Author Archives: Mike Winder

Don’t Miss Artist and Designer Mike Perry

Artist/designer Mike Perry in his studio

Don’t miss a special presentation by artist and designer Mike Perry tonight, Thurs. Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the LA Times Auditorium.

Perry will also host a drawing workshop on Saturday, November 12 from noon to 4 p.m. in the Faculty Dining Room. To RSVP, email danielle.ferrer@artcenter.edu.

About Perry, from his website:

Working in a variety of mediums, including—but not limited to—books, magazines, newspapers, clothing, drawing, painting, and illustration, Perry is compelled by the ways in which the hand-drawn informs and deepens contemporary visual culture.

Perry works regularly for a number of editorial and commercial clients including Apple, The New York Times, Dwell, Target, Urban Outfitters, eMusic and Nike.

Most days, Perry can be found working away in his Brooklyn-based studio, ceaselessly mixing colors, pulling prints, building sculptures and exercising his belief in the transformative power of making things.

Recent Photography Alumni in Upcoming Juenes Talents Shifting Perspectives at Gallery 825

This photo by alumna Christine Hemm will be featured in the Juenes Talents exhibition at Gallery 825.

As you may remember, two recent Photography and Imaging alumni–Christine Hemm and Maeghan Henry–were among eight artists who recently completed the fifth annual Jeunes Talents (Young Talents) photography program, in which they were sent on ten-day trips this past spring to various parts of France to capture contemporary French life.

After premiering in the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York earlier this fall, the Shifting Perspectives: Martinique / Metz / Rouen / Toulouse exhibition will move to Los Angeles’ Gallery 825 from November 18 to December 2, 2011, with an opening reception on November 17. A selection of works by Hemm, Henry and all the other artists can be previewed on the Juenes Talents website.

Juenes Talents is a cultural tourism project that combines tourism and the arts, photography and real-life experience, travel and inspiration, and American and French sensibilities to show life in France today. The project is organized by the French Tourism Development Agency; the Cultural Services of the French Consulate in Los Angeles and FLAX, a Los Angeles foundation dedicated to fostering a better understanding of France through public and cultural art events.

Student’s Algorithm-Based Brand Identity System Wins Adobe Design Achievement Award

Graphic Design student Paul Hope

Congratulations to Graphic Design student Paul Hoppe for winning a prestigious Adobe Design Achievement Award in the Application Development category for “Exploratorium: Generative Identity,” a brand identity generation system he designed for San Francisco’s Exploratorium museum in Brad Bartlett’s Type 4: Transmedia course.

“The [Exploratorium] wanted their identity to reflect the ever-changing nature of the world around us, and simultaneously encourage us to explore our dynamic world,” wrote Bartlett in his project description.”The project allows for infinite variation of the brand mark. No two logo iterations are exactly alike. Supporting elements such as alphabet, texture, and background, can also be generated for use across the design spectrum, including print, web, motion, and interactive design.”

Read more about Hoppe and his project here.

Letterpress Printer and Artist-in-Residence Amos Kennedy, Jr. to Speak at South Campus Tomorrow

Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., at his letterpress in Gordo, Ala.

Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., a letterpress printer and bookbuilder based in Gordo, Ala. and the subject of the recent documentary Proceed and Be Bold, will be in Pasadena today and tomorrow (November 4–5) for a two-day residency at Art Center College of Design in conjunction with Archetype Press, the 120 Group, and the Southern California Chapter of the American Printing History Association.

While at Art Center, Kennedy will conduct a series of letterpress workshops for Art Center students and APHA members, and give a free talk on Saturday, November 5 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at South Campus’ Public Programs Gallery, which is open to the public.

About Amos Kennedy, Jr.: At 40 years of age, unsatisfied with his comfortable, middle-class life, Kennedy abandoned the traditional American Dream to follow his own. He traded in his computer for a printing press and his white collar for a pair of overalls. Kennedy is now a self-proclaimed “humble negro printer” whose letterpress work raises emotionally charged questions about race and individuality.

See the trailer for Proceed and Be Bold after the jump.

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Don’t Miss Machine Project’s Mark Allen Tonight

Artist Corey Fogel, part of Machine Project's 2008 "Field Guide" to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Tonight, Art Center’s Office of Career Development and Fine Art Department are presenting students with a unique opportunity to meet Mark Allen, the founder and executive director of Machine Project, from 7-9 p.m. in the Boardroom at Hillside Campus.

A non-profit performance and installation space that investigates art, technology, science and more, the Echo Park-based Machine Project also operates as a loose confederacy of artists producing shows at locations ranging from beaches to museums.

Tonight, Allen will discuss Machine Project’s history, fantastical events and mysterious collaborators. Topics covered will include indoor shipwrecks, dog operas (opera for and by dogs),fire starting with sticks, houseplant vacations, and teaching children how to steal cars.

No RSVP is required.

Celebrate El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) and More as Part of International Education Week

"Day of the Dead" poster by Graphic Design student Tracy Hung.

If you’ve been to the Cafe, seen the flags along the Bridge, or heard thunderous taiko drumming on campus this week, then you’ve probably guessed that this is International Education Week.

International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.

As part of the festivities, the Center for the Student Experience (CSE) has organized several special free events for the Art Center community to enjoy, including a celebration of the Mexican holiday El Día de los Muertos on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

Students can stop by the Cafe, the Bridge and CSE (Suite 200B) on Wednesday to learn more about the holiday in which death becomes something not to be feared, but to be embraced.

The Library also has a Day of the Dead exhibition currently on display—showcasing its Día de los Muertos collection as well as sugar, paper mache and ceramic skulls—and is holding a reception with light refreshments on Wednesday from 1:00–2:00 p.m.

Head past the jump for a list of remaining International Education Week events.

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Tricks and Treats by Alumnus Mark Ryden

"Girl Eaten by a Tree" (2006) by Mark Ryden

A day filled with ghoulish treats seems as good a time as any to delve into the surrealistic work of Art Center alumnus Mark Ryden ILLU ’87.

Ryden recently debuted a new painting, The Meat Shop, at the Frieze Art Fair in London, and beginning November 4 he’ll have a new drawing, Sacred Heart, on display at La Luz de Jesus Gallery’s 25th anniversary group exhibition La Luz de Jesus 25.

Head past the jump for a few more paintings by Ryden.

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Recipients of 2011 Samsung Faculty Enrichment Grant Awards Announced

(L to R) Instructors Adele Bass, David Luce and Everard Williams, Jr. were among the recipients of this year's Samsung Faculty Enrichment Grant Awards. Photo: Steven A. Heller / Art Center College of Design.

Yesterday, Art Center President Lorne Buchman and the Faculty Council announced the recipients of this year’s Samsung Faculty Enrichment Grant awards: Dewey Ambrosino, Adele Bass, Marcie Begleiter, Gabrielle Jennings, David Luce and Everard Williams, Jr.

In his announcment, Buchman said the reviewing panel of jurors were particularly impressed by the scholarly nature of the proposals and the spirit of creative inquiry that inspired them. The proposals ranged from a collaborative art installation in Vietnam exploring light and sound phenomena to a series of on-site interviews with family and colleagues who knew the German-born 20th-century American artist Eva Hesse.

“The research projects submitted by these six individuals are noteworthy and wide-ranging and will surely benefit the entire Art Center community,” said Buchman.

Head past the jump for descriptions of the projects.

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Were you at Car Classic ’11? [UPDATE]

Prototype of DeltaWing's LeMans racer for the 2012 24 Hours of LeMans. Photo: Drew Phillips/AOL.

Autoblog’s Drew Phillips, who calls Art Center’s annual Car Classic a “must-attend” event, came to this past weekend’s California Design: Influencing Change festivities and has posted a gallery of pictures from the event, including the above image of DeltaWing’s full-size prototype LeMans entry for next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Of course we had our own photographers on the scene, and we’ll be sharing those with you soon. But what about you? Did you take any photos at Car Classic ’11? Post a link to your pictures in the comments section and let us know what you thought of the event.

[UPDATE: We’ve uploaded more than 150 photos from Car Classic ’11 to a new Flickr set. Enjoy, comment and share!]

This story originally posted Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 10:07 a.m.

Illustration Alumna Marla Frazee Explores the Stars

"Stars" by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Marla Frazee.

“Does anyone illustrate the facial expressions, postures and movements of children with the same gloriously authentic exuberance as Marla Frazee?” asked Pamela Paul of Illustration alumnus and Art Center at Night instructor Frazee ILLU ’81 (Everywhere Babies, All the World, The Seven Silly Eaters) in her recent review of Stars in The New York Times’ Sunday Book Review.

Written by Mary Lyn Ray (Mud, Shaker Boy, Red Rubber Boot Day) and illustrated by multiple Caldecott Honor Award-winner Frazee, Stars is a “lyrical book that celebrates stars–the stars in the sky and the stars in all of us.”

In a recent interview with Jonathan Liu of WIRED’s Geek Dad, Frazee said what attracted her to Stars was its poetic, evocative and childlike language.

“It was a real puzzle to try to figure out how to illustrate it,” said Frazee. “That was also what pulled me in: how would anybody illustrate this and it intrigued me enough that I wanted to do it.”

How did she pull it off?

Visit Amazon.com or your favorite local bookseller to find out.