Category Archives: General Interest

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:

  • Film Department Chair Ross LaManna talks to CNN about the rise of the graphic novel in Hollywood. CNN
  • Director for Advanced Mobility Research Geoff Wardle chats with The New York Times about the Tata Nano, which will be on display next week at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. The New York Times
  • Alumnus Tommy Lee Edwards explains his conceptual work for the film The Book of Eli. Livingston Daily
  • Indy Racing League discusses the development of its next-generation racing car, developed with the help of Art Center students. Edmunds Inside Line
  • Painter and Illustration alumnus Paul Rickert’s latest exchibit, Industrial Visions, is currently on display at Rider University in Lawrence, NJ. CentralJersey.com
  • Filmmaker and alumnus Tarsem Singh Dhandwar’s fantasy-action-drama epic about ancient Greece, Dawn of War, might be filmed in 3D. Little About

(Pictured: Out of Furnaces, Paul Rickert)

Design Revolution Road Show Recap

The Design Revolution Road Show was here! Featuring a biodiesel-powered truck and super-cool Airstream trailer filled with tangible examples of humanitarian industrial design, the show came to Hillside Campus on Monday. Check out their first-hand account of the visit, and view a video of the foot-powered WEZA pedal-treadle pump generator that powers the trailer, on the Design Revolution Road Show website. What an interesting day—thanks for the visit!

Colors Test Shows CEOs are Different

What is your favorite color? If you’re a CEO, your answer will probably be different than most. Results from a 60-second online test are being used to steer people toward a career that matches their personality and strengths.

USA Today reports: “[Psychiatry professor Rense] Lange says no one knows why so much can be learned about a person by the colors they choose. Those answers are buried deep in neuroscience, he says, but it’s just a matter of time before marketers will be able to target products to consumers based on color preferences.”

Read more at USA Today, and take the test. What is your vocational calling?

Thinking Outside the Dot

The brainstorming group in the SDR.When he first arrived on campus in October 2009, Dr. Lorne M. Buchman said one of his first tasks as Art Center’s new president and chief executive officer would be to listen to students, faculty and staff to hear their thoughts on a future direction for the College.

“We must first come together as a community to envision our opportunities, to imagine new possibilities, and to enter into a bold, habit-breaking conversation about our educational future,” wrote Buchman in December when he announced a comprehensive planning process for the College.

To get the conversation rolling, Buchman invited the entire community to attend two back-to-back events: an evening kick-off panel discussion in the Ahmanson Auditorium featuring provocative national thought leaders (for a recap, see yesterday’s post); and a brainstorming session the following day to tackle key issues derived from Art Center’s mission statement.

On January 14, approximately 300 members of the Art Center community—faculty, staff, students and alumni—gathered in the Student Dining Room for the daylong brainstorm. “I want to encourage you all to imagine without limit,” urged Buchman to the larger-than-expected group. “Imagine without limit what Art Center has always been, or what an art and design college ‘ought to be’.”

Continue reading →

Rethinking Art Center’s Future: Guest Panelists Weigh In

This past January not only marked the start of a new year and decade, but the beginning of a new visioning process for the College as well. Two back-to-back events—an evening panel discussion featuring national thought leaders, and a daylong brainstorming session tackling key issues relating to Art Center’s mission statement—were open to the Art Center community.

On January 13, faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees and friends packed the Ahmanson Auditorium for the visioning kickoff. The evening session—Twittered and webcast live—featured a distinguished panel of speakers: Andrew Blauvelt, design director and curator at the Walker Art Center; Katherine Hayles, professor and director of graduate studies in literature at Duke University; Steven Oliver, board member of the grant-making organization United States Artists; and David Rice, chairman and founder of The Organization of Black Designers.

Before introducing the panelists, Art Center President Lorne Buchman stressed the imperative of higher education to value driven learning and thinking. “The capacity of our students and graduates to affect change is enormous,” he said. “We need to be educating responsible citizens—the question is how to do that.”

Continue reading →

20000 Leagues Under the Sea Via Underwater Plane

Another childhood dream of ours is about to become a reality: Virgin has unveiled an underwater plane that will fly into the depths of the Caribbean Sea.

Guests on Necker Island, a retreat in the British Virgin Islands, will be able to dive underwater in a submarine dubbed the Necker Nymph for $25,000 a week.

CNNMoney.com writes: “Beginning on Feb. 20, two riders and a pilot will be able to take the plunge from land, or from a boat. The underwater plane uses the downward pressure on its wings to fly through the water for up to two hours at a time, while an open cockpit will give riders a 360-degree view.”

Read more, and check out a video, at CNNMoney.com.

Fighting Obesity with Design

A group of New York City government agencies have teamed with the AIA to create the Active Design Guidelines, a downloadable publication intended for designers, architects and city planners to help promote more physical activity among the citizenry in new and rehabbing building projects. The guidelines provide architects and urban designers with strategies for creating healthier buildings, streets and urban spaces, based on the latest academic research and best practices in the field.

Interesting idea. Read more at Mediabistro’s Unbeige blog.

Concours d’Art Winner Announced

The Dana Point Concours d’Elegance announced today that Transportation Design student John Narciso is the winner of the 2010 Dana Point Concours d’Art.

The Concours d’Art is an annual competition hosted by the Dana Point Concours d’ Elegance and Art Center. Narciso’s winning artwork, which will be used for the event poster, program cover and tickets, depicts the progression of iconic Alfa Romeo designs over the firm’s history. The 28th Annual Dana Point Concours d’Elegance will take place June 27 at Monarch Beach in Dana Point, Calif. This year’s event will feature 100 years of Alfa Romeo and celebrate 80 years of design from Pininfarina.

Congrats, John!

Icsid Calls for Design Solutions Following Haiti Earthquake

In response to the devastation following the earthquake in Haiti, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) has launched a global call to designers from all disciplines to unite in an open dialogue with international relief organizations to assess potential design-effective rehabilitation projects.

To support the UN’s efforts to help the Haitian people overcome challenges in relation to the country’s reconstruction plans, designers, students and relief workers are encouraged to join the discussion by connecting with the Uniting Designers in Disaster fan page on Facebook.

Read more at dexigner.com and Facebook.

Art Center’s Online Student Gallery: Safer Than The Met

Perhaps this is why museum guards say not to get too close to the work: A significant Pablo Picasso painting, The Actor, was damaged after a woman at The Met lost her balance and fell on Friday.

Looking for a safer way to view art? Check out Art Center’s online gallery of student work. All disciplines are represented, from transportation design to fine art to film. Check it out today: Art Center Online Student Gallery