Tag Archives: Alumni

Now Showing: Art Center Alumni, Faculty and Students


Danger, Set Free, by Rob and Christian Clayton (2008)

A few current exhibits featuring work of Art Center students, alumni and faculty:

  • Clayton Brothers: Inside Out, a new major exhibition at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, presents paintings and mixed-media installations created collaboratively by Illustration alums Rob and Christian Clayton. The exhibit will be on view through January 2, 2011. Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
  • Graduate Art faculty member Taft Green’s new show, Settings, opens at Praterstrasse48 Berlin on Sept. 30.   Praterstrasse48
  • Graduate Art faculty member Skip Arnold, Graduate Art alums Jennifer Moon and Jeff Ostergren, and Fine Art alumnus Jorge Pardo are in a group show opening Sept. 25 and curated by Grad Art faculty member Jan Tumlir, Jerry/Jury Rigged, at the Glendale College Art Gallery.  Glendale College Art Gallery
  • Fine Art alum Devin Strother currently has a solo show at Richard Heller Gallery in Santa Monica. Richard Heller Gallery
  • The Blab! Show features work by Illustration alums Marc Burckhardt, Owen Smith and Lou Beach. Through Oct. 2 at Copro Gallery in Santa Monica. The Blab! Show
  • Grad Art alumna Emilie Halpern’s latest show, Eclipse, on display at Pepin Moore through Oct. 23. Pepin Moore
  • Painting faculty member Kent Williams has a solo show at Evoke in New Mexico through Sept. 30. Evoke Contemporary
  • Alumna Korin Faught has an opening September 25 at Corey Helford Gallery. Corey Helford Gallery
  • MDP student An Xiao Mina participating in a poetry reading this Saturday at the Pacific Asia Museum. Southern California Haiku Study Group Anthology

What did we miss? If you know of any student, alumni or faculty shows, let us know.

Reflecting Back at 80: Alumni Relations

Annual meeting of Society of Art Center Alumni at the Sportsmen's Lodge in North Hollywood (1963)

Guest post by Art Center Archivist Robert Dirig

Art Center’s alumni have always been an important part of the College, but the Office of Alumni Relations wasn’t formed until the ’60s—and it looked much different than it does today.


Ninth Annual Meeting of the Society of Art Center Alumni, known as the "Fall Roundup" because of the Western theme (1969)

The Society of Art Center Alumni was formed and incorporated in 1960. While support for the Society was provided by the College, it was a separate organization with a budget based in annual dues.

The aim of the Society was to form a network of alumni by creating alumni directories, distributing newsletters, organizing regional chapters and planning exhibitions.

One particular goal was for alumni to be more active with Art Center and help support and strengthen the curriculum and policies.

During the ’70s, the Society’s most important activity was a juried exhibit of alumni work for which they produced a catalog. During this era, the annual meeting was an opportunity to showcase the alumni work created during the previous year.

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Putting Alumni Relations to Work for You

Career Resource Workshops are free to alumni and offer opportunities for networking and polishing presentation skills.

Calling all Art Center alums: Do you know what your Office of Alumni Relations can do for you?

Sure, when you think Alumni Relations, you probably think networking and social events. But two new alumni programs deserve special mention: career resource workshops and a mentorship program for entrepreneurs.

Read more: New Directions for Alumni Relations

Making Concept Cars That Work

Check out this great L.A. Times profile on Art Center Transportation Design alum Freeman Thomas, design director for Ford Motor Co.’s strategic concepts group in Irvine.

Thomas has helped design the new Beetle, the first Audi TT and the Chrysler 300. Now his latest creation is the eco-friendly Start.

From the article: “The Ford Start concept vehicle is a small, ‘eco-friendly’ car with a 1-liter, turbocharged, three-cylinder engine that puts out 120 horsepower. He said it could get more than 60 miles per gallon, depending on driving conditions. ‘The basic idea of the car was finding a polished pebble on the sand. You are attracted to that pebble and you want to pick it up and play with it. We want the car to look as if nature had shaped it,’ Thomas said. Although there are no production plans for the vehicle, he says it is a serious concept that is ‘buildable.’ Anything else would be a waste of time and Ford’s money, Thomas said. ‘If we don’t combine design and marketing and engineering into the concept cars, it is a fruitless exercise. You have to be able to make the concept cars that work.’”

Very cool. Read more: Ford’s Freeman Thomas has a better idea, and check out this video of the Start featuring J Mays, another of our Transportation Design alums and Ford’s chief creative officer below:

Alumna Laura Crawford Talks Art Center

Co-founder and creative director of Goodkin, Media Design alumna Laura Crawford received her MFA from Art Center in 2005. An entrepreneur, educator and creative director, Crawford’s experience in trans-media design disciplines and unique creative passions allow her to push the new evolution of technology, physical space and interaction design to find new incarnations of engagement.

In the video below, Crawford discusses her time at Art Center and some of the most valuable lessons learned here:

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

Now Showing: Grad Art Alumni and Faculty

Our Graduate Art Department members and alums have been busy this summer! A few current exhibits:

Emilie Halpern, Marble Letter

  • Through August 7: Alumnus Brian Kennon has a solo exhibit, Group Shows, at Steve Turner Contemporary.
  • July 30 through August 20: Alumnus Tad Beck is in a group show/event, Its Own Nothingness, at Krowswork in Oakland. He is also will have an installation, Palimpsest, as part of LACMA’s Manly Pursuits, July 25 through October 15.
  • Through August 21: Grad Fine Art faculty member Walead Beshty organized the exhibition Picture Industry (Goodbye to All That) at Regen Projects, featuring more than 30 artists.
  • Through August 21: Alumna Emilie Halpern is in a group show, Long Long Gone, at Leo Koenig in New York. Her work can also be seen in the curated online artist resource “Culturehall” issue #46: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
  • Through September 4: Alumna Jennifer West is in a group show, Just a Matter of Time, at Iris Kadel in Karlsruhe, Germany.

What did we miss? If you know of any student, alumni or faculty shows, let us know.