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.

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).

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.

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.

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.