Sightlines

2011-02-18T09:34:00.000-08:00

Professor Tamara Brantmeier recently returned from a trip to the College Art Association (CAA) Annual Conference. We had some questions for her and here’s what she had to say:

What do you see as being the biggest benefit of belonging to CAA?

The annual conferences are a great place to network and make connections with other artists and educators. They also have a comprehensive website that provides a listing of opportunities and resources for job-seekers and artists.

What would you tell a student who was considering becoming a part of the organization?

The conference is a great place for recent graduates to be mentored and take advantage of professional development opportunities (workshops).

What, in your opinion, was the best part of the conference?

A session with artists, Petah Coyne, Robert Gober, Vija Celmins, Philip Taaffe and Janine Antoni - all internationally recognized artists. The session was titled, "Parallel Practices: What do you do when you are not making art?"

Why is it important to become involved with College Art Association?

Networking, professional development and a chance to travel to some wonderful cities around the US.

The conference was held in New York. What is your favorite place to visit, and where do you like to eat while you’re there?

My favorite thing to do while in NYC is walk. When not attending conference sessions, I walked until my feet, legs and back hurt. The city is rich with visual nutrients. The people, the traffic, the crazy drivers, the cyclists, the architecture, the graffiti, the sounds and smells...

As far as eating goes, that is my favorite part of traveling. On this trip, I went to a tiny Kosher, Middle Eastern place called Azuri that was recommended to me by a friend who lives in Manhattan. I also found a gluten-free Italian restaurant (Risotteria) that made me incredibly happy.

IGDATC Event Recap

2011-02-10T06:57:00.000-08:00

by Kevin Pontuti-Professor on Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 7:45am

Great IGDATC event last night at the Nerdery! Sandra Voelker is a very informative and entertaining speaker with a GREAT sense of humor. I especially enjoyed hearing about the team structures, international collaborating process and how they work remotely with their teams in Asia. (I copied down some of the flow charts...but I think we'll eventually be able to get the video recording of the lecture) Good stuff!

It sounds like the Nerdery is expanding rapidly. They mentioned they are hiring and looking for interns. I spoke with one of their project managers and it seems like they have technical AND coordinating positions that they're looking to fill. Here is their website with official listings. http://nerdery.com/jobs

IGDATC also announced that UW-Stout will be presenting their collaborative project with Big John Games at the next meeting which definitely intrigued the audience.

It was also great to catch up David Lund (alum) and Scott Gaff (our professional advisory board member from Flurry Animation). David was actively networking and made a few good connects. It's very exciting to see the momentum building. Keep up the good work.
------------------------------------------------
Kevin Pontuti
Assistant Professor
Department of Art + Design
University of Wisconsin - Stout

Upcoming Furlong Show: It's Sick

2011-01-27T06:39:00.000-08:00

UW-Stout to Host Exhibit from the National Academy of Sciences

An Iconography of Contagion: An Exhibition of 20th - Century Health Posters from the collection of the National Library of Medicine: Mike Sappol, curator

This exhibition is sponsored by the Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences. Additional support is provided by the Presidents’ Circle Communications Initiative of the National Academies.

“An Iconography of Contagion: An Exhibition of 20th-Century Health Posters,” an exhibit organized by the National Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health will be on display in the Furlong Gallery at the University of Wisconsin-Stout from Feb. 17 to April 1. The gallery is open 10-6 weekdays and 12-4 on Saturdays or by appointment. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

This exhibition features more than 20 health posters from the 1920s to the 1990s. Covering infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS, gonorrhea, and syphilis, the posters come from North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

These posters provide insight into the interplay between the public’s understanding of disease and society’s values. They reflect the fears and concerns of the time and also the medical knowledge that was available. Considered an art form, many are beautiful and entertaining, but during their heyday, they sought to educate people on matters of life and death.

Public health took a visual turn about 100 years ago. In an era of devastating epidemic and endemic infectious disease, health professionals began to organize coordinated campaigns that sought to mobilize public and government action through eye-catching posters, pamphlets, and motion pictures. Impressed by the images of mass media that increasingly saturated the world around them, health campaigners were inspired to present new figures of contagion, and recycled old ones, using modernist aesthetics, graphic manipulations, humor, and visual strategies like dramatic lighting, painterly abstraction, and distortions of perspective. They devised a new iconography of contagion that emphasized visual legibility and striking visual appeal.

The Furlong Gallery will host an opening reception from 5:30-7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 17. The exhibit’s curator, Dr. Michael Sappol, a medical historian with the National Library of Medicine, will be on campus to deliver a public lecture on Thursday, March 31 at 5:30 p.m. in the Applied Arts building; a reception will follow in the gallery. Both events are free and open to the public.

Additional support for the display of the exhibit at UW-Stout was generously provided by the Red Cedar Medical Center.

A PDF version of the exhibition catalog is available at:
http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=View_Future_Exhibitions_Iconography

SIGGRAPH Conference Report

2010-12-07T13:18:00.001-08:00

Several of our students were fortunate enough to attend the 2010 SIGGRAPH conference. Here's what one of them had to say about the experience:

SIGGRAPH 2010 Conference Los Angeles

I have to say the trip to Siggraph 2010 Conference in Los Angeles California was an incredible experience. There is so much to see and so much to do in so little time. Also, I have to say the people that I went with on the trip are amazing people, so full of energy. I think it takes people like them to make a trip a better trip.

Because this trip was my first time, I feel that the basic pass was just right. My intention of going to the trip was not only to learn about the topics but to explore the whole convention, setups and the people there. To me time went by quickly. I planned my days accordingly and tried to meet those goals. For example, the first day I went scouting around the whole convention, setups and saw how people interacted with the space. With that I understood my ground. On the second day I used my camera/camcorder to capture only the things that I needed. On the third day, I was more engaged in the events and interacted more with the workshops, sessions, listening to great speakers and so on. The last couple days, I used to explore more in-depth and went to the workshops for very specific topic areas.

My experience was not only exploring the conference itself: I also took some time with my group to scout around the down town of Los Angeles. Sorry to sound like I’ve never been in large cities, which I have many times, but it was new environment, new people and different locations. The story will be long if I go into details but I have to say we had a blast, trying food, seeing events and capturing footage.

Overall, if you are someone like me who just wants to explore - follow my methods. Otherwise, if you know exactly what you want to get out of it, I think that’s even better. For that you will need to get the full pass. If I have a chance to go again next time I will certainly buy the full pass and really plan ahead. Lastly, prepare yourself to feel aching pain, on both feet and upper body,

Thanks!

Sai Xiong
xiongsa@my.uwstout.edu
Multimedia Major
Applied Photography Minor

AIGA Design Camp Report

2010-10-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

AIGA is the professional organization for Graphic Designers. Notably, they're very supportive of students who are entering the field. Recently, several of our students had the opportunity to attend the AIGA Design Camp.

John Vorwald, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at UW - Stout, Co-Director of the AIGA Minnesota Education Committee, and AIGA MN Executive Board member attended the AIGA's 2010 Design Camp in Nisswa Minnesota with a group of UW - Stout design students. It marked the 30th anniversary of the conference.

In the Autumn, designers from all walks of life and from across the country converge on the lakes and woods of Northern Minnesota for AIGA's Design Camp. This year, the 30th anniversary of Design Camp, kept the tradition alive and well. This year, around 20 Stout students (including myself in the dual role of Stout educator and AIGA Board Member) mingled with their peers from other schools and got a chance to interact with professional designers in a number of presentations, workshops, and impromptu events.

IDEO's Roshi Givechi inspired the students with ins and outs of a structured creative process in both her talk, and at the student luncheon. During the luncheon, students from all across the region grouped together and created ideas for an inter-car communication system. In little more than 30 minutes each group had a list of ideas, and had one really crazy idea and one practical concept.

Both speakers: Frank Chimero and Karim Charlebois-Zariffa went into detail what keeps them active, creative, and innovative. They shared a parallel concept that creativity and inspiration don't happen as some kind of epiphany, but must be worked through. This was a great message and lesson to students as they advised to search for different ways of thinking outside of our comfort zones to maintain creativity with the subtext that it's still very hard work. The results of those concepts and hard work made for some great examples to inspire and stir everyone in the audience.

Following in that theme of craft and creativity was Doyald Young, veteran type designer whose focus on craft has lead to some amazing script type. His process follows in the same vein as the others: hard work will out and will result in some amazing stories. Through Doyald's lecture, students saw how important iteration and process can be for improving their work, as well as the volume of iteration that happens before the final product arrives.

Workshops throughout the weekend were a great mix of topics, from copyright rules for designers and print-making, to exploring the future of the web and design. Students came away with work, knowledge, and inspiration. These things are the point of Design Camp: to learn, collaborate, and recharge ourselves as designers so that we might go back out into the world and create the best design possible.

Roshi Givechi - http://www.ideo.com/
Doyald Young - http://doyaldyoung.com/
Frank Chimero - http://work.frankchimero.com/
Karim Charlebois-Zariffa - http://karimzariffa.com/

Explore Your World

2010-07-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

Study Abroad is one of the best opportunities you’ll have to learn about a different country, explore a specialized topic – and learn about yourself. Traveling outside of the United States gives you a broader perspective on life, and helps you understand more of the world around you: how we’re all alike, but also how the world views things differently.

A group of 11 Art and Design students, led by Dr. James Bryan, recently had the privilege of traveling abroad to England to experience “British Art, Architecture, and Design,” firsthand. I asked Dr. Bryan a few questions about the group’s experiences, and here’s what he had to say:

What structures or buildings do students tend to like best when they take this trip?
The students frequently commented on how much they enjoyed many of the different museums and historic sites we visited, but I think there were two kinds of things that most impressed them. One was climbing to the tops of tall buildings, at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, St. Mary's Church in Oxford, and Salisbury Cathedral , to see panoramic views of the surrounding areas. The other was visiting the many lavish gardens such as at Stourhead, Blenheim Palace, and Wilton House. I didn't expect the students to like that as much as they did, but the English are really excellent gardeners (it's a national obsession of theirs), and pretty much everything was in bloom, so it was really very beautiful and pleasant. Both towertops and gardens got lots of oohs and ahhs from us.

What is your favorite place to visit when you're in London?
That's a tough one. I'm a museum junkie, and there are lots of great ones there - massive places like the British Museum, the National Gallery, and the Victoria and Albert, and the Tate Gallery, but also smaller ones with excellent collections like the Wallace and the Courtauld. A lot of the masterpieces that we teach about in the freshman art history survey are on display there, as are many of the pieces of furniture and household objects I cover in design history classes, so it's always nice to get to see something "live and in person" that you normally only see in a book or PowerPoint. So I really can't say. There's more to see there than you can do in a week.

What is the most important things students learn with you during study abroad?
Besides the obvious increased understanding of the topic of the class itself - the history of British art, architecture, and design - I think some of the most important things students begin to realize on the trip is that the whole world isn't just like home, and not everyone does things just the way we do. That's something you can rationally grasp without going overseas, but you don't really understand how true it is until you experience it for yourself. Even in the United Kingdom, a country that speaks the same language that we do and shares so much history with us, many things are different and people have some different expectations out of life. Coming into contact with that gets you to thinking about many of the things you take for granted in your own life, and can be a real opportunity for growth.

What's your recommendation for best meal on the cheap in London?
Well, "cheap" is a relative concept when you're talking about London, but lately the exchange rate seems to be shifting to make those British prices a little better for American visitors. You can get pretty cheap eats at neighborhood diners, there was a decent one just down the block from our hostel, and the food can be pretty good and fairly affordable at some pubs too. Also, all the big museums have cafes that serve really nice upscale salads, sandwiches, and things like that for reasonable prices.

What would you say to a student who was considering study abroad?
I would encourage every student who possibly can to participate in at least one study abroad class. It's great fun and you learn much more than you ever expected, and your college years will be one of the best chances you'll ever have to visit other cultures and learn from them. Also, the world is becoming more and more interconnected, the economy is becoming more and more globalized, and international experience is going to be more and more important for professionals in the future, so I would really urge students to study overseas if they can.

Congratulations to Bill DeHoff and Tim Alberg!

2010-07-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

What do you remember about your favorite teacher? Did her enthusiasm for your most-hated subject make you almost like it? Did he shake your hand when you were introduced, treating you like an adult when nobody else did? Whatever it was, your favorite instructor made an impression that has stuck with you your whole life.

Most of the time, educators’ efforts go unrecognized, even though they’ve given so much to their students. The folks at the Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center recognize the importance of an educator’s impact on student lives. Their “Outstanding Teaching Award” gives students a chance to show their appreciation by voting for professors who have really made a difference.

The Department of Art and Design is proud to announce that two of our faculty members were chosen to receive the “Outstanding Teaching Award” for 2009-2010. Congratulations go to both Bill DeHoff and Tim Alberg for the honor. Thanks to both for their hard work and dedication!

Color Specialization for 2010

2010-04-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

Color Specialization: Course Information and Inspiration

2010-03-03T14:59:00.000-08:00

Color is a fascinating and abstract field of study. Check out the Color Specialization, a 22-credit sequence of university-wide courses that prepare students for using color in their respective fields.

And, we have lots of great color adventures (with free entry) within driving distance of campus:

National Farmers’ Bank. Architect Louis Sullivan. Owatonna, Minnesota. The architect put over 200 colors in the interior of this ornate smash of a building. Be prepared for a huge dose of detail and ornament.

Amber Box. Guthrie Theater. Architect Jean Nouvel. Minneapolis, Minnesota. See the world in a yellow hue. (Tour guides report that the architect used yellow to reference the goggles he wears while skiing in the Alps.)

Sky Pesher. Walker Art Center grounds. Artist James Turrell. Minneapolis, Minnesota. The most perceptually wacky color moments happen around sunrise and sunset, but a visit anytime of day is well worth the trip.

Stout Graphic Design Students Creatively Celebrate Valentines

2010-02-16T08:20:00.000-08:00

For the second year, the AIGA student chapter at UW Stout created and sold a variety of Valentines cards. They attracted the attention of the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram who interviewed students on the event. The full story can be found on the paper's website.

Faculty Nancy Blum-Cumming showing work at the Octagon Center in Ames IA

2010-01-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

Art and Design Faculty Nancy Blum-Cumming will be displaying work at the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames Iowa as part of the 42nd Annual National Juried Exhibition Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood. The show will run from Jan. 27th through April 3. Check out the Octagon's site for more information on show.

Nancy attended the opening which was well attended and featured a lecture by the show's Juror Tracy Krumm

(One of Nancy's pieces - Strawberry Queen)

Industrial Design class project featured in the Star Tribune

2010-01-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

The Star Tribune recently featured DesignWise Medical and UW Stout Industrial Design students who worked on a class project with the company. The project involved developing pediatric medical devices and the difficulties of designing for children.

The whole article can be found at the Star Tribune.

UW-STOUT FACULTY INVITED TO PRESENT AT IDEC ANNUAL CONFERENCE

2009-12-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

Maureen Mitton and Shelley Pecha, faculty members in the Department of Art and Design, have had a submission accepted for presentation at the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) Annual Conference. The conference will be held in Atlanta, GA, in March 2010. The professors’ presentation is a teaching forum entitled “Blogging Through the Curriculum: A Tool for Assessment, Self Reflection and Writing Across the Curriculum.”

Based on research in writing across the curriculum, student self-reflection, active learning and assessment, the authors have instituted the use of student blogs in a range of interior design courses. Beginning at the foundation level and continuing in courses as diverse as Construction Documentation, and Senior Capstone Thesis, their students are required to create blogs based on clear and focused direction from instructors. This presentation will showcase their methods, practices and findings.

FACULTY ART EXHIBITION AT THE FURLONG GALLERY

2009-12-22T13:08:00.000-08:00

Twenty-four faculty members from UW-Stout’s Department of Art and Design will display their work at the department’s Furlong Gallery. The exhibition runs from December 10, 2009 – February 5, 2010.

The show will feature pieces in many different media including: painting, printmaking, sculpture, metals and ceramics. In addition works, from various design areas – including Industrial Design, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Multimedia Design and Foundations will be on view.

Art and Design Student Sean Larson has artwork accepted into multiple shows.

2009-12-22T12:31:00.000-08:00

UW Stout student Sean Larson is one of 19 undergraduate students to have work accepted into the 2010 NCECA (National Conference for Education in Ceramics Arts) Juried Student National. The work has also been accepted into Objects of Virtue: A National Exhibit of Contemporary Pottery at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, California.

"Stemming from the most prehistoric of levels, man as maker has an inherent need to be involved in a tactile experience. It is this primal need to create and manipulate material that impels me to work within my chosen medium. As my work is used, it is my hope that the user will be pulled from their fast paced life and appreciate a moment of reflection."

"My investigation in porcelain has produced forms that allude to organic and biological forms; vibrant colors penetrate through somber tones. Flesh like undulations roll over and conceal hidden parts, asking for further examination. Forms that were once soft and inviting have now transformed into tactile, biomorphic pots that conceivably 'bite back'." -Sean Larson.

UW-STOUT ASSISTANT ART PROFESSOR FEATURED AT MINNEAPOLIS ART SHOW

2009-12-22T12:27:00.000-08:00

Tim Tozer, Assistant Professor of Foundations for UW-Stout’s Department of Art and Design, will have his artwork featured at the Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis. The show runs from December 4, 2009 – January 16, 2010. Titled, “Face, Form, Figure,” the exhibition features three Minneapolis artists whose styles vary, but whose paintings and drawings share a common thread: the human figure.

Tozer, who hails from the UK, is a past recipient of the prestigious Andy Warhol Scholarship at the New York Academy of Art. He has taught at both Indiana University in Bloomington and, later, at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

For more information about the show and Groveland Gallery, visit the gallery's website here.

AIGA Stout Tours Studios

2009-12-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

The student chapter of the AIGA here at UW Stout recently toured a few design studios in Minneapolis and St. Paul. They have photos and a short write up of the event at their cha pter's blog.

AIGA Student Group to Host a Design a Holiday Card Event.

2009-12-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

The UW-Stout student chapter of AIGA is inviting students to come to Applied Arts 125 today (Dec. 7th) at 5:45 to design holiday cards. Cards designed will be printed and sold.

AIGA Stout Blog

Illuminate Your Space

2009-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

"Illuminate Your Space" will showcase custom light fixtures designed by UW-Stout Lighting Design Students instructed by Dr. Julie Peterson. Each fixture is inspired by an object from nature and based on the new design philosophy of biomimicry. Show dates: November 24 - 30, 2009 at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts (lower level studio).

Stout Art Grads Win Prestigious Design Award

2009-09-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Brothers’ Sustainable Furniture Being Featured In Major Publications

Menomonie, WI, September 24, 2009 – Paul and Vincent Georgeson, UW-Stout grads and owners of furniture company Misewell, have won the Editors’ Choice pick for New Design at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, held in May of 2009. The first time entrants, who began the collection in summer of 2008, have gained nationwide attention for their minimalistic, sustainable designs.

The brothers, who hail from the Milwaukee area, attended UW-Stout for a three-year overlap. Their designs have been featured in the magazines Metropolis, Details and dwell, as well as websites for The New York Times and The Contemporist. Some of their collection has been featured in a segment on CBS Morning News, and gained the attention of popular websites including www.apartmenttherapy.com, www.onlinemilwaukee.com, and has appeared in the blog for www.fastcompany.com.

Their creations, which they describe as “simple, functional, and honest,” follow the principles of sustainable design. Their 2009 collection employs aluminum, steel, and solid wood as focus materials. Their durable, minimalistic pieces are intended to alter outdated perceptions of the American furniture design aesthetic.

UW-Stout Lecturer Provides Real-World Example for Art Students

2009-09-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Menomonie, WI, September 21, 2009 – It is often said that the best way to teach is by example, and UW-Stout Lecturer Andy DuCett is doing just that. His cutting-edge artwork has gained attention both regionally and internationally, and his upcoming solo and invitational shows prove to his students that success as a ‘working artist’ is not just a dream. Active in drawing, collage, installation, and other media, DuCett’s work is being shown both regionally and across the nation.

Regionally, DuCett is working on a new installation for a solo show at Art of This Gallery, in Minneapolis, MN. The show opens October 10th and runs until November 1st. His work is being featured in the show, "The Precious Object," at the Minneapolis Public Library’s downtown branch. The show opened on September 18th, and runs until January 10th, 2010. DuCett has also been chosen as a contributor to the "Painting Zombies" group exhibition at the University of Minnesota’s Katherine E. Nash Gallery, curated by Ryuta Nakajima and Clarence Morgan. The show will be at the gallery early in 2011.

His work has attracted the notice of galleries across the nation. His art is being featured at the "Cutters" international collage exhibition. The works will be shown at Cinders, a gallery in Brooklyn, NY. The show opens in October. DuCett was also the recipient of a 2009 MN State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant. The grant enabled him to travel to Tokyo, Japan this past summer to conduct research and meet with galleries.

DuCett received his MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition to his work as a lecturer at UW-Stout, he is an exhibition technician for the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN. His professional affiliations include SELLOUT Gallery in Minneapolis, MN; Aebisu.com in Tokyo, Japan; and at the Burning Artist Co-Op in St. Paul, MN.

His artwork has been featured in several publications, including New American Paintings, a competitive arts magazine; The Visual Artist at Work: Drawing, a textbook on drawing by Mike Fleishman; Elephant, a new visual art magazine based in London; and Spooky, an international artist calendar, put out by Die Gestalten Verlag GmbH & Co. from Berlin, Germany, edited by Matthias Hübner.

University of Wisconsin-Stout is a 2001 Baldrige Award Recipient, supporting a progressive, learning-centered, quality-based educational environment that is focused on continuous improvement. A leader in adopting new technology, UW-Stout is a digital campus and all faculty and staff are required to use available technology in their positions including course delivery. Increasingly, courses are offered via alternative delivery methods and time frames. Faculty members are responsible for teaching, advising, research and scholarly activity, and service.

Senior Shows: Spring '09

2009-05-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

The week before finals, the seniors in Graphic, Industrial, Interior, and Multimedia Design held their senior shows. Studios and galleries were filled with family, guests, and students as the seniors displayed their semester-long projects.

Prometheus 2009

2009-05-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Furlong Gallery and the Prometheus editorial team hosted a reception April 17, to launch the 2009 edition of Prometheus magazine .The reception featured student readings of poetry and prose and an opportunity to view this year's art exhibition.

Fashion Without Fabric - "Philias and Phobias"

2009-05-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

Hundreds turned out to join students from the Department of Art and Design as they worked the runway in this year’s Fashion without Fabric show Saturday, April 18, in the Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center. The annual event featured works by 3D design students and was one of the highlights of Family Weekend. Close to seventy-five fashion-forward creations were constructed with lots of imagination from anything but fabric. First place and best of show were awarded to the team of Daniel Kanitz and Fue Vang, second place to Diana Witcher and Emily Brownson, and third place to RT Vriese and Erik Gordon. The winner of the award for working the crowd was Cody Pinnow.

2009-04-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

Laura Short recently discussed a collaborative project among UW-Stout industrial design students, St. Thomas engineering students, and DesignWise Medical with Noah Norton, assistant professor of industrial design.

Laura Short: Can you tell me more about your collaborative project with DesignWise Medical and St. Thomas engineering students?
Noah Norton: The idea behind this project was to create designs for an alternative way to deliver oxygen to children ages 0-6 while they slept. The current way is either taping hoses to their faces or strapping masks to them. Both of these are undesirable solutions that create bad experiences for the children and parents. Ann Gettys, founder of the chILD Foundation (children's interstitial Lung Disease) came up with the idea of a hood that would deliver oxygen to the child in a less obtrusive way. She created a prototype out of a kid’s tent and some hoses; the OPOD idea was born. She has been working with Brad Slaker, founder of the non-profit company DesignWise Medical. They have been engineering solutions with St Thomas since September. We were mainly concerned with the experience-end of things: interaction, cleaning, piece of mind. The students came up with a wide array of solutions that really pushed the boundaries of what was expected. We figured out a way to eliminate the wasteful use of many feet of disposable tubing, among other things.

LS: How many industrial design students were involved?
NN: Eight. Linnea Londborg, Hans Neilsen, Steve Lambert, Grayson Smith, Jennifer Seward, Jenny Byrd, Ben Heard, and Dave Keyes

LS: What were the ID students’ role(s)?
NN: Make the product easy to use for parents: easy to assemble, disassemble, clean, access bed sheets, tell that it is working correctly; make it fool proof. For the children: make it "non-medical,” take the fear away, give them piece of mind and relief. We were also looking at ways to make it more efficient.

LS: What was the result of the project?
NN: The prototypes are now being considered for further refinement and eventual production. One will be chosen and worked on more, engineered, etc.

LS: Will a prototype be available at the senior show?
NN: I am not sure yet. This is a junior project and I do not want to step on toes...

LS: Who started the collaboration? DesignWise Medical?
NN: Brad Slaker from DesignWise Medical contacted us over Xmas Break. We had a few meetings and came to an agreement.

LS: How did Stout become involved?
NN: Brad came to a design senior show in the fall and decided to contact us.

LS: What is the possibility the product will go to market?
NN: Positive thus far. There is still refinement, but I believe that is the plan.

Stout Students Attend AIGA Portfolio 1-on-1

2009-04-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

Over the past weekend graphic design students from UW-Stout spent the weekend at the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Portfolio 1-on-1 event at Solera in downtown Minneapolis. The two-day event allowed students to visit a variety of design studios and firms in the surrounding area, network with professional designers and other university students from the Upper Midwest, and have their portfolios reviewed by design professionals.

A UW-Stout student’s experience.

Department of Art and Design Brown Bag Lunch Talk

2009-04-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

James Bryan, assistant professor of art history, recently presented his
paper "Carriage Makers in the American South: 1700-1820" at this year's
joint annual conference of the Popular Culture Association and American
Culture Association, held in New Orleans. The paper covers the history of
the trade in the Southern states, describing where its major centers of
production were, what related occupations were pursued by the
craftsmen/businessmen involved, and what their social status was. For those
interested, Dr. Bryan will present this paper again on Tuesday, April 21,
from 12:30-1:30, in Applied Arts 201. Feel free to bring a lunch if you
wish to attend.

Student reflects on Hildesheim Exchange Program

2009-02-17T07:56:00.000-08:00

Allison Meshnick on Hildesheim

Though it may sound incredibly cliché, studying abroad in Germany was truly a life-changing experience for me. By staying the entire year, and not just studying a single semester abroad, I was able to truly immerse myself in German culture. Germany literally became home, and over time I felt less and less like a visitor or outsider and began to feel at home in my surroundings.

While there I lived with three German students. Living with natives allowed for a lot of exposure to interesting mindsets and different views of politics and cultures and opened the door for many conversations. One of my favorite memories is having long and leisurely breakfasts on the weekends while discussing the current topics in the newspaper that had been delivered that morning. Living with Germans also allowed me to learn the language much quicker than I believe I would have, had I been living alone or with other exchange students.

I was fortunate to be one of the students who went to Hildesheim during the 20th year of the program being in existence. This meant that shortly after I returned to the States, there was a reunion conference held in the end of September at UW-Stout. This was a great way to network with fellow colleagues that had previously completed the program and the perfect compliment to returning from Germany. Although virtually strangers at first, it was remarkable to witness the ease and comfort in which we could all communicate and discuss our experiences, regardless of how far apart we were in age, or when we completed the program. It was so interesting for me to hear different perspectives from those who had completed the program long before me, and to see where they were currently and how it had affected their lives.

International Design Conference

2009-02-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

The Department Art and Design was proud to host the International Design Conference on campus this past September. The conference, coordinated by Nancy Blum-Cumming, was a celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the student exchange program between UW-Stout and Fachhochschule in Hildesheim, Germany. It brought together alumni from not only the Hildesheim program, but from other international exchange programs as well as students, faculty, and the general public for a series of presentations and activities. An exhibition of design work by alumni of UW-Stout’s international exchange programs was presented in the Furlong Gallery. Conference speakers included Stefan Hartung, Creative Director, HartungKemp Design Agency, Minneapolis; Claas Kuhnen, Assistant Professor, Digital Fabrication Technologies at Ferris State University, Grand Rapids; David Linderman, Professor, Hochchule fur Gestaltung Offenbach am Main and Creative Partner, Fork Unstable Media in Berlin; Olaf Stein, Partner at Factor Design AG, Hamburg, Germany; Byron Trotter, Advanced Strategic Industrial Designer at 3M, St. Paul; Nick Zdon, Senior Designer, Web Strategist at HartungKemp Design Agency, Minneapolis; Jill Borofka, EFI- Electronics for Imaging, interface Designer for Product Design Group, Foster City, CA; and Ross Brown, Dean of Faculty at Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London.

Allison Meshnick, an Art and Design student in the Hildesheim Exchange Program, reflects upon her experiences as a student in Germany. Read more...

Artist Spotlight: Jennifer Ekstrand

2009-02-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

Questions from Jada Schumacher

1. What is the role of memory in the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) movement? How do the concepts of “memory” and “modular” inform each other?

The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) movement has influenced memory just as anything can influence the memories of people that participate in it. By completing a variety of processes without the help of professionals, a person can gain a greater connection to the items and spaces around them. By fixing up a home on your own, you gain a greater sense of ownership to that home. When you have put a great amount of your time and effort into that space, it is now more than a space you occupy. It is a space you helped to create. The DIY movement includes more than just the home; it has touched everything from photography, to cooking, to fashion. Because of this I think that DIY has given people a sense of self-accomplishment. With the accessibility to the Internet and information being at our fingertips, a person can learn to do ultimately anything; a person can become an “expert” in anything they choose.

Modular can describe memory as memories are always small parts of a larger all-encompassing whole. Just as a modular structure is made of smaller modules, our lives are innumerous events creating memories we keep whether we choose to or not. The many events that occur throughout a person’s existence create a life. The concept of modular can inform everything in our lives. There is always something bigger and that something bigger is a part of something even larger. I think it is interesting to think of these concepts and how they can connect my previous body of work and my more current body of work. Everything is connected; there is so little way around it. As humans we make connections and we create modular structures literally and figuratively.

2. Considering previously discussed interventions such as “Pimp-My-Billy” and Aisle Studio Project, how does art involving the DIY process affect consumer perceptions of the big box shopping experience? How can DIY art change/enhance/enliven my daily to-do-list?

The “big box” shopping experience offers a consumer quick, easy, and inexpensive options for home decoration, design, and home improvements. They are similar to fast food restaurants, where a customer can quickly get a meal “their way,” yet it’s just like every other meal that leaves the drive thru window. Art dealing with the DIY process could possibly affect consumer perceptions of the “big box” shopping experience by offering alternatives. An artist dealing with these issues turns sources of conformity and sameness into a source of creativity and change. By dealing with these topics, a more all encompassing questioning occurs; our culture is questioned. America is a place to be free and unique yet it is far too easy to fall into norms. Each person wants to stand out but not too far.

Although these ideas come through in work dealing with the DIY process and making use of objects easily purchased from big box stores, it also speaks of art history and the use of the ready made object. By purchasing objects from Ikea, I take an already existing and successful aesthetic, and give it a new purpose and author. By placing manipulated Ikea-made objects into a gallery setting, they no longer fill a necessity within a home. Instead, they become a cultural object with little of the function that they once held.

DIY art can change, enhance, and enliven a person’s daily to-do-list by simply calling into question certain ideals, perhaps freeing people from their mandatory daily to-do-list. Big box stores like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and Ikea ultimately enhance a person’s daily tasks. They are little helpers making our lives so much easier and so much more stylish. I do not wish to suggest that these institutions are a completely negative thing. Instead, I wish to appropriate the objects available to a consumer through these stores and make use of an already existing aesthetic.

3. What things in life require reading directions to accomplish? Which labels/directions do people usually skip (or gloss over)? Can passed-down generational wisdom be considered as “directions”? What things in life do you wish came with directions?

Things in life don’t actually require reading directions to be accomplished. I think that everything could be self-taught. However, directions provide a stepping-stone and help in accomplishing tasks with greater ease. Often times, people don’t read directions and do not want to be directed. There is something about the Ikea instructions that are often more confusing than informative to the assembler. They completely avoid the use of the written language to help a consumer assemble their products. They are entirely visual and become interesting drawings on their own.

People tend to skip or gloss over almost every label or direction. The public will choose what they want to pay attention to. When it comes to written directions a person would more likely skip over the written, step-by-step directions and refer more to the images. In this way Ikea plays to that tendency in people. However, the problem with this is that there are always things lost in translation between the visual and the written language.

Everyone has moments where they wish they had directions to get them through. I don’t know that in the end that would be the most helpful option. I do sometime wish that art making came with directions. However, the challenge of it all tends to be my motivation. I wish to overcome the confusion I encounter while trying to convey my ideas and understand ideas of other artists. I think the struggles we come across in our lives are important to a greater understanding.

Questions from Lars Jerlach

1. What do you hope to achieve by making art?

There are a great number of things I hope to achieve by making art. Making art is a great vehicle to question. In our culture it is easy to become complacent and art doesn’t allow that. Because of this, making art helps me to question events in my life as well as the culture I am a part of. I hope that by making art, I can create in people a questioning as well. I also hope to achieve a greater understanding of a variety of topics including art in general.

2. What is the motivation behind your practice?

I am a student and I am an artist. I am motivated by a constant want to understand, be understood, and be believed. I want to create artwork that I can believe in and that others can believe in too. I am constantly searching to understand art making and the reasoning behind the art I create. I am motivated by the desire to learn how to best communicate my ideas visually and intellectually. I am also motivated by something completely unknown to me. I have a desire to make, and I think it is something that artists have in common. When not making or not researching in some way, I feel as though I am not contributing. This sensation motivates me to keep creating, researching, and thinking critically.

3. Do you think about the audience when making art?

The audience is extremely important to me when making art. Without the audience there is virtually no point to making art. To make art for no one completely removes a purpose to the act of art making. Making art is to convey some kind of idea or message to an audience, I think it is dangerous to not consider an audience whatsoever when making art. That said, I do think about the audience when making art, I think about how my work will be seen and how it will be interpreted. I think about how I want my art to be seen and interpreted.

4. What is the role of memory or nostalgia in your work?

Memory and nostalgia played a greater role in past work that dealt with the death of my father and my attempts to understand memories as well as the person my father was and what that has made me. I haven’t completely come to understand how memory and nostalgia will play a part in the work I make for the artist-in-residence grant, but I think it is important for me to consider if I wish to find a common thread in past work and future work. I don’t think that I need to continue in that way, but naturally, the art I make will have those elements because I feel past experiences and memories will influence my work whether I choose to make that a main element of my work or not. It’s just a matter of me finding these more subtle elements. My previous body of work dealt with memory and nostalgia more literally, I think the role of these themes will play a much more abstract and subtle role in the work I am creating at this time.

5. How do you create a sense of universality between yourself and the audience?

I hope to create a sense of universality between the audience and myself by using materials and a language that are relatable and simply by conveying ideas that are encountered by most people. In the past I addressed ideas of memory and loss, ideas that affect everyone in a lifetime. In my current body of work I hope there will be a sense of universality by using materials that people encounter on a daily basis in their homes, media, and stores. By using Ikea specifically, I am using a language that is quite established within our culture with the Ikea catalogue being distributed to well over 100 million homes. Ikea even speaks about diversity, their goal is to supply furnishing solutions for our diverse way of living today. I think by using an already established aesthetic creates a great sense of universality.

6. On what criteria do you judge the relative success of one of your pieces?

I judge the relative success of my work on criteria based on understandability and believability. Does my audience trust in that I am a reliable source and does that audience understand what it is that I am trying to convey? One of my pieces would be successful if it is expressing the ideas I want to speak to and that it is clearly stated. I also judge the success of my work on my understanding of it. If I don’t understand it yet, I have little control over my audience and the work, leaving it lacking a power I’d want it to possess. Success also comes with finding a unique way to convey certain ideas. It is a daunting task to create something “new,” but I think it’s still possible to find somewhat unique and interesting ways to make art and communicate. I would also consider my work successful if I had some amount fun making it. I often find myself stressing over every bit of my process, I’ve found that if I’ve enjoyed the process it has felt more successful. Of course it helps if my peers find it to be a successful investigation. I am human, and tend to need the encouragement of others. I think that’s a natural part of art making. We all want to be accepted.

7. How would you describe the process of your art practice to somebody with no artistic background or knowledge?

To be successful in describing the process of my art practice is a challenge when explaining it to a person with no artistic background. It is incredibly difficult to explain how almost anything can become art. I try to explain my art practice as a way of communicating my ideas visually. I will find an interest in an idea and attempt to communicate this idea through a visual means. I may choose to use painting, photography, or video; whatever will best convey my ideas. In order to arrive at the final product, most of my time goes into research. After I have researched, I will create some form of a final product and further my understanding in what I wish to convey to my audience. A large part of the process of finding a greater understanding of my work is through conversations with my colleagues.

Artist Spotlight: Mary Overman

2009-02-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

Questions from Andy Ducett

1. Who do you want your ideal audience to be? What decisions (both materially and conceptually) can you make to better reach your target group?

I’m not concerned so much with a target group as I am with making sure there is a balance between content and visual imagery. I don’t consider the target group, because I don’t intend on changing my work based on how a target group may feel about it. Instead, I believe it’s more pertinent to think about how well the content works with the visual imagery and if the viewer is able to understand my ideas without being too conspicuous.

Of course, I take into consideration how the viewer sees the work, but again, that’s based on finding a balance between those elements, rather than making work that one bracket of people could appreciate.

2. Where do we as viewers position you in relationship to your subject matter?  

I don’t know where the viewer might think of the artist in relation to the work, but I can tell you where I see myself. My interest in cosmetic surgery initially arose from my mom having had a few procedures. The social interactions in the family because of them, was really fascinating. After one of her procedures, my mom gave my brother, sister, and I a call, crying, and told us what she had done. This really affected my younger sister who had had an eating disorder and was very responsive and vulnerable to these issues. I, on the other hand, couldn’t understand why she’d done it. Me being the older sister, I felt a parental anger at my mom for having gotten surgery without possibly thinking how it might affect my sister.

But those were the initial responses, and there is more than just the present. My mom had an insane childhood. Her mom was an alcoholic and verbal and physical abuse was severe, but a certainty. Her mom died when she was 16, and left behind 10 children, and my mom wasn’t the youngest. I’ve considered how those events might affect her internal reasons for making this choice. Through my readings on the psychological side of cosmetic surgery, I’ve noticed there have been postulations concerning a desire of love, of acceptance and of a physical normality felt through the changing of one’s body by people who have been abused.

Even more than that, though, I’ve simply become enthralled with plastic surgery as a whole. Those were my initial and personal reasons for choosing the subject, and although those thoughts still remain with me, my research is taking a different turn. As well as the psychological side, I’m studying the different procedures and how they are accomplished, the social interactions between surgeon and patient, the collective vs. personal view of identity, and what cosmetic surgery can implicate in terms of the direction of society and technology.

3. What role will titles play in the work... how leading/specific/ambiguous do you want to be?

I’ve been holding off on titling until I have a larger body of work complete. Titles are extremely significant, of course, and I need to visually understand how a group of my work will function together before I can title them. I’m doing this because I don’t want to be too specific, but I also don’t want the viewers to be lost in ambivalence; there is a specific concept that I want them to discern.

Questions from Tamara Brantmeier

1. On one hand your paintings could be considered self-portraits, and on the other hand using oneself (artist) as subject can be interpreted as universal (“every woman”); talk about your decision to use your likeness in your work, how it affects the content, if the self-portrait adds to or diverts from your  narrative and if you will use other women as subjects (why/why not).

  I distort all the images I work from; none of them are self-portraits. In fact, all of them are fictional characters, which is one reason for changing the likeness of features. Distortions can add a peculiar beauty to a figure. Idealized distortions like the heavy eyelids from the renaissance, or the unusually high and rounded breasts of the 15th century are uncanny, but attractive. It’s the idea of this strange beauty, who overall is a Venus, but when looked at in segments, is slightly grotesque.

I also play with inconspicuous distortions, ones that cause a figure to look slightly off but without it being obvious why. It’s possible to make a slightly turned face isometric, which allows almost imperceptible enlargement of one eye. Eyes too close together give an overall odd appearance, and dainty lips in their “prettiness” can give an artificial impression.

I plan to use different models as a means to show gender and age, but also because the distortions made are guided not only by my final intentions conceptually, but by the genuine image of the model. Still, the models I work from, whether others or myself are inconsequential regarding who they are in reality. What’s significant is their transferred life; their personal and social conduct in a painting.

2. Why does/is the variation of paint application/technique become important in your work and how is it connected to your content, narrative and overall concept? What have you discovered by utilizing distinctly different techniques and what is your central struggle regarding this approach?

The textured paint application is a narrative all it’s own. It’s distinct, but contingent upon the characters I portray. It very much represents the psychological states of the characters, but also creates a path to guide the eye through a painting. The backgrounds, more so than the figures, are meant to illustrate beauty in a fixed state of turmoil, emphasizing the questions that come with our contemporary ideals of beauty. Are they healthy or reasonable, and now that they are feasible, are they desirable?

Our physical world is fashioned by a multitude of textures, and the question is, how can these textures come together in a world that exists in determined dimensions. My struggle has been in the reconciliation between the handful of different painting styles used in one work. Still, I am investigating this, and exploring different techniques, integrations, and styles in order to find a successful way to convey my content.

3. How do you think about the use of imagery of women in your work? More precisely, how and why do (potential) feminist implications/perceptions connect with your content in an historical and contemporary framework?

Since I am a woman using cosmetic surgery to talk about identity and beauty, I realize the implications of feminism. It’s difficult to get away from that label, especially because thus far, my imagery has been principally of women. But I am not a feminist. I intend to incorporate more images of men in order to divert ideas of feminism.

I chose cosmetic surgery because it’s an engaging way to talk about the transience of identity and beauty. Both are ever changing in their ideals and personal and social perceptions, yet both are ever lasting in the moments in which they are captured in a work of art. Most paintings, historical and contemporary, deal with images attached to a moment. If the imagery is not concrete, the medium is, hence that moment will last on that canvas forever.

Besides what I am thinking about in terms of content, I also chose cosmetic surgery because I am simply fascinated with the technical aspects. Our wealth of knowledge always amazes me, yet particularly in medical fields our lack of understanding is clearly visible.

Questions from Charlie Lume

1. Do you think visual pleasure plays a role your in paintings, either in the making of them and/or in looking at them?

The making of a painting entails visceral pleasure that, no doubt, transfers to visual pleasure for the viewer, but this can be one of the adverse effects of the medium. A beautiful painting can disrupt proper thought. It’s easy to get wrapped up in color, texture, light and overall imagery without being perceptive about the idea in the work. One of the questions I’ve been asking myself is how can I paint beautifully but still push content? I’m investigating a reconciliation between the two.

A good example of this is Jenny Saville’s paintings. Close up, her marks have an elegant disorder to them; they’re really lovely. Far away, they represent flesh in such a suitable manner that the viewer is able to see the image as a whole and isn’t easily distracted from content.
Application of paint, when it is used insightfully, can impart an energy and vitality on a painting. Thus far there is a lot of investigation into the reconciliation of a handful of different painting styles in one work. Our physical world is fashioned by a multitude of textures, and the question is, how can these textures come together in a world that exists in determined dimensions. Unless it is intentional or integral to the work, there needs to be a certain amount of harmony between the textures, the figures, and the background.

2. What other artists/painters’ art traffics in issues about the flesh? How might their art shape your approaches both in paint application and conceptual consideration?

Orlan is a French artist who does what she calls “carnal art”. She has a series called “The Reincarnation of St. Orlan”, in which she took features from women in art historical paintings, such as Botticelli’s Venus, and da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and had them surgically reproduced on her face. These were performance surgeries where she was given local anesthetic and viewed live from galleries all over the world.

She talks about not being interested in the final result, but in the constant modifications and the indefinite nature of identity. She says that her work “is not a stand against cosmetic surgery, but against the standards of beauty, against the dictates of a dominant ideology that impresses itself more and more on the feminine flesh.”1

She speaks about cosmetic surgery and identity in a unique and powerful way. The stigmas attached to cosmetic surgery are something I seek to avoid. Like Orlan, I don't intend to protest cosmetic surgery, but instead to question the ideals it makes possible, the new ideals it creates, and the impact this has on relationships, identity and society.

Cosmetic surgery is a field all it's own. It's the only field in medicine that doesn't deal with diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease, and is, in fact, all about harming the body. All cosmetic procedures entail deliberate trauma and involuntary restoration. When discussing his pharmaceutical pieces, Damien Hirst talks about medicine evoking "an idea of confidence, of trust in minimalism", and adds, "there's something dumb about it". 2

There is a confidence in medicine that often exceeds logic. Patients have credence for doctors and what they say, and in their trust or desire, forget the doctor's fallibility. Cosmetic surgeries are serious procedures that defy the definition of medicine. They don't deal with disease, but they still carry the idea of cheating death, even while the biological factors are still in play.

Jenny Saville's use of paint is luscious and expressive, yet frank. Simon Schama said about the way she handles the medium, it "is really about the anatomy of paint as it construct the body."3 Her mark making and exploration of contemporary bodies are often referenced in my own exploration. She deals with identity from the outside vs. the inside; how society views a body type contrasted to the individual's view. She's exemplifies the use of this medium as a way to transform the repulsive into the resplendent.

3. In what ways can paint “be” flesh and “represent” it? And can it be done simultaneously in one painting?

Paint can “literally” and conceptually be flesh. Literally, it can be shown figuratively, it can be represented as actual flesh. Through the tactile application, light, color and texture of paint, it can conceptually embody the idea of flesh. The myriad textures, forms, and colors pose multiple levels of formal investigation into anatomy, pigment and paint.

Industrial Design Students’ Work Showcased at Design Within Reach

2009-02-16T15:05:00.000-08:00

UW-Stout design students exhibited their molded plywood furniture designs at the Design Within Reach (DWR) in Minneapolis this past November. The designs were the products of projects in the junior industrial design studio, Art and Science of Production. The students were to design and build full-scale working prototypes of a furniture design that was easy to mass produce, ship and assemble. Materials were limited to steel and 1/16th inch maple veneer. “The lamination process was a challenge, “ Noah Norton, assistant professor of industrial design, commented. “We used vacuum bags and ratcheting straps with two-part molds to bend the wood into the desired form. It took a great deal of experimentation but results were great.”

The work was exhibited in the Student Gallery that showcased the process on one side and the finished work on the other. Design Within Reach, a high-end designer furniture retailer, agreed to exhibit the designs in their Minneapolis Showroom in November after seeing the work. Many pieces in DWR’s collection were actually used as inspiration for the project.

Gary Schott Named Metals Department Chair of the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts

2009-02-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

Stout alumnus Gary Schott recently joined the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts in San Antonio, Texas as the new chair of the Metals Program. He received his BFA in studio art with a concentration in art metals/jewelry from UW-Stout in 2004 and his MFA from the University of Illinois Urbana. A nationally recognized institution, the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts has active programs of arts instruction, renowned national and international visiting artists, and performance events in addition to hosting one of the premier contemporary art exhibition spaces in the region.

IIDA: Student Org Update

2009-02-16T14:58:00.001-08:00

The International Interior Design Association has been low key this past semester but is looking forward to putting together quite a few activities in the next semester. During the Fall, IIDA participated in one fundraiser selling Tastefully Simple items, and next semester are planning on putting together a Spring Formal along with ASID. IIDA are also planning on doing some firm tours in the twin cities, and are looking into participating in the NEOCON show in Chicago. Last semester IIDA also hosted a guest speaker from Minnesota's Good and Green foundation which focuses on Minnesota structures that are either being built or remodeled and making these structures more eco-friendly.

ASID: Student Org. Update

2009-02-16T14:47:00.001-08:00

Last fall ASID participated in several events around the community. This included Adopt-a-yard and helping decorate the Mabel Tainter Theater for Christmas. This is something the club does every year at the Mabel Tainter. Some members even participated in ASID Real World Design Week. This was the first year this was offered to student members. Those who participated got to shadow a designer for a day.

Next semester ASID is planning on hosting several speakers as well as planning a trip in the spring.

GDA: Student Org Update

2009-02-16T14:44:00.000-08:00

Last semester’s activities included:
Helped with Todd Boppel Scholarship fundraising. (Raffle)

Heather Olson gave a talk about AIGA.
Design Camp- Nisswa, MN.
Decorated a car, handed out candy and flyers for the Homecoming Parade.
Members’ mini posters “tell us a random fact” were posted on our Bulletin Board on 1st floor.
Trip to the Walker (film)
Member made posters for Comedy Club.
Bill Moran talked in Furlong Gallery about his work and brought Woodtype Film to our meeting.
Continued the process of tshirt designs from end of last semester.

Some events coming up for this semester:

Feb 5th- AIGA Cocktails with Creatives 6-8pm Kitty Kat Klub 107 Washington Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401
Feb 13th- Website launch party AIGA, 6:30-8:30 @ Sevnthsin
March 6th 6-8pm MCAD Galleries: Opening Reception “Made at MCAD, Momentum: The new comics, Theater of Operations, 300 Jumps”
April 10th-MCAD Auditorium 150 John Hendrix

Fine Art Association: Student Org Update

2009-02-16T14:41:00.001-08:00

For the fall semester 2008 The Fine Arts Association was involved in an array of great activities. For the first time since 1996 the FAA became involved in university Homecoming activities. We took part in the campus community as a group and were able to even have two art students from the organization win Homecoming king and queen. It was great fun and was successful in creating a bond with others involved.

The Fine Arts Association also held a costume car wash in the parking lot of K-mart. We raised over $100 for the organization by dressing in various costumes and washing cars for people in the community. It was based on donation only but people were excited to take part in the spectacle of getting their vehicles washed by a huge bottle of mustard, a furry tiger and the like.

Throughout the semester we also organized a couple of student critiques, which we plan to continue through the continuing semesters. It was a great opportunity to get work looked at by fellow peers outside the classroom and away from professors. It was quite successful and the students who participated seemed to get good, open advice and feedback.

We also put on the biannual art sale in the Furlong Atrium. We got a lot of submissions of work from art students outside the organization as well as from members. As a group we worked the sale, marketed our stuff, spent time together, and had a lot of fun.

The FAA is also affiliated with ‘A Clean Poorly Lighted Space.’ The gallery is a great opportunity for students to be involved in curatorial practice, gallery direction, and gallery maintenance. We did all of these things without direct funding from the university.

Next semester we will be receiving funding for our proposed activities so we will be able to do even more. We’ve planned trips out of the area, guest speakers, gallery openings, dances, and the opportunity to do other activities that students would be interested in doing. We also plan to continue the monthly student art critique.

IDSA: Student Org. Update

2009-02-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

This semester has been very productive for our UW-Stout Chapter of IDSA. One of our main goals this semester was to get underclassmen to be more involved in our organization. To achieve this, we offered them the opportunity to come in to get advice on what classes or professors to take. Many of the younger students took advantage of this by attending our weekly meetings. Another opportunity we offered them was a chance to bring in some of their work so we could give them feedback. It’s great for students to be able to get feed back from peers, especially ones that have already been through the same classes that they are taking.

Some events that IDSA has organized this semester were a guest speaker and a portfolio review. The guest speaker that we brought in was Chris Barmore, a Stout alumnus and an industrial designer for Insight Product Design. He talked about industrial design in the real world and what makes a good portfolio. The other event that we planned was the Worrell portfolio review. Here, students were able to take their portfolios to Worrell Inc. (an industrial design firm in Minneapolis) to have their portfolios reviewed. Not only was this a great opportunity for students to have their portfolios to be assessed, but it was also a valuable lesson in networking within the professional world.

Furlong Gallery Exhibitions

2009-02-16T13:27:00.000-08:00

Current and upcoming exhibitions in the Furlong Gallery:

Through February 27: “Department of Art and Design Faculty Exhibition”

March 9th – March 27th: “Best of Design Show” – north gallery and “Strange Fruit” (Geoffrey Wheeler, sabbatical exhibition)– south gallery
March 12th: Reception, 5:00 – 7:00

March 27th: 12:30, Gallery talk – Geoffrey Wheeler

April 6 – May 1: “Prometheus”
April 17: Awards Reception, 3:00 – 5:00

May 7- Sept. 11: “End of Year Student Exhibition”
May 8: Opening Reception, 5:30-8:30

The Poster Offensive is coming to the Furlong

2008-11-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

Poster Offensive 4 will be on display in the Furlong Gallery from November 11th to December 13th, with an opening reception on Nov. 13th at 5pm. For more information on the show, visit the Poster Offensive.

Plycore Show in the Student Gallery (Nov 3 - 8)

2008-11-04T11:54:00.000-08:00

Junior Industrial Design students are currently displaying their Plycore related work in the Student Gallery from November 3 - 8 with a reception on Nov. 5th.

Senior Seminar Series

2008-10-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

End of the Semester: Senior Shows

2008-05-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

The end of the semester here at UW Stout means Senior Shows and End of the Year exhibitions.

Brooks Stevens Design and UW-Stout Design Students

2008-05-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

There was wine, cheese and .... a four-wheeled folding vehicle?!? Yes, that's right. The renowned Brooks Stevens Design firm has recently started a new branch in Saint Paul and graciously offered its facilities to host an exhibition of senior industrial design work. Rich Walters, senior designer and UW-Stout alumni, arranged the event with Jennifer Astwood and Noah Norton (industrial design faculty) as a way to showcase senior level industrial design work and to announce the opening of the new Brooks Stevens design facility. The Stout Seniors showed a diverse range of products developed over the semester with the basic theme of addressing a social issue.

The event was attended by a wide range of design professionals from the area including: 3M, Target Corporation, Worrell Designs, Phillips Plastics, Hubbard Scientific, Integrated Design Solutions Skyline Exhibits, and Stearns flotation.

Drew Barrett: Design for Longevity
Jason Burbank: Lighting/Plant unit to lighten mood
Emily Dubay: Slow Design Dishware
R.J. Deutsch: Chair for Guitar Players
Andrew Karutbauer: Outdoor seating encouraging plant growth
Chris Kelton: War-Hammer Tank Delivery Craft
Aaron Kurth: Eco-Tennis Shoe (replaceable sole system)
Casey Nugent: Compressed Air Vehicle
Jesse Probst: Sifa Expanding Sofa
Tim Parmer: Washing Machine for Developing Nations
Eric Polk: Portable Ski Bag (ski locker)
Wade Simmons: Human Powered/Electric vehicle
Amanda Schneider: Humor in design: Beau Seau Mop Bucket
Jimmy Sommerville: Torque-It Ergonomic Wood Clamping System

Industrial Design: Brook Stevens Senior Show

2008-05-13T12:52:00.000-07:00