Monthly Archives: April 2011

Joe Dante to Speak Thursday

Undergraduate Film Department instructor Allen Daviau will host famed director, producer and editor Joe Dante to campus Thursday for a lecture and Q&A.

Like many directors of his generation, Dante began his career with Roger Corman’s New World Pictures in the ’70s, starting as a trailer editor and soon directing hit films for New World and then the majors.

Known for his vivid, highly inventive visual style, Dante directed such films as Piranha, The Howling, Twilight Zone: The Movie (segment three), Gremlins, Explorers, Innerspace, The ‘Burbs; Gremlins 2:

The New Batch, Small Soldiers, Looney Tunes: Back in Action and the upcoming Monster Love.

This event is open to all Art Center students, alumni, faculty and staff.

Distinguished Filmmakers Series: Joe Dante
Thursday, April 14, 1 p.m.
Ahmanson Auditorium

Syd Mead on Campus Tuesday

We’re excited to have the legendary visual futurist Syd Mead on campus tomorrow as part of the Design Studio Press Spring Lecture Series.

He’ll be discussing informed imagination and his new book, Sentury II. A book signing will follow the lecture.

Mead, a 1959 Transportation Design alumnus, is best known for his work on Tron, Bladerunner and Aliens, as well as for the creation of the V’Ger for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. He’s a favorite of ours; we’ve interviewed him here before about Tron and discussed transportation design with him in Outer Circle.

The event is free and open to the public. However, space is limited, so RSVP at facebook.com/designstudiopress.

Design Studio Press
Spring Lecture Series presents:
Syd Mead
Tuesday, April 12, 1 p.m.
Ahmanson Auditorium

In the meantime, check out the video below made by the Tribeca Film Institute:

2019: A Future Imagined from Flat-12 on Vimeo.

Ducha Halo at the 2011 NCIIA Open Minds Conference

The following post is reprinted  from the Designmatters blog.

Bright and brilliant minds gathered at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History on Saturday, March 26, for Open Minds 2011, the student exhibition organized by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) in conjunction with the organization’s 15th Annual Conference, Open: Catalyzing Innovation. The conference was attended by more than 380 faculty and students throughout the country who share NCIIA’s vision and benefit each year from its mission: “to support technology innovation and entrepreneurship in universities and colleges to create experiential learning opportunities for students, and successful, socially beneficial businesses.”

NCIIA was established in 1995 with the support of The Lemelson Foundation, legacy of prolific inventor Jerome Lemelson. NCIIA provides student start-ups with early stage funding, business strategy development training, mentoring, and investment, as well as provides staff and faculty with funding for courses and programs, opportunities for recognition, and entrepreneurship education training and networking.  Since its founding, NCIIA has funded 325 experiential courses and new programs throughout hundreds of universities around the country and has leveraged more than 140 million dollars in additional funding, helping propel projects that have resulted in more than 100 new businesses.

Jessica and Narbeh at the NCIIA Open Minds event.

The Safe Agua “Ducha Halo” team, Jessica Yeh (ENV) and Narbeh Dereghishian (PROD) were selected among the innovator teams of the Open Minds exhibition and were one of 3 teams whose video of their social innovation was chosen as a top finalist by public vote as part of the  2011 Open Minds video competition.

The weekend also served as a valuable opportunity for  students to network and seek out potential investors and collaborators who can help advance their ideas.  “I can’t believe we had the opportunity to meet these wonderful people that are just as passionate about their projects as much as we are about ours. I have never met so many social impact innovators and bright minds in one setting. I learned so much and gained a different perspective about the whole business side of the project. I am still in the process of trying to soak all of it in! It was a really great experience and we did get some business cards and good questions that definitely challenge us to push the Ducha Halo forward,” reflects Yeh.

For the Art Center faculty engaged in 2 distinct NCIIA -funded projects through Designmatters, NCIIA was an important opportunity to be part of panel discussions and paper presentations.  Safe Agua lead faculty Dan Gottlieb, Penny Herschovitch (ENV) and Liliana Becerra (PROD) attended as well Steve Montgomery (GRAD ID), who along with Becerra (PROD) taught the  Creating Social Value through Design TDS in 2010.

Continue reading →

Art Center Vies for the Tourney Cup Tomorrow

Photo Courtesy of Ann Erdman

Who said creatives can’t be athletes, too?

Pasadena City College’s Jackie Robinson Stadium will be a colorful and competitive place tomorrow evening as teams from area colleges compete for the second annual Pasadena Collegiate Field Tournament Cup. Art Center, Caltech, PCC, Fuller Seminary, Le Cordon Bleu and Pacific Oaks College will battle it out for the coveted title. And we need you to cheer Art Center on and witness us crush the competition!

Everyone is invited for a day of fun, games and collegiality. Creative challenges will include Amazing Russet Race, Monster Croquet, Frisbee Touchdown Toss, Lego Car Design Challenge, Tower of Babel and Capture the Flag.

Free parking for the event will be available in Lots 5 and 5A at the corner of Del Mar Boulevard and Bonnie Street. Robinson Stadium is located on the south side of the PCC campus near Del Mar Boulevard between Hill and Bonnie avenues.

The Pasadena Collegiate Field Tournament is sponsored by the city of Pasadena. Art Center’s participation is spearheaded by Art Center Student Government and Center for the Student Experience.

Photo Courtesy of Ann Erdman

Immediately following the tournament, participants and spectators are invited to a tailgate party at Caltech’s Avery House where the Championship Cup will be presented to the winning team.

Avery House is located down the street from Jackie Robinson Stadium on Holliston Avenue at Del Mar.

Can you think of a better way to spend a Friday evening?

Go Art Center!

Pasadena Collegiate Field Tournament
Friday, April 8, 6 p.m. arrivals; 6:30 p.m. opening ceremony
Pasadena City College
Jackie Robinson Stadium

Graphic Intervention Closing Party April 14

Don’t miss the closing party for Graphic Intervention: 25 Years of International AIDS Awareness Posters 1985—2010 on April 14. The exhibit will remain on display at the Williamson Gallery through April 24.

Graphic Intervention is a traveling exhibition of more than 150 international AIDS awareness posters. This collection presents a compelling overview of the artists working within their personal cultural and national perspectives on the subject of AIDS. Starting next week, an Illustration Department/Designmatters student project, The Graying of AIDS Exhibition: Off The Wall, will be on display as a corollary to the exhibition examining the graying of AIDS.

Graphic Intervention Closing Party
 Thursday April 14, 7 to 9 p.m.
Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery
RSVP: natalie.montoya@artcenter.edu

Young Love: Honoring Doyald Young’s Legacy

Doyald Young was one of Art Center’s toughest—but most beloved—instructors, one the greatest letterform designers of all time, and a cherished friend and mentor to many.

Celebrate his life and legacy with us this Sunday, April 10, at Young Love, a day of workshops held in his honor and an evening of memories and stories.

To celebrate Young’s work, prominent designers and Art Center instructors will help you learn to draw beautiful curves and letterforms. Join Jill Belle, Stefan G. Bucher, Nils Lindstrom, Ramone Munoz, Chesley Nassaney and Bumsuk Lim for a series of hands-on workshops creating luscious curves in homage to Young. Workshops will be from 1 to 4 p.m. and held in the cafeteria and nearby classrooms. Visit www.35k.com/younglove/workshops.gif for updates to the workshop schedule later in the week.

Then, in the evening, join friends and colleagues of Young for an exhibition of the day’s work and a reception from 5 to 6 p.m. Following the reception will be a screening of the new documentary, Doyald Young, Type Designer directed by Scott Erickson and produced by Lynda.com. Following the documentary, Young’s friends and colleagues will share a few of their favorite memories of this great man.

RSVP to Young Love by emailing events@artcenter.edu. Please indicate whether you’ll be attending the workshops, reception, or both. Visit www.35k.com/younglove/workshops.gif for updates to the workshop schedule, descriptions and preparation.

In the meantime, enjoy the clip from Doyald Young, Type Designer below.

Young Love: A Day of Drawing Beautiful Curves
and Telling Stories in Memory of Doyald Young
Sunday, April 10, 1-8 p.m.
Art Center Hillside Campus
RSVP: events@artcenter.edu

ACSG Leads Japan Relief Effort

Art Center’s Student Government is teaming up with the College to raise $5,000 in donations for the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Japan is still in desperate need of funds to revitalize their coastal communities after last month’s earthquake and tsunami. Donations will be accepted through April 20.

Art Center has maintained a close relationship with Japan dating back to the 1950s when the first design students sponsored by JETRO came to study at the College. In recent years, students from Tama Art University and Art Center have collaborated on several projects, including a study on earthquake safety, in an effort to design more effective approaches to education, preparedness and recovery. Please help us send desperately needed aid to Japan.

ACSG has set up a new website for the effort, and will update it regularly with progress. Donate today, and please tell your friends—together we can reach our $5,000 goal.

Check out the website and donate today.

Licensing Your Ideas: DOT Entrepreneurial Event

Join us on April 7 for an evening panel discussing licensing and Intellectual Property (IP). Learn more about IP, how it applies to designers and creatives, and how to engage with major manufacturers.

Speakers include:

  • Warren Tuttle: Inventor, LifeTime Brands product scout and UIA president
    Warren Tuttle was the person behind the scenes helping to orchestrate the overnight success of television direct response mega-hit Smart Spin. Teaming with a Boston-based inventor, Tuttle selected an explosive path to market. With almost 10 million units sold, Smart Spin continues to be prominently featured at major retailers throughout the country. Currently, Tuttle focuses on external product development for Lifetime Brands of Garden City, New York, the world’s largest manufacturer of kitchen utensils and a major supplier of food prep and tabletop products to America’s major retailers. Lifetime Brands manufactures and markets over 30,000 products under multiple brand names including Farberware, Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart, Pedrini, Mikasa, Towle and Pfaltzgra.
  • Dario Antonioni: Founder, Orange22 Design Lab LLC and Art Center alumnus
    Dario Antonioni has independently designed retail experiences, products and interior architecture for clients worldwide. He holds more than 12 design and utility patents and is creator of the successful GRID-IT! organization system. Antonioni’s work has been featured on TV and in books and periodicals around the world. Dario has won awards from LG Electronics, I.D. Magazine, and selected by Surface Magazine for their T.A.G. Team Event, held in Milan, Italy and NYC 2003, spotlighting emerging talent within the United States. His clients include Aveda, Ducati, DMC, Edward Norton, Flight 001, Fred Segal, Gensler, Light Group, Pepsi, Hard Rock, Haworth, Henry Bendel, Ralph Lauren, Starbucks and Sony.
  • Michelle Katz: IP attorney
    Michelle Katz is a seasoned attorney specializing in Intellectual Property, contracts, promotions and licensing matters. Her capabilities include developing, drafting, negotiating infrastructure, service and licensing contracts; identifying, structuring and negotiating strategic partnerships; structuring and implementing sweepstakes, contests and promotions in all media; developing and implementing IP Strategy: copyright, trademark, privacy and online policies. She is a faculty member at Art Center and California College of the Arts, and regularly lectures at colleges and organizations for creative professionals. She teaches law for artists and designers, as well as business law and negotiations.

The event is open to all Art Center students, faculty, staff and alumni.

LICENSING YOUR IDEAS:
DOT ENTREPRENEURIAL EVENT ON LICENSING & IP
April 7, 7-10 p.m.
Art Center Hillside Campus
Faculty Dining Room