The exhibition was curated by Catherine Evans, the William and Sarah Ross Soter curator of photography at the Columbus Museum of Art. The show includes work from 10 contemporary artists who illustrate the variety and complexity of photography by using everything from the earliest photographic processes to the latest digital technologies.

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

Denny Griffith’s “Soliloquy #19″

CCAD President Denny Griffith has a solo exhibition, Purely Abstract: Paintings, Works on Paper, and Photographs, sponsored by Hammond Harkins Galleries and presented at Kaufman Development, running through May 31 in Columbus, OH.

Griffith’s work has been shown in more than 90 group and solo exhibitions domestically and abroad, and he is represented by Hammond Harkins Galleries. His work is in the collections of public institutions including the Butler Institute of American Art, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, and the China Academy of Art.

Kaufman Development is a full-service real estate firm offering investment, construction, development, and management of multi-family, mixed use, and residential redevelopment. Its offices are located at 30 Warren St., Columbus, OH.

From left, Animation Chair Charlotte Beland, Toon Boom CEO Joan Vogelesang, CCAD President Dennison Griffith, Cinematic Arts Chair Ron Saks, and Toon Boom Market Development Director Mark MacLellan,
photo by Katlin McNally

This morning Columbus College of Art & Design was officially declared a Center of Excellence by Toon Boom, a global leader in digital content and animation software. CCAD is the first college or university in the U. S. to receive such an honor.

The announcement was made, fittingly, in the college’s labs for Animation and Cinematic Arts. Toon Boom CEO and President Joan Vogelesang flew in from Montreal (where the company is based) to celebrate CCAD’s selection with faculty, staff, students, guests, and media including WCMH-NBC4, WBNS-10TV, and WSYX . As CCAD was honored, a moment was taken to give a special thanks Cinematic Arts Chair Ron Saks for his ongoing commitment to the industry

“CCAD has been a long-standing customer and supporter of Toon Boom. We are thrilled to see them become the first Center of Excellence in the U.S. and prepare students for the marketplace. CCAD will be highly recommended to all our customers as a prime source of talents for their productions,” Vogelesang said.

Dana Turtle (right) interviews Don Yoakam while a few feet away Angela An interviews Andrea Rawson and Emma Pennington, photo by Katlin McNally

When asked why Columbus was chosen for the site of their first U.S. Center of Excellence, Vogelesang noted that in addition to Columbus having a solid reputation, CCAD was an early adopter of the technology. Toon Boom began changing how animation was produced 14 years ago. They not only sought to create paperless methods of production, but to utilize technology in a way that allowed for more creative flexibility. CCAD was among the first institutions to embrace these advances in the industry.

“Being a Center of Excellence provides CCAD students with the opportunity to test and use the latest versions of this industry-leading software and maximize their value among film and animation employers,” said Dennison Griffith, president of CCAD. “Employment opportunities in this field are growing significantly with the use of animation not just in the entertainment industry, but in the development of apps, software, and gaming technology.”

Rather than explain the value of Toon Boom software in Animation and Cinematic Arts work, CCAD chose to show how students work with the product. A team of three Animation students worked together to animat three local television anchors.

Juniors Andrea Rawson and Don Yoakam along with sophomore Emma Pennington turned Angela An (WBNS-10TV), Monica Day (WCHM-NBC4), and Dana Turtle (WSYX) into animated characters.

Juniors Andrea Rawson and Don Yoakam along with sophomore Emma Pennington turned Angela An (WBNS-10TV), Monica Day (WCHM-NBC4), and Dana Turtle (WSYX) into animated characters—which were shared to the delight of the gathered audience, which included An and Turtle.

The audience also viewed a live demonstration, thanks to senior Alan Backer, who showed how the software works through each phase of concepting and producing animation.

The audience was also shown a trailer for the student-made film Lumin, which utilized Toon Boom software in its production. Lumin has been submitted to more than 30 festivals internationally and nationally and it has already been accepted into several, including Chile Monos, Leeds Young Film Festival, Ohio Shorts, taafi Official Selection, and Sff International Film Festival.

To cap off the event, CCAD announced a storyboard contest for high school students with a prize worth nearly $3,000. Students are invited to create and submit a storyboard for a short film (not to exceed one minute of screen time). The winner will receive a full-ride scholarship to attend CCAD’s three-week residential summer program College PreView, where they will be able to focus on Animation and Cinematic Arts and work with Toon Boom production suite software. Details on the contest can be found here.

The choice of CCAD as the first American Center of Excellence follows Toon Boom’s selection as an official educational resource and curriculum to support development of 21st century skills among Canadian students by the Information and Communications Technology Council in Canada.

Becker is from Columbus, OH, and graduated from Dublin High School; Rawson is a from Buffalo, NY, and graduated from Williamsville East High School; Yoakam is from Delaware, OH, and graduated from Bishop Watterson High School; and Pennington is from Hilliard, OH, and graduated from Hilliard Bradley High School.

CCAD President Denny Griffith writes a note on a student’s drawing during the IAPN conference

A boardroom in Hangzhou, China was filled in November with presidents from the top 15 art and design schools from around the world and Denny Griffith, president of Columbus College of Art & Design, was among them.

“It was a little surreal when we got there,” Griffith said. “We all convened in a formal boardroom with interpreters and more than 50 reporters and photographers. It was invigorating for me to sit next to these people from around the world that I admire, and talk on a higher level about some of the philosophical challenges we face, as art and design colleges and universities.”

The leaders gathered as part of the International Art Presidents Network (IAPN), which launched four years ago by Tony Jones from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Xu Jiang from the China Academy of Art, and Pan Gongkai from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts.

The goal of the conference and committee meeting was to foster conversations about global best-practices and the changing nature of art and design students. Discussions circled around how colleges and universities must be nimble in managing change, especially when concerning the roles of media and technology.

“We talked a lot about experimentation as it relates to how we are handling change in our institutions and the pressures that are on our institutions to perform in the digital era,” Griffith said. “The root reason for gathering these presidents and college leaders together is that, from an art and design perspective, we really are a part of a global village. We are living in an age where multi-national corporations are hiring our students and they are looking at us to prepare them for both the cultural and business sectors.”

The 15 schools participating in the conference included California College of the Arts, California Institute of the Arts, China Academy of Art, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, College of Fine Arts UNSW, Columbus College of Art & Design, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts de Paris, The Glasgow School of Art, Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Royal Academy of Art in UK, School of Culture and Creative Expressions at Ambedkar University, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Tokyo University of the Arts, University of Art and Design Helsinki, and the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg.

CCAD President Denny Griffith writes a note on a student’s drawing during the IAPN conference

Mutual Challenges, Opportunities

Although Griffith notes the similarities between these international institutions, it was also fascinating to him how wildly different the colleges and presidents were. Most of the institutions, outside of the United States, are completely subsidized by their governments. This creates drastically different goals from those who are tuition dependent.

“In some ways we were comparing apples to two-by-fours because of the economics of our institutions,” Griffith said. “Still the challenges and opportunities for us to learn from one another were exceptional. As colleges of art and design, whether we are in Ohio, Beijing, or Hamburg, we have these complicated relationships with the cultures we live in and the responsibilities we have to the students that we bring on board.”

“At this conference we were able to stop all the frantic work we do day after day and think about the nature of experimentation—and how to become the kind of places that nurture the kind of thinking and critical art process that helps generate the next cultural critics and also people who will bring significant contributions to today’s businesses,” Griffith continued.

Provocateur in a Creative Economy

Griffith said CCAD has duel and contrasting roles. On one side CCAD must be a provocateur, and on the other side it must fuel the creative economy and workforce. Both of these roles have to be congruent and work seamlessly together.

“The things CCAD is doing to infuse business education into our curriculum were really of interest to the colleges and other institutions,” Griffith said.

Often Griffith found himself talking to his colleagues about the need to not only have our students dream big dreams and set out and do visionary work, but they also need to spend time cultivating relationships to the students’ parents to help their kids become well-rounded citizens and have high employability.

“It became a real affirmation to me on all the things we, at CCAD, have going on,” Griffith said. “I remember thinking, after a very long day, that we are absolutely on the right track in terms of our focus on developing curriculum and hiring the best faculty. I feel really proud of our school and the people that are helping to progress it.”

To Griffith, simplifying the administrative structure by dividing into a two school format (School of Studio Arts and School of Design Arts) along with having a strong focus on business education will truly drive CCAD to function at a world-class level, and stand on a competitive edge with these schools from around the world.

“We are nimble, we are managing change as a team,” Griffith said. “I am so proud of our people here at the college, from staff to faculty and everyone in between. We have people that recognize that a lively, vital, progressive, powerful institution has to have many voices at the table that will work together and that is the exact culture we have going on here.”

Building the CCAD Network

Griffith was also able to explore museums and galleries during his time in China. He was able to see the Sun Dynasty scroll come to life as a series of animations, he witnessed an old power station become a contemporary art center, and saw mind blowing architecture that we, in Columbus, could only dream of having.

He was accompanied on these excursions by Leah Wong, who has taught at CCAD and is now assisting the college with a teaching exchange with the China Academy of Art. They visited and networked with local China art academies to help strengthen CCAD’s partnership with them and their students; hoping to strengthen the bond between global art and design schools and educational opportunities.

“Even with all the cultural differences and economic difference CCAD was like most everyone there,” Griffith said. “We are concerned about the success of our students and are balancing the ideal of being idea and also market driven. We are both a college and a crusader.”

Dennison W. Griffith

With students and faculty returning to campus refreshed from summer and ready for new challenges, fall is always an exciting time to be at CCAD. This year, our curriculum and facilities are reenergized, too, as the two-school administrative structure and the new CCAD MindMarket take their first steps.

CCAD’s role as the critical link between raw creative talent and the ever-growing, ever-changing creative economy is clearer and more vital than ever. We continue to focus on artistic and design excellence, but with an increased emphasis on the kinds of skills that can only be developed with a healthy dose of business education. We know this will be a key differentiator for CCAD graduates in the years ahead, and we’re on it!

Just look at the stories in this issue:

• Project-based education, where students work with clients to formulate real-life creative solutions outside the classroom, is a big part of a CCAD education—and getting bigger. Read more here.
• Photography alumna Anna Dickson (CCAD 2004) demonstrates how today’s economy is offering more and more avenues to creative professionals who keep their eyes open and their skills current. Read more here.
• Well-loved (and well-respected) faculty member emeritus Curtis Benzle is using his retirement to find new outlets for his teaching and new directions for his art. Read more here.

One last thing. Each fall, the worldwide CCAD community comes together to support students with our annual fund drive. Every single dollar you invest in our mission has real impact—for today’s CCAD students and tomorrow’s creative world. I hope you’ll join us. Please use the online donation form to make your investment today.

Warm regards,

Dennison W. Griffith

President

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

An opening reception for Griffith’s exhibition is set for Oct. 26

CCAD President Denny Griffith has a solo exhibition, The Power of the Mark: 2011-2012, at Hammond Harkins Galleries, Oct. 26–Nov. 25 in Bexley, OH.

The exhibition combines encaustic paintings, works on paper, and photographs. Griffith has also installed a snow fence across the street from the gallery.

Griffith’s work has been shown in more than 90 group and solo exhibitions domestically and abroad, and he is represented by Hammond Harkins Gallery. His work is also in the collections of public institutions including, The Butler Institute of American Art, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, and the China Academy of Art.

Click here to watch an invitation from Griffith.

“Privatization” by Boryana Rusenova Ina will be up for bid on Aug. 25

CCAD faculty, staff, and alumni are involved in Art for the Environment, a silent auction on Aug. 25 benefiting the Ohio Environmental Council.

All of the artwork that will be for sale expresses a connection to the environment. This encourages guests, who will mingle with the artists throughout the event, to think about the environmental issues that matter to them.

Participating CCAD artists include editorial director Laura Bidwa, Fine Arts alumnus Adam Brouillette (CCAD 2002), Fine Arts alumna Sarah Fairchild (CCAD 1994), adjunct instructor Linda Gall, president Dennison W. Griffith, Fine Arts alumna and adjunct faculty Anne Holman (CCAD 2002), Fine Arts alumna Lauren Mudd (CCAD 2004), Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Chris Rankin (CCAD 1994), Fine Arts alumna and adjunct faculty Boryana Rusenova Ina (CCAD 2006), and Fine Arts alumna Laura Sanders (CCAD 1988).

Director of Continuing & Professional Studies and Fine Arts alumna Cat Sheriden (CCAD 2003) and associate professor and Fine Arts alumnus Tim Rietenbach (CCAD 1977) also participated, serving on the host committee.

“As a host committee member, my job is to help build community interest for this event,” Sheridan said. “So why did I say yes to help? Because I’m a big ol’ tree hugger! But seriously, one only has to think of this record-setting hot July to understand the dire need to act in sustainable ways and strive to contribute to a culture that is sustainable, not just ‘more sustainable.’”

“This event combines two things dear to my heart: the environment and art. It was an obvious choice to be involved in whatever way I could,” Sheridan said.

The auction will be held Aug. 25, 6–9 p.m. at the Lab, 855 Grandview Avenue, Columbus, OH. Tickets can be purchased here. Paintings to be auctioned can also be viewed here.

President Griffith builds a site-specific installation on the quad.

It’s good to be president—especially if you’re president of Columbus College of Art & Design, you’re also an artist, and you have the impulse to create a site-specific installation on the campus quad.

CCAD President Dennison W. Griffith recently completed a snow fence sculpture on the quad, which will be in place until spring.

The installation was built over two days and is the seventh such piece Griffith has undertaken in the last several decades. Construction of the sculptures is fairly improvisational, and largely driven by observation and responses to the sites where they are installed.

“In the case of the CCAD piece, I have been gazing at the quad from my office here on the second floor of the Canzani Center,” said Griffith. “There is a gently curving seat wall that bisects the quad, which is surrounded by a bed of crushed, brick-red, gravel-like material. The general arc of the CCAD piece and the way it is perforated near its midpoint, with a break that one can walk through, are meant to generally mirror the seat wall.”

Griffith and a crew of students laced together the snow fencing to form undulating waves that work with the natural rise and fall of the surrounding grounds.

“The piece uses the elevation to good effect, and this elevation is amplified by the ever-higher stacking of shorter fence pieces,” said Griffith.  “At that focal point the fence functions less organically than the surrounding sections, and it begins to compare itself more to the adjacent architecture. Thus, this piece lives a bit in both the natural and architectural worlds.”

With the plan to leave the piece up through the winter, Griffith hopes students and visitors will come and stroll through it.

“This was fun to do, and it was really satisfying to have a number of students pitch in to help,” said Griffith. “I’m eager to see it covered in snow and melding seamlessly with the snow on the ground around it. However, it’s also satisfying to see how, both at ground level and seen from the upper floors of surrounding buildings, the red of the snow fence echoes the red of the decorative gravel bed nearby.”

Griffith’s first snow fence piece was an indoor installation in the Short North, Columbus’s arts district. He has done outdoor pieces in Amesville, OH (just outside of Athens); in Cleveland at Edgewater Park; in Mentor, OH, at the Holden Arboretum; at ArtPark in Lewiston, NY, and at SUNY Buffalo (when it was Buffalo State College.)

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

As the creative economy becomes ever more global, international student enrollment is on the rise at CCAD, the result of coordinated efforts among the Admissions Office, our alumni, and other key players on campus to establish and build stronger relationships with institutions abroad.

A new exchange program with the China Academy of Art is expected to debut in January. This will supplement an already successful program with Xi’an Academy of Fine Art, also in China.

Face-to-face meetings have played an important and rewarding role. Last spring, CCAD President Dennison W. Griffith traveled with CCAD admissions staff to Seoul, Korea, and Shanghai, China, to meet with alumni and tour some top high schools and universities. “It was highly rewarding to find that the alumni we met within the region were achieving great success in their fields,” says International Admissions Officer Jonathon Neeley.

In September, Vice President of Enrollment Management Jonathan Lindsay led an admissions trip to China to appear at college fairs and visit numerous high schools in Shanghai, Nanjing, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong—armed with new Chinese translations of CCAD admissions materials. Another trip in November will take admissions staff back to Korea for a two-day International Portfolio event in Seoul.

Alumni: Would you like to help share the CCAD story? Find and like “CCAD Alumni” on Facebook, then post a message about where you are and what you’d like to do. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Denny Griffith

TEDx is hosting its third event on Nov. 11, 2011; and, true to the national TED mission, the event has a stellar line up of people with ideas worth sharing—including CCAD President Denny Griffith.

The TEDx 2011 event, A Moment in Time, is an all-day experience for attendees and will include 18 speakers and performers presenting their discoveries and observations to spark discussion and interest within the group and community. TEDx speakers come from all walks of life ranging from poets to entomologists, and, yes, college presidents.

Griffith’s speech, “Personas in Balance,” will reveal his insights on balancing his public and private personas.

In the short video preview of his speech, Griffith commented on how he will explain the tension and balance between his workplace and studio—his life as an artist and his life as an administrator.

“I hope participants will get a sense of their own inner/outer balance and the way that the things of our lives tend to carry us forward in unexpected and happy ways,” he said in the video.

CCAD students will not have to go far to hear their president and the rest of the line up speak. The college will be hosting a live stream of the event in the Canzani Center multipurpose room from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. the day of the event.

For more information on the TEDx Columbus event click here.

Denny Griffith, president of CCAD, in his studio

Denny Griffith, the current president of CCAD, comes into work every day and oversees the college’s growth and development, but when he leaves his office at the end of a long day he steps into another room, his studio.

Griffith sat down at his interview with me smiling and before I could even begin asking him about his upcoming exhibition, he said, “First, let’s talk about you… how are you doing?”

This showcases the kind of individual the president is. He is aware of his surroundings, his position, and most importantly his peers. He is an active artist and this shows a vivid connection between him and not only the arts, but the community.

In the early 1990s, Griffith began a series of abstract paintings and also started to experiment with a new material, melted beeswax.

“I mix the beeswax with oil paint to create this rich texture and coloring,” said Griffith.

In his current exhibition, Microscopy, he takes a look at microscopic images of cells in an abstract art form. The show comprises approximately 24 pieces, which are all new works done within the last two years.

His inspiration came from his personal life.  He received some troubling news when he found out his dad had been diagnosed with leukemia.

“I came across images of leukemic cells and saw how much the slides looked like interesting little paintings,” he said.

His continual artistic reference to the microscopic world became a source of endless inspiration for him when he was most concerned for his father.

“It amazes me that something so devastating can be portrayed into something so beautiful,” Griffith said.

Griffith was born in Delaware County and moved to Detroit with his family at a young age. When time came to look for a college, he chose the city of Delaware and his father’s alma mater,  Ohio Wesleyan University.

He received his bachelor of fine arts from Ohio Wesleyan and went on to receive a master of fine arts from The Ohio State University.

“Never would I have dreamed that I would be a president of a college, but I always wanted to be working and making a living in the arts, and I am,” Griffith said.

When asked why he stays active in his art making, his eyes sparkle and he answers with a degree of passion.

“Art is a self directed journey and I go back to the saying that it is about the journey and not the destination,” he said.

“Being active in my art shows the people at CCAD that I am not only their president, but a peer. I give them reassurance that I am connected to the arts and I am a part of their community.”

Not only does the president maintain his active artistic lifestyle, but he continually supports the staff and faculty to remain active.

“I encourage my staff and faculty to remain active in the arts, for a professor it is part of their research, it shows the community we have a direct and engaged connection .”

Griffith has been included in more than 90 solo and group exhibitions and is represented in many public and private collections. He is also represented by the Hammond Harkins Galley in Columbus.

Microscopy an exhibition of oil and encaustic paintings will be shown at Ohio Wesleyan University in the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 South Sandusky St. in Delaware, Ohio from Sept. 29–Nov. 13, 2011. There is a reception for the artist, Friday, Sept. 30, 7–9 p.m.

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

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

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

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

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

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

View more pictures from the gathering here.

President Griffith presents the 2010 Alumni Award for Excellence to Rosanne Percival.

Each year, we ask our alumni to nominate their classmates for the Joseph V. Canzani Alumni Award for Excellence (AAE). It’s a way for us to acknowledge not only the success and contributions of one very deserving graduate, but also the impact CCAD alumni have all over the world.

AAE nominees must be an alum or associate alum of CCAD who has not previously received the award. Finalists are chosen based upon their accomplishments related to artistic excellence, the impact they have had on a broad spectrum of people, the significant advancements they’ve made in their art or design field, and their exemplification of CCAD’s ideals.

The award is presented during our annual Homecoming celebration. This year’s event has been completely redesigned to include an entire weekend of events for the whole CCAD family—alumni, students, parents, and faculty and staff. Save the date: Family Weekend & Homecoming is October 7-9.

To nominate the alum you think is most worthy of the award, click here.

Want to size up the AAE competition? Click here to read about 2010 award winner Rosanne Percival (CCAD 1980).

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.

Masters of Design

8:25 p.m. Ok, I’m set up in my new space in the giant runway tent. There’s already a huge crowd here and now 400 + VIPs are merging into the mix.

People are slowly starting to find their places for the show, but it looks like the urge to stop and talk and mingle is just as strong as the desire to find a good vantage point from which to see the show.

I cannot wait to see this show. I spent several months interviewing and writing about each designer for this blog. After talking with these amazing young people, this show feels more personal to me than any other. I am so excited to see all of their hard work come to fruition.

The “voice of god” is coming over the speakers urging people to find their seats and/or spots. And, now Ms. Andrea Cambern is on the stage, which means we are close to go time.

Now that we are in front of the FULL audience (it’s a sold-out event) Andrea is repeating a few things that were mentioned in the VIP party—and they are worth repeating. Our amazing sponsors are getting their props, and everyone is reminded that tonight they have helped someone go to college.

Ready for the show

OK, this is new—a special surprise announcement? Andrea is reminding everyone that earlier this year our title sponsor Limited Brands donated two exclusive tickets to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and we are no longer going to auction them because the Davis Foundation  gave us a grant that is allowing us to use the tickets in a different way .. OMG! They are giving the tickets to Fashion Design Outstanding Senior Carolyn Martin! This is soooo cool. You’ll agree after reading her Outstanding Senior award interview and my story on her earlier this year. (P.S. the grant money is designated to the Creative Excellence fund. Anyone so inclined can add to what the Davis Foundation started by clicking here).

OK really need to type faster, Arlene & Michael Weiss are getting up on stage. They are representing our runway sponsor EXPRESS and cutting the ribbon to start the show—NICE!

Music is up.

First model … Go!

And we are starting with Mea Adams, who was inspired by one of my favorite designers the always fun Betsey

Having watched these looks progress over the last year, I really appreciate the way they have developed and changed. Everything looks so polished. I see many people have made accessories to go with their looks. One of my favorite dresses, by Janell Clemente, got switched out. I was worried when I first heard, but the new dress is just … well … WOW!  Ryan Richmond also made a switch and it is GORGEOUS–it’s a soft pink dress that would look perfect on the red carpet of a movie premier. I could comment on each designer (and I really want to) but I’m guessing you aren’t going to read that far (if you have time go back and read their individual stories).

And here come the designers—the applause is deafening. As it should be! And, they are each getting flowers, yay!

Andrea is back on stage thanking everyone and I can hear the bass starting to thump in Design Studios on Broad as NYC DJ duo AndrewAndrew get ready to take all this excitement and turn up the volume—literally.

I’ve got pictures to upload, be there soon.

(Photos are also available on our Facebook page.)

What a great party!

7 p.m.

I’m stashed away in my corner, the perfect spot for watching the VIPs as they arrive for the pre-show party sponsored by Justice and Nationwide.

I cannot believe the transformation this space has undergone—from raw garage to hip club, all in a few days. (Check out the pre-show album on our Facebook page to see the  week-long progression.)

Ok, so, I confess I am fighting the urge to run up to people and ask “who” they are wearing, and I am having some serious fashion envy. The DJs later this evening (our new friends from NYC) are Miami-chic in matching (of course) pink suites. Later they will have the perfect accessories—ipads, which they will be mixing with during the apres-runway dance party.

The VIP Pre-Show party

I’m seeing every trend imaginable. Cocktail dresses, floor length, pants with sharp fitted jackets, halters, strapless, bow ties, and full-on suites. Lots of sparkle, red, and layered short cocktail dresses. Shoes are ranging from strappy flats to four-inch stilettos. Seeing awesome jewelry, modern silver pieces and more traditional pearls. I love it.

Third looks by the designers are on mannequins throughout the party space. It’s fun to watch people stroll through and pause, taking in each one and discussing it like they were at the Louvre.

8:00 ish—Ms. Andrea Cambern up on stage trying to get this rowdy crowd’s attention with a little O-H-I-O. She’s thanking our title sponsor Limited Brands and supporting sponsor the Davis Foundation … and saying very nice things about CCAD …  and introducing our own lovable president, one Mr. Denny Griffith—and he just announced he’s going off script. But as usual even when he wings it he gets it done.

Denny just made a great point—funds raised by this event go to the CCAD general scholarship fund. Let me elaborate: Scholarships can be the deciding factor on whether a student can come to CCAD. I hate to pull out an old cliché, but this really is a party with a purpose. (Donations can still be made online).

Now our VP Ms. Stephanie Hightower is taking the stage. She is thanking all of our amazing sponsors and our host committee, including the chairs Danielle & George Skestos, who were the driving force behind turning this event from a brunch to a full-on nighttime PARTAY.

Now for the moment where I find out which lucky VIP I will be jealous of for the rest of the night … they are about to announce the raffle winner for the diamond earrings designed by Stephen Webster—Congrats to Dionna Baker! (No, really, I mean it).

Guests are starting to move to the tent—the show is going to start soon. I love the energy in a room right before a show starts, and with this audience that energy is electric!

(Photos are also available on our Facebook page (and don’t worry we’ll add more next week.)

Members of the Senior Class Gift committee presented a banner to President Griffith as a symbol of their donation to the college.

At the beginning of the school year, 2011 class president and Advertising & Graphic Design major David Merz (CCAD 2011) asked his classmates to help make a mark as the first CCAD class to leave behind a class gift. And it was a pretty simple ask. “Leave a little, leave a lot. We’re leaving a legacy. Our class participation shows that we believe in CCAD and in ourselves. So give $20. Give $2. It’s not about the money. It’s about our symbol of support.”

At the Senior Picnic hosted by President Denny Griffith, Merz and his 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 2011 and featuring the class’s slogan (go forth and be awesome), the banner will hang at all of the group’s future alumni gatherings.

Through the 100 Days until Graduation event and the production of a class video, the class of 2011 raised funds to benefit technology and facilities upgrades; scholarships; professional development for CCAD faculty members; and lectures and studio visits by creative professionals.  Five percent of the graduates participated.

“Five percent is a lot—but we’d like to see that number grow,” said Merz. “We want the class of 2012 to beat our participation rate, and the class of 2013 to beat theirs, and so on and so forth. We want to leave behind a legacy of philanthropy—fueled by a bit of healthy competition of course.”

Senior Ken Aschliman was named the Outstanding Senior for the Fine Arts department.

At the end of the academic year, a graduating senior from each major is named the Outstanding Senior for that department. Today in part two of our 10-part series, we interviewed senior Ken Aschliman (CCAD 2011), who was named Outstanding Senior for the Fine Arts department.

Q.) So what’s next?
A.) I like to do a lot of different things. I like to make artwork, but I also like to organize shows, help other artists. I think that I want to go the Denny Griffith [CCAD's president] route, where I have a professional arts industry job, and then do my artwork in my personal time. He’s a great role model for me. If I want to be just a studio artist, I have to make the connections that are necessary in order to sell art. Now by working with these various arts organizations, I feel like I am beginning to make those connections. I’m looking at different art museum, gallery, and organization jobs.

Q.) What was your proudest achievement since you’ve been here?
A.) I don’t know if last night [winning AICUO’s Excellence in Visual Art Grand Award] has sunk in yet. It still feels like it just happened. So I’d say, Everything Explodes, the exhibition I did my junior year. By doing that, I realized I really enjoyed the organization of the show and the artwork and a lot of great things happened because of it. We were interviewed in Alive! and the Dublin Art Council will be doing a CCAD student show next year because of it. And the second one was the Mario mural. The goal was to promote student government, but the mural was only what it was because of the collaboration I did with so many people—plus it got a lot of attention, which was great.

Q.) Do you remember that “this is why I’m doing this” moment?
A.) My junior year I had a serious crisis of faith. I was debating in my head whether I had made the right decision in coming to art school. I felt like I had made the wrong decision for a while. I felt the classes prepared me to be an entrepreneur and to sell my work, but then all my experiences in trying to do that failed miserably. I showed at an art gallery for six months and made $40, sold only one print. But now I’ve interned at the Columbus Museum of Art and at the Greater Columbus Arts Council and those have really shown me that there are different paths I can follow. And sure once I graduate I may have to spend a year being the coffee guy for one of these organizations, but I know that there are paths I can take.

Q.) What smell will always remind you of this place?
A.) Coming out of AMF [Amelita Mirolo Fine Arts Building], there is always this really sweet smell. It smells like donuts. The smell of coffee is the other smell that will always remind me of this place.

Q.) What’re you going to miss most—besides the donut smell?
A.) Definitely the people and the sense of community. The college is fantastic. When I walk from one building to another, I see like five friends, who I can say ‘hi’ to or stop and have a conversation with. There is always someone to work with and to bounce ideas off, which is really crucial when you’re working on anything really.

Q.) What’s your hope for future CCAD students?
A.) We have a really good thing going here, and I want the next generation to keep it going. My selfish goal is that the Spotlight Exhibition group I started keeps going. The Student Government has really done a lot this year under David Merz and I really hope that energy continues. I see great artwork happening around me, I see younger students getting up to that level and I just hope it continues.

To see more of Ken’s work, visit his website.

Dennison W. Griffith

What does it feel like when a college is good? Not just ok, but really good?

To be honest, at CCAD, we’re starting to think we know. Of course it’s great to have a compact, attractive campus right in the heart of downtown. Lots of new talent arriving every semester. Strong fundraising, with committed donors and dedicated volunteers. Insightful, thought-provoking conversations going on all over the place.

But what comes of all this after students graduate and leave campus? That‘s what’s making us feel extra-great this spring, so we’re putting it right up front in this issue. A college’s truest measure is the accomplishments of its alumni—and we’re ready to brag.

• Nathan Greno (Associate 1993–1996) made his feature film directorial debut with a movie that not only updated some hoary gender clichés, but also topped the box-office rankings for weeks. … more
• Package designer Michael Carney (CCAD 2004) won a 2011 Grammy. (For his work on an album by an Ohio band, no less!) …more
• Je Jung (CCAD 1998) and Rujira Lawonvisut (CCAD 1999) are pulling down raves in places like Vanity Fair as they take their fashion line global. …more
• Corey Favor (CCAD 2002) is back on campus at the center of a revival of CCAD’s Black Student Leaders Association—and he’s brought Marshall Shorts (CCAD 2006) with him. …more

Feeling really good yet? There’s more. Don’t delay, start reading!

Warm regards,

Dennison W. Griffith

President

CCAD alumna Audrey Jones accepted a photography position at American Greetings.

Photography alumna Audrey Jones (CCAD 2009) recently accepted a photography position at American Greetings in Cleveland, OH.

In an email to President Denny Griffith, Jones wrote, “I just found out last week that I got one of my dream positions. I start tomorrow and will officially be a part of the creative photo studio team as one of the six main photographers. … This just reassures me even more that CCAD is a great school that prepares you for a creative field … and for that I want to say thank you.”

American Greetings Corporation is a leading manufacturer of innovative social expression products that assist consumers in enhancing their relationships. The company’s major greeting card brands are American Greetings, Carlton Cards, Gibson, Recycled Paper Greetings, and Papyrus, and other paper product offerings include DesignWare party goods, American Greetings and Plus Mark gift-wrap and boxed cards and Date Works calendars.

Check out Jones’s photography on her blog.

CCAD Provost Anedith Nash

Anedith Nash, Ph.D., is retiring as CCAD’s provost after more than a decade of successful and sensitive leadership.

Dr. Nash joined CCAD in 2000 and has participated in the leadership of several important initiatives, including a five-year project to implement policies, procedures, and staffing for a campus-wide student data system, culminating in a “one-stop shop” for student services in a newly designed facility. Her leadership, in consultation with the president, deans and faculty, led the college to an academic plan for 2003-13, which has, in large part, been completed.

“As I think back to the beginning of her tenure here, and reflect on the transformational changes she has orchestrated, I am inspired by the splendid amount of growth, refinement, and improvement she has overseen,” said CCAD President Denny Griffith. “She has been my partner and collaborator for over 10 years, and while I hate to lose her she leaves with the love and warmest wishes from me and everyone in the CCAD family.”

Some of the significant changes that have taken place during Dr. Nash’s tenure include curricular development, planning and implementation of one-stop student services and student affairs departments, sabbaticals and other development opportunities for faculty, expansion of technology in the academic programs, expanded exhibitions programs, and the first graduate program at the college–an MFA in Visual Arts which opened Fall 2010.

Prior to coming to CCAD, Dr. Nash was academic dean at Oregon College of Art & Craft. She previously held administrative and faculty positions at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Hamline University and Macalester College.

CCAD President Denny Griffith

CCAD’s president is lauded as a Central Ohio leader who makes things happen, according to SmartBusiness journal.

Denny Griffith is among the most influential business, civic and political leaders—the Power 100 for 2011—as ranked by the publication’s editors in the cover story of the February issue.

Griffith, the college’s third president, is ranked 67 on the list, moving up a notch from last year. He currently serves on the boards of the Columbus Chamber, I Know I Can, a scholarship program in Columbus, Experience Columbus, and the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD).

Griffith also is involved in several community initiatives including Columbus Student Engagement Project (a.k.a. “easyColumbus“), and Mayor Michael B. Coleman’s 2012 Commission, which is guiding the commemoration of the bicentennial of Columbus, OH.

Michael J. Fiorile, chair of CCAD’s board of trustees and COO of The Dispatch Printing Co., also is identified as one of the top 100 leaders.

Kevin Buckland and Pertain Gillespie launched the "Art at the Arnold" competition in 2010.

Husband-and-wife design team Kevin Buckland (CCAD 1992) and Pertain Gillespie (1981) helped select the more than 50 artists for the second annual “Art at the Arnold” competition. During the March Arnold Sports Festival, CCAD President Denny Griffith will select the competition’s first, second, and third place winners.

Held March 4-6, the competition asks artists to create an original artwork inspired by the festival’s athletes during a two day studio session. On the final day of the event, President Griffith will select the winners. The event’s namesake, Arnold Schwarzenegger, will also honor his personal favorite with the Arnold’s Choice award.

Buckland and Gillespie worked with the Arnold Sports Festival for 11 years before launching the art competition in 2010. In a Columbus City Scene Magazine article, the pair said they launched the competition to help the festival make an investment in “the beauty of the physical form from an artist’s perspective.”

Buckland and Gillespie own Buckland Gillespie Design, specializing in design work for corporate clients and the publishing and entertainment industry. Learn more on their website.

The Arnold Sports Festival is the largest multi-sport event in the nation, boasting more than 170,000 attendants. The event runs March 3-6 at numerous Columbus venues. For more information, click here.

Rocco Landesman is interviewed during a tour of Design Studios on Broad with Denny Griffith.

National Endowment for the Arts chairman Rocco Landesman stopped by CCAD Sept. 27, touring the Design Studios on Broad and viewing the biennial faculty exhibition with CCAD President Denny Griffith.

Landesman came to Columbus as part of a multi-city tour to promote creative careers. “There are 5.7 million full-time art-related jobs in this country,” he said to Columbus Dispatch reporter Jeffrey Sheban during the campus tour. “We’re tired of being on the defensive. We’re going to be on the offensive.”

During his brief time in the city, Landesman made opening remarks at the annual International Economic Development Council, taking place in Columbus. He also toured popular Columbus attractions the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus Musuem of Art, COSI, Lincoln Theater, and Wexner Center for the Arts.

To read more about Landesman’s visit, click here.

CCAD Fashion Design work at Port Columbus

The Columbus Regional Airport Authority and Columbus College of Art & Design are partners in an eye-catching exhibit at Port Columbus airport where mannequins are dressed in the creations of fashion design students.

“I can’t think of a better way to expose Columbus visitors and the residents of Central Ohio to the amazing talents of the fashion design students at CCAD,” said Elaine Roberts, president and CEO of the Airport Authority. “The art program at Port Columbus, which now includes this innovative exhibit, enriches the experience of more than six million travelers who use the airport every year.”

“We’re grateful for this opportunity to showcase the work of our talented students” said CCAD President Denny Griffith. “Visitors to our region, as well as our own citizens, are often amazed to discover the power and influence of CCAD’s academic programs, which in so many ways shape our culture. Through this and other art initiatives hosted by the Airport Authority, one begins to grasp the depth and texture of our art and design communities in Central Ohio.”

Together with the new fashion design exhibit, the airport art program includes exhibit space that showcases work by members of the Ohio Arts League on a rotating basis and a student art exhibit featuring all grades in the Columbus City Schools system. The Airport Authority also works with the Columbus Museum of Art, which is currently displaying two reproductions of work by Aminah Robinson (CCAD  associate ’60). The rotating exhibits are in addition to permanent pieces, the centerpiece of which is Brushstrokes in Flight by Roy Lichtenstein.

Ceremonial ribbon cutting by CCAD student

On September 14, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. hundreds came to CCAD’s campus to dedicate two new buildings that have changed the downtown landscape.

The dedication was the capstone event of CCAD’s Creative Drive Comprehensive Campaign, the largest in the college’s history. During the event President Denny Griffith announced that the campaign had exceeded its $12 million goal thanks to donors who have helped CCAD to reaffirm the bright future of our students.

Go to related press release.