Tag Archives: Scholarships

Art Center in the News: October – November

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Jay Leno (right) interviews Tom Peters (left) and Peter Brock (center) at Car Classic

Art Center students, faculty, trustees, alumni and staff have been busy racking up awards, giving interviews and making news. Here is a selection of some recent coverage, including highlights from Car Classic and the recent announcement of a $15 million gift from Peter and Merle Mullin, the largest donation in the 83-year history of Art Center.

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Dyson Foundation Grant: Less Time Paying Bills, More Time in the Studio

The Dyson Foundation was particularly impressed by this prosthetic socket, designed for BETH by Industrial Design alum, Jason Hill,

When James Dyson Foundation was looking for ways to inspire the next generation of design engineers, Art Center Industrial Design students kept appearing on the Foundation’s radar.

“We’ve consistently received strong entries to the James Dyson Award from Art Center,” says Erin Webb, Foundation manager, referring to the Foundation’s annual international design competition. “It was clear to us that the College has a very iterative approach to the design process and that Art Center students are challenged not just to come up with ideas but also to create prototypes.”

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Faculty Member Sean Adams Donates Proceeds of MOO.COM Collaboration to Art Center Scholarship Fund

Art Center faculty member Sean Adams.

Sean Adams

Art Center faculty member Sean Adams, partner and co-founder of the branding and strategic design firm AdamsMorioka, recently collaborated with MOO.COM to create their newest collection of high-end business cards for The Luxe Project.

When deciding which charity would receive 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of the business cards, Sean selected the Art Center Scholarship Fund and the purchase of any cards in Adams’ three collections—totaling 42 different designs—between now and the end of August will benefit Art Center students.

You can purchase any of Adams’ designs — Pattern and Colour, Sad Places or Ships Ahoy! — from MOO.COM.

Commenting on his choice to support the Art Center Scholarship Fund, Adams said, “As a teacher I’ve seen too many remarkable people leave school because they couldn’t afford to continue. When I see a student who is brilliant, passionate and who works like a dog, lose the resources to finish school, it is a loss not just to his or her own experience. It’s a loss of an incredible resource and voice to the world.

“None of us would have become successful without the help of the generation ahead of us. I myself wouldn’t have finished school without scholarship help,” he continued. “It feels great to know that I can give back and be a small part in making Art Center students the most incredible and successful designers graduating in the world today.”

As part of MOO’s efforts to make quality products and top-level design available for anyone to create their own unique identity, Luxe Business Cards are high-quality, super-thick, customizable cards that feature limited edition designs.

Adams said, “I was thrilled to have the opportunity to design cards for anyone to use and that MOO has given me the ability to support our future designers in this way. So thrilled that I couldn’t stop with just one collection, so I designed three.”

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Sparking Passion for Cars and Design

Art Center for Kids students in Jeffrey Leon's "Designing Cars" class.

Car enthusiasts come in all shapes, sizes—and ages.

Recognizing this, and aiming to inspire the next generation of auto lovers, the Collectors Foundation awards scholarships and grants to organizations that are committed to both hands-on education and making a difference in the lives of young people through the appeal of historic vehicles and vessels.

An Art Center partner since 2005, the Foundation supports undergraduate scholarships in Art Center’s Transportation Design program, as well as scholarships for students interested in transportation classes in Art Center’s Public Programs, Saturday High for students in grades 9-12 and Art Center for Kids for students in grades 4-8.

Eunice Han, age 16, of Rowland Heights, Calif., received a Collectors Foundation scholarship in 2011 to cover the cost of an Introduction to Transportation Design class in Saturday High. “The opportunities given through this scholarship helped set my path by revealing to me the incredible role of art and design in our community,” says Eunice. “I realized that without a doubt I had to be a part of it.”

The class also opened Eunice’s eyes to the wide range of design careers available to her. She is now considering a career in industrial design. “I enjoy being able to create solutions,” she explains, “whether that be of a product or even a graphic representation.”

From an early age, Greg Bagdasaryan of Glendale, Calif., had dreamed of designing “killer” cars. He began Art Center for Kids classes at age 12 and received a Collectors Foundation scholarship at 18, which enabled him to take a Saturday High beginning transportation class.

“The class changed my perspective by showing me how to sketch simple shapes and use them to express my ideas for cars and other things,” says Greg.  “It was a great first step in learning what design really was and how to think about ideas and show what can and cannot work.”

Now a student at Pasadena City College, Greg is working hard to improve his design skills as he builds a portfolio that he hopes will gain him admission to Art Center. “It takes a great work ethic,” he adds. “I’ve learned that if you aim for the top, you can succeed. All it takes is that spark of passion.”

The power of cars to inspire the creative spirit is something that the Collectors Foundation understands well. While not every student who receives a Collectors Foundation scholarship sets his or her sights on designing the automobile classics of the future, many describe developing a greater appreciation for design in the auto industry and beyond.

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.

Art Center Student Awarded IDSA Scholarship

The Industrial Designers Society of America’s (IDSA) Gianninoto Graduate Scholarship program has awarded a $1,500 scholarship to Pengtao Yu, a second-year Grad ID student at Art Center.

Yu

“My interest in industrial design started with my curiosity of how things work and my obsession with beautiful objects,” says Yu. “Four year of undergraduate industrial design training, along with several internship experiences in top design studios, has given me strong traditional design skills.”

Yu has won two International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) awards in the student design category, and one of his furniture designs has been licensed by a major U.S. manufacturer to put into production.

IDSA’s Gianninoto Graduate Scholarship was originally established by the late Francesco Gianninoto, a US package designer who was a founder of the Package Design Council. Two of his most famous designs were the Marlboro cigarette package (mid-1950s) and “Elsie Daisy,” the Borden Cow.

Congrats, Pengtao!

Legacy Circle: Giving Back to Future Alumni

Legacy Circle is an alumni-led group of volunteers committed to supporting Art Center students through financial contributions. All money raised—100 percent—is distributed to students through Art Center scholarships.

Thom Meredith GRPH ’04 with incoming students at Legacy Circle breakfast

Established in 2006 to engage alumni and friends in making gifts to the College, Legacy Circle raises funds to ensure that the next generation of leading designers and artists can attend Art Center regardless of their financial need.

To date, members have contributed more than $400,000 and pledged $1,300,000 in planned gifts. Additionally, Legacy Circle members have created and supported special scholarship initiatives such as the Joe and Rosa Farrer Endowed Scholarship and the Ted Youngkin Memorial Scholarship.

At the heart of the College’s recently unveiled strategic plan, Create Change, is the increasing need for scholarship support to make Art Center available to students regardless of their financial resources. This has always been at the core of Legacy Circle’s mission of “alumni giving back to future alumni.”

The group is committed to engaging a broader constituency and growing the number of alumni participating in Legacy Circle.

Legacy Circle Co-Chairs Gail Howland PHOT ’04 and Dan Ashcraft PROD ‘73

They are reaching out to a wider range of alumni with events in major cities around the world with the intention of connecting with alumni who are dedicated to helping our cause and who want to stay personally involved with the College.

In addition to supporting talented students, Legacy Circle provides opportunities for alumni to come together and reconnect.

The group holds exclusive gatherings each year, including events in members’ homes and studios. Last summer, John Clark hosted the group in his beautiful office and art glass studio in El Segundo. This May, Legacy Circle will hold a special thank you event at the home of Katie Sprague GRPH ’91. For the past year, Legacy Circle has also hosted a breakfast for incoming students and their families at each new student orientation.

If you are interested in joining Legacy Circle, or would like more information, contact Amy Swain in the Office of Development at 626.396.2427 or amy.swain@artcenter.edu.

Doyald Young Memorial Scholarship Established

Young

Award-winning graphic and logotype designer, alumnus, mentor and revered faculty member Doyald Young, who passed away in February, will be honored by his alma mater with the Doyald Young Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship, which will be available to incoming and current Graphic Design students, was announced at Young Love, a celebration of Young’s life and legacy taking place at the College last weekend. With enough support, the College intends to endow the scholarship to benefit its students in perpetuity.

“Shortly before his passing, Doyald said, ‘If you have the gift of teaching, you must pass it on,’” Art Center President Lorne Buchman says. “In establishing the Doyald Young Memorial Scholarship, it is our hope that we honor the generosity and strength of a gifted artist and powerful teacher—and encourage others in that same spirit of giving to ensure his legacy in the next generation.”

Young taught lettering and logotype design in Art Center’s Graphic Design Department for decades. His freelance work included logotypes for hotels, clubs, universities, financial institutions, arts, entertainment and practically every other industry. He created several corporate and commercial fonts and published three books about his work: Logotypes & Letterforms, Fonts & Logos and Dangerous Curves.

Young was named Inaugural Master of the School by Art Center in 2001, named a Fellow of the Los Angeles chapter of AIGA in 2006, received an AIGA Medal in 2009 and received an honorary doctorate degree of humane letters from Art Center in 2010. His life story and immeasurable talent was also documented by lynda.com as part of their 2010 “Creative Inspirations” series. Young received his formal education at Frank Wiggins Trade School and Art Center.

Individuals interested in making donations to the scholarship can donate online, or contact Senior Development Officer Palencia Turner at 626.396.2366 or palencia.turner@artcenter.edu.