IN TH IS IS SUE - Otis College of Art and Design

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OTIS COLLEGE
OF ART AND DESIGN
MAGAZINE
2009 VOL.6
Otis College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design Magazine
2009 Vol.6
IN THIS ISSUE:
Can we Teach Creativity? • Green Design
Misremembering the Future • Digitizing Naked Ladies
(310) 665 6800
www.otis.edu
FEATURE
FEATURE
FEATURE
FEATURE
Thinkers,
Communicators,
and
Integrators
By Steve McAdam, Founding Chair, Product Design
Over the last half century, mechanical functionality has been replaced by technological
achievement, enabling designers to create things they could only once imagine. Change
and opportunity go hand in hand, and it is very much in the spirit of Otis College to develop
a new program to produce the hybrid designer for the 21st-century creative economy.
In the fall of 2004, the Product Design (PD) Department began as
a career-focused program with the mission to produce a new type
of product designer with vision, creativity, multidisciplinary design
skills, and the ability to integrate information, technology and business strategies that address not only user needs but also complex,
interconnected markets and industries.
The emphasis of the curriculum is on developing creative
Thinkers who are self-inspired and capable of generating lots of
ideas; creative Communicators who can effectively articulate their
ideas in 2D, 3D, written, verbal, and multi-media presentation; and
creative Integrators who can synthesize information, technology,
materials and methods, and business strategies to design with
intent and create innovative solutions that address cultural, social
and marketplace needs.
The curriculum shifts away from the conventional industrial
design approach of specific-industry focus and the development of
specialized technical skills. Experience taught us that this approach
We knew early on that we had the opportunity to create a unique
program that leveraged the strengths of the type of student Otis
attracts. These students use technology, but are not technicians
or engineers; they are creators, artists and makers who thrive on
diversity and engaging in design challenges.
OMAG 0
1 1
Designer:
Shaun Redsar
Designer:
Nathan Woods
restricted the creative, aesthetic and career potential of the student,
and rarely brought forth creative designers of importance. At best,
it produced skillful technicians or super elves, and not the creative
visionaries, strategic thinkers and design leaders who will lead
industry and fuel the creative economy.
Product Design has enjoyed continuous growth of student
enrollment since it began five years ago with 12 students. There were
80 students in 2008/09. The program boasts an average of over 87%
placement of its students in internship positions in furniture design,
fashion accessories, consumer electronics, design consultancies,
shoe design, sports and medical equipment, home décor and entertainment. Graduates work for Apple, Guess, Wet Design, Disney
Consumer Products, Disney Imagineering, Inter-Pacific Corp., Nectar
Design, Warner Brothers Consumer Products, Lanard Toys, Target,
and Anthropologie (among many others). Alumni have also entered
graduate school as far away as the Design Academy Eindhoven in
the Netherlands and as near to home as Cal State Long Beach. ➤
Designer:
David Lean
02 OMAG
FEATURE
FEATURE
At no time in history have designers had the
range of technologies, materials and information
from which to create products. But thinking
about product design today means thinking
beyond the product and recognizing the complex
issues of business, technology, sustainability
and user experience.
Ultimately, we’re striving to create an educational
experience in the program that achieves parity with the
global professional world, but also to expand product
design beyond products and market imperatives.
We train our students to research, develop and design
products for 5, 10, 15 years into the future rather than
to become slaves of industry or trendsetters.
The program focuses on a holistic and simplified
approach to product design, and focuses on
the issues that are at the core of supporting user
experience and therefore likely to withstand
social forces, economic trends and technological
invention over a long period of time.
In the sophomore year, students “deconstruct” the world to focus on developing a
heightened sense of aesthetics. They learn to
design with intent through the practice of
applying the unifying principals of design and
the aspects of color, surface texture and form.
They work in wood, metal, ceramics, plastics
and fabrics and the process of object design and
development.
In the junior year, students “interpret” the
world. Through sequential courses, they refine
their studio skills to develop a personal vision,
creative practices and design methodology.
Students develop multidisciplinary design skills
in two broad product categories: “soft-line”
non-durable products (fashion accessories,
shoe design and home decor items) and
“hard-line” durable products (furniture design,
consumer electronics, medical devices).
Throughout the sequence, issues of sustainable
design are considered.
In the senior year, students “revolutionize”
the world. The emphasis is on designing for the
future; preparing for their careers as professionals and developing a thesis project that reflects
the culmination of their training.
In fall of 2008, Otis product design students
collaborated on a project with Loyola Marymount
University Business School’s Entrepreneurial
Department, with the goal of creating a synthesis of design and business to explore new
business models that will drive innovation and
bring design solutions and services to a rapidly
changing global market. Otis students took
a university-level business and entrepreneurial
class and jointly participated in a real-world
experience of forming a product, business and
media plan for a small company.
Engagement with the corporate community
is an essential part of the student’s development
in the program. Corporate sponsors collaborate
with faculty and students to identify the
design opportunity, define deliverables, determine resources, and evaluate design outcomes.
The emphasis in each project is on innovation.
In a recent corporate-sponsored research project
for HRI, the intra-group think tank of Omron,
students were challenged to project what will
be the potential products and services needed
for society in 2025.
Where product design will go in the
creative economy of the 21st century remains
to be seen. Yet while many of the same questions our students ask today about product
design they will ask again as professionals, we
as a faculty feel confident that their answers
to those questions will always reflect their own
unique creative voice and vision. ●
The successful product designer of today
must be multifaceted like a diamond.
The larger number of facets, the more
brilliantly it shines. This requires that
the Product Design curriculum must
continually be assessed and enriched
with educational opportunities and
real-world multidisciplinary experiences
that will better prepare our students
to be the design leaders of the future.
Designer:
Yoonah Bae
Designer:
Jung Mi Na
Designer:
Arron Au da Silva
Designer:
Michelle Pak
Designer:
Maxine Wong
Designer:
Tyler Haggstrom
Designer:
Joon Han Lee
Designer:
Kevin Melchiorri
Designer:
Rebecca Reisman
“The Otis/LMU project allowed students to experience an environment that
approximates the reality of business and partnerships. They learned that
integrating their design skills with the skills of negotiation and mutual
respect refined their vision of how success in the future will be measured.”
Designer:
Judith Uribe
OMAG 03
— Michael Kollins, Assistant Chair, Product Design
Designer:
Joon Han Lee
04 OMAG
FEATURED COURSE
FEATURED COURSE
Christopher Paterno, Instructor
Materials and Methods/
Green Design
“I believe that tactile qualities
of a material inspire ideas
and design more than book or
Internet research alone.”
By George Wolfe
The Product Design student saunters along the library aisle, stopping to peruse the
characteristics of green materials. She runs her fingertips along the cardboard shelf,
the cellulose shelf, the copper shelf, and the cotton shelf, before hitting the Ds —
dandelion?! She eyeballs the explorative display. Could she use the stems as
part of a new composite building substance? Could she incorporate the flower’s
ubiquitous yellow into a systemic design scheme?
Devin Week, 100% wood surfboard; no resins or fiberglass
She makes a beeline to the nearby research hub and quickly
brings up a list of projects and resources related to dandelions
and other weedy raw materials. She likes what she sees and
prints out a few pages. She returns to the shelves, picks up the
dandelion display, and eventually checks it out at the front desk.
Welcome to the brain of Christopher Paterno, who teaches
the Materials and Methods/Green Design course. This is the
future that excites him, and the present he offers his students each
week. “I believe that tactile qualities of a material inspire ideas
and design more than book or Internet research alone,” he says.
Meeting outside on the verdant lawn alongside the Ben Maltz
Gallery is apt for his class. The students air eco-ethical examples
culled from recent news: bio-based plastics and fuels … untapped
uses for seaweed … bamboo paneling … elephant grass …
hempy stuff … hay sugars compressed and made into furniture,
etc. Fortunately, there is no shortage of innovation, and Paterno
digs into the considerable questions:
What’s the real motive for jumping on the green bandwagon?
It really doesn’t matter why they’re doing it as long as they are
doing it. Green design becomes a bottom-line issue: businesses
aren’t going to change ways just to save the world — mostly
you have to design knowing how to source it out and do it in
smart ways.
OMAG 6
In the end, does going green really pay?
Yes, but you’ll need to think of the whole system — how it’s
made, distributed and disposed. That means you’ll have to
consider the environment, the economy and the consumer.
InterfaceFlor, a carpet company, was failing and was a toxic nightmare. The owner, after rethinking the way he did “carpeting,”
went very green, redesigned his product into snazzy, eco-friendly
interchangeable carpet tiles, and saved his company. In some
ways green design can mean more expensive, but not always.
Some companies just can’t see past the initial costs of re-tooling
for long-term savings. For it to work, we’ve got to get beyond
the mentality of: ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ How are green-leaning, well-meaning designers supposed to
work within the parameters of the corporate world, where there
may only be the desire to portray a green image?
Green Responsibility brings up the chicken or the egg question.
Is it the consumers’ or the government’s responsibility to demand
green products and manufacturing, or is it the manufacturers’
responsibiity to educate the consumer? If the designers know
how to design green and save on materials and design to
lower manufacturing costs, then they can infiltrate from inside.
Greenies can see right through “greenwashing,” where suits
may only want to appear green. Back in a boxy classroom, one of Paterno’s young conservationistas presents his Powerpoint report on Earthships. He runs
through the history of this anomalous species of predominantly
Southwest living, and speaks to the gutsy, systemic approach
begun by the movement’s founder, Mike Reynolds. Tires rammed
with earth are the Lego-like building blocks of curvaceous walls;
water gets re-used for various purposes (filtered rainwater for
cooking/showering, gray water for interior gardens and toilets/
showers, and black water is naturally broken down and outputted to exterior gardens); the merciless desert sun provides a
benevolent stream of solar energy to the south-facing abodes,
which are partially embedded in the ground for maximum energy
preservation. And, of course, tucked away out back is plenty of
compost mentis.
Earthships go a long way toward showing that seeing green
needn’t be dull — it can be sexy, too. The womb-like environs are
uncommonly seductive. Some of the most effective and elegant
re-designing begins with re-defining the basic assumptions and
slaying a few sacred professional vows; it requires thinking outside the vox populi.
“Sometimes, ending up with a question is as good as coming
up with an answer,” adds Paterno, picking up on the exploration
through crits and research. “And sometimes changing the name
can alter your approach. Instead of ‘chair,’ try starting with ‘resting place.’” Such a subtle difference can be tremendously liberating: for the designer, the consumer, and the world.
That’s how you end up with not just a house, but an earthship;
not office furniture, but Herman Miller; and not a car, but a Tesla.
“But keep in mind that green design doesn’t just mean
using natural materials,” adds Paterno, “it’s all about materials
management. Some say Green Design is a trend or fad, but I
think green design is synonymous with smart design, and smart
design is always top design. Top designers create good,
eco-conscious designs. I hope to create armies of designers that
are aware of their actions, aware of their environment, and aware
of good, smart design.”
Interruption of the waste stream is the ecocentric challenge
facing these young men and women. But by truly confronting our
bad habitats of waste and exploring new realms of consciously
virescent design, and embracing our newfound Father Nurture
role, we can all one day live in a material world — in the best
possible sense. ●
7 OMAG
FEATURED COURSE
FEATURED ALUMNI
“It has always been exciting to
know that I was the very first
to sign up for this brand new
program in Product Design.”
Experience Design
How were you able to get a job at Apple, which
is highly competitive?
Luck had a lot to do with it. I was what they were
looking for, before they knew it. But it should
be no surprise that, with hundreds if not
thousands of applicants, competition does exist
within the industrial design studio. One of my
colleagues went through what he described as a
six-year “interview” process! I was the first
applicant in almost a decade to be hired straight
out of college.
By George Wolfe
Antikythera. Affordance. Iterations. Kodak. Design with intent. Personas. Portable defibrillators.
Attentiveness. Nanotechnology. Hyperinstruments. These are just some of the products and
concepts that Maggie Hendrie explores with her students.
OMAG 8
and accessories (giving new meaning to the concept of Shaker design).
“I try to get them to think in terms of the ecosystem of design,”
explains Hendrie. “Basically, the human experience of a product is made
up of many facets, and these live together in a kind of ecosystem.
Traditionally, product design has focused on the one-dimensional device
design, but increasingly designers have to be able to conceptualize —
or at least collaborate — on other facets of a product to make for an
effective, integrated, branded user experience.”
Among those systemic components are: Device (e.g., home PC),
Content (e.g., Facebook), Customer Support (e.g., carmaker Saturn),
Inter-Operability (e.g., iPhone), and Service (e.g., Patagonia).
For a classic example of a more truly integrative design, look at
visionary inventors like George Eastman, who intuitively understood the
revolutionary value of Kodak’s “You take the picture, we do the rest” campaign. “It’s a superb example,” says Hendrie, “of understanding that user
experience is a system of interrelated devices, products and services. He
simplified and unified all of these, then crafted an elegant solution where
ease of use trumps complex technology.”
Looking into the future, PD is expected to find fertile soil in fields like
nanotechnology, where we increasingly design on the atomic and
molecular levels, often with medical solutions for the human body as a
goal. Then again, practicality is not always the end goal of future-leaning
technological design. “Context and user-aware products don’t have to
be all about things like cell phones,” says Hendrie. “Technology can be
used to create inspiring art objects, like the electronic sensing jewelry
from Philips Design.”
Despite the volume of new product designs, the human brain stands
out for Hendrie as her choice for most ideal PD application. “Many other
living creatures do a lot of basic things better than us — smell, run, reach,
see, hear, echolocate, etc. — but the human brain is so responsive, so
plastic and has evolved so dynamically that I’d say it is our central, special
human attribute. How the brain works also reminds me of the creative
design process: observe, deconstruct, understand, recombine, imagine
and generate the new.”
That’s good, because after all is said and done in Hendrie’s class, her
students will get a chance to put their own noggins to the test by going
out into the world and creating smarter, more responsive, more ecologically systemic products that truly enhance our user experience and blow
our own minds. ●
First up at Apple
What circumstances led to your Apple interview?
I think most people would be shocked to hear
that I applied to Apple online, for a job posting
requiring a minimum five years of experience!
The interview process was exhaustive, exciting
and nerve-wracking. It felt like it took forever,
but it was really more like two to three months.
For the interview, they flew me to Cupertino
headquarters. A few hours turned into an entire
day of interviewing, and ended up continuing
into a second day!
Maggie Hendrie, Instructor
What they have in common as products, or what they speak to as concepts, is the notion that the experience IS the design.
But where, exactly, is the line between the many other design disciplines, and and product design (PD) in particular?
With “hard” products such as mobile phones and computers, there is
certainly an interactive element. A car can be thought of as a manifestation of interactive design (i.e., its responsiveness to the driver, or items
like voice-responsive GPS screens), but does a car really meet the litmus
test? What about a house (sure, maybe Bill Gates’ house, but what about
grandma’s?)? And aren’t cities simply huge interactive products, with
urban planners, architects, politicians and municipal agencies acting out
roles as designers and shaping and revising their product’s features over
many years and iterations? Good or bad design notwithstanding, people
regularly engage with and experience these urban commodities.
And with “soft” products such as stuffed animals — say, Roger Rabbit
or a Mimzy doll — their designs determine whether or not a kid will
interact with it or leave it forever under the bed with rest of the dust
bunnies. This is true for clothing and fashion, too. At their best, aren’t they
ultimately about an intimate connection between the product and the
wearer, or the effect of clothing on a runway model who has a responsive
encounter with an audience? And what about a favorite couch or Laz-EBoy recliner or auto-messaging chair that somebody practically develops
a personal relationship with?
It’s Wednesday afternoon on the 5th floor, and the Experience Design
students take turns explaining the musical instrument each is in the process of inventing and how each addresses the class criteria of interactivity.
The theme of this particular semester is sound, partly inspired by MIT’s
Tod Machover, who made a “hyperinstrument” specifically for Dan Ellsey
(who suffers from cerebral palsy) so that he could write, perform and
conduct his music, and to help others learn how to compose, too. Hyperinstruments are sometimes referred to as the “opera of the future.”
One student steps up and explains his concept: a DJ who spins and
dispenses his music visually, creating an interactive dance floor. Another
student presents a system for creating and amplifying ambient sound
from falling raindrops upon various materials. A third speaks about her
gesture-responsive belly dancing belt. There’s a drum set that’s off the
beaten track of drumsticks and instead uses the tension of pressured
metals and other distressed acoustic substances for maximum effect. Then
there are Jangle Bangles™ that double as musical bracelets, necklaces,
Ismael Basso
What do you think it was about you or your
skills in particular?
I think it was my energy and desire to learn.
Much of what Apple does is highly specialized
and unique, so an open mind was key. Most
of the more experienced applicants were
more entrenched in their ways and less flexible.
Of course a strong, polished portfolio and
a jam-packed resume helped a great deal.
In what ways did your training at Otis help you
in your new position?
That’s a difficult one to answer because it wasn’t
any one specific skill or a specific class that I
had taken. It was a combination of many things,
more than I probably realize myself. I guess it
comes down to the open-ended philosophy behind the program, which was still in its infancy.
I couldn’t believe that students were given so
much input into shaping the program, and yet I
sensed this was crucial. But you only get out of
the experience what you put in.
Tell us briefly about your years in the Product
Design Program
It has always been exciting to know that I was
the very first to sign up for this brand new
program in Product Design, and almost blindly
since I did not do Foundation Year at Otis.
A big milestone for me was participating in the
NeoCon West Furniture Design Competition.
We were just rookies, but ended up beating
third-and fourth-year students from Art Center,
UCLB, and Yale. We came in second, and our
classmates came in first. I learned that being
part of a new program was no excuse to aim
low, and realized that we were destined for
great things. Other memorable moments were
presentations by Segway human transports,
Sony’s robotics division, and other guest
lecturers. Despite all the hard work, we had a
lot of fun times too. ●
Editor’s Note: Ismael Basso (‘07) was a member
of Product Design’s first graduating class.
Chair Steve McAdam interviewed him about his
journey to Apple and his beginnings at Otis.
Randall Wilson
Mastering Ikebana
By Joan Takayama-Ogawa
Otis Product Design differs from many industrial design
programs because it integrates creativity, aesthetics, philosophy, design principals, materials, and fabrication techniques
along with entrepreneurial skills and business practices
to produce a well-rounded designer. Senior Lecturer Randall
Wilson (MFA ’97) epitomizes this approach in his sophomore
Forms and Structures studio, which explores the vessel
beginning with Ikebana (Japanese Flower Arrangement).
Students looked closely at Yokohama woodblock prints,
studied the Japanese vase tradition, and observed a demonstration by an Ikebana master. They made both wooden
and ceramic Moribana vases, and, after a trip to the
downtown L.A. Flower Market, completed their arrangements
in an installation. ●
Randall Wilson (MFA ‘97)
and Joan Takayama-Ogawa
9 OMAG
Feature
Feature
“The Department of Architecture/Landscape/Interiors
(A/L/I) advances the orchestration of our material
surroundings through sequential exploration and a
synthetic realignment of the disciplines of architecture, landscape, and interiors. These three fields
organize and shape the spaces and contexts for all
our activities and relations.” — Linda Pollari, Chair
Technical Precision, Aesthetic Sophistication, & Conceptual Rigor
Synthetic
Spatialities
Student-designed and -built installation
for Class of 2008 exhibition
Entry for “Launch Your Career in Exhibit
Design” Competition
Studio III: Interior/Display/Exchange
Justin Kim designed linear galleries of
continuous display surfaces for the
walls, ceilings, and floors.
Instructor: David Reddy
OMAG 10
Otis’ unique, multi-disciplinary Architecture/Landscape/Interiors curriculum
was initiated in fall 2000, when Linda Pollari became
Chair. Upon Ms. Pollari’s arrival, she revised the department’s existing curriculum, which had addressed product
design as well as architecture and urban design. The
newly renamed curriculum focused on the spatial design
fields of architecture (buildings), landscape (the spaces
between buildings), and interiors (the spaces within
buildings). Ms. Pollari’s goal was to present the discourse
and expertise of each discipline in preparation for
professional practice, while simultaneously seeking
synchronicities among those disciplines. Most
importantly, the department’s focus was shifted from
craft to design in order to empower graduates to be
uninhibited by craft or material limitations, and able
to collaborate with artisans and craftsmen working in
any scale, material or technique.
“Unlike many other design fields,” says A/L/I Chair
Linda Pollari, “the related disciplines of architecture,
landscape, and interiors address forms and spaces
that are much larger than the necessary representations
of them. These fields convey instructions and intents
through documents—through words and images—that
are not the thing or product itself. Consequently, spatial
design is invariably a mediated and abstracted practice,
though one that has very real and material implications.
Spatial designers are the directors of spaces and
events, but generally not their producers or performers.
In this way, spatial design exists as the organization,
reconstruction, and dissemination of information in its
broadest sense. The designer is responsible not only
to ‘solve’ problems, but also to frame problems—even
to invent them. The broad scope of spatial design is
directly related to its demands for communication and
collaboration: with clients, engineers, product representatives, contractors, craftsmen, and numerous other
experts and constituencies. The study of architecture,
landscape, and interiors at Otis does not address its
fields simply as service industries but provides critical
reflection on their activities and promotes speculation
on alternative scenarios.”
Many A/L/I students work in professional architecture, landscape or interior design offices while training
in the program, often as early as sophomore year.
Graduates are working at the following firms, among
others: Ellerbe Beckett, San Francisco; Bennitt + Mitchell,
Los Angeles; GRAFT LLC, Los Angeles; Chang Jo
Architects, Seoul; LIGHTING DESIGN ALLIANCE, Long
Beach; Mansilla + Tuñón Arquitectos, Madrid; Richard
Meier & Partners Architects LLP, Los Angeles; Shubin +
Donaldson Architects, Santa Barbara; Clive Wilkinson
Architects, Los Angeles; WOLCOTT ARCHITECTURE |
INTERIORS, Culver City. Graduates are equally prepared
to enter competitive graduate programs for Master of
Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture or Master
of Interior Architecture degrees; in fact Otis A/L/I graduates may enter several Master of Architecture programs
with advanced standing, bypassing the first year of that
three-year graduate curriculum. Graduates are studying
or have completed Master of Architecture degrees from
Princeton, Yale, UCLA, and USC. Two alumni began
graduate studies in landscape architecture at Harvard. ●
The Architecture/Landscape/Interiors curriculum offers courses in four major areas: Studio,
Technologies + Ecologies, Digital Media, and
History + Theory.
Studio I immediately immerses students in the
language of three-dimensional space (plan,
section, elevation, and models), design process,
and the fundamental issues of scale and structure — and is fondly referred to as “boot-camp”
(at least by the faculty!). While this course
introduces students to three-dimensional forms
and, most importantly, space, it also tests their
interest in the necessarily and, to those most fit
for the major, interestingly abstracted modes of
thought and communication.
Once empowered with the ability to communicate aspects of three-dimensional spaces and
forms in Studio I, students are directed in the
design of buildings, landscapes, and interiors
in the following “site-based” Studios II through
VI. The projects for these studios are set in realworld sites, which students visit, analyze and
document. Most sites are in Los Angeles, except
for Studio VI: Building and Landscape. Students
visit this site on a class field trip.
Work in the site-based studios is supported
by the knowledge and skills gained in the
Technologies + Ecologies, Digital Media, and
History + Theory “support” courses. Technologies + Ecologies courses provide knowledge
of the materials and methods of landscape,
building, and interior construction. Each of these
comprehensive technologies courses presents
information that is typically located between
Urban Park, Venice, CA Studio II Landscape/Furniture Joem Sanez’s project exploited an existing disturbance in the urban grid of
misaligned streets and topographies by interweaving and layering beach grasses and hardscape materials. Instructor: Margaret Griffin
multiple courses in stand-alone architecture,
landscape and interiors programs. For example,
Technologies + Ecologies III: Building Technology introduces students to the materials and
methods of building construction in wood, steel,
concrete and unit masonry as well as basic
structural principles of forces and resultants.
This condensed delivery of knowledge empowers and enables students to produce both credible as well as inventive designs in their studio
courses across three disciplines, in only three
years (sophomore, junior and senior).
Digital Media courses introduce students
to computer software and skills in their first
year in the program. Through selected software
(AutoCAD, Rhinoceros, Adobe Illustrator and
Photoshop), students learn digital drafting, 3D
modeling, rendering and fabrication; and the
application and manipulation of images and
type for use in design presentation boards. In
these courses, students develop basic proficiency such that they are able to gain internships in
architecture, landscape and/or interiors
offices as early as the end of their first year in
the program. History + Theory courses provide
the cultural and intellectual framework necessary to produce informed and articulate design
propositions.
This combination of coursework is designed
to produce studio projects that exhibit technical
precision, aesthetic sophistication, and conceptual rigor. ●
(above)
Community Pool in Monteceito Heights
Karin Silva developed an elegant, two-level scheme that took
advantage of the natural topography of the site to provide
pools on a lower level and a dramatic entry at street level.
Instructor: Antony Guida
Multiple Live-Work Apartments in Downtown L.A.
Studio IV: Private/Interior Architecture
(near left) Danny Phillips designed narrow one-storey
apartments with rooftop gardens for the Wurlitzer Building.
(far left) Billy Tam designed multi-level apartments
with a continuous skylight for the Santee Alley
Manufacturing Building.
Instructor: Richard Lundquist
121 O M A G
Featured Alumnus
Featured Alumnus
David Orkand’s
Cross-Cultural
Pilgrimages
By George Wolfe
Keeping up with globetrotter David Orkand (‘04) is like trying to
fixate on some solid shape while looking into a kaleidoscope,
or trying to distill a singular taste from an everlasting Gobstopper,
or merely taking a ride on a Mobius Loop.
Most recently he is the recipient of a Monbukagakusho Doctoral
Research Scholarship, which means he’ll be jetting to Tokyo next
fall to study with Yoshiharu Tsukamoto (from Atelier Bow-Wow)
as a Fellow at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. This summer, he
returns to a gig in Madrid, Spain, with Mansilla+Tuñón Arquitectos,
which got put on hold for a three-month Assistant Instructor
position at Princeton (where he did his graduate work). He
touched down in Madrid in spring 2008, after a month in China.
Before China, he spent six months in Tokyo, splitting his time
working for Tezuka Architects and Atelier Bow-Wow. And that’s
just the relatively pedestrian chunk of the last few years.
Before that, he really travelled around and had some consciousness-shifting adventures. He wandered — and wondered
— with good friends through Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand
(“hiking through rainforests, lying on beaches, and otherwise
appreciating all that small communist countries have to offer”).
He gallivanted through India and traipsed solo through the jawdropping, eye-catching Himalayas. (“India will undoubtedly have a
great influence not just on my future work, but also as a model for
a way of life. I saw how much my education has been dominated
by western discourse.”) He rounded off his adventure by riding
hoary camels though the jilted desert near Pakistan —“throughout
all my travels, seeing as much exquisite architecture as I could.”
Consider all this Orkand’s panacea after seven straight years
of college education, including being Otis’ valedictorian back in
2004. Or perhaps it constitutes a certain making-up for downtime
prior to arrival at Otis …
“At the end of high school, while visiting prospective universities, I came down with a severe case of pneumonia, which
was quickly revealed to be a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
I was put on an intensive regimen of chemotherapy and radiation
that would progress well over the course of a year. Up until this
moment in my life I had a strong desire to become an artist, as I
always found it easier to express my complex emotions though
images rather than words.
“While undergoing my treatment, however, I found myself in
excess of contemplative time and in absence of graphic stimuli,
which enabled me to become intensely aware of my surroundings. Spending weeks at a time in the same room and bed, I
began to realize how effective space is in the conditioning of the
individual. Formerly, I had viewed space as being neutral or passive in the reception of daily life; now I began to see it as being
charged with meaning and having an extraordinary potential as
an artistic medium in its own right.
“Over a year after my diagnosis, having deferred my college
acceptance, a hairless and disheveled version of my former self
headed off to Otis. I was physically torn apart and uncertain of
myself at this point, yet from the beginning I felt not only challenged academically but, even more so, energized by the faculty’s
belief in my capabilities. Faculty members like Parme Giuntini,
who demanded that I be placed in all of the honors classes,
pushed me to be critically minded and achieve things I could
never have expected of myself.
“Up until this point I hadn’t realized how little effort I had
put into my education, coasting through high school and never
really giving much serious thought to the world around me. At
Otis I also immediately took a liking to classes dealing with form
and space, declaring my major in environmental design (now
Architecture/Landscape/Interiors) shortly thereafter. I experienced
the greatest degree of comfort and excitement I had ever felt in
an educational setting, being engaged by the faculty, who opened
me up to new lines of inquiry and modes of conception.
“The more immersed I became in the subject matter, the more
my passion for architecture grew, and during my senior year,
I decided to go to graduate school at Princeton, feeling it would
best fit my desire to be involved in the profession of architecture
at the level of practitioner as well as educator or theoretician.
While at Otis, my growing interest in the theoretical issues
surrounding art and architecture was definitely marked by people
like Bob Somol and Dave Hickey, and I feel privileged to have
been given access to such incredible minds. Also, the financial
support given to me by The GROUP, among others, made it possible for me to continue on with my education beyond the walls
of Otis, and I am greatly indebted to them.”
At Princeton, in addition to keeping up with his studio obligations, Orkand indulged in “a long-neglected craving for an exceptional liberal arts education,” eagerly opting for diverse classes,
from media theory to the study of pirates. With a secret hankering
for the high seas, it’s probably no wonder that he soon found
himself on a research quest, traveling to Iceland on a
Butler Fellowship.
“Iceland had a tremendous effect on me, and my thesis project was definitely born of my experiences there. It was a surreal
experience on a number of levels, and it challenged my usually
rationalistic modes of production and expression. There is something about a never-setting sun and an infinite expanse that can
make any man go a bit crazy.”
How does Orkand not go crazy himself, with all the whipsaw
cross-cultural transitioning that he’s done?
“For some reason it takes little coping on my part. I always
find more similarities than differences between cultures, and the
overwhelming generosity of the people I have met has made it
all the easier. In general, I find that people who are desirous of
more experiences and fewer things seem to really enjoy the world
around them. There’s a lot of beauty out there and it’s not that
hard once you’ve decided to throw yourself in the middle of it.
“I guess I would rather strive for the impossible, which
seems to be inscribed in the education of an architect, going
both broad and deep. An overriding interest in theories/concepts
and rhetoric has definitely helped me mediate between these
spheres though. I am always trying to find balance in my life, but
for some reason I tend to operate at the extremes. I think it is in
the moments when my obsessive desires confront the ‘everyday’
that the most interesting things happen — in the friction between
fantasy and reality, between the real and the virtual.” ●
Top: Aerospace Museum outside Tucson Instructor: Wes Jones Bottom: Downtown L.A. Live-Work Housing Instructor: Richard Lundquist
OMAG 12
13 OMAG
Featured visiting designer
Featured visiting designer
Hakan Tung
Architecture/Landscape/
Interiors student,
Donghia Master
Class Participant
Eva Maddox
Designing for
the Client’s DNA
In the Donghia Master Class, we learned to approach other cultures as
designers. The project challenged us to analyze, investigate, and research
theories for cultural and design problems. Students moved freely around
ideas throughout the course. The team-based method created a friendly
mood in the studio where students almost lived together during the
week. Although it was an intense, short-term program, the project offered
enough time to investigate, theorize, and present. The lectures from
other professors and artists were really valuable, and Eva Maddox made
me more “aware,” and introduced new skills and information.
As Design Principal of Chicago-based Perkins + Will Branded Environments group, interior
designer Maddox begins every project with the question: What’s your organization’s DNA?
An expert in designing work environments for a changing culture, she was the perfect
choice for the Angelo Donghia Foundation’s first Designer-In-Residency at Otis in fall 2008.
Eva directed a select group of Architecture/Landscape/Interiors students in the one-week
Donghia Master Class and presented a public lecture.
Interior design for George & Helen Smith
Athletics Museum,Richard E. Linder Center,
University of Cincinnati
OMAG 14
Maddox believes in a research-based design approach
that identifies and integrates a client’s DNA into tangible
expressions and environments. Among her successes
are interiors, environmental graphics, and/or strategic
branding for DuPont, Haworth, Ogilvy and Mather, along
with many healthcare clients.
In her Otis public lecture, Maddox presented
four major projects. At Chicago State University,
she employed African-American symbols and African
construction methods that were meaningful to the
University community in her design for the student
union. At the University of Cincinnati’s George and
Helen Smith Athletics Museum, she was able to integrate
academics and athletics. For Bank of America’s corporate
headquarters, she faced the issue of changing workplace
habits, including flextime and web commuting.
Recognizing that all employees must be included in
the brand strategy, she created a collaborative
environment that celebrates community activity with
a hub area that brings employees together in a social
space. Over four years, her work with the office
furniture company Haworth has resulted in awardwinning interiors that reflect the company’s commitment
to environmental sustainability. Haworth’s showrooms
in L.A., Dallas, Chicago, D.C., London, Calgary and
N.Y. all express the company’s interest in innovation
and openness.
Donghia Master Class Design Brief
In a global economy, each business, city, or entity has to
put forth its unique attributes and value proposition in order
to be able to compete for a slice of the global market share.
An airport is the gateway to a city, a country, and a culture.
In order to attract more visitors and transfer travelers, the
airport has to be of ultimate functionality and a place where
one would enjoy spending time. It should serve as a homeaway-from-home with all the amenities needed by the
modern traveler, accessible to everyone from every walk
of life and of varied requirements. The airport character
should be infused with local flavor and unique distinctive
attributes from its location.
Three teams of three students each selected Montreal, Mumbai, and Morocco, and researched the culture,
uniqueness, and global market value of each location.
Ysamur Flores-Pena, Ph.D. (Associate Professor, Otis
Liberal Studies), spoke about how cultural identity is
manifested in design in Latin countries. Guest speaker
Merry Norris spoke about the public art program for LAX.
The teams mapped out the ideal experience of each
visitor, creating a narrative that layered cultural significance with visitor “touch points” They then defined the
brand/cultural message and components (pattern, color,
symbols, cultural attributes and sensory experiences).
Mumbai
Students analyzed the Indian culture through the textures, colors
and details that Indian residents use and see every day, and chose
a pattern based on the lotus to organize systems for circulation
and views. Their proposal for the Mumbai Airport Terminal consisted of four levels that overlapped and wove together to merge
tourism with the commercial marketplace. The four levels were
organized systematically and designed to weave their way down,
sequentially merging the tourists, who arrived at the top level and
then descended, into a busy Indian marketplace at the bottom.
Morocco
As one of the most modern countries on the continent, Morocco
has raised its inhabitants’ quality of life over the last 20 years.
The team determined that Morocco needed more educational
opportunities, and created an interactive learning center to serve
as a classroom for children and a museum for adult visitors.
Montreal
Montreal, as a city of innovation, a design capital, and a UNESCO
“City of Design,” presented an ideal situation for exploration
of an unconventional form of the airport terminal. Inspired by
Montreal’s Cirque du Soleil, the team used acrobatic illusions and
interlocking forms suspended over a pool that allows ice-skating
as well as water shows. ●
The Donghia Master Class and Residency
was enormously successful. Students
enrolled in the course were fully engaged
with the new design ideas and practices
that Eva Maddox presented to them.
She directed students through research
and design, using the same steps used
by her firm. Responding to her clear
direction and sequencing, the the students
produced and represented unique,
creative proposals within a very short time.
Linda Pollari, Chair, Architecture/Landscape/Interiors
15 OMAG
Alumni around the world
Alumni around the world
TOKYO
MOSCOW/EKATERINBURG
Russia in Transition
Annetta Kapon (’85)
I spent one night in London at (former faculty member) Susan Barnet’s flat and the next
day we flew to Moscow where we were guests at the Center for Contemporary Art for
two nights.
We had a lovely Soviet-type apartment with two bedrooms,
kitchen, living room, and bath, but the toilet was outside the
apartment. During the day we spent some time in Red Square,
the Kremlin, and Lenin’s mausoleum, and had tea in GUM,
the famous shopping mall.
Our flight from Moscow to Ekaterinburg was four hours late,
so when we arrived we were taken directly to the Ural Gorky
University where we gave talks about our work to the students
of visual studies. The conversation afterwards was more about
how things are in the U.S. than about our work. All of this
was done though an interpreter, who was one of the students.
At the conference, “In Transition: Cultural Identities in the Age
of Transnational and Transcultural Flux,” I presented my work,
and other presentations focused on issues such as a critique of
multiculturalism as official ideology, the new post-Soviet citizen
identity, and gender citizenship. For me the highlight was
going to lunch in the student cafeteria with the graduate women
students from the Germanic Languages department, who had
simultaneously translated the conference talks. I wanted to find
out about what it’s like to grow up in a post-Soviet era, where/
how they live, etc.
Between 1924 and 1991, Ekaterinburg was known as Sverdlovsk, after the Bolshevik leader Yakov Sverdlov. We stayed in the
very nice Central Hotel for four nights. My most vivid memory
will be of the suffocating heat in the room. Every indoor space in
Russia, including the university, is heated to 80 degrees. Outside:
20-30 degrees.
On our last day in Ekaterinburg, we were taken on a tour of
the city’s major monuments: the War Memorial, popularly known
as the Black Tulip, and the famous “Church on the Blood,” on the
site where the last Tsar, Nicholas Romanov, was executed by the
Bolsheviks in 1918. Tsar Nicholas has now been canonized by the
Orthodox Church, and is the object of renewed popular nostalgia
and affection. ●
Editor’s Note: In October 2008, Graduate Fine Arts Assistant Chair
and Professor Annetta Kapon spent six days in Russia to take
part in the exhibition and conference “In Transition Russia,” in
Ekaterinburg, October 16 – November 16. The exhibition was then
shown at Moscow’s National Center for Contemporary Art,
November 22 – December 22.
Blurring the Boundaries
of Photography
Minori Murakami (’96)
I have been based in Tokyo since 2002, working as a photographer with my partner, Zoren.
We are known as Zoren Gold and Minori.
We simply started working together because of our mutual
curiosity in mixing each of our different skills. We hoped to
invent a new aesthetic in photographic imagery. Our desire to
see unborn and unseen imagery has lead us to experiment
with combining photography with other mediums such as
drawings, collage, hand-made props and computer graphics—
the fusion here is one of photography and illustration, digital and
analog. Such manipulation of images made us more optimistic
about modern-day photography in that it is no longer only about
capturing a moment of physical reality.
Our approach to the photography of images is always to
leave room for creativity and for the subjects to remain in a
real or unreal environment. By playing with the images and
improvising with materials, we maintain spontaneity,
which plays a key role in unlocking our fantasies. The image
itself triggers our sense of freedom and allows us to see it
from different angles, combatting our prejudices against any
limited or fixed ideas of reality.
Visuals communicate with us, while awake, as they do when
we dream. Dreams communicate with us beyond any possible
verbal communication. They are beyond logic and often unexplainable within our physical reality—we can’t recall the dream
when we wake up. But, the feeling and the experience of the
dream are quite real and make perfect sense.
When we re-shape and reinvent images, we blur the boundary of real and the unreal. The image no longer belongs to
either of us. It becomes detached and independent, confronting
us with unfamiliar feelings and territories, which exist only
within ourselves. This combination of paradoxes, known and
unknown, surrounds us constantly. ●
www.mi-zo.com
Top right: Cover, Object that Dreams, published by Die Gestalten Verlag
OM A G 2 6
2 7 OM A G
OTIS MONITOR
OTIS MONITOR
On the Other Side of the Looking Glass
Scott Grieger interviews Mario Ybarra, Jr.
S: It really showed. The weird thing about the professor gig is that I can
often tell who is marked to do well in the arts. There are students who
come out of nowhere, and after some struggle do really great, despite
indications to the contrary. I’ve learned that you can never take bets
on who is going to do well. I guess what I’m asking is: What were your
struggles, if any, after you left Otis?
M: When I was in school, I thought of myself as the tortoise, taking my
time and determined to finish the race. The biggest struggle for me
was to wrap my head around all the things I was being exposed to all at
once – the visiting artists, the instructors, etc. I thought: How could I take
that info and make it my own? I always felt like I was a spy trying to steal
information. My peer group was looking at things the same way.
Scott: I remember you vividly in a lower-division drawing class I was
teaching, even though it was years ago. What impressed me about you
was how original you were from the very first assignment. Your drawing
skills were excellent and your unique point of view was sort of “preinstalled.” The project result was far beyond a typical beginning drawing
student. Can you account for this or maybe you don’t remember at all?
Mario: I remember your drawing class like it was yesterday. You allotted
the space for us to do anything we wanted to do. I made little action
figures that were L.A. Mexican gangsters – about a year before the Homies
came out. This was my first understanding that I could be onto something,
that I could pull things out that were happening in the culture. It was a
good way for me to gauge that my ideas were good. At first I was
discouraged because those Homies came out and it was kind of “Oh, that
was MY idea,” but then I gave it a second thought and realized “that’s
cool, I’m still in school and that’s one idea, but I’m going to have a million
ideas. But aside from having a million ideas, I want to find that one idea
that makes me a million dollars. I haven’t gotten there yet, but I’m still
working on it.
S: That’s interesting because my next question is about the strong group
of fellow students you were tight with.
M: It was a tight group for a few reasons – it was competitive, and we
were like dueling banjos or breakdancers trying to outdo each other. I’d
see my friends, like Ruben Ochoa (‘97) and Gajin Fujita (‘97), working in
the wood shop or library. When I saw Ruben’s name on a card in a library
book, I would get mad because I wanted to be there first. It was like a
competition of the nerds.
S: It seems to me that you and some of your peers broke the mold of
a rather old and irksome idea of identity politics and culture wars.
You went over, around or through a type of art world racial stereotyping.
Is this true?
M: At the old Otis campus there was a group called LASO (Latino Artists
Student Organization), and they would do shows at the Luna Sol Café
across the street. By the time we got out of school, we had done all the
basic things we could do related to cultural identity, so that forced us
to figure out what we were going to do on our own, to develop our own
vocabulary and language. We couldn’t rely on Ruben’s gangster toilet
or my action figures any more, so our work had to come from a more
personal space. So we found diverse subject matters.
S: I’ve always had the opinion that a student’s attitude counts in teaching.
What I liked about you was that you seemed to pick up what I was trying
to teach you without a lot of difficulty. Is this true?
M: You really were able to illustrate things in a manner that we young
artists could understand, through metaphor and allegory. I remember a
story that I ripped off and told my students – about intention. A Japanese
screen painter’s intent was to paint 100 black crows in a snowstorm. He
spent a long time painting these highly detailed crows and finally, when
he was done, he splashed white paint all over the screen. Anyone who
saw it would have thought that he ruined the screen with the big splashes
of white paint. But his original intent was to paint those crows in a snowstorm, not just crows by themselves.
S: I have lived long enough to experience students who come back as
teachers. I enjoy seeing that, aside from being reminded of how old I am.
You have returned to Otis to teach. How’s that sitting with you?
M: I think it’s fun to come back and teach. I’m on the other side of the
looking glass from when I was a student. There are cats in trees, and walking cards, and queens that cut off heads, but it’s navigable. I try to guide
students into the looking glass world of being an artist, and help them to
find their individual place in the other world, the art world. Outside the
looking glass, around the corner, over the horizon – there are all kinds of
places to fit in. It’s inspiring to see the students’ projects because they
may be comic book artists or web designers – all these creative paths are
open to them.
S: You had a really great attitude.
M: They say that things that happen to you are 10%, and 90% is the
attitude you have toward the 10% that keeps you going, and I think that
I really wanted to learn. At that time in my life, ten years ago, I was
receptive to new ideas, and that’s what school gave me. All these new
ideas, things to learn, whether practical or conceptual, challenged me.
S: Thanks Mario, it’s been great talking with you. ●
OMAG 16
Editor’s Note: This is excerpted from the first in a series of interviews
that Fine Arts Professor and Program Director of Painting
Scott Grieger conducts with alumni he has taught during his 30 years
at Otis. Read the full interview and see more of Ybarra’s work at
www.otis.edu/alumni/outstanding_alumni/mario_ybarra_jr.html
“I try to guide students into the lookingglass world of being an artist, and
help them to find their individual place
in the other world, the art world.”
Top: Sweeny Tate, 2007 installation at the
Tate Modern, London
Bottom: (detail) Take Me Out . . . No Man
is an Island, 2008 installation at the Art Institute
of Chicago
17 OMAG
OTIS MONITOR
OTIS MONITOR
Creativity is Serious Business
in Southern California
By Beth Wooster
“Art and design education promotes the flexible, adaptive, and
panoramic thinking that fuels an economy in which boundaries between
art and design and other professions are increasingly porous. The only
constant is the importance of nourishing young talent.”
So began the meeting that launched the 2007 Report on the Creative
Economy of the Los Angeles Region. Otis commissioned the report from
the Kaiser Center for Economic Research at the LAEDC to define the
universe of organizations that comprise the creative economy, and to begin
tracking the industries’ influence (such as the large number of indirect jobs
each creative job generates in the Los Angeles region). The goal was to
commission the report annually, and to discuss the findings at a meeting of
educational, business, governmental and civic leaders. The result would
present a compelling case for valuing working artists and designers, as well
as for funding art and design education from an early age.
In October 2008, the second Otis/LAEDC Report on the Creative
Economy of the Los Angeles Region was released. This report found that
the creative industries continued as one of the largest business sectors
in the region, generating nearly $100 billion in sales/receipts in Los Angeles
County and more than $3.8 billion in state tax revenue. It also offered nearly
one million direct and indirect jobs in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
The report also highlighted the fact that the creative industries are
sometimes difficult to quantify in full; the location of self-employed creative
workers, for example, can prove a challenge to even the best economists.
However, there also are changes for the better, such as more precise
data categorization and new data streams that get more to the heart of the
creative workforce’s influence.
Last year also saw the first report from the United Nations on the
global creative economy. In “Creative Economy 2008, The Challenge of
“The creative industries continued as one of
the largest business sectors in the region,
generating nearly $100 billion in sales/receipts
in Los Angeles County and more than $3.8
billion in state tax revenue.”
OMAG 18
Derek Thompson
By George Wolfe
Assessing the Creative Economy: Towards Informed Policy-Making,” the
U.N. researchers discuss the state of the creative economies worldwide,
and suggest what might be done to better establish these economies in
developing countries (such as fortifying their intellectual property laws).
Looking ahead to the third annual Otis/LAEDC Report on the Creative
Economy of the Los Angeles Region in November 2009, it is interesting
to note that the student body currently studying at Otis hails from more
than 30 countries; as such, it serves as a microcosmic view of both these
regional and global creative economic developments. When this diversity
is combined with the rigorous departmental curricula that challenges
these creative individuals to work individually and together in teams,
it is clear how vital Otis’ environment is for sparking new ideas that have
global reach.
In addition, Otis faculty members often extend the boundaries of
studios and classrooms to provide real-world challenges. This semester,
“Future Sensing,” a collaboration between the Human Renaissance
Institute in Tokyo and Otis Product Design, asks students to research and
forecast trends 15 years from now, considering individual and family
lifestyles; community, corporate, educational, and environmental transformations; and the impact of technology, the economy and sustainability on
these factors.
Product Design also began offering a transdisciplinary course with
Loyola Marymount University in 2008, teaming Loyola entrepreneurship
students with Otis product designers to develop a formal business
plan and end product. One such product is a wheelchair that enables the
occupant to swivel the seat and face others without turning the whole
chair. This foray into the more direct development of creative entrepreneurs
has been well received by both students and faculty members at both
institutions, and will continue next year.
It is an exciting time for art and design students, as well as for working
artists and designers, to participate in the creative economy of the Los
Angeles Region, and to spur the development of new creative economies
worldwide. For those who work on behalf of the students at Otis — from
faculty to industry mentors to fundraisers — it is increasingly more meaningful to enter the Colleges’ 91st year by actively nourishing the young
talent who will fuel these creative economies in ways yet to be conceived. ●
Read the full report at www.otis.edu/08report
Editor’s note: On October 1, Otis released its second annual report
on the creative economy, commissioned from the Los Angeles County
Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC). To discuss the findings,
prominent leaders of creative industries and organizations joined
President Hoi at a panel moderated by Val Zavala, KCET Vice President.
Nancy Sidhu, Senior Economist, Kyser Center for Economic Research
(LAEDC) presented the report and answered questions, and panelists
included Michael Alexander, former Chair, California Arts Council; Robert
Eckert, CEO of Mattel; Kelly McDowell, Mayor of El Segundo; Roger
Wyett, President and COO of Hurley; and Laura Zucker, Executive Director
of Los Angeles County Arts Commission. The event was supported by
the California Community Foundation, Dept of Cultural Affairs, Arts for
L.A., Mattel, and Nike.
Left to Right: Laura Zucker, Roger Wyett, Kelly McDowell, Robert Eckert and Michael Alexander
Digging it at Pixar
What are the words a storyboardist like
Derek Thompson (‘94, Illustration) dreads hearing most? Being on a small team at Pixar that
churned out more than 157,000 drawings for
WALL-E, you’d think those words would be:
“Do it over again.” Not so.
“The very nature of the work is rooted in
revisions,” says Thompson. “In the final analysis,
a story artist has to be prepared for any kind of
direction. We have to stay flexible throughout the
production process. Our department probably
has the most potential for revision and change,
but there is an appeal for me in working this way.
Still, there’s a point where there can be no more
storyboarding, and other departments have to
take over, but that tends to be pretty late in the
game. A good deal of the ‘re-writing’ happens
in the story reel, which becomes sort of a visual
script by the end of the process.”
Having done the freelance lifestyle at Dark
Horse Comics, Electronic Arts and Maverick
Studios, Thompson now appreciates the collaborative experience at Pixar (he’s been there
since 2005) that much more, despite the fact that
it’s fraught with a ton of directives and changes.
He observes that being thrown into the mix fills
each day with a sense of excitement in the uncertainty — the unknown factors. “The possibilities
are limitless, and that makes work more exciting!
As a freelancer, you get isolated and thus less
stimulated. I’ve always found I grow more as an
artist when I’m working at a studio.”
The roots of this appeal harken back to his
academically intense and socially tempestuous
years of the early ‘90s, when Otis was still at
the MacArthur Park campus. “Ultimately, apart
from strengthening my creative discipline and
developing critical thinking skills, it’s the totality
of the experience itself that I’m grateful for: the
teachers, fellow students, the courses, and all the
twists and turns.”
“Storyboarding… is like a paleontological dig, where at a certain
point you know you have a dinosaur but you don’t really know
what kind of dinosaur you have yet.”
Andrew Stanton, Director, WALL-E
After graduation, Thompson picked up a slew
of work in various disciplines, and he still appreciates each for what it taught him and for what it
uniquely offers: “Comics are probably one of the
purest of the art forms — very often what you
draw is what’s on the final page. The potential
freedom in content is very appealing, too. If you
want to make your own stories, no one can stop
you. It’s a slower process for me, though, and
the pay wasn’t great relative to the workload and
schedule. Illustration comes with its own variety
of challenges, but I’ve enjoyed it. I liked spending a long time on a single image. You have a
whole different relationship with a piece if you’re
spending 40+ hours on it. And development art
for video games and feature films comes in so
many forms it’s hard to judge it in its totality.
I think the variety inherent in this work has been
great for me and has allowed me to be involved
in a wide range of subject matter.”
Thompson’s eclectic background led him to a
dream job when he was invited to join Industrial
Light and Magic as a concept/storyboard artist,
which culminated in working on Star Wars:
Episode III. He says that the biggest difference
between ILM and Pixar corporate cultures comes
from the nature of the work. “Pixar creates
feature films from the ground up, and therefore
the sense of participation and creative reward is
different than working at a visual effects company like ILM — work is relegated to the VFX parts.
It’s not the total filmmaking experience. That’s
not to say it wasn’t a satisfying and rewarding
work experience, simply different.”
Having been obsessed since age five with
drawing dinosaurs and monsters, Thompson
really connected with boss Andrew Stanton’s
description of storyboarding as “like a
paleontological dig, where at a certain point
you know you have a dinosaur but you don’t
really know what kind of dinosaur you have
yet. Finding out what kind of dinosaur we’re
building is part of what making these things
come to life is all about.”
“I consider storyboarding to be one of
the ultimate hybrid art forms,” adds Thompson.
“To be an effective and successful story artist,
one must wear a lot of hats. The story artist
has to think like a director, actor, editor, cinematographer, production designer, art director,
and more. There needs to be consideration for
all aspects of filmmaking, and then you have
to be able to draw it all and communicate the
ideas visually.”●
Top left: photograph by Debby Coleman
Top right: Story art for WALL-E, 2008 © Disney/Pixar
19 OMAG
COLLEGE NEWS
COLLEGE NEWS
Air Force Base and the Space and Missile Systems
Center (SMC), which is responsible for spacerelated acquisition for the military. El Segundo’s
coastal skyline consists of a Chevron oil refinery, Scattergood Power Plant and the Hyperion
Treatment Plant.
The combination of high-profile industry, vital
infrastructure, and the dramatic contrast between
worker and residential populations makes disaster
preparedness a top priority for the City of El
Segundo. The Fire Department conducts seasonal
CERT training courses, and continually fosters the
development and training of fire personnel to meet
the community’s evolving needs. The city views its
partnership with Otis as an invaluable opportunity
for critical inquiry and responsive design.
Engaging in a significant way with a site
partner allows privileged access to a spectrum
of information and resources. Rather than being
limited to speculative or referential outcomes,
students benefit from direct interaction with the
city’s fire personnel via interviews, conversations
and collaboration.
An excellent example was an open space
analysis completed by student Christine Snelling.
Christine Snelling (below, center). She responded
to the city’s need to accommodate a large nonlocal population in the case of a catastrophic event
by analyzing open space, and identifying and
representing every green space greater than 45,000
square feet. This provocative analysis allowed
for an immediate understanding of the difficulties
faced when large populations must be swiftly
Collaborating
with Catastrophe
By Christopher Michlig
1
In line with projects such as the 2008 Post-Disaster
Design Competition in which New York City
sought innovative provisional housing proposals
in anticipation of a catastrophic coastal storm,
this project engaged in a site-specific, conceptually dynamic approach to disaster design. Students
considered pre-, mid- and post-disaster design
potentials to achieve a diverse range of outcomes.
Rather than focus on a particular type of disaster,
they broadly responded to any catastrophic event
that critically compromises basic city services,
infrastructure, housing and transportation.
The City of El Segundo Fire Department was
the site partner, and played a supportive role by
providing access to privileged information,
resources, and city personnel. Students engaged in
a deep understanding of disaster design in relation
to the particular characteristics of El Segundo.
In addition to a residential population of
16,000, the City of El Segundo is home to 90,000
daytime workers and several large aerospace
companies including Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed
Martin, Northrop Grumman, and The Aerospace
Corporation. It is also home to the Los Angeles
accommodated in urban contexts, and could easily
be adapted for use by emergency service coordinators within the city.
During the course, students eschewed the
conventional, received vernacular of disasters and
emergencies, and gradually developed their own
disaster design-related vocabulary. In one example,
parochial terms such as “warning”, “danger” and
“caution” were substituted with nuanced emoticons such as “(X_X)”, “(@_@)”, “(>_<)”, and “(-.-)zzZ”.
Capitalizing on the communicative power of type
and design, several of these terms were developed
as stencils to facilitate emergency response and
coordination in a disaster scenario, in the likely
event of the failure of existing communication
infrastructure.
Expanding on the standard function of emergency and first aid kits to heal, mend, and minimally sustain basic needs, students integrated cultural
and social comforts and amenities to expand the
conventions of this disaster design niche. Students
broadened their interpretation of first aid kits
to include essential social and cultural comforts
such as yoga mats and couture reinterpretations of
spartan safety equipment. Productively broadening
notions of survival, students reacted energetically
to the notion that regardless of whether individuals have a roof over their head or a door that can
be locked during a catastrophe, many threats exist
to psychological well being.
At the apex of the fall 2008 course, students
participated as victims in a mass-casualty exercise
organized by the El Segundo Fire Department. Set
in and around an abandoned warehouse on the
Raytheon campus, the Fire Department responded
with startling authenticity to a simulated dirtybomb attack. As emergency vehicles arrived and
firefighters began to flood the site, students
wandered in shock, lay moaning in their assigned
positions, vomited apple-cinnamon instant
oatmeal, grasped for their dismembered limbs,
and oozed packages of fake blood – all under
the careful direction of the Fire Department.
This exceptional experience effectively closed the
gap between the speculative and the definite
ways in which design mediates, facilitates, assists,
or impedes such an event.
I was momentarily shaken by the thought
that this scene has been and continues to arise
as a reality for multitudes. How such catastrophes
are prepared for, predicted, mitigated, stopped,
or recovered from is dependent on design in
its rawest and most exacting forms. Insofar as
successful communication is contingent on
successful collaboration and vice versa, the studio
model implemented by Integrated Learning
preemptively acquaints students with the dynamic
level of interaction necessary to establish and
sustain a compelling, legitimate design practice. ●
Editors Note: In interdisciplinary teams, students
in Integrated Learning work with a community
organization, moving beyond the traditional
boundaries of the classroom to respond to community challenges. This year, students have made
dramatic changes in K-12 sustainable education at
the Accelerated Charter Elementary School (ACES);
introduced students to real cultural diversity with
Homeboy and Homegirl Industries, and addressed
environmental and ecological concerns with The
1
Baldwin Hills Conservancy.
(X_X)
WARNING
Bottom left: Douglas Repetto, Fly Away
(Not Going Very Far)
Bottom right: installation view of “The Future
Imaginary” with Deborah Ascheim’s Nostalgia
in foreground
DANGER
(>_<)
(@_@)
Misremembering the
Future at the
Ben Maltz Gallery
By Margo Bistis
2
The Imaginary 20th Century is an archive as story;
history fictionalized before, during, and after the
curatorial fact. Influenced by notions of aperture
and correspondence (already put to use in the
interactive media novel Bleeding Through: Layers
of Los Angeles by Klein, Kratky, and Rosemary
Comella), we settled upon “the space between”
as our working principle. The loose alignment of
archive and story generates a navigational sense
of chance and discovery. The user’s mental
correspondences allow the aperture to create an
organic rhythm. Streaming clusters of variouslysized images leave interstitial spaces that prod the
user to puzzle out the historical contexts, fictional
ironies, and what Klein calls “the misremembering
of the future.” A flat, graphic interface integrates
the various media elements of The Imaginary 20th
Century. Users visually interact with the novel like
they scan an illustrated magazine or newspaper.
Our intention is to echo the dominant visual codes
of the turn of the century, before cinema took
over. Images slide in panels, like maps unfolding.
It was important, therefore, that we allowed
differences in our personalities and collecting
tastes to guide our collaboration. From Klein’s
eclectic book collection, we gathered many of the
database’s best oddities, “gag” images used to add
punch to the episodic tale. Kratky’s taste for the
ordinary photograph and stories about everyday
life buried in daily newspapers brought narrative
flexibility to the archive. My interest in social history and illustration with a satirical edge deepened
the archive’s historical focus and meaning. From
our differences, we evolved four archival types: gag
objects; story objects; history objects; and objects
with visual energy and complexity.
The objects themselves come from a variety
of sources. We combed through private and public
collections of postcards, stereocards, photographs, and films; through illustrated magazines
and newspapers, humor journals, comic albums,
science-fiction, fantasy and utopian socialist
novels, medical texts, and films; through books on
industrial design, architecture, and urban planning. Our research took us far beyond Jules Verne
and H.G. Wells novels into hundreds of eccentric and even perversely ordinary sources. The
emphasis on the ordinariness of material culture
meant that we avoided the fine arts altogether. It
was equally important to steer away from overly
familiar objects that shouted “turn-of-the-century”
or “la belle époque” (a retrospective nostalgic term
coined after World War I). To put it another way,
anything that a commercial database like Corbis
International would be sure to have under these
search terms was off limits.
Our attempt uses archive and the picaresque
form of storytelling as a way of getting to the
bottom of collective anxieties about the coming
of the twentieth century. We mix fact and fiction
to recount the adventures of a clinically depressed
world traveler named Carrie and her quartet of
fumbling admirers. The imaginary twentieth century wobbles on its axis. ●
Editors Note: Curated by Meg Linton, Ben Maltz
Gallery Director, and Tom Leeser, Director of the
Center for Integrated Media at California Institute
of the Arts, The Future Imaginary featured work
by eleven artists who responded to the new interactive DVD novel The Imaginary 20th Century by
Norman Klein, Margo Bistis, and Andreas Kratky.
The story is a journey into comic and perverse
phantoms – factual, and at the same time, very
fictional. It contains a double story: the story of the
century that opened at the Chicago World’s Fair in
1893, and the story of a woman (Carrie), who in 1901,
selects four men to seduce her, each with his own
version of the new century.
2
CAUTION
Emoticons
OMAG 20
21 OMAG
COLLEGE NEWS
Digitizing
Naked Ladies:
My Experience
in Feminist Art
By Sue Maberry
COLLEGE NEWS
3
The Woman’s Building was
the capital of cultural feminism,
where the spiritual and the
political met and rowdily merged
Lucy Lippard, Feminist Activist and Author
Given Otis’ commitment to and leadership in community engagement in education,
we served as an authentic locus for this AICAD exchange regarding artists and
designers as agents of change. I was excited to hear the multitude of initiatives among
diverse peer schools to advance art and design learning through projects of social
change. The symposium has clearly affirmed today’s opportunities to expand the role
of artists and designers in society.
Attending the AICAD symposium re-energized my
practice as an artist, confirming my commitment
to making work that affects others beyond the
small art world. In addition, I was reminded that
the practice of teaching is inherently about creating social change, and I was inspired to continue
to encourage a sense of social responsibility in
my students.
MICHELE JAQUIS
Assistant Professor
and Coordinator,
Artists, Community
& Teaching Program
GWYNNE
KEATHLEY
Associate Provost
YSAMUR
FLORES PENA
Associate Professor,
Liberal Arts and
Sciences
Sustainability was a recurrent theme throughout
the conference and one that art and design colleges cannot afford to shortchange or pigeonhole. Heidrun Mumper-Drumm’s presentation
acknowledged the necessity of design education
to incorporate sustainability by presenting both
liberal arts and studio courses that move far
beyond “recycle, reclaim, reuse.” They promote
critical, reflective quantitative and qualitative
research to reinforce every aspect of the design
process from initial conception to fabrication,
packaging, delivery, and retail.
MARC MEREDITH
Dean of Admissions
and Assistant Vice
President of Enrollment
Management
SAMUEL HOI
President
The symposium was especially timely. Barack Obama
won the election a few days earlier, and the belief in
progress, hope, and change--Shepard Fairey’s call to
arms in his now infamous poster triptych--was palpable.
To my mind, the posters, the president elect, and the
presentations were inseparable, representing a clear
demonstration of the potential of artists and designers
as catalysts for change.
More information is at
https://wikis.otis.edu/AICAD/index.php/Home
OMAG 22
and teach art and design. Presenters addressed sustainability, change,
community, ethics, and empowerment, and suggested strategies from research
and cross-disciplinary collaboration to relational thinking, systems-oriented
approaches, and reflection and inquiry as ways to grapple with these
issues in our classrooms. Patricia Moore, renowned gerontologist and designer,
and Mel Chin, internationally-noted conceptual visual artist whose work
springs from social, political and cultural issues, presented keynote addresses
that were both memorable and exemplary. ●
Otis faculty and staff who attended the event shared the following thoughts about the conference and its potential influence:
PARME GIUNTINI
“Pink,” 1975 poster designed by Sheila de Bretteville,
Founder, Otis Communication Arts Program
Otis and Art Center co-hosted an Association of Independent Colleges of
Art and Design (AICAD) symposium entitled, “Artists and Designers as Agents
for Change” in early November for more than 80 faculty members from the
36 AICAD member schools. The goal of these symposia, organized annually
by AICAD’s chief academic officers, is to share best practices and address
emerging concerns in the education of artists and designers. Otis Provost
John Gordon and Art Center Dean Mark Breitenberg organized a compelling
array of presentations that explored a range of initiatives and practices
that brought real-world issues to bear on the ways we understand, practice
Director of Art History,
Liberal Arts and Sciences
3
4
By Gwynne Keathley
KERRI STEINBERG
Just this year, Otis received a grant from the
Getty to help organize an exhibition about the
WB for the Ben Maltz Gallery in 2012. As part of
the Getty-sponsored “Pacific Standard Time,” Meg
Linton will curate an exhibition about the impact
of the Woman’s Building, and contextualize its
artists, exhibitions, and activities within the development of the Southern California art scene. With
grant funding, scholars in residence will consider
the impact of the flow of artists and designers through various organizations and colleges,
including Otis. For instance, Sheila de Bretteville
taught in the first feminist art program at Cal Arts,
went on to co-found the Woman’s Building, and
then moved on to found Otis’ Communication
Arts Program in the early 1980s. Cindy Marsh and
Susan King were very involved in the WB, and later
directed Otis’ Communication Arts and Book Arts
programs (respectively). Suzanne Lacy participated
in the earliest Fresno Feminist Art Program, and
went on to CalArts where she met de Bretteville.
Suzanne then founded the Performance Studies
Program at the WB, and is now Chair of Otis
Graduate Public Practice. Leslie Labowitz-Starus
received an MFA from Otis, went on to work at the
WB, and collaborated with Lacy on some of her
major public projects.
The scholars include: Vivien Green Fryd, Art
History, Vanderbuilt University; Alexandra Juhaz,
Media Studies, Pitzer College; Jennie Klein, Chair,
Art History, Ohio University; Michelle Moravec,
History, Rosemont College; and Jenni Sorkin, Art
Historian, Curatorial Associate at Yale who worked
on MOCA’s 2007 exhibition “Wack!: Art and the
Feminist Revolution.” Otis Faculty Advisors include
Debra Ballard, Meg Cranston, Marlena Donohue,
Parme Giuntini, Gwynne Keathley, Suzanne Lacy,
Kali Nikitas, and Kerri Steinberg. ●
Educating Change Agents
Associate Professor,
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, the art scene in
Los Angeles was home to an exceptionally strong
feminist art movement. I moved to L.A. to work
within a major hub of this activity—the Woman’s
Building (WB), a public center for women’s culture.
It changed my life.
According to feminist activist and author
Lucy Lippard, “The Woman’s Building was the
capital of cultural feminism, where the spiritual
and the political met and rowdily merged. It was
an off-center center, defying the marginalization
of women’s lives and arts.” It was the center of
my world for eleven years, the space where I met,
heard, and interacted with world-renowned artists,
writers, and designers. Out of that community, my
closest lifelong sister-friendships emerged. And,
it was there that I met my life partner of 30 years.
It was artmaking as adventure.
One day, I was riding in the back of a hearse
followed by a motorcade—nine of us, transformed
into 8’-tall figures completely draped in black. We
each represented a victim of the Hillside Strangler.
Somberly, we emerged from the hearse and proceeded to the steps of City Hall. As shutters clicked
and cameras rolled, one by one we approached
the microphone and delivered our message: “In
memory of our sisters, we fight back.” This was
a new type of performance staged for the news
media by Suzanne Lacy, Leslie Labowitz (’72), and
Bia Lowe, as a public ritual of rage as well as grief.
Another day, I found myself naked on a hilltop
in Malibu and, hours later, in a pile of rubble in
downtown L.A., covered in mud, my head encased
in a papier mâché mask and huge headpiece. I was
portraying the Venus of Willendorf for a gigantic
video to be projected 12’ high over a church altar
in Cheri Gaulke’s MOCA-sponsored performance
piece. It took weeks for the bug bites to heal.
But one of my fondest memories is a project
that Cheri and I dreamed up while in an altered
state. Kate Millet had created several massive
sculptures called “Naked Ladies” while an artist
in residence at the WB. After the exhibition, all
except one had found homes. It was just hanging
around, taking up storage space. The structure that
the WB rented was a beautiful three-story red brick
building in a remote industrial part of downtown.
We thought it would be fun to hoist that sculpture
to the top of that building where she could serve
as a beacon to women all over the city. Surpisingly,
we convinced Leslie Labowitz, then PR Director,
that it was a good idea.
Although made out of fiberglass, the sculpture
was huge, unwieldy, and very heavy. Cheryl
Swannack, who was great at construction, rigged
ropes and pulleys and figured a method to secure
it. We got Kate to agree, organized the women,
and invited the press. It was absolutely terrifying to
watch this massive sculpture rise up three stories,
until it was finally tied there, leaning slightly
out over the front door. Somehow it all worked.
The event was covered by all the evening TV
news programs, and on the L.A. Times front page.
By the late 1980s, the funding for artists’
organizations was drying up. In addition, the need
for separate women’s organizations had subsided.
When the WB announced its closure, I was
working at Otis as Director of the Library. The
Smithsonian Archives of American Art acquired all
the WB documents and papers but they didn’t
want the slide collection. I brought it to Otis with
the intention of taking care of it until an appropriate home could be found. Over the years, I have been able to obtain
some funding to support this archive. In 1997, as
part of the “Faces of L.A.” Project, Getty funding
enabled the digitization of 1500 slides that are now
part of Otis Library’s Digital Collections Online.
I left with a set of provocative questions:
How can cultural anthropology contribute to help our students make the
linkages they need to transition between the studio and the academic field?
How can Liberal Arts and Sciences be a platform to develop a dialogue
between fields? Are there tools that can be applied cross-culturally to better equip our students to compete in the global arena? How can I inform
myself on the philosophical issues posed in the studio worlds to make our
courses more viable?
For me, Mel Chin’s keynote
presentation was THE highlight.
He was funny and engaging — all
while presenting sobering data
about the plight of New Orleans.
His Operation Paydirt is brilliant.
The next time someone questions
why art matters, I’m sending them
straight to Mel Chin.
Leslie Becker’s visual presentation and complementary text convincingly argued that sustainability must
include an ethical awareness of the role of the image
in the landscape and culture of consumption. I was
impressed with her argument that teaching students
to think critically and comprehensively about the
impacts of their work (in human lifestyles and the
environment) may lead to an increased ability to position socially-relevant work at the center rather than
the margin of design practices.
Provost John Gordon summarized the impact of this three-day gathering of AICAD faculty: “Dean
Breitenberg and I were delighted with the focus and intensity of this year’s symposium, which was timed
to immediately follow the U.S. election. Artists and designers may once have been relegated to the sidelines of the economy and our society, but this national symposium demonstrated clearly that our graduates now have the opportunity to play key leadership roles in creating a more sustainable and equitable
future for our nation and the world that we share with so many remarkable cultures and traditions. The
“take-away” from this conference for both our faculty and our students was: “Aim High.”
23 OMAG
COLLEGE NEWS
Can We Teach
Creativity?
By Katie Phillips
COLLEGE NEWS
5
As artists and designers, we tend to think of
creativity as particular to our domain. Creativity
is primary to our way of thinking, making and
producing, and basic to the success of any designer
or artist. In reality, creativity is present, to a greater
or lesser degree, in all humans. It is present in
our genetic structure from the moment of conception, and like all genetically based traits, can be
enhanced by learning.
Creativity is the ability to solve problems with
novel responses, to think beyond current information to construct new problems or re-contextualize
current problems. It is creativity that allowed
individuals in the history of our species to solve
problems of everyday survival. Consequently,
creativity evolved as a standard part of our genetic
heritage. Although we share the ability to create
with our primate relatives, the creative ability
is far stronger in humans than in other primates,
and it reaches into all areas of human behavior.
The creative instinct allowed Obama’s
campaign team to solve problems in new ways
via the Internet. Human creativity will allow us to
become free from our dependence on fossil fuels,
and creativity will enable us to design new ways
of living on this crowded planet. It is important to
keep in mind that humans can create for ill as
well as for good and, in fact, all human endeavor is
moved forward by our creative ability.
a tradition of teaching creativity. Since the early
1950s, artists and designers who are teachers have
learned best practices from experience and generations of teachers.
Research in psychology has also provided
support in expanding our ideas about creativity.
Researcher and synthesizer Robert J. Sternberg has
developed the widely accepted Triarchic Theory
of Human Intelligence, wherein he posits that
analytical intelligence is only one part of human
intelligence. In successful people, it is balanced
by creative and practical intelligence. Each one
of these abilities must be present for a person to
function at a high level. For the first time, research
equates creativity with analytical intelligence (such
as that measured by traditional IQ tests).
Sternberg also believes “that to a large extent
creativity is a decision.” One might think that
students attending a college of art and design had
made the decision to be creative. After all, 89.8% of
incoming Otis students surveyed considered “creating artistic work” an essential objective for their
college experience.
Ah, if it was only that easy! As it turns out,
Sternberg’s belief that “creativity is a decision” is
based on the student’s decision to learn a confluence of skills, including new ways to acquire
knowledge of their “chosen domain,” and to develop what Sternberg calls the intrinsic, task-focused
motivation also essential to creativity. As Malcom
Gladwell, a keen cultural observer, has pointed out:
Few perform at high levels without the investment
of approximately ten thousand hours of practice.
Teresa Amabile, in her article “Beyond Talent,”
states that “people will be most creative when they
are motivated primarily by interest, enjoyment,
satisfaction and challenge of the work itself.” As
educators in design and art, it is our job not only
Creativity is the ability to solve problems with novel
responses, to think beyond current information to construct
new problems or re-contextualize current problems.
So creativity is far broader than its application
to the arts. Almost by default, art colleges and
university art departments have become leaders
in teaching creativity and educating creative
problem solvers.
Given the importance of creativity in human
achievement, it is interesting to note that few
disciplines are committed to enhancing creativity.
While many disciplines now focus education solely
on teaching analytical skills, the visual arts have
to teach the discipline, but also to develop an educational environment that supports learning and
motivation, and challenges students to work hard
to become their best creative selves.
To this end, last fall, faculty members Linda
Hudson, Scott Grieger, and Andy Davis spoke at an
informal colloquium about teaching and learning
creativity at Otis. Excerpts from Hudson’s presentation follow:
After all, 89.8% of incoming
Otis students surveyed considered “creating artistic work”
an essential objective for their
college experience.
––– ♦ ♦ ♦ –––
For many years, I’ve studied creativity; the
creative process, as a topic unto itself, an integral
part of art and design, but not exclusively so.
Can creativity be taught? After witnessing
the transformation that can occur when students
discover that they can develop and hone creative
practice skills, I began speaking directly to this
issue at the Foundation (first-year) level. Five years
later, I saw students integrating their newfound
abilities to organize their thinking in a conscious
way in order to dramatically change their way of
looking at their methods.
Initially talking about thinking and creative
acts can be difficult. The cultural myth of genius
is one of the key reasons I believe that we talk
around the topic of thinking or creating. Whether
one believes that talent is God-given or lucky DNA,
society has a tacit agreement that thinking and
being creative happen naturally for some people
and not for others.
We are wary to examine our thinking/creative
process. Perhaps we fear that if we examine our
own creative powers too closely, we might learn
that we aren’t one of the chosen few! Or that if
we are among the fortunate, looking at our abilities
might jinx our chances for future innovation.
But once students do meta-cognitive exercises
and see how this affects their thinking methods,
most see that thinking about thinking can be beneficial — a skill to develop. Being a thinker conscious
of the cognitive process helps students learn the
distinctions, processes and types of creative thinking awareness. Learning to recognize the distinct
stages of the creative process, and the constant
juggling and overlap of intuitive process — along
with the constant juggling and overlap of intuitive
processes with critical viewing and contemplation
— brings home the idea that being creative is a
process, not only an act.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,one of my favorite
writers, has done research whereby his
subjects ultimately attribute their achievements
to their ability to enter their own creative space,
and describe the challenge and pleasure they
experience. These talented people have honed
their abilities to learn to rely on their own
creative practice. Taking this research to heart,
many students understand that they too can
cultivate habits and design situations to access
their peak experience more quickly.
John Cage said: “Value judgments are destructive to our proper business, which is curiosity
and awareness.” We try to develop critical thought
without becoming entrapped in judgment. ●
Praise in
public,
admonish
in private
The job
is to deliver
reality
Come to
do the
job—
nothing
else
Show up
overprepared
Pay
attention
Be
straight
Show,
don’t tell
Be on time
every time
Fool them
into
becoming
their better
selves
Magnificent
Failure is
as good
as an “A”
Teach by
example
Practice
compassionate
humor
If it’s
serious,
walk and
talk them
around
the block
Give the answers
(dispatch advice
and tell it straight)
Buy them
lunch if
they need it
Laugh at
them all
the time
You’re going
to get some
on you
Be
reliable
Let them
know you
are proud
of them
Scott Grieger, Fine Arts Professor and Director of Painting,
has developed these rules for teaching during his 30 years
of teaching at Otis.
OMAG 24
25 OMAG
ALUMNAE
ALUMNUS
ALUMNI
ALUMNA
CLASS NOTES
CLASS NOTES
This is a small sampling of recent alumni accomplishments. To keep up with
Otis’ ever-active alumni, and to see the fully illustrated digital newsletter,
click on ONEWS at www.otis.edu/alumni To submit news and images, contact
Sarah Russin, Director of Alumni Relations, at [email protected] or call
her at (310) 665-6937.
Danh Tran (’06 Fashion Design)
Soloists, Entrepreneurs, Entertainers,
Cool Designers, Award-Winners,
In Print, In Memoriam
Soloists
John Mason
’57 Fine Arts
Recent Sculpture, Frank Lloyd
Gallery, Bergamont Station,
Santa Monica
Ken Price
’57 Fine Arts
L.A. Louver, Venice
Lawrence Wallin
’64 Fine Arts
“Oceano Romantico,”
Terminal One, LAX
Leslie Labowitz-Starus
’72 MFA Fine Arts
“The Performing Archive,”
Akademie fur Bildene Kunst,
Berlin, collaborative multi-media
installation with Suzanne Lacy,
Chair, Otis Public Practice.
Founder: Foodology
Harrison Storms
’72 MFA Fine Arts
Johns Canyon, PS Zask Gallery,
Rancho Palos Verdes
John Taye
’72 MFA Fine Arts
Figurative Art, Runyan Gallery,
Newport Visual Arts Center,
Newport, OR
OMAG 28
Larry Fodor
’73 Fine Arts
Koan Boxes: Paintings by
Lawrence Fodor, Lannan
Foundation Gallery, Santa Fe
Michael Knight
’73 MFA Fine Arts
TAG Gallery, Santa Monica
Hilary Baker
’76 MFA Fine Arts
“About Abstraction,”
Guggenheim Gallery,
Chapman University, Orange
Karla Klarin
’77 MFA Fine Arts
“Karla Klarin Paintings &
Drawings,” Schomburg Gallery,
Bergamot Station, Santa Monica
Joe Potts
’77 Fine Arts
“Mogility,” Side Street Projects,
L.A.
Marcus Villagran
’77 MFA Fine Arts
“Now & Then Sculpture by
Marcus Javier Villagrán,” Art Space
at AK Restaurant + Bar, Venice
Yoella Razili
’78 BFA, ’81 MFA Fine Arts
LA Artcore, Union Center for the
Arts, L.A.
Stuart Arends
’81 MFA Fine Arts
“Six A-Squares and One Large
Wedge, New Aluminum
Works,” Björn Ressle Fine Arts,
N.Y.; Works 1997-2008, Studio
Dabbeni, Lugano, Italy
Alison Saar
’81 MFA Fine Arts
Rochester Contemporary Art
Center, Rochester, N.Y.
Mark Dean Veca
’85 Fine Arts
“Painting, Wall Drawings and
Collaborations,” Art Gallery,
University of San Diego
Elisabeth Condon
’86 Fine Arts
“Windows Project,” GrantPirrie
Gallery, Sydney, Australia;
Lesley Heller Gallery, N.Y.
Cindy Kolodziejski
’86 Fine Arts
“New Work,” Frank Lloyd Gallery,
Bergamot Station, Santa Monica
Steve Roden
’86 Fine Arts
“Recent Works,” Susanne
Vielmetter L.A. Projects,
Culver City
Ann Gooding
’87 MFA Fine Arts
LA Artcore, Union Center
for the Arts, L.A.
John Kilduff
’87 Fine Arts
Jancar Gallery, Chinatown, L.A.
Tim Biskup
’88 Fine Arts
“O/S (Operating System) New
Paintings, Sculptures & Prints,”
Addict Galerie, Paris
Bari Kumar
’88 Communication Arts
“Foreign Bodies,” Bose Pacia
Kolkata, Kolkata, India;
“In Transit,” Grosvenor Gallery,
London
Darren Waterston
’88 Communication Arts
“The Fourfold Sense,” Gallery 16,
San Francisco; “Aurora,” Michael
Kohn Gallery, Beverly Hills
Warren Keating
’89 Communication Arts
“Overview,” M.J. Higgins Fine Art
Gallery, L.A.
Chris Sicat
’90 Communication Arts
“Tag a Log,” Space 47, San Jose
Yong Sin (‘95 Fine Arts)
Cynthia Hoey (‘88 Fashion Design)
Robert Dobbie (‘01 Communication Arts)
Carmine Iannaccone
’93 MFA Fine Arts
“Usable Histories,” Solway Jones
Gallery, L.A.
Vincent Ramos
’02 Fine Arts
“Motown Took Us There and
Motown Brought Us Back,”
Crisp, L.A.
Susan Wesley ASID, CID
’83 Environmental Design
Owner: Wesley Design Inc.,
high-end residential, retail and
commercial interior design
Meggie White
’06 Fashion Design
Owner: Meggie boutique, Union
Street, San Francisco
Hazel Mandujano
’03 Fine Arts
Otis Millard Sheets Library, L.A.
Cynthia Hoey
’88 Fashion Design
Founder/Designer:
Cyn & Luca N.Y.
Entertainers
Yong Sin
’95 Fine Arts
“This is the Same, but Different,
Part II,” Andrew Shire Gallery,
L.A.
Sandeep Mukherjee
’96 Fine Arts
Sister gallery, L.A.
Ruben Ochoa
’97 Fine Arts
“Collapsed,” Peter Blum Gallery,
N.Y.
Otino Corsano
’00 MFA Fine Arts
“4 Grids,” p/m Gallery, Toronto
Patrick Hill
’00 MFA Fine Arts
David Kordansky Gallery,
Culver City
Robert Dobbie, aka Bob Dob
’01 Communication Arts
“New Paintings by Bob Dob,”
Billy Shire Gallery, Culver City
Sabine Dehnel
’01 MFA Fine Arts
“Ailleurs/Elsewhere,” Galerie
Esther Woedehoff, Paris
Cristy Thom
’01 Fine Arts
“Tacky Hawaiian Tourist Items,”
Flazh!Alley Studio, San Pedro
Wendy Given
’02 MFA Fine Arts
“No Man’s Land,”
photographic installation,
Solomon Projects, Atlanta
Timothy Tompkins
’03 Fine Arts
DCKT Contemporary, N.Y.;
“Temporal Arcadia - When the
Past Becomes Present,”
Studio La Citta, Verona, Italy
Nate Frizzell
’06 Communication Arts
“Put on a Happy Face,” Cerasoli:
LeBasse Gallery, Culver City
Michael Brunswick
’07 Fine Arts
“In Motion,” Lora Schlesinger
Gallery, Bergamot Station,
Santa Monica
Kathrin Burmester
’07 MFA Fine Arts
“Tour,” Seeline Gallery,
Santa Monica
Michelle Wiener
’08 MFA Fine Arts
“If I do what you tell me, will
you love me?” with Tucker Neel
(’07 MFA), Samuel Freeman
Gallery, Bergamot Station,
Santa Monica
Entrepreneurs
Dick Termes
’71 MFA Fine Arts
“Up Down and All Around,”
Hands-On Partnership for
Science, Literature and Art, S.D.
Mita Wardhana
’89 Fashion Design
Owner: Flush Floral, specializing
in orchids, San Francisco
Nena Amsler
’92 Fine Arts
Owner: Haus Gallery, Pasadena
Sonia Boyajian
’01 Fashion Design
Sonia Boyajian Jewelry, featured
at Comme des Garcons guerrilla
store, L.A.
Robert Apodaca
’03 Architecture/Landscape/
Interiors, Owner/Designer, Fifth
Floor Gallery, Chinatown, L.A.
Kristin DuCharme
’89 Fine Arts, ’05 MFA Fine Arts
Owner/Instructor:
Fireworks Studio, fine arts glass
workshops, supplies and
fundraising projects, L.A.
Vam Moua
’06 Communication Arts
Fashion graphics “Origins,”
featured at H.H.H. Metrodome,
Minneapolis
Robbie Cavolina
’87 Fine Arts
Producer/Director: Anita O’Day:
Life of a Jazz Singer
Scott Holmes
’93 Communication Arts
“Tooth-fairy” and “Wink”
sequences from Hellboy II:
The Golden Army, Dark Horse
Entertainment
Ellen Hee-Jung Jin Over
’96 Communication Arts
Art Director, Tinkerbelle and
the Lost Treasure, Disney. Giant
tea pot at “Pixie Hallow Meet
and Greet,” Disneyland, Anaheim
Terrance Zdunich
’98 Communication Arts
Co-Creator/Screenwriter and
Actor: Repo: Opera, live show
and film screened in L.A. and N.Y.
Manasi Patel Ashish
’06 Digital Media
Assistant Coordinator, Avatar,
James Cameron’s film releasing
December 2009.
Michael Tavarez
’08 Digital Media
Director: “Street Fighter” music
video with Otis alumni crew:
Assistant Director, Lauren Piper
’08 Digital; Lighting Director,
Matt Stone ’09; Make-up/
Wardrobe, Krysta Olson ’08 Fine
Arts; and Lead Gaffer, Yanko
Sanchez ’08 Digital Media
29 OMAG
CLASS NOTES
CLASS NOTES
Right: Top to Bottom
Richard Evans (‘45 Fine Arts)
Morgan Cuppet-Michelson
(‘08 Fine Arts)
Ralph Bacerra ceramic piece
Jesus Aguilar (‘08 Architecture/Landscape/Interiors)
Cool Designers
Rey Aldaco
’92 Environmental Design
Senior Architectural Graphic
Specialist: P+R Architects for
The Americana at Brand,
Glendale, CA; Bella Terra in
Huntington Beach; The Lakes
at Thousand Oaks
Blaine Fontana
’02 Communication Arts
“In My Absence – An Emerald
City Homecoming,” Vans Mural
Project, Snowboard Connection,
Seattle
You Sun Hwang and
Sondra Wiener
’03 Toy Design
Designers: “Littlest Pet Shop,”
Hasbro Inc, Pawtucket, R.I.
Krisztianna (Ecsedy) Ortiz
’03 Communication Arts
Art Director, BLT and Associates,
Hollywood
Stephanie Burkart
’06 Fashion Design
Designer: Versace VJS, Italy. Former Assistant Designer: Akris,
St. Gallen, Switzerland
Danh Tran
’06 Fashion Design
Head Designer at Howe, Personal
Jesus suit, available at Nordstrom,
featured on an L.A. Times blog
Yu Kito
’07 Communication Arts
Designer: Big Machine Design,
Burbank
OMAG 30
Jesus Aguilar
’08 A/L/I
Design Assoc., The Los Angeles
Design Group.
Environmental Graphic Designer,
“Surefoot N.Y.” flagship store
Bita Rad
’08 Fashion Design
Stylist/Designer for
The Jonas Brothers
Kali Fontecchio
’08 Digital Media
Concept Artist: John K.
Enterprises (creator of
Ren & Stimpy), Encino
Award-Winners
Gayle Gale
’81 MFA Fine Arts
“Kids For Peace,” collaborative mural arts program and
special project of the Dalai Lama
Foundation. Winner of the 2001
Fete d’Excellence Gold Medallion
of Excellence
In the Land of Retinal Delights: The Juxtapoz Factor
Lincoln Smith
’07 Digital Media
Visual Effects Supervisor: Side
Effect, awarded Best Short Film,
Oldenburg International Film
Festival, Germany, and 2nd place
U.K.’s premiere horror film
festival “Dead by Dawn,” Scotland
In Print
Jeffrey Vallance
’81 MFA Fine Arts.
Relics and Reliquaries, published
by Grand Central Press
Judy Freya Sibayan
’84 MFA Fine Arts
Publisher/Editor:
Journal of Contemporary Art
online publication
Tracy Cheney
’85 Communication Arts
Co-author: The Pitiful Gardener’s
Handbook: Successful Gardening
in Spite of Yourself
Cindi Hron (Harper)
’87 Fine Arts
Fellowship for Drawing and
Works on Paper, Pennsylvania
Council on the Arts, Harrisburg
Rich Morrison
’85 Communication Arts
Author/Illustrator: Search for
the Flying Fish: the Incredible
Journey of Einstien, Aggro
and Swoops, a children’s book
published by CreateSpace
Nick Fedak II
’88 MFA Fine Arts
Juror’s First Award: “New York
Photowork ’08,” curated by
Donna Ruskin (ICP), Barrett Art
Center, Poughkeepsie
Hideko Takahashi
’97 Communication Arts
Illustrator: The Peace Bell,
Henry Holt and Company
Chris Oatey
’06 MFA Fine Arts
Durfee Foundation Artist
Resource for Completion grant.
Press: NY Arts Magazine
Tofer Chin
’02 Fine Arts
Photographer: Vacation
Standards, published by Rojo.
Exhibition: “All That We Have
Left,” Ghettogloss, L.A.
Barbara Maloutas
’02 MFA Writing
First place, Sawtooth
Poetry Prize, 2008 for
The Whole Marie, Ahsahta Press,
Boise State University
C.S. Reid
’03 MFA Writing
Freelance writer, educator, and
musician. Work featured in
“Poems-For-All, The Truth About
the Fact:” International Journal
of Literary Nonfiction Anthology,
Monkeybicycle, 1097 Magazine,
Blue Fifth Review, Shadowtrain,
Word Salad, Apt, and Raven
Poetry: Online Poetry Journal; and
a poetry chapbook, Walking Near
the Precipice (Lily Press)
Annie Buckley
’03 MFA Fine Arts
Editor in Chief,
Artweek Magazine
Chin Ko
’06 Digital Media
Designer: Visual Development,
PDI/ Dreamworks Feature:
“The Making of Star Wars
‘The Force Unleashed’”
Michelle “Mia” Araujo
’07 Communication Arts
Feature: “Emerging Artist:
Michelle ‘Mia’ Araujo,”
Juxtapoz Magazine
Wendy Park and Issac Choi
’08 Digital Media
Cover art and two-page spread,
Axis Magazine, Toyko
Kathleen Ahmanson passed
away in late December.
A passionate supporter of
Otis for over 35 years, she held
the distinction of being the
longest-serving Board member,
having been appointed as a
member in 1972. In the same
year she was one of four
founding members of THE
GROUP, an active support organization that continues to provide
annual scholarships. Kathy was a steadfast supporter through
the challenges Otis faced in the 80s and early 90s. When Otis
separated from Parsons and became an independent, private
college in 1991, the Board was restructured into the Board
of Trustees and the Board of Governors. Kathy’s commitment
was so strong that she chose to serve on both Boards, and
continued as an active member until her health prevented her
from regular participation. Her memory lives on each time
our students, faculty, and staff pass under her name on their
way in and out of the Kathleen Holser Ahmanson building.
In Memoriam
Walter Gabrielson
’65 Fine Arts
California artist passed away at
the age of 73. An obituary
by Suzanne Muchnic appeared
in the Los Angeles Times.
Alan Garrett
’66 Communication Arts
Passed away on September 19,
2008 after a long battle against
hemochromatosis. He is
survived by his mother, Loa Jane
Meyer of Oregon.
Curated by Meg Linton, Director of Otis’ Ben Maltz Gallery, and
Museum Director Bolton Colburn; Laguna Art Museum,
June 22 – October 5, 2008. Artists: Richard Evans ’45, Anthony
Ausgang ’83, Sandow Birk ’89, Tim Biskup ’88, Andrew Brandou
’90, Gajin Fujita ’97, Camille Rose Garcia ’92, Bari Kumar ’88,
Masami Teraoka ’68, Jeffrey Vallance ’81, Mark Dean Veca ’85
and Peter Zokosky ’81
“When It’s a Photograph,” curated by Fine Arts Interim
Clio Chafee
’99 Communication Arts
Passed away on January 3, 2009.
Funeral was held in Providence,
R.I. She was a graphic designer
for a Boston architecture
firm. Her friends remember
her as a brilliant woman and
gifted designer.
Dominic Ambriz
’02 Toy Design
Passed away in August 2008
from brain cancer. He had
most recently worked as a
Senior Designer at Mattel. Program Director in Photography Soo Kim, Bolsky Gallery, Otis,
L.A. November 1-25, 2008. The exhibition included work by three
alumni: Morgan Cuppet-Michelson ’08, Yanina Spizzirri ’05, and
Carly Steward ’03. The exhibition and catalogue were supported
by the Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation, Nancy Berman
and Alan Bloch.
“Influences: A Survey Exhibition
of Contemporary Ceramics of
Southern California,” dedicated to
Ralph Bacerra (1938-2008), Beckstand
and Walker Galleries, Palos Verdes Art
Center, November 21, 2008 – January
11, 2009, included Keiko Fukazawa ’86,
Jerry Rothman ’61, and Porntip
Sangvanich ’87 and Paul Soldner ’57
31 OMAG
CLASS NOTES
Lawrence Wallin
(’66 MFA)
When I went to Otis it was Otis Art Institute of Los Angeles
County, and the tuition was very affordable. In the current
economic situation, unless a student has a generous source
of income, graduation means facing a large debt, making it
difficult to take the time to find oneself artistically. I would
like to help today’s students have the opportunity I had.
Giving for the Future
The calendar year-end was an exceptional time
for Otis. Like Lawrence Wallin, you probably
received a letter from Kent Twitchell (’77 MFA)
or a phone call asking you to support the
O-Fund, Otis’ Annual Fund. The O-Fund is the
foundation of all giving, supported by alumni,
parents, and friends of the college, renewable
on a yearly basis. Most gifts made to the O-Fund
are unrestricted, which means they can be used
where the need is the greatest; currently that
need is in student scholarships and financial aid.
Not only does the O-Fund help provide
scholarships and financial aid, it also helps
improve campus infrastructure, upgrade
technology in our labs, and support the work of
our acclaimed faculty. We are happy to report that you, our
generous alumni, parents, and friends heeded
our calls and helped us set records never before
seen at Otis! With your generosity through
the mail and our phone outreach program we
were able to:
• Increase our alumni participation rate by a
staggering 500%!
• Increase our leadership giving
• Secure a match challenge slated to increase
our participation rate by another 500%!
(see details in side bar)
On behalf of all the students at Otis College
of Art and Design, thank you for your support
and generosity!
OMAG 32
However, we have some more work to do
before the end of our fiscal year, June 30, 2009.
You might be surprised to know that tuition does
not cover the total cost of an Otis education;
in fact, tuition covers 80% of what it really takes
to educate one student at Otis. The rest is made
up from individual contributions to the O-Fund,
from supporters like you! Alumni gifts to the
O-Fund are especially important because they
also help improve our alumni participation rate.
When making their philanthropic support
to colleges and universities across the country,
corporations and foundations base their primary
support decision on one important number:
the number of alumni who give back to their
alma mater. Every gift from an alumnus or
alumna, no matter the size, helps us improve our
participation rate. Yes, that means your gift of
$5, $10, $20, $100 or more makes a significant
difference each and every year!
If you haven’t made your gift yet, please
visit www.otis.edu/givenow and make your gift
on our secure online giving form and help shape
Otis’ future.
For more information or to make your
gift over the phone, please call Andre
Khachtourians, Annual Giving Manager at
(310) 665-6869 or [email protected].
The ��� for ���k
Challenge
We are pleased to announce that
alumni Dawn (Teitelbaum) Baillie (’86
Communication Arts), Sally (Merz) Layden
(’89 Communication Arts), Nancy Newberg
(’84 Fashion Design), Lowell and Wilda
Northrop (’67 Fine Arts), and Cassidy Park
(’88 Fashion Design) have been so
impressed by the recent surge in giving
that they have offered to give a combined
gift of $20,000 to the O-Fund. In order for
us to receive the challenge gift, we need to
secure 200 new donors to the O-Fund! The
200 for $20k Challenge ends June 30, 2009!
To make your gift, please visit our secure
site: www.otis.edu/givenow. You can track
the progress at www.otis.edu/200for20k.
PROGRESS BAR
180/200 donors as of April 20
Last October, Otis celebrated its 90th anniversary at Homecoming Weekend (without the
football). Alumni from the 1950s to recent
grads, as well as parents and former faculty
members, attended. Mark Dean Veca (’85 Fine
Arts) created Phantasmagoria, a site-specific
installation for the Ben Maltz Gallery and Bruce
Yomemoto (’79 MFA) was commissioned
to produce the video installation Simulations,
which premiered during the weekend. Ed Engel
(’88 Communication Arts) showed his enthusiasm by traveling from St. Louis, and designed
a 17-ft. nostalgic timeline. The community also
enjoyed a preview of Art is What I Do: The Life
of Ralph Bacerra, a documentary by Jo Lauria
(’90 Fine Arts) produced by The Boardman
Family Foundation in cooperation with Otis.
Look for more photos and video interviews
at www.otis.edu/alumni in Events Archive.
If you would like to share photos you took at
the event, please contact [email protected]
or join the Otis Alumni Facebook Group and
post images there.
1 Richard Daskas (’90 Communication Arts), Jim Rygiel (’80 MFA
Fine Arts) and Raymond Zibach (’90 Communication Arts); 2 Otis
90th Anniversary banners lining Lincoln Blvd. 3 Kent Twitchell (’77
MFA Fine Arts) with his former student Mark Dean Veca (’85 Fine
Arts) at Veca’s installation of Phantasmagoria at the Ben Maltz
Gallery. 4 Kristopher Enuke (’85 Fashion Design) and his son
viewing a special installation of 26 years of Fashion Show videos
5 World Premiere of Simulations a 24’ x 40’ video projection
installation by Bruce Yonemoto (’79 MFA Fine Arts) commissioned
by Otis to celebrate the 90th Anniversary. 6 Otis Designs Book
Signing. 7 ”Draw Down!” Outdoor Group Drawing Extravaganza
organized by faculty member Gary Geraths
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