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.

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.

CCAD students interact with Super Mario Bros. mural

CCAD students now have opportunities to paint murals on campus between the Schottenstein Residence Hall and the Administration Building.

A team of 12 students kicked off the new Student Government program with a 16 x 38 foot mural featuring Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Students and groups can submit proposals to paint a new mural every month.

The first mural, on display through September, took eight days to complete and was created to advertise CCAD’s inaugural Town Hall meeting, one of several events for students to voice their concerns and have questions answered.

Creators of the Super Mario Bros. mural include Ken Aschliman, Chavilah Bennett, Jessica Braunschweiger, Walker Crane, Greg Reyes, Emily Rickard Jennifer Sands, Pallavi Sen, Dillon Sirimongkhon, Michael Smith, Alex Trimpe, and Dion Utt.

To see local news coverage of the CCAD mural go to nbc4i.

First prize by Dillon Sirimongkhon

Winners of the annual Lowell Tolstedt Drawing Prize competition are Dillon Sirimongkhon, first prize winner; Katherine Adkins, second prize; Taylor Leaman, third prize; and Kerry Kunze, honorable mention. The drawings of all 2010 finalists will be on display in the Canzani Center from March 29 to April 15.

Open to sophomores and juniors, this year’s competition was narrowed to 24 drawings by 22 finalists as selected by a committee of drawing department faculty and department chair Gordon Lee. Sarah McCoubrey, visiting artist and professor at Syracuse University, reviewed the finalists’ work to select the winning drawings.

Finalists include: Ken Aschliman, Jennifer Bills, Brielle Burrus, Jeremiah Caudill, Rachel Hartshorn, Eric Hines, Stefan Hoza, Taylor Leaman, Teryn Loebs, Todd Pleasants, Alex Ross, Pallavi Sen, Darian Shepherd, Michael Smith, Carlilyn Sombat, Jeffrey Tyler Stevenson, Dion Utt, and Ryan Walters.

The drawing competition was established by Thomas and Pamela Workman (CCAD ’99) in honor of Lowell Tolstedt, Fine Arts professor emeritus, to celebrate and promote the strong drawing tradition at CCAD.