Here’s a fun video courtesy of Archives for a drizzly Tuesday—an Art Center promotional film from 1969.
It was directed by Advertising students Wayne Carmona and Gerald Eggers, and funded by the Society of Art Center Alumni. We really love the groovy intro and outro music, and the psychedelic cartoon near the end has us scratching our heads, yet thoroughly entertained. Head over to our new Videos section to view.
Albert and Trudy Kallis
Advertising alumnus Albert Kallis, with his wife Trudy, recently established an endowed scholarship to support Illustration students with a gift from the Albert and Trudy Kallis Foundation. In addition to helping students receive an education at the College, they hope to inspire fellow alumni to participate in the tradition of helping the next generation.
Widely recognized as a founder of International House of Pancakes, Kallis is best known for his work as an illustrator and art director for American International Pictures. Many of his posters have become collector’s favorites. Prior to his association with AIP he illustrated album covers for Capitol Records, and worked with Saul Bass in film advertising.
In 1973, Kallis left motion picture advertising, and with his wife created the Albert and Trudy Kallis Foundation, which funds and produces documentaries to educate and inform audiences in unique and entertaining ways through a broad range of subjects including art, music, history, science and spirituality.
The Albert and Trudy Kallis Foundation Endowed Scholarship will be awarded for the first time this fall to a new or continuing Illustration student who demonstrates academic merit and financial need. For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid at 626.396.2215.
Advertising alum Stefan Bucher talks to Sean Adams of Felt & Wire about his time at Art Center, specifically studying with Norm Schureman and the impact he had on Bucher’s work.
Bucher says: “[Schureman] taught me how to enjoy having ideas. Which opened a whole new world for me. I remember drawing the first of my hybrid animals in his class and thinking, “This is FUN! … I must be doing it wrong.” It took Norm a while to set me straight, but he did it. He also took one look at the Wart-Hen, whipped out his pen, and added that wart-covered egg.”
Pimp My Ad poster
If you’ve walked through Art Center recently, chances are you’ve seen posters for Pimp My Ad.
The first poster that caught the Dotted Line’s attention was designed by second-term Advertising major Chris Gilbert and was a visual nod to William Bernbach’s classic 1959 Volkswagen ad campaign.
Printed on larger stock than most anything else adorning the College’s hallways, the poster featured a black-and-white photograph of, well, a “pimp hat,” paired with copy about a campus group whose existence was no longer a mystery.
Pimp My Ad, which borrows its name from MTV’s popular car customization show Pimp My Ride, is a weekly art direction workshop in which Advertising majors have their work critiqued informally by Advertising Department Acting Chair James Wojtowicz, guest speakers like Art Center Advertising alumnus Zhorab Gevorkian and, most importantly, their academic peers. Continue reading
Don’t miss alum Stefan G. Bucher, who speaks on campus Thursday. Author and founder of 344 Design, Bucher is the illustrator responsible for the Daily Monster phenomenon on PBS’s Electric Company. Bucher will talk about how he has built his practice while still indulging in a wide range of creative pursuits.
Stefan G. Bucher Speaks His Mind
Thursday, March 18, 7 pm
L.A. Times Media Center
Hillside Campus
As you know, there’s always something going on when it comes to Art Center alumni, students and faculty. Some of the latest:
(Photo by Lara Rossignol)
After noticing a lack of interaction between different term students in her department, advertising major Mitos Corpus got to work helping organize a brainstorming and homework session for advertising students.
“What began as a place to do homework has become a place where advertising students can work together and critique each other’s work,” Mitos says.
Read more about Mitos and her experiences studying at Art Center in this great interview.
Last week Art Center welcomed advertising superstar Lee Clow, chairman and global director of TBWA\Worldwide, to speak about his work and ideology. Student Chris Gilbert was there and provides this first-person account:
“Whereas old-school advertising had the tendency to err towards the condescension of ‘talking down to’ or ‘talking at’ their consumers, Lee spoke of the need to instead engage and stimulate the minds of the consumers, and the need for ads to be clever and he emphatically reiterated the fact that ‘creativity [in advertising] is now an imperative.’”
Read more and check out Chris’ great blog at chrisgilbertdeisgn.com.
The exhibit LA Artcore Artists, including work by alumnus and faculty member Ramone Muñoz, opens this week in Bakersfield. Part of an “art exchange,” the first show, featuring L.A. artists, will hold an opening reception Oct. 15 at Bakersfield College’s Wylie and May Louise Jones Gallery. Next year, Bakersfield artists will exhibit at the Artcore Brewery Annex in downtown Los Angeles.Bakersfield Express has a nice write-up previewing the show as well as an interview with Muñoz.
(Pictured: “Towers of Vik” series of paintings by Ramone Muñoz)
The Pasadena Symphony and Pops just launched a quirky new marketing campaign, courtesy of The Agency, Art Center’s student-staffed pro bono advertising agency that works with real clients.
The star of the new campaign? A giant fiberglass ear.
Made out of surfboard material, the ear stands three feet tall and appears to be a big fan of the symphony (and a great date).
The L.A. Times blogs that Art Center students including Connie Wong, who fabricated the ear, are exploring “how to make the ear more durable”—so that it can begin making personal appearances, of course.
Check out the video after the jump.