At the Teaching Excellence ceremony, from left to right, Kevin Conlon, James Lutz, Mark Hazlerig, Stewart McKissick, and Denny Griffith

Professors Mark Hazlerig and James Lutz received CCAD’s Teaching Excellence Award and Professor Ronald Tardino, who is retiring this year, was honored in an event on April 18 in the Canzani Center atrium.

Each year CCAD recognizes an outstanding faculty member for excellence in teaching—and this year the college gave the honor to two faculty members. The award celebrates the exemplary efforts faculty members contribute to the college as a whole, using the classroom setting to engage and enhance students’ experiences.

The recipients were selected after receiving 57 nominations, which were solicited from students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

Hazlerig, a CCAD alumnus, graduated with a degree  in Advertising & Graphic Design in 1974 and received his degree in Illustration in 1977. Lutz is also an Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus, graduating in 1978.

Hazlerig has taught at CCAD for 39 years teaching classes ranging from lettering and packaging to illustration and welding. He also is a freelance illustrator with clients including the state of Ohio, General Electric, and Hallmark Cards.

Student nominators said that Hazlerig “makes you answer your own questions as you work and go through the design process” and “encourages experimentation and independence.”

Ronald Tardino speaks during the April 18 ceremony

Lutz has served as a faculty member at CCAD for 19 years and is the current chair of the Advertising & Graphic Design department. He also is the senior designer and owner of Lutz Design Group LLC that has clients including Ohio Health Group, South-Western City Schools, and the Ohio Department of Mental Health.

Student nominators touched on his ability to provide opportunities for students to get them on the right career path. One student commented that he is “always trying to get students involved with each other, and really pushing us to network and advance ourselves.”

After Hazlerig and Lutz received their awards, Stewart McKissick, professor and chair of Illustration, honored Tardino talking about his years of service to the CCAD community. Tardino, an Illustration alumnus, has taught at CCAD since 1971.  He helped establish the Directions Career Fair, a reverse career fair where potential employers come to check out the work of CCAD students. He is also a liaison for Walt Disney Studios and has served as an instructor and adviser to CCAD’s Art Explorer Post 407 program, guiding high school students interested in art careers.

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.

Illustration alumnus David Breaux worked as an animator on feature film "Thor."

With an estimated $150 million budget and Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins starring, Thor is pretty much the definition of a summer blockbuster. So when Illustration alumnus David Breaux (CCAD 1994) sent us the classnote, “Last year I completed animation work on three films–Iron Man 2, Tron Legacy, and Real Steel. And I’m currently finishing up work on Thor feature film,” we had a few follow up questions.

Q.) What scared you most while you were at CCAD?
A.) Oversleeping for class. Seriously!

Q.) How long after graduation did it take you to find work in your field? What did you do to get it?
A.) It took me a while, but I left Columbus after graduation and moved back home (that may have hurt me a bit). But I did have some freelance gigs along the way.

Q.) Was there a smooth path from where you started in your field to where you are now? What helped you most along the way?
A.) Smooth? No Way. I ended up working as a sculptor for a bit, then illustrating for a textbook company, then moved into games, then commercials, then finally film. And I am still bouncing around between films, commercials, and game work. It’s all animation, but they’re somewhat different beasts.

Q.) Do you have a single piece of advice for today’s CCAD students?
A.) If you’re a commercial artist—network, network, network. Be a content creator, not just a soldier in the trenches. All the commercial artists I know out here are pitching their ideas—be it films, comic books, tv shows, etc. Everyone wants to be the creator/owner.

Q.)  Do you remember a single point in your career that made you sit back and say, “This is why I do what I do.”
A.) It was amazing to see my name up on the big screen in a film, amongst the hundreds of other artists and technicians. But more often than not, I’ll be driving to or from the studio and it’ll hit me. I actually made it. It’s not easy, but somehow I made it and I’m actually here doing it.

Q.)  Why was it great to be a student at CCAD in the ‘90s?
A.) CCAD seemed to be at a turning point. It was changing from what it was and beginning its expansion into the future. The Disney Internships were great to try out for. I never got accepted, but it was still fun to shoot for it.

Q.)  Finish the sentence. The best class at CCAD was…
A.) Easily Mark Hazlerig’s 3D Illustration classes
Q.)  My fondest CCAD memory is…
A.) A moment Mr. Hazlerig chewed me out for slacking (along with the rest of the class) then told me he thought I could do anything I put my mind to.

Breaux is the senior character animator for and owner of Silicon Riot. He has contributed his animation talents to films Speed Racer; Outlander; Night at the Museum; Garfield and Garfield 2; The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; and Elektra as well as to a slew of video games, music videos, and commercials. Learn more on his website. Or visit his official IMDB profile.

Thor opens Friday, May 6, at theaters nationwide.