A Q&A with ‘Discovery & Espirit’ Artist Jimmy Grashow Douglas & Gay Lane Digital Media Lab Gives Students a Creative Edge

NEWS AROUND CAMPUS A Q&A with ‘Discovery & Esprit’ Artist Jimmy Grashow

Every child has a favorite toy. For sculptor and woodcut artist James “Jimmy” Grashow, it was cardboard. His father, who worked in the appliance business, would bring home cardboard boxes. Grashow would turn the ordinary material into robots, animals and other figures. From there, his interest in art has never stopped growing and he considers the place where he creates his work a magic space. Grashow is well-known for his sculptures and large-scale installations such as cities, fountains and menageries made of cardboard. For “Discovery & Esprit,” the sculpture of a young couple dancing that stands on Myles Plaza, he used the same treatment and had the work cast in bronze. He is the subject of a 2012 documentary “The Cardboard Bernini,” which describes the creation, exhibition, anticipated decay and ultimate destruction of an enormous cardboard fountain, inspired by the Trevi Fountain in Rome and the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Another of his better-known installations, the “Great Monkey Project,” is made up of 100 cardboard monkeys that hang from a ceiling. The exhibit was featured in the 2015 movie “The Longest Ride” based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. Grashow also created cover art for record albums including Jethro Tull’s 1969 album “Stand Up” and the 1971 Yardbirds’ album “Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page.” Forward: Where do you create your work and why is that space so important? Grashow: I have a studio attached to my house. You have to find a space that calls to you, that’s comfortable and allows you to work. I’m happier in my studio than any place else. Forward: What did you think when you saw “Discovery & Esprit” for the first time on Myles Plaza? Grashow: I wish I could express how I feel. I saw it was living without me like a successful child. It reminds me of the stories of someone raising a lion cub and you let it go free. Then one day you go out into the wild and it comes out and embraces you. Forward: What is your advice to anyone creating a piece of art? Grashow: If you think it, you can do it. You don’t want to have a complete concept when you start out. It’s about the process. It should be an adventure all the way through. You should just follow the journey.

Douglas & Gay Lane Digital Media Lab Gives Students a Creative Edge

Thanks to the generosity of friends of Davis & Elkins College Doug and Gay Lane, students are now better prepared for careers in the creative arts field. During the Myles Center for the Arts dedication, President Chris A. Wood, students and faculty expressed their appreciation for the Douglas and Gay Lane Digital Media Lab with the presentation of a plaque that is now displayed in the facility. Located in the lower level of Myles Center for the Arts, the remodeled lab is equipped with iMac computers with Retina 5K and 4K display, and subscriptions to Adobe Creative Cloud. Students may declare a minor in digital media or take elective courses that prepare them for careers as design professionals. The digital media minor merges print design and interactive media to provide handson courses that allow students to consistently nurture and grow skills in graphic design, visual communication, branding, interactive digital environments, video and animation production, and 3D design through professional grade design programs and online tools. President Chris A. Wood presents Douglas and Gay Lane with a “The recently dedicated Douglas plaque in appreciation of their and Gay Lane Digital Media generosity for funding the Lab has made a huge impact on Douglas and Gay Lane Digital me personally and I know it has Media Lab. on other students as well as the faculty,” said art student Raven Hedrick ’22. “Specifically, it has helped me create numerous websites, logos for local businesses, my personal business logo, and it further helps me with integrating machines into my ceramic work. I am very thankful for this much needed upgrade.” The Lanes also generously provided funding for upgrades to the College website and renovations to Harper-McNeeley Auditorium that include new lighting and seating configurations.

Alumna Raven Hedrick ’22 explains to Gay and Douglas Lane how the digital media lab has helped her create marketing pieces for her ceramic work. Artist James “Jimmy” Grashow leads a demonstration and talk while constructing a dog and fish using only cardboard, a utility knife and a glue gun.