Kattie Baker

KATTIE BAKER

BFA: Advertising & Graphic Design

City: Columbus

Position: Designer at Fine Citizens, a web design agency

Cause: Big Sisters (“I’m a sucker for children.”)

Tool to Unwind: Zumba

“To see your work grow up and march out into the real world feels fabulous,” says Kattie Baker (even if, technically, her work is in the virtual world). At Fine Citizens, she’s in charge of responsive web design and is the “icon and vector graphics girl,” which means she gets to do fun stuff like animal illustrations for the Columbus Zoo’s online guide. Add in art direction and client presentations and “it’s a lot of hats,” she says, “but multi-tasking is a skill all CCAD grads acquire.” Baker and her husband just bought their first house, and, as for the future, “it’s whatever keeps challenging me,” she says.

Erin McKenna

ERIN McKENNA

BFA: Fine Arts

City: Columbus

Position: Host at Better Earth in the North Market; founder/manager of No Place Studios, LLC

Fave CCAD Experience: NY Studio Residency

Words to Live By: If you want something done, do it yourself.

Erin McKenna wasn’t ready to give up the tools, materials, supportive community, and feedback she had at CCAD, so she problem-solved. McKenna formed an LLC and with 10 other artists (nine from CCAD) founded No Place Studios: 2,500 sq. ft. to make art, hold events, and foster community. “We’re very proud of this space,” she says. After an artist’s residency at Chicago-based ACRE and a related exhibition this spring, grad school is next up. Already, she’s been nominated for a scholarship.

Sara Diesel

SARA DIESEL

BFA: Illustration

City: Pittsburgh

Position: Freelance illustrator

Fave CCAD Class: Entrepreneurial Illustration

Inspired by: 1980s sci-fi movies

“Freelancing,” says Sara Diesel, “is a great way to network and work your way up the field to larger clients.” But jobs don’t fall in your lap; it takes hustle, and “persistence, most of all.” Asked to brag, she mentions her work on the Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones card games, to which, she says, “it was an honor to add my voice.” She calls it “humbling and surreal” to have work in Spectrum 19, a publication full of her favorite illustrators. Though someday she might like to try her hand at game creation, she’s happy freelancing and excited to see just where it will take her.

Alex Trimpe

ALEX TRIMPE

BFA: Media Studies

City: Akron

Position: Proprietor of Alex Trimpe Motion Design, LLC

Cause: Longstride

Creativity Jumpstart: Going outside

With the ink on his diploma barely dry, December grad Alex Trimpe is the boss of his own motion graphics company, producing work (usually typography-based with illustrations) for clients around the globe. The “short story,” he explains: “A video of mine [The World Is Obsessed with Facebook] went viral. People wanted similar-style videos. Then, bigger people wanted videos.” Some of those bigger people are Samsung, Levi’s, and Cisco. But don’t just chalk up his success to luck. Trimpe asked for it. He messaged Vimeo: Hi…can you give me feedback…thank you…oh, and if you like it, maybe throw it on your staff picks. They did. His advice—along with “be kind but not a pushover, persistent but not annoying, and have a good reel”—is “simply ask, it works better than you’d think.”

Web Exclusive, full interviews from our Ten to Watch:

Chavilah Bennett

Go-to food: Avocado! I’ll eat it with (almost) anything.
Fave class at CCAD: Mr. Mohr’s Senior Ad/Graph class; the work consistently forced me to explore outside my comfort zone.
Fave CCAD hangout: The study/work room in the Admin building. During December finals one year I had to pull so many all-nighters in the admin building that I brought Christmas lights, music and snacks to make it feel a bit more cheerful.
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: On a warm day my favorite thing to do is walk around the city with a coffee and a camera, exploring hidden side streets, pretty neighborhoods and parks. I like to think of the world as an adventure and if someone takes the time to look, they will find something beautiful and unexpected.
Hobby: Singing, playing the piano and small harp, power yoga. I’ve missed painting and drawing so I started a few personal projects. Right now I’m painting a large map of the world on my wall. (I’ll send photos to Lindsay Kronmiller.)
Fave game: You can’t go wrong with Uno or Settlers of Catan. A new favorite is Telestrations; it’s like the game of telephone but in drawings. I played with my siblings over the holidays and the results were hilarious.
Ideal breakfast: A mountain of bacon
Everyday breakfast: Coffee and a granola bar or bagel
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: Maximin Project. I was involved as a designer for this organization for about six months after initially meeting them at Startup Weekend 2011 at CCAD.
Website/podcast for inspiration or to learn something: I listen to podcasts when I’m in the middle of a project. NPR Planet Money, TED Talks, The Moth: True Stories Told Live, and This American Life. Listening to the BBC News podcast as I get ready for work is a ritual for me, it helps put life in perspective before I leave the house.

Kattie Baker

Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: Zumba dancing. I’m self-taught, so I’m not sure I have much of a knack for it. Mostly it’s just me shaking my hips and romping around the living room. It gets the energy out regardless.
Fave game: I like simpler, classic games like Mario Kart. If there are guns or aliens I tend to grip the controller too tightly and take my character’s death too seriously.
Best advice you’ve heard: “If your first job out of college doesn’t make you worried that you’ll be fired every day for the first six months, you’re not being challenged enough.”
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: There are a ton that deserve limelight, but this year I’ve decided to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. I’m a sucker for kids.

Rachel Cass

Go-to food: Sushi!
Fave class at CCAD: Collection. It’s where you get to show all your skills, all while creating your own designs. It’s what we went to school for; it’s the class where all your hard work pays off.
Fave CCAD hangout: Sitting on the lawn between classes. It’s a great place to take a time out and just relax
Fave artist/designer/photographer(s): I have a huge list of people I look up to and admire, but narrowing down to just one is too hard.
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Visiting the German Village Book Loft with my fiance. Sifting through books and discovering new artist and places is always a source of inspiration. Music is always a huge inspiration in my creative process. The right music can change anything.
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: Sleeping; it’s not something I see much of, but when I really need to relax or take a break, I like to close my eyes and dream.
Hobby: Camping, snowboarding, enjoying life
Words to live by: My dad told me if you’re not growing in life, you’re dying. He’s a pretty smart man, so I try to apply it to all aspects of my life.
Fave game: Monopoly
Comic book or character: I would be Storm from X-Men.
Ideal breakfast: Cream-cheese eggs with toast and fruit
Everyday breakfast: Veggie breakfast sandwich and coffee
Best advice you’ve gotten: To live my life as an adventure, not as something set in stone.
Best advice you’ve given: follow what’s in your heart
Pet(s)? My dog Charlie, she’s a mutt and the cutest one out there! She’s also back in Columbus, and I miss her everyday. I got a fish to keep me company in NYC. His name is Columbus; he is a very handsome blue beta.
Grateful for: I’m grateful for the amazing people in my life and the unbelievable amount of support they have showed me.

Sara K. Diesel

Fave class at CCAD: Entrepreneurial Illustration with Andrew Bawidamann—very informative and challenging!
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: I’m a big movie watcher. I love the old eighties sci-fi movies especially. It’s where a lot of my inspiration comes from.
Fave game: I play a lot of video games. I think it would be safe to say that at the moment I’m stuck on Dishonored. It has great design and concept all around.
Best advice you’ve gotten: Fake it ’til you make it.
Website/podcast for inspiration: Muddy Colors is a blog chock-full of great inspiration, advice, and tips, and it’s run by some of the big names in the illustration world.
Grateful for: My parents, especially right now. They’ve given me so many opportunities and have supported my decision to be an illustrator 100%.

Lian Dziura

Fave class at CCAD: Still-life photography
Fave artist/designer/photographer: I love most medieval and Renaissance art. I think that’s where most of my inspiration comes from.
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Pinterest and sketching
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: A cup of tea and Downton Abbey
Hobby: Reading and cooking
Fave game: Scattergories
Ideal breakfast: French toast from Tasi. Or crêpes.
Everyday breakfast: Tea and toast or hot cereal
Best advice you’ve gotten: Never give up; failure is not the end, it’s just another step in the process of learning.
Best advice you’ve given: Probably the advice above.  :)
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: Children’s homes and orphanages
Pet(s)? Cat named Lily
Website/podcast to learn something: The Guardian and TED talks
Grateful for: My mom

Leah Fisher

Go-to food: Gattos Pizza
Fave class at CCAD: It’s a toss-up between my independent studies with amazing faculty members Helen Hoffelt and Charlotte Belland
Fave artist/designer/photographer(s): Garry Winogrand and Diane Arbus
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Crossword puzzles
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: Obsessive fiction book reading
Hobby: Cooking
Words to live by: Use it or lose it
Fave game: Apples to Apples
Everyday breakfast: Nuts Over Chocolate Luna Bars
Ideal breakfast: Frittatas and biscuits
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: Planned Parenthood
Pet(s)? I am a mom to four cats! Mookie, Milton, Hellz Bellz and Hormel.
Website/podcast for laughs: Cracked.com
Website/podcast to learn something: Salon.com
Grateful for: My amazing husband, Dave, who not only supports the things I am passionate about, but also shares my passion.  We are pretty much always together when I am out shooting, and he is my primary driver for the Drive-By Shootings series.

Jake LaBombarbe

Fave class at CCAD: Anything with Dave Burghy or Tom Williamson
Fave CCAD hangout: The ID Cave in Kinney Hall
Fave artist/designer/photographer(s): Animator Bruce Timm, illustrator Matt Wagner
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Punk rock and copious amounts of coffee
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: Street Fighter 4
Hobby: I am a connoisseur of terrible movies.
Words to live by: My latest: “Dude, sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.”
Fave game: Metal Gear Solid 3
Comic book or character: Batman
Ideal breakfast: Coffee and a bagel with lox
Everyday breakfast: Coffee
Best advice you’ve gotten: Don’t ever point out a flaw in sketch, chances are you are the only one who knows that it’s there.
Best advice you’ve given: Play to your strengths, but mind your weaknesses.
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: Toys for Tots and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Pet(s)? Chippy, he’s a cat. He’s also an a$$hole.
Website/podcast to learn something: Brad Jones aka The Cinema Snob, Matt and Pat at Two Best Friends Play, and Noah Antwiller aka The Spoony One
Grateful for: I am grateful for Alex Mazur, Caleb Boller, Hak Chan Kim, Jennifer Helber, Joe Washington, Joel Van Gilder, and Nikki Stapleton…the finest classmates and greatest friends that anyone could ever have.

Sarah McCance

Go-to food: Hot Cheetos!! More of a snack really, but I just can’t help myself. They are delicious.
Fave class at CCAD: Definitely my Fairy Tales class my senior year. The content and the teacher were both incredibly interesting. I only ever missed class if I was on my death bed with sickness. (Haha. Even then I contemplated going.) That class definitely makes me rethink whether or not I want to read certain fairytales to my children someday. Especially Snow White.
Fave CCAD hangout: Interior Design is a relatively small program at CCAD, so you become really tight knit with your classmates. My favorite memories and most fun experiences there were whenever we were all in the computer lab on the second floor of the Crane Center. We laughed, we cried, we had screaming matches due to lack of sleep and WAY too much estrogen, but those are my favorite memories at CCAD.
Fave artist/designer/photographer(s): I have always been inspired by designers like Eero Saarinen, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Verner Panton. They all had very simple design with a bit of a funky flair. Each very different and each very inspiring. As far as still living designers go, my best friend and classmate Amanda Shaw is incredibly inspiring to me. She is so incredibly creative, driven, and won’t take no for an answer…EVER. I can only hope to pick up some of her traits along the way.
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: The Labyrinth by Jim Henson starring David Bowie, and music
Comic book or character: I’ve always been really into X-Men. As a child my cousin and I were always reading the comics or watching the TV shows. I feel like a little kid every time a new movie is released!
Everyday breakfast: Oatmeal with brown sugar, golden raisins, and cranberries. It’s the only thing that will keep me full well into the afternoon!
Best advice you’ve gotten: My mom always encouraged me to push myself. She would never let me quit anything without putting up a fight. And she always encouraged me to just be myself. She said, “Sometimes the only honesty you will truly have in life is with yourself.” I try to be as honest with myself, others, and my work as much as I can.
Pet(s)? My fiance and I got our first puppy a few months ago. She is a german shepherd/black lab mix. Her name is Trinity and she is 5 months old. I feel like I’m chasing a toddler around half the time between the teething and getting into anything and everything she can! I love her to pieces though. She is a little bit of a tomboy, ALWAYS wants to play, and is convinced that if she chases her tail enough she is DEFINITELY going to get it one of these days.

Erin McKenna

Fave class at CCAD: The most helpful thing about CCAD was my professors. Danielle Julian Norton, Matt Flegle, Tim Rietenbach, Michael Goodson, and Kelly Malec-Kosak were a huge part of my growth as a person and artist.  Without them, I would not be thinking the way I do now.  Also, CCAD provided the opportunity to go to the New York Studio Residency Program when I was a junior.  I was in NYC for a semester, and it changed my life dramatically.  I think I actually learned how to make art and how to think there.
Fave CCAD hangout: AMF studios
Fave artist/designer/photographer(s): Mika Rottenberg, David Lynch, Vincent Fecteau
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Cleaning and organizing my studio
Words to live by: If you want something done, do it yourself.
Best advice you’ve gotten: Don’t be afraid.
Best advice you’ve given: Make work that makes you uncomfortable
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: Materials for the Arts in Queens, NYC.  Nonprofit group that has a warehouse where people and companies can donate anything and everything.  Artists, teachers, or anyone in art organization can get any of the materials, all for free.  The only catch is you have to write a thank you card.  It promotes recycling and saves money.
Pet(s)? Jasper and Wayne—both cats
Website/podcast to learn something: ContemporaryArtDaily.com, DailyServing.com, iTunes U lectures, Art21, documentaries on Netflix of favorite directors
Grateful for: Very grateful to my parents, for their support both financially and mentally now and through school.  I’m very lucky that my parents support my decision in pursing art.

Alex Trimpe

Go-to food: Chicken Tikka Masala
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Going outside
Hobby: Reading
Words to live by: Conan O’Brien said, “If you work really hard and you are kind, amazing things will happen.”
Fave game: Video-Team Fortress 2. Board game-anything!
Ideal breakfast: Sausage.
Everyday breakfast: Scrambled eggs in a mug in the microwave.
Pet(s)? Ollie the fat cat
Website/podcast to learn something: Reddit, for everything
Grateful for: Just being alive is pretty nice, wouldn’t you say?

Still from the animated film “Lumin”

An advanced animation class at CCAD has just completed a project that is now being entered in national festivals. The Advanced Time-Based Projects class, taught by Associate Professor Tom Richner, created an animated short named Lumin.

Lumin tells the story of a young boy and his escape from dozens of monsters who pursue him for one thing, his light.

The 17 students in the class spent four months creating the film from start to finish, working on all aspects from script writing and sound development to animation and final editing.

“We [the Animation faculty] have been talking about working on complete films during the course of a class,” Richner said. “When we saw the talent that was in this past fall’s class we knew we had to make a film with this group.”

The class included Animation seniors Christopher Campbell, Tyler Crowley, David King, Arianni Kurniawati, Laura Maue, Bekah Nunn, Jonathan Pezzatta, and David T. Reed; Animation junior Kelly Cumpson; Cinematic Arts seniors Alan Becker, Patrick Kain, Lauren Thornberry, and Mariah Ward; Cinematic Arts juniors Grace Kim and Aaron Zawisa; and recent Animation graduate Victor Dearing (CCAD 2012) and Cinematic Arts graduate Alex Trimpe (CCAD 2012).

“I was really impressed about how all the students handled the whole semester,” Richner said. “There was never a point where we got behind schedule. They all bought into the project and took ownership and worked very hard.”

“A lot of these students have aspirations to go work in studios, big and small, and the nature of animated films is that you need a lot of bodies to get these projects done. Working in a studio environment means that they are going to be collaborating with people, so I think giving them that chance to do it here gives them the opportunity to fine tune those skills they’ll need in the real world.”

The class had to make some decisions in order to finish the project on time, such as creating it in black and white instead of color and keeping the length of the video managable.

“Even though we did do some things on the design end to make it easier, we didn’t cut any corners in terms of the story we wanted to tell; we did what we set out to do,” Richner said.

Character line-up from the animated film “Lumin”

To complete the project, the class used Toon Boom, animation software package.

“It is a great thing for students to be exposed to this software in school since a lot of studios are currently using it,” Richner said. “We’ve had it in our classrooms here CCAD for more than 10 years now, and we were some of the early adopters of it.”

Alumni have said that their experience with Toon Boom in CCAD classrooms was beneficial as they began their careers.

“We have heard from animation alumni who have been able to stand above their peers when they can express to directors that they know how to use the software,” Richner said.

The class’ work isn’t done yet. They have submitted the film to more than 30 festivals internationally and nationally and have already been accepted into festivals including  Chile Monos, Leeds Young Film Festival, Ohio Shorts, taafi Official Selection, and Sff International Film Festival.

The spring Advanced Time-Based Projects class has a new group of students; they’re developing an animated film called Aria, which they plan on entering into festivals and contests as well.

Lumin will be shown during CCAD’s animation screenings at the opening reception of the 134th Annual Student Exhibition on May 10.

Becker is from Dublin, OH, and graduated from Dublin Scioto High School; Campbell is from Worthington, OH; Crowley is from Milford, NH, and attended Milford High School; Cumpson is from Chesterland, OH, and attended West Geauga High School; Dearing is from Westerville, OH, and attended Saint Francis De Sales High School; Kain is from Kettering, OH, and attended Kettering Fairmont High School; Kim is from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, and attended North Surrey Senior Secondary School; King is from Hamilton, OH, and graduated from Ross Senior High School; Kurniawati is from Salatiga, Indonesia, and graduated from Loyola Catholic Secondary School; Maue is from Bellbrook, OH, and attended Bellbrook High School; Nunn is from Wilmington, OH, and graduated from Wilmington High School; Pezzatta is from Columbus, OH, and graduated from Fort Hayes Metro Education Center; Reed is from Ashland, OH, and attended Ashland High School; Trimpe is from Cincinnati, and attended Elder High School; Thornberry is from Cambridge, OH, and attended Cambridge High School; Ward is from Cincinnati, and attended the School for Creative & Performing Arts; and Zawisa is from Columbus, OH, and attended Grandview Heights High School.

Update on April 25:  Lumin won a Telly Award in the “use of animation” category.

Classnotes, March 2013

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but because 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, January, and February!

Tim Rietenbach ’77, Joel Gundlach ’86, David Burghy ’89, and Danielle Julian Norton ’99 showed their work in a CCAD faculty exhibition at Columbus’ Cultural Arts Center. Read more here.

Jamie Berger ’78 curated PUSH Print, a book on contemporary printmaking published by Lark Crafts. Read more here.

Paul Emory ’78, Ellen O’Connell Bazzoli ’83, Alex Conrad MFA ’12, Nicole Crock MFA ’12, and Virginia Kistler MFA ’12 showed their work in the Ohio Art League Curated Exhibition, presented at the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery. Read more here.

Richard Cowdrey ’81 illustrated the re-released children’s book The Legend of the Candy Cane. Read more here.

Joel Gundlach ’86 designed new starting blocks for New Albany High School’s natatorium. Read more here.

Ed Valentine ’91 and Michael Stillion ’02 had exhibitions at Linda Warren Projects in Chicago. Read more here.

Julie Abijanac ’92 had her piece Disease Mapping selected for the Fiberart International 2013 exhibition. Read more here.

Anthony Weiler ’94, Annie Weihrauch ’03, Hazel Tarr ’07, and Maggy O’Reilly VanOrder ’09 are participants in CCAD’s MindMarket Incubator. Read more here.

Benjamin Lane ’96 is now a story artist at Disney Feature Animation Studio in Burbank, CA.

Daniel King ’00 was featured in Temporary Art Review discussing his artistic career and inspiration. Read more here.

Anne Holman ’02 had a busy winter full of exhibitions and art sales. Read more here.

Mariana Smith ’02 showed work in exhibitions from the East Coast to the West Coast. Read more here.  She also had her piece Untitled (After Tarkousky Stalker) in the 34th Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition, hosted by Bradley University, Peoria, IL. Read more here.

Brian Williams ’03 had an illustration featured in ARTnews. Read more here.

Lea Gray ’04 and Eric Jefferson ’04 were featured in Alive!, a weekly magazine that covers events and culture in Columbus, OH. Read more on Gray here and Jefferson here.

Sean Conner ’05, Nate Reese ’05, Chris Meister ’06, Andrew Mark ’07, Scott Ulliman ’10, and Chavilah Bennett ’12 took home Columbus Society of Communicating Arts (CSCA) Creative Best Awards for their work with S77, a motion graphics company in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Joaquin Baldwin ’06 was a juror for the 40^th Annual Annie Awards. Read more here.

Andrew Ina ’06 received a Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) Individual Art Fellowship in Media Arts this year. Read more here.

Boryana Rusenova Ina ’06 was in two group exhibitions in Michigan. Read more here.

Brent Payne ’06 was included in two juried exhibitions in Ohio. Read more here. He was also had work in an exhibition hosted by Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, TX. Read more here.

Michelle Dick ’08 is now working as an interior designer with Organized Home Remodeling, in Columbus, OH.

Brian Uhl ’08 had a solo exhibition at Static Age Gallery in Cincinnati. Read more here.

Steve Hubbard ’10 worked on animations for the movie Life of Pi. Read more here.

John Malta ’10 had his third illustration published in The New York Times. Read more here.

Kerry Kunze ’11 showed work in a group exhibition at Mount Vernon University. Read more here.

Alex Conrad MFA ’12, Nicole Crock MFA ’12, Leah Fisher ’12, and Crystal Tursich MFA ’12 had work included in the 13^th annual ImageOhio exhibition organized by Roy G Biv Gallery. Read more here.

Amanda Rouse MFA ’12 had a busy exhibition schedule including three juried and two group exhibitions. Read more here.

Clinton Reno’s “Long Live Rock”

CCAD alumni are a big part of a group exhibition at Rivet Gallery in the Short North, Columbus’ arts district, through March 10.

Ohio, You RAWK! features the work of 18 artists and six are CCAD Illustration alumni: Graham Erwin (CCAD 2011), Jason Goad (CCAD 1996), Mike Martin (CCAD 1985), Ryan Mowry (CCAD 2004), Clinton Reno (CCAD 1995), and Miles Tsang (CCAD 2012).

The show features gig posters and rock inspired poster art.

Erwin is a native of Columbus and attended Whetstone High School; Goad is from Dayton, and attended Centerville High School; Mowry is from Columbus, and attended Worthington Christian High School; Reno is from Xenia, and attended Dayton Christian High School; and Tsang is originally from Ajax, Ontario, Canada and moved back following graduation from CCAD.

Leah Fisher’s “Parsons Avenue, 04/01/12″

Four CCAD alumni have their work included in the 13^th annual ImageOhio exhibition organized by Roy G Biv Gallery and on view at The Shot Tower Gallery at Fort Hayes Metropolitan Educational Center, Jan. 18–Feb. 15.

The exhibition is juried by Bill Horrigan, curator at large for the Wexner Center for the Arts. Work includes photographs, projections, and video.

Although there is no official theme, much of the work focuses on observations of the changing world.

There are 27 artists in the exhibition; CCAD alumni include 2012 MFA alumni Alex Conrad, Nicole Crock, and Crystal Tursich, as well as Photography alumna and library archivist Leah Fisher (CCAD 2012).

Ellen O’Connell Bazzoli’s “Spring 1104″

CCAD alumni and faculty will show their work in the Ohio Art League Curated Exhibition, presented by the Ohio Arts Council at the Riffe Gallery, Jan. 31–April 14.

The Ohio Art League Curated Exhibition contains work from 18 artists chosen by curator Dennis Harrington, director of the Weston Art Gallery in Cincinnati, OH. The work in the exhibition features seasoned and emerging artists, and explores a dialogue of visual connections created by assembling a group of eclectic and inspired works in one place.

CCAD artists include associate alumna Ellen O’Connell Bazzoli (CCAD 1983), MFA alumni Alex Conrad and Nicole Crock (CCAD 2012), Assistant Professor Steven Elbert, associate alumnus Paul Emory (CCAD 1978), adjunct faculty and MFA alumna Virginia Kistler (CCAD 2012), and coordinator of printmaking Kathy McGhee.

There will be an opening reception Jan. 31, 5–7 p.m., and a tour with the curator Feb. 1, noon–1 p.m.

The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.

CCAD alumni at S77 (right to left: Chavilah Bennett, Scott Ulliman, Nate Reese (back), Andrew Mark, Chris Meister). Photo courtesy Rainer Ziehm.

Walking through the Short North, Columbus’ arts district, you will be sure to spot galleries, restaurants, and tattoo parlors. Look a little closer and you’ll see S77, a design studio that focuses on motion graphics.

Its work can be seen around the world and ranges from a Lil Wayne music video to EXPRESS online branding.

Out of the nine full-time employees, five are CCAD alumni: Chris Meister (Media Studies, 2006), Andrew Mark (Media Studies, 2007), Scott Ulliman (Media Studies, 2010), and Chavilah Bennett (Advertising & Graphic Design, 2012). We got a chance recently to sit down and chat with some of them about what it’s like to work in a creative environment alongside fellow alumni.

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

Andrew Mark (AM): Working with fellow alumni allows you to immediately have an idea of their background. You know that they come from the same foundation studies, and it gives you a good read on what they can do and how you can work with them.

Chavilah Bennett (CB): What Andrew said is absolutely right. I am a new graduate and have only been away from CCAD for six months, and coming here and knowing that everyone had a similar background was nice and made my transition easy and comfortable. We all had an initial commonality and can relate on some CCAD experiences, like all-nighters.

Scott Ulliman (SU): Honestly, I don’t really think about it (laughing). It does give us a common topic to talk about though—and there are plenty of times we sit here and chat about past professors and projects.

Chris Meister (CM): Yeah, I am with Scott in that I don’t think about this too much. I did know a lot of my current co-workers before starting at S77. For instance, I went to school and had class with Andrew, so we just had to transition our student teamwork to a professional setting.

CCAD alumni at S77 (from right to left: Scott Ulliman, Nate Reese, Chris Meister, Andrew Mark, Chavilah Bennett). Photo courtesy Rainer Ziehm.

Q) Why do you think S77 has employed a lot of CCAD alumni?

AM: The fairly obvious answer is that S77 is local, just a hop-and-skip away. I know a lot of people love the city of Columbus, and after they graduate they want to stay local. There is not only an attraction for alumni to come work here, but also for us to go search out graduating CCAD students to come work here. At S77 we are able to take comfort in the fact that when we are looking to expand we have people ready to join the team with similar training and background right around the corner. It has just developed into a natural relationship.

CM: When a lot of us have a similar education background we are able to know right off the bat when they start where their skills are going to lie, what they have a strong background in, and how we can mold that skill. Chavilah is a perfect example of this. She came to us with not a lot of experience in motion design, but we knew she would be able to pick up on this because she has a basic understanding in design and fundamentals, so we could easily teach her anything as projects roll in.

SU: To add on to what Andrew just mentioned about the natural relationship with CCAD—I have been working here for two years and it is primarily CCAD alumni, but I think it is natural and not intentional. Rainer [Ziehm] started this company and also taught briefly at CCAD, so when he is looking for new talent he is going to able to identify those people in town and where they are coming from—which is CCAD.

CB: Although there are a lot of CCAD alumni here, I think it is also important to note we work with a lot of freelancers based around the world. But when we are looking for a permanent fixture on our team, we pull from the local pool and a lot are affiliated with CCAD.

CCAD alumni at S77 (from right to left: Scott Ulliman, Andrew Mark, Chavilah Bennett). Photo courtesy Rainer Ziehm.

Q) What would your advice be to students and fellow alumni who want to work with S77 or a similar company?

AM: Develop your portfolio, definitely. Create a massive portfolio, and then you can trim it down to your best work. There are a lot of times that if you are a particularly good student you will have a big-fish-little-pond mentality. I think the best thing students can do is envision their pond as being the industry. They need to remember that they are not just competing against students, but they are up against professionals, too. That’s not to scare young designers away, since most employers will hire on potential, too, not just current work, but it is important to keep things in perspective and keep practicing and learning—because you will do that your whole career.

CM: Presentation is key. And for me personally, I love looking through students’ and peers’ sketchbooks. You can see specific projects in their final portfolio, but sketchbooks kind of give you a peek into how they are as a personal artist and what their passion is.

SU: Like Chris said, I like looking at sketchbooks and more personal work. A big thing when you are looking to get hired at a place like S77 is fitting in with the company and having something unique to bring to the company and the team. Always do work outside your professional or educational projects; that way you can show the company something else and little bit more of who you are.

CB:  I think a big part of being hired someplace and having people trust you enough to become a part of their company is being able to think creatively. It is not always about the skill level you are at; you have to be good, but you have to show that there is thought behind your work and that you will continue to grow. It is a continual process, and for me, I have learned an astronomical amount since I have gotten here and I have a lot more to learn.

CCAD alumnus Andrew Mark (right) watches a co-worker play skee-ball in the S77 office. Photo courtesy Rainer Ziehm.

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

SU: We do talk a lot about difficult and easy professors—and of course the all-nighters. We have also brought the competitive nature you have as a student here into the workplace. I studied a lot of 3D work in school, and it was a small group of students, and we got competitive with our work. I think it is the same way here and probably in any office. But with friendly competition you are constantly able to learn the strengths of others and able to develop your own style.

AM: All-nighters is one thing we all remember, and it is something that doesn’t disappear once you go into the professional world. There are a lot of things that are similar, though, between this line of work and your time as a student. In school you try and get a good grade on a project, and now you want to get a good grade with the client. So that mentality has stuck with me.

CB: Critiques have definitely continued into my professional life. Now you will get critiqued by not only the client when you present the work, but also your peers and co-workers. It is productive criticism, though, and really valuable in becoming a better designer.

CM: My favorite classes at CCAD were the ones with brutal critiques. I know sometimes they would make students break down and cry, but it was always so helpful because it was so truthful—like when they say, “This looks awful, why would you even turn it in?” In the professional world you need to kind of have that tough skin. Clients have an idea in their head, and they are coming for you for help, but if it is not what they want they will always be honest about it.

An S77 hallway, hung with part of their collection of albums released in the year 1977. Photo courtesy Rainer Ziehm.

Q) Why are you in the creative field—why do you love your job?

SU: What makes it great here is how comfortable I feel. I mean of course we can all wear what we want, but the people make you feel comfortable. I don’t ever want to have a job that is not as fun as this. You get difficult clients or boring projects occasionally, but then you remind yourself that you worked on a rapper’s music video that is seen now worldwide.

CM: I like the fact that we all do a little bit of everything, so there is never a boredom factor of having to do the same thing day-in and day-out. And there is also a level of freedom—if you want to start learning a new technique or something you can explore it and learn new skills.

AM: I really like the people here a lot. We can joke around with each other and small talk. Here at S77 we have a small, intimate team, where you know everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. I trust everyone I work with, and I have genuine friendships with everyone.

CB: The best thing about working here? There are just so many great things. The first thing I noticed when I walked in the door here is the environment. We are surrounded by toys; we are all big kids and everyone can take a break once in awhile. It is exciting to work on projects and then see them released on TV. Recently I worked on Highball [Short North’s Halloween celebration], and when I went there I got to see my work on the big screen—it’s a new, exciting experience.

Editor’s note: Their offices are brag-worthy. They have a bowling arcade game, a wall covered in record albums released in 1977 (based on the company’s name), a skee-ball machine, and a fully functional kitchen (word is that Andrew makes pancakes every Monday morning). We are a bit jealous.

CM: To jump off that idea—it is exactly like the music video we worked on for TI and Lil Wayne. It premiered on VH1 in October, and I got to watch the whole show and kept getting excited when they would say, “Coming up, the world premiere…” I know that if I ever get a project that is boring or slower than the rest it is immediately erased by the fact that I got to work on a Lil Wayne music video.

Classnotes, December 2012 Issue

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but because 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 September, October, and November 2012.

Aminah Robinson ’60 was inducted into the city of Columbus’ Hall of Fame. Read more here.

Aminah Robinson ’60 and Linda Fowler ’74 participated in the Ohio Craft Museum’s exhibition Columbus Collects Fine Crafts. Read more here.

Joan Hall ’74 had a solo exhibition at Bruno David Gallery in St. Louis, MO. Read more here.

CV Mansoor ’77 exhibited work at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. Read more here.

Dean Mitchell ’80 had an exhibition with Cutter & Cutter Fine Art in St. Augustine, FL. The exhibition also featured an article written by Walter King ’81. Read more here.

Salli Swindell ’81, co-creater of They Draw & Cook, had her illustrated cookbook reviewed in Gastronomic magazine. Read more here.

Jenny Vogt ’81 exhibited her series The Nature of Birds at the Village Hall Gallery of Arts in Bartlett, IL. Read more here.

Helen Hoffelt ’82, Rachel Girard Reisert ’02, Lian Dziura ’12, Cosby Lindquist ’12, and Crystal Tursich ’12 participated in a monthlong photography event in Cincinnati, OH. Read more here.

Kurt Fondriest ’85 was part of a group exhibition at the Life Force Arts Center in Chicago, IL. Read more here.

Hiroshi Hayakawa ’85 was featured in the fifth annual edition of the magazine Diffusion: Unconventional Photography. Read more here.

Lisa Horkin ’85, Susan Li  O’Connor ’96, Anne Holman ’02, Jennifer Deafenbough ’04, Joseph Lombardo ’06, Chris Harman ’12, and Jack Ramunni ’12 received Supply Grants from the Greater Columbus Arts Council. Read more here.

Christopher Madden ’87 works as a journeyman banknote engraver at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Read more here.

Kirsten Bowen ’89, Clint Davidson ’00, Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski ’02, Daric Gill ’04, Lea Gray ’04, Adam Crum ’06, Christopher Tennant ’06, Joel Atkinson ’09, and Julia McCann ’11 participated in Urban Scrawl, an annual festival in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus. Read more here.

Christopher Cole ’89 became the Senior VP/Creative Director for the Sprint wireless at Leo Burnett-Chicago.

Richard Mills ’89 participated in the Ashes to Art Project, an art auction benefiting volunteer fire departments in Colorado that were affected by wildfires in 2012. Read more here.

Kaname Takada ’89 and Julie Abijanac ’92 received awards for their work exhibited in the Zanesville Museum of Art’s 68^th Annual Ohio Show. Read more here.

Kurt Lightner  ’93 participated in the group exhibition Assembly 2012 at Edward Thorp Gallery in New York City. Read more here.

David Breaux ’94 had a busy year, working on productions including Terra Nova, Hunger Games, Tron: Legacy, and Iron Man 2. Read more here.

Phil Hastings ’94 is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Artist Fellowship in Film and Video. Read more here.

Jason Goad ’96 created a pair of limited edition sunglasses for Anarchy Eyewear. Read more here.

Susan Li O’Connor ’96 is part of a group exhibition at Steinhilber Art Gallery in Madison, WI. Read more here.

Susan Li O’Connor ’96 and Mariana Smith ’02 were selected for GCAC’s Dresden Residency Program. Read more here.

John Urbano ’96 received two VMAs for the music video he directed for the band One Direction. Read more here.

Kate Labmeier ’02 and Michael Stillion ’02 exhibited their work at Marshall University’s Birke Art Gallery. Read more here.

Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski ’02 and Corey Aumiller ’06 placed in the Columbus Arts Pop-Up Project (CAP-UP). Read more here.

Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski ’02 created and installed a volcano wall at a tiki bar in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Mariana Smith ’02 exhibited her work at Swing Space Gallery at Ohio State University; read more here. She also had an exhibition at Hammond Harkins Galleries in Columbus, OH; read more here.

Brian Williams ’03 was featured in Map Magazine, an arts and culture magazine based in Australia. Read more here.

Shannon Bonatakis ’04 had a solo exhibition, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, at Rivet, a designer toy and fine art gallery in the Short North, Columbus’ arts district. Read more here.

Manjari Sharma ’04 showed her work in a group exhibition, Social Order: Photographs from Iran, India, and Afghanistan in Seattle, WA. Read more here.

Holly Koskinen ’05 won an American Graphic Design Award. Read more here.

Joseph Lombardo ’06 has a solo exhibition at Art Access Gallery in Bexley, OH through Jan. 9. Read more here.

Michelle Dick ’08 is now working as an art teacher with After-School All-Stars, an after-school program for students in Columbus City Schools.

Evens Joseph ’09 was a featured artist in Juxtapoz magazine. Read more here.

Krista Peterson ’09 received a full-tuition scholarship to DePaul University for graduate study in the field of Human Computer Interaction. Read more here.

Kartika Mediani ’10 had work in the graphic novel One Drop. Read more here.

Amanda C. VanDenberg ’10 showed work in a group exhibition at the Little Art Gallery in North Canton, OH. Read more here.

Elena Harvey Collins ’12 had her video When They’re Gone, They’re Gone in an exhibition at Roy G Biv gallery in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Nathan Gorgen ’12 and Elena Harvey Collins ’12 participated in Shifting Margins, a group exhibition put on by OFF Space in San Francisco. Read more here.

Jessica Miera ’12 is a concept artist for Animation Hero, an independent animation studio located in Columbus, OH. She is also working part time as an assistant film editor at HotBed Media LLC in Bexley, OH.

Photo of S77′s awards, photo courtesy of Rainer Ziehm

Several alumni earned well-deserved accolades at the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts (CSCA) Creative Best Awards for their work with S77, a motion graphics company in Columbus, OH.

The CCAD alumni team at S77 includes Media Studies alumni Sean Conner (CCAD 2005), Nate Reese (CCAD 2005), Chris Meister (CCAD 2006), Andrew Mark (CCAD 2007), and Scott Ulliman (CCAD 2010), and Advertising & Graphic Design alumna Chavilah Bennett (CCAD 2012).

The company received a Judges Choice and a Best of Category award for the work they did on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ music video Monarchy of Roses. They also received a Merit Award for the creative video ToyCar the company worked on.

Bennett took home additional Creative Best Awards for work she completed while a CCAD senior last spring. Her mock ad for A.L.C., a clothing and jewelry line, was awarded a Best of Category in the student work section, as well as a Judges Choice. To view the project, click here.

Alumna Amanda Rouse in front of some of her artwork

MFA alumna Amanda Rouse (CCAD 2012) has had a busy exhibition schedule including three juried and two group exhibitions.

Rouse currently has work in the group exhibition Taking Home with You, which originated in New Orleans, LA, and is now traveling to cities in Ireland including Belfast, Bangor, and Limerick. She also had two prints exhibited at the Artist’s Alley in San Francisco, CA.

She has successfully entered three juried exhibitions, including Boundless: New Work in Contemporary Printmaking in New Haven, CT; Hand-Pulled: Ohio Printmakers at Art Space in Lima, OH; and Movements an exhibition at the Tuska Museum in Lexington, KY.

CCAD student Alexa Carson’s winning design for the card contest with Columbus Partnership

Columbus College of Art & Design teamed up with the Columbus Partnership  to create a new tradition—a holiday card design contest.

The Columbus Partnership is a nonprofit, membership-based organization of 49 CEOs from Columbus’ leading businesses and institutions. Its primary mission is to improve the economic vitality of the Columbus region.

“When thinking about this year’s holiday card we paused a moment to think about how we could best illustrate the flavor of Columbus and all the great things our community has accomplished,” said Stephen Lyons, vice president of member services & community engagement at the Columbus Partnership. “Partnering with CCAD was a great opportunity to support an incredible educational asset in our community and work with the creative student innovators of Columbus who help drive our economic growth.”

Lyons along with Kevin Conlon, CCAD’s vice president for Academic Affairs  served as the jurors and deliberated over the 38 entries from CCAD students and alumni and selected Illustration senior Alexa Carson’s design as the cover for the Partnership’s 2012 card..

“I have lived in Columbus for my entire life,” Carson said. “One of my favorite things about the city is how it is a vibrant community made up of many different kinds of people working together. This concept is what I chose to illustrate.”

Carson’s design shows three snowmen underneath arches located in the Short North, Columbus’ arts district. The three snowmen represent Columbus’ vibrant community of artists and designers, students and educators, and businessmen and women of small and large corporations.

Carson was ecstatic to win the design contest (even doing a happy dance when she found out). Carson will receive a $1000 cash prize and the card, that has the artist’s name and information printed on it, will be distributed to more than 3,000 clients and friends of the Columbus Partnership.

“As a senior getting ready to venture out into the professional world, it is huge to have my name printed on the card sent out,” Carson said. “If there is one thing I have learned from my professors this semester, it is that getting your name out there is half the battle of being a successful artist.”

Second place went to Advertising & Graphic Design alumna Jessica Lipps (CCAD 2012), third place to Fine Arts alumnus Michael Aldag (CCAD 2009), and honorable mention to Illustration senior Katie Langford.

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.

Lian Dziura in front of her work at the Thunderdome awards reception at Clifton Cultural Arts Center.

FOTOFOCUS is a monthlong celebration in Cincinnati, OH that combines exhibitions, conferences, presentations, and other special events to honor the art of photography. Many CCAD alumni, students, faculty, and staff were involved with various exhibitions around the city in October.

Professor and Illustration alumna Helen Hoffelt (CCAD 1982) showed work in the Midwest Society for Photographic Education Members Exhibition at the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center in Covington, KY, Sept. 28–Oct. 31. Hoffelt also had work in Images of the Great Depression: A Documentary Portrait of Ohio 1935-2010 at the University of Cincinnati’s Sycamore Gallery, Oct. 1–Oct. 27.

Henry Scott with his work at the Thunderdome awards reception at Clifton Cultural Arts Center.

Media Studies alumna Rachel Girard Reisert (CCAD 2002) had a solo exhibition Tropism at 1305 Gallery, Sept. 28–Nov. 11. Reisert also presented during the Midwest Regional Society for Photographic Education Conference on Oct. 13.

A senior in Photography, Kayla Holdgreve, exhibited two of her pieces in Current: MW Society of Photographic Education Student Juried Exhibition at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, Oct. 4–31.

Photography alumna Lian Dziura (CCAD 2012), Junior in Cinematic Arts Tom Hoying, MFA alumnus Cosby Lindquist (CCAD 2012), Photography alumnus Marcus Morris (CCAD 2012), junior in Photography Henry Scott, and MFA alumna Crystal Tursich (CCAD 2012) participated in the juried invitational exhibition Thunderdome, at Clifton Cultural Arts Center in Cincinnati, OH, Oct.13–14. Lindquist was one of three award winners and Dziura received an honorable mention.

The quarterly supply grants give artists in the community the opportunity to enhance their skills and create work that helps drive the vibrancy of the arts in Columbus and Franklin County. Applications are accepted monthly and are funded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Alumna Lisa Horkin (1985), alumna and adjunct instructor Susan Li  O’Connor (1996), alumna and adjunct faculty Anne Holman (2002), alumna Jennifer Deafenbough (2004), alumnus and adjunct faculty Joseph Lombardo (2006), alumnus and adjunct faculty Chris Harman (2012), and alumnus Jack Ramunni (2012) all received funding.

Two CCAD artists were also selected for GCAC’s Dresden Residency Program; read more here.

The exhibition includes the work of 22 artists and will be shown in two different locations. Part of the exhibit will be at the Aggregate Space in Oakland, CA, running through Oct. 20, and the other part will be at the Red Poppy Art House in San Francisco, running through Nov. 10.

OFF Space describes itself as a gallery without walls, a nomadic venture exploring real-world site-specificity. Their aim is to raise the level of public discourse around contemporary art by staging aesthetically engaging and thought-provoking exhibitions in traditional and nontraditional spaces.

Alumnus Aaron Roberts’ poster design for the Columbus Food & Wine Affair

The Columbus Food & Wine Affair is set to take place this Friday, and once again its collector-worthy poster is a product of CCAD talent.

Aaron Roberts (CCAD 2012) earned first place in the annual class design project for the event while he was still a senior in Advertising & Graphic Design.

For the class project, students were told the dimensions of the poster and how it would be displayed. They were told the poster had to appeal in both color and black and white, represent food and wine equally, and have an international and contemporary flair.

“It is absolutely amazing to see what these young artists can do,” said Bob Himes, president of the Central Ohio Restaurant Association Foundation. “We benefit from their concepts and ideas, and they benefit by getting a feel for what it’s like to work with clients.”

Roberts was awarded a cash prize and CCAD received a contribution from the Columbus Food & Wine Affair to the CCAD Scholarship Fund.

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Stefan Doke (CCAD 2012) was awarded second place in the competition, and honorable mentions were given to Advertising & Graphic Design alumni Andrea Hager (CCAD 2012), Chavilah Bennett (CCAD 2012), and Christopher Olvis (CCAD 2012).

The Columbus Food & Wine Affair draws more than 1,000 people and showcases food from local Columbus restaurants and more than 350 wines from around the world. The event will take place Sept. 21 at the Franklin Park Conservatory.

Classnotes, September 2012 Issue

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but because 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 June, July, and August 2012.

John Schaffner ’60 and J. Luray Schaffner ’62 both exhibited their work at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center in Solomons, MD. Read more here.

Elena Osterwalder ’76 showed work in Celebrating UA, an exhibition at the Concourse Gallery in Upper Arlington, OH. Read more here.

Joe Howard ’72 had his piece Stone, Steel and Wood chosen for the permanent Western Art Collection of the Pearce Museum at Navarro College in Corsicana, TX. Read more here.

Jeff Stahler ’77 was interviewed in The Illustrator’s Market. Read more here.

Tim Bowers ’79 illustrated Dinosaur Pet, which climbed the best-seller lists. Read more here.

David Groff ’79 received gold and bronze awards in the 29^th annual Aster Awards for his illustrations in a hospital calendar.

Marty Husted ’79, Mark Thomas ’90, and Heather Nibert ’12 are each participating in a public arts project in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Laura Sanders ’88, Sarah Fairchild ’94, Chris Rankin ’94, Adam Brouillette ’02,  Anne Holman ’02, Lauren Mudd ’04,  and Boryana Rusenova Ina ’06, participated in Art for the Environment, a silent auction benefiting the Ohio Environmental Council. Read more here.

Kaname Takada ’89, William Shearrow ’97,  and Michael Bonardi ’04 are featured in a group exhibition at the  Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, OH. Read more here.

Peter Wachtel ’90 is now selling his product STAKE, an all-in-one BBQ tool, via Quirky, Target, Fab, and ThinkGeek. Read more here.

James Alicea ’92 organized a fundraiser for the victims of the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan, involving artists from Japan and New York. Read more here.

Laurie Brown ’94 showed her work in a group exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD. Read more here.

Chad Hunt ’94 spent time training with a U.S. Special Operations Command team, and his resulting photographs were featured in an issue of Popular Mechanics. Read more here.

Chris Rankin ’94 exhibited his work in two Columbus, OH, venues this summer. Read more here.

David Hartman ’95 is a supervising director for the show Transformers: Prime, which won a 2012 Daytime Emmy®. Read more here.

Jason Goad ’96 has partnered on projects for some big-name brands and projects, including Mattel’s Hot Wheels. Read more here.

John Urbano ’96 released a limited edition photography book and directed a music video for British pop band One Direction that has been nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. Read more here.

Nathaniel Galka ’98 had work in the exhibition The Birds and Bees. Read more here.

Mike Hein ’98 exhibited his work at Mulherin + Pollard gallery in New York City. Read more here.

Dan Scanlon ’98 was featured in the LA Times for his upcoming directorial debut on Pixar’s Monsters University. Read more here.

Michael Phillips ’99 was profiled in All4You, a contemporary culture magazine based in Croatia. Read more here.

Clint Davidson ’00 worked on a mural for a public park in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Olga Ziemska ’00 installed a sculpture at the Columbus State Community College (CSCC) main library.  Read more here.

Adam Brouillette ’02, Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski ’02, and Corey Aumiller ’06 are participating in the Columbus Arts Pop-Up Project (CAP-UP), a public art project. Read more here.

Carl Bork ’03 exhibited his paintings at the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida, CO. Read more here.

Sarah DeAngulo Hout ’04 worked on a mural that is now in the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Read more here.

Michael Lai ’04 presented as a special guest for the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts in Columbus, OH. Read more here

Jill Raymundo ’04 exhibited her work in the City Center Gallery of the OSU Urban Arts Space in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Manjari Sharma ’04 was featured in the Huffington Post’s iPad issue for her photography project Darshan. Read more here.

Corey Aumiller ’06 worked on a video project featuring CCAD President Denny Griffith. Read more here.

Martina Nikova ’07 had a solo exhibition at the Ohio Art League in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Greg Beck ’09 helped start Longstride, a creative marketing company in Columbus, OH, that was featured in a local business journal. Read more here.

John Malta ’10 received a grant from the Xeric Foundation to self-publish his comic book The Professor and the Paperboy. Read more here.

Kartika Mediani ’10 showed her film The Box at the 2012 Comic-Con’s San Diego International Children’s Film Festival in California. Read more here.

Kerry Kunze ’11 displayed her work at ZenClay Gallery in Morgantown, WV. Read more here.

Rachel Cass ’12 was featured in Easton Town Center’s 2012 directory after being awarded Easton’s Fashion Design Award. Read more here.

Kathryn Chamberlin ’12 became the graphic designer at Origo Branding Company in downtown Columbus, OH.

Alex Conrad ’12 showed his work in a national MFA competition. Read more here.

Brianne Schulze ’12 earned a goldsmithery apprenticeship at the Diamond Cellar in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Christopher Olvis and Michiella Sturiano hold their winning umbrella design for Easton Town Center

Easton Town Center in Columbus, OH, offers a perk for visitors and shoppers when the clouds turn grey: a courtesy umbrella. This year the design is brand new thanks to Advertising & Graphic Design students at the Columbus College of Art & Design.

Easton hosts nearly 21 million visitors a year and orders 8,000 umbrellas a year for those customers to use—so when Steiner & Associates, the managing company of Easton, approached CCAD Advertising & Graphic Design classes with this project, the students were beyond excited.

Students had to not only create a design that incorporated Easton’s current brand theme and colors, but also work on an umbrella stand, follow a strict budget, deal with storage issues, consider guidelines for the arc, panels, and handle for the umbrella, and create a communication plan, all within an eight-week time frame.

A group of Easton staff members chose the winning design team, which included then-seniors Christopher Olvis and Jacob Graham and junior Michiella Sturiano.

Their design features a nature-themed pattern including snowflakes, autumn leaves, and tree branches all on the color blue that Easton uses as a brand color.

Easton Town Center is one of several community clients that CCAD has recently partnered with. Others include The Central Ohio Transit Authority, the State of Ohio’s Governor’s office, ScottsMiracleGro Company, and Nationwide Insurance.

Screenshot from Elena Harvey Collins’ film “When They’re Gone, They’re Gone”

MFA alumna Elena Harvey Collins’ film “When They’re Gone, They’re Gone” is playing at Roy G Biv gallery this month and opened during September’s Gallery Hop, a monthly art event in the Short North, Columbus’ arts district.

The film is a narrative of abandoned parking lots and shopping plazas across the city. The 2012 graduate moved to Ohio five years ago from London, England, and decided to pursue this project after being shocked by the amount of unused, deserted space in Columbus.

“It’s a profoundly different landscape,” Harvey-Collins said in a Columbus Alive interview. “To see these spaces that are devalued to the point they’re not even for sale, they’re just left, they’re like monuments. I became really interested in finding out more about those spaces.”

Collins spent six months and many hours filming the happenings in these empty locations and captured anything from driving lessons to trash blowing in the wind. The film will be on display until Sept. 29 at Roy G Biv, 997 N. High St., Columbus, OH.

To read the full interview from Columbus Alive, click here.

Illustration alumna Marty Husted (CCAD 1979), Fine Arts alumna Heather Nibert (CCAD 2012), and Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Mark Thomas (CCAD 1990) are each participating in the project 10x10x10: 10 Murals, 10 Galleries, 10 Openings.

The alumni will each have one of their works photographed and transferred to vinyl, which will then be displayed on the sides of buildings in the Short North, the arts district in Columbus. These mini murals will be up for a year.

Husted’s Shadows Extending will be outside the Studios on High Gallery at 1081 N. High St., Nibert’s Fields of Columbus will be outside Terra Gallery at 608 N. High St., and Thomas’ Neighborhood Scene will be outside Lindsay Gallery at 459 N. High St.

Stay up to date on announcements about this project and other public art programs at the Short North Arts District website.

Brianne Schulze, from her website

Being a goldsmith may not be the most obvious career choice for an Illustration major, but alumna Brianne Schulze (CCAD 2012) decided to follow that path and now holds a position as an apprentice at Diamond Cellar in Columbus, OH.

At the Diamond Cellar, Schulze is learning from the ground up, starting with the basics and focusing on precision and technique.

“I’ve been able to get a feel for different metals and how they act,” Schulze said. “I will soon be learning more of the bench work such as repairs, ring sizing, stone setting, and wax carving.”

“There is always something new to learn, and about a million and one ways to accomplish a certain task,” Schulze said. “This is one of the many things I find to be both exciting and challenging, and I’ve always been a sucker for a challenge.”

Schulze was completing her class requirements for an Illustration major when her interest was piqued by something she had no prior experience in, jewelry. During her junior year, she took a beginning jewelry/small-scale metals class, and from there her career path took on its new direction.

“Prior to this class, I knew absolutely nothing about soldering, annealing, riveting, or just about working with metal in general,” Schulze said. “It was also my first sculpture class, and it opened an entire new outlet for me.”

Ring designed by Schulze

Her class with professor Kelly Malec-Kosak taught her not only the techniques needed to work with jewelry and metal, but also how to approach problems with a “fearless mindset.”

Schulze pushed herself to do as much as she could with the time that she had at CCAD. She was the chair of CCAD’s annual Art of Illustration Show and was also the lead work study assistant in the Illustration department’s office.

Professor Stewart McKissick chose Schulze for that position not only for her talents, but also for her maturity, self-discipline, communication, and leadership.

“By taking full advantage of the many opportunities that the college offers for creative individuals to explore, Brianne was able to grow beyond the usual notions of what people might initially think of as an Illustration major,” McKissick said.

“I really just wanted to take advantage of as many learning opportunities as I possibly could while at CCAD,” Schulze said. “The closer I got to my senior year, the more classes I wanted to take because I knew I wouldn’t have an opportunity like this again.”

Schulze’s career path does not end here; she hopes to one day become a designer for Diamond Cellar.

Cass (left) walking down the CCAD Senior Fashion Show runway with one of her models.

Easton Town Center, located in Columbus, OH, recently printed and distributed their 2012 directory, which features Fashion Design alumna Rachel Cass (CCAD 2012).

Earlier this year, Easton Town Center awarded Cass their inaugural 2012 Fashion Design Award. In addition to the trophy and cash prize, the award included prominent placement in the Center’s directory, which includes two models on the front cover wearing Cass’ original designs and Cass on the back cover holding her award.

The Easton Fashion Award was created as a partnership between CCAD and Easton Town Center.

Cass received the award and showed her senior work in the 2012 Senior Fashion Show at CCAD.

“[My line] is somewhere between lingerie, lounge, and ready-to-wear,” Cass told the CCAD Fashion Show blog. “These designs create a true mix-and-match collection, which allow you to feel sexy, sophisticated, and comfortable.”

Cass was also named by the Fashion Design faculty as one of the 2012 CCAD Outstanding Seniors.

Alex Conrad with his work

MFA alumnus Alex Conrad (CCAD 2012) will be showing his work in the First Street Gallery’s 2012 MFA National Competition in New York City.

The annual exhibition is open exclusively to MFA students throughout the United States. Juried by John Yau, art critic, poet, and professor at Rutgers University, the exhibition features paintings, drawings, prints, mixed media, and sculpture.

Conrad’s final thesis project involved embedding X-ray and MRI films in resin. Inspiration was pulled from his childhood. His father was a radiologist, and when he was on call Conrad would often play with his X-ray films and their backlighting.

Kayane Kouzoujian in her studio

The end of spring is always an exciting time around CCAD’s campus. Although we have to say farewell to another group of graduating students, we also get to welcome them all into our talented group of alumni.

This year, there was something different about our new alumni, a new breed you could say; we had the first students graduate from our multidisciplinary MFA program.

Our 11 candidates came from all over—some local, some out of state, and some international.

Kayane Kouzoujian traveled the farthest to attend CCAD, coming from her home of Qatar in the Middle East. She was able to not only enhance her artistic skills, but also experience a completely different culture.

Elena Harvey Collins in her studio

“I am surrounded by people who are not only practicing, but living art,” Kouzoujian said. “This program exceeded all expectations. I was able to have creative freedom with my work and really prove to myself that I can do anything.”

For her final thesis, Kouzoujian compiled a video piece that broke down memories and other moments in her life into short narratives.

Elena Harvey Collins did not travel as far, but she had specific reasons for choosing CCAD.

“I came to CCAD because I wanted and needed to be able to work on a wide range of projects and mediums,” Harvey Collins said. “I liked the multidisciplinary element. I had no limitations, and this group has been very supportive. I have two kids and the program understood that; I was able to have a comfortable and safe environment for them and a flexible program for me.”

Nicole Crock in her studio

Like Kouzoujian, Harvey Collins also made a video installation. She documented everyday occurrences in an abandoned parking lot—everything from driving lessons to trash blowing in the wind.

During her time at CCAD, Harvey Collins taught an honors course on art and social practice. She is now applying for residences, fellowships, and exhibitions.

“I just want to get out and continue to learn and teach,” she said.

Nicole Crock pulls her inspiration from moving around a lot during her childhood, having never experienced the feeling of having permanent roots.

Nathan Gorgen working in his studio

“I gained a lot of confidence during my time here,” Crock said. “Art is a way of communicating an idea and I was able to voice my ideas here at CCAD and really grow as an artist.”

Crock works in a range of mediums, so the multidisciplinary aspect of the program was key to her completing her MFA.

“All of us in the program worked very closely with one another, and we were able to pull knowledge not only from our professors, but also each other,” Crock said.

She plans to stay in Columbus for the time being and wants to focus on being a full-time artist, finding studio space, and enjoying the city.

Nathan Gorgen was unsure about Columbus and what the artistic environment would consist of outside CCAD. Having lived in lively cities such as New York and Baltimore, he was used to the constant creative energy in a bustling city. He decided to study at CCAD and see what Columbus had in store—and he was impressed.

Cosby Lindquist in front of his work

“The Short North area and everything around here is focused toward the creative community, and CCAD is somewhat the epicenter of it all,” Gorgen said. “The support you have throughout this program is truly amazing. I was able to tackle ambitious projects and get a better conceptual understanding of art.”

For his final thesis, Gorgen completed an installation structure that demonstrates his combined interests in architecture and painting.

Cosby Lindquist’s final thesis project was a series of collages that wove together landscape images of Columbus and New Mexico, where he plans to move after graduation.

“Over the summer I will be teaching art classes to children at the Fuller Lodge Art Center in Los Alamos,” Lindquist said. “I will then look for adjunct teaching positions and galleries to show my work—it’s a very exciting time.”

Lindquist told himself throughout the program that he would not limit himself. He knew he had to take risks and possibly make mistakes in order to break out of his comfort zone and make the most of his MFA experience.

Woodrow Hinton III

Lindquist wasn’t the only one who thought big when it came to the program. Being part of the first graduating MFA class, Chris Harman, a Columbus native, knew he had to step it up.

“I liked being the first of this program; we set the bar high and I think that was our job,” Harman said. “We were supposed to be an example of the best artist that CCAD can produce, and I think we did that.”

Harman embraced the multidisciplinary nature of the program in his thesis project, in which he combined his glasswork with a social experiment. Glass vases and bowls were displayed in rows. Harman invited gallery visitors to step up on a podium and smash one with a gold hammer, all while being filmed.

“I really want to see how many heartstrings I can pull before one snaps,” he said. “Is the art the act of smashing the glass or the result of smashing it? That is something I want to explore and answer.”

Woodrow Hinton III agrees, believing that the overall question that an artist is always trying to answer “what is art?”

“I really enjoyed not only working alongside my peers, but also learning a lot from them and showing them my art skills and illustration niche,” Hinton said.

Amanda Rouse in her studio

His final project was a graphic novel he wrote and illustrated based on Shakespeare’s play As You Like It.

“I was able to learn so much during my time here,” Hinton said. “Even though my final thesis didn’t incorporate screen printing or photography, like my classmates, I enjoyed spending time and learning alongside them. There is something to say about a learning environment when you are with artists and people who have the same interests and passions and help drive you to succeed.”

Amanda Rouse spent her time at CCAD fine-tuning her work in printmaking.

Crystal Tursich in her studio

“I actually heard about CCAD while studying abroad in Italy,” Rouse said. “A couple of my friends had either visited or attended here, and I loved the entrepreneurial aspect of the school. I wanted to step up my skills and not only focus on my work, but teach and really get involved with pumping up my resume.”

Rouse will be venturing off to the west coast after graduation, planning to teach and continue her own work—and eventually hoping to open her own printmaking shop.

Crystal Tursich focused on photography for her final thesis, exploring the emotions that she has dealt with as a result of growing up as the child of an alcoholic.

“The biggest reason I chose CCAD was so I could be a part of this new MFA class,” Tursich said. “It is something to say when you can be the first of something as great as this, and you can come in on a clean slate and help build the program.”

Virginia Kistler in front of her installation

Tursich’s time here in Columbus left an impact, and she plans to stay in the city for a while, ultimately wanting to teach at the collegiate level.

Virginia Kistler has lived in Columbus for the last 13 years, and her final thesis project reflected her time in Columbus quite literally.

Kistler’s project was centered around a light impression taken of Columbus that she expanded into a large installation piece.

Alex Conrad in front of his final thesis project

“I liked that the program at CCAD was project based, and I had an overall good vibe about my decision when I came and visited campus,” Kistler said. “During my time here I was able to get a better understanding of where I would like my work to go and develop a more contemporary feel to it.”

Inspiration can also be pulled from childhood memories, as in Alex Conrad’s case. His father was a radiologist, so Conrad would often play with X-rays and their backlighting while his father was on call. For his final project he took X-rays and MRIs of himself and embedded them in resin.

“I not only got to focus solely on my work while here, but I also was able to fine-tune how to talk, present, and write about my work, which are all important aspects in becoming a successful artist,” Conrad said.

As our new MFA graduates join the already strong group of CCAD alumni, we know they will be heading in different directions—but what will always tie them together is that CCAD was a key part of their artistic journey.

Longstride logo

There’s a new creative company in Columbus named after the legend of Robin Hood. Longstride has tapped CCAD talent and was recently featured in a Business First article

The company was launched in January 2012 by Anthony Trimpe, who was shortly joined by friend and Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Greg Beck (CCAD 2009). Anthony’s brother, Alex Trimpe, who is a senior at CCAD, works with the team on a contract basis, as does CCAD faculty Andrew Ina.

“It was much less of an epiphany and more like a natural evolution on what we could do with our skill set,” Beck said in the article. “It was a shared passion.”

The team has worked with nonprofit organizations including the Capital Area Humane Society, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and Flying Horse Farms. Their services range from brand imagery and website work to videography and guerrilla marketing tactics.

“This is what I have been craving all this time,” Beck said. “Creative talents put to good use—for the benefit of others.”

They’ve kept costs low by working out of their homes and hiring freelancers as needed. They haven’t overlooked plans for expansion though. According to the article, they believe their 2012 revenue will reach $150,000, and they hope to hire a few full-time staff members.

“We know these types of [clients] don’t have deep pockets, but we believe they deserve the same top talent [as for-profit companies can afford],” Anthony said.

To learn more about the company and its work, click here.

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.

Congratulations Graduates!

More than 200 Columbus College of Art & Design students graced the stage of the historic Ohio Theatre to receive their diplomas on Saturday, May 12, 2012. The 133^rd annual spring commencement, in downtown Columbus, included an address by commencement speaker Mark Kvamme of JobsOhio.

The ceremony awarded four honorary degrees including, Beverly Bethge founder and creative officer of Ologie, Richard Aschenbrand dean of Visual Communications, Carl Garant dean of Industrial and Interior Design, and Edward Lathy dean of Liberal Arts.

Robert P Restrepo Jr., vice chair of CCAD’s board of trustees; President Dennison W. Griffith; Kevin J. Conlon, vice president for academic affairs, and Ric Petry, director of graduate studies and professor; conferred 11 master of fine arts degrees. Restrepo, Griffith, Conlon, and Faculty Council President and Professor Tim Rietenbach conferred 228 bachelor of fine arts degrees.

The students returned the recognition giving a standing ovation to all faculty and staff that assisted them along their journey. President Dennison W. Griffith gave the students a farewell message that earned a spontaneous round of applause when he encouraged graduates to be nuanced, and spread love in the world.

Family and friends greet the class of 2012 after commencement.

The 2012 class valedictorian is Industrial Design major Joel Van Gilder and the college honored the following 10 students with the distinction of Outstanding Senior in their area of study.

Kattie Baker, Advertising & Graphic Design

Chavilah Bennett, Advertising & Graphic Design

Rachel Cass, Fashion Design

Sara Diesel, Illustration

Lian Dziura, Photography

Christopher Ryan Evans, Media Studies

Leah Fisher, Photography

Jake LaBombarbe, Industrial Design

Sarah McCance, Interior Design

Erin McKenna, Fine Arts

Check out photos from commencement and more on the CCAD Alumni facebook page.

President Denny Griffith with the 2012 Senior Gift Committee

When searching for a gift to leave behind to the college, the 2012 Senior Class Gift Committee decided to start from what everyone of its peers does best, their art.

The committee decided to complete a project called Epilogue. Their members collected works from their fellow students and silent auctioned them at the CCAD Spring Art Sale. All of the proceeds were then donated to the CCAD scholarship fund.

At the senior picnic, hosted by President Denny Griffith, Chavilah Bennett, the chair of the committee, and fellow Senior Class Gift committee members presented a class banner to President Griffith to represent their gift. Signed by the members of the class of 2012 and featuring the class’s slogan (go amaze), the banner will hang at all of the group’s future alumni gatherings.

“Not only is this a representation of our gift, but it is also a signed promise to keep in touch with our peers and with the school,” Bennett said.

“I repeat this message a lot, but donating to the scholarship fund is vital for our creative community,” Griffith said. He asked students to raise their hands if they received a scholarship and look around. The students were able to see, that the majority of students in attendance received support from previous donations.

The 2012 Senior Gift Committee included, Sean Gorant (Advertising & Graphic Design), Natelise Loeb (Advertising & Graphic Design and Illustration), Aaron Roberts (Advertising & Graphic Design) Mark St. Romain (Advertising & Graphic Design), Nicky Smith (Advertising & Graphic Design), and Dion Utt (Fine Arts)

The 2012 graduating class will be accepting their diplomas on May 12 at the Ohio Theatre, and from there on they will truly go and amaze!

Getting ready for the show to start.

9 p.m.

This place is packed. There was another party in the tent for our general admission ticket holders thanks to Union Café and now the two happy crowds are merging—there are approximately 800 people packed into this tent ready to be delighted and excited.

I got here just in time. Fortunately there was a fabulous video running while I got set up.

Andrea  Cambern is already on stage—stunning per usual—and she’s introducing Arlene and Michael Weiss (representing runway sponsor EXPRESS) who will officially get this party started with a classic ribbon cutting (apropos, no?).

Opening the show.

As Andrea begins to thank our generous sponsors, I can see people flipping through their lookbooks, which were printed by Baesman and sponsored by Abercrombie &  Fitch (I’m not sure what the model  on the back cover ad is selling, but I’ll take two). FYI: Click here to find out more about the lookbook and other student-generated visuals for the show.

The music is rising, the tempo is picking up and… here we go.

Up first is Joella Stallard’s collection. Lovely.

We had a smaller senior Fashion Design class this year, but we still have more than 50 looks coming down the runway tonight. This year the designers presented more garments for jurying and some have as many as five or six looks in the show.

Once again, each designer is as unique as the collection she brings to the show (yes, our senior designers this year are all women). If you get a chance, check out their individual interviews and learn how they were inspired to develop these beautiful pieces.

Unfortunately I was not lucky enough to sit down with each designer to do the individual interviews this year (sometimes delegating sucks).  So I’m going to turn this blog post over to Kristen Foley for her take on what is coming down the runway vs what she saw in development during the last six months. Take it from here Kristen…

As I learned during my interview with Joella, she normally gravitates towards simple, tailored pieces; however, as her designs hit the runway they were anything but simple. The free flowing and airy fabrics moved with the model with every step. The pleats that were originally daunting, are now beyond divine as they get instant applause from the crowd.

Next up, Jennifer Tang. Jennifer set out to create movement, flow, and a color palette that matched her artistic muses and she certainly achieved that with her look tonight. Feathered dusty rose chiffon never looked as good as it does tonight.

There is sincere natural and organic element to Michele Watson’s designs. The barefoot models and their foot or toe jewelry only add to the ethnic element that Michele wanted to achieve. Michele was one of the first people who I spoke with and it’s exciting to see her entire collection come together and how each of the printed fabrics work together cohesively on stage.

The art of theater was always something that Tasha Naneth Bolten was drawn to as a child, and her collection is certainly not short on theatrics. A touch of the past mixed with the new is showcased perfectly in her final pieces. Adding a bit of extra drama to the evening are her handmade headpieces. Love the feather. Love the hat.

Next up is Amanda Mae Smith’s collection. Amanda’s goal was to take on big patterns, geometric, and animal shapes, and try to include natural fabrics whenever possible. She succeed. The unique “burnout” technique she used on several of her garments shows well on the runway. The elephant  burnout dress that I saw as a long dress in the classroom is now above-the-knee and worn with booted moccasins. It is somewhat tribal in nature, but still supreme high fashion.

Kristin Rose was the only designer to take on menswear this year. The models strut on the stage and give the audience a full view of the smokin’ wool coats she created. Baby, it’s getting’ hot in here! Rustic with a designer’s edge. Perfect for the guy going hunting on the town.

Wow, we’re already at the halfway point of the show and the crowd is loving every minute of it as Skyler Riggins’ piece takes the stage. The high-waisted pants and shimmering top are remarkable. You can see the detail on stage as the light hits it. It truly is a stand out piece.

Alyssa Johnson was another designer who took it upon herself to trademark her pieces, but this time with silk screening organic shapes onto the fabrics. The music starts a rock beat that perfectly compliments the collection. Her bold accessories show her unique attention to detail and the geometric shape.

A shimmer of sequins blinds us for a second as Rachel Cass’ collection takes the stage. Her collection of lingerie inspired ready-to-wear pieces add an extra couture edge to the evening. The sheer tops complimented by the comfy lounge jackets receive yet another round of applause.

Just knowing all the hard work each designer had to do to make these pieces even appear on stage makes the show that much more enjoyable. Only a few more collections to go!

Although Sarah Pruden described her piece as a little bit goth and girly, it’s really a whole lot of fun and flirty, especially when the model showcases one of the ruffles of the dress.

Julia Ruan’s pieces are like nothing we’ve seen yet. The bold colors precede the unique and powerful designs. Oversized sleeves and fun patterns speak loudly from the stage. The models hair is even dyed to match her designs.

A little surprise for the evening as Annika Simmons collection makes its appearance and the show’s youngest models take the stage. Little bits of pinks and pale greens and a whole lot of childlike wonder full of curtseys and crinoline.

Tasha Dircksen’s collection can be summed up as supreme glam. The fabrics are smooth and shiny with just enough shimmer and form to compliment the female models. Each are complimented by the handmade silver jewelry she created specifically for the show.

Seeing Shirley Weng’s ribbon infused collection onstage in its final form is a thrill. I had the opportunity to watch her as she first starting weaving the ribbons together and now the dress is strutting down the runway. What a rush.

It’s hard to believe but we’re on the last student collection. Rachel Kaplan’s jaw-dropping 1940s inspired evening gowns and pantsuits simply glow, even before the runway light hits them. Gold sequins are showcased through most of the pieces except for the rich, low-cut red dress that unites them all.

Thanks Kristen!

The applause is mind blowing, rightly so. And now the designers are coming down the runway with one of their models for their much-deserved kudos and flowers from Fashion Design Chair Suzanne Cotton (I love that she does that).

And, in return the students take to the stage one more time and are now handing Ms. Cotton a bouquet.

Oh, hello, we are not being told to leave… ah this must be the Easton Fashion Award.

And, Easton Town Center is presenting it to… OUTSTANDING SENIOR RACHEL CASS! AWESOME. What a fantastic way to cap the show.

I can hear a new high-octane beat thumping in the building next door as DJ Rainer gets the dance party started.

Hmmmm I’ve still got a little work to do.

Joel during the 2012 Directions

Joel VanGilder, an Industrial Design major, has been named the valedictorian for CCAD’s graduating class of 2012. VanGilder will be honored during the commencement ceremony Saturday, May 12, at the Ohio Theatre.

VanGilder came to CCAD after establishing himself as a professional photographer in New York. He originally received a degree from The Ohio State University in photography. After coming into contact with the field of industrial design he decided to make a career change and chose CCAD to help pursue his new creative path.

During his time at CCAD Van Gilder worked in the CCAD Design Group, was a creative intern at SBC Advertising and a designer at Proctor & Gamble, and secured a full-time position as the in-house designer at Worthington Cylinders. He is also a member of IDSA (The Industrial Designers Society of America).

Christopher Ryan Evans, 2012 Outstanding Senior

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Seniors for their divisions.  Today, we conclude our 10-part Outstanding Senior series with Media Studies major Christopher Ryan Evans.

Q) What was your proudest achievement while at CCAD?

A) My final project. I am doing a stop-motion film, and it combines everything that I have learned from the structure of the story from start to finish to learning what drives a plot. It showed me that the basics and fundamentals you learn are important, including color concept, painting, drawing…everything.

Q) What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

A) Getting stuff done on time. I always try to push the envelope and take on more then I should. I like to step out of the safe zone, and I had to learn to balance what I am supposed to be learning with challenging myself, which sometimes made deadlines difficult.

Q) What are your plans after graduation?

A) I want to work in the movie industry. This may mean I need to weasel myself from camera operator on up, but I know that’s the direction I want to go. I have been looking at motion a design firm in Columbus, and there are a couple areas in North Carolina I may go. Going to grad school at USC is also on my radar, so we’ll see.

Q) What’s your ultimate dream job or goal?

A) Directing and making my own movies and being paid for my own creative work.

Q) Why is it important as an alumnus to give back to CCAD?

A) This school is responsible for so much talent, and it really guides every student coming in here. I think that it should be a cornerstone of everyone’s career, and it is important to give back to the CCAD family to show that.

Q) Do you remember a single point that made you sit back and say, “This is why I am doing this?”

A) When everything is done—when you finally finish a project or meet a deadline. It’s also when you work on a project and you realize that you are applying exactly what you learned in class or in your foundation year; when you look at the results and you see everything coming together, that is definitely an ‘I nailed it’ moment.

Q) What smell, word, or whatever will always remind you of your time as a student?

A) Paint, I just envision all the paint in front of me at the studios.

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) The drawing and painting. I’ll miss having all the materials sitting right in front of me and readily available.

Q) If you can describe what graduating feels like in one word or sentence what would it be?

A) The first step.

Q) What was your favorite class at CCAD?

A) My drawing classes, especially with Doug Norman and Djahangir Pirasteh. They were the first people when I came here who were really inspirational to me. They brought me to where I want to be in those skills, and they taught their classes very professionally. There was no doodling with them.

Q) What did you like to do during your free time?

A) I like to spend a lot of time outdoors, and of course movies, movies, movies, movies like crazy.

Q) What is your fondest memory at CCAD?

A) Getting parking tickets—I know that’s not the fondest, but it is something I’ll remember. My first semester here I didn’t want to buy a parking pass, thinking I wouldn’t get tickets, but I did (laughs).

Q) What would you change about your undergraduate career?

A) I wish I would have found out which major and niche I wanted to pursue quicker. I didn’t know if I wanted to aim toward animation, storyboarding, or what.

Q) What is your advice to future CCAD students?

A) Find a group of friends who are focused and driven and stick with them, they will help you accomplish a lot.

2012 Outstanding Senior Jake LaBombarbe

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Senior for their divisions. Today, in part nine of our 10-part series, meet Industrial Design major Jake LaBombarbe.

Q) What was your proudest achievement while at CCAD?

A) I have a lot of moments and awards I am proud of. Other then this award it would probably be my current internship at Concept Engineering; I got that based on reputation alone. Another proud moment was placing in the Akro-Mils competition. That design competition was the first time I was able to push more than one idea at a time, and it was the first time I was paid to do Industrial Design. Both of my proposals for the competition were based on shelving designs—one was at a 30-degree angle so you could see what would be placed on the shelf, and the other was the style of a garage door, where you could pull down and cover the shelving racks when needed.

Q) What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

A) I was scared before I even got here. I was studying sculpture at the University of Toledo and I was 25 hours away from graduation when I decided to come to CCAD. My whole purpose studying at Toledo was so I could build my portfolio to apply to art school and study Industrial Design. I chose CCAD because of their partnership with Hasbro and their great reputation, but it was definitely intimidating to come here.

Q) What are your plans after graduation?

A) I just got an amazing job offer that I am really excited about. I can’t share the details now since all the paperwork needs to be signed, but it has been killing me trying to keep it a secret.

Q) What’s your ultimate dream job or goal?

A) I want to go back and get my master’s, which I will probably work on while I am working full time. Having the teachers that I had here at CCAD convinced me that I would love to be able to teach Industrial Design down the road. I loved being able to help freshmen and sophomores when I was a senior. They had these itty-bitty parts, and I was able to help them flesh out a large project and fully developed idea. I would also love to be able to freelance toy designs, that is a hobby of mine.

Q) Why is it important as an alumnus to give back to CCAD?

A) The amount of help given to me during my time here makes me feel obligated, and I want to give back. I got a lot of financial help and assistance from the faculty as a student, and I want to extend that help to future students. The school was also there for me emotionally during my sister’s passing; they allowed me to take off a semester and come back right where I left. The school has made such an impact in my life that I want to come back and help do the same for someone else.

Q) Do you remember a single point that made you sit back and say, “This is why I am doing this?”

A) It was during one of my final projects, which is actually the centerpiece of my portfolio. I designed a web camera called the “Wubbagoo.” It is a small figurine of a guy whose eye is a webcam, and he is holding a magnifying glass up to his eye. It seemed like all the factors for that project came together smoothly. I realized I was good at this and I needed to keep doing it.

Q) What smell, word, or whatever will always remind you of your time as a student?

A) The smell of Bondo. The smell of Bondo equals the smell of Industrial Design.

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) My classmates. I made some great friends while here and I know we will all keep in touch. They say that when you are in Industrial Design your classmates will be your competition, but it never felt like that. Everyone had their highs and lows, and everyone was also there for each other. It is a really tight group of people.

LaBombarbe's "Wubbagoo" webcam design

Q) If you can describe what graduating feels like in one word or sentence what would it be?

A) Relief.

Q) What was your favorite class at CCAD?

A) Structural Design with Justin Martini. The class used to be a required foundation course, and he would teach you the meticulous details of design. You would sit there with rulers, paper, and pencil, and he would say to you, “you will probably never do this again in Industrial Design and will do everything with FreeHand [software], but you need to know the foundations of what you are studying.” He was the first teacher that really left a permanent mark on me. I still pop into his classroom to ask him how he is doing.

Q) What did you like to do during your free time?

A) I enjoy cooking. I was actually a chef for close to 10 years before coming to CCAD. I went the Anthony Bourdain route and worked as a dishwasher and worked my way up to head of kitchen. My fiance Stacey and I love to go out and do different things when our schedules permit it. But I love everything about Industrial Design—I will often design and do my own personal artwork when I have time.

Q) What is your fondest memory at CCAD?

A) At the end of last semester my classmates and I all went out to Tip Top to celebrate. It was the first time everyone in Industrial Design came out, and we took up multiple tables. It was a nice, family kind of feeling to be surrounded by these people and relax.

Q) What would you change about your undergraduate career?

A) I would have finished my degree at Toledo before coming here. I was in such a rush to get started, but I missed the opportunity to have two bachelor’s degrees.

Q) What is your advice to future CCAD students?

A) When you become a senior, remember where you were as a sophomore. I help out whenever I can, and I think it is important to pay it back. Pay back all the advice and help you received when you were starting out. Another important thing in life is to be yourself…unless you can be Batman, then be Batman.

2012 Outstanding Senior Sarah McCance

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Seniors for their divisions.  Today, in part eight of our 10-part Outstanding Senior series, meet Interior Design major Sarah McCance.

Q) What was your proudest achievement while at CCAD?

A) I never pulled an all-nighter. That was one of my goals I set for myself. Everyone says how you will be up all night working on projects, and I remember I went and told Martha Allison [CCAD chair of Interior Design] at the very beginning, my freshman or sophomore year, that I was never going to pull an all-nighter and she just wished me luck, and I did it. I actually went and told her [Martha Allison] when I finally finished my thesis project.

Another proud moment was finding out about being chosen as an Outstanding Senior. I was not expecting it at all, but it was really icing on the cake. I had just been offered a job, finished my thesis, got engaged, and then they told me about this!

Q) What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

A) The woodshop. As a freshman, I was cutting one of my 3D designs that had a really sharp edge with a band saw, which I later learned that you shouldn’t use for that type of cut. While I was cutting the blade snapped. Luckily I didn’t get hurt, but the noise and everything scared me. I am always scared to go in there now or use any power tools (laughs).

Q) What are your plans after graduation?

A) I got a job at Wilson Associates. I interned there the spring of my junior year and again this past summer. When I came back to CCAD [last fall] I emailed the architect that I worked with there monthly, and he would send me updates on the projects I worked on. He told me he would like me back after I graduated and sent me all the paperwork and everything, so I will be going back to Dallas when I graduate. I will be working with them on a contract basis and by the end of summer I will be on board full-time.

Q) What is your ultimate dream job or goal?

A) Working for Wilson Associates, so it’s great that I am already achieving that. Whenever you look at top-rated interior design firms, Wilson Associates is always at the top of the list.

Q) Why it is important as an alumna to continue to give back to CCAD?

A) I think it all goes back to wanting to duplicate your experience for the incoming students. I want to be able to keep in touch with faculty so I can, in turn, show students that it is possible to get a job and be successful after graduation. I also think alumni who live in the area should continue to visit the school, especially to offer their help with critiques and to speak with students.

Q) What smell, word, object or whatever will always remind you of your time at CCAD?

A) Hipster.

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) The Interior Design program and everyone in it. It’s a small, tight knit group of people. There are only 11 girls in my grade that are in the program, so we’re all close. I’ll remember us being in the computer lab until 4 a.m. working and listening to obnoxious music. One time we were so exhausted we got up and all did the Cha-Cha Slide. I think I will just miss that whole community and the closeness and support.

Q) Can you describe what graduating feels like in one word or sentence?

A) A relief, but also the cause of a lot of anxiety. I think it is a bunch of different emotions mixed together. We have been doing the same thing for the last four years, and now we are all moving onto something completely new, so it’s exciting and scary.

Q) What was your favorite class at CCAD?

History of Cinema. I was able to watch foreign movies, and it was nothing like any of my other Interior Design classes, so it was a nice break.

Q) What did you like to do during your free time?

A) I worked a lot. So when I wasn’t studying or working I liked to go to dinner with friends or have a night in with some girlfriends. We would go to one of our houses and watch a movie, cook dinner, drink wine. It was nice to just relax and do nothing since normally I am always busy.

Q) What is your fondest memory at CCAD?

A) Sophomore year, a couple close friends and I were all lying on this blanket studying for our history final. We were all so exhausted that we were hysterically laughing non-stop. I remember we thought everything was funny, and one of our teachers even brought us over a big bowl of M&Ms. It’s a great memory.

A) If you could, what would you change about your undergraduate career?

A) I would focus more during my junior year, I didn’t put 100% into a lot of the projects that I was working on, so I would go back and give those my full effort.

Q) What is your advice for future CCAD students?

A) I would tell them you’re an artist and a designer, and no one can take that away from you. They need to remember although there may be hard times, they are creatives, no matter what. I would also remind them to help out those who are younger than them. When I was a sophomore the seniors would help us out on projects that they did two years ago. I did the same my junior and senior years, andI think it is important to do that.

“The award recognizes the best painter of our 2012 graduating senior class,” Dean the School of Fine Arts Julie Taggert said. “This is the first year we have awarded this prize, and Taylor was chosen based on a faculty voting process.”

Chris Yates, associate professor of Fine Arts, worked with Hawkins during his senior thesis class and watched him as he made strides in both concept and execution.

“There is nothing more exciting for me as a teacher than to work with a student that is devoted to and passionate about their work—Taylor is such a student,” Yates said.

Hawkins will receive a cash prize, and his work will be displayed in SHOW: The 133^rd Annual Student Exhibition on campus. He was also a recent recipient of an AICUO Award for Excellence in Visual Art.

Leah Fisher, one of our 2012 Outstanding Seniors

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Seniors for their divisions. Today, in part seven of our 10-part Outstanding Senior series, we interviewed Photography major Leah Fisher.

Q) What was your proudest achievement while at CCAD?

A) My proudest moment would probably be my thesis show. I did a Drive-By Shooting series that was captured while my husband drove around and I would snap pictures out the window of the car. It was the first time I was able to show my work to campus, the students, faculty, and staff. It accumulated after a year’s worth of hard work, and it was great project that I continue to work on.

Q) What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

A) The foundation classes. They have this reputation for being really difficult, and when I would look at what students outputted from these classes it made me nervous and wonder if I would be able to do that well. The faculty was extremely helpful though in guiding students through the assignments and techniques.

Q) What are your plans after graduation?

A) I am going to continue working at the CCAD Packard Library. I work on archiving old photos that CCAD has and scanning them to help build our Flickr site. It has been a long process, but great to live through CCAD’s history and be able to make these pictures accessible to everyone. I want to be able to finish this project, and it’s nice because by working here, I also have time to work on my own projects and personal art.

Q) What is your ultimate dream job or goal?

A)I went from Columbus to San Francisco and back a few years ago, and I would love to do it again. I want to be able to take my time and drive out there, continuing my Drive-By Shooting project.

Q) Why is it important as an alumna to give back to CCAD?

A) I think it is really important to give back financially. If you have made it in your field based on the skills you learned at CCAD, you should give back to give another student the same opportunities that you received while here.

Q) Do you remember a single point that made you sit back and say, “This is why I am doing this?”

A) Working with Helen Hoffelt made me realize that. There is something to say when not only do you like your work, but other people, including faculty, have the same appreciation for it. Helen really pushed me to new limits and made my work really start to stand out and get noticed.

Q) What smell, word, object, or whatever will always remind you of your time at CCAD?

A) Think. Do.

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) I’ll miss the faculty. When you are here you have someone critiquing your work and pushing you in everything you do. They are tough, but in a positive, constructive way. I don’t know if we will have someone like that in the outside world to be the person to push the boundaries of what we are outputting.

Q) If you can describe what graduation feels like in one word or sentence what what would it be?

A) If feels long overdue. As a nontraditional student, I was working at this for 10 years. To finally graduate is a relief and the end to a great and long journey.

Q) What was your favorite class at CCAD?

A) My independent studies with Helen Hoffelt. I was able to complete two photo projects, once focusing on coal towns and another one on national parks. It was nice to be able to work in a structure similar to that of the real world: to work on my own and create what I wanted to create without strict guidelines.

Q) What did you like to do during your free time?

A) I keep working on my drive-by series. Every Sunday my husband and I drive around Columbus so I can photograph. It is a great for us to be able to spend time together and sometimes my brother comes with us. We are able to explore Columbus and all of its nooks and crannies. We have somewhat of a routine path, but we like to change the route every once in awhile depending on what I am able to capture and what I see that day.

Q) If you could go back to college what would you change?

A) I don’t have any regrets about my time here, but I would go back and work harder in some of my first photography classes. I treated those classes like beginner photo lessons, and I wish I would have just dived right in and started working on some more serious, thorough projects.

Q) What is your advice for future CCAD students?

A) Work really hard and don’t think and dwell to much on the assignments and guidelines you are given; instead just make art.

Outstanding Senior Rachel Cass

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Seniors for their divisions. Today, in part six of our 10-part Outstanding Senior series, meet Fashion Design major Rachel Cass.

Q) What was your proudest achievement while at CCAD?

A) Getting all six looks into the CCAD Senior Fashion Show. This year was a little different from past years. Each designer was able to complete six looks, and then [the looks] would be presented in front of a panel and judged to decide which would go into the show. I wanted to do as many as possible, and I am really proud of myself for getting them all in.

Q) What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

A) Probably the pressure to perform. I am from Columbus, and I knew that CCAD had an amazing and competitive reputation. It certainly lived up to that.

Q) What are your plans after graduation?

A) I am talking to a few companies now, so I hope to get an offer from one of them—I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Q) What’s your ultimate dream job or goal?

A) I would love to work for Urban Outfitters in Philly. That is one of the companies that I am talking to now, so it’s exciting. I went to Marietta College and got a degree in graphic design and worked at Anthropologie before coming to CCAD, so I have experience with their brand and style.

Q) Why is it important as an alumna to give back to CCAD?

A) I wouldn’t be here without the scholarships I received, and I think it is important, as an alumna, to continue to give back financially to the school to feed those scholarship programs and help other students study here.

Q) What smell, word, object, or whatever will always remind you of your time here as a student?

A) Coffee. I lived on coffee.

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) The people and the pressure. There is good and bad pressure here, and you have this constant weight of having to perform well, but I work well off of it, and it feeds my desire to do better and work harder.

Q) If you can describe what graduation feels like in one word or sentence what would it be?

A) Surreal. You work so hard for this for four years, and then all of a sudden it is here, and you wonder where it all went.

Q) What was your favorite class at CCAD?

Pattern making. Pattern making is the foundation of Fashion Design. You can be a great illustrator, but you have to know how to translate those illustrations into patterns so you can then create your work.

Q) What did you like to do during your free time?

A) I really didn’t have any free time, especially this last year with doing six looks for the show. When I did have a spare time though I would spend it sleeping and relaxing!

Q) What is your fondest memory at CCAD?

A) Working in the fashion labs with fellow students. We would have the music going and we would all be working together to get work done. It was nice because no matter how stressed we were we still made sure to have fun and be silly.

Q) If you could, what would you change about your undergraduate career?

A) Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything.

Q) What is your advice for future CCAD students?

A) Do not procrastinate. You just can’t do it here.

An early rendition

On May 11 Columbus College of Art & Design will open its annual student exhibition (the 133rd for those of you who are counting). This phenomena is a massive celebration of the best work of CCAD’s academic year.

Most of the art and design work in the show—representing the college’s graduate program and its nine undergraduate majors—is the result of thesis projects, contests, and class assignments. One project is simply a labor of love.

Each year students from the three-dimensional illustration class produce a crowd-pleasing piece that, while whimsical, is also masterful. This year’s creation is sure to be another attention getter—and its makers, who have spent the entire academic year building it, did so on their own time.

The colossal blood-sucking monster from a lost age

So what is this mysterious beast? Well, to call it a giant flea doesn’t really do justice to something the size of a compact car. It has been described as a “colossal blood-sucking monster from a lost age” and a “terrifying beast from a distant planet.” The beast isn’t alone; it will be ridden by a woman (presumably some type of warrior). When we asked her name, there was a quick scramble to come up with ideas—Fleaopatra seemed to stick.

You would think all this extracurricular work would just be added stress for a graduating senior, but Christopher Castorano says differently.

“This guy’s been keeping me sane,” explained the Illustration major with a smile.

The journey to build the beast and its rider began fall semester with Castorano and Illustration junior Tyler Crooks (both also work as Illustration lab techs). In spring they were joined by two juniors and fellow lab techs Henry Scott (Illustration) and Allison Cundiff (Animation). Leading the monster squad (and credited as the mastermind) is 3D Illustration Professor Mark Hazlerig.

“Mark’s been wanting to do this for 20 years,” explained Scott, who has known Hazlerig since Scott was first a student at CCAD in 2000. Scott left the college to join the military, returning to continue his studies after serving four tours.

The team will be working up until the last minute, bringing in one extra hand to help with the painting. At their most basic, the 3D pieces are constructed of blue foam and covered in latex. But, as with all good things, the process is much more complicated than that. (When we asked about construction, terms such as two-part foam, molding, and resins were bandied about). Anyone seeing the beast in person will appreciate the extraordinary level of detail, right down to the spindly little insect hairs.

Come see the colossal beast along with many other exquisite examples of art and design work from CCAD’s undergraduate and graduate programs. CCAD offers nine undergraduate majors, Advertising & Graphic Design, Animation, Cinematic Arts, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Photography; the graduate program is a multidisciplinary one called the MFA in Visual Arts: New Projects. THE SHOW: the 133rd Annual Student Exhibition opens Friday, May 11, at 4 p.m. and will be open through the summer.

The garment on the left is from Rachel Kaplan's collection, inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe and Umberto Boccioni. Chavilah Bennett used the fashion shoot photo to recontsruct a work of art inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe's painting “Red Canna."

When the music is pounding and the models are strutting down the runway—each bringing forth a delightful new surprise—it is easy to only see the fashion design talent at the CCAD Senior Fashion Show.

So, each year we like to take a moment and call attention to all of the other creative minds that make our extraordinary fundraiser such a memorable experience.

One piece in particular, the lookbook, lasts well beyond that one adrenaline-fueled night. CCAD students have always played a significant role in developing the book, but this year that role was increased. The book not only showcases the design talent of our fashion students, but it also showcases the talent of our photographers, graphic designers, fine artists, and illustrators—not just in its production but in the rich content seen on each page.

“The fashion designers took their inspiration from 2D and 3D artists. To showcase that inspiration, we took the idea of deconstruction and reconstruction to highlight more forms of art and design at CCAD,” said CCAD Creative Director Lindsay Kronmiller as she described the concept for this year’s fashion show lookbook.

The team that developed the concept for the lookbook, the invites, and did the design work, from left Isabella Hidalgo, Aaron Roberts, Walker Crane, and Isuri Merenchi Hewage

“We took photos of the models wearing the designs on backgrounds that make it appear that the fashion is being ‘unpacked’ for a gallery show,” explained Kronmiller. “We then gave those photos to artists, designers, and illustrators and had them reconstruct each photo into a piece of art that was inspired by the original 2D and/or 3D artist—thus creating an ‘exhibition book’ of CCAD work focused around this year’s fashion thesis projects.”

While guests of the event will appreciate the beautiful book as they wait for the main event to start, the book’s shelf life lasts quite a bit longer. For the next year the admissions office will include the fashion lookbook in packets to prospective students and bring it with them to college fairs.

“This has become a signature piece for the college,” said Robin Hepler, director of marketing and communications at CCAD. “It started as a program just for the event, but we found that prospective students considering CCAD were fascinated by it and inevitably wanted a copy to keep. So, each year we’ve improved the content and ordered more quantities turning it into a regular piece in our recruitment packet. This year we’ve gone even further to ensure the book showcases the breadth of diverse talent at CCAD, while still being true to its original purpose.”

CCAD’s Design Group is an in-house design firm staffed by students and directed by Kronmiller. The team that developed the concept for the lookbook, the invites, and did the design work, included Advertising & Graphic Design seniors, Isabella Hidalgo and Aaron Roberts; Illustration senior Isuri Merenchi Hewage; and Advertising & Graphic Design junior Walker Crane.

Lookbook photographers, from left, Danielle Ford, Xandre King, Kelsey McClellan, Lian Dziura, Nicole Miller, and Marcus Morris.

The visual content for the lookbook was also all student generated. The photographs were taken by CCAD students (and an alumnus) during a daylong photo shoot that involved several sets  in CCAD’s massive photography studio space. Photography majors on the shoot, included seniors Lian Dziura, Xandre King, Kelsey McClellan, and Nicole Miller; junior Danielle Ford, and 2011 alumnus Marcus Morris.

The ‘reconstructed artwork’ was completed by the following students and alumni: Justine Arreche (Advertising & Graphic Design 2011), Chavilah Bennett (Advertising & Graphic Design 2012), Danielle Deley (Advertising & Graphic Design 2011), Pei Yin Chen (Photography 2011), Crane,  Dziura, Ford,  Andy Hayes (Advertising & Graphic Design 2001), Merenchi Hewage, Hidalgo,  Matthew Houston (Illustration 2012), Alex Lanisoz (Advertising & Graphic Design 2013),  Brian Liston (Media Studies 2012),  McClellan, Nathan Moser (Fine Arts 2012),  Simone Noronha (Advertising & Graphic Design 2011), Emily Rickard (Fine Arts 2010), Madison Schneider (Advertising & Graphic Design 2012), Pallavi Sen (Fine Arts 2011) Dillon Sirimongkhon (Illustration 2011), and Miles Tsang (Illustration 2012).

Videographers, from left, Alex Trimpe and Tom Hoying

Adding to the creative mix, CCAD tapped local branding agency Ologie to provide creative consultation and mentorship for the students as they worked on this massive undertaking.

While the lookbook has become a signature piece, it’s not the only student produced work that will be seen the night of the event (and beyond). Media Studies majors Tom Hoying (sophomore) and Alex Trimpe (senior) have been filming the lookbook design process and will be filming the entirety of the event to develop promotional materials for 2013. They also worked with local videographer Ryan Sweeney to develop a piece that will run prior to the runway show.

If you have your tickets be sure to remember to pick up a lookbook to see what all the fuss is about. If you don’t have tickets, we’ll do our best to post as many student-generated photos as we can the night of the show for your vicarious enjoyment.

A student looks at an Industrial Design senior thesis

On Thursday, May 3, with a little more than a week before they walk to receive their diplomas, graduating seniors from the Industrial and Interior Design departments presented their final thesis projects to guests in an open reception.

An enthusiastic crowd that included families, peers, faculty, and industry professionals, toured through the displays set up by the two majors. Industrial design projects ranged from  football padding to a hydro-powered bicycle, a grocery organizer, neck supporting pillows, and a wind turbine. Interior Design seniors tackled challenges that included homeless shelters, museums, learning centers, cruise ships, and funeral homes.

Erin McKenna, 2012 Outstanding Senior

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Seniors for their divisions.  Today, in part five of our 10-part Outstanding Senior series, meet Fine Arts major Erin McKenna.

Q) What was your proudest achievement while at CCAD?

A) It would probably be the student critique group I organized. We meet once a week to critique each other’s work. We have about 15 students come down, ranging from freshmen to seniors. It is neat that they all come together during their free time and do it to become better and learn more. My goal with the group was to help underclassman talk and learn about their work outside of a classroom setting and without faculty or instructors to help them become more at ease.

Q) What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

A) My very first day of class. I remember I had Color Concepts, and I sat in the very back of the classroom and didn’t say a word. I didn’t know anyone and I was so nervous, which is the opposite from today. Now I sit in the front and talk to everyone around me. My time here has definitely brought me out of my shell and made me more social and confident.

Q) What are your plans after graduation?

A) Right now I work as a graphic designer for a local organization, so I know I will continue working there. I have applied to four residencies and plan on applying to three more. I would like to find a studio around Columbus so I can have the space to keep making art. Down the road I know I want to continue my studies and get an MFA.

Q) What is your ultimate dream job or goal?

A) I want to be able to teach college courses in Fine Arts. I would love to be able to teach fulltime and continually make and show my work.

Q)Why is it important as an alumna to continue to give back to CCAD?

A) CCAD is changing a lot, and a lot of people are starting to lean towards a design and business mindset, so I think it is important to continue to support the Fine Arts department here and make sure they keep kicking out the awesome work that they have been doing.

Q) Do you remember a single moment when you sat back and said, “This is why I am doing this?”

A) That moment definitely occurred during the New York Residency Program. When I studied there it was probably the hardest critiques I have been through. At one point I said I was done making art, but I got past it and realized all those struggles were worth it. I think the realization that this is what I want to be doing was cemented at that moment.

Q) What smell, object, place, or whatever will always remind you of your time here as a student?

A) The studios in AMF. I spent a lot of time up there studying, working, and hanging out with friends.

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) I will miss my friends that I made here. I had a very strong support group. I’ll also miss the resources available and being able to walk into the library and wood shop whenever I needed the resources and space.

Q) If you can describe what graduating feels like in one word what would it be?

A) Terrifying. It is terrifying to think I am done with school, for a while at least. When I graduate I won’t need to go to school anymore and that’s terrifying. I love everything about school and CCAD—the facilities, teachers, just everyone.

Q) What was your favorite class at CCAD?

A) My sculpture classes, the ones taught by Michael Goodson and Matthew Flegle. I really think the teachers really made those classes for me. They were supportive and would answer any questions I had, and I learned a lot from them.

Q) During your free time what would you do?

A) I would always schedule free time for myself so I could travel. I love New York, so I would try to get out there once every other month and stay with friends in Brooklyn.

Q) What is your fondest memory of CCAD?

A) My group of friends and hanging out with them. It doesn’t matter where we were, whether it was the studio or a party, I value that time with them.

Q) If you could change anything about your undergraduate experience, what would it be?

A) I have a laundry list of things I would have liked to do. I would have loved to been able to read more about different philosophies and artists and especially contemporary art. I would have also challenged myself more and worked more in areas that scared me and were outside my comfort zone.

Q) What advice would you give to future CCAD students?

A) I would tell them to read and challenge themselves. The only way to get out of a comfort zone or not be scared to do something is to go out and do it. Don’t be scared or cautious of what people may think or say about your work, just do what you want to do.

When Julia Ruan couldn't find fabric she liked, she made her own.

One of the key things for any design is the fabric. The Fashion Design seniors this year shared stories of how they spent countless hours in fabric houses in New York City, Chicago, and Cleveland looking for just the right color or feel. Others embellished their fabric to make it more of what they wanted. Julia Ruan made her own.

“I am very proud that I made all the fabric by myself and with my own hands, even though it took a long time,” she says. “I bought wool and placed netting behind it so I could roll the wool out.  Then I dyed it and washed it. The whole process took around eight hours for each piece.”

Julia, a native of Hangzhou, China, wanted to create fabric that was very abstract in nature and reflected the inspiration she gained through viewing the works of Chu Teh-Chun, a famous modern artist from China. She paid close attention to the patterns and abstract colors he used throughout his works and tried to mirror that, but still add her own personality to the mix.

“He is best known for his abstract oil-on-canvas works. He paints a country whose existence is found only in his paintings, and is both imaginary and real at the same time,” reflects Julia. “I am inspired by Chu Teh-Chun’s work where light looms up and creates and develops a broken succession of echoes.”

Illustrations from Julia's collection.

Julia admits she took great risks with the designs of her collection. Not only did she create her own fabric and dyed each piece in bold, vibrant colors; but her collection also differs from every other designer’s garments in the Senior Fashion Show. She jokes that it is not pretty or feminine yet each piece certainly makes a statement.

“In my collection, the structure is simple and pure, but the colors and textures are full of rich levels.  It’s not sexy and it doesn’t take the female shape at all because it’s very abstract and the shapes are very stiff,” she says. “But, it combines splashy prints and contrasting colors with geometric shapes to create a fantastic style.”

Julia loves that she is able to challenge, disturb, provoke, and entertain people with her designs and hopes to someday design clothes professionally either back home in China or in the U.S.

Until that time, you will get the chance to see her creations when they take the runway on May 11. The show is just a little more than a week away, buy your tickets today so you can say you saw these incredible designers when their works were first introduced to the fashion world.

Sara Diesel, one of the 2012 outstanding seniors

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Seniors for their divisions.  Today, in part four of our 10-part Outstanding Senior series, meet Illustration major Sara Diesel.

Q) What was your proudest achievement while at CCAD?

A) I was recently chosen to be published in Spectrum 19, which is a science fiction illustration magazine. It is always great to be recognized for your work and to help get your name out there.

Q) What scared you the most?

A) Everything. Going into a career in illustration is kind of scary, because people say it is very hard to make money and be successful. I have been able to overcome that initial fear with various freelance opportunities and these recent publications.

Q) What are your plans after graduation?

A) I am from Pittsburgh, so I am going to move back home and continue to freelance.

Q) What’s your ultimate dream job? Or goal?

A) I would love to be able to start my own studio in five or 10 years. I want to be able to have a small, in-house illustration team and just be working in a creative and fun environment.

Q) Why is it important as an alumna to continue to give back to CCAD?

A) When I was a student I was always nervous about a career in illustration, but alumni who came back to talk and other visiting artists really helped reassure me. I want to be able to do the same for future students. I think it is important to come back and tell students and faculty that illustration is not a dead field and explain to them from a professional angle what the illustration market looks like.

Q) Do you remember a single point that made you sit back and say, “This is why I am doing this?”

A) I think it would be recently, seeing my work get published in various trade magazines. It is a strong reassurance that my work is paying off.

Q) What smell, word, object, or whatever will always remind you of your time here as a student?

A) I think the Triad building. I lived there when I was a freshman, and I remember how cold and everything it was. A lot of interesting memories there.

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) Probably just the environment. Right now I am immersed in a group of artists and creativity, and there will probably be no other place like this unless I decide to go back to school.

Q) If you can describe what graduating feels like in one word what would it be?

A) Nerve-racking. I am trying to just not think about it and enjoy the last moments here on campus. For the last 20 years I have been going to school, so leaving will definitely be something completely new and different.

Q) What was your favorite class at CCAD?

A) My 3D Illustration class with Mr. Hazelrig. He was the one teacher who would always say anything was possible. If you would come to him with an idea that seemed impossible, he would reassure you and say “let’s make this happen,” and we would. I think that’s impressive to help students work through the creative process without any limits.

Q) What did you do during your free time?

A) What free time? (laughs) When I would work on class assignments I would watch a lot of movies. I just saw We Need to Talk About Kevin, that is definitely one of my favorites.

Q) What is your fondest memory of CCAD?

A) During my freshman year a bunch of students camped outside before class registration. In Illustration everyone was nervous they wouldn’t get the classes they needed, and freshman have to signup in person. It started out with someone saying they were going to get there before they opened, then someone said they were going to camp out all night, and it just steamrolled. I think I got there at 10 p.m. the night before, and we were all standing outside in the freezing rain.

Q) If you could go back to college, what would you change?

A) I would probably make the decision to study illustration a lot quicker. I took a lot of extra classes trying to figure out what to do, which took up time from classes I wish I could have taken.

Q) What is your advice to future CCAD students?

A) Work hard. My whole philosophy is that this is just four years of your life, and that is it. You can easily commit yourself to work hard for those years and achieve a lot. Don’t slack off or breeze on through. There is a lot to learn here from faculty and peers, so make the most of it.

Marissa Haley Schmidt's "Sun Bear"

Winners and finalists of the eighth annual Lowell Tolstedt Drawing Prize have been announced. This year’s contest was judged by a visiting artist, Professor Dana Saulnier of Miami University.

Winners included Illustration senior Marissa Haley Schmidt (first place and $500), Fine Arts senior Stephanie Cook (second place and $250), and Illustration junior Erlson Chunga Neba (third place $100 supply store gift certificate). An honorable mention went to Fine Arts junior Nikohl Gallas.

“Dana was very impressed with the quality of the work, as well as the energy and enthusiasm of the students here at CCAD,” said Rob Robbins, chair of drawing and print. “He was extremely contemplative and considerate in choosing this year’s winner, and said that the decision was very difficult.”

The winning drawings will be exhibited in the THE SHOW: The 133^rd Annual Student Exhibition, May 11–Sept. 14, 2012 on CCAD’s campus.

The Lowell Tolstedt Drawing Prize was established to celebrate and promote the strong drawing tradition at CCAD. The prize honors Lowell Tolstedt, a professor emeritus and Fine Arts dean who retired from CCAD after more than 35 years at the college.

Kattie Baker, 2012 Outstanding Senior

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Seniors for their divisions. Today, in part three of our 10-part Outstanding Senior series, meet Advertising & Graphic Design major Kattie Baker.

Q) What was your proudest achievement while at CCAD?

A) My junior year my group and I won the Victoria’s Secret package design contest, that was probably my proudest moment. You get acknowledgement and praise from peers and faculty, but to have this large, well-known company reward you is definitely a proud moment.

Q) What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

A) When I had to take an Adobe Creative Suite class my sophomore year. I hadn’t used any of the programs before, so I was immediately overwhelmed thinking it was an intense, scary software.

Q) What are your plans for after graduation?

A) Careerwise I want to be able to do web design or graphic design. I am also finishing up working at Fulcrum Creatives as an intern.

Q) What is your ultimate dream job? Or goal?

A) I would love to be working for a mid-sized company. I feel that at larger companies you often have to work with the same clients over and over again, and I want to have room to play as a designer and creative. A company I would love to work for is Resource Interactive, a digital marketing agency in Columbus.

Q) Why is it important as an alumna to continue to give back to your alma mater?

A) I think you need to help out people who used to be you. As an alumna, you know how hard it is and what they are going through, and I think it’s good to offer the same help and support that you had when you were a student.

Q) Do you remember a single point that made you sit back and say, “This is why I am doing this?”

A) I think it happened as early as my freshman year. I originally started out at Capitol University studying to become an English teacher, but then I realized that this side, extracurricular art class I was taking meant a lot more to me then my core classes, so I turned to CCAD. I realized then what I wanted to be doing.

Q) What smell, word, or whatever will  remind you of your time here as a student?

A) Rubber cement and quarters. In Advertising & Graphic Design we didn’t deal with too many of the smelly chemicals that other majors did, but rubber cement I will remember. Quarters became to mean so much more then 25 cents, too; we used them for printing, so if I lost one I would always think, “Oh no, there goes a print.”

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) The freedom. As a student you have faculty and staff telling you what to do when it comes to homework and such, but you really have this ultimate freedom to do whatever you want, you are your own boss.

Q) If you can describe what graduating feels like in one word what would it be?

A) Sleep. I will finally be able to sleep. If there was a carrot dangling at the end of a stick it would definitely be the idea of sleeping, finally, without any more all-nighters.

Q) What was your favorite class at CCAD?

A) It would probably be those quirky side classes that I took. For instance, the Photoshop class. We had small, fun projects, and we would learn these tiny tricks that made me think, “Wait, that was there the whole time?!” Those classes would break up the large ones where we had big, intense projects.

Q) What did you like to do during your free time?

A) When I had free time during school I would never know what to do with myself! I do like to run and ultimately be outside. I think I was supposed to live in Texas, though; this Ohio weather that is under 60 degrees doesn’t cut it. But I definitely try to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible.

Q) What is your fondest CCAD memory?

A) I have a memory, not sure if it is my fondest, but it would probably be my double whammy X-acto knife accident. I sliced my fingers when working one day, and in reaction I clenched my fists and pulled them onto my knees in pain, only to realize the X-acto knife was sill in my hand, stabbing my knee. Yep, only a few people know about that one, and those who were there still remind me!

Q) If you could go back to college what would you change?

A) I would be more relaxed with myself. I am a perfectionist by nature, which definitely made me stress more. They say there is a triangle model, with its three points being good grades, sleep, and a social life, and you can only pick two. Looking back, I feel like I only had the good grades portion entirely, so I would have just loosened up during my time here.

Q) What advice would you give to future students?

A) There are two sets of advice. For people like myself who are perfectionists, I would tell them to stop trying so hard and don’t fret about the details of a project or assignment. For others I would say the opposite: don’t slack off. CCAD is full of people with natural talent, so I love to see them push themselves and work hard to get amazing results.

Business representatives look over students' portfolios at Directions

Where can you find big-name companies such as Express, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Skreened, right alongside all our fresh, ready-to-enter-the-world CCAD talent? At Directions, CCAD’s reverse Career Fair, where things are a bit different. At this career fair, more than 100 students are stationed at booths organized by major, with their portfolios laid out, ready to pitch to business representatives from small, large, and international companies.

This year Directions was held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus on April 25, 2012.

“It is the passion that really drives me to come to this event every year,” says Bob Campell, creative director at Victoria’s Secret and 2000 Industrial Design alumnus. “Coming to these events you get to not only see what talent is coming into the work-force, but you also get inspired seeing fresh, young, passionate designers and creatives presenting their ideas.”

Bob Campbell was one of the many professionals who returned to visit the fair this year. Another was Lileah Porter from Tween Brands who came to check out the talent in the Fashion Design department.

“Last year we hired one full-time individual, and we also had some internships come from this,” Porter said. “I love the way CCAD sets this up. Here the students can have all their information and portfolios spread out, and they can present to us in a more relaxed environment.”

Dion Utt, a Fine Arts senior, was excited and eager for the professionals to walk in the door.

Joel VanGilder stands in front of his booth at Directions

“This is really a chance to present myself to the business world and help get my name out there,” Utt said. “The real benefit is being able to network. There aren’t many opportunities like this where you can have a diverse crowd of professionals who are all 100% interested in what you do.”

Not far from Utt, was Joel VanGilder, an Industrial Design senior who is already working as a designer for Worthington Cylinders and brought his coworkers to the event to scout out more talent.

“It is nice to have this exposure as a student,” Van Gilder said. “I was lucky to get placed in a job already, and I am using this time to continue to pitch myself to companies. It is interesting because there are a lot of companies that you may not know even existed who are looking for a product that you can help create with them. As a designer it is important to think outside of your niche sometimes and look at companies that may host a wide range of products and may need an illustrator or an industrial designer and this is an opportunity to discover that.”

Daniel Fox, founder of Skreened, roamed the Illustration and Advertising & Graphic Design aisles searching for talent to fill in as freelance designers for his Columbus clothing company.

“CCAD and Columbus are great places to pull local talent and creatives from,” Fox said. “This is my first time coming here, and I am really excited to be able to look at all these students’ work and see if there is a fit for us.”

Skreened owner Daniel Fox examines a student's work

Christian Cimoroni, an illustration senior, views this as a final step before he enters the real world.

“I feel accomplished,” Cimoroni said. “After all this work I can stand out here confident and talk to these professionals. I can gain a lot of contacts and start to network with people in Columbus.”

Ted Smirniotopoulous, Photography senior, was also really excited about the networking opportunities Directions allowed.

“This is a really good opportunity to meet and connect with people. I want to be able to expand my horizons and continue to learn after I graduate, and this is a perfect outlet to meet people from companies all around Columbus, whether local, national, or international.”

The event hosted students from all nine CCAD majors: Advertising & Graphic Design, Animation, Cinematic Arts, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Photography. More than 600 professionals representing close to 400 businesses attended the event.

Shirley Weng plans to move back to New York City to pursue fashion after graduation.

CCAD attracts students from all over the world for its various programs. Fashion Design is no different. Two students from China chose CCAD to learn all aspects of garment design and construction. As with all of the seniors, each ended their years of study with a vision for what they wanted their final collection to be.

Shirley Weng moved to the United States with her parents from Shanghai and completed her high school education in upstate New York. During her senior year, it was her art teacher who suggested CCAD to Shirley. But, he originally suggested it more for her drawing talents than for her love of fashion.

“When I first came to CCAD I wanted to study Fine Arts, but I also have always loved fashion,” says Shirley. “I always wanted to learn how to make my own clothes and when I was young, my dream was to have my own fashion show and name brand.”

Shirley will make part of that dream come true when her collection, inspired by her chosen muses and her love of current high-fashion designs, takes the stage for the first time.

“Some of my pieces were inspired by Dior’s 2012 spring collection, but the incredible details in my pieces came from my muses, the sculptor Naum Gabo and French painter, Francis Picabia,” notes Shirley. “Personally, I love detail in clothing and I worked extra hard to add specific touches to my collection.”

From sketch to final design - the fashion process at work.

That detail can be found in the ribbon pleats of one of her shirts and a dress she weaved together using rolls and rolls of silk ribbon. The specific idea of using the ribbon came to her after studying the abstract strokes in Picabia’s painting, “Woman Wearing Monacle.” Her chosen sculpture, Gabo’s “Linear Construction in Space,” added an extra element of energy and form that provided her with an even deeper sense of detailed inspiration.

“Francis Picabia was an impressionist and surrealist and his painting style was really energetic,” says Shirley. “He uses a lot of detail and flow, which made me think of using the ribbon.”

The ribbon detail is unique, but Shirley points out that the process itself was extremely time consuming.

“My most difficult challenge was always time,” she remembers. “Because all of my pieces incorporated those intricate details, it took a really long time to finish.”

All her hard work is about to pay off though when five of Shirley’s garments grace the runway on Friday, May 11.

As new students embark on the path she’s about to leave, Shirley offers a few key points of advice.

“Set up goals and plans, so you will have steps to follow and won’t get lost along the way,” she advises.  
”Also, put yourself out there. Complete as many internships as you can and just try to get as much experience before graduation. It will be all worth it in the end.”

Tick, Tock! Time is running out. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this amazing annual event. Purchase your tickets here today!

Chavilah Bennett, 2012 Outstanding Senior

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Seniors for their divisions. Today, in part two of our 10-part Outstanding Senior series, meet Advertising & Graphic Design major Chavilah Bennett.

Q) What was your proudest achievement at CCAD?

A) One of my proudest achievements would definitely be this—being named an outstanding senior.  Another achievement would be the general growth I have undergone. Everyone comes here as a high school student, and we leave here as educated adults; I think that is a big achievement.

Q) What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

A) It would probably be just getting a job after graduation, which is probably everyone’s fear. I didn’t have many fears while here, because everyone is so accepting and helpful that is hard to be fearful of anything.

Q) What are your plans after graduation?

A) I am going to make a big move—to California, New York City, or London. Right now I am doing some freelance work and have been working with a nonprofit company that participated in Startup Weekend here on campus, so I will probably continue to volunteer my time with them until I leave Columbus.

Q) What is your ultimate dream job or goal?

A) I want to be the creative director of a company. I want it to be in a big city, because I love the energy and life there. I want to be working somewhere that is full of creative people who have the drive to try new things and are interested in new technology.

Q) Why is it important as an alumna to continue to give back to your alma mater?

A) I think it is very important to give back and to help future artists and the future of CCAD. Most of us are attending this school because alumni have given back and we were able to receive a scholarship. Right now, I am working on the 2012 senior class gift. Since a lot of us don’t have the financial means to donate, we gave a piece to be sold at the CCAD Spring Art Sale, and those proceeds will be given to the scholarship fund.

Q) Do you remember a single point that made you sit back and say, “This is why I am doing this?”

A) All of the time. I always get that feeling, especially when I am in the middle of a really great project and someone comes up and says “great work” or offers me encouragement. I also get that rewarding feeling when I interview for jobs. For instance, I worked with American Greetings over the summer and to have Dan Weiss [senior creative recruiter at American Greetings] come in and talk to me was an “ah-ha” moment.

Q) What smells, words, objects, or whatever will always remind you of your time here as a student?

A) Ramen, “all nighter,” and burnt popcorn. I remember whenever someone would burn popcorn in the dorm we would all have to leave the dorm in the middle of the night, often after we were asleep and in pajamas, and stand outside in the cold.

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) I will miss that during the time I was here I was surrounded by creatives who were all in the process of learning. Our main responsibility was to learn, and we had this freedom to do just that, learn and grow.

Q) If you can describe what graduating feels like in one word, what would it be?

A) Terrifying—it feels as though I am on the top of a roller coaster. I have worked four years to get to the top, and I am just crossing that edge where all of a sudden you are about to go down. Below you there are opportunities, and you can see everything. I feel as though I am looking down at the entire world. I have a mix of  anticipation and fear, but excitement about everything.

Q) What was your favorite class while at CCAD?

A) They all had their ups and downs, but I enjoyed my last Advertising & Graphic Design class. It was nice to be surrounded by seniors who knew that they were in the right major and going down the right path. We were able to focus on our work and really push each other to new limits.

Q) What did you like to do during your free time?

A) I like to illustrate; I definitely want to start working on my illustrations more. I also like to travel, and in June I am going to South Carolina for a trip. I have a creative side that includes dance and music. After graduation I want to make more time for playing the harp and start writing my own music again.

Q) What is your fondest memory at CCAD?

A) They are all fond memories, I don’t know if I can pick just one. Even when I was crying late at night due to the stress of a project, I still would love to go back and repeat it all.

Q) If you could go back, what would you change?

A) I would have learned where to look for research. What the school is doing now with the library and those resources is beneficial to current and future students. I wish I would have learned those resources more; it definitely would have saved me a lot of time.

Q) What advice would you give to future CCAD students?

A) The time at CCAD is a process that everyone has to go through and learn their own path. Embrace every moment, because it doesn’t last long, and it will be over before you know it.

Lian Dziura, Outstanding Senior 2012

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Seniors for their divisions. Today, in part one of our 10-part Outstanding Seniors series, meet Photography major Lian Dziura.

Q) What was your proudest achievement while at CCAD?

A) I honestly think it would be never failing anything. I never failed a class, and I am happy with my grades and work in every course I took while here. Another achievement that I am proud of was taking photos of Aminah Robinson. We did an IMAGE magazine story on her, and I was able to not only photograph her, but also talk to her about her work and her life.

Q) What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

A) When I first started taking photography classes at CCAD, just about everyone in the class had some sort of experience or had taken previous courses. I felt a little nervous since I didn’t have any experience, but it actually turned out better for me since I didn’t have any bad habits to break and was able to work extremely hard and learn everything on a clean slate.

Q) What are your plans after graduation?

A) I am still deciding what direction I want to go. I have a lot of opportunities, and I am sorting through them now. Currently I have an internship with McGraw-Hill. I interviewed for their paid summer position, so I am waiting to hear back from them. I also got accepted into Studio Art Centers International (SACI) in Florence, Italy, to continue my studies. I know I would like to attend graduate school to study photography and fine arts, but I am leaning towards taking some time off to work and relax before I go back to school.

Q) What is your ultimate dream job? Or goal?

A) I would love to be able to travel and do some sort of documentary photography—I want to be able to travel to a country and  live with the people of an area long enough to understand their culture and ways. I have a Fine Arts minor so I would love to be able to incorporate that into my work by doing photo collages, etc.

Q) Why it is important to continue giving back to your alma mater?

A) I know I will continue to give back to CCAD after I graduate, whether that is through volunteer work or financial means. My time here was greatly influenced and contributed to by alumni. I was helped through scholarships, teachers, and mentors. I want to be able to do the same for current and future students.

Lian Dziura, Outstanding Senior 2012

Q) Do you remember a single point that made you sit back and say, “This is why I am doing this?”

A) I think I realized why I am an artist in my study abroad trip to Italy. I was able to study over there for three months, and I had a “this is why I am an artist” moment when I realized that not only was I abroad, working in a different environment outside of a classroom on a group of pieces that were my personal work and not assigned classwork.

Q) What smell, word, object, or whatever will always remind you of your time here as a student?

A) Rubber cement. Yep, definitely rubber cement and photo fix, and pretty much any other chemical.

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) I think it will be a mix between faculty and friends. That whole circle of CCAD family I made while I was here I am going to miss being around constantly.

Q) If you can describe what graduating feels like in one word or  sentence, what would it be?

A) It’s a perfect balance between scary and wonderful at the same time.

Q) What was your favorite class while you were at CCAD?

A) I don’t think I could pick just one. The top two would have to be my Intro to Philosophy class. I love philosophy, and it was interesting to sit in a classroom with your peers that you have had countless classes with and hear them talk about something other than art.

The second favorite class would be Photo III. Although it was one of the most difficult classes, and it was definitely a pain in the ass, it made a huge impact on me and was helpful in advancing my skills.

Q) What did you like to do in your free time?

A) What free time? (laughs) I really just spent a lot of time with my friends. We would have homework parties and hang out in the Crane Center. That and studying abroad are probably my fondest memories of CCAD.

Q) What would you change about your undergraduate experience?

A) I don’t think I would change anything, but there are parts I would like to stretch out. For instance, I would love to have been able to study abroad again, and there are so many classes that I wish I would have had time to take.

Q) What advice would you give to future CCAD students?

A) Take every opportunity possible. CCAD is filled with opportunities, and I learned that the faculty and staff are here to help you make those things happen. So don’t be afraid to ask them, and they will help you get to where you want to be!

2011 graduates and families outside The Ohio Theatre

In honor of the 200-plus students who will receive diplomas at CCAD’s 133^rd commencement, we’ll be counting down the days by publishing interviews with our 10 Outstanding Seniors and announcing the class valedictorian(s).

Grades have not yet been submitted, so we are still waiting in anticipation to find out who is at the top of our 2012 class. One thing we can tell you is the names of our Outstanding Seniors. These 10 students were selected by the deans of their respective majors. They include Kattie Baker, Advertising & Graphic Design; Chavilah Bennett, Advertising & Graphic Design; Rachel Cass, Fashion Design; Sara Diesel, Illustration; Lian Dziura, Photography; Christopher Ryan Evans, Media Studies; Leah Fisher, Photography; Jake LaBombarbe, Industrial Design; Sarah McCance Interior Design; and Erin McKenna, Fine Arts.

The commencement speaker on May 12, is Mark Kvamme, interim chief investment officer and president of JobsOhio, a private, nonprofit corporation responsible for Ohio’s economic development activities for the past year. Kvamme recently worked with CCAD’s Design Group on the redesign of Ohio’s license plates and driver’s licenses.

Check back on Monday, April 30, when we’ll introduce you to our first Outstanding Senior, Lian Dziura—we’ll publish one interview a day (on school days) through Friday, May 11.

Sarah Pruden still has a garment she created when she was 11.

It seems to be a pattern (pun intended) that most fashion designers knew from an early age that they wanted to work in fashion in some facet or another. Whether they raided their own closet for fabric to create doll clothes, orchestrated their own wardrobe from pieces they had designed, or were recognized for their talent at putting together unique looks, the passion for fashion took root early.

Sarah Pruden is no exception. At the tender age of 11, she started sketching and creating her own clothes because she couldn’t find things she really liked in stores. She even turned her affinity for the color combination of red, white, and blue into a full-fledge outfit that she still has in her possession today.

“It’s a red, white, and blue pantsuit that I would never wear today. I had this red, white, and blue obsession and loved to put the colors together,” she laughs. “It’s all crinkled now because I had it in my portfolio forever.”

Her patriotic theme may no longer be part of her design repertoire; however, she is still inspired by a multitude of styles and cultures that have weaved in and out of her own personal experiences.

“I’m inspired by many different things, not always something particular,” says Sarah. “It could be something in nature, the city, patterns and colors. Gothic culture inspires me and I’ve also incorporated a lot of the ’80s and ’90s clothing styles and music into my pieces.”

Paintings by Salvador Dali, including “The Lugubrious Game,” as well as “Wave” a sculpture by Curtis Jere also provided an artistic vision for her senior collection. Sarah, who normally favors darker fabrics, tried to incorporate Dali’s rich color palette into her collection and mimic the sense of flowing motion she felt throughout both of her muses’ pieces.

Sarah's designs are a mix of girly and gothic inspiration.

“I created something a little different than what I usually do. I usually do things that are a little dark, with kind of gothic punk mix,” notes Sarah. “ I wanted to add more color, but still keep my edgy look with it.”

The result is a collection of unique “cocktail-like” dresses fashioned from bolts of iridescent satins and taffetas. They have a slight girly presentation, but emit elements of Sarah’s fondness for a gothic edge.

“A compliment that has always stuck with me is that a lot of my designs are very original,” she says. “A few people have said they have always disliked style trends and were very excited about mine.”

Her future style trends are still a bit of a mystery for Sarah and she’s OK with that, but welcomes any opportunity that comes her way after graduation.

“I’m pretty open and I am ready to go wherever life takes me,” reflects Sarah “Although I would love to have a good start to my online store, selling my custom T-shirt designs, bags, jewelry, and any other clothing apparel.”

You’ll get a sneak peek of Sarah’s designs at the 2012 CCAD Senior Fashion Show, but only if you get your ticket soon.

From the Pipeline Project video directed by Erich Burchfield (with Meghann Pearson, Jen Stefanski, Dan Zimmer, Greg Browe, Philip Matthews, and Andy Robinson)

In film and video, there are a million ways to tell a story. With CCAD’s newly designed major in Cinematic Arts, you can find the right way (or ways) to tell yours, as well as learn the latest tools and tricks of the trade. Students in the program, which was officially approved last fall, learn the whole filmmaking process: storyboarding, production design, cinematography, directing, and post-production.

“The Cinematic Arts major grew out of a previous program, Media Studies, which was more general in nature. The recent name change reflects curricular revisions to offer a more focused major,” says Kevin J. Conlon, CCAD vice president for academic affairs. “This program prepares students in all cinema-related areas, but I think what distinguishes it from a typical film program is that, while the traditional skill sets are there, our program is all digitally based. Students won’t be working with traditional film—they’ll be working with 21st-century tools and techniques. We wanted to think ahead and think more broadly about preparing CCAD students for a variety of cinematic experiences.”

Conlon notes that students who pursue this major will dive deep into the roles of director, screenwriter, cinematographer, video editor, motion graphics designer, and sound designer. Throughout their coursework, they’ll be exposed to the latest film and editing technology and have the opportunity to spend time outside the classroom shooting on location. By the time students finish their senior project and put it on the big screen, they’ll have both a remarkable demo reel (including cutting-edge commercials, broadcast graphics, music videos, and short films) and a portfolio to showcase their talents.

Prospective students who are interested in the Cinematic Arts major should contact the CCAD Admissions office. Current students should contact One-Stop Student Services and make an appointment with an advisor.

In the gallery below, some student work by recent Cinematic Arts students.

Skyler Riggins knew from an early age that she wanted to be part of fashion design.

At the age of six, Skyler Riggins decided she was going to make an outfit for one of her Barbie dolls. Her thought was she could just cut up one of her own shirts and put it together for her doll. It didn’t work out quite that well and her parents were less than thrilled that she was cutting up her wardrobe, but it was that initial desire to create that would ultimately lead her to CCAD.

“I wanted to study fashion design because the art of clothes appealed to me and I enjoy figuring out how to translate a concept into fashion,” says Skyler. “One of the reasons I chose to study at CCAD is because of the diversity. It’s very important to understand the differences of others and to be able to work effectively in a realistic environment.”

The entire process of fashion design appeals to Skyler; however, she is most intrigued by developing a concept, then researching it, and finally designing the collection. It’s a process that she got plenty of practice in this year, especially when uncovering her muses. Over the course of about two weeks, she pieced through mounds of research until she finally discovered Georges Braque’s oil painting “Man with a Guitar” and Barbara Hepworth’s silver sculpture “Group of Three Magic Stones.”

Organic shapes and colors inspired many of Skyler's designs.

She notes that Georges Braque was interested in the ideas of multiple perspectives, geometry, complex patterns of faceted forms, and monochromatic color. She also enjoyed the fact that he was involved in the art movement of Cubism and Fauvism. Barbara Hepworth, who created modern and abstract art in sculpture, complimented this in Skyler’s eyes.

“I chose these artworks because they relate to each other through color and form,” points out Skyler. “The painting consists of rich colors including gold, silver, bronze, grey, and ivory and the sculpture is made of silver. Both art pieces have a similar long trapezoid shape within it and are very geometrical.”

She interpreted these artworks in her pieces by creating structural, fitted, and geometrical silhouettes. She placed emphasis on pleating, seams, and geometric flat shapes that matched the long trapezoid shapes she was first attracted to in the art pieces. She hand-painted several of her silk pieces including a blouse and dress, and also applied foil with glue to her silk habouti to create a specific design on the waistline of her skirt. Sometimes when the foil piece was pulled away the final design was what she intended, sometimes it was a complete surprise, which was even better.

With graduation just weeks away, most students would be looking forward to taking a break for a bit, but Skyler intendeds to keep practicing and working on her design techniques.

“The most difficult challenge for me while working on my collection is time and thought management. I take a lot of time in my work and while creating patterns and sewing I over-think the steps of it,” reflects Skyler. “After I graduate, I plan on perfecting my speed and thought process of drafting patterns and constructing garments.”

Tickets are dwindling, but you still have time to grab a few to the 2012 Senior Fashion Show, but be quick! It’s a night you won’t want to miss.

Tasha Dircksen originally thought her career path was in automotive services, lucky for us she chose fashion.

Not many young designers can say that their original chosen career path involved automotive studies, but Tasha Dircksen’s path to CCAD started just that way. As a high school junior, Tasha enrolled in a vocational program for automotive services. But, she soon found that she wanted her future to include something far different than fixing cars and changing oil.

“I really thought the automotive world was where I belonged, but I hated the class so much that I spent the entire time on the computer looking at art colleges,” she remembers. “I didn’t even know art colleges existed until then.”

Although she ventured into the automotive world for a brief moment, her passion for design had long been with her, thanks to her mother and a desire to create her own wardrobe.

“I realized that what I wanted to wear wasn’t being made,” says Tasha. “My mother, who had plenty of experience sewing, lent me her machine and it took off from there.”

Tasha’s collection includes four different pieces, all inspired by her chosen muses (a process that took her all summer to complete simply because she had so many ideas to choose from). Her final choices include a painting by Max Ernst entitled “33 Little Girls Chasing Butterflies” and the sculpture “Blütenmotiv” by Rudolph Belling.

Tasha created jewelry for her models to wear during the show.

“The painting has this epicenter of color that I tried to bring out with gems that I have,” notes Tasha. “The sculpture echoes the asymmetry of my garments as well as the feel of the jewelry I made.”

Like many designers before her, Tasha’s own personal style is very different than the style she creates in her pieces. She readily admits that when selecting her own clothing, she is attracted to things that are basic and gray, yet her pieces are filled with silks and chiffons that flow with the subtle colors she picked up from her chosen painting.

“The painting has an explosion of blues and whites and I’ve applied this sort of design element in a rather toned down way,” she says. “It’s present in the way the beadwork radiates downward, or how the flowers are laid out with their pops of color.”

While completion is one of Tasha’s favorite parts of the design process, she shares that she’s not quite ready for the CCAD Senior Fashion show to be over or even for her own graduation. The idea of what’s next is still on her mind. She would love to continue to design jewelry and perhaps even move into bridal wear design. Until then, she still has one more piece to complete for the show—she plans to create something of her own to wear.

To see Tasha’s final creation and to enjoy an amazing night filled with fashion and fun, make sure you purchase your tickets today.

Rachel Kaplan always knew she would work in fashion in some capacity.

Rachel Kaplan always dreamed she would work in fashion in one facet or another. In fact, when she was in fourth grade she made a bold statement to her mother. She told her she was going to be a model AND a fashion designer. So far, both of those childhood declarations have become a reality.

For the past few years Rachel has participated in the CCAD Senior Fashion Show as a model, wearing the works of other designers. This year, she’s eager to finally have her own creations take the runway.

Like her classmates, Rachel had to select both a sculpture and painting as her muse for her collection. Because she normally finds her inspiration in organic shapes or even street fashion, she found this particular part of the process more difficult than creating any of her five garments.

“I’ll be out and see a shape in a tree or in the clouds that looks like a dress or a shirt to me and I’ll sketch it out, so it was really hard for me to pick a sculpture and painting to draw inspiration from,” she admits.  “Instead, I chose to look for paintings and sculptures that encompassed the colors I wanted.”

Since she wanted her designs to reflect the 1930s era, she narrowed her focus to artists who were close to that time frame, but also reflected the colors and movement she wanted in her pieces. She ultimately chose Umberto Boccioni’s sculpture “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space” (1913; Cast 1931) and Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting “Red Canna” (1923).

“I used a lot of the colors from the artists including the golds, tans, bronzes, blacks, and the pop of reds,” notes Rachel. “The painting has so much flow to it, which moves your eye through it. I loved the flow that the sculpture had, too. It almost looked as if it was a person with a piece of fabric draped over top.”

Rachel's sketches were inspired by 1930s evening wear.

Rachel wanted to incorporate that “flow” aspect to her collection through the use of lightweight fabrics mixed with metallic fabrics, which would give the element of movement when light hit it.

“I wanted to create pieces that were really glamorous and showed off the curves of a woman’s body,” says Rachel. “I also wanted designs that looked expensive and dramatic on the runway, so I chose beaded, sequined, and metallic fabrics. To add a softer top layer, I chose chiffon.”

Rachel’s fabric selections were key in turning her works into a cohesive collection, but not without a few labor-intensive sewing and hand-beading sessions. Out of the five pieces selected for the show, she estimates that she spent at least a total of two weeks on each one.

“I’m still hand beading one of the gowns,” she muses. “One day I sat there for 14 hours. My fingers were numb!”

All of Rachel’s hard work will pay off on May 11 when she gets to watch models wear her collection on the runway instead of the other way around.  Make sure you purchase your tickets soon so you can be there too.

2012 Finalists, top left to right: Taylor Hawkins (CCAD), Erin McKenna (CCAD), Kristy Kemper (AAC); bottom left to right: Mayumi Kiefer (ONU), Brittany Kunkel (Dennison), Julio Labra (AAC)

Fine Arts senior Erin McKenna was awarded the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Ohio (AICUO) Excellence in Visual Art Grand Award.

The AICUO recognized McKenna with a $2,500 cash prize and purchased one of her pieces to be displayed in the governor’s office for the next year.

Held at Otterbein University on April 6, the reception honored seniors from independent colleges throughout Ohio. Six students were AICUO finalists, competing for the Grand Award. Fine Arts senior Taylor Hawkins was also a finalist.

McKenna and Hawkins were not the only two bringing CCAD presence to the awards. Fine Arts sophomore Hannah Mason-Macklin was the sculptural design contest winner and designed the physical awards presented to the winners. Advertising & Graphic Design senior Cynthia Ellis was an intern for this year’s award and helped organize the program.

McKenna, Hawkins, and the other four finalists will have their work displayed at Grid Furnishings, a store in Columbus’ Short North district on May 5, 2012.

Founded in 1969, AICUO represents privately supported, nonprofit colleges and universities in Ohio, conducting public relations, research and government relations for its members. The awards program is a statewide intercollegiate arts competition for senior students from Ohio’s independent colleges.

CCAD has had seven finalists in the last five years, with two Grand Award winners, including last year’s winner, Ken Aschliman.

Travis Hayes (left) and Luis Uzcategui (right)

Two CCAD Illustration students will exhibit work that they developed over a four-month study abroad trip to China.

Junior Luis Uzcategui and senior Travis Hayes spent a semester in China from September 2011 to January 2012. They attended classes at Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, learning traditional Chinese painting along with the history and philosophy behind the art form.

“I learned a whole new style of ink painting that still resonates in my work,” Uzcategui said of his experience.

The students lived on the academy’s campus for the duration of their trip, immersing themselves in an entirely different culture, while attending art class every day alongside their Chinese peers and learning the specifics of Chinese painting.

“We had to relearn basic techniques because their style is so different,” Hayes said. “They focus on two-dimensional line work to depict shapes and scenery, where at CCAD we focus on three-dimensional shapes and shading.”

Each student will have approximately six paintings in the show, and their sketchbooks will also be out for people to look through. A projection screen will be set up in the area, displaying photos from their trip.

“I feel like China greatly influenced my voice as an artist. It helped me find my specific style,” Uzcategui said. “The line work that is involved in traditional Chinese painting will continue to have a presence and influence in my work.”

Both students enjoyed learning the philosophy behind traditional Chinese art, recalling a trip to a Buddhist temple to discuss the history and meaning with a local monk. They said experiencing the culture day-in and day-out had just as much impact on their art as the daily lessons.

“I thought of every day as an adventure, not a struggle,” Hayes said. “I know my work and skill level made a significant jump from when I left to go to China to when I came back.”

The students will display their paintings on the third floor of the Loann Crane Center for Design on April 20–May 4, 2012, with an opening reception April 20, 6–8 p.m. The Crane Center is open during regular business hours.

Alyssa Johnson and one of her final pieces.

Alyssa Johnson always knew she wanted to do something in the arts. She toggled between acting and painting, and finally chose fashion design because she could incorporate her love of fine arts into her own version of wearable art.

“I liked the idea of creating something and having it afterwards and it being a functional piece,” recalls Alyssa. “After taking a surface design class here [at CCAD] I realized I could do both fine arts and fashion by creating textiles of my own.”

Her love of textiles, prints, and patterns were part of her immediate vision for her collection this year; however, she also drew inspiration from Gustav Klimt’s painting “Water Serpents I” and Boleslas Biegas’ sculpture “The Haunted House.”

“I immediately knew I was going to use Klimt for my painter [muse] and based my entire collection around him,” says Alyssa. “I wanted to focus on surface and textile design and Klimt does a lot of really intricate patterns and the colors are something I’ve always been drawn to. The simple silhouettes in my collection come from Biegas’ sculpture.”

Alyssa used her knack for surface design in creating many of her silk-screened pieces. Organic shapes flow cohesively with other elements of the collection and are mixed with structured geometric shapes. She achieved clean lines in her fabrics with the use of applique, and added several embellishments with “little fun circles” and gold accents throughout the pieces.

While creating her own textiles and patterns is something she is passionate about, there are key aspects of the design process that also keep her motivated.

Elements of Alyssa's organic geometric shapes in sketch and fabric form.

“My favorite part is still finding inspiration and making mood boards. My computer is full of many different folders that contain tons of images that inspire me,” says Alyssa. “Its so interesting to me to see what else is going on in the fashion world and what else is possible to do through clothing design.”

As the days to the CCAD Senior Fashion Show draw near, Alyssa has thoughts of graduation and a big move to New York City on her mind. She readily admits that she values the experiences and education she received from CCAD and her fellow students. She notes that it’s not always easy to take criticism, especially when it’s about something so personal; but as a student of design, peers and faculty are trying to help, not offend. She also notes students should be aware of their weaknesses and either work harder on them or accept them and move on.

“I’m very self aware. I know what I’m good at and I know what I’m not good at and I know when to ask for help,” says Alyssa. “I’m fearless in terms of design, so I’m not afraid to fail or mess up.”

Perhaps her most sound and lighthearted advice is to never say that you don’t know how to do something.

“It’s 2012,” she says. “Google it!”

You can Google the CCAD Senior Fashion show or just click here to get your tickets today.

Natasha's designs give a nod to the past and to her love of the steampunk culture.

Natasha Bolton is an old soul. She is drawn to the historic origins and details of fashion, yet it is her personal insight, interest, and general appreciation of these elements that shine through in her senior collection. Even without her telling you, it’s understood that her pieces are a nod to the past with a present day twist.

“It’s an idea and a way of bringing historic concepts into a modern setting, which we as designers already do,” says Natasha. “There is never anything really new, but we don’t see it until it’s made a little bit more obvious.”

She felt the painting “Still life with Hat and Collar” by Albert Henrich truly encompassed her idea of taking what was old and making it new again.

“You look at it and you think of an old-timey gentleman with the color and the cuffs, things that we don’t use in today’s society as formal wear,” reflects Natasha. “Up until the 1950s, women always wore hats and gloves when they went out or to church. I gravitate towards things that people nowadays take for granted.”

That gravitational pull may be due to her upbringing. Thanks to her family’s influence, Natasha was constantly surrounded by elements of the theater or cinema. She grew up with an adoration of classic and obscure films that was only magnified by her cinema history courses at CCAD.

"Still Life with Hat and Collar" By Albert Henrich

“Stepping back and taking a look at my work I can see a strong influence of film noir,” she notes.  “The lines, the intensity, the palette, and the mood have a definite presence in my Steampunk approach.  It defines me perfectly.”

Steampunk, a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s, incorporates elements of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and horror. There are historical elements within the steampunk aesthetic, as well as Natasha’s designs. She even used reclaimed or recycled fabrics from thrift stores in every single one of her designs.

As her time at CCAD draws to a close, Natasha, although a fan of the past, is still looking forward. She hopes to continue her design work as well as attend graduate school to continue studying the history of textile and fashion. As new students begin their path towards the 2013 Senior Fashion show, her advice to them is just to remain true to what you do.

“Find your voice, visualize your statement, make it the best it can be, and use the resources you have around you because you won’t have them for long,” says Natasha. “Get your education to make you the best that you can be while doing what you love to do, but don’t let anybody bully you away from your vision.”

We’re a  month away from the 2012 Senior Fashion Show. Buy your tickets now.

Fox 28′s Good Day Columbus

Set your DVRs. This week Fox 28’s Good Day Columbus and NBC 4’s Daytime Columbus will feature CCAD fashion design seniors and their models.

Animation junior Joann Allison Cundiff will be modeling Shirley Weng’s designs Wednesday, April 11 on Good Day Columbus, which airs from 7–9 a.m.

The following day, April 12, Michele Watson’s designs will be modeled by Interior Design senior Susan Crenshaw on Daytime Columbus, which airs 11–11:30 a.m.

For more on CCAD’s Senior Fashion Show event, and to buy tickets, click here.

NBC 4′s Daytime Columbus

Jennifer Tang's final fashion show design evokes a sense of airy delight.

Fabric plays an important part in every designer’s collection. Sometimes it is the inspiration that leads to the design and other times the design itself leads to the final fabric selection.

Jennifer Tang knew she wanted fabrics that were flowing, soft, and fully embraced her color palette. Making her designs come to life meant choosing organza, silk and lots, and lots of chiffon. While those selections made the most beautiful fit, they were not necessarily the most agreeable fabrics to work with.

“Organza and sheer fabrics are more difficult to sew,” notes Jennifer. “It’s pretty challenging to work on any fabric that is silk-like, as it takes a lot of time to do rolled hems and add details.”

Her collection includes dark purples, fuchsia, navy, and a little bit of silver, each with various facets of texture that are then mixed with the sheer and silky selections. She also alternates dramatic effects between the top and bottom portions of her creations—combining fitted pants with a flowing top or a skirt with a detailed waistband paired with a less dramatic top.

One of Jennifer's favorite fabrics, a feather-embellished chiffon.

She delights in the way her fabric selections and ultimate designs mimic the various features that originally drew her to the works of her muses. A painting, ”Composition VI” by Wassily Kandinsky and “The Little Mermaid” sculpture by Edward Erikson, both conjure a sense of airiness complimented with points of sea-like shimmer that Jennifer was able to transfer to her work.

“I adored the movement, flow, and color palette in the painting, but also the fact that it was more abstract in shape and it felt like an ocean,” she says. “The sculpture of the mermaid displayed her smooth bare skin, and reminded me to show a little more skin in my collection. It was also shiny, flowing, and relaxing.”

When asked if she is more at ease now that the Senior Fashion Show is so close. Jennifer just laughed, since there is a still lot of work to be done before her model takes the stage on May 11th.

Tickets are going fast for this spectacular, once-a-year experience.  Choose from VIP, Fashionable Friends or General Admission Tickets. It’s a night that you don’t want to miss.

Amanda Smith envisioned her collection to be comfy, natural and cultured.

Each designer’s “canvas” for this year’s Senior Fashion Show collection is as diverse and captivating as the designer herself. There is not one collection that mimics the other, each standing tall on the inspiration and unique vision of the designer. Distinctive techniques, fabrics; and, of course, their chosen muse make each collection true, exceptional works of wearable art.

Amanda Smith’s designs take on big patterns, geometric and animal shapes, and try to include natural fabrics whenever possible. When you look at each piece separately you may question whether the two patterns would work together, but when you see the completed design you understand Amanda’s gift even more.

“My overall collection and style was derived from my experience studying abroad in England. While taking part in this amazing experience, I learned a lot about myself as a designer and how I design,” she says. “I learned to explore knitted fabric along with knitting my own fabric on a machine and by hand, which I have incorporated into my collection.”

Before exploring her true “passion for fashion,” Amanda considered applying her gift of assembling textiles and patterns to interior design. When she found that process to be nothing like Extreme Home Makeover, she expanded her creative search and found that fashion design satisfied her fabric cravings.

“All I wanted to do was immerse myself into the tactile feeling and handling of the fabric choices and creating something that gave a certain feeling,” she remembers.

Amanda used a "burnout" technique to create designs in some of her fabrics.

That notion is carried throughout her Senior Fashion Show collection, which is peppered with rich fabrics ranging from knit, suede and velvet, many of which were embellished with personal, hand-stitched details or with an inimitable “burnout” technique.

A burnout pattern is a special type of treatment used on tufted fabrics, like brocade or velvet, to create a distinctive look. To get the look she wanted, Amanda took her original sketches and developed them into digital designs using a computer graphics program. The designs were then printed, cut out, and placed over the fabric. A chemical paste was then applied to the fabric to create the desired pattern.

Being the perfectionist that she is, Amanda admits she completed this process several times until she got the results she wanted. Even now she has to hold back from fixing them again and again.

“My most difficult challenge is that I envision perfection and expect to present that through my finished pieces. Due to this challenge, when I look at my pieces I want to change them and fine tune them constantly,” reflects Amanda. “I feel like I’m never getting anywhere. I have a perfect state within my mind and inner drive to please and capture the perfectionism and never seem to reach the end.”

The final runway show is coming up fast and there is still work to be done, including creating an outfit for herself and putting the finishing touches on the garment she created for Kristy Eckert, Capital Style’s editor-in-chief. There’s still time for you to get your tickets, but those will be gone before you know it.

Earrings created by Mark Burleigh

The CCAD Spring Art Sale is here again and not only are we getting excited, but our vendors are also waiting with anticipation to show off their hard work. On April 14, 2012 more than 100 students, alumni, faculty & staff will sell their work in the Loann Crane Center for Design on April 14, 2012.

The sale provides an excellent way for visitors to purchase unique artwork produced by the talent at CCAD. An array of items can be found including jewelry, paintings, ceramics, glass, scarves, clothing, prints, homemade cards, and much more. CCAD artists and designers prep for the sale weeks in advance and are already set to go.

Mark Burleigh, assistant professor and Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus, will be selling silver and metal jewelry including earrings, brooches, pendants, and bracelets.

“This will be my second time participating in the CCAD Art Sale, and I am excited not only to sell my work, but also to show students and faculty a new side of me,” Burleigh said.

"Tuk," an illustration by Isuri Hewage

Burleigh has been working with silver for the past 30 years. He began after attending a Revolutionary War reenactment and talking to a silversmith there who sparked his interest. Burleigh regularly works with antique  hand-hammered silver and beads that were used for trade in the early 19th century.

“I will take a 200-year-old trade bead and wrap it in silver to create a bracelet,” Burleigh said.  “I like mixing these separate eras and worlds. I think it is important to have a piece that tells a story.”

CCAD Illustration senior Isuri Merenchi Hewage will be selling prints of her illustrations at the sale. This is her third art sale, and she has gotten the routine down pat.

“I think vendors get a lot of good exposure by selling work at the sale,” Hewage said. “I like seeing what artwork other artists have brought, and I get the chance to meet new people who are interested in art, just like I am.”

The CCAD Spring Art Sale begins at 9 a.m. with first choice admission ($50) and general admission ($5) beginning at 10:30 a.m. Click here for more information on the sale.

First-place winner for TDAC, Evan Thomas' illustration "Past Spa"

Studio SSS, founder of the popular websites They Draw and Travel (TDAT) and They Draw and Cook (TDAC) recently announced the winners of their CCAD student competition for Illustration majors.

TDAT and TDAC were created by a brother/sister design team of Fashion Design alumna Salli Swindell (CCAD 1981) and Nate Padavick.

Swindell came to CCAD in February 2012 to lecture as part of the Visiting Artists Series. While here, she announced a competition. Students were encouraged to enter their illustrations into one or both of the sites; the top three designs would receive a cash prize.

First-place winner for TDAT, Emily Lockwood's illustration "A Climbers Guide: Red River Gorge, Kentucky"

“Not only is it a great exercise for people who enjoy drawing, but it is also a career opportunity, since we have had many professionals contact [our sites'] illustrators to do freelance work,” Swindell said during her visit.

The company received more than 70 entries for the contest and had an outside judge to choose three winners and three runners-ups. They Draw and Travel was judged by illustrator Steve Mack, who blogs regularly for Illustration Friday. Sophomore Emily Lockwood took first place, junior Jesus Walle took second, and junior Cody Hanes took third. The three runner-ups were sophomore Andrew Pena, freshman Sichong Xie, and junior Melissa Hiat.

They Cook and Draw was judged by the CEO of Flourish Agency, Inc., Christopher Ferranti, and his team. First place went to junior Evan Thomas, second place went to senior Isuri Merenchi Hewage, and third place went to senior Monica Cronin. Runner-ups were included sophomores Samuel Veirs, Alesha Williams, and Sherlann Lewandowski.

Artists from around the world have submitted their illustrated recipes and/or maps to the TDAC and TDAT sites. After receiving hundreds of submissions, the design team published their first cookbook last year, which includes illustrations from artists around the world.

They Draw and Travel winning entries can be viewed here and They Draw and Cook entries here.

Annika Simmons and one of her five designs that will appear in this year's fashion show.

Annika Simmons’ love for creating clothes started as early as she can remember. She can recall sitting at the feet of her mother and grandmother listening to the hum of the sewing machine while creating dresses for her dolls by hand with the scraps of material they would give her. She credits her sincere passion for the craft of creating clothes and fashion to those special matriarchs of her youth.

“I remember the feel of the fabric, the cool thimbles protecting my little fingers from pricks, and always running to my mom to show her my creations,” says Annika. “One day, she and my grandma surprised me with my first sewing box, which I still use to this day, filled with everything a beginning seamstress could need. After they taught me how to use the sewing machine, I was hooked.”

Annika’s mother continued to encourage her daughter’s newfound hobby and bought her as much fabric as she desired. But the hobby turned into much more as Annika spent much of her elementary and high school years creating clothes for herself and her friends. By the time she graduated high school she had a closet full of things she had created. While she jokes that not all of the outfits were “good,” her sheer passion for the art definitely came through.

Some of Annika's early inspirations and sketches for her collection.

“It’s kind of an enamoring experience to design…to create. It fills almost every waking hour and sometimes fills the ones where I’m dreaming as well,” said Annika. “Sitting at my sewing machine, making something, fills me with such an unprecedented joy, almost a pure sense of peace and fulfillment. I’ve never lost that feeling, and I think that with the guidance and inspiration of my mother I followed the path of fashion design.”

Annika’s designs for this year’s CCAD Senior Fashion Show may pull a bit from the whimsical notions of her youth but combines it with inspiration of the gentle, sweeping strokes of Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s Stolen Kiss painting. Add in her love for the Lolita designs of Japanese Street Fashion and you have a collection that can be deliciously described with words like pastel, confectionery, sleek, frilly, girly, and dreamy. It’s also the only line that will be worn by both adult and child models during the show.

“Fragonard has always had a soft, gentle palette with sweeping strokes that makes his artwork every bit romantic. I believe his painting, “Stolen Kiss” represents the ideals of the Rococo time period.”

Since her first exposure to the craft was from watching her mother weave the needle and thread, it’s no surprise that she is most proud of the detailed, yet laborious, hand-stitched hems on all of her creations.

“I like hand-finishing details because I feel like you can get a more professional look than if you have a lot of top-stitching or things that can be seen on the designs,” says Annika. “It’s not hard, but it is time-consuming; but, if you want something to look really pristine, you have to take the time to do it.”

Make sure you don’t miss out on seeing Annika’s confectionery designs at this year’s Senior Fashion Show. Buy your tickets today before they are all gone!

Kristin Rose presents the only menswear line at this year's Senior Fashion Show.

Kristin Rose loves every part of the fashion design process and when she says every part, she really means every part.

“From researching trends, building mood boards, concept sketching, pattern drafting, draping, picking out amazing fabrics, getting anxiety over having to cut into those fabrics, and then looking at my finished piece on a form or a body; it’s all incredible!” she says.

While the entire process may seem overwhelming, Kristin also notes that it’s exhilarating, especially when a piece is completed and you get see what all the hard work and dedicated hours created.

“Being able to see the design done is amazing,” she says. “I can stand back and say, ‘Wow, I made that. That was my idea and now it’s a three-dimensional piece on a person.’”

While every designer’s collection was different this year, Kristin was the only one to create a menswear line.

“I’ve always been interested in menswear, but more than anything I wanted to challenge myself,” said Kristin. “I dabbled in it in advance tailoring and just decided to try it on my own and it worked.”

Kristin created three-separate looks for the show, each with three separate pieces that included a pant, shirt, and a coat. The culmination of her collection is the not one, but two double-faced cashmere wool coats. Working with this type of fabric required countless hours of pre-work before she could even think about sewing her designs.

“I had never taken on a challenge like this before, but I absolutely loved it. It was incredibly time consuming and made me think outside the box on how to finish seams and edges,” she remembers. “The amount of hand-sewing and attention to detail was just what I needed to stay challenged and focused.”

Kristin's collection includes two coats using this double-faced cashmere.

Although Kristin knew from the beginning she wanted to do menswear, she still searched for inspiration in her muses. One inspired her color palette, the other offered definition, structure and confirmation of the masculinity she wanted her collection to convey. Her final inspirations included the post impressionistic paintings of Vincent Van Gogh and the romantic bronze sculptures of William Rimmer.

“Van Gogh’s paintings have this sense of rough beauty defined by an unmatched sense of bold color that turns a flat canvas into a deep and dimensional work of art,” notes Kristin. “
I chose William Rimmer’s bronze sculptures because of the masculinity he was able to convey. The incredible detail of muscle definition, for instance in 
”Fighting Lions” blew me away.”

Her love of Rimmer’s bronze work easily mixed with the vibrant reds and golds from Van Gogh’s works and became part of Kristin’s final color palette.

In the end all three of Kristin’s presented looks will find their way to the runway on May 11.  It’s the true finale for everything she and the rest of her classmates have been through over the course of their studies.

“As a fashion major you look forward to this year for three years, but you never think of how many hours you will spend drafting and redrafting patterns or making samples because you are afraid to mess up your expensive fabric,” she says. “Getting the opportunity to showcase things that I designed and created is in itself incredible, but I’m just proud that I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to showcase my collection.”

Be sure to get your tickets soon so that you can be part of Kristin and the other designer’s “finale”.

Joella Stallard showcases her pleated designs.

Joella Stallard admits she gravitates towards simple, tailored and fitted sportswear pieces,  for herself and in her designs. However, you would never know that once you see her four looks that will grace the Senior Fashion Show runway.

“My designs are normally more ready-to-wear than couture, which doesn’t come across at all in this collection,” reflects Joella. “I tend to work in the realm of American sportswear separates (think Jackie O) and simplicity always works better with the things I design.”

Yet, Joella’s designs in this collection are anything but simple. They are full of flowy and airy fabrics, many of them with detailed pleated designs.

“Pleats are not something we work with much in our classes. If we do, you make your own pleats and not work with a piece of fabric that is already pleated,” she says.  “Learning how to work with the fabric before I started sewing was a real challenge.”

Although the fabrics Joella selected for her pieces were daunting, her muses, which included “The Blind Swimmer” by Max Ernst and “Bird in Space” by Constantine Brancusi were chosen for their simplicity, flow and color structure.

“I pulled some of my color palette from the Ernst painting and then built the rest of my palette based on what I liked with those colors. The line work in the painting made me immediately think of pleats so that is why there are quite a few of those showing up in my collection,” adds Joella. “I tried to pull in the simplicity of the Brancusi sculpture with the clean lines of my non-pleated pieces. The gold tone of the sculpture will come into play with some of the accessories, which I am collaborating with fine arts senior Dion Utt to create.”

The Blind Swimmer by Max Ernst

As her senior year comes to a close, Joella is looking forward to life after school and hopes for a position in the fashion industry in her preferred part of the design process.

“My favorite parts are definitely pattern-making and the actual construction of the garment, because that is where you solve all of the problems with the design,” she says. “I also enjoy solving the fit. Every model is going to be a different size and you can start out on the form, but once it’s on a person you have to figure out the fit.”

For those who are soon to follow in her footsteps and will begin their journey to the 2013 Senior Fashion Show, Joella offers some very poignant advice about staying on task with all assignments.

“Pay attention to what your instructors are telling you and learn to build working relationships with them so that when you need their help asking isn’t an issue,” she says. “Also, don’t be afraid to ask your peers for advice on projects, we are at a visual arts school and we all approach and view things differently, sometimes hearing a different point of view is all you need to understand where to go with a project.”

Be sure to purchase your tickets now before they are gone, so you can see Joella’s final project take the runway on May 11.

Crystal Turisch in her studio

The first of anything is always exciting and our first MFA class is no different. CCAD’s inaugural master of fine arts class will be graduating this spring, but not before they exhibit their work in First: The 2012 New Projects MFA Thesis Exhibition.

Eleven graduating MFA students will display their final theses March 30–April 27. Works in the exhibition will range from glass, installation, social practice, and photography to fabric design, illustration, painting, and digital media.

CCAD’s two-year MFA program is project-based. The non-media-specific curriculum focuses on individual artistic/design development and creative leadership. It brings together talented individuals from a variety of different media to build a community that fosters exploration, professionalism, and creative success.

Cystal Turisch, one of the graduating students, will show photographs that explores the anxieties and insecurities that result from growing up with an alcoholic mother. Her work is divided into different photographic series focusing on obstacles and emotions that have affected her throughout her adult life.

Nathan Gorgen's studio, featuring his main thesis project

“I wanted to be a part of the first MFA class at CCAD,” Turisch said. “I wanted to be able to work with a small, close group of artists and receive a lot of one-on-one attention from professors, mentors, and peers within the school.”

Nathan Gorgen was excited about CCAD’s MFA program because of its location. He had never been to Columbus and was pleased with the amount of artistic opportunities the city holds for his professional career.

“Columbus wasn’t really on my map before I came here, now I realize what an amazing city it is,” exclaimed Gorgen. “I’m so impressed with the professors, the local art scene, and the whole environment that is in Columbus.”

Gorgen’s final piece is a large installation that combines painting and architectural elements.

“I had a lot of time and support throughout this program. I was able to tackle more ambitious projects and get a better conceptual understanding of art and the art I produce,” Gorgen said.

Nicole Crock has found the support in the program unlike that of other schools she researched. Crock decided to attend CCAD because the program was based on a multidisciplinary foundation. The MFA candidate works in mixed media. By working with an array of artists in close proximity, she was able to explore more artistic mediums and learn from her peers’ expertise.

“I hate to say such a cliché phrase, but I really have blossomed here. I needed this program,” Crock said.

Her final thesis project is a multimedia installation that explores the emotions connected with moving from place to place.

Nicole Crock in her studio

“Moving has been the inspiration for my art. A lot of people think it is glamorous that I have been able to travel, but I always longed for the feeling of home and to not feel as though I am rootless,” said Crock.

Following graduation, Crock plans to stay in Columbus and continue focusing on her work. She wants to find a studio space and start connecting with artists within the community.

“I think it is important to make art with the purpose of communicating with people, and that is what I want to do,” Crock said. “I want to learn to be able to seek change, and do it gracefully throughout my life.”

First: The 2012 New Projects MFA Thesis Exhibition opens March 30 and will run through April 27 with an opening reception March 30, 6–8 p.m. CCAD’s first MFA class includes Elena Harvey Collins, Alex Conrad, Nicole Crock, Nathan Gorgen, Chris Harman, Woodrow Hinton III, Virginia Kistler, Kayane Kouzoujian, Cosby Lindquist, Amanda Rouse and Crystal Turisch.

To learn more about CCAD’s MFA program click here.

Rachel Cass in the CCAD sewing lab.

Rachel Cass is not one to procrastinate. Last summer she not only chose her muse for her senior thesis, but with her sketch book in hand, she set out on a road trip to New York City and found every single piece of fabric she would later use for her collection. All before classes had officially started.

But, before Rachel took to the road, she researched and uncovered her muse.

“I spent several days in the library digging through different images of some of the paintings that I was in love with and I kept coming across Salvador Dali,” she remembers. The bigger challenge was the second half of the assignment—finding a sculptor of the same era as a second muse. “I just didn’t know who to pair him with because he’s such a different artist, especially with his use of surrealism with color and shape.”

She finally stumbled upon the massive spider sculptures of Louise Bourgeois and found that the armature nature of the spiders were the connection and final key that she needed.

The result includes soft smooth lines, combined with hard angles and structure to form a new mix of lounge ware.

“It’s somewhere between lingerie, lounge, and ready-to-wear,” notes Rachel. “These designs create a true mix-and-match collection, which allow you to feel sexy, sophisticated, and comfortable.”

With muse in mind, it was time for the road trip. Rachel, along with her boyfriend and fellow classmate, ventured to the Big Apple in search of the perfect fabrics.

Louise Bourgeois Spider in front of the Tate Modern in London

“I knew I kind of wanted that soft and hard element in my line, so I started out in the jerseys and let the fabric speak to me,” remembers Rachel. “I just started pulling fabrics that I liked, that I was attracted to, and what spoke to me.  Then I laid them all out.”

Before she knew it she had developed a color palette of fabrics that mimicked the color story in her favorite Salvador Dali painting. Silks, knits, organza and jerseys were all laid out before her and they all complimented her initial inspiration.

“I ended up going with my gut and listened to myself. I knew what felt right and just went for it,” she says. “I bought all my fabric right then and there. I took everything with me. I had my entire six garments worth of fabric.”

Once the fabric was set, Rachel set out on a new goal. To not only produce six garments, the maximum that she could present for the Senior Fashion Show jury, but to get every single one in the show.

“I wanted to push myself and create six looks. It would be one thing if they were single pieces, but all of mine are separates,” says Rachel. “This is a lot of work, and because some of them are lingerie pieces, getting the fit right was very important. Mix that with silk and knits and I gave myself a huge challenge.”

The challenge paid off.  All six of her designs were selected by the jury to appear in the show. But before Rachel even had time to relish in her success, she was already looking to how she could make the garments better before the show.

You’ll have a chance to see Rachel’s new mix of ready-to-wear designs on May 11^th, but tickets are going fast. Buy yours here today!

Michele shows off some of her completed designs

As a young child, Michele Watson carried around a sketchbook and crayons everywhere she went. “I would draw little skinny female figures with huge heads, almost like a Bratz doll, with clothes my friends had worn that day,” says Michele.  “It wasn’t until my teacher’s aid told me that I should start drawing my own designs on my figures that I knew I wanted to have a career in fashion.” That was in second grade.

Michele still carries around a sketchbook, but her style and designs have obviously evolved immensely and are ever-changing. “I always want to do different things,” she says. “I don’t want to get bored with one thing.”

Her selected muses for the senior fashion show encompass that thinking. She knew she wanted to include African culture and fabrics in her collections, but struggled at first to find works that not only spoke to her, but also would connect to her original vision.

She finally discovered the works of Armand Fernandez, a French-born American sculptor, best known for his “accumulations” and destruction/recomposition of objects and Yinka Shonibare, a British-Nigerian artist whose work explores the issues of race and class.

“I chose both these artists because combined, their works embodied the artistic vision I wanted to present in my collection,” says Michele. “My sculptor Armand Fernandez’s work is very repetitive and uses common found objects and presents them as endlessly repeated forms. I tried to show that in my collection through the repetition of pleats.”

Michele’s other muse, Yinka Shonibare’s is known for using the richly patterned Dutch wax fabric produced in Europe for a West African market in his work. For this reason, Michele’s artistic vision included the use of multiple versions of handmade printed fabric that she acquired from a woman who makes frequent trips to Africa.

“Mixing the prints together was very hard because I didn’t want to use just one print for each garment, I wanted to mix them up,” she adds. “I really had to focus on where I would place the fabrics in each piece so they wouldn’t overpower the design.”

Michele's early sketches and fabric swatches

During this process, Michele was also surprised by how much her collection’s direction changed from sketch to final garment, especially during the fabric placement stage.

“I drew out what I thought I wanted but when I started to construct the designs, they started to change,” says Michele. “Some designs that I drew didn’t match the fabric so I had to rethink it and redesign it.”

In the end, her hard work and attention to detail paid off as all four of her presented designs made it into the show. When asked what advice she would give to a designer about to embark on the same journey she is close to completing, she quickly advises that doing your research is key.

“I know I have a lot of ideas, which isn’t bad,” she laughs. “But, you want to be able to narrow those ideas down to see which ones you can combine to create your final vision”

Be sure to purchase your tickets now before they are gone, so you can see Michele’s final vision take the runway on May 11.

The jury. Photo by Lian Dziura (CCAD 2012).

The jury results are in and 15 designers will show their collections (more than 50 garments total) at the 2012 Senior Fashion Show. The designers were allowed to show up to six garments at the judging on March 1, after which the jury recommended the final  garments that should be in the show.

This year the designers were asked to find inspiration for their collection from both painters and sculptors. The works had to be produced in the same era and the artists had to be working prior to the mid 20^th century.

Below is a list of the participating designers and their collection inspiration. If you want to see their garments walk down the runway, you better get your tickets soon. (Prices go up March 15.)

1.) Tasha Naneth Bolton
Painter: Albert Henrich, “Still Life with Hat and Collar”
Sculptor: Axel Erlandson, “The Basket Tree”

2.) Rachel Cass
Painter: Salvador Dali
Sculptor: Louise Bourgeois

3.) Tasha Dircksen
Painter: Max Ernst, “33 Little Girls Chasing Butterflies”
Sculptor: Rudolph Belling, “Bluetenmotiv”

4.) Alyssa Johnson
Painter: Gustav Klimt, “Water Serpents I”
Sculptor: Boleslas Biegas, “The Haunted House”

5.) Rachel Kaplan
Painter: Georgia O’Keeffe, “Red Canna”
Sculpture: Umberto Boccioni, “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space”

6.) Sarah Pruden
Painter: Salvador Dali
Sculptor: Louise Nevelson

7.) Skyler Riggins
Painter: Georges Braque, “Man with a Guitar”
Sculptor: Barbara Hepworth, “Group of Three Magic Stones”

8.) Kristin Rose
Painter: Vincent Van Gogh
Sculptor: William Rimmer

9.) Nuonan Ruan
Painter: Chu Teh-Chun

10.) Annika Simmons
Painter: Jean Honore Fragonard, “Stolen Kiss”

11.) Amanda Mae Smith
Painter: Alphonse Mucha, “La Blonde”
Sculptor:  Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona’s Park Guell

12.) Joella Stallard
Painter: Max Ernst, “The Blind Swimmer”
Sculptor: Constantine Brancusi, “Bird in Space”

13.) Jennifer Tang
Painter: Wassily Kandinsky
Sculptor: Edward Erikson

14.) Michele Watson
Painter: Yinka Shonibare
Sculptor: Armand Fernandez

15.) Shirley Weng
Painter: Francis Picabia
Sculptor: Nanm Gabo

The judges carefully examine each garment.

Before the flashing lights; before the heart-pounding music; before the runway, there is the jury. One of the key moments before the CCAD Senior Fashion Show is truly “buttoned-up” is when each senior designer’s garments is evaluated by a group of professionals from the fashion industry. Their spot in the show is not guaranteed until this process is complete and their designs are ruled ready for the runway.

This year designers could show up to six garments, and many pieces in this year’s collections were also complimented by the designer’s pick of diverse accessories, some of which were handcrafted by the student. Not only will the jury impact which designers will participate in the fashion show, but their evaluations will be a deciding factor in which of the specific designs ultimately grace the runway.

The nine-member jury included Richard Aschenbrand, CCAD dean of visual communications; Jackie Ayers, senior designer for Lane Bryant; Katie Brennan director of design at Abercrombie & Fitch; Julie Dean, associate vice president of technical design and Sally Ewing, technical design manager for LaSenza; Maren Roth, owner of Rowe Boutique; Kristy Eckert, editor for Capital Style;  Lucia Murillo, vice president of design at Justice; and Sara Zimmerman, stylist for Express.

Suzanne Cotton, chair of the fashion design department kicked off the event by asking the jury to look at the garments as a whole, providing comments on the overall design as well as the, fit, quality, chosen fabric, and construction. The jury members were also asked to take careful notes on each piece, as they would later be shared anonymously with each of the designers, regardless of the final outcome.

Designers were not present during the actual review, leaving the jury members to view each garment knowing only the designer’s name and garment number.

As the first model stepped forward the jury sat poised and prepared to see what the class of 2012 had to offer. Jury members asked the models to turn or step closer to the jury table in order to take a closer look while others requested to touch and feel the fabric’s texture. Some even asked the models how it felt to wear and walk in the piece. The process continued for several hours until the final garment was shown.

It will take a few days to review and collect all of the jury’s comments before the final selections are announced, so be sure to check back here for the details. And, coming soon,  individual profiles of each designer presenting in the show.

If you want to ensure you have a seat to see the chosen pieces, buy your tickets online now. They are selling quickly and prices go up soon. Based on the collections shown today, it’s a night you don’t want to miss.

AOI poster created by junior Wes Talbott

CCAD’s annual Art of Illustration (AOI) exhibition opens March 3 at Rivet Gallery in Columbus’ Short North arts district.

The student-produced exhibition is in its 15^th year and is part of a collegewide illustration competition that is juried by local professional illustrators.

The exhibition, which used to be shown on CCAD’s campus, moved to Rivet Gallery last year. The exhibition will once again debut during Gallery Hop, a first-Saturday-of-every-month event in the Short North.

“We wanted to showcase the best illustrative work created by students of CCAD and give them a chance to have their work exhibited in a gallery off campus,” said Brianne Schulze, a student organizer of AOI. “This is our second year working with Laura Kuenzli at Rivet Gallery, and she has been a big help to us throughout the entire process and in giving the exhibited artists an opportunity to sell their work.”

This year the show is organized by four Illustration students: seniors Lexie Holliday and Brianne Schulze, and juniors Andrew Thompson and Wes Talbott. Advisors are Professors Stewart McKissick (CCAD 1979) and Walter King (CCAD 1981) and Chair of Illustration Chris Payne.

Left to right: Chris Seaman, Jeff Carlisle, Lora Innes, Chris Payne, Adam Watkins, and Maxe Smith

The panel of judges included alumni Lora Innes (CCAD 2002, Media Studies), Chris Seaman (CCAD 2000, Illustration), Adam Watkins (CCAD 2004, Illustration), Maxe Smith (CCAD 2009, Illustration), and Jeff Carlisle (CCAD 1997, Illustration). They evaluated 190 submissions, narrowing the pool down to 41 accepted illustrations for the show.

Awards will be given for first, second, and third place. Six pieces were also chosen as  judges’ picks and will receive awards. The show is sponsored by Chipotle, Starbucks, r designs & printing, Noodles and Co., Dick Blick Art Materials, Kroger, and Giant Eagle.

Art of Illustration will open March 3 at Rivet Gallery, 1200 N. High St., with a reception from 7–10 p.m., during which awards will be given. The show will run through March 28, 2012.

Photo of "Sunmao" created by Benwu Studio

With several months to  go before graduation, CCAD senior Hongchao Wang is already having career successes by founding a design studio that is gaining international attention.

Wang founded Benwu Studio with his friend Peng You who attends Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London, England. Their first collaboration was in 2010. Since then they have successfully worked across continents as an independent design studio. Their designs are “inspired by fashionable/architectural elements and Zen philosophy,” according to their website.

Benwu Studio was recently selected to participate in A+: The Young Designers’ Platform showcase within Accent on Design® at the winter 2012 New York International Gift Fair®.

The A+: The Young Designers’ Platform is an outlet for emerging talents and brand new products. Designers in business for one year or less can submit their designs, prototypes, or products, and selected participants are awarded display space at Accent on Design®.

The studio’s best-known products are “Sunmao,” a three-legged stool that incorporates Zen philosophy; “Mapo,” a tofu knife made of bamboo; and “Giggle,” a wool felt reusable bag.

Hodge studying medical illustrations

A CCAD student and professor have been invited to present an abstract at the 7th International Conference on the Arts in Society in Liverpool, UK.

Julie Posey, chair of science at CCAD and Jonathan Hodge, Fine Arts senior worked with the lead anatomist Eric Kenz at Columbus State Community College (CSCC) to work on their abstract, The Integration of Art and Science: Bridging the Gap between Disciplines and Institutions.

This presentation details an interdisciplinary/intercollegiate approach to medical illustration. Hodge was able to study cadavers at CSCC and create photo-realistic anatomic illustrations.

“By utilizing CSCC anatomy laboratories, we were able to link CCAD expertise in illustration and aesthetic awareness with human cadavers to craft medical drawings that highlight dimensional qualities often missed,” Posey said.

In addition to working with CSCC, Hodge also received mentorship from alumnus Anthony Baker (CCAD 1986) who is a medical  illustrator for The Ohio State University. Under Baker’s guidance, Hodge illustrated the anatomy involved in yoga poses as part of an honors class project. This opportunity to work with a professional in the field and broaden the scope of the intercollegiate cooperation will be highlighted at the UK conference.

The conference will take place in July 2012 and discuss a range of themes, including the relationship between art and science.

Hodge, from New Orleans, LA, also worked on a recent project with T.Ty Fowler, M.D. who serves as the director of orthopaedic trauma at Mount Carmel West Hospital. Dr. Fowler will include six of Hodge’s medical illustrations in a published article.  His illustrations will also appear in a McGraw-Hill lab manual to be published soon.

Final image in Nationwide video, painted by Alan Becker

Twenty-five students in CCAD’s Pipeline Project recently created a video for Nationwide to display in the lobby of their downtown Columbus corporate offices.

The Pipeline Project, now in its sixth year, is an extra curricular program at CCAD that provides students a chance to produce a film in a collaborative, team-oriented manner that mirrors professional practice.

The project was led by Assistant Professor Thomas Richner, who met with executives from Nationwide throughout the process and presented the final 30-second video.

The final video focused on the history of Nationwide. It featured a white eagle flying over different Ohio landscapes and a chronological succession of buildings bearing Nationwide’s logos.

“The Pipeline Project allows students to work with real-world factors such as deadlines, meetings, and client requests,” Richner said.

Mardi Girard, a senior in Animation, has participated in the Pipeline Project twice.

“This project was not only a resume builder, but it also taught me how to work with other animators when trying to make a cohesive animation,” Girard said.

Animation senior Bekah Nunn was excited to work in a large group.

“It modeled what we will be doing when we leave school,” she said. “I was able to network with other students and get more experience in completing a team project start to finish.”

Other students who worked on this year’s project include Animation sophomore Kelly Cumpson; Animation juniors Joann Cundiff, Jonathan Pezzatta, Donald Yoakam, Chris Campbell, and Tyler Crowley; Animation seniors Brittney Kellogg, Victor Dearing, Shannon Beech, and DeJuan McCoy; Media Studies juniors Alan Becker and Manuel Austin; and Media Studies senior Jessica Miera.

The first-place student design team with executives from Scotts LawnService

In a recent collaboration with ScottsMiracleGro Company a group of CCAD students competed to design an interior focal point for the company’s corporate offices.

The objective of the project was to design an artistic covering for 22 stone pillars that are a part of Scotts’ interior structure. The coverings needed to reflect the ScottsMiracleGro Company brand and also provide a wayfinding tool for employees and visitors.

Assistant professors Dawson Kellogg and Julie Abijanac (CCAD 1992) led the project involving the Studio Professions class.

Each student presented a concept to the professors. The original 37 designs were then narrowed down to 15.

Tiffany Peoples, the vice president of global innovation at Scotts, evaluated these 15 designs and selected the top six designs to move on to the next round.

The top six designers each became the artistic director of a team that they selected to work on a final design and presentation.

The final round of judging included Peoples and Jim Lyski, the chief marketing officer of Scotts. Each student group presented its designs and ideas to the judges in an open presentation. Peoples and Lyski then chose and ranked the top three designs.

First prize went to a design entitled Elements of Nature created by Fine Arts juniors Devin Broadnax and Chris Pack; Advertising & Graphic Design senior Maggie Malloy; Advertising & Graphic Design junior Richard Coyne; and Fine Arts sophomore Yunji Choi.

“We loved the detail in this group; we look at these designs every day so we wanted them to be generally appealing, but have a sense of detail to keep them fresh,” said Lyski.

First place design being presented to Scotts executives

Second place went to Drawn from the Roots. This design concept was created by Fine Arts sophomores Jamie Turner, Emily Ruff, and Allie Raines; Fine Arts juniors Emily Cook and Alexandria Goeltzenleuchter; and Advertising & Graphic Design junior Ashley Lyon.

The third place design, Hands of Appreciation, was created by Fines Arts sophomores Kyle Franklin, Gabrielle Hirth, and Angela Ryu; Illustration seniors Alyssa Gottlieb and Hannah Mu; and Fine Arts junior Yezen Abusharkh.

Scotts is one of several community clients that CCAD has recently provided significant creative services for including, Easton Town Center, The Central Ohio Transit Authority, the Governor’s office, and Nationwide Insurance.

Cover of Daddy's Favorite Juice

Veronica Jane Abraham, a senior in Illustration, got the chance to illustrate a satirical parenting book that was released this November.

The book, Daddy’s Favorite Juice (the bottles in the fridge that aren’t for you), is a modern and humorous spin on traditional children’s books. Author Mike Nemeth is, according to his website, “a self-proclaimed world’s second most published fake children’s book author.” The site goes on to describe the book as follows: “Daddy’s Favorite Juice teaches your child important skills, like counting, different types of juices, and how to get ‘adult beverages’ for you from the refrigerator.”

While developing his book, which he describes as being “for any new dad or father-to-be,” Nemeth searched for a Columbus artist to illustrate it—preferably one who was being trained at CCAD.  That is when he was introduced to Abraham, and the partnership began.

They had weekly project meetings to talk about the script and the artist’s progress. During this time Abraham showed Nemeth sketches, layouts, and finished artwork.

She completed a total of 26 illustrations for the book, including a full cover, two end-page spreads, 16 single pages, and four two-page spreads. They were all digitally painted using Adobe Photoshop.

“It has been great to gain exposure and to experience the marketing strategies and business side of the book along with illustrating,” Abraham said. “We even have a road map set for sequels in 2012—imagine Max getting his uncle dates!”

This was Abraham’s first illustration for a published book, and she is looking forward to upcoming projects with the author.

“When I received the finalized copy of the book, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment, and I realized the many hours put into it were all worth it,” said Abraham.

The book is available on the Baby Daddy Books site and Amazon.com.

FLIP logo

Seven students in an experimental animation class at CCAD recently showed their work at the Flip Animation Festival, held in the United Kingdom at the end of October.

Established in 2004, Flip is a mix of all things animation. The festival provides educational workshops, feature film screenings, and spotlights on animation studios.

Tracy Robbins, associate professor of Animation, gave the assignment for her students to enter the festival’s Flippin’ Stings competition, which called for a 1o-second “animated sting” that had to use one of the festivals sound bites and the word “flip” or the festival logo.

“This was an amazing experience for the experimental animation class, where students incorporate a variety of materials such as small objects, clay, sand, collage, traditional drawing materials and digital tools into their work,” explained Robbins.

“I presented the competition the week it was due, so they didn’t have time to over think it.,” she added.  “They had one class to work on the 10-second animation, then it had to be posted to the competition site within three days. They were able to use any style or technique and could even incorporate clips of animation that they had been working on. The students did a remarkable job with the challenge, especially considering that, for many of them, this was their first animation class. It allowed them to use the same process of many independent animators, who will incorporate the ideas, techniques and experiments from their personal work into professional projects. It drove home the fact, that, as animators, we can say something in 10 seconds, which is great to understand. As well, it was just exciting for all of us to know that the stings were being used in between sessions featuring Aardman Animation, Bill Plympton and many other inspirational animators at a festival in the UK.”

The students’ stings were  shown at the festival between workshops, panels, and screenings. The students whose work was shown include sophomores in Animation Zach Brown, Xuan Shang, and Scott Ciprian; sophomores in Cinematic Arts Elizabeth Mort and Matt O’Grady; junior in Illustration Colleen McDonnell; and senior in Animation Shannon Beech.

Follow the links to view the students’ work. Xuan Shang, Colleen McDonnell, Zach Brown, Shannon Beech, Scott Ciprian, Elizabeth Mort, and Matt O’Grady.

Student examines rocks outside the Byrd Polar Research Center

Kim Landsbergen, an associate professor at CCAD, is having her Liberal Arts class further their understanding of scientific research by taking them to cutting-edge research centers and sites in Columbus.

The class traveled most recently to the Byrd Polar Research Center (BPRC) at The Ohio State University. BPRC is recognized internationally as a leader in polar and alpine research.

While there, the 20 students were able to tour the center guided by three Ph.D. candidates. They explored the U.S. Polar Rock Repository, which is a national facility that provides rock samples for research, education, and museum use.

They were also able to walk through the center’s cold storage facility. The freezer compartments in the building store ice cores at -30 to -40 degrees Celsius.

“My goal for the field trips in the ecology class is for students to see—live, in person—the vital ecological issues that are right under their noses, here in central Ohio,” said Landsbergen.

The visit was not just a one way experience. The Ph.D. candidates asked CCAD students to help them in being able to appropriately and artistically display their scientific findings.

Students bundle up in a cold storage facility

Students chimed in with suggestions including color coding satellite images based on elevation and altering displays of photographs so visitors could understand their scientific process visually.

“It is important to be involved with current scientific research and other news topics because, as artists, we have to be able to reflect what is going on in the world in order to be successful,” said Joelle Baker, senior in Fine Arts, and a participant in the BPRC trip.

The class went on a total of five trips this year.  Along with the Byrd Polar Research Center, they also visited restored ecosystems in Columbus, Franklin Park Conservatory’s Community Garden Campus, Grange Insurance Audubon Center, and SWACO, which is central Ohio’s main landfill.

“It is important for students, especially ones who are actively engaged in the creative world, to learn by doing and seeing,” said Landsbergen. “You can read about these issues all day, but it is something completely different to be able to see a landfill and the waste or talk to an actual student who has seen the glaciers they are reading about.”

Michael Young's concept design.

Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) students, through a class project, have been partnering with the The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA)  to redesign the downtown business district bus shelters. Recently COTA announced their final decision: choosing the winning design from amongst the three finalist.

Michael Young, a senior in Industrial Design, had his design concept chosen after a community-wide voting process.

The partnership between COTA and CCAD began in a Contemporary Issues in Design class when COTA asked 12 students to submit design proposals for the new shelters.

The designs had to incorporate innovative materials, sustainable or “green” features, protection from the elements, and had to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The shelter also had to complement the urban environment and serve as an attractive focal point.

Three finalist stand awaiting the decision on which design will be used

Out of the initial 12 designs, three were selected as finalists: senior Industrial Design majors, Lyndsye Maez,  Joe Washington, and Young. These three designs were presented to the public who were encouraged to provide  input throughout the month of August.

“Their final decision fell right in line with the public’s choice,” said Beth Berkemer, public and media relations manager at COTA.

This partnership with COTA  is one of several business partnerships that CCAD is involved with. The college has worked closely with the the Ohio governor’s office, Easton Town Center, and Huntington Bank in recent projects that provide students with real-world experience as creative professionals.

“The value of experience like this for students is that they’re able to generate ideas that have an impact on the community where they live, work, and play,” said Kevin Conlon, vice president for academic affairs.

The bus shelters are projected to be in place by the end of 2012.

Design on endangered species condoms

There are now seven billion people on the planet and counting.

CCAD faculty member, Kim Landsbergen, who teaches in the Liberal Arts, division celebrated the birth of the seventh billionth person by talking about issues of sustainability and population growth in her classes.

Landsbergen is a member of the Center for Biological Diversity and is passing on awareness of their Seven Billion and Counting campaign to her Biomimicry and Ecology classes.

Landsbergen’s classes watched a documentary, Manufactured Landscapes, which discusses human resource consumption and land use.

After watching the film, Erin McKenna, a senior Fine Arts student, changed her purchasing patterns by reusing as many products as possible and only shopping at thrift stores.

The Center for Biological Diversity’s campaign goal is to focus on trying to manage population growth by connecting it to environmental problems. One of the campaign’s awareness projects is the Endangered Species Condoms, which they encourage participants to  pass out. The condoms have relevant  phrases such as, “wrap with care, save a polar bear,” “hump smarter, save the snail darter,” and “wear a condom now, save the spotted owl.”

“The ‘endangered species condoms’ were a far more effective way of tying together the concepts of global population and environmental integrity then lecturing,” Landsbergen said.

“I not only thought the condoms were hilarious, but they also got people talking about the issues,” added McKenna.

To learn more about the Center for Biological Diversity, visit their website.

Gov. John Kasich and CCAD senior Aaron Roberts

Surrounded by reporters on a rainy Monday morning, CCAD President Dennison W. Griffith and Ohio Governor John Kasich along with a CCAD senior design student, Aaron Roberts,  unveiled the new designs for Ohio’s license plate and driver’s license—the results of a four-month collaboration between the college and the state.

The project started with an invitation by Mark Kvamme, interim chief investment officer and president of JobsOhio, to redesign the state’s most visible moving moniker and the identification card carried by millions across the state.

Griffith said CCAD’s Design Group, led by Creative Director Lindsay Kronmiller, researched every plate in Ohio history and reviewed samples from across the country and around the world to identify the elements that meet the requirements of safety and law enforcement officials, while at the same time creating a vibrant and memorable image for the state.

From left, Aaron Roberts, Gov. John Kasich, Walker MacKenzie Crane, Mark Kvamme, Isuri Merrnchi Hewage, Katlyn Westbrook, and Taylor Hicks

The five members of the CCAD team on the license plate project included: Aaron Roberts; Walker MacKenzie Crane, Granville, Ohio; Isuri Merenchi Hewage, Colombo, Sri Lanka; Taylor Hicks, Columbus, Ohio; Katlyn Westbrook, Pataskala, Ohio. The student designers brainstormed more than 100 concepts and toured the production plant in an Ohio prison to see the parameters of the presses where their designs would be fabricated. The team selected five final concepts to present to their clients, Public Safety department and BMV administrators. And, finally, a choice was made:  Aaron Roberts’ aviation-inspired theme, which features an aviation wing shape embedded with an outline of the state, along with a series of phrases from Ohio’s history screened in gray on the white background area.

“This partnership has provided our students with opportunities to manage client relationships and design challenges,” said Griffith. “In today’s economic climate, where creativity is key to solving business problems, projects such as this one give our students the experience they need to transition from the classroom to the job market.”

During the press event, the Governor announced an interactive twist to the project. The public will get to vote on the phrases and words from Ohio’s history that will be used on the plates, which range from “The Buckeye State” to “Home of Astronauts.”  Voting will take place online until Jan. 8, 2012, at http://myplate.ohio.gov.

“To see something that you designed shared every day, with everyone in Ohio and that represents the pride of our state, is really sublime,” said Roberts, a senior majoring in Advertising & Graphic Design .

After the voting is completed the new designs will go into production, a process that can take six to nine months. The new plates and licenses are expected to be available in December 2012, after the current inventory has been used.

Check out video about the project here: Meet the Designer & See the Design Process, and read the related press release online.

Members of the 1492 project sit to discuss project goals

CCAD’s collaboration in two innovative entrepreneurial events this fall has lead to a rich new appreciation of the importance of creative thinking in business development.

Startup Weekend Columbus took place Oct. 7–9, 2011 on CCAD campus. In its fifth year, it was the first time this 54-hour program was hosted on CCAD’s campus.

The program, which normally draws students, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists, had a new edge by including the creative class.

“Through Startup Weekend our students got an accelerated and intense sense of any number of considerations that impact business decisions and in turn impact design. They got to see how design contributes to business and how business influences design and how together, a company becomes more successful and their stories more impactful,” commented Cynthia Gravino, director of career services.

The program helped emphasize how closely related the creative and business processes have become.

“The weekend was not just another class exercise for students,”said Gravino. “This is a real-world experience that they can take with them as they launch their careers.”

Ten CCAD students participated in Startup Weekend Columbus, including honors students, Chavilah Bennett (senior, Advertising & Graphic Design), Lillie Templeton (junior, Advertising & Graphic Design), and Hilary Sroufe (junior, Advertising & Graphic Design); and Yiangos Panayiotou (junior, Illustration), Vincent Smigiel (sophomore, Advertising & Graphic Design), Abby Staley (freshman), Manuel Austin (sophomore, Media Studies), Michael Kroptavich (junior, Advertising & Graphic Advertising), Nikhil Nigade (freshman, Advertising & Graphic Design), Danielle Williams (sophomore, Advertising & Graphic Design), and Devin Broadnax (junior, Fine Arts).

The students worked closely with the 16 teams launching their business plans. Creatives and techies worked together to execute a successful start-up.

At the end of the weekend three of the 16 teams were chosen as the best concepts presented. They included, Source Match, DemandZilla, and UserTOS.

Similiar in some ways, 1492 is a program that accelerates the creation of start-ups in a couple of months as opposed to what would normally take a couple of years. The program is a collaborative effort among TechColumbus, Columbus State Community College, and CCAD, with support from the Ohio Third Frontier and includes money for the chosen projects.

Out of 162 applicants, 10 companies were chosen to present their ideas to a panel of judges on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Out of the 10, five were chosen to participate in an 11-week coaching program on CCAD’s campus. They will each receive a $20,000 grant and will launch a product or service in mid Jan. 2012, following the program.

The five companies selected for the 1492 program this year were Azoti.com, Capstone Innovations, Churchsys.com, hungerly LLC, and Infinum Education LLC

Azoti will serve local farmers, dairies, fisheries, distributors, co-ops, farmer’s markets and artisans by providing demand aggregation services, program management and a host of CRM solutions.

Capstone Innovations has designed and patented an adaptable interlocking pallet system made up of identical units.

Churchsys is a software service (SaaS) developed to manage all aspects of operating a church or any other institution with patrons.

hungerly LLC is a location-based mobile marketing, analytics, sales, and loyalty platform built with street truck and cart vendors in mind.

Infinum Education has developed Aviso, which allows students and instructors to collaboratively drive both student and institutional success.

During the 11-week training the start-ups cover everything from financial advice to meetings with business mentors, and brainstorming sessions on how to achieve their desired goals and results.

In addition to these training programs, the start-ups will be able to utilize a CCAD intern. The intern will be with them through the duration of the program and their initial launch.

Support from participating organization, professionals, peers, and CCAD’s creative talent ensure the participating companies with a successful product launch.

CCAD took home three awards from CSCA's Creative Best Awards

It’s been quite a design awards season for Columbus College of Art & Design, especially for the college’s Design Group—a student-staffed, in-house design agency.

Columbus Society of Communicating Arts held it’s annual Creative Best awards on Nov. 17 and CCAD was well represented. Several local agencies that employ CCAD alumni took home coveted awards, including EdgeCase, which won an Award of Excellence in the Interactive category  for JRubyConf.com which was designed by 2011 grad Justine Arreche. Pallavi Sen, a fine arts senior, took home two merit awards from the Student category.

CCAD’s Design Group earned a Best in Category award in the Motion Design category for its Happy New Year video. The winning team included Media Studies major (and last year’s Outstanding Senior) Taehee Lee (CCAD 2011) who came up with the concept and directed the video; videographer, media studies junior Alex Trimpe, CCAD Creative Director Lindsay Kronmiller, and Editorial Director Laura Bidwa.

CCAD’s partnership with local brand agency Ologie on the Masters of Design, Senior Fashion Show event collateral earned both organizations Awards of Excellence in the Print category for the invitation and the show catalog. The winning team was comprised of, from CCAD, Arreche, Bidwa, Danielle Deley (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2011), Kronmiller,  and Simone Noronha (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2011) and from Ologie, Andy Hayes and Kelly Ruoff.

“These projects not only showcase our student work to the outside world, but also allow our students to build the relationships and business experience that will place them above the rest upon graduation,” said Kronmiller.

CCAD’s Fashion Show print collateral also earned awards from American Graphic Design,  which awarded CCAD four certificates of excellence for branding initiatives, including print and environmental graphics.

In addition to the Fashion Show invitation, the college received awards for the Art Walk (environmental graphic’s in CCAD’s Canzani Center),  the Viewbook, and a positioning piece, titled Think. Do.

Both the Viewbook and the Fashion Show invite were done through the collaboration with Ologie, which is owned by board of trustee member and alumna Bev Bethge (CCAD 1982-1986). The company is an award-winning branding agency that serves national and international clients. The Design Group students worked closely with the agency to complete both pieces gaining mentorship while producing award-winning print materials.

The Art Walk panels were  designed by Design Group, with the help of Chute Gerdeman, another award-winning strategic brand and design firm in Columbus (which also took home awards from CSCA on Thursday).

“’When prospective students, parents, and the general public encounter our materials, they are seeing student work,” said Kronmiller. “It is a great testament to the talent and ability of our students.”

The American Graphic Design Awards are open to all businesses and partnerships in the graphic design community. There were more than 8,000 entries and only 15 percent were then recognized with an Awards Certificate of Excellence.

Judges for the CSCA Creative Best awards were Brigitta Bungard, assistant creative director at the Museum of Modern Arts in-house design studio in NYC; Joe Marianek, associate partner at Pentagram, an international design consultancy; and Ken Visocky O’Grady, an associate professor at Kent State University.

The cover of the Columbus Coloring Book

Coloring books have long engaged children of all ages, and now one is being developed by a CCAD student to garner attention for and curiosity about the city of Columbus.

Andrea Hager, senior Advertising & Graphic Design major at CCAD, is a current intern for Neighborhood Design Center and is working on the Columbus Coloring Book project.

The book will be an opportunity to learn about 16 sights and landmarks within the city. The pages range from historical architecture to the downtown skyline during Red, White, and Boom—the city’s Fourth of July fireworks display.

“The images as well as the stories that accompany them will inspire curiosity in addition to civic pride within the children,” Hager said.

Illustration of the Supreme Court, by Andrea Hager

Hager was in charge of making sure all the illustrations were cohesive and had to illustrate the final four buildings which will be included in the book.

“I wanted to make the pages as fun as possible for kids to color,” Hager said.

She had to work with the previous illustrations done by employees of the Neighborhood Design Center and create one, continuous book.

Hager illustrated the Ohio Theater marquee, Orton Hall at The Ohio State University, the Supreme Court building, and the Columbus Foundation.

“”I was able to add some extra visual interest by drawing the fish like they were alive and jumping out of the water on the Supreme Court illustration,” she said.

The  coloring books are scheduled to be released at the start of the 2012 school year, and 10,000 will be distributed to  Columbus area elementary schools.

The awardees are: Mary Ann Lobb, a senior majoring in Media Studies with a minor in writing; Laura Maue, a junior majoring in Animation with a minor in writing; and Jennifer Owens, a senior majoring in Interior Design with a minor in copywriting.

The Creative Excellence Fund provides “last dollar” grants to students who have excellent academic records and have applied for all available aid, only to fall short of the funds needed to continue their education at CCAD. Established with a lead gift from the William H. Davis, Dorothy M. Davis and William C. Davis Foundation in 2009, the Fund has grown through many individual contributions and a second generous grant from the Davis Foundation in May 2011.

If you’d like to join them in providing long-term support that can truly keep a student in college, please visit www.ccad.edu/donate today.

First place winner Shirley Wang's design with model Robbie Banks

The lights dimmed, and the show started. One by one 15 models came down the runway in a one-of-a-kind CCAD student designed garment made of …condoms.

This was the annual Condom Couture Fashion Show which took place this year at ShadowBox Live on Wednesday, October 19, 2011.

The Condom Couture Fashion Show is a fundraiser benefiting the Planned Parenthood of Columbus Ohio and it is also a competition. Each designer is challenged with creating a wearable garment using condoms. The garments are then modeled by members of the community to a packed house.

This year’s judges included, Miki L. Gotch (CCAD 2010), assistant technical designer at Lane Bryant; Dennis Parker, professor emeritus of theatre at The Ohio State University; and Maren Roth, owner of Rowe.

The panel of judges evaluate the garments based on theme, color, creativity, attractiveness, originality, technique, and concept.

Each designer was given 800 Proper Attire condoms to create their ensemble (Proper Attire condoms are designed for the fashion-conscious women). Inspiration ranged from sweet 16 cakes to vintage wear.

Second place winner Michelle Watson's design with model Deja Redman

Of course some of the designer encountered challenges in the construction.

“The most interesting part about working in this medium has been trying to figure out how to get them to not break…you just want to cry every time that happens,” said Elousie McGill, a junior fashion designer.

“There is a lot of research involved. It really takes a while to come up with the proper technique in order to capture the look you are trying to achieve,” said Bridgette Stevens, sophomore fashion design major.

Despite the unique challenges designers were excited for the event and as McGill said,  “actually getting to see my design go down the runway will be a big day for me as a designer.”

Not only did the designers see their garments come down the runway, but they heard the cheers and applause of the enthusiastic audience.

As  Lisa Perks, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio, noted “the condoms have been stitched, braided, knotted, and glued by students from the jewel of our community, CCAD.”

The 15 designers involved included, Pohrt Kaitlyn, Qianyu Shirley Weng, Elouise McGill, Joella Stallard, Byonka Taylor, Dahui Li, Bridgette Stevens, Jocelyn Williams, Jamaica Gilliam, Keser Haji, Michele Watson, Skyler Riggan, Pavani Kolli, Peyton Godfrey, and Marquis Engle.

Third place Jocelyn Williams' design with model Katie Burk

After the models had strutted the garments down the runway, each designer had an opportunity to speak. Then the winners were announced.

Jocelyn Williams, a sophomore majoring in interior design took third place with a brightly colored romper. It had shades of teal and blue featuring a large, white bow in the back.

Michelle Watson, a fashion design senior took second place. She designed a slick, tight-fitting, one shoulder dress. The dress had the condoms layered,  painted white, and then stretched to appear cracked.

Shirley Wang, a fashion design senior, took first place with a seemingly simple, but complex black dress. It included braiding of the material and hand beading at the top.

Second and third place winners received a $500 scholarship with first place receiving $1,000.

One designer summed the process up when asked how difficult it was to construct a piece from this material, “as a designer you face challenges all the time and this is one of those challenges, but it is better to look at them as opportunities and not get discouraged,” Keser Haji, a senior fashion design major said.

Alex Trimpe

It all started with a class project and now Alex Trimpe, current media studies student, has gained international recognition.

Trimpe’s The World is Obsessed with Facebook video has opened new doors, and one of these doors led him to an opportunity in Singapore.

An educational publishing company is creating an English language textbook package in which they will use Trimpe’s video on a DVD.

“I got an email one day asking for permission to use my video,” said Trimpe. “It will be used and distributed for the next six years, as part of their textbook package”

This request is not the only job offer he receives in response to the Facebook video he made.

“I get around two to three requests for work a week, 100 percent of them reference the Facebook video I created,” he said.

The video was originally posted on Vimeo seven months ago and has reached nearly 611,000 plays. On YouTube the video has over 197,000 plays.

It was originally created by Trimpe to explore Kinetic Typography. He found facts on onlineschools.org dealing with social media use and wanted to somehow bring these facts to life and illustrate them.

“I wanted to work with the site’s information because not only was it interesting, but the information could also apply to a lot of people,” he said.

This  familiarity with the information is what sparked the success of the video. It was instantly shared on social media outlets by people who had come across the video.

“The biggest jump for the video came from Vimeo, when they chose it to be one of their staff picks.”

Vimeo has a staff picks selection on their website where the seven administrators of the organization will choose their top videos and The World is Obsessed with Facebook was one of their selections.

Trimpe has yet to slow down with his work. He recently worked with a local company, Wonderland, and created a video for them to feature their new work and mission. Trimpe continues to work closely with the company and has become an integral part of their team and start-up process.

Nathan Moser (center) with band, The Bare Feats

As if CCAD didn’t already have talent enough, on Thursday Sept 15, 2011, the Student Programming Board put on their first talent show: CCAD’s Got Talent. Finally! A chance for us to see what else our crazy-talented artist friends and classmates have going for them. When students aren’t pulling all-nighters trying to get that homework done, it turns out they’re practicing some other extra-curricular talents. What don’t CCAD students do? Seriously.

We all knew that CCAD has painting, drawing, and designing. But did you know that we also have bare-footed banjo players (The Bare Feat); singing sensations (Julie Ward and Beth DuBoe); tap, hip hop, ballet, and Indian classical dancers (Mary Mauger, Marcos Castillo, Da’Niro Brown, and Zaria Ahmed); singer/songwriters (Patrick Thomas and Taylor Repuano); cello and piano players (Stephanie Berrie and Michael Young); stand-up comedians (Zayne Parmiter); a bass-slapping beast (Alejandro Bellizzi); and even our very own Lady Gaga (Christian Cimoroni)? Yeah. Just saying.

We all voted by texting the number of our favorite performers (insert boast about how tech-savvy our school is), and then a panel of faculty judges picked a winner out of the crowd’s favorite four. At the end of the evening, hip hop dancer, Mr. Marcos Castillo ( a junior in Illustration) took home the grand prize of $200, but all the other performers took home something too: the admiration of their fellow student body.

As for me, I’m still trying to find my talent. I guess pulling 17-hour workdays will have to be it for now. If you need me, I’ll be sleeping. Over and out.

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.

President Griffith gears up for the Arts Festival. Photo courtesy of Columbus Arts Festival Facebook page.

During the 50^th annual Columbus Arts Festival, seven CCAD alumni and one student will participate in Expose Yourself, a program where artists give demonstrations of the art-making process. The program was organized by Fine Arts alumnus Ken Aschliman (CCAD 2011).

The schedule of CCAD presenters is as follows:

Friday
4:30-5:15—Stefan Hoza (CCAD 2011), paint a live model
6:30-7:15—Emily Rickard (CCAD 2010), mixed-media collage.

Saturday
4:00-5:00—Ryan Walters (CCAD 2011), large-scale portrait painting.
5:00-6:00—Jon Stommel (CCAD 2009), paint a 7×10 foot mural
6:45-7:30—Tee Johnson (CCAD 2010), watercolor portrait process.
7:30-8:00—Caleb Boller (CCAD 2012), throw a teapot

Sunday
3:00-3:45—Kailtyn Mays (CCAD 2010), three-part mixed-media printmaking
3:00-3:45—Jennifer Sands (CCAD 2011), mask making from limited supplies

Also exhibiting at the Arts Festival is alumna Chelstin Ross (CCAD 2009), who is one of the 10 selected emerging artists. Ross was featured in the Columbus Dispatch for her involvement.

“It’s opportunities like this that make an artist community grow,” said Ross in the article. “At some point, I definitely want to walk around and feel how honored I am to be there.”

Read the entire article here.

The Arts Festival is held on CCAD’s campus from 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday. The event is free and open to the public. Learn more at ColumbusArtsFestival.org.

Singing on the Great Day by Matthew Houston

An Illustration senior’s first-place entry in a recent poster contest is on display through Sunday, May 29 in a central Ohio gallery.

The digital print Singing on the Great Day by Matthew Houston can be seen at Hammond Harkins Galleries. Next, Houston’s poster will move to a permanent display at the State Library of Ohio.

Houston submitted the top entry in the recent Forever Free Emancipation Poster contest held in conjunction with an Abraham Lincoln exhibition at the state library. CCAD students were invited to submit posters that would visually communicate emancipation to a slave in 1863 unable to read.

The state library also will permanently display the second- and third-place contest posters by Fine Arts graduate Jerrica Fields (CCAD, 2011) and Joshua Kingsbury, a sophomore studying Animation.

Read the full press release announcing the students’ winning designs.

Photo courtesy of The Columbus Dispatch.

Major Columbus College of Art & Design supporter Loann Crane, after whom the Loann Crane Center for Design is named, was honored yesterday for her community involvement and achievement at the YWCA’s annual Women of Achievement Awards.

In an interview with WBNS-TV anchor Andrea Cambern, Crane said that growing up during the great depression has contributed to her need to give back. “I can remember my father coming home and saying in a kind of defeated way, ‘A good man can’t get a job,’” Crane said. “The kind of philanthropy that my parents were involved in was they had to slip somebody a couple of dollars.”

Watch Cambern’s interview of Crane here.

Crane served on CCAD’s board of trustees from 1998–2009, bringing her wisdom and leadership to the college during a transformational period of growth. She was among the lead donors of the college’s Creative Drive campaign and included her family in the Creative Drive gift that named the Loann Crane Center for Design.

Chavilah Bennett, a junior majoring in Advertising & Graphic Design and CCAD student body president-elect, was in the audience when Crane received the Lifetime Achievement Award. She said, “I’m in that building all the time and see her name every day. It’s amazing to see her in person—and knowing more about her really inspires me to do something as significant with my life as she has done with hers.”

Crane has diligently worked on behalf of many organizations, including the Columbus Museum of Art and the Greater Columbus Arts Council. She was a founder of the Women’s Fund, where she has promoted women’s issues and quality of life, serving the interests of more than 800,000 women and girls in Central Ohio.

Learn more about Loann Crane and the rest of the Crane family on the Crane Group’s website.

First place entry by Alejandro Bellizzi

Winners and finalists of the eighth annual Lowell Tolstedt Drawing Prize recently were announced after being presented for judging by visiting artist Nora Sturges.

The quality and variety of the final 23 entries were commended by Sturges, head of Towson University’s painting department.

Winners include Alejandro Bellizzi, a sophomore majoring in Fine Arts (first prize of $500 cash), Fine Arts junior Shawn McBride (second prize of $250 cash), and Amanda Thompson, a sophomore Illustration major (third prize, $100 CCAD Supply Store gift certificate).

Honorable mention awards were extended to Taylor Hawkins, a junior studying Fine Arts, and sophomore Illustration student Alex Rupert.

Other drawing prize finalists include seniors Jon Guinn, Nathan Moser, Brianne Schulze and Alexis Warnock; junior Jonathan Hodge; and sophomores Thomas Johnson, Alexander Klein, Katherine Langford, Alex Laniosz, Erik Probst, Alex Rupert, Hillary Sroufe, and Sarah Tanner.

An ad hoc committee of drawing faculty members and Gordon Lee, chair of Drawing and Printmaking in the Fine Arts division, narrowed all the submissions to 17 entries prior to final judging.

Tolstedt, Fine Arts professor emeritus, retired from CCAD after more than 35 years and serving as dean of the division of Fine Arts since 1981. He has work in a number of collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian Institute, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Evansville Museum of Art, and the Minnesota Museum of Art.

Singing on the Great Day by Matthew Houston

Three CCAD students were announced as winners of the Forever Free Emancipation Poster contest, held in conjunction with an Abraham Lincoln exhibition at the State Library of Ohio.

First place was awarded to Matthew Houston, a junior majoring in Illustration, for his digital print Singing on the Great Day. A mixed media piece, Freedom Quilt, by Fine Arts senior Jerrica Fields claimed second place and Joshua Kingsbury, a freshman studying Animation, placed third with his New Day digital print entry.

CCAD students were invited to submit posters that would visually communicate emancipation to a slave in 1863 unable to read. The contest was held in conjunction with the Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation exhibit at the State Library of Ohio from March 7 through April 15, 2011. The winning entries were announced at the exhibit’s recent opening program and reception.

Houston’s poster will be on display at Hammond Harkin Galleries in Bexley for a short time following the conclusion of the exhibition. All three artists will have their posters on permanent display at the State Library of Ohio and received gift cards to Utrecht Art Supplies.

“Matthew, Jerrica, and Joshua each expressed visions of survival and hope in their work,” said Marsha McDevitt-Stredney, director of marketing & communications at the state library. “The students researched slavery, the Civil War, and the Emancipation Proclamation. Their work clearly communicates an understanding of the objective of the contest and compassion for those that suffered during that oppressive time in our history.”

Read the full press release announcing the contest winners.

AOI poster by Graham Erwin

CCAD’s  annual Art of Illustration exhibition, now in its 14th year, is spreading its wings and leaving the nest for a Short North gallery.

The popular exhibition, featuring the best of CCAD student illustrations, is organized entirely by students—from designing promotional posters and selecting jurors to securing sponsors and notifying participants from all nine CCAD majors.

Art of Illustration, opens March 5 at Rivet Gallery, 1200 N. High St. in Columbus, and continues through March 25. An opening awards presentation and reception begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 5.

This year’s show is organized by five Illustration majors: seniors Alex Alvarado and Noel Ang, juniors Lexie Holliday and Brianne Schulze, and sophomore Andrew Thompson. They secured a panel of professional alumni jurors—Linda Bittner (CCAD, ’88), Tim Bowers (CCAD, ’79), Eric Fortune (CCAD, ’99), and Scott Hull (CCAD, ’77)—as well as Illustration Chair C. F. Payne to winnow the 164 entries down to 38. Per tradition, judging took place in Payne’s home.

“Our main focus this year was to get the community more involved,” Schulze said. “In the past, the show was held in one of CCAD’s galleries, so we figured the most obvious solution was to find a gallery off campus.”  The Illustration department is excited about the gallery’s involvement because the student work, opening reception, and awards presentation will be showcased during Columbus’ popular monthly Gallery Hop.

Payne describes the jurying progress as “very regimented and very tough once selections get down to the final level.” All students submit their entries in a digital format. For jurying, the student organizers project the images for the judges to see, then track each round’s selections and tally the overall winners, a process that lasts several hours.

Awards, including prizes from various sponsors, will be presented for best of show as well as first, second and third place. Additionally, five selections identified as “judges favorites” will receive an original work of art from the respective judge.

This year’s sponsors include Chipotle, Cameron Mitchell, Kroger, and R Designs and Printing. CCAD student, a senior majoring in Illustration, designed the 2011 AOI poster.

Payne is pleased that the student-led tradition continues to grow and sees the move to an off-campus gallery as a positive development. “Having AOI in a gallery adds some prestige,” he said.

(click on thumbnail to see full image)

2011 AICUO Scultpure Design Contest Winner

Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD)  junior Caleb Boller is the winner of the 2011 AICUO Sculpture Design Contest. The design contest is hosted by the Association for Independent Colleges & Universities of Ohio (AICUO) as a supplement to the organization’s Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts. The winning design is used to make the awards presented at the awards reception.

For the next step of the Sculpture Design Competition, Caleb will be working with a professional local sculptor (to be announced) to bring his pieces to life. Attend the 2011 AICUO Awards Reception on April 13 for the unveiling of the final sculptures.

Boller is an  Industrial Design major and focuses much of his energy on ceramics. Ever since a high school program that he took in his hometown of Roanoke, IN, Caleb has had an interest in all things 3D. A renowned CCAD ceramics instructor, Bill Hunt, drew Caleb to the college. Boller is the recipient of a silver portfolio Scholastics scholarship and a CCAD scholarship.

View more of Caleb’s work on his Coroflot account.

Three CCAD students are nominated for an Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts.

NOTE: this news was first announced in the blog post written for AICUO by Noel Ang, a CCAD senior majoring in Illustration, who is an AICUO intern and art awards coordinator.

Green vase by Molly J. Burke

The old adage  “if you want a job done, ask a busy person” describes the students and alumni who make CCAD’s annual art sales successful events.

Consider students Chavilah Bennett, Michiella Sturiano, Dion Utt, and alumna Molly J. Burke.

Between the four, they work 10 part-time jobs and one full-time position. In their spare time they create art for CCAD’s Art Sale, held this year on Dec. 4 in the Loann Crane Center for Design.

Burke, a Graduate Admissions officer and adjunct instructor at CCAD, offers blown glass sculptures, vases, and ornaments, which she specifically makes for the art sale.

Sturiano is making glass, cut paper, and relief prints. Although she has helped coordinate past sales, 2010 is the first year she’s selling her nature-related and abstract art.

An Ad & Graphic Design junior, Sturiano is weighing input from experienced participants. She’s been advised to not underestimate the value (selling price) of her art and to “reasonably bargain” if a customer loves a piece but can’t afford it.

“This shows you’re passionate about your work and not just out to make a quick buck,” Sturiano said. She’s selling not only for profit but also to network and to be active within the CCAD community.

Portrait by Chavilah Bennett, class of 2012

Bennett, a junior majoring in Ad & Graphic Design, and Utt, a Fine Arts major, are sharing their sales space. Bennett already knows of people coming to the art sale specifically to buy her small 3D fish necklaces and keychains. The third grade teaching assistant in the Saturday Morning Art Classes (SMAC) program also is advertising examples of her portrait work and hopes to obtain a commission.

Utt, also a SMAC teaching assistant, is making metal and wood earrings and small sculptures for his first sale.

As a first-time participant Bennett is fulfilling a promise she made to herself as a freshman. She spent the past two years observing the holiday and spring sales, taking notes, and asking questions.

Bennett describes the sales as festive and fun. “It’s incredibly rewarding to sell something that I’ve made. I currently view graphic design as my future career, and my drawing, 3D, and illustrative skills as my hobby. I don’t have the stress of being forced to rely on selling my drawings and 3D art, so the CCAD art sale is fun for me,” she said.

A veteran participant, Burke (Fine Arts, ’06) reflects on how she has grown professionally as an artist. “I know what to prep for the sale and how long it takes to set up. I remember scrambling at times as a student but now it’s only a little added stress. I have yet to come up with the perfect way to display the ornaments so I may break down and build something this year. I have to admit it’s hard to find the time for that when sometimes its hard to even have time to make the artwork.”

The artists aren’t immune to some shopping of their own. At past sales, favorite buys have included jewelry, scarves, vases, a stuffed animal, and purses. And if funds are tight a plethora of wanted items can still be found.

Burke confesses to some occasional end-of-the-day exchanges. “Sometimes I will trade with people at the end of the sale. It’s a lot of fun that way. I usually trade for something smaller in size. I have this thing about not wanting to carry out more weight than I came with,” she said.

Blissful Ballerina by Chavilah Bennett

Students who participated in CCAD’s Internship Fair on Tuesday, Nov. 9, found they were competing for something more than internships when one of the attending companies offered a doodling contest.

The Navicor Group provided students with a piece of paper with a red shape in the center and asked them to create a doodle around it. The 30 student illustrations were then uploaded to the agency’s Facebook page for voting.

Votes determined that the winning doodle was Blissful Ballerina by Chavilah Bennett, a junior majoring in Advertising & Graphic Design. She won a $25 Chipotle gift card.

A division of inVentiv Health, The Navicor Group is a full-service advertising agency with a specialty focus on oncology and immunology brands.

To see more doodles check out the contest’s gallery.

Justine Arreche (Advertising & Graphic Design, ’11) and Molly Savage (Fine Arts, ’12) have filled the rental property with their own creations, collections and friends’ artwork. The roommates have even transformed one of the exposed brick walls that are iconic in German Village architecture into a brick-lined photo gallery.

Their creative work is featured in a recent newspaper article. To see their do-it-yourself style and to read the full article go to www.columbusalive.com.

Go to Arreche’s website to learn more about her art and design.

Image from www.facebook.com/gillyhicks

Although she’s a junior at CCAD, Kylie King spent part of her summer on an East Coast road trip touring cities that are home to Ivy League universities.

As a model for Gilly Hicks, King and two male models were filmed and photographed over seven days in Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Between filming and photo shoots the models handed out free ‘down-undies’ and gift cards as part of a campaign to market the brand and to put faces and characters behind Gilly Hicks’ image. The retailer is a subsidiary of Abercrombie & Fitch.

King, a Fine Arts major (class of 2012), began working at A&F in 2008 and has been featured in employee-education photo shoots and back-to-school fashion shows, among other projects.

To see photos of the Off Campus Ivy League Tour go to Gilly Hick’s Facebook profile.

Participants in Elmer's business partnership with Industrial Design

CCAD students in Industrial Design’s junior studio class designed X-Acto pencil sharpeners for a business partnership project with Elmer’s during spring semester. After conducting group research of various markets, students pursued individual designs to compete for prize money. The first-place design was submitted by Hongjie Yang. Igor Zemskov and Jeff Ras placed second and third, respectively, with Steve Hughett and Christos Ragias receiving honorable mentions. Professors Tom Kier and Joel Gundlach coordinated the partnership activities.

Cover of Lincoln's Secret Letters

Mike Puncekar, a senior majoring in Illustration, is to receive the Cengage Learning Drawing Inspiration Student Scholarship Award from the Society of Illustrators (SOI) at a ceremony in New York on Friday, May 7. Puncekar’s winning entry in the 2010 Student Scholarship Competition is Lincoln’s Secret Letters. Additionally, The Undertaker’s March by Puncekar is included in the competition’s student exhibition, which runs May 5-29, 2010.

Other CCAD Illustration majors who entered the competition and have works in the student exhibition are senior Jordan Merchant (Bean), sophomore Jeff Stevenson (A Shaver Jeffery), and senior Kirsten Zirngibl (Avarice and The Commute).

SOI’s Museum of American Illustration is located at 128 E. 63rd St. in New York City. For more information go to the Society of Illustrators website.