Category Archives: Photography and Imaging

Changing the World, One Project at a Time

A Designmatters transdisciplinary studio with a San Diego-based international health and humanitarian aid organization has resulted in a beautiful promotional film created by Art Center students.

The studio, held last summer, focused on rebranding Project Concern International (PCI) for their 50th anniversary.

In August, three Photography and Film students traveled to Zambia with PCI to observe and document their work in the field.

“My goal for the film from the start was to document the people in Zambia, and to show the world what their lives are like,” said Film student John X. Carey, director of the piece.

“It was a difficult first film for me to make, but such an incredible experience.”

In other PCI news, this week the organization launched a new identity stemming from the student work in last summer’s studio.

“There is a different level of engagement when you are working with design students—their enthusiasm and energy are palpable,” PCI’s Shawn Ruggeiro said about the studio. “Their perspective on this project, as well as our organization, was refreshing and inspiring.”

View the piece below, and read more about the Designmatters/PCI 50th Anniversary Project.


In Case You Missed It

The Persistent Online Dating Campaign Medal, from Bucher's new book

As you know, there’s always something going on when it comes to Art Center alumni, students and faculty. Some of the latest:

  • Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Advertising alum Stefan Bucher’s new book, You Deserve a Medal, takes a fun look at the battlefield of love. Book signing and reception Feb. 15 at Skylight Books in Los Feliz. http://www.344design.com/ydm/
  • Fine Art alum James Drake, whose work focuses on life on the U.S./Mexican border, chosen for a Texas Medal of Arts award. El Paso Times
  • Graphic Design Chair Nik Hafermaas, along with colleagues at Google and NASA, develop ECloud, a weather-visualizing liquid crystal installation, at Mineta San Jose International Airport’s new North Concourse. San Francisco Gate
  • Photography alum Terry Wild documents impact of drilling on Pennsylvania farmscapes. Lancaster Farming
  • Advertising alum Mike Leon named creative director of Dubuque, Iowa-based creative firm. TH Online
  • Fine Art alum and former faculty member Erik Olson documents Detroit’s vacant buildings. Northville Patch

Going Pro: Lara Rossignol Tests the D-Lux 5

Photography and Imaging alumna Lara Rossignol recently had the opportunity to text out the D-Lux 5 and write up a review for the Leica Camera blog.

Xmas Easy © Lara Rossignol

She writes: “I began shooting professionally in Los Angeles after I graduated from Art Center College of Design in the late ’80s. Less than two years later I moved to NYC and over the next 14 years worked with clients ranging from Rolling Stone to Vogue to Max Factor.

“In late 2002 I moved south to Atlanta and have expanded my repertoire to include food & lifestyle. In April of 2009 I launched my photo blog, Piewacket, incorporating an editorial approach by creating original content on a range of subjects I find interesting. It has gained a loyal following with over 230,000 unique visitors in the first 18 months.

“I started working with Leica last year when I got a chance to try out the amazing M9 for a couple of weeks. I am always on the lookout for a great point & shoot since it is just not feasible to bring your pro gear with you where ever you go. It is an especially invaluable tool for blogging, so I was very excited to try out the D-Lux 5.”

What did Rossignol think of the camera? Read more and find out: Going Pro: Lara Rossignol Tests the D-Lux 5

New Ansel Adams Images Surface

Last year, there was a controversy over a stash of antique negatives bought at a Fresno garage sale thought to be the early work of renowned photographer and Art Center faculty member Ansel Adams. And now, there are new virtually unknown works by Adams, but these have the documentation proving that they are indeed by the famed photographer—information the ones from the summer lack.

Culture Monster reports that the collection of 29 virtually unknown pictures by Adams and his friend and mentor Cedric Wright are on display through Friday at the Chadwick School in Palos Verdes.

From the article: “The 13 pictures by Adams — on display through Friday at the Palos Verdes Library’s Peninsula Center building — come from 1941, when Chadwick, now a private day school but then a boarding school, hired him to produce its fifth-anniversary promotional catalog, and 1942, when Adams returned to shoot a tennis exhibition at the hilltop campus featuring the great Jack Kramer.”

Read more: ‘Never seen’ but well-documented Ansel Adams photographs on display in Palos Verdes

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:

  • The L.A. Times delves into the mind and art of Grad Art alumna Frances Stark. L.A. Times

    Frances Stark

  • Norman Rockwell Museum debuts digitization efforts, including audio of a lecture Rockwell made at Art Center in 1949. Litchfield County Times
  • San Francisco photographer and Photography alumna Leslie Williamson’s new book documents the homes of iconic mid-century modern designers. SFGate
  • Pasadena artist Kenton Nelson will open his rarely seen studio as part of the Sidney D. Gamble lecture series on Jan. 29 at Art Center. Tickets are $20. Pasadena Star News
  • Catching up with Illustration alum Jeremy Steiner. Calabasas Patch

Three Boys From Pasadena Opening Tonight in NYC

Tonight is the New York opening of Three Boys From Pasadena: A Tribute to Helmut Newton, featuring the photographs of Art Center alumni Mark Arbeit, Just Loomis and George Holz. The exhibit will run through Jan. 30 at Clic Gallery in New York.

Helmut Newton (1920-2004), a native of Berlin, was known for his provocative and erotically charged black-and-white photography, especially of female nudes. His shocking and later much-imitated style was a constant in the pages of US Vogue and Vogue Paris.

Arbeit, Holz and Loomis first met Newton in 1979 while students at Art Center. Eventually all three became Newton’s assistants during one of the most exciting and prolific times in his career. For 30 years, they kept in touch, sharing their personal work with Newton and his wife, June.

In June of this year, Three Boys from Pasadena, curated by June Newton, premiered at the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin. The exhibit consists of each photographer’s individual work, as well as several memorabilia panels consisting of never-before-seen snapshots, handwritten notes, journal pages, contact sheets and other souvenirs of Newton’s life. Three Boys from Pasadena is an exceptional memorial to one of the 20th century’s most iconic photographers, and an unusually revealing look at personal and professional relationships among artists and protégés.

The accompanying book, published by Factory/LeJoker, is available as well. There will be a book signing at tonight’s event.

Three Boys from Pasadena: A Tribute to Helmut Newton
Dec. 7, 6 to 8 p.m.
Clic Gallery, New York

Great Fun at Car Classic

Sunday’s Car Classic ’10: Freedom of Motion, was a success! While a little drizzly at times, the crowds were not deterred, visiting Hillside Campus to tour studios, look at student work, hear guest speakers and, of course, check out the automobiles (and aircraft, watercraft and motorcycles!)

Keynote speaker was Transportation Design alumnus Frank Stephenson, design director for McLaren Automotive.

“The Mini was the first car I ever stole,” joked Stephenson. He was referring to sneaking out in his mother’s as a young teenager. “It was that easy to drive,” he explained. Fitting that fate would have him involved in the redesign of the vehicle decades later.

Also speaking was Photography alumnus Jeff Zwart, award-winning automotive photographer and commercial film director who recently set a new record racing up Pike’s Peak in a Porsche 911 GT3.

“You never realize how much your childhood interests will influence your life later on,” Zwart said as he remarked on growing up (with childhood friend, alum and automotive design superstar Freeman Thomas) with a love of everything automotive.

Highlights of the show included the new McLaren MP4-12C, a 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic and an ICON A5 sport aircraft.

Enjoy images from the event in the slideshow below, and check out our tweets from the event as well:

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:

Jorge Pardo, "Bulgogi"

  • A new mixed media installation by Fine Art alum Jorge Pardo, Bulgogi, at Gagosian Gallery. artdaily.org
  • Top-seller at Vroman’s Bookstore features cover illustrations by Art Center students. Pasadena Star-News
  • Catching up with top hot-rod designer and Art Center Transportation Design alum Chip Foose. Los Angeles Times
  • Photography and Imaging alum Dan Chavkin discovers mid-century inspiration in Palm Springs. MyDesert.com

Summertime Is Showtime

A number of our students and alumni are exhibiting work this summer in galleries around the country. A few current exhibits:

  • Photography and Imaging student Chase Koopersmith has work in the group show Inspired, opening at the Steven Kasher Gallery in New York on July 14.
  • Advertising alum Ed Mell’s solo exhibit, Ed Mell: Paintings of the New West, is currently on display at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff.

We’re sure there are some we’ve missed. If you know of any student or alumni shows, let us know.

(Pictured: Outside AB Tool Crib: Matt, Mike, Carey, Steven, John, Mel and Karl by Sharon Lockhart.)

ART from the Ashes Inspired by Station Fire


Public Programs managing director and Art Center Photography and Imaging alum Dana L. Walker’s work is currently shown in ART from the Ashes, a group exhibition themed around last year’s Station Fire. Pieces are inspired by, and created out of debris from, Glendale’s Deukmejian Wilderness Park after the fire.

ART from the Ashes is a nonprofit organization of artists and volunteers who create art crafted from materials collected from fire site locations. Debris that would otherwise be cleared and dumped into landfills is gathered and transformed into one-of-a-kind works of art. The organization hosts charity exhibitions showcasing the work created from the reclaimed fire site materials. A portion of the proceeds from each exhibition is donated to a local or national charity chosen by the business or individuals impacted by the fire.

The exhibit runs through July 24 and will feature a host of events in addition to the installation of works of art from a fantastic collective of artists.

ART from the Ashes Gallery
216 S. Brand Boulevard (across from the Americana at Brand)
Glendale, CA 91205
Gallery hours: Tues-Sun, Noon to 6 pm