Tag Archives: Lorne Buchman

WATCH: Art Center President Lorne Buchman talks conscious design

Bill Gross, CEO, Idealab in conversation with Lorne Buchman, President, Art Center College of Design from Ted Habte-Gabr on Vimeo.

What defines innovation? Art Center College of Design President Lorne Buchman and Idealab CEO and Art Center Trustee Bill Gross describe it through frugal, real-world projects that make the planet a better place.

During a recent Live Talks Business Forum, Buchman and Gross discussed works-in-progress highlighting Gross’ Idealab, a Pasadena-based think tank for startups.

Through Idealab, Gross created WorldHaus, which manufactures eco-friendly, modular housing in more rural parts of India starting at $2,000.

Gross said his for-profit company has the goal of adding 200 homes in India this year and increasing that number to 1 million houses by decade’s end.

Buchman talked about Art Center’s Designmatters program, which allows students to design for communities in developing countries including India.

Just a warning: The 50-minute video has some static, but the ideas are solid.

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Innovative design in India topic at Live Talks

President Lorne Buchman, left, and Trustee and Idealab CEO Bill Gross at Live Talks

Art Center College of Design President Lorne Buchman and Idealab CEO and Art Center Trustee Bill Gross bonded over socially conscious design in India Thursday morning at Live Talks Business Forums, a one-hour conversation focused on innovation and design held in downtown Los Angeles.

Through WorldHaus, longtime entrepreneur Gross has ventured into creating eco-friendly, modular housing in more rural parts of India starting at $2,000. Buchman highlighted furniture created by a Designmatters student that features creative seating with storage for low-income city-dwellers in Bangalore.

“We have to go make a deal with that student and start that right away!” said Gross.

WorldHaus has the goal of adding 200 homes in India this year and increasing that number to 1 million houses by decade’s end. The for-profit company manufactures the structures for $1,800 and owners pay $200 down and $10 a month.

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Filling in the Blank: Students Bringing TEDx to Campus

Class shot of the TEDx Art Center College of Design Studio. Photo: June Korea.

Orange will mix with red this summer when the student-driven TEDx Art Center College of Design conference takes over the Hillside Campus on Saturday, June 9 to explore the event’s theme: “Design a ________ for Social Impact.” The “blank” in that title is a call-to-action designed to inspire conference attendees to come up with their own idea for how to effect positive change in the world.

Also on hand to inspire attendees will be an impressive lineup of speakers, including Doug Powell, national president of AIGA and the individual spearheading that association’s Design for Good initiative; and Cameron Tonkinwise, chair of Design Thinking and Sustainability at Parsons The New School School for Design, whose current research is exploring design-enabled sharing of resources. And for something completely different, Art Center Product Design alumnus and KILLSPENCER founder Spencer Nikosey has been tapped to provide the day’s musical entertainment.

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Art Center Announces Acquisition of New Property and Partnership With Michael Maltzan Architecture

Art Center College of Design will expand its educational reach and resources with the acquisition of a former U.S. Postal Service property in Pasadena, Art Center President Dr. Lorne M. Buchman announced today. The purchase of the vacant property was made possible through gifts from alumni. President Buchman further announced that the College has selected award-winning firm Michael Maltzan Architecture as its partner in fulfilling and expanding its academic plan through the re-imagining of existing spaces, and the forward-looking design of new ones, at both of the College’s campuses.

Dr. Buchman said, “This is a pivotal moment not only in Art Center’s history, but in art and design education, given the growing impact of the creative professions on the economy and on our world. This new property enables expansion and development of our programs and infrastructure and enhances our capacity for teaching, learning, creating and collaborating to ensure that we are able to fulfill our mission to educate students, now and into the future.

“The overwhelming support of alumni for this acquisition signals their commitment to future generations of Art Center students. They want these students to have access to the same opportunities they had—opportunities afforded by rigorous, professional instruction in a supportive, creative, cutting-edge environment,” Dr. Buchman continued.

Art Center Board of Trustees Chair Robert C. Davidson, Jr., added, “The availability of the property adjacent to the College’s South Campus was serendipitous, and it came on the market just as we finalized our strategic plan. The Board and I are exceedingly proud to be part of setting the vision for Art Center and its leadership at this time of transformation. Thanks to thoughtful planning and the generosity of our alumni, the College now renews its commitment to providing the finest education for our students. Further, we are poised to expand to meet future challenges and even higher standards of excellence.”

South Campus Aerial View

Existing South Campus property at 950 S. Raymond, outlined in blue, and new property at 870-888 S. Raymond, outlined in red.

George Falardeau, Sr. Vice President of Real Estate and Operations for Art Center, stated that the new property is at 870-888 S. Raymond Avenue in Pasadena, immediately adjacent to the College’s existing South Campus at 950 S. Raymond. The acquisition will allow the College to create three centers of learning—an expanded South Campus, a renovated Hillside Campus (1700 Lida Street, Pasadena) and a virtual campus—each optimized for the particular needs of promising artists and designers, while at the same time fostering new collaborations among disciplines. This expansion also includes opportunities to strengthen engagement with and connection to diverse communities because of the proximity of South Campus to public transportation and the continued presence of Art Center’s Public Programs at that location.

Commenting on the selection of Michael Maltzan Architecture for the project, Dr. Buchman said, “Following an intensive, year-long process, Michael emerged as the best partner for Art Center as voiced by our students, faculty and alumni, especially given his deep understanding of the way artists and designers learn, think and make. We couldn’t be more enthusiastic to have him on board to fulfill our vision for tomorrow’s classrooms and studio spaces.”

Michael Maltzan added, “Art Center’s continued leadership in art and design education comes from the culture of innovation and inspiration that thrives there. An important part of that legacy is the innovative and useful architecture that the school has built over the years to help foster and sustain that culture. It is enormously exciting to be able to participate with Art Center in developing buildings and spaces that will continue to capture the spirit of the school, provide for changing and emerging programs and help imagine its future.”

Art Center alumni responded to the possible expansion in an unprecedented manner, donating $5 million for the acquisition of the new property. Significant gifts include three, seven-figure irrevocable bequests, one made by Art Center alumnus and award-winning environmental designer Richard Law (Graduate Industrial Design ’58). Another gift was from Art Center alumnus and kinetic sculptor Steven Rieman (Product Design ‘74) and his wife, Ruth, and a third was from Art Center alumnus Bruce Heavin (Illustration ’93) and his wife, former Art Center faculty member Lynda Weinman, owners of the innovative online learning company, lynda.com.

“This is exactly what Art Center should be doing,” Mr. Law said. “The property, in an urban environment on the edge of Old Pasadena where all the action is, as well as public transit, is a great example of renewing older areas, creating a vital, energetic place.  In today’s culture, this is exactly how a campus should be.”

“We aren’t as interested in a new building as we are in the education inside that building, and in recognizing the excellence of Art Center students and the critical importance and impact of what they do,” the Riemans said of their bequest. “The type of work that could happen there, such as full-scale prototyping, is just one way students would benefit. It’s clear to us that Art Center is serious about broadening students’ opportunities and experience by embracing new technologies and new ways of collaborating and creating in new spaces.”

Mr. Heavin said, “When I first visited the property, I immediately saw a great natural extension of the South Campus that would accommodate students’ educational needs.”

Ms. Weinman added, “As a former faculty member, it has been great to reconnect with Art Center’s high standard of excellence and quality and to commit to upholding it through thoughtful expansion.”

The College’s expansion plans are in direct response to Create Change, a five-year strategic plan that reflects the collective vision of the entire Art Center community in shaping the College’s core values into a new model for art and design education in the 21st century. The plan identifies Art Center’s “conservatory” approach to education, wherein students undergo intense and practical career preparation guided by expert faculty, and the role that rich intercultural and transdisciplinary collaborations play in providing students a contextual understanding of the world around them. The plan identifies the need to enhance and improve its physical spaces and educational technologies in order to foster and extend such collaboration.

In Case You Missed It

As we return from break we thought it would be a good time to check in on what is going on with Art Center alumni, students and faculty.

The Williamson Gallery’s current exhibition, Worlds was featured in The Los Angeles Times. Haven’t seen it yet? You’re in luck. The exhibition has been extended through January 29, 2012.

Art Center was well represented in the December issue of THE Pasadena Foothills Magazine. The magazine’s cover story, 50 Creative People 2011, featured President Lorne Buchman and recognized faculty and staff members Mariana Amatullo, Dan Gottlieb, Penny Herscovitch, Karen Hofmann, Stephen Nowlin and Geoff Wardle; student Holly Wren Hofgaarden; and alumni Edgar Arceneaux, Dan Goods and Steve Roden. The issue can be read here.

Student Maria Meehan received a 2011 Bill Bernbach Scholarship, earning herself $5,000 to put towards tuition. The scholarships are made possible through the Bill Bernbach Diversity Scholarship Fund, established in 1998 by DDB Worldwide to provide financial assistance to creatively talented, culturally diverse students seeking an education in copywriting, art direction and design.

Jayne Vidheecharoen demonstrating her Portals project

Media Design student Jayne Vidheecharoen, whom we’ve covered previously,  is still creating an Internet buzz around her Portals alternate reality project, funded by Kickstarter. We found her project covered here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Transportation Design Chair Stewart Reed participated as a jury member for The Michelin Challenge Design. The jury made final selections based on the theme, “City 2046: Art, Life and Ingenuity.” More than 200 projects, submitted by more than 1,700 registrants representing 88 countries, were reviewed. The jury selected the work of 27 participants for display at the 2012 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

Alumnus Christopher Chapman, formerly with BMW, was hired as chief designer of the Hyundai Design Center in Irvine, California.

Alumnus Eric Tu, co-founder and creative talent curator at F360, a studio with offices in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, was interviewed by Studio Daily.

Alumnus Matt Cunningham’s role as designer of the interior train car shots for the thriller “Source Code” was explored in the Aiken Standard.

Looking Back on a Year of Change

Art Center President Lorne M. Buchman.

Earlier this year, Art Center College of Design launched Create Change, our strategic plan for becoming the preeminent college of art and design in the 21st century.

With Fall graduation events set for tomorrow and the winter break nearly upon us, we felt it was the perfect time to sit down with Art Center College of Design President Lorne M. Buchman to hear his thoughts on the past year, get an update on the strategic plan and find out what’s in store for the coming year.

Dotted Line: Looking back at the past year, what are your first thoughts?

Lorne M. Buchman: I’d like to begin by expressing how deeply gratified I am by all that we’ve accomplished. This has been a banner year for Art Center. We’ve seen record enrollment of talented and gifted students, we launched our strategic plan and we are set to begin new degree programs in Fall 2012. We’re closing in on the purchase of the post office property adjacent to South Campus, a facility for which we’ve raised significant funds to purchase. We’ve built the Board and we’ve recruited some dynamic new faculty. We are connecting with alumni the world over. We’ve offered some fabulous new courses and we’ve made significant strides in acquiring new technology and equipment for our students. I could go on and on. It’s been remarkable. And all of this doesn’t happen by accident. The driving force of our success is the focused and diligent work of our trustees, faculty and staff. We should recognize with much gratitude the quality of this extraordinary community.

More questions with President Lorne M. Buchman after the jump.

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Emerging Ambitions: Scholarships Support Tomorrow’s Artists and Designers


A bulletproof lemonade stand, a tender childhood moment captured in the Southern California sun, a futuristic car that stores energy in chemical bonds, and a sneak peek at the future of the written word—all of these were made possible due to the generosity of Art Center scholarship donors.

This past February, Art Center President Lorne Buchman and Student Government President Erik Molano addressed the student body at an event titled “Meet the Presidents.” There, Buchman offered a preview of the College’s new strategic plan and discussed one of its most important elements: easing the financial burden to students.

While pointing out that Art Center delivers an expensive form of education—equipment, labor and team teaching all add to a per-student cost that actually exceeds tuition—Buchman said easing students’ financial commitment is critical to maintaining a diverse student body and a robust learning environment.

“A huge part of my job is to find the philanthropy and scholarships that are going to help,” said Buchman. “I think about this every day.”

He’s done more than think about it. In the last year, thanks to targeted budgetary reallocations and fundraising projects like the “80 for 80” initiative, Art Center made an additional $3 million available for student scholarships. And with a full 80 percent of current Art Center students receiving financial aid, you can be sure that every additional dollar counts.

Annually, Art Center allocates $9.6 million for scholarships; of that amount, 18 percent comes from donors. And for many students who come to Art Center seeking a bachelor’s degree, but who already have a prior degree—as is true for three of the students profiled here—those scholarships are fundamental, as they’re ineligible for either federal or California state grants.

Increasing scholarship support is a key priority for Art Center, as laid out in Create Change, the College’s new strategic plan. Here are three current students and one recent alumnus whose visions we can all delight in thanks to Art Center scholarships.

Read more in Dot magazine.

Connecting With Art Center Alumni In Israel

Front, from left: Tally Kelner-Gazit, Cecilia Vitas-Kasher, Lorne Buchman, Leon Botner. Back, from left: Dan Porges, Dori Regev, Micha Reshef, Zev Harari

Guest Post by Advertising Alumnus Zev Harari

When I learned that Art Center President Lorne Buchman was coming to Haifa, Israel, I was excited. It’s a great and rare opportunity to arrange a meeting with Israel-based Art Center alumni—many of whom I was not even acquainted with. I only knew of one or two fellow alums here, and set out to find more our tiny country.

A 1976 Advertising graduate myself, I contacted Leon Botner PHOT ’74, who I first met when I was majoring in Advertising at Art Center’s Third Street campus (I graduated two years later at Hillside Campus). Back then, in the mid- ’70s, there were two other Israeli students at Art Center, but as far as I know they settled in the U.S. after graduation. Leon helped me to locate two of his photography colleagues: Dan Porges PHOT ’72 and Micha Shelef PHOT ’69. I contacted an alumna I hadn’t met: Avital “Tally” Kelner-Gazit, GRPH ’85, and she directed me to two more alums: Avidor “Dori” Regev TRANS ’87 and Cecilia Vitas, ENVL’98.

So now there were seven of us, and we were excited to meet Art Center’s president and each other.

We met at the Dan Carmel Hotel, located atop Mt. Carmel overlooking the beautiful port of Haifa. After getting acquainted, we decided to go to a restaurant in town for our informal meeting. While walking to our destination, we found that we were speaking with each other and Lorne like old friends—the immediate connection and camaraderie we felt was amazing! It felt so much like our past at Art Center—while much time has passed and things are much different in our lives today, Art Center was connecting us, and naturally we shared memories and mutual experiences.

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80 for 80 Initiative A Success!

Art Center is proud to announces the successful completion of its “80 for 80” scholarship initiative, raising more than $3 million to support students in the College’s undergraduate, graduate and Public Programs. At the conclusion of the 18-month initiative, the College raised a total of $3,121,730 for annual and endowed scholarships, exceeding its $2 million goal by 56 percent.

As part of the College’s 80th anniversary in 2010, the College launched the “80 for 80” fundraising initiative to secure the equivalent of 80 $25,000 scholarships. By its completion, the initiative had raised the equivalent of 124 $25,000 scholarships. The College’s commitment to ensure access to students through scholarships and other forms of financial aid continues to be a priority and is outlined in Art Center’s strategic plan, Create Change.

“I am delighted with the level of support generated by the ‘80 for 80’ initiative,” says Art Center President Lorne Buchman. “We launched 80 for 80 in direct response to the pressing financial needs of our students and we are grateful to the broader Art Center community for helping us exceed our goals. It’s an important step as we strive to make Art Center accessible and affordable to talented artists and designers regardless of their background.”

An important part of Art Center’s “80 for 80” fundraising efforts was an anniversary gala, Art Center at 80: Celebrating the Creative Spirit, the proceeds of which supported scholarships for undergraduate, graduate and public program students.

All money raised for scholarships between January 2010 and June 2011 was counted toward the final total. For more information about ways to donate to Art Center, visit artcenter.edu/giving or call 626.396.4216.

Hot Off the Press: DOT 19

The latest issue of DOT is online, and print versions are hitting mailboxes now!

This issue focuses on Art Center’s new strategic plan, Create Change and includes President Lorne Buchman’s reflections on the strategic plan, essays by faculty and planning committee members on the plan’s different aspects, and profiles on students who’ve realized their creative visions thanks to scholarships.

In October, we’ll debut a reimagined print magazine and online presence, so stay tuned. To be notified via email when the next issue is published, sign up for our mailing list.

Read DOT 19.