Glance | Fall 2010 by California College of the Arts

VOLUME 19 â&#x20AC;&#x192;

No 1 FALL 2010

a publication for the cca community

California College of the arts

Dear Friends CCA students are a diverse group. They come from 48 states across the U.S. and 38 countries around

2 Engage at cca: All hands on deck

the world. Some are just out of high school or have transferred from community college, while others are returning to higher education to forge a new career direction or pursue a graduate degree. Their talents and interests are as broad and varied as our 28 academic programs. But what they have

School news

in common is a desire to make a difference in the world. “Make art that matters” isn’t just something

12 ColleGe News

16 At the Wattis Institute 18 Bookshelf

we say; it’s something we believe in. It’s the ethos behind the educational experience. In this issue of Glance you will read about students, faculty, and alumni who are deeply involved in their communities. Our opening feature focuses on the new ENGAGE at CCA initiative and the students who designed new systems for elders at Bethany Center, designed and built library tables for Light-

22 Advancement News 22 Gifts and Grants 24 Spotlight

house Community Charter School, mentored high school students at 826 Valencia, and created nesting modules for birds at Año Nuevo Island. Alumni success stories are also an integral part of this issue. Meet Ebony Iman Dallas (MFA Design 2009), Ryan Duke (Industrial Design 2008), Alexandra Grant (MFA 2000), James McCloud (Glass 2002), Miguel Nelson (MFA 2002), Mariah Nielson (BArch 2005), Chelsea Ryoko Wong (Printmaking 2010), and Christine Wong Yap (Printmaking 1998, MFA 2007). They are making an impact in their communities and beyond by practicing sustainable design, working on an inner-city redevelopment project, empowering impoverished

26 Alumni news

26 Benefits Exclusively for Alumni 28 Ryan Duke: Oakland “Greenie” and Maestro of Creative Reuse

32 Mariah Nielson: Preserving the Legacy of J. B. Blunk

Also Chelsea Ryoko Wong, James McLeod, Alexandra Grant, Miguel Nelson, Ebony Iman Dallas, Christine Wong Yap

artists in Somalia, installing a participatory art project in Oakland’s Chinatown, and many other valuable and significant endeavors. These stories illustrate the fundamental values that shaped the college and continue its legacy—the belief that art and design have a positive impact in our communities and our world. As we face so

38 In Memoriam

many global challenges, making art that matters has never been more relevant or more important. Sincerely,

40 Stephen Beal President

backward glance

Dear Friends CCA students are a diverse group. They come from 48 states across the U.S. and 38 countries around

2 Engage at cca: All hands on deck

School news

in common is a desire to make a difference in the world. “Make art that matters” isn’t just something

12 ColleGe News

16 At the Wattis Institute 18 Bookshelf

22 Advancement News 22 Gifts and Grants 24 Spotlight

26 Alumni news

26 Benefits Exclusively for Alumni 28 Ryan Duke: Oakland “Greenie” and Maestro of Creative Reuse

32 Mariah Nielson: Preserving the Legacy of J. B. Blunk

Also Chelsea Ryoko Wong, James McLeod, Alexandra Grant, Miguel Nelson, Ebony Iman Dallas, Christine Wong Yap

38 In Memoriam

many global challenges, making art that matters has never been more relevant or more important. Sincerely,

40 Stephen Beal President

backward glance

a “

rt school can definitely put you in a kind of bubble. But it can also help you break out of the bubble.”

So said one of the many students (although more of them were thinking it!) coming up for air after one of the most intense and immersive experiences of their college careers thus far: ENGAGE at CCA.

Each ENGAGE at CCA course involves a clearly defined problem, an outside professional expert from a relevant field, and a local community partner organization. The courses are hosted by an array of programs, from Fashion Design to Sculpture, Architecture, Ceramics, and beyond, and they are open to any graduate or undergraduate student from any program. Heading the initiative is Sanjit Sethi, chair of the Community Arts Program and director of CCA’s Center for Art and Public Life. “Essentially,” he says, “ENGAGE at CCA enhances and contextualizes classroom knowledge. It opens up the classroom into the greater community. A lot of students who enrolled in these courses awoke to the realization that what they do can have a very real impact on people— people they wouldn’t normally come into contact with. When students start to see the varied needs, the competing interests, the negotiations involved in working with a community partner, their education takes on a whole new dimension. The ENGAGE courses are a lot of work. But most of the students embrace the challenge and the experience, recognizing its relevance to their practice well beyond the end of the semester.”

Read on for a few highlights of spring 2010 . . .

I breaking the mold

II furnishing a solution

III new takes on age-old problems

IV young authors find their voices

engage at cca

This new group of project-based courses is an outgrowth of several decades of community-centered work by CCA students and faculty. This past spring more than 140 students, enrolled in 10 different courses, did everything from creating ceramic nesting modules for threatened bird species at Año Nuevo Island to designing new systems for elders at Bethany Center Senior Housing. More than a dozen new courses are happening this academic year, including a Writing course with San Quentin State Prison, a Textiles course with Zen Hospice Project, and a Community Arts course with La Cocina (the San Francisco–based “incubator kitchen” for women).

a “

rt school can definitely put you in a kind of bubble. But it can also help you break out of the bubble.”

So said one of the many students (although more of them were thinking it!) coming up for air after one of the most intense and immersive experiences of their college careers thus far: ENGAGE at CCA.

Read on for a few highlights of spring 2010 . . .

I breaking the mold

II furnishing a solution

III new takes on age-old problems

IV young authors find their voices

engage at cca

Community Partner Organization REBAR, San Francisco CCA Faculty Leader Nathan Lynch, Ceramics Outside Experts Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge 4 engage at cca

Goal Create ceramic nesting modules to restore and protect seabird nesting areas on Año Nuevo Island project website www.anonuevoisland.org

ño Nuevo Island, a protected state reserve about an hour south of San Francisco, is famous for its elephant seals and sea lions. Lesser known but equally important are the little birds that build their nesting burrows just under the surface of the sand. Shifting soil and clumsy sea lions are very real threats to the fragile nests of the rhinoceros auklet, a “species of special concern” closely related to the puffin. The goal of this course, then, was to design and produce protective nesting modules that could

The class was under the direction of faculty member Nathan Lynch together with Matthew Passmore and Teresa Aguilera of REBAR, a San Francisco art and design studio. REBAR did more than just advise; they took an active teaching role, attending almost every class meeting and helping to develop the broader theoretical context of the project in relation to other human interventions in the landscape, from conservation to Land Art. The nine students divided into three teams: team Rad Rhinos, team Gumby, and team Love Shack. Each

team devised a design for a module, created a mold, and cast ceramic prototypes. Scientists at Oikonos, a nonprofit organization that has worked on the island since 1993, provided detailed specs: the required length of the tunnel, the size of the nest cavity, the need for an access portal for viewing the chicks. “It was challenging to meet the requirements of both the birds and the scientists,” says Sonja Murphy (Illustration 2011) of team Rad Rhinos. “Our huge clay creations needed to be light enough for one or two people to carry them onto a boat, across an ocean channel, onto the beach, up a cliff face, and across the island terrace to the auklet habitat. And they needed to be sturdy enough to last 50 years or more once installed. We all learned very quickly that simpler is better and less is more. It was difficult to let go of our early, more extravagant, more ‘creative’ ideas and face the realities of the task, but the birds don’t care what the modules look like! They just need something that will protect them and feel like home.” The work was demanding. “I think I can safely say we were all taken a bit by surprise,” says Vladimir Vlad (Architecture 2010), also of team Rad Rhinos.

“All hands were required on deck to mix and pour 300 pounds of plaster—per group! By the end, our clothes were evidence that we’d all become junior masters at the art of mold making.” In addition to the many technical considerations was the very real and daunting knowledge that they were making a long-term intervention in a natural landscape and ecosystem. Says Murphy, “There is so much we don’t know about the roles we play and the consequences we bring to the natural world. This class definitely brought me much closer to understanding that connection.” “The rhinoceros auklet could very well go extinct on this island without human help,” comments Michael Verlinden (Glass 2011). “But of course humans are also the reason why so many species are struggling today. The magnitude of this restoration project is simultaneously scary and exciting. It’s great motivation to know that this has the possibility of inspiring others to start similar projects to save more threatened species out there.” The students installed their modules across the nesting area in late March. Three weeks later, they came back to see what had transpired. Ecologist Ryan Carle of Oikonos reported: “I approached the Love Shack module and peeked into the entrance. There were little tracks in the tunnel. I cracked open the lid and was confronted with a little rhino face peering at me. Then I saw the egg it was incubating—the first rhino egg in the new modules!” Faculty leader Lynch is enthusiastic: “In this course, the students were relatively restricted in terms of the design requirements and the overarching goals, as opposed to other studio-based art classes that invite them to express themselves openly and follow a personal vision. But this course really brought them together, and helped them grow and bond, in ways that working in a classroom doesn’t: the direct engagement with the client, the experience-driven nature of the undertaking. There’s a realness to the project. I think I’m a better teacher in this kind of setting. It’s a profound experience to work with students in this environment. “I see these ENGAGE courses as an important direction in arts education. To be an artist you have to be agile and flexible, willing to take on challenges and willing to change. For the students this is a fascinating and productive opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-life problem solving.”

5 engage at cca

withstand both soil erosion and the weight of larger animals, providing stable homes in which the birds could raise their chicks.

Community Partner Organization REBAR, San Francisco CCA Faculty Leader Nathan Lynch, Ceramics Outside Experts Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge 4 engage at cca

Goal Create ceramic nesting modules to restore and protect seabird nesting areas on Año Nuevo Island project website www.anonuevoisland.org

5 engage at cca

withstand both soil erosion and the weight of larger animals, providing stable homes in which the birds could raise their chicks.

II Community Partner Organization Lighthouse Community Charter School, Oakland CCA Faculty Leader Russell Baldon, Furniture Outside Expert Justin Champaign of Coalesse

engage at cca

Goal Create functional, attractive, and affordable tables for Lighthouse’s new K–12 library Course blog ccafurnitureproduction1.wordpress.com

o you remember your grade-school library? Probably fondly. Do you remember the furniture? Probably not at all.

Luke Nickerson works on the Hossfeld tube bender to build his prototype table

Meredith Pearson explains her design at the final review to her classmates and a panel of critics

This course set out to change that, for at least a few kids, at Lighthouse Community Charter School. Furniture chair Russell Baldon had wanted to work with Lighthouse for years, knowing that its predominantly inner-city Latino students would benefit tremendously from exposure to the design world.

Even before he knew about ENGAGE’s impending launch, he’d already been in touch with Lighthouse’s director of development and with Justin Champaign, an industrial designer at the furniture firm Coalesse, about some sort of collaboration. (Champaign is also a CCA Furniture 2007 alum.) “When I heard the

rumor that ENGAGE was coming,” Baldon says, “I saw this course as a natural fit.”

Courtney Skott, senior designer at Coalesse and 2006 Furniture alum, talks with Noah Greer about his table

The process of designing new library tables for Lighthouse began with the 12 CCA students independently observing and documenting people’s reading and studying behaviors in libraries and public spaces. They also visited the studios of several local artists, including Paul Discoe of Joinery Structures, Michael Goldin of Swerve Co., and John Lewis of John Lewis Glass Studio. Combining insights, recommendations, and inspirations from these distinguished designers with their own observations, the students proceeded to conceive their individual visions and create full-size prototypes. They presented the prototypes at a formal critique attended by classmates, professors, and Coalesse staff in addition to a number of specially invited engineers and designers. The top six table designs were displayed at a public reception at the Steelcase showroom in San Francisco, and finally two designs were chosen to be manufactured. In the end, 20 tables will be donated to Lighthouse’s new library. “Each student was able to talk and interact directly with a vital group of designers,” says Baldon, “and get a wide range of responses to their initial design briefs. It clearly established what the ‘bar’ is when you’re pitching to a firm like Coalesse.”

“All of us worked on our own individual projects, but the group continued its discussions of everybody’s projects beyond the critiques. The Furniture Program has a very collaborative atmosphere, everyone constantly exchanging ideas and techniques. Even though we were all more or less in competition, this helpful spirit continued throughout the semester. “Professionally, this experience has made me more adept at collaborating with others. Even if I’m not entirely sure how someone else’s field functions, I’m now confident that I can step into it, communicate, learn how things work, and make things happen. And personally, this course bolstered my work ethic more than any I’ve ever taken. It helped me learn where and when to put effort in, and when to make sacrifices, all with an end goal in view, which wouldn’t have happened if we’d been working on hypothetical projects.” Baldon is gratified to know how much understanding his students gained with respect to what it takes to pursue a production object from concept to research, engineering, pricing, and outsourcing. He admits that it’s an immense body of knowledge to cover in a single semester, but having a real client and the guidance and expertise of so many professionals made the experience a fruitful one. Lighthouse, for their part, could not be happier with the results.

7 engage at cca

Student Joseph Thomas (Sculpture/Furniture 2012) agrees: “My starting points were my interest in woodworking and my desire to find and correct impracticalities in furniture we take for granted as practical. I saw this as especially important in a library setting. Working with professional designers allowed me to hear many different opinions on how to make my project more affordable and more practical. With their advice, the nuts and bolts of my design changed considerably. The biggest challenge was when it was time to find manufacturers to bid on the construction of our designs.

II Community Partner Organization Lighthouse Community Charter School, Oakland CCA Faculty Leader Russell Baldon, Furniture Outside Expert Justin Champaign of Coalesse

engage at cca

Goal Create functional, attractive, and affordable tables for Lighthouse’s new K–12 library Course blog ccafurnitureproduction1.wordpress.com

o you remember your grade-school library? Probably fondly. Do you remember the furniture? Probably not at all.

Luke Nickerson works on the Hossfeld tube bender to build his prototype table

Meredith Pearson explains her design at the final review to her classmates and a panel of critics

rumor that ENGAGE was coming,” Baldon says, “I saw this course as a natural fit.”

Courtney Skott, senior designer at Coalesse and 2006 Furniture alum, talks with Noah Greer about his table

7 engage at cca

Community Partner Organization Bethany Center Senior Housing, San Francisco CCA Faculty Leaders Rachel Robinette and Charlie Sheldon,

Outside Experts

engage at cca

Design

Patricia Moore, designer and gerontologist; Jump Associates; Wayne Pan of Affinity Medical Solutions and SciMed Partners Inc.; Anna Cwirko-Godycki of the U.S. Administration on Aging Goal Define pragmatic, cost-effective design solutions that benefit elder residents and

As they developed and refined their concepts, the students invited Bethany Center residents to “co-design” sessions in which the elders could give direct feedback. “Seeing the students showing their work to the people who would actually benefit from their ideas was one of the most rewarding moments of the class,” says Robinette. “The Bethany residents actually grabbed markers and drew out their feedback and input.”

9 engage at cca

III

evaluating future problems and environmental and policy improvements. Jump Associates, an innovation strategy firm, provided guidance and hands-on tutorials on research, analysis, and design methods.

The students’ main deliverable was in the form of a presentation of ideas and prototypes to residents, staff, and board members. “A semester is a short period of time,” says Sheldon. “We’re already planning to build on what we started here in a second course next year. We will seek grants and partners to fully implement the concepts.

administrators at Bethany Center

ethany Center is a progressive, publicly subsidized, low-income, 133-unit elder living facility in San Francisco’s Mission District. Its population is incredibly diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, language, and the residents’ personal histories. It also has a specific policy of encouraging and welcoming the arts, which made it an obvious ENGAGE match for faculty leaders Rachel Robinette and Charlie Sheldon. “The Bethany Center was really excited to get a fresh take on its problems—which are mostly centered on communications, residential life, and community engagement—from a design perspective,” says Sheldon. The 14 participating students began by researching aging from personal, health, product, and trend awareness standpoints, then establishing a conceptual map of how individuals age in today’s society. After validating and building on their findings with a number of experts from state agencies, the medical profession, and the design industry, the next step was to interview and shadow residents and staff at Bethany Center. The threads they pursued included an interactive photo booth for the lobby, an elevator redesign, resident ID cards, a proposal for a new garden and activity space, and programming and design initiatives centered around cooking. Supplementary documentation included a checklist that will help in

“Working alongside community members with tangible needs added a layer of motivation, realism, and context to the project. The learning outcomes were substantial and ingrained key principles about civic responsibility while at the same time demonstrating what constitutes a strong design process.” “The students became personally involved in the needs of the clients,” Sheldon continues, “and we as instructors became resources to help them succeed. Design is a powerful source of creative solutions, and I hope that the students and our community partners recognize and benefit from it—that they

now see ways to apply design in contexts where issues haven’t yet been regarded with design in mind.” For Haley Toelle (Industrial Design 2012), “The most rewarding part was designing something for a very specific group of people within our community and then seeing their reactions. Sometimes we designers fall into the trap of designing just for other designers. Some of our solutions maybe seemed unglamorous, but seeing nods of approval, smiles, and excitement from the residents made me feel like I had really embraced what it is to design for people. It was emotional, and I feel very inspired to continue along this path. These people made the experience very real, and their stories and interactions taught me more than anything I could have learned in a classroom.”

Community Partner Organization Bethany Center Senior Housing, San Francisco CCA Faculty Leaders Rachel Robinette and Charlie Sheldon,

Outside Experts

engage at cca

Design

9 engage at cca

III

evaluating future problems and environmental and policy improvements. Jump Associates, an innovation strategy firm, provided guidance and hands-on tutorials on research, analysis, and design methods.

administrators at Bethany Center

Community Partner Organization 826 Valencia, San Francisco CCA Faculty Leader Aimee Phan, Writing and Literature

Judith Tannenbaum,

engage at cca

Outside Expert 10

teaching artist and writer Goal Mentor John O’Connell High School students through the process of producing an anthology of personal essays

ave Eggers is one of San Francisco’s precious few hometown celebrities, famous for his books and his literary journal McSweeney’s. And then there’s his awesome pirate store at 826 Valencia, where just behind the peg legs, eye patches, and bottles of Scurvy-Be-Gone is a space devoted to helping students ages 6 to 18 develop their writing skills.

There are tutoring sessions and workshops going on all the time at 826 Valencia, and then each year there is a book project, centered on a different theme. This year it was the American Dream, and the writers were a group of juniors from John O’Connell High School. The 21 participating CCA students mentored the high school students through brainstorming, draft writing, and finalizing personal stories about what the American Dream means to them. Edits were made, designs and layouts took shape, and at the end of the semester a book was born: We the Dreamers: Young Authors Explore the American Dream. Copies are available for sale at www.826valencia.org. Says faculty leader Aimee Phan, “CCA students are privileged not only to practice art but also to attend an art school and pursue an education in the arts, something not everyone has the opportunity to do. I think students in this course were really able to appreciate this privilege and motivated to do what they could to supplement the education of the high school students, for whom budget cuts have eliminated the arts curriculum almost entirely.

The CCA students represented a surprisingly wide range of programs, from Jewelry/Metal Arts to Writing, Community Arts, and Architecture. They all had solid writing skills. But they didn’t all have previous experience with the issues facing urban public-school education. Student Laura Ramie (Illustration 2011) agrees that the course was “an eye-opening experience. Most of my classes focus on my creative growth, so this was a welcome change because it was my turn to encourage creativity in others. I think everyone who took the class would agree that they were amazed by the growth in the students we mentored. And I learned just as much from them as they learned from me. It was inspiring to hear their stories.”

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“The CCA students were more than writing tutors, more than mentors. They were cheerleaders, convincing the high school students to stick with the project and chipping away at their lack of confidence, their conviction that they have nothing to say. Many of the high school students were immigrants, or their parents were immigrants. They all had wonderful, heartfelt stories to tell about the American Dream. Everyone came away with a sense of empowerment, a conviction that they can create positive change. Which essentially is the American Dream.”

Community Partner Organization 826 Valencia, San Francisco CCA Faculty Leader Aimee Phan, Writing and Literature

Judith Tannenbaum,

engage at cca

Outside Expert 10

teaching artist and writer Goal Mentor John O’Connell High School students through the process of producing an anthology of personal essays

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Col l e Ge Ne ws

New Interaction Design Program

888 e are happy to announce the launch of the IMPACT Social Entrepreneurship Awards, a new initiative based out of the Center for Art and Public Life. Three awards of up to $10,000 each will be given annually, beginning in spring 2011.

Launches in Fall 2011

13 college news

college news

IMPACT Social Entrepreneurship Awards

Architecture Program

Wins Big at the AIA SF 2010 Design Awards

ongratulations to all the Architecture Program faculty and students who accepted awards (11 in total!) at the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco Chapter 2010 Design Awards this past May. The evening was a very significant moment for the program, as the AIA SF is the Bay Area’s most important organization devoted to architecture and design.

The categories included Energy + Sustainability, Interior Architecture, Special Achievement, Unbuilt Design, and Young Architects and Associates. Among the winners were Neal Schwartz, Byron Kuth and Elizabeth Ranieri, E. B. Min, Peter Anderson, Zoe Prillinger, Craig Scott, Charles Lee, and Charles Ma. The special achievement category honored Refract House, CCA’s entry in the 2009 international Solar Decathlon competition (the house took first place in Architecture and third place overall). Refract House also recently won the prestigious National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) prize, which recognizes innovation in architectural education.

Aortic Arc Graces San Francisco Campus

The IMPACT Awards are open to teams of undergraduate and graduate students from all academic programs. After a rigorous selection process, the college will award the best projects that emphasize interdisciplinary engagement, social entrepreneurship, and collaborative relationships with community partners. All projects require a detailed action plan that supports social and humanitarian goals. The teams will benefit from the guidance of graduate student mentors from CCA’s MBA in Design Strategy program. “CCA was founded on the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement, which emphasized the power of creative work to make a positive impact on society,” observes President Stephen Beal. “That tradition continues today as our students express an eagerness to develop solutions to a broad range of the world’s most pressing issues, from poverty and youth education to access to clean water and the general need for more sustainable practices.”

he San Francisco campus is home to a new permanent installation, Aortic Arc, which canopies the double-height atrium space near the Helzel Boardroom. The piece has already received its first accolade: a merit award in the 2010 AIACC Awards Program in the small projects category. Aortic Arc functions as a light scope, spatial definer, and viewing portal. The title comes from its formal resemblance to a portion of the human heart and the fact that it leaps over an existing structural beam. The 546 unique HDPE panels are linked together by more than 4,000 pop rivets and four stainless-steel rings. HDPE plastic, the same material used to make milk jugs, was selected for the panels due to its low cost, resistance to solar degradation, recyclability, low embodied energy, and high tensile capability. The creators of the piece are CCA Architecture faculty member Mark L. Donohue (of Visible Research Office) and four alumni: Americo A. Diaz-Obregon (BArch 2006), Charles Lee (MArch 2008), Chris Chalmers (MArch 2009), and Jason Chang (MArch 2009). The structural engineering firm Buro Happold collaborated with them on the construction.

Col l e Ge Ne ws

New Interaction Design Program

Launches in Fall 2011

13 college news

college news

IMPACT Social Entrepreneurship Awards

Architecture Program

Wins Big at the AIA SF 2010 Design Awards

Aortic Arc Graces San Francisco Campus

Zach Gibson at the San Francisco

Levi’s Workshop

Beijing Students

college news

as Part of

CAFA Exchange

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he new partnership between CCA and the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, one of the premier art and design schools in China, continues to deepen. In addition to the many collaborations and faculty and student exchanges, as well as another visit by President Stephen Beal to China for the 3rd International Art and Design School Presidents Conference, CCA is now welcoming a select number of CAFA students each year as transfers. They arrive with 30 units of transfer credit and have completed a special preparatory course of study.

CCA

on YouTube 111

ave you checked CCA’s YouTube channel lately? We’re posting new videos all the time related to ENGAGE at CCA, student life, new programs and initiatives, and more. Most of the featured videos are produced by students in Film and other programs. Some are entries in the R.A.W. (real artists @ work) video competition, and others are projects for Sputnik, CCA’s awardwinning undergraduate design studio. Go to www.youtube.com/user/CCAarts to see the CCA community in action.

In fall 2010 we have four new enrollees: one in Architecture, one in Industrial Design, one in Jewelry/Metal Arts, and one in Interior Design. (Ten more are expected in fall 2011.) Three of the four had never visited San Francisco before, and the fourth had only visited once, for summer camp at age 14. They all arrived early, in mid-July, and participated in CCA’s Summer ESL and Studio Art Program, now in its second year. The program’s activities—building English skills, getting acquainted with how art school works in the United States, engaging in critique sessions, and generally getting to play tourist—were extremely valuable.

The assignment: to make a book in 48 hours about the experience of making a book in 48 hours.

All four students say they appreciate CCA’s interdisciplinary curriculum (although, not surprisingly, the Architecture major doubts if he’ll have time for courses outside his program) and they all comment specifically on the great student experience that CCA offers, especially the availability of academic advising, English tutoring, and extracurricular activities. They also have many enthusiastic things to say about San Francisco: Renjie Bei: “It’s hard for me to choose the best thing about San Francisco—I really like EVERYTHING about San Francisco!—but if I had to pick one, I think I will never forget the last afternoon of the summer course, sailing on the ship. We tasted and smelled the sea wind, and took pictures together.” Jingtao Zhang: “We visited a lot of places the first

two weeks, most of them museums. I liked Fisherman’s Wharf: the seafood, the bread, all of the foods.” Yixin Yuan: “San Francisco has many different cul-

tures; people come here from all over the world. Being in San Francisco feels just like traveling the world.” Kangning Zhao: “We’ve been to many museums, galleries, and places of interest. I have enjoyed my time. There are many pigeons in the streets and they are not even afraid of people at all.”

15 college news

CCA Welcomes

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n August 6 and 7, Graduate Program in Design student Zach Gibson embarked on a project at the Levi’s Workshop at 580 Valencia in San Francisco. The undertaking involved himself and 10 other Bay Area artists, including recent CCA alum Nick Demarco (Industrial Design 2010) and six current students: Ian Cooley (MFA Design), Ammo Eisu (MFA Design), Parker Ito (MFA), Jake Sollins (Industrial Design), David Kasprzak (Visual and Critical Studies, Curatorial Practice), and Nanci Ikejimba (MFA Design).

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The assignment: to make a book in 48 hours about the experience of making a book in 48 hours 77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

Gibson gleefully reports: “It was 48 hours of pure shenanigans—the best I could hope for as far as collecting content. In an attempt to not miss a single second of the 48 hours, at 12:01 a.m. on August 6, Ian Cooley and I arrived at 580 Valencia. It was, of course, closed. We stayed out front of the store for the entire night, playing Mancala, talking with people who passed by, making observations about how quiet and surreal the Mission is at 4 a.m., and counting numbers of bikers versus numbers of walkers. At 10 a.m. the workshop opened, and we were able to get some quality ‘inside time’ over the next 38 hours. I documented the work of the 10 artists whom I had invited to come to the shop and do whatever it is they did specifically to build content for the book.”

A total of 75 copies were produced of This is totally out of control and needs to be scaled back ten times. They are sold out, but you can download the PDF at www.via-hologram.com. The project was part of the Levi’s Workshop, the first of what the well-known San Francisco–based company hopes will become an annual event across the country. For the months of July and August, they converted their 580 Valencia retail store into a community print shop. Local artists, in collaboration with local businesses and community groups, taught workshops in their various areas of passion and expertise: classic letterpress machinery, screenprinting, typesetting, and generally getting one’s hands dirty.

Zach Gibson at the San Francisco

Levi’s Workshop

Beijing Students

college news

as Part of

CAFA Exchange

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CCA

on YouTube 111

The assignment: to make a book in 48 hours about the experience of making a book in 48 hours.

two weeks, most of them museums. I liked Fisherman’s Wharf: the seafood, the bread, all of the foods.” Yixin Yuan: “San Francisco has many different cul-

15 college news

CCA Welcomes

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The assignment: to make a book in 48 hours about the experience of making a book in 48 hours 77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

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y the time you read this, the game plan may very well have changed entirely. But as of this writing, Paulina Olowska proposes a “Ball of Muses” as the culmination of her fall 2010 Capp Street Project artist residency. Over the course of the last few months she will have worked with CCA students

Rather than getting caught up in the usual gallery “hamster wheel”—an endless rotation of solo and group shows—Hoffmann and his staff have made long-term commitments to seven artists with whom they will work on every aspect of the Wattis’s programming for a three-year period. The artists

Wattis Institute 111111

The Way Beyond Art: Wide White Space

The Way Beyond Art

111111

The Magnificent Seven: Kris Martin (Capp Street Project)

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101 Collection: Route 2: Undisclosed Destination

111111

Graduate Program in Curatorial Practice Thesis Exhibition

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Americana: 50 States, 50 Months, 50 Exhibitions

and several guest teachers to create music, costumes, posters, and performances. The Ball will be a performative exhibition of sorts, in which the students present their final projects. Olowska is both the Capp Street Project resident artist this semester and one of The Magnificent Seven. The Wattis recently connected these two programs—the first a long-standing institution, the latter a more recent development that Wattis director Jens Hoffmann characterizes as representing a new level of insitutional commitment to artists.

are Abraham Cruzvillegas, Harrell Fletcher, Ryan Gander, Renata Lucas, Kris Martin, Paulina Olowska, and Tino Sehgal. At some point during the three years each artist will present a solo show, travel to San Francisco as a Capp Street Project artist in residence, teach as a guest faculty member, and deliver a lecture as part of CCA’s Graduate Studies Lecture Series. Each will also have opportunities to collaborate on projects with the other artists in the group, produce new commissions and publications, and curate public programs such as film series and even Wattis gallery exhibitions.

The plans for many of these undertakings are continually changing, and many of them, like the vehicle parade and the Ball of Muses, ultimately take shape as (very) temporary installations in and around campus. To avoid missing out, sign up today for the Wattis e-newsletter (and CCA’s other e-news lists, while you’re at it) at www.cca.edu/subscribe.

Tino Sehgal

college news

Wattis InstiTute For ContempoRary Arts

“When I arrived at CCA,” says Abraham Cruzvillegas, the first of The Magnificent Seven to carry out a residency, “it felt kind of like a blind date.” He quickly clicked with the students in his class, though, and their final project, pictured here, set the bar high. “The idea was to build vehicles, attempting to work with ‘themes’ such as carnival, energy saving, transportation, amusing mobile devices. At the end of the course we organized a parade—including hot dogs and soft drinks—outside the school. It was amazing to witness all the energy, labor, and time invested, transformed into a big party. For me the best thing about the whole experience was to be there, at that very moment, in which all possible political, economic, social, and cultural reflection was transformed into a collective smile.”

5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 Spring 2011 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 Exhibitions 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 January 20–February 5 5555555555555555555555 Opening reception: January 20 5555555555555555555555 This edition of is a 5555555555555555555555 collaboration with the Graphic Design 5555555555555555555555 and Graduate Design programs 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 February 15–April 9 5555555555555555555555 Reception: March 22 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 February 15–April 9 5555555555555555555555 Opening reception: February 15 5555555555555555555555 The curator is 101 Curatorial Fellow 5555555555555555555555 Sharon Lerner (MA Curatorial Practice 2010) 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 April 21–July 2 Opening reception: April 21 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 Ongoing 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555 5555555555555555555555

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Wattis Institute 111111

The Way Beyond Art: Wide White Space

The Way Beyond Art

111111

The Magnificent Seven: Kris Martin (Capp Street Project)

111111

101 Collection: Route 2: Undisclosed Destination

111111

Graduate Program in Curatorial Practice Thesis Exhibition

111111

Americana: 50 States, 50 Months, 50 Exhibitions

Tino Sehgal

college news

Wattis InstiTute For ContempoRary Arts

If you are a CCA affiliate and have published (or designed or illustrated) a book in the last 12 months, we’d love to hear about it! Send details to glance@cca.edu.

college news

BooKsHeLF Brion Nuda Rosch Little Paper Planes, 2010 Paperback, 90 pages, $24 Kelly Lynn Jones (MFA 2010, Painting/Drawing 2002), owner of the online artist store Little Paper Planes (which carries work by many CCA artists), offers this survey of the San Francisco artist Brion Nuda Rosch as her first publishing venture. Foreword by Zachary Royer Scholz (MFA 2006, MA Visual and Critical Studies 2009).

Allison Smith: Needle Work Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, 2010 Paperback, 64 pages, $15 The works featured here by Allison Smith (Sculpture faculty) have masklike forms, intertwining the horrific and the playful and questioning essential notions of camouflage and masquerade.

URBANbuild local global William Stout, 2009 Paperback, 464 pages, $60 URBANbuild, launched by Ila Berman (director of Architecture), is a multiscaled laboratory for city research as well as a vehicle to generate innovative design strategies for urban revitalization in New Orleans. The book is coauthored by Mona El Khafif (Architecture faculty) and designed by Bob Aufuldish (Graphic Design faculty). AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers winner!

college news

selection of the many books written, designed, illustrated, and published by CCA faculty and alumni in the past year. Get the full scoop on these and more at www.cca.edu/news/bookshelf.

666666666666666666666666666666 666666666666666666666666666666 666666666666666666666666666666 666666666666666666666666666666 Territory: Architecture 666666666666666666666666666666 CCA Beyond Environment 666666666666666666666666666666 Wiley, 2010 666666666666666666666666666666 Publications Paperback, 136 pages, $40 666666666666666666666666666666 666666666666666666666666666666 David Gissen (Architecture and Visual Studies 666666666666666666666666666666 faculty) is the guest editor for this issue of the Moby-Dick 666666666666666666666666666666 internationally acclaimed Architectural Design CCA, 2009 666666666666666666666666666666 series. The featured essays by designers, historians, Hardcover, 136 pages, $30 666666666666666666666666666666 geographers, and theorists propose how buildings 666666666666666666666666666666 Jon Sueda’s (Graphic Design faculty) design of might actively produce their own external eco666666666666666666666666666666 this Wattis Institute exhibition catalog pays homage logical conditions. Several CCA faculty members 666666666666666666666666666666 19 to the first edition of Herman Melville’s canonical are contributors, including Javier Arbona, Ila 666666666666666666666666666666 Berman, Nataly Gattegno, Jason K. Johnson, novel Moby-Dick. More than half of the 33 featured 666666666666666666666666666666 Elizabeth Ranieri , Mitchell Schwarzer , and artists were commissioned to create new work for 666666666666666666666666666666 Craig Scott as well as trustee Byron Kuth. the show (all pictured in full color). Wattis director 666666666666666666666666666666 Jens Hoffmann contributes an essay. 666666666666666666666666666666 666666666666666666666666666666 A Road Divided 666666666666666666666666666666 Nazraeli Press, 2010 Sustainable Skyscrapers: Vertical 666666666666666666666666666666 666666666666666666666666666666 Ecologies and Urban Ecosystems Hardcover, 64 pages, $75 666666666666666666666666666666 CCA, 2010 Driving lonely roads on the outskirts of cities, 666666666666666666666666666666 Paperback, 64 pages, $25 Todd Hido (Photography faculty and 1996 MFA 666666666666666666666666666666 alum) often frames his photographic compositions The skyscraper is architecture’s ultimate icon. The 666666666666666666666666666666 from inside his car, treating the windshield as an term itself conjures images of seemingly impos666666666666666666666666666666 additional lens and bringing a sense of timing and sible, awe-inspiring loft, and as a design proposition 666666666666666666666666666666 moment to otherwise stationary scenes. the skyscraper raises some of architecture’s biggest 666666666666666666666666666666 questions. Is it possible for a sense of community 666666666666666666666666666666 666666666666666666666666666666 to develop among inhabitants of a vertical, strati666666666666666666666666666666 Kuth/Ranieri Architects fied environment? What is the essence of a slender 666666666666666666666666666666 Princeton Architectural Press, 2010 form? This book documents several innovative an666666666666666666666666666666 Paperback, 192 pages, $40 swers by CCA students and faculty. It is designed by 666666666666666666666666666666 Mike Hu and Mai Ogiya, Graphic Design underFeaturing texts by Ila Berman (director of 666666666666666666666666666666 graduates in CCA’s Sputnik studio, and edited by Architecture) and Mitchell Schwarzer (Visual 666666666666666666666666666666 Ila Berman (director of Architecture) and Nataly Studies faculty), this installment of the New Voices 666666666666666666666666666666 Gattegno (Architecture faculty). in666666666666666666666666666666 Architecture series documents the rise of Byron Kuth (CCA trustee) and Elizabeth Ranieri 666666666666666666666666666666 666666666666666666666666666666 (Architecture faculty), described by San Francisco Eleven Eleven #8, #9 666666666666666666666666666666 magazine as “the thoughtful, versatile, low-key, CCA, 2010 666666666666666666666666666666 detail-obsessed exceptions” in “a world obsessed Electronic / Paperback 666666666666666666666666666666 with an international cast of ego-driven starchitects.” 666666666666666666666666666666 Organized by the MFA Program in Writing, Eleven 666666666666666666666666666666 Eleven provides a forum for risk, experimentation, 666666666666666666666666666666 Prison/Culture and exchange between writers and artists. Issue 8 666666666666666666666666666666 City Lights Foundation, 2010 is viewable at www.elevenelevenjournal.com, 666666666666666666666666666666 Paperback, 96 pages, $19.95 and issue 9 is available via mail order. Contributors 666666666666666666666666666666 include EM Lewis, Charlie Anders, Andrew Touhy, 666666666666666666666666666666 Steve Dickison (Writing and Literature faculty) Anita Nair, Camille Martin, Tendai Mwanaka, and 666666666666666666666666666666 coedits this investigation into the culture of incarAmy King. 666666666666666666666666666666 ceration through stunning and often heartrending 666666666666666666666666666666 artworks by both inmates and artists on the outside. 666666666666666666666666666666 666666666666666666666666666666

If you are a CCA affiliate and have published (or designed or illustrated) a book in the last 12 months, we’d love to hear about it! Send details to glance@cca.edu.

college news

selection of the many books written, designed, illustrated, and published by CCA faculty and alumni in the past year. Get the full scoop on these and more at www.cca.edu/news/bookshelf.

summer at cca

CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS

YOUNG ARTIST STUDIO PROGRAM FOUR WEEKS

A two-week summer program for students who have just completed the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade

www.cca.edu/yasp JUNE 27 – JULY 22

SUMMER ATELIER A three-week intensive for students who have just completed the 9th grade

www.cca.edu/atelier

pre-college program A four-week program for students from around the world who have just completed the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade

www.cca.edu/precollege

ANIMATION ARCHITECTURE

SUMMER degree

CREATIVE WRITING

More than 40 for-credit course offerings on both the San Francisco and Oakland campuses

DRAWING

www.cca.edu/summer

FASHION DESIGN FILM GRAPHIC DESIGN ILLUSTRATION

PRIORITY APPLICATION DEADLINE: MARCH 18

The Pre-College Program is held on CCA’s beautiful and historic Oakland campus. Eligible students have just completed grade 10, 11, or 12.

SUMMER study abroad

Earn 3 units of college credit!

Course offerings all around the world, led by CCA faculty

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

www.cca.edu/abroad

INTERACTION DESIGN ON-CAMPUS HOUSING AND SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE!

JEWELRY / METAL ARTS

EXTENDED EDUCATION

PAINTING

Non-credit courses for adults in fine arts, design, computer applications, and more, offered year-round

PHOTOGRAPHY: BL ACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY: DIGITAL

FOR INFORMATION AND AN APPLICATION, VISIT:

PRINTMAKING SCULPTURE TEXTILES

www.cca.edu/extended

summer at cca

CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS

YOUNG ARTIST STUDIO PROGRAM FOUR WEEKS

A two-week summer program for students who have just completed the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade

www.cca.edu/yasp JUNE 27 – JULY 22

SUMMER ATELIER A three-week intensive for students who have just completed the 9th grade

www.cca.edu/atelier

pre-college program A four-week program for students from around the world who have just completed the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade

www.cca.edu/precollege

ANIMATION ARCHITECTURE

SUMMER degree

CREATIVE WRITING

More than 40 for-credit course offerings on both the San Francisco and Oakland campuses

DRAWING

www.cca.edu/summer

FASHION DESIGN FILM GRAPHIC DESIGN ILLUSTRATION

PRIORITY APPLICATION DEADLINE: MARCH 18

The Pre-College Program is held on CCA’s beautiful and historic Oakland campus. Eligible students have just completed grade 10, 11, or 12.

SUMMER study abroad

Earn 3 units of college credit!

Course offerings all around the world, led by CCA faculty

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

www.cca.edu/abroad

INTERACTION DESIGN ON-CAMPUS HOUSING AND SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE!

JEWELRY / METAL ARTS

EXTENDED EDUCATION

PAINTING

Non-credit courses for adults in fine arts, design, computer applications, and more, offered year-round

PHOTOGRAPHY: BL ACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY: DIGITAL

FOR INFORMATION AND AN APPLICATION, VISIT:

PRINTMAKING SCULPTURE TEXTILES

www.cca.edu/extended

SAVE THE DATE

Advancement News

GUMP’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

On the evening of March 31, 2011, Gump’s will

followed by a lovely dinner chaired by CCA

CCA thanks all the generous donors who made gifts to the college

celebrate its 150th anniversary with a gala dinner

trustee Kay Kimpton Walker with Allison

from March through September 2010. Your gifts have launched new programs

party and auction to benefit CCA student scholar-

Speer. Mark your calendar for this special evening

ships. The event, chaired by CCA trustee Ann

at the Gump’s flagship retail store on Post Street in

and helped to sustain the richness and vitality of the education CCA offers.

Hatch and 2010 AIGA medal recipient and CCA

San Francisco. Invitations will be sent in January.

Our special thanks go out to the following leadership donors.

faculty member Jennifer Morla, will feature an

If you have questions, please contact Jen McKay

auction of one-of-a-kind mirrors created especially

at 510.594.3776 or jmckay@cca.edu.

ADVANCEMENT NEWS

22 Advancement News

Gifts & Grants

Benefit for CCA on March 31

for the event by leading artists and designers,

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e have received two very generous anonymous donations from friends of the college. The first is a one-to-one challenge grant of $300,000 for international student scholarships. This gift will help CCA recruit top students from around the world. CCA must raise $300,000 in matching gifts to receive this grant. The second anonymous donation is for $250,000 to support both the spring 2011 Craft Forward Symposium and a new scholarship fund for craft students. A portion of this gift will also be a one-toone challenge grant for craft scholarships; to meet the match, CCA must raise $100,000 in new gifts for this purpose.

o support public programs on the San Francisco campus, CCA received a $53,300 grant from

Grants for the Arts / San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund. The ArtNow International Foundation

CCA Wattis Institute director Jens Hoffmann (right) guides Curator’s Forum members through the Huckleberry Finn exhibition

If you would like to help CCA students by making a matching gift to either of these important challenges, please go to www.cca.edu/give. Select “Student Scholarships” in the “Purpose of Gift” menu, and then type “international” or “craft” in the “Other Designation” field.

led by Vincent Worms renewed support for the 101 Curatorial Fellowship at the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts with a gift of $25,000. The Nimoy Foundation granted $25,000 to the Wattis Capp Street Project artist residency program. To sponsor the Wattis exhibition Huckleberry Finn, Capital Group Companies gave $15,000, and an additional $10,000 in sponsorship was given by Laura and Joe Sweeney and Robin Wright and Ian Reeves.

Ross Sappenfield of Capital Group Companies (right) and his wife, Laura Brugger (center), with Wattis Institute assistant curator Mirjana Blankenship at the opening reception for Huckleberry Finn

ntel Corporation gave $50,000 for a sponsored studio in Industrial Design. CCA received $15,000 from the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation to underwrite professional development grants for fine arts faculty. A grant of $11,000 from the Toby Fund was given to continue the Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship. The architecture and design firm Woods Bagot supported the Architecture Program with a gift of $12,520.

sterweis Capital Management gave a $10,000 sponsorship for the 2010 CCA Fashion Show. The Fund for CCA received gifts of $10,000 each from Warren and Chris Hellman, Helyn MacLean and Mr. Asher Waldfogel, and Dorothy and George Saxe. CCA was very sad to learn of the passing of Mr. Saxe this past summer; please see In Memoriam at the end of this issue to read about his numerous contributions to the college.

Look for our Honor Roll of Donors in the spring 2011 CCA newsletter, where we will acknowledge the many generous donors who gave to CCA in the 2010 calendar year.

SAVE THE DATE

Advancement News

GUMP’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

On the evening of March 31, 2011, Gump’s will

followed by a lovely dinner chaired by CCA

CCA thanks all the generous donors who made gifts to the college

celebrate its 150th anniversary with a gala dinner

trustee Kay Kimpton Walker with Allison

from March through September 2010. Your gifts have launched new programs

party and auction to benefit CCA student scholar-

Speer. Mark your calendar for this special evening

ships. The event, chaired by CCA trustee Ann

at the Gump’s flagship retail store on Post Street in

and helped to sustain the richness and vitality of the education CCA offers.

Hatch and 2010 AIGA medal recipient and CCA

San Francisco. Invitations will be sent in January.

Our special thanks go out to the following leadership donors.

faculty member Jennifer Morla, will feature an

If you have questions, please contact Jen McKay

auction of one-of-a-kind mirrors created especially

at 510.594.3776 or jmckay@cca.edu.

ADVANCEMENT NEWS

22 Advancement News

Gifts & Grants

Benefit for CCA on March 31

for the event by leading artists and designers,

6666666

o support public programs on the San Francisco campus, CCA received a $53,300 grant from

Grants for the Arts / San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund. The ArtNow International Foundation

CCA Wattis Institute director Jens Hoffmann (right) guides Curator’s Forum members through the Huckleberry Finn exhibition

Ross Sappenfield of Capital Group Companies (right) and his wife, Laura Brugger (center), with Wattis Institute assistant curator Mirjana Blankenship at the opening reception for Huckleberry Finn

Look for our Honor Roll of Donors in the spring 2011 CCA newsletter, where we will acknowledge the many generous donors who gave to CCA in the 2010 calendar year.

Trustee Steven Oliver and CCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2010 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts recipient, Alice Waters, May 2010

advancement news

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advancement news

SpotLiGhT

Michael Vanderbyl Design Scholarship winners Kenny Hopper and Maria Pitallano with CCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dean of Design, Michael Vanderbyl, at the annual Scholarship Dinner, March 2010

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CCA President Stephen Beal with Fashion Design alum and Project Runway contestant Amy Sarabi, May 2010

Scholarship Dinner speakers Nicholas Riddle, Robert Bechtle, Xiaoyu Weng, and Julia Calles, 8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 March 2010 Alumni Association tour of the Oakland Museum of California, August 2010

5555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555 Roselyne C. Swig, Sandy Walker, Ken Goldberg, and CCA trustee Kay Kimpton Walker at the annual Scholarship Dinner, March 2010

Trustee Steven Oliver and CCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2010 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts recipient, Alice Waters, May 2010

advancement news

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advancement news

SpotLiGhT

Michael Vanderbyl Design Scholarship winners Kenny Hopper and Maria Pitallano with CCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dean of Design, Michael Vanderbyl, at the annual Scholarship Dinner, March 2010

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CCA President Stephen Beal with Fashion Design alum and Project Runway contestant Amy Sarabi, May 2010

5555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555 Roselyne C. Swig, Sandy Walker, Ken Goldberg, and CCA trustee Kay Kimpton Walker at the annual Scholarship Dinner, March 2010

There are all sorts of benefits available to you as an alum. To access the following good stuff and more, go to www.cca.edu/alumni:

Just For Alumni

Career resources

Access the CCA job board, post your résumé, hire a CCA intern, and find out about career workshops. CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS

AlumnI assOcIaTION

(you’re holding it right now!) and also our

Networking events! Crit groups! Career resources! If you’re

Alumni gallery and exhibition series

Receive CCA’s full-color magazine public programs brochure.

Post examples of your work and view the work

wondering what CCA alumni perks you’ve been missing, the answer is:

of fellow alumni at ccaalumnigallery.com. There

probably more than you realize.

are no entry fees, and work is reviewed by curators for exhibitions.

6666666

Critique groups

Share your newest work and expand your community. Currently, crit groups are held in

THREE EASY STEPS TO CATCHING UP WITH THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles. Contact us to form a new group in your area. Alumni notes

Now posted regularly online! Tell us about your professional accomplishments at

www.cca.edu/alumni/notes/submission-form. CCA library card

Verify that your contact information is up to date at www.cca.edu/alumni/directory

Access is free for Bay Area alumni during the first year after graduation, and renewable thereafter for a $25 annual fee. Alumni business discounts

Save on everything from art supplies to

Sign up to receive CCA e-news at www.cca.edu/subscribe and visit www.cca.edu/alumni to learn about exclusive alumni events and benefits

chiropractic services. Many of our business partners are alumni. Volunteering, student mentorship, and outreach

Help us out while you connect with students

Join CCA’s alumni group on Facebook to network with more than 1,300 of your fellow alumni. Go to www.cca.edu/alumni and click on the Facebook link

from the top: M. Louise Stanley (MFA 1969) at an exhibition devoted to her work at Meyer Library, January 2010; CCA’s newest alumni celebrate at commencement, May 2010; Dave Gonzales (Illustration 1980), celebrated creator of Homies, signs memorabilia at a September exhibition devoted to his work at Meyer Library; a New York alumni brunch at ISE Cultural Foundation Gallery, April 2010

and other alumni! Stay tuned to the alumni e-newsletter for opportunities, or email

alumni@cca.edu and tell us how you’d like to get involved.

27 JUST FOR ALUMNI

just for alumni

Public programs and Glance

There are all sorts of benefits available to you as an alum. To access the following good stuff and more, go to www.cca.edu/alumni:

Just For Alumni

Career resources

Access the CCA job board, post your résumé, hire a CCA intern, and find out about career workshops. CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS

AlumnI assOcIaTION

(you’re holding it right now!) and also our

Networking events! Crit groups! Career resources! If you’re

Alumni gallery and exhibition series

Receive CCA’s full-color magazine public programs brochure.

Post examples of your work and view the work

wondering what CCA alumni perks you’ve been missing, the answer is:

of fellow alumni at ccaalumnigallery.com. There

probably more than you realize.

are no entry fees, and work is reviewed by curators for exhibitions.

6666666

Critique groups

Share your newest work and expand your community. Currently, crit groups are held in

THREE EASY STEPS TO CATCHING UP WITH THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles. Contact us to form a new group in your area. Alumni notes

Now posted regularly online! Tell us about your professional accomplishments at

www.cca.edu/alumni/notes/submission-form. CCA library card

Verify that your contact information is up to date at www.cca.edu/alumni/directory

Access is free for Bay Area alumni during the first year after graduation, and renewable thereafter for a $25 annual fee. Alumni business discounts

Save on everything from art supplies to

Sign up to receive CCA e-news at www.cca.edu/subscribe and visit www.cca.edu/alumni to learn about exclusive alumni events and benefits

chiropractic services. Many of our business partners are alumni. Volunteering, student mentorship, and outreach

Help us out while you connect with students

Join CCA’s alumni group on Facebook to network with more than 1,300 of your fellow alumni. Go to www.cca.edu/alumni and click on the Facebook link

and other alumni! Stay tuned to the alumni e-newsletter for opportunities, or email

alumni@cca.edu and tell us how you’d like to get involved.

27 JUST FOR ALUMNI

just for alumni

Public programs and Glance

Ryan Duke Oakland “Greenie” and Maestro of Creative Reuse alumni news

alumni news

by Samantha Braman

yan Duke (Industrial Design 2008), an inde-

pendent Oakland-based industrial designer and CCA alum, has made himself something of a local environmental hero via his involvement with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul of Alameda County, the Oakland/San Francisco division of the International Rescue Committee, and the San Francisco chapter of Project H Design. He even won the 2010 Oakland Indie Award in the “Greenie” category this past May. The awards (a program of the OneCalifornia Foundation in partnership with the East Bay Express) honor businesses and artists who are socially and environmentally engaged, and the Greenie category singles out a particularly great example of someone who is giving back ecologically. But Duke’s worldview is hardly just local. For his senior thesis, supported by a CCA Center Student Grant, he traveled to Pratania, Brazil, where he engaged in a collaborative project with economically underserved artisan groups, working with them to apply their native craft of leatherworking to new products in order to engage new markets, create sustainable income streams, and preserve craft traditions.

Here he talks about the project in Brazil, his thinking on sustainable design, and a very intriguing new retail concept to be unveiled early next year in Alameda: ENCOURAGING AND FOSTERING SUSTAINABILITY IN ART AND IN COMMUNITIES I was honored (and surprised!) to

receive the Oakland Indie Award. It is commendable, and highly appreciated, that the OneCalifornia Foundation is recognizing environmental, social, and economic efforts that foster sustainability, as it is imperative to the future success and stability of community and humanity. This kind of recognition is often most needed when movements and groups are growing and developing, and OneCalifornia has chosen to jump in early to show its support. COMMUNITY-SERVICE-ORIENTED PROJECTS As designers, as

citizens, and as humans, we have a mandate to act toward the realization of positive goals. Each of us contributes in different manners. I’ve set a goal to seek out and identify meaningful opportunities to apply mindful, considered design. WORKING IN BRAZIL The rural town of Pratania, Brazil,

has an 80-year-long tradition of leathercraft, but

The PlusMinus stools above are crafted out of discarded chairs like the ones below. They demonstrate just one of the many opportunities to redirect waste into new products that will be showcased at the new Saint Vincent de Paul retail location in Alameda, opening in early 2011.

Ryan Duke Oakland “Greenie” and Maestro of Creative Reuse alumni news

alumni news

by Samantha Braman

yan Duke (Industrial Design 2008), an inde-

has an 80-year-long tradition of leathercraft, but

alumni news

CHELSEA RYOKO WONG Printmaking 2010 www.chelseawong.com

Chelsea Ryoko Wong (Printmaking 2010) is the inaugural recipient of the new CCA

We developed a new line of products that combine traditional handcraft techniques with contemporary design. Distribution avenues and retail relationships began opening up for the artisans. Retailers that previously wouldn’t carry their products are now inviting them to showcase at their stores. And additional products are continuing to be developed. In retrospect: I benefited by acquiring a new body of knowledge with respect to materials and processes that I’ve been able to apply to other projects. Other designers are now making connections with the Pratania artisans. And the town’s public education system has implemented English-language classes at all grade levels to further facilitate new opportunities. All of this, in addition to the friends, connections, and cross-cultural associations that were created, made it a fantastic experience.

Hamaguchi Emerging Artist Residency at

WORKING WITH PROJECT H DESIGN IN SAN FRANCISCO

Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, an outgrowth

Project H Design works on a variety of humanitarian and socially oriented projects. Through the San Francisco chapter, I’ve led a group of all-volunteer designers (specializing in industrial design, graphic design, strategy, engineering, and so on) on projects that have impact both locally and internationally. We operate as a sort of nonprofit design firm, offering pro bono services to NGOs, social entrepreneurs, other nonprofits—basically organizations that would otherwise have limited access to creative capital. Our projects have ranged from water transportation devices for rural South Africa (with the Hippo Water Roller Project) to wheelchairs for use in developing areas (with the San Francisco–based Whirlwind Wheelchair International), composting bins and wayfinding signage for the local urban farm Alemany Farm, dining tables for refugees being placed in the Bay Area by the International Rescue Committee (along with the Academy of Art University), and communications materials for Wild4life, an amazing local nonprofit that is fighting the HIV epidemic in rural sub-Saharan Africa.

of long-standing ties between CCA and Kala. Funded in part by the Hamaguchi Endowment, it is a special opportunity for a recent Printmaking graduate to work in a professional setting while developing a portfolio for graduate school applications and exhibitions. “At Kala,” Wong says, “I am working amongst a diverse group of artists, printmakers, and professionals from around the world. Artists in residence work alongside one another, share ideas, and trade tips on long-standing printmaking traditions. It has been an excellent transition from CCA’s close-knit print shop, and I am happy to be a part of Kala’s strong group of artists. My current work focuses on reimagining communities through patterns and space as a series of color etchings.”

The faculty, with their diverse backgrounds and expertise, were essential in helping me formulate my own understanding of the design process. They empower students to take on all challenges. This, combined with invaluable in-class experiences (everything from designing new luxury technology products in a Gucci-sponsored studio to collaborations with students in the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business), made CCA instrumental to my personal and professional development.

WHILE AT CCA My CCA senior project in Brazil pre-

pared me to jump right into work, with knowledge and confidence, immediately after graduation. That CCA would encourage a student to leave for two months during the semester to work on a project overseas, independently, shows a great amount of trust—both in the student and in the education it is providing.

LOOKING AHEAD Recently I had an artist-in-residence

“AS DESIGNERS, AS CITIZENS, AND AS HUMANS, WE HAVE A MANDATE TO ACT TOWARD THE REALIZATION OF POSITIVE GOALS.”

opportunity at Saint Vincent de Paul. It’s a nonprofit that provides a range of social services in the Bay Area. One aspect of their operation is a donation and thrift-store system that takes in large quantities of donated consumer products and makes them available to those in need. One issue they’ve identified is that a significant portion of the donations are unsuitable to distribute or sell, and so they’re trying to find ways to recycle those materials and minimize what ends up as landfill. My role was to develop strategies for creative reuse—specifically to craft new objects that could be replicated and sold through retail outlets. I built a range of furniture pieces, tabletop items, and pet products, along with assembly/manufacturing instructions, with the intent to plug into a corresponding program that employs people who have barriers to employment (such as language, past incarcerations, et cetera) to actually build the products. Saint Vincent de Paul is planning to open a new retail location in early 2011 that will feature these products and others like them. It will be an art and design boutique with a social and environmental focus, as well as a hub for artists and designers to interact and engage with interested members of the public through workshops, classes, and events.

from top: Facerum, volore pro molupidunti adis adi cus pero inullaborro od ut experup tation rero cum num a sum quidel incieni tatustem quam, quam rem quide porum audae eatest disquo volorem re doluptatur? Osae ne nonse doluptia cus. Facerum, volore pro molupidunti adis adi cus pero inullaborro od ut experup tation rero cum num a sum quide.

top to bottom: Project H with Whirlwind Wheelchair developed components for this rugged wheelchair; water transportation devices redesigned by Project H with the Hippo Water Roller Project; molded leather bowls with hand-stitched details combining contemporary design with traditional Brazilian leathercraft

31 alumni news

global competition has closed down all but two local shops. I was able to spend about two months there, working and engaging in a knowledge exchange with an amazing group of artisans. They taught me the skills, techniques, and processes they had honed over decades, and in exchange I shared with them some processes of contemporary design. I got connected to this group via StraaT, which operates like an NGO, making connections among artisans, designers, and markets.

alumni news

CHELSEA RYOKO WONG Printmaking 2010 www.chelseawong.com

Chelsea Ryoko Wong (Printmaking 2010) is the inaugural recipient of the new CCA

Hamaguchi Emerging Artist Residency at

WORKING WITH PROJECT H DESIGN IN SAN FRANCISCO

Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, an outgrowth

WHILE AT CCA My CCA senior project in Brazil pre-

LOOKING AHEAD Recently I had an artist-in-residence

“AS DESIGNERS, AS CITIZENS, AND AS HUMANS, WE HAVE A MANDATE TO ACT TOWARD THE REALIZATION OF POSITIVE GOALS.”

31 alumni news

Mariah Nielson Preserving the Legacy of J. B. Blunk alumni news

alumni news

by Samantha Braman

idden among the trees atop Inverness Ridge, overlooking Tomales Bay in a little-trafficked corner of west Marin County, is a secluded artist’s haven. You may be familiar with the place, but you may not know it as the former home of the prominent sculptor and woodworker J. B. Blunk. Today it is the site of the J. B. Blunk Residency program, founded and directed by Blunk’s daughter—and CCA alumna—Mariah Nielson (BArch 2005). The house and studio were designed and built by Blunk in 1959. The pastoral isolation provided (and enforced) by the location allows resident artists to focus entirely on their work. Inspired by the setting and completely uninterrupted, they are free to study and create anything from painting to installation art, creative writing, sculpture, and video.

Works in progress during the residency of Jay Nelson (CCA Painting/Drawing 2004)

“After completing a residency, we hope our artists will bring a renewed passion and fresh approaches to their teaching, exhibitions, and creative practice,” says Nielson. “Spending two months in such a rural and stimulating environment reminds us of our values and intentions.”

The program is a partnership with the Lucid Art Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes and supports grants for art projects. Since 2008, 11 artists in residence, six of them CCA alumni, have called the Blunk house home for two months and then contributed their work to a year-end exhibition. (The first annual exhibition took place in Los Angeles at Reform Gallery, and the second was at Triple Base in San Francisco, run by CCA alumni Dina Pugh and Joyce Grimm.) In addition to running the program and continuing to work on maintaining her father’s home and studio, Nielson is also a curator at the San Francisco Museum of Craft+Design and engages in independent architecture and design projects. She recently designed a new home for her mother in Helena, Montana, which involved a renovation of an 1893 apartment building. Nielson was constantly inspired by, and immersed in, her father’s work while she was growing up. Prior to attending CCA she worked in Paris for a year as an assistant to the film set designer PierreFrancois Limbosch, and that experience solidified

Mariah Nielson Preserving the Legacy of J. B. Blunk alumni news

alumni news

by Samantha Braman

Works in progress during the residency of Jay Nelson (CCA Painting/Drawing 2004)

In 2006, however, five years after her father passed away, Nielson decided to leave architecture and follow up full-time on Blunk’s request that she convert his Inverness home into a place for artists to practice and spread the spirit of creativity. J. B. Blunk was

alumni news

JAMES MCLEOD GLASS 2002 www.floatingworldprojects.com

During a 2007 trip to Istanbul, James McLeod (Glass 2002) realized that the precarious political situation in the Middle East is threatening not just lives, but also the region’s ancient art-making traditions. To help preserve some of these rich threads of knowledge, he founded Floating World Projects. The organization aims to develop cross-cultural media projects that highlight symbiotic relationships in our global age.

very invested in sustainability, and his works often incorporated salvaged materials that revealed their natural origins. One of his best-known works locally is The Planet (1969), made of a redwood burl 13 feet in diameter, installed at the Oakland Museum of California. The residency program encourages its participants to be mindful of the natural world. “Our goal is to provide a serene environment for creative exploration that is inspired by living in nature,” says Nielson. “Many of the artists who apply are already well established. We require applicants to have an MFA, because we want them to have demonstrated a particular level of commitment to their practice. We welcome passionate artists with an interest in place, material exploration, and discipline.” Nielson looks back fondly on her time at CCA. “I miss the late nights in the studio and the excitement of beginning a new semester, when the particular project we would be developing for the next four months would be announced. I enjoyed meeting and becoming friends with furniture designers, fashion designers, painters, graphic designers. The cross-disciplinary aspect of the education was invaluable.”

35 alumni news

her ambition to pursue architecture. After obtaining her degree at CCA, she worked for several different Bay Area architecture firms, including Sagan Piechota and SOM.

clockwise from top left: Works by Jacob Tillman (CCA Painting/Drawing 2007); Jay Nelson (CCA Painting/ Drawing 2004) works on his Boat project; Rachel Kaye (CCA Painting/Drawing 2004) and Jay Nelson, who met at CCA and later married, pause in the midst of working on their residency projects

The project’s first undertaking, Invisible Cities, is a partnership between artists from Istanbul and artists from New York that will culminate in 2011 in exhibitions in

“AFTER COMPLETING A RESIDENCY, WE HOPE OUR ARTISTS WILL BRING

both locations featuring time-lapse videos,

A RENEWED PASSION AND FRESH

musical compositions produced collabora-

APPROACHES TO THEIR TEACHING,

tively by Turkish and American musicians, and numerous pieces of glass. The second, The Road to Hebron, is a feature-length

EXHIBITIONS, AND CREATIVE PRACTICE.”

ALEXANDRA GRANT MFA 2000 www.alexandragrant.com

at thelovenecklace.com or at the Los Angeles

Project (WHP), an artist-driven, collaborative

Museum of Contemporary Art store.

across the street from Simon Rodia’s Watts

and fundraiser at San Francisco’s Public Glass to benefit the film production.

in the New York Times fashion section and at

ticipant in the newly relaunched Watts House redevelopment of the residential city block

The J. B. Blunk program hosts four cycles of artists every year: two months each in the spring, summer, fall, and winter. If you are interested in applying for a residency, visit www.jbblunkresidency.org for info and an application. Visit the blog at jbblunkresidency.blogspot.com.

featured (with a special mention of Grant’s work) TeenVogue.com. The necklace can be purchased

glassblowing studios in the world, located his collaborators will host a public event

in the 2008 Colette store in Paris; the store was

Alexandra Grant (MFA 2000) is a key par-

documentary film about one of the oldest in the West Bank. In January McLeod and

pink neon sign, both of which were included

Towers in Los Angeles. Grant’s proposal for WHP was Love House, an oversize sculpture of the word “love” placed on the roof of one of the houses. Her intent was to visually represent the greater ideas behind WHP—that artists can put love (literally) on a neighborhood, using art as a catalyst for social change. “Love makes us all equal and is something we all know or desire. I hoped that my love symbol could act as a lightning rod to generate media interest and help WHP raise funds,” she says. Grant’s design was subsequently made into a necklace and a loopy

alumni news

JAMES MCLEOD GLASS 2002 www.floatingworldprojects.com

35 alumni news

her ambition to pursue architecture. After obtaining her degree at CCA, she worked for several different Bay Area architecture firms, including Sagan Piechota and SOM.

The project’s first undertaking, Invisible Cities, is a partnership between artists from Istanbul and artists from New York that will culminate in 2011 in exhibitions in

“AFTER COMPLETING A RESIDENCY, WE HOPE OUR ARTISTS WILL BRING

both locations featuring time-lapse videos,

A RENEWED PASSION AND FRESH

musical compositions produced collabora-

APPROACHES TO THEIR TEACHING,

tively by Turkish and American musicians, and numerous pieces of glass. The second, The Road to Hebron, is a feature-length

EXHIBITIONS, AND CREATIVE PRACTICE.”

ALEXANDRA GRANT MFA 2000 www.alexandragrant.com

at thelovenecklace.com or at the Los Angeles

Project (WHP), an artist-driven, collaborative

Museum of Contemporary Art store.

across the street from Simon Rodia’s Watts

and fundraiser at San Francisco’s Public Glass to benefit the film production.

in the New York Times fashion section and at

ticipant in the newly relaunched Watts House redevelopment of the residential city block

featured (with a special mention of Grant’s work) TeenVogue.com. The necklace can be purchased

glassblowing studios in the world, located his collaborators will host a public event

in the 2008 Colette store in Paris; the store was

Alexandra Grant (MFA 2000) is a key par-

documentary film about one of the oldest in the West Bank. In January McLeod and

pink neon sign, both of which were included

MIGUEL NELSON

CHRISTINE WONG YAP

MFA 2002

PRINTMAKING 1998, MFA 2007

www.woollypocket.com

www.christinewongyap.com

Miguel Nelson (MFA 2002) is bringing his pas-

want to continue to be able to grow things during

Christine Wong Yap (Printmaking 1998, MFA

sion for the art of gardening to the masses—one

the winter months. The vertical systems can be

2007), a CCA alum two times over, just completed

wall, tabletop, and handbag at a

deployed even in very constrained

her biggest project to date, and one you may

time. His company Woolly Pocket,

interior spaces.

have received a little piece of. The Great Balloon

Nelson’s latest project is Woolly

modular systems for growing

School Garden. “We make do-it-

plants. The breathable, multi-

alumni news

yourself kits for K–12 schools to

colored, capacious pockets come

create their own edible gardens

in a variety of sizes and can be

and teach nutrition in a way that

deployed indoors or outdoors, on

doesn’t require shovels, bulldoz-

vertical walls or as free-standing

ers, red tape, or taxpayer money.

islands. They are made of felted

We’re growing thousands of

strands of plastic from recycled

gardens for schools nationwide.”

plastic bottles. The sealed indoor

In collaboration with Pepsi’s

version protects walls from

Refresh Everything website, funds

water leakage. The outdoor ver-

were raised to bring Woolly School

sion allows rainwater to pass through. Nelson’s “outside-the-pocket” thinking makes gardening an option for people without yards, or for those who

Giveaway, a site-specific social sculpture, involved 25 children from Oakland’s Chinatown giving away 1,000 helium-filled balloons to passersby on a Saturday afternoon in June 2010. Before their Camron-Stanford House, a historic Victorian on the shore of Lake Merritt (and yes, that part was indeed inspired by the Pixar movie Up!). The project was commissioned by the Mills College Art Museum for Here and Now, a series of site-specific installations in historic Oakland architecture. “The immediate impact had to do with the gesture

Gardens to more than 250 schools across the

of interactions between kids and passersby. But in

United States this past summer.

an imperceptibly subtle way, I was also interested in recontextualizing the history of the Camron-

EBONY IMAN DALLAS MFA DESIGN 2009 www.eidart.com

Stanford House. One of its early residents was David Hewes, who amassed his fortune thanks to Chinese manual labor during an era of exclusion.” Other key aspects of the project involved the visual

Ebony Iman Dallas (MFA Design 2009) has

arts are just some of the barriers that Afrikanation

pleasure of the colored balloons, their temporary

always been interested in exploring ways to build

Artists Organization is working to overcome. Dallas

and brilliant punctuation of the public’s circum-

human relationships and connections through art

is also working on expanding the organization to

ambulation of Lake Merritt, and seeing people’s

and design. Her notable projects have included

countries throughout Africa, the Caribbean, and

reactions to small acts of generosity. “Ever since I

C.L.O.U.D. Speak 3000 (investigating the loss of

North America. “This will help to build cross-border

first moved to Oakland in 1994 when I came to

indigenous languages in the United States) and

relations and productive partnerships,” she says.

CCA for my BFA, I’ve appreciated the diverse

literally connecting CCA’s art and design build-

“We will create fair-trade economic-development

cross-section of joggers, workers, families, seniors,

ings with ropes as part of a collective community-

opportunities by enabling online sales and work-

and neighbors who frequent the lake.”

building effort.

ing with individuals, organizations, and galleries internationally to showcase art.”

“THIS WILL HELP TO BUILD CROSS-BORDER RELATIONS AND PRODUCTIVE PARTNERSHIPS.”

The artist is also particularly invested in an exploration of the intersection of modest daily pleasures

If you are interested in donating art supplies or

and discount culture: pleasure, ambition, cheap-

otherwise supporting Dallas’s efforts, she invites

ness, and cheerfulness. “My interest in ‘cheap and

you to contact her at eid@eidart.com.

cheerful’ started during my Breathe Residency at Chinese Art Centre in Manchester, England. There are a lot of pound shops—the U.K. equivalent of

Now she has founded Afrikanation Artists Organization, based in Somaliland, which empowers artists by building a more grounded foundation for the arts in communities lacking resources to do so themselves. The unavailability of art supplies, limited avenues to showcase and distribute artworks, and lack of educational opportunities in the

distribution the balloons were attached to the

alumni news

launched in January 2009, makes

dollar stores—in Manchester. They sell utilitarian goods as well as things like garden gnomes, glitter pens, and stick-on rhinestones. I found compelling the idea that people who frequent pound shops should be able to access pleasure and feed their decorative impulses. Experience matters more than things.”

“EVER SINCE I FIRST MOVED TO OAKLAND I’VE APPRECIATED THE DIVERSE CROSS-SECTION OF JOGGERS, WORKERS, FAMILIES, SENIORS, AND NEIGHBORS WHO FREQUENT THE LAKE.”

MIGUEL NELSON

CHRISTINE WONG YAP

MFA 2002

PRINTMAKING 1998, MFA 2007

www.woollypocket.com

www.christinewongyap.com

Miguel Nelson (MFA 2002) is bringing his pas-

want to continue to be able to grow things during

Christine Wong Yap (Printmaking 1998, MFA

sion for the art of gardening to the masses—one

the winter months. The vertical systems can be

2007), a CCA alum two times over, just completed

wall, tabletop, and handbag at a

deployed even in very constrained

her biggest project to date, and one you may

time. His company Woolly Pocket,

interior spaces.

have received a little piece of. The Great Balloon

Nelson’s latest project is Woolly

modular systems for growing

School Garden. “We make do-it-

plants. The breathable, multi-

alumni news

yourself kits for K–12 schools to

colored, capacious pockets come

create their own edible gardens

in a variety of sizes and can be

and teach nutrition in a way that

deployed indoors or outdoors, on

doesn’t require shovels, bulldoz-

vertical walls or as free-standing

ers, red tape, or taxpayer money.

islands. They are made of felted

We’re growing thousands of

strands of plastic from recycled

gardens for schools nationwide.”

plastic bottles. The sealed indoor

In collaboration with Pepsi’s

version protects walls from

Refresh Everything website, funds

water leakage. The outdoor ver-

were raised to bring Woolly School

sion allows rainwater to pass through. Nelson’s “outside-the-pocket” thinking makes gardening an option for people without yards, or for those who

Gardens to more than 250 schools across the

of interactions between kids and passersby. But in

United States this past summer.

an imperceptibly subtle way, I was also interested in recontextualizing the history of the Camron-

EBONY IMAN DALLAS MFA DESIGN 2009 www.eidart.com

Stanford House. One of its early residents was David Hewes, who amassed his fortune thanks to Chinese manual labor during an era of exclusion.” Other key aspects of the project involved the visual

Ebony Iman Dallas (MFA Design 2009) has

arts are just some of the barriers that Afrikanation

pleasure of the colored balloons, their temporary

always been interested in exploring ways to build

Artists Organization is working to overcome. Dallas

and brilliant punctuation of the public’s circum-

human relationships and connections through art

is also working on expanding the organization to

ambulation of Lake Merritt, and seeing people’s

and design. Her notable projects have included

countries throughout Africa, the Caribbean, and

reactions to small acts of generosity. “Ever since I

C.L.O.U.D. Speak 3000 (investigating the loss of

North America. “This will help to build cross-border

first moved to Oakland in 1994 when I came to

indigenous languages in the United States) and

relations and productive partnerships,” she says.

CCA for my BFA, I’ve appreciated the diverse

literally connecting CCA’s art and design build-

“We will create fair-trade economic-development

cross-section of joggers, workers, families, seniors,

ings with ropes as part of a collective community-

opportunities by enabling online sales and work-

and neighbors who frequent the lake.”

building effort.

ing with individuals, organizations, and galleries internationally to showcase art.”

“THIS WILL HELP TO BUILD CROSS-BORDER RELATIONS AND PRODUCTIVE PARTNERSHIPS.”

The artist is also particularly invested in an exploration of the intersection of modest daily pleasures

If you are interested in donating art supplies or

and discount culture: pleasure, ambition, cheap-

otherwise supporting Dallas’s efforts, she invites

ness, and cheerfulness. “My interest in ‘cheap and

you to contact her at eid@eidart.com.

cheerful’ started during my Breathe Residency at Chinese Art Centre in Manchester, England. There are a lot of pound shops—the U.K. equivalent of

distribution the balloons were attached to the

alumni news

launched in January 2009, makes

“EVER SINCE I FIRST MOVED TO OAKLAND I’VE APPRECIATED THE DIVERSE CROSS-SECTION OF JOGGERS, WORKERS, FAMILIES, SENIORS, AND NEIGHBORS WHO FREQUENT THE LAKE.”

arry Sultan, one of CCA’s most beloved faculty members, died of cancer on December 13, 2009. He was a distinguished professor in both the undergraduate Photography Program and the Graduate Program in Fine Arts and had taught at CCA since 1988. In addition to his teaching career and extensive commercial work for W magazine, Vanity Fair, and other important clients, he produced a large and widely influential body of personal work, including the series Pictures from Home and The Valley.

In Memoriam

ALUMNI

Paula Bard

Critt Graham

Scott Mundt

Jewelry / Metal Arts 1972

Advertising 1966

MFA Glass 1980

Orinda, California

Lilburn, Georgia

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

September 3, 2010

August 15, 2009

August 17, 2009

Duane Bartok

Mary Henry

Arthur Pierce

Larry sulTan photography FACULTY

Wood/Furniture 1990

Painting 1938

Ceramics 1955

La Mesa, California

Seattle, Washington

Santa Rosa, California

April 1, 2010

May 20, 2009

June 28, 2009

Ann Bendorf

Kay Hogg

Judith (Judy) Rasmussen

1946

Graphic Design 1962

Painting 1990

San Jose, California

Concord, California

Castro Valley, California

June 18, 2009

November 2, 2009

November 28, 2009

Pauline Blanc

Jean Hubbard

Riyo Sato

Interdisciplinary Fine Arts 1939

Applied Arts 1938

Art Education 1940

San Francisco, California

Reno, Nevada

Chicago, Illinois

December 22, 2009

April 9, 2009

October 10, 2009

Jack Borgos

Judith (Judi) Karlen Khan

Don Stivers

Graphic Design 1972

Printmaking 1977

Applied Arts 1951

San Diego, California

Lahaina, Hawaii

November 5, 2009

September 4, 2009

December 15, 2009

Catherine Colcord

Laureen Landau

Applied Arts 1940

eorge Saxe, longtime CCA trustee, passed away on July 27, 2010, at 89 years of age. Appointed to the board in 1985, Mr. Saxe was an important and influential force, serving on many committees and in several leadership capacities, including multiple terms as vice chairman. He had an extraordinary network of friends and colleagues and he shared his enthusiasm for CCA with all of them. His passion for arts education was contagious, inspiring several supporters to join our board.

Dean Stone Art Education 1967

MFA Painting 1962

Mendocino, California

San Mateo, California

Sacramento, California

August 1, 2009

January 12, 2010

August 31, 2009 Jane (Janie) Walsh

Michael Cooley

Gale (Gaell) Lindstrom

Art Education 1938

Individualized Major 1976

MFA Ceramics 1963

Eureka, California

Petaluma, California

Saint George, Utah

September 9, 2009

April 7, 2010

August 25, 2009

Tammy Rae Carland, chair of the Photography Program, says, “Larry Sultan was one of the most compassionate, generous educators I’ve ever known. He was a great mentor, a great teacher, a great colleague. He had a lot of success in his own career but continued to be vital to the Photography Program. He really cared about its pedagogical development, about keeping it current and lively. He was incredibly generous with his students, always sharing his network, his experience, and his connections.”

George saxe TRUSTEE

Since 1983 George and his wife, Dorothy, have given generously to support student scholarships, improve studios and other academic facilities, and help enhance our students’ educational experience. The George B. Saxe Scholarship, created by Dorothy in 1986 to honor George, has to date awarded more than $93,000 in financial aid to 32 promising graduate students working in glass and ceramics. The college is also proud to house the George and Dorothy Saxe Academic Services Center on the San Francisco campus.

In Memoriam

ALUMNI

Paula Bard

Critt Graham

Scott Mundt

Jewelry / Metal Arts 1972

Advertising 1966

MFA Glass 1980

Orinda, California

Lilburn, Georgia

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

September 3, 2010

August 15, 2009

August 17, 2009

Duane Bartok

Mary Henry

Arthur Pierce

Larry sulTan photography FACULTY

Wood/Furniture 1990

Painting 1938

Ceramics 1955

La Mesa, California

Seattle, Washington

Santa Rosa, California

April 1, 2010

May 20, 2009

June 28, 2009

Ann Bendorf

Kay Hogg

Judith (Judy) Rasmussen

1946

Graphic Design 1962

Painting 1990

San Jose, California

Concord, California

Castro Valley, California

June 18, 2009

November 2, 2009

November 28, 2009

Pauline Blanc

Jean Hubbard

Riyo Sato

Interdisciplinary Fine Arts 1939

Applied Arts 1938

Art Education 1940

San Francisco, California

Reno, Nevada

Chicago, Illinois

December 22, 2009

April 9, 2009

October 10, 2009

Jack Borgos

Judith (Judi) Karlen Khan

Don Stivers

Graphic Design 1972

Printmaking 1977

Applied Arts 1951

San Diego, California

Lahaina, Hawaii

November 5, 2009

September 4, 2009

December 15, 2009

Catherine Colcord

Laureen Landau

Applied Arts 1940

Dean Stone Art Education 1967

MFA Painting 1962

Mendocino, California

San Mateo, California

Sacramento, California

August 1, 2009

January 12, 2010

August 31, 2009 Jane (Janie) Walsh

Michael Cooley

Gale (Gaell) Lindstrom

Art Education 1938

Individualized Major 1976

MFA Ceramics 1963

Eureka, California

Petaluma, California

Saint George, Utah

September 9, 2009

April 7, 2010

August 25, 2009

George saxe TRUSTEE

GLANCE

Backward Glance

cover image

Fall 2010

The cover of this issue of Glance features

Volume 19, No. 1

Potential Collisions by Dana Rottler (Glass

Editor

as it appeared in CCA’s 2010 Baccalaureate

Lindsey Westbrook

Exhibition. The sand captured in the glass

2010)

bubbles was collected by the artist from

Contributors

around the Bay Area. The “little worlds,” as

Susan Avila

she calls them, project off a four-foot-wide by

Chris Bliss

five-foot-tall panel, with still more individual

Samantha Braman

balls exploding downward and trickling off

Jason Engelund

the sides. The gallery’s overhead lighting

Amanda Glesmann

casts colliding shadows on the wall. Rottler

Lindsey Lyons

observes that the piece “represents the Bay

Jim Norrena

Area’s great biodiversity as well as the chaos

Sarah Owens

of life. Sometimes we are all just inside and

Jessica Russell

other times just outside of the picture.”

Douglas Sandberg Clay Walsh Lindsey Westbrook

Photo credits All images of student work appear courtesy the students, copyright California College of the Arts,

Design

unless otherwise noted. Cover: Navid Baraty; inside front

CCA Sputnik, a student design team

cover: Karl Petzke; pp. 2, 6 (thumbnails), and 7 (top):

Faculty Advisor

photos): Teresa Aguilera/REBAR; p. 7 (bottom): Kolle

Bob Aufuldish

Kahle-Riggs; pp. 8–9: Haley Toelle; p. 10: Aimee Phan;

Leslie Sample; pp. 4–5: Russell Baldon; p. 6 (studio

p. 12 (right): Rien Van Rijthoven; pp. 15–16: Johnna

id you know that the most important and reclusive man on EARTH visited CCAC shortly after he did a remarkable thing?

It was something that really gave the college credibility for me. I was just about to enter high school at the time. You may not have even been born yet. Some have said this event never happened. BUT IT DID!

Design Manager

Arnold Photography; p. 17: James Edmondson and

Michelle Frey

Sara VanSlyke; p. 22: Nikki Ritcher Photography; pp. 24–25: Nikki Ritcher Photography except for Beal/

Designers

Sarabi (by Navid Baraty) and Oakland Museum (by

James Edmondson

Lindsey Lyons); p. 27 (top to bottom): Lindsey Lyons,

Sara VanSlyke

Nikki Ritcher Photography, Jessica Russell, Jessica

Glance is published by the

middle right): Leslie Williamson; p. 35 (top left): Mariah

CCA Communications Department

Nielson; p. 35 (bottom): Anais Wade; p. 36 (bottom):

1111 Eighth Street

Charles Amadi; p. 37: Paul Kuroda / Kuroda Visuals;

San Francisco CA 94107-2247

p. 39 (top): Kelly Sultan; p. 40: Douglas Sandberg

Russell; p. 30: Evan Alsnauer; pp. 32–33, 35 (top and

415.703.9542 / glance@cca.edu The Pre-College page is designed by

The man was Neil Armstrong, and he was visiting as a special

Change of address? Please notify the

Helen Ip of CCA’s Sputnik Design Studio.

guest at the Founder’s Day celebration in 1972, specifically the

CCA Advancement Office

The Craft Forward page is designed

5212 Broadway

by Design Is Play, SF.

100-year anniversary of Frederick Meyer’s birth. I recently discovered a very worn-out special-edition newspaper that I had kept from way back when. It shows Neil Armstrong walking around the campus, meeting and greeting people. —Douglas Sandberg (Film Arts 1978)

Oakland CA 94618-1462 510.594.3779 / bjones@cca.edu

Printed by American Web Inc., Denver

each month. You can also change your

Printed on 10 percent postconsumer

mailing preferences from postal

waste paper

mail to email here.

GLANCE

Backward Glance

cover image

Fall 2010

The cover of this issue of Glance features

Volume 19, No. 1

Potential Collisions by Dana Rottler (Glass

Editor

as it appeared in CCA’s 2010 Baccalaureate

Lindsey Westbrook

Exhibition. The sand captured in the glass

2010)

bubbles was collected by the artist from

Contributors

around the Bay Area. The “little worlds,” as

Susan Avila

she calls them, project off a four-foot-wide by

Chris Bliss

five-foot-tall panel, with still more individual

Samantha Braman

balls exploding downward and trickling off

Jason Engelund

the sides. The gallery’s overhead lighting

Amanda Glesmann

casts colliding shadows on the wall. Rottler

Lindsey Lyons

observes that the piece “represents the Bay

Jim Norrena

Area’s great biodiversity as well as the chaos

Sarah Owens

of life. Sometimes we are all just inside and

Jessica Russell

other times just outside of the picture.”

Douglas Sandberg Clay Walsh Lindsey Westbrook

Photo credits All images of student work appear courtesy the students, copyright California College of the Arts,

Design

unless otherwise noted. Cover: Navid Baraty; inside front

CCA Sputnik, a student design team

cover: Karl Petzke; pp. 2, 6 (thumbnails), and 7 (top):

Faculty Advisor

photos): Teresa Aguilera/REBAR; p. 7 (bottom): Kolle

Bob Aufuldish

Kahle-Riggs; pp. 8–9: Haley Toelle; p. 10: Aimee Phan;

Leslie Sample; pp. 4–5: Russell Baldon; p. 6 (studio

p. 12 (right): Rien Van Rijthoven; pp. 15–16: Johnna

id you know that the most important and reclusive man on EARTH visited CCAC shortly after he did a remarkable thing?

Design Manager

Arnold Photography; p. 17: James Edmondson and

Michelle Frey

Sara VanSlyke; p. 22: Nikki Ritcher Photography; pp. 24–25: Nikki Ritcher Photography except for Beal/

Designers

Sarabi (by Navid Baraty) and Oakland Museum (by

James Edmondson

Lindsey Lyons); p. 27 (top to bottom): Lindsey Lyons,

Sara VanSlyke

Nikki Ritcher Photography, Jessica Russell, Jessica

Glance is published by the

middle right): Leslie Williamson; p. 35 (top left): Mariah

CCA Communications Department

Nielson; p. 35 (bottom): Anais Wade; p. 36 (bottom):

1111 Eighth Street

Charles Amadi; p. 37: Paul Kuroda / Kuroda Visuals;

San Francisco CA 94107-2247

p. 39 (top): Kelly Sultan; p. 40: Douglas Sandberg

Russell; p. 30: Evan Alsnauer; pp. 32–33, 35 (top and

415.703.9542 / glance@cca.edu The Pre-College page is designed by

The man was Neil Armstrong, and he was visiting as a special

Change of address? Please notify the

Helen Ip of CCA’s Sputnik Design Studio.

guest at the Founder’s Day celebration in 1972, specifically the

CCA Advancement Office

The Craft Forward page is designed

5212 Broadway

by Design Is Play, SF.

Oakland CA 94618-1462 510.594.3779 / bjones@cca.edu

Printed by American Web Inc., Denver

each month. You can also change your

Printed on 10 percent postconsumer

mailing preferences from postal

waste paper

mail to email here.

N on -Pro f i t O rg U. S. Postag e

7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

1111 Eighth Street / San Francisco CA 94107-2247

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