Stefan Sagmeister will kick off the Visiting Artists & Scholars series on Aug. 30

Artists, designers, and authors OH MY—CCAD is bringing big names to campus this fall through the Visiting Artists & Scholars series. Speakers range from fine artists and designers to nationally renowned authors.

The college has made a few changes for fall 2012, the most noticeable being the presentations’ starting time. The lectures are now offered in the evening and most are free and open to the public.

“The college has brought some great creative minds to Columbus in the past, but the afternoon time slot for the lectures made it difficult for our alumni and members of the community to take advantage of these programs,” said Kevin Conlon, CCAD’s vice president for academic affairs. “Changing to evening hours means more accessibility for a larger audience, and thanks to wonderful sponsors and grants we are able to bring in a very exciting and eclectic group of artists and scholars this year.”

The series kicks off Aug. 30 with Stefan Sagmeister. A renowned graphic designer, Sagmeister studied in Vienna and New York. After working with Leo Burnett’s Hong Kong Design Group, he returned to New York to work with Tibor Kalman. He then proceeded to form the New York-based Sagmeister, Inc.

Following Sagmeister, multimedia artist Aurora Robson will present Sept. 12. Robson is known for her use of plastic debris, excess packaging, and junk mail as art making material. Her presentation coincides with her exhibition Sacrifice + Bliss at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens from Sept. 9–April 28.

The CCAD MindMarket will bring Roger Martin to campus Sept. 28. Martin is best known in design circles for his book The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage. He has been named one of the 27 most influential designers and the sixth top management thinker in the world.

Martin’s presentation officially launches the CCAD MindMarket, a new creative business incubator on campus. In addition, after the presentation there is an open house to tour the MindMarket and an opening night party with idUS—Columbus’ citywide celebration of innovation and design. Tickets for Roger Martin’s talk are $100 and go on sale Aug. 3. The post-lecture open house and idUS events are free and open to the public. 

On Oct. 19, author Benjamin Anastas will join the list of presenters. Anastas has written two highly regarded novels, and his memoir, Too Good to Be True, will be released in fall 2012. His short fiction has been published in The Paris Review, The Yale Review, and GQ. His criticism and essays have also appeared regularly in Bookforum, The New York Times Sunday Book Review, and The New York Observer.

Artists Donald Moffet and Byron Kim will speak on Nov. 16, coinciding with the opening of concurrent exhibitions of their work in the Canzani Center Gallery. Moffett and Kim will lead an informal conversation about the ideas, catalysts, and context for their art making.

Wrapping up the fall lecture series will be a panel of artists speaking in conjunction with the Canzani Center Gallery exhibition Simulacrum. The panel, Remaking the World, includes Tom Burkhardt, Chris Hanson, Hendrika Sonnenberg, Tony Matelli, and Kaz Oshiro. Eleanor Heartney, an award-winning, internationally recognized art critic who writes extensively on contemporary art, will be the moderator.

Ongoing support for CCAD Visiting Artists & Scholars is received from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Ohio Arts Council, Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel, and the Skestos Endowment Fund for Visiting Artists & Lectures.

To keep up on all CCAD events and programs, check our online calendar.

Associate Provost Char Norman

Char Norman, associate provost and associate professor, recently was appointed to a one-year term on the board of the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) along with four other new members.

“These new board members bring expertise and community knowledge that will be a great asset to GCAC and its programs,” said Milt Baughman, interim president of GCAC. “We are pleased that they are volunteering their valuable time to advance arts and culture in Central Ohio.”

Norman holds a BA from Scripps College and an MFA from Claremont Graduate University. She is an accomplished artist specializing in fiber sculpture and papermaking, and has an extensive national and international record of teaching and exhibitions. To learn more about Norman’s senior administration role at the college go to www.ccad.edu.

To read GCAC’s full press release go to www.gcac.org.