Author Archives: Jered Gold

In Case You Missed It

As you know, there’s always something going on when it comes to Art Center alumni, students and faculty. Some of the latest:

  • Acclaimed author, illustrator and Art Center alum James Gurney’s magical world of Dinotopia comes to life in a new exhibition at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Fla. Artdaily.org
  • Looking for a luxurious electric car? Check out the Maserati Tramontane, a concept vehicle designed by Transportation Design student Ondrej Jirec. Automotto.com
  • Photo alum Justine Maccario has a solo photography show up at Modest Fly Gallery in Tujunga. Closing reception June 26. Modest Fly Gallery
  • Broadcast Cinema alum Keith Wells explores foreign adoption in his latest work. Pasadena Star-News
  • Dana Point Concours d’Elegance announces artists for the 2010 exhibit, chaired by Advertising alum William Motta and featuring work by Transportation Design faculty member Richard Pietruska. Earth Times
  • Illustration alum Frank Ordaz opens a studio in downtown Auburn, Calif. Auburn Journal

(Pictured: “The Excursion” by James Gurney)

Spotlight on Esther Pearl Watson and Mark Todd

"Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine?" by Mark Todd and esther Pearl Watson

At home in their shared Sierra Madre, Calif., artist studio, Esther Pearl Watson ILLU ‘95 and Mark Todd ILLU ’93 look every bit the part of one of those tightly knit couples whose lives intertwine both personally and professionally. They finish each other’s sentences. They share a cell phone, a car, and, up until recently, an email account. They have completed eight books together, and their paintings are (at least sometimes) shown in the same exhibitions (currently the Sandra Lee Gallery in San Francisco). Since 2003, they have co-taught in Art Center’s Illustration Department. For them, collaboration is a way of life, having spent most of their respective careers working side by side on projects, pushing the boundaries of illustration —whether through books for children, teens and adults, zines or illustrations. Success has followed: their work on the cover of American Illustration and clients like McSweeney’s, Business Week and Country Music Television.

“We’re a support system for each other,” said Todd. Added Watson, “We trust each other’s advice and rely on each other’s strengths. I’m the cheerleader with lots of ideas, and I trust Mark when it comes to art directing or refining the design or layout. We rely on this cross pollination of ideas.” Continue reading →

Taking Action Through a Day of Service

On Saturday, June 12, Art Center students, staff and faculty participated in the College’s first Art Center Takes Action: A Day of Service in Pasadena, a volunteer initiative launched in celebration of Art Center’s 80th anniversary.

The day of service kicked off Saturday morning with a breakfast with College President Lorne Buchman and representatives from participating organizations. Sponsors Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market and Autunno Catering provided breakfast for volunteers.

“Art Center Takes Action is the first in what I hope will become a long-standing College tradition of providing service to those in need,” Buchman said at the breakfast.

“When the Art Center community comes together to participate in volunteer initiatives such as this, we help elevate Art Center’s reputation not only as a good neighbor, but as a meaningful place to pursue an art and design education.”

Volunteers visited with the residents at the Villa Gardens Retirement Community, helped beautify and paint the The Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena, collected trash at the Rose Bowl, and acquired goods and donations for the AIDS Service Center.

“Pasadena is a city with a lot of need,” said Ben Sanders, a third-term Illustration major who spent the day volunteering at Villa Gardens, a retirement community that 200 residents call home. “It’s a great idea for Art Center to make its presence known in the community. Not by showing what we as artists and designers have made, but by simply showing people we’re here and we care.”

Continue reading →

Big Picture Lecture Series: Steve Glenn

Don’t miss Monday’s Big Picture Lecture Series featuring Steve Glenn.

Glenn develops modern, prefabricated homes that combine world-class architecture with a commitment to healthy and sustainable construction. He is founder and CEO of LivingHomes, a company that creates homes with a small ecological footprint. The first LivingHome, designed by Ray Kappe, was installed in eight hours.  It became the first home ever to receive a LEED for Home Platinum rating, and was the only home to win the AIA’s top sustainability award in 2007.

Before LivingHomes, Glenn worked with the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) and was a founding partner of idealab.

Big Picture Lecture Series:
Monday, June 14, 1 pm
Los Angeles Times Media Center, Hillside Campus

Take Action: Volunteer

This Saturday Art Center students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends will come together for Art Center Takes Action: A Day of Service in Pasadena, a volunteer initiative launched in celebration of Art Center’s 80th anniversary.

“We strive to provide opportunities for our students to get the most out of their educational experience both inside and outside the classroom,” explains Dean of Students Jeffrey Hoffman. “Art Center’s Day of Service will provide such an opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds to build relationships with their local community—a place they call home.”

The local organizations that Art Center volunteers will engage with include AIDS Service Center, which develops and delivers services, advocacy and education tailored to improve the quality of life for those impacted by and at risk for HIV/AIDS; Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena, whose goal is to improve the lives of children by helping them build self-assurance and develop leadership skills while reinforcing positive values; the Rose Bowl Operating Company, which manages Pasadena’s historic stadium and professional quality golf course; and Villa Gardens Retirement Community, one of the City’s premier retirement communities offering residents opportunities both stimulating and relaxing.

The day of service will kick off at 8 am Saturday, June 12, with a breakfast with College President Buchman and representatives from participating organizations.

It’s not too late to join us. To sign up or for more information, contact Betsy Edmunds in the Center for the Student Experience at cse@artcenter.edu or stop by the CSE. Also be sure to check the The Dotted Line next week for coverage and photos of the event.

South Campus Gallery Salon June 19

Don’t miss the South Campus Gallery Salon, featuring the work of illustration alums Seth Drenner, Katherine Guillen and David Jien. A portion of all sales will be donated to the Art Center student scholarship fund.

The salon will be hosted by Archetype Press and Art Center professors Leah Toby Hoffmitz and Gloria Kondrup. Don’t miss it!

South Campus Gallery Salon: “IMPRESSION”
Saturday, June 19, 6-9 pm
South Campus Gallery

Student Sylvia Liu Wins G.I.R.L. Scholarship

Entertainment Design student Sylvia Liu is the winner of Sony Online Entertainment’s $10,000 2010 G.I.R.L. Scholarship. She has been awarded a 10-week paid internship at SOE’s headquarters in San Diego as well as a $10,000 scholarship.

Liu was one of over 200 applicants vying for the Gamers in Real Life, or G.I.R.L.,  scholarship, which aims to help more women enter the video game industry. Finalists were asked to submit original concept art depicting a new game environment and new characters for either Free Realms or EverQuest II.

Congrats, Sylvia!

Read more: Sylvia’s G.I.R.L. Q&A and at Gamasutra

Designmatters Fellow Spending Summer at UNICEF

Graduate Media Design student Dustin York has been awarded an Designmatters Fellowship for 2010. He is spending this term at UNICEF headquarters in New York.

York is spending the summer working in the groundbreaking Innovation Unit at UNICEF, working with students from NYU to develop new strategies around, and devise new visual and sensory experiences for, telling UNICEF’s global stories.

York’s keen ability for communication and media design, his seasoned professionalism and, in his own words, “interest for shaping experiences to communicate across great distances, and bringing new ideas to life” made him the ideal candidate for appointment as Designmatters Fellow.

Join us in wishing Dustin a wonderful and productive summer in New York!

Big Picture Lecture Series: Jack Rakove

Don’t miss Monday’s Big Picture Lecture Series featuring Jack Rakove.

Rakove is a history and political science professor at Stanford. Among his numerous publications, Rakove  is the author of five books including Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution, which won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize in history. His most recent book, Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America, was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Big Picture Lecture Series: Jack Ravoke
Monday, June 7, 1 pm
Los Angeles Times Media Center, Hillside Campus