Category Archives: General Interest

Art Center Ranked Among the Best of the Best by DesignIntelligence’s Annual Survey

An Art Center student hard at work at a recent DesignStorm.

Cited as a “heavyweight player,” Art Center College of Design was once again ranked first for its undergraduate industrial design programs by the Design Futures Council in its annual DesignIntelligence survey of America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools, which recognizes the schools that are best preparing students for success in their professions. This year, the College’s Graduate Industrial Design program ranked second, one spot away from first where it has placed five times out of the last seven years.

The sum total of Art Center’s undergraduate industrial design programs—Entertainment Design, Environmental Design, Product Design and Transportation Design—were most admired for their “resources, reputation and quality of education.”

In their assessment of industrial design skills, in which hiring firms deem the collegiate programs most strongly educating students in specific skill areas, Art Center ranked first place in the categories of “Communication,” “Computer Applications” and “Design.” The College also ranked in the top five in the areas of “Cross-Disciplinary Teamwork” and “Research and Theory,” which makes Art Center one of only two schools to place in all categories.

“These programs are graduating students who are able to tackle complex and difficult work, create and share knowledge, and invent new design solutions in their fields,” the survey said of the institutions which ranked in its annual survey. “Students learn not just technologies and craft but also leadership, judgment, and insight into changing contexts and upcoming challenges. These will be our future leaders.”

The Design Futures Council is an independent and interdisciplinary network of design, product, construction leaders exploring global trends, challenges and opportunities to advance innovation and shape the future of our industry and environment.

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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Get Ready for a Newly Redesigned Dot Magazine

In the coming weeks Art Center College of Design’s flagship publication, Dot magazine, will land in your mailbox with a new design, new features and an engaging new website.

The reimagined Dot will be published twice a year and share relevant, engaging stories about the Art Center community.

Changes you’ll notice immediately include new sections like “Around the World,” which highlights innovative work created by our alumni and faculty; “In the Studio,” a visually-fueled feature that chronicles the course of a studio class; and “Dot News,” a new home for campus news.

There’s so much more we want to share, but we think the magazine will speak for itself.

For the time being, here’s a preview of the new issue’s cover, which features Environmental Design alumnus Sami Hayek’s ENVL ’96 160 Stool.

In Case You Missed It

Ana Serrano's "Salon of Beauty" installation at Houston's Rice Gallery. Photo: Nash Baker.

There’s always something happening when it comes to Art Center alumni, students and faculty. Sometimes there’s almost too much happening!

If you have any Art Center-related news items you’d like to share with the community, send us an email at editorial at artcenter dot edu.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs; You Helped Us All Think Different

The unaired version of the very first “Think Different” television ad below is unique in that it’s not the version narrated by actor Richard Dreyfuss that we all saw in 1997.

Rather it’s narrated by Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple and the visionary pioneer behind the company’s now ubiquitious products, who passed away yesterday.

Art Center alumna Jessica Schulman Edelstein ADVT 91, then the lead art director on the Apple Computer account at Chiat Day, established the look and feel of the highly successful “Think Different” campaign, which featured historical figures–physicist Albert Einstein, civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King Jr. and “Sesame Street” creator Jim Henson to name a few–who changed the world through their out-of-the-box thinking.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Jobs. Your vision touched as all and you left the world a better place.

Got an Idea? Need a Job? Get Moving!

Things are always in motion at Idealab's Pasadena offices

A little bird just told us that startup incubator Idealab is holding a job fair next Wednesday from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. at their Pasadena offices.

Idealab founder and Art Center trustee Bill Gross will offer some welcoming remarks and executives from a number of Idealab’s startup companies–UberMedia, Evolution Robotics, GO Interactive and more–will be on hand to pitch their companies to the fair’s attendees.

Here’s the message we were sent:

Idealab is hosting a job fair at their offices for 10 of their startups companies. They are looking for coders, roboticists, marketing managers and community managers to fill the areas of their Green Tech, Social Media, Big Data, and Enterprise companies.  If you are a super star you are pretty much guaranteed to find a job here.

For those that may be unfamiliar with Idealab, it was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur Bill Gross. Idealab provides a broad range of operational support to its companies, allowing the company management teams to focus on getting to market quickly and cost effectively and to take advantage of the serial start-up experience of the Idealab team. Bill Gross and Idealab have founded or advanced development of more than 75 companies including Overture Services, eSolar, UberMedia, CitySearch, Picasa and Internet Brands. Current operating companies are providing innovative technology solutions in industries such as software, search, robotics, Internet media and services and alternative energy fields.

So do yourself a favor this month and come explore a variety of tech opportunities and network with some of LA’s top startups at the offices of Idealab, the Pasadena-based technology incubator.  Bill Gross will be on site to give a special welcome, and executives from Idealab’s companies will pitch their businesses to attendees. Come have a good time and enjoy the Idealab hospitality. You can be sure that food, beer and wine will be served.

The event will max out at 200 attendees. Registration is required and if you are an outside tech recruiter you’re going to have to sit this one out.  REGISTER HERE.

The Deets
When: Wednesday, October 12, 2011
6:00pm – 9:30pm
Where: Idealab
130 W. Union Street, Pasadena, CA 91103
Participating Companies

Want to learn more about how Idealab works? Watch This Week in Venture Capital’s Mark Suster interview Bill Gross after the break.

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Williamson Gallery Presents: WORLDS

The latest exhibition at the Williamson Gallery, WORLDS, continues the theme of superimposing two domains traditionally imagined to be distant and estranged—art and science. WORLDS is a medley of objects, images, sounds, and videos exploring celestial phenomena by examining the products of art and science.

The opening reception and program for WORLDS will be Thursday, Oct. 13, featuring a presentation by Caltech astronomer and author Mike Brown titled Worlds of Fire, Worlds of Water.

The event is free and open to the public. A wine reception will follow the program at 9 p.m. RSVP to events@artcenter.edu. Don’t miss it!

WORLDS Opening Reception and Program
Thursday, Oct. 13, 8 p.m.
Ahmanson Auditorium, Hillside Campus

Pancake Creator Contest Deadline Extended

Product Design alumna Bryce Butcher, an industrial designer at Bradshaw International, visited Hillside Campus last week with Graphic Design alumna Grace Karabachian to hand out Pancake Creators.

Wendee Lee's Pooh Pancake

Did you pick one up? Well, you’re in luck—the deadline to submit your pancake designs to the Pancake Creator contest has been extended to Oct. 7.

Get to work on whipping up some original designs, and you could win a $200 gift card to Swain’s.

Just email your designs to pancakecreator@goodcook.com or visit pancakecreator.com for more information.

This super-cool product was designed by Bryce along with Graphic Design alums Karabachian and Annie Gonzalez, so this product is a real Art Center success story. Bryce tells us that the product is just beginning to hit store shelves.

“The Pancake Creator scores a perfect trifecta for me: it’s a kitchen gadget, it made me laugh, and it was designed by a former student of mine,” says Product Design faculty member and alumna Wendee Lee, who tipped us off about last week’s giveaway.

Check out the video of the Pancake Creator below:

POSTPONED: Distinguished Filmmakers Series: Bill Duke

NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED.

Film Department instructors Dan Perri and David Kellogg will host featuring actor, director, producer and writer Bill Duke at the first Distinguished Filmmakers Series event of the term on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Duke became a familiar face to moviegoers in the hit comedy Car Wash, following up with intense, unforgettable performances in films such as American Gigolo, Commando, Predator, X-Men: Last Stand and many more. Duke made the transition to successful feature director with a string of well-received films, including A Rage in Harlem, Deep Cover, Hoodlum, The Cemetery Club and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.

Concurrently, Perri helmed dozens of TV series episodes for hit shows including Knots Landing, Miami Vice, Crime Story, Matlock, and PBS’s American Playhouse. Duke continues to act and direct for film and TV while generously serving as mentor for young African Americans aspiring to work in the performing arts.

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

Distinguished Filmmakers Series: Bill Duke
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2 p.m.
L.A. Times Media Center