Stefan
Sagmeister, Graphic Design Icon, speaks at Jones Auditorium
AIGA Raleigh and Meredith College presented Stefan Sagmeister, one of the most influential graphic designers in the world, live at Jones Auditorium on Saturday, April 19, 2008. Sagmeister is on his national tour to support his new book, 'Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far.' Astonishingly, he has only learned twenty or so things in his life so far. But he has managed to publish these maxims all over the world: as billboards, projections, magazine spreads, annual report covers, fashion brochures, and, recently, as giant inflatable monkeys.
The presentation offered some insight into the life of a designer who literally puts his whole body, mind, and soul into his work. Sagmeister mixed his diary, a lot of design, and a little art together with a pinch of psychology and a dash of happiness. This was an enjoyable event and a wonderful opportunity to share Sagmeister's real and candid experiences with our own graphic design students.
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Juror for All-Student Art Exhibition Gives Talk
Lisa
Morton, former director of the Durham Arts Guild, gave a talk called “The
Ins and Outs of Juried Exhibitions” on February 27, 2008 in the Art
Department. She shared with students her criteria for selecting work for
an exhibition. Lisa stressed that the effective use of the elements and
principles of design in a composition plays a major role in her choices.
In addition, she wants to see something unique that show a “spark”
of the artist’s creative mind. She
looks for work in which the artist has achieved a certain degree of mastery
of the medium or media.
She
urged students to learn to talk with authority about their own work using
appropriate design and composition terminology. She said that artists must
know why they do what they do and be able to express this orally as well
as through their artwork. She pointed out that professional presentation
and craftsmanship are essential when entering work in any exhibition, including
framing. Lisa suggested that students learn to mat and frame their own artwork
to save money, using clean simple frames and mats—nothing that takes
away from the artwork. Lisa ended her engaging talk by restating her initial
message that an artist’s work must reflect her own experiences, not
someone else’s, and every artist needs to somehow define who she is
in order to create authentically personal work.
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‘Modern Dog’ Comes to Town
Meredith College’s AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) Student Group continues to express their excitement about the graphic design field by attending the most recent AIGA Raleigh event. Michael Strassburger and Robynne Raye of Modern Dog, a Seattle based design firm, impressed the audience with an evening of story-telling about the cheeky humor and punk rock aesthetics of their unique poster and packaging design. The event was held at NC State's Burns Auditorium on Friday, February 8, 2008.
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Grand Opening of New Gas Kiln
On
Sunday, Nov.18, the art department celebrated the opening of our new double
chambered gas kiln, built this semester by ceramic students, and teacher,
Warner Hyde. The kiln was loaded on Wednesday with over 100 pieces of pottery
and warmed over night with one burner on low (candling). The kiln came to
life with all four gas burners on Thursday morning enduring a cold and rainy
day.
The
kiln was slowly heated throughout the day reaching the desired average heat
of over 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit (cone 10/11) late in the night. Then, participating
students introduced soda ash, salt, and wood ash, into the second chamber
which left a deposit of colors, flashes, and desirable effects on unglazed
pottery.
The success of the first firing was reflected in the students’ enthusiasm and questions of “when can we do it again?”
Jane and Ed Teague, who donated the funds to build this kiln, were at the opening and were presented with a celadon ceramic bowl made especially for them by Warner Hyde. A long line of ceramic students, faculty and guests assisted with handing off the pottery from the kiln to the storage shelves inside the ceramics lab. It took a whole day to load the large brick kiln and over an hour to unload the kiln. We look forward to many more firings.
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Donor of Seagrove Pottery Gives Gallery Talk
In
November 2006, Jim and Dixie Crew gave the art department part of their
collection of Seagrove pottery. All the pottery was made by several of the
earlier women Seagrove artists, Nell Cole Graves (1908–1998), Virginia
Shelton (1923–1991), Dorothy Auman (1925–1991,) Celia Cole Perkinson
(1924–), and Neolia Cole Womack (1927–). Students used the collection
for a year as inspiration to create their own work in charcoal and pastel
drawings, oil paintings, collages, digital designs and ceramic pieces—all
with a Seagrove pottery theme.
The
work was juried by gallery director, Ann Roth, and the selected artwork
was displayed in the Frankie G. Weems Gallery along with part of the Seagrove
collection. During the opening reception on November 18, Jim Crew gave a
gallery talk about his collection. His particular interest in women potters
no doubt developed after teaching in the Business Department of Meredith
College for 10 years.
A
Source of Form: Work Inspired by Seagrove Women Potters from the Jim and
Dixie Crew Pottery Collection will be on display through January 20,
2008.
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Ceramics Guest Artist
Ceramic
artist Sue Grier visited Warner Hyde’s beginning ceramics classes
on November 6. Grier, who lives in Asheville and teaches at both Clemson
University and UNC-Asheville, has made a living as a production potter for
23 years. She also exhibits regionally and nationally.
Grier demonstrated tricks and tips on the potter’s wheel, then altered the forms she created using handbuilding techniques. She later gave a slide presentation which explored and explained her roots, ceramic career, influences and current work. Hyde reported that the students were engaged, inspired and pleased with the experience.
Hyde noted that Grier left the work she created to be fired in the upcoming inaugural firing of a new multi-chambered gas/atmospheric kiln. The clay she used was from the first ever batch mixed with the department’s new mixer. (Note: the funding for this gas kiln was donated by Jane and Ed Teague.)
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Meredith
College's AIGA Student Group
Attends Ellen Lupton Lecture
Several
members of Meredith College's AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts)
Student Group attended Ellen Lupton's "Design Rant" at NC State's
Burns Auditorium on Thursday, November 1. This event was sponsored by AIGA
Raleigh. Ellen Lupton, writer, curator, and graphic designer, is director
of the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
in Baltimore. She is curator of contemporary design at the Cooper-Hewitt,
National Design Museum and has produced several graphic design books.
"Attending AIGA Raleigh's Chapter events is an excellent opportunity for our students to make connections with professional graphic designers and to be exposed to many real life situations and experiences that will help them become active with and knowledgeable of the graphic design industry" states Professor Dana Ezzell Gay, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Meredith College.
Pictured from left to right, Dana Ezzell Gay (AIGA Faculty Advisor), Whitney Phillips, Lindsey McEvoy, Liz Vines, and Jen Watson.
