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.

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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.

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Say Hello to The New Dot Magazine

Screenshot of the redesigned website for the newly reimagined Dot magazine.

The wait is over! Art Center’s flagship publication, Dot magazine, has been reimagined and redesigned from the ground up. The hardcopy will begin landing in mailboxes shortly, but the online version is available for you to peruse right now.

What’s new in Dot? As always, the magazine will continue to cover noted alumni, programs and trends in the larger art and design fields. But now we’ll be bringing you this coverage twice a year! Stories in the new issue include: a profile of alumnus Ian Sands, a pioneer in the field of interaction design; a peek into the future of Art Center’s Environmental Design program; and a remembrance and appreciation of Art Center’s second president, Don Kubly.

Additionally, Dot has been expanded to include several new sections, including: Around the World, highlighting the work of Art Center alumni and faculty; In the Studio, a behind-the-scenes look at recent studio classes (this issue we look at the recent Purina Remix trandisciplinary studio sponsored by the Nestlé Purina); Spotted, social pages covering Art Center events around the world; and Dot News, a new home for campus news.

We hope you enjoy the new Dot and we look forward to hearing what you think of the changes. Let us know in the comments below or send an email to editor@artcenter.edu.

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Alumnus Cuts Through the Fog with “Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn” [Video]

Still from Film alumnus Hoku Uchiyama's "Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn" video.

Film alumnus Hoku Uchiyama FILM ’04 has directed one of the most imaginative music videos in recent history, “Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn,” for Evelyn Evelyn, the musical duo composed of Jason Webley and the Dresden Doll’s Amanda Palmer.

As Evelyn Evelyn, Webley and Palmer perform as conjoined twin sisters Eva and Lyn Neville. But rather than play up that aspect of the duo’s persona, Uchiyama instead mixed live action with traditional animation to make characters that the “sisters” draw on fogged-up windows come to life.

The playful animation, which is highly evocative of cartoons from the ’20s, fits the piano-driven vaudevillian ditty to a tee.

“The song determined the style of animation we used: that old ‘rubber hose’ style that you see in cartoons like ‘Steamboat Willie’ or the old Bosko Looney Tunes,” Uchiyama recently told Your Music Today. “Those things burned into my head as a kid and stayed with me. I sent the idea to Jason [Webley]. He and Amanda [Palmer] liked it, so off we went.”

See the video after the jump.

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Art Center Revs Up For Car Classic ’11

Art Center's annual Car Classic. Photo: © Steven A. Heller/Art Center College of Design

This Sunday Art Center presents Car Classic, the College’s 11th annual celebration of the best in automotive design. The event will feature an incredible array of more than 100 rare automobiles and innovative vehicles on display in Art Center’s panoramic Sculpture Garden.

The theme for this year’s event is “California Design: Influencing Change,” meaning that in addition to enjoying all the classic cars on display—including a 1968 Peter Brock Triumph TR 250 K; a 1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Aero Dynamica; and a 1932 Doane Spencer Hot Rod—visitors to Car Classic will learn about the continuing global influence that Southern California has on transportation design.

Why Southern California? As home to more than 20 advanced automotive design studios, as well as forward-thinking companies that are leading the way in new mobility and alternative energy, the region continues to shape the how, what and where of transportation on a large scale.

Also leading the way is Art Center’s curriculum, which is expanding to further impact the evolution of the automotive industry and the broader field of transportation with a new Graduate Transportation Design program launching in Fall 2012. To coincide with this evolutionary growth, attendees to this year’s Car Classic will be treated to innovative designs for cars, bikes, planes, boats, materials and design tools influenced by Southern California culture.

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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.

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Art Center Launches a Network on Behance [VIDEO]

Art Center College of Design is launching its own network on Behance, the world’s leading platform for creative professionals to showcase and discover creative work online.

Behance believes great work deserves to be seen, so they allow users to upload and showcase their work, track other creatives and gain exposure to millions of viewers.

Students, alumni and faculty members will now all be grouped together on one single platform–all revolving around creative work and portfolios–creating new opportunities for collaboration and networking.

Membership is free.

This motion graphics piece and a vast array of promotional efforts surrounding the launch of Behance have been spearheaded by Youmna Chamcham and Kevin Wansa. As official Behance Student Ambassadors, Youmna and Kevin have had the opportunity to work as an extension of the Behance Team and gain professional and leadership experience.

Learn more, take a tour or browse the Behance network.

And stay tuned to the Dotted Line for updates on future Behance information sessions with Youmna and Kevin.

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