Author Archives: Jered Gold

In Memoriam: Norman Schureman

Image of Norman Schureman

Norman Schureman

It is with deep sadness and grief that I write to inform you of the passing of our dear friend and colleague Norman Schureman.  A tragic accident took his life this past weekend, and we join his family and friends in mourning the loss of this celebrated and adored member of our community.

Norman was a beloved instructor, colleague, mentor and friend of hundreds of Art Center students, faculty, staff and alumni.  Norm’s relationship with Art Center began almost 40 years ago when his father, Bob Schureman, taught classes in the ID department and Norm would tag along as a young curious creative.  Years later, Norm launched his official design career after graduating from Art Center in Industrial Design.  He returned to the College to teach at Art Center Europe and then Pasadena.  Both Norm and Bob have inspired hundreds of design students over the years.

For over 20 years,  Norm devoted himself tirelessly to the College, instilling in his students a passion for design, a love for drawing and an eye for excellence. In his Viscom and Dynamic Sketching classes, as well as his Product Design classes, Norm brought criticality tempered with humor to his students and their work. Each term would generate new and constantly innovative ideas, images and prototypes. A place in the student gallery was always reserved for the great projects from Norm’s classes.

Our hearts go out to Norm’s entire family.  At the appropriate time we will discuss with them the option of a memorial service on campus to celebrate Norm’s life and his extraordinary contributions to Art Center.  We will keep you posted on time and date.  We will also offer grief counseling to those in need through Human Resources and the Center for Student Experience.  Details will follow on Monday.

We join as a community in grieving this painful and devastating loss.

Lorne M. Buchman, PhD
President
Art Center College of Design

***EDITED, 3/22 11:15 am***

The Office of Alumni Relations and the Office of Academic Affairs are hosting an impromptu memorial for Norm at 4 pm today in the Sinclaire Pavilion. Please join members of the Art Center community in remembering a remarkable teacher, colleague and friend. There will be sketchbooks at the event for you to record memories of Norm and condolences to his family.

Details about a formal memorial being planned in conjunction with the family will be forthcoming.

Big Picture Lecture Series: Burton Mack

Don’t miss Monday’s Big Picture Lecture Series featuring Burton Mack.

Mack is John Wesley Professor emeritus in early Christianity at the Claremont School of Theology. His interest in myth making and social formation has resulted in a number of publications, the most recent of which is Myth and the Christian Nation: A Social Theory of Religion. He is currently working on a manuscript, titled Christian Mentality: The Entanglements of Power, Violence, and Fear.

Big Picture Lecture Series: Burton Mack
Monday, March 22, 1 pm
Ahmanson Auditorium

San Marino League Art Walk Friday and Saturday

Take advantage of this warm spring weather and tour outstanding area homes, their art collections and gardens as part of the San Marino League’s Art Walk XXVI. Held Friday and Saturday in Pasadena, tickets to the event are $35, with proceeds going to Art Center scholarships as well as the Japanese Garden at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. You will not want to miss this special opportunity to view these private homes and their exquisite art collections and gardens.

San Marino League Art Walk XXVI
Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20, 10 am-4 pm
Ticket Information

Mapping the Growth of the Web

Remember those days before the Internet? We hardly can.

GOOD points us to a super-cool interactive map by the BBC that shows how Web use has expanded across the globe in the last 12 years.

From GOOD: “In the beginning, it was just the States, Canada, Australia, and (what?) Scandinavia with lots of people online. Today, Africa stands out as the one continent that isn’t wired.”

Check out the graphic: SuperPower: Visualising the internet

Big Picture Lecture Series: Sonali Kolhatkar

Don’t miss Monday’s Big Picture Lecture Series featuring Sonali Kolhatkar.

Kolhatkar is the host and producer of Uprising, a daily drive-time program on KPFK 90.7 FM, and co-director of the Afghan Women’s Mission, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that works with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA). She is coauthor of Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords and the Propaganda of Silence.

Big Picture Lecture Series: Sonali Kolhatkar
Monday, March 15, 1 pm
Ahmanson Auditorium

Together at Last: Design Thinking and Comedy

Bet you haven’t heard of this one before. Professor Peter Robbie’s design thinking class at Dartmouth is using a novel approach to teaching design thinking: improv comedy.

Robbie tells the Dartmouth Engineer: “This class on improv is a tool for brainstorming. I’ve always thought that the quickest and smartest folks at the brainstorming phase of design have been those who do standup and improv. They never say no. They never miss a beat. Improv requires players to accept what they are given, build on the ideas of others, and encourage wild ideas.”

Check out the entire article, it’s a great read.

[Via Core 77]

Visit Art Center Archives on Facebook

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Art Center. What was Art Center like in the 1930s? Art Center’s Archives gives us a glimpse into the past with images from a 1931 College catalog.

Check out the photos at the Archives Facebook page, and become a fan while you’re there. There’s already a ton of interesting information there—you don’t want to miss any of it! (And of course, if you haven’t found us on Facebook already, be sure to become a fan of our page as well.)