Tag Archives: Faculty

Special Documentary Screening: Allen Daviau

Don’t miss a special screening and Q&A session this afternoon with  British documentarian John Henderson about his work-in-progress documentary based on Art Center faculty member  Allen Daviau.

E.T., Daviau

Henderson has been creating a series of in-depth documentaries about the world’s great cinematographers, and the first film in the series is about famed cinematographer and Art Center instructor Daviau.

Allen’s first feature film was E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, earning the first of five Oscar nominations and launching his career as one of the industry’s leading cinematographers. Since then, he has worked on such notable films as The Color Purple, Falcon and the Showman, Empire of the Sun, Avalon, Bugsy, Congon and Van Helsing. He has been nominated for three American Society of Cinematographers Awards, winning twice, and has received the ASC Lifetime Achievement Award. Stop by and meet the legendary cinematographers who will be attending the screening, including Vilmos Zsigmond, Haskell Wexler and Owen Roizman. The event is open to all Art Center students, alumni, faculty and staff.

Special Documentary Screening: Allen Daviau
Thursday, March 24, 1 p.m.
Ahmanson Auditorium

Doyald Young, 1926-2011

Young

It is with deep sadness that we report of the passing of Doyald Young, beloved teacher, lettering and logotype designer, friend and mentor. Young passed away yesterday due to complications following a recent heart operation. He graduated from Art Center with a degree in Advertising in 1955.

“Doyald was a gifted artist, an astonishingly powerful teacher and well-deserving of the many accolades he received during his illustrious career,” said Art Center President Lorne Buchman. “We honored Doyald at Art Center last December with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and we bestowed upon him an honorary doctorate of humane letters. The double entendre was not lost on the Art Center community.

“Indeed, Doyald, the great human being and the brilliant artist, infused in every exquisite font and letterform he created his immense and passionate humanity. We deeply mourn the passing of our dear and wonderful friend.”

There is a memorial planned for April 10 — Young Love, a Day of Drawing Beautiful Curves in Memory of Doyald Young. Details forthcoming.

Meanwhile, check out this tribute blog created by Graphic Design student and ACSG President Erik Molano. It’s a treasure trove of personal accounts, anecdotes and links celebrating Young’s life and work: doyaldyoung.blogspot.com.

Also, remember him with us by watching the video below, created by Lynda.com late last year:

Colleagues, Designers, Partners in Life: Brian Boyl and Krystina Castella

Photo by Alan Kupchick

Art Center faculty members Brian Boyl and Krystina Castella have both taken somewhat non-traditional routes in their careers. Boyl, director of interactive design in the Graphic Design Department, has a degree in physics, studied film and animation, has created computer software and produced video games. Castella created her own product development, manufacturing and licensing company; helps people start businesses and license products; and has written five popular cookbooks; the most recent, A World of Cake, named by Publisher’s Weekly as one of the best cookbooks of 2010. And this are just a few of the many noteworthy things these two have accomplished.

Also interesting—Boyl and Castella are spouses, meeting 20 years ago this month. Intrigued and curious about what motivates them to teach, how students have changed over the past two decades, and what it’s like to work with one’s significant other, we sat down with the couple for a chat.

Dotted Line: How did you two meet?
Brian Boyl: We met in 1991 at a Valentine’s Day party that a mutual friend of ours held for people who didn’t have dates. I was in film school then…

Krystina Castella: …and I was working a corporate job at Disney. We met at the party and got along really well. He called me the next day to ask me out, and I was eating a popsicle while we talked. I wrote about this in the introduction to my popsicle book, because I actually ended up saving the popsicle and freezing it.

Boyl: Yes, that popsicle went with us, every time we moved. It lasted for years. But sadly, it didn’t survive our last move.

Watch video

Dotted Line: Does it take a while for students to realize you’re married?
Castella: Yes, it’s funny—it’s the same thing every term. Many people at Art Center don’t realize we’re married. People that we’ve known for a long time do, but students are always new and don’t know at first; it’s always a shock. They seem to figure it out around Weeks 5 and 6. A student will come in and say to me, “I saw you with my other teacher,” or, “You were in the parking lot with Brian…”

Boyl: Or, “How do you know each other?” and, “I saw you two leaving campus in the same car….”

Castella: We teach in different departments, but we do have students that cross over. It’s great, we really get to know the student when that happens. We ask each other, “So how are they doing in your class?”

Dotted Line: Why do you teach?
Boyl: I love giving back to the younger generation. I also find teaching personally inspiring, because it’s always about the next thing. It’s always different, and always new—especially in the area where I teach, which is on the cutting edge of everything. And I find students tend to push me in my own creativity. And, you’re dealing with people, so it’s a lot of fun. I think I have the best job in the world.

Continue reading →

Running to Celebrate Life

We checked in with Product Design alumna and faculty member Wendee Lee to see how the Rose Bowl 5K went earlier this month.

Lee ran the race to celebrate and honor the memory of fellow alumnus and faculty member Norm Schureman.

“The race was fantastic,” Lee says. “It was sunny and warm—perfect running weather. I had planned out my race tempo and while it was my slowest 5K, it was definitely the strongest and most enjoyable one I’ve run. I finished right at my target finish time, feeling no pain.”

Lee asked supporters to donate to Schureman’s Memorial Scholarship fund as a way to both celebrate his life, and help ensure that his legacy continues. It’s not too late to donate to the scholarship.

“The Norm Schureman Memorial scholarship is particularly important to me as a Product Design alum and faculty member,” Lee explains. “I had Norm as an instructor, and was lucky enough to have him as a colleague as well. It means so much to know this scholarship will help future Product Design students.”

Donate to the Norm Schureman Memorial Scholarship online today.

Or, mail your donation.

Broadcast Cinema Alum and Faculty Member Inks Deal

Art Center Broadcast Cinema alumnus and faculty member Nir Bashan has just signed a deal to adapt a bestselling book, Three Dog Nightmare, into a feature film screenplay. He is co-writing the screenplay with Chuck Negron, lead singer of the band Three Dog Night.

Bashan

The book is about the rise and fall, and eventual rise again, of Chuck Negron of the band Three Dog Night. It’s an inspirational story of overcoming addiction and adversity against all odds. Work began in December in Los Angeles, and is expected to be competed in early summer.

Bashan is an Emmy-nominated, Clio-winning director who directs and writes commercials, features and television. He currently teaches in both the Broadcast Cinema and Advertising departments.

He has won, or been nominated for, more than 30 awards worldwide for his short films and commercials, such as a nomination for the Cannes Film Festival Young Director Award and a win for the Best New Director award at the DGA in New York City. He has worked with clients including Honda, AT&T and Coca Cola.

Wendee Lee: Celebrating Life Through Sunday’s 5K

When Product Design alumna and faculty member Wendee Lee decided to get back into running last fall, and began training for the Rose Bowl 5K, she found that it wasn’t as easy as it used to be.

Lee

“It’s not like I’ve been a jock or very athletic for all my life,” Lee explains, “and it’s been hard this time around. Training has been a test not only of my legs and lungs, but of my will as well.”

Yet she found a deep and unwavering inspiration from an unexpected source: Lee is running to celebrate and honor the memory of fellow alumnus and faculty member Norm Schureman.

“I found a great deal of strength from the idea of running to honor Norm’s legacy and to help spread word about his memorial scholarship,” she said. Because of this, she wanted to run a race specifically in Pasadena, and the Rose Bowl 5K fit the bill and time frame.

Lee’s asking supporters to donate to Schureman’s Memorial Scholarship fund as a way to both celebrate his life, and help ensure that his legacy continues.

She’s seen first-hand the power of scholarships to change lives. As a faculty member, she’s seen students struggle to find the financial means to continue their education, and when Lee was a student herself at Art Center she had to take a leave for a year for financial reasons.

Lee supported by many across the College. “The Product Design Department is extremely proud of Wendee, and grateful for her commitment to raising scholarship for the Norm Schureman Memorial Scholarship,” says Karen Hofmann. “We wish her the very best on her run this weekend, and ask that our Art Center community helps support Wendee through contributing to the scholarship fund.”

The Rose Bowl 5K is this Sunday, Feb. 6. Here’s how you can support Lee: Visit Art Center’s donation page, scroll to “Area of Support / Degree Program Scholarships,” and select the Norman Schureman Memorial Scholarship. All donations will help. At the very bottom, under “Confirmation,” add words of encouragement in the “Additional Comments’” section for Lee (such as, “In support of runner Wendee Lee!”), so that she can acknowledge your support of both her run and of the scholarship.

Besides raising money for the scholarship, what are Lee’s personal goals for Saturday’s race?

“I just want to finish strong and enjoy the race and being at and in the Rose Bowl,” she says. “I’ve already regained my joy of running—so really, the rest is all gravy.”

Donate to the Norm Schureman Memorial Scholarship online today.

Or, mail your donation.

Reflecting Back at 80: Alumni Faculty Look Back on 80 Years

Eighty years ago, Edward “Tink” Adams had a revolutionary idea for a school that would teach real-world skills to artists and designers. Even more radical: classes would be taught by working professionals, at the top of their respective fields.

Third Street campus, 1950

In 1930 the Art Center School opened its doors at West Seventh Street in Los Angeles, with just 12 instructors and eight students. Adams, a former advertising executive from Chicago, served as director. Since then, Art Center has changed its name, moved twice (to Third Street in 1947 and to Pasadena in 1976), maintained a satellite campus in Switzerland for 10 years and opened a second campus in downtown Pasadena in 2004. Today, the College boasts a student body of 1,500 and nearly 600 full- and part-time faculty members.

Over the decades, Art Center has been home to world-renown faculty including automotive designer Strother MacMinn TRAN ’35, illustrator Phil Hays ILLU ’55, lettering and logo designer Doyald Young ADVT ’55 and illustrator Barron Storey ILLU ’61.

As we celebrate our 80th anniversary, who better to ask about Art Center’s history than our faculty—in particular those who were students here before becoming instructors? What are their favorite memories of the College?

Read more: Looking Back on 80 Years

Instructor Wins Big With Invention

Art Center Technical Skills Center instructor Miles Elledge has invented a new device geared for athletes suffering from sore arms and shoulders.

The Wonderweight, a device weighing between two and four pounds and designed to strengthen shoulder muscles without causing traumatic stress, won the coveted Best of Show award at the American Baseball Coaches Association Conference earlier this month in Nashville.

The Glendale News-Press has a great article on Elledge and his invention. From the article: “‘It’s about giving something back to their lives that makes it the most rewarding,’ said Elledge, who added that Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels, a former World Series Most Valuable Player, recently tried the product for the first time. ‘It doesn’t fix arthritis, but it can greatly alleviate the pain, along with carpal tunnel and tendinitis.’”

Currently, cases of amateur and professional baseball pitchers using the device are being documented and evaluated at USC under the supervision of Dr. Tom House. The device appears to improve pitching velocity, accuracy and strength. In addition, Wonderweight is being used for brain injury rehab in the case of stroke, Alzheimer’s and trauma patients.

As CEO of Mile High 3D, Miles specializes in product research and development. He also works full-time as a shop instructor in Art Center’s Technical Skills Center, assisting students and staff in making prototypes and replicas of their conceptual designs. Miles’ achievement in the fields of physical therapy, health and wellness is one example of the multifaceted individuals who work at the College, whether they’re practicing professionals who bring real-world experience to the classroom or entrepreneurial minds that support students in the application of technical skills.

Read more: Local man creates small wonder

ArtCenter News

ArtCenter College of Design