MIAD Bridge by Kyle Baldwin

MIADBRIDGE t he quarterly magazine for you about us

T HIS QUARTER’S

BIGGEST ST OR I ES plus

THE SHOTS THAT SAID IT ALL.

MIADBRIDGE

S EPTEMBER FEATURES Urban Ecology Center , 10 helping p r o m o t e c o m m u n i t y

Maurizio Murru

Vegan/ve g e t a r i a n l i f e s t y l e

re a c h e s o u t to the MIAD community

b e c oming a part of MIAD

September 2010

Table of Contents

2010 DEPARTMENTS Letter From the Editor ,

Faculty Profi le, Fran

Contri butors

Designer FAQ

by Kyle Baldwin

contributes to the community

to the magazine

of the current issue

C o n t r i b u to r s :

Kelsey Barnowsky Zac Jacobson Marisa Seguin Katherine Meyers Anne Ghory-Goodman Urban Ecology Center

Letter from the Editor

Editor, Kyle Baldwin in Wasilla, Alaska

MIAD Bridge is a new publication that describes the ways that artists and designers in the MIAD community act to help others. MIADâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students, faculty, staff, and alumni make a difference through personal commitments and the use of their skills to make the world a better place. This magazine covers ever ything from ser vice learning to pro bono work and the support of important causes. All of the text is researched and written by the Communication Designs class members. MIAD Bridge gives you a personal insight to the MIAD students and their passion for giving back to the community. A fun answer to the Question of the Issue is below the photo of each writter the the articles. The illustrated article is a collaboration with an assigned partner from the illustration design department.

September 2010

Kyle Baldwin

Faculty Profile

Francis Balistreri

F ra n & VR text & photos by kyle baldwin

urrently enrolled as a Visual Resource student, I have known Francis Balistreri for a more than two semesters. Starting off as professor and student relationship he has become much more then just a professor. Francis is a well-known designer and creative artist known for his somewhat radical thinking and passion for pushing the boundaries of design.Throughout the many years he has worked with numerous professionals from various agencies from almost all areas of the country. However, at MIAD many people have the pleasure of knowing Fran on a much more personal level. He no longer works solely as a professional designer, he instead has chosen to contribute his knowledge and design skills to teach driven students pursuing a career in the design industry. As professor of the only self-sustaining class at MIAD he accepts creative challenges from some non-profit organizations from around the area and pushes the 8 students to solve these creative challenges and to present design ideas to professionals. Students have the opportunity to get design solutions produced and to meet clients while creating professional relationships that students can keep.

However, there is a breath of fresh air in the city. While helping students within MIAD, Fran also contributes to the community. He does this by bringing unique young designers together with non-profit organizations that are in need of further marketing and advertising for their company. Using his personable skills and charisma, Fran not only teach students about production issues designers must face on a daily basis but also to connects them with numerous organizations. This allows the students to get a taste of the creative marketplace while organizations can use the solutions produced. Many organizations would never be able to easily afford professional design creativity unless a supportive designer such as Fran, was there for them to reach out to. He provides a needed service by establishing relationships with creative students and driven organizations. Knowing Fran has truly allowed me to find my place as a confident designer at MIAD. He chooses to take time out of his schedule to devote himself to any and all students who reach out to him. He enjoys time with students and his love for the class is intoxicating.

MIAD Bridge

September 2010

MAURIZIO MURRU REACHES OUT TO THE MIAD C O M M U N I T Y T H R O U G H H I S PA S S I O N F O R N AT U R E WITH UNIQUE OUT OF SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. written by Kelsey Barnowsky

t an art school like MIAD, there is a good chance you will run into people who have a lot in common with you. But being the creative, unique people we are, there are bound to be some unusual or unexpected things we do in our free time. We aren’t a big enough school to have it’s own major sports time or anything like that, but we are lucky to have faculty that give us the opportunity to take part in some very exclusive, smaller activities. As for me, I happen to be an avid archer and hunter. After one of my professors knew this about me, she told me I should get in contact with Maurizio Murru. If you haven’t gotten the pleasure to meet him, Maurizio Murru is one of MIAD’s most dedicated science professors. Not only does he teach

courses like biology and ecology, he takes time out of his busy schedule to organize out-of-school classes and adventures associated with science and the outdoor world. Maurizio is extremely passionate about biology and nature, constantly sharing his knowledge and experience with the students and faculty. One of the very unique activities Maurizio has started at MIAD happens to be a specialized bow making class. The reason most people probably haven’t heard about Maurizio’s bow making class is because it’s something that takes a lot of passion, dedication, and commitment. I found out about it because I was one of the only girl hunters Maurizio had met at MIAD. When we met, we had a conversation

about our hunting experiences and after I mentioned that I had been shooting archery since I was 4 years old, Maurizio’s eyes lit up. He then took a wooden longbow off of his wall and said he made it by hand and actually hunts with it. Maurizio is a very primitive hunter and all in good fun, enjoys making fun of people like me who use compound bows to hunt. This is just one of many reasons why Maurizio decided go ahead and pursue a bow making class here at MIAD. It all started when he was talking to another faculty member who was really interested in making a bow like the ones Maurzio has showcased in his office. He offered to help him make them in the 3D lab on their own time. Lots of people started noticing what they were

MIAD Bridge

community at doing in the lab and became really interested in the beautiful longbows. As Maurizio says, once people start becoming interested is when you have to get permission. Because so many students were interested in making the bows, he went to the board and inquired about the class. They were really concerned at first with the fact that the bows were weapons. But Maurizio proved them wrong by saying that they weren’t

M A U R I Z I O I S E X T R E M E LY PA S S I O N AT E A B O U T B I O LO G Y A N D N AT U R E, C O N S TA N T LY S H A R I N G K N O W L E D G E W I T H S T U D E N T S A N D FA C U LT Y.

weapons until they had arrows, which wouldn’t be at school. So with that settled, the bow making class was founded. Out of the interest of students and teachers, Maurizio gave up one of the few free slots of time he has in his schedule so he can share his knowledge and talent. Not many

September 2010

schools have teachers that are that willing to sacrifice 3 hours of their day for a class that is solely for fun and enjoyment. Since the bows take a long time to make, the classes have to be very small. There is only one a semester with usually about 9-10 people in it. When I asked Maurizio how he picks who can be a part of the class, he said, “Well, I like to know who they are, they are making a weapon!” Anyone with interest signs up and is put on a waiting list. Maurizio said if HIS they make more effort to contact him about it, they are bumped up on the list because he needs to know they are committed. Maurizio pays for all of the wood for the bows and the students reimburse him and buy their own tools. The class is very worthwhile because almost everyone in the class uses their bow when they are done making it, whether it is for actual hunting, target shooting, or simply because

miad ALL OF THE THINGS HE DOES ARE ON HIS OW N TIME AND WITH THE I N T E N T O F S H A R I N G T H E E N J O Y M E N T A N D K N O W L E D G E W I T H OT H E R S.

they are interested in the longbow’s history or look. Each bow is very different and Maurizio likes everyone to research what kind of bow they would like to make, whether it is a certain tribe of Native American or an English bow. It doesn’t matter what type though, they all turn out to be gorgeous and durable strong longbows. Maurizio also offers to help everyone make their own arrows outside of school. He even makes special exceptions when it comes to the bow class; he is currently doing one independent study with a student and also helping another make bows as a part of her MIAD Senior Thesis. Maurizio is a big asset to the MIAD community. He gets together students and instructors who share an interest in nature

and outdoors activities, which is a big thing here in Wisconsin. All of the things he does are on his own time and with the intent of sharing the pure enjoyment and knowledge with others. He said he loves seeing everyone interact outside of the classroom where it’s not a forced situation. Not only does he instruct the bow making class, but he also gets together kayaking trips and rides down the Wolf River. If you ever have a suggestion for any type of outdoor adventure, Maurizio is the one to contact most of the time. Having people like him as a part of our faculty is what makes MIAD’s community so unique and diverse. Hopefully his dedication and passion will be inspiring to other students and faculty at MIAD and that our exceptional student organizations will grow.

BOW ORIGINS

1. Paraguay – Woven pouch 2. Burma – Attached handgrip 3. Burma – Assymetrical bamboo bow, the width of the bamboo staff serves as a spacer for the double string 4. Cochichina – Assymetrical reflex bow and ivory cradle wedged into the spilt rattan string

MIAD Bridge

by Marisa Seguin

New building for Urban Ecology Center built in 2004 that is made completely from recycled materials.

September 2010

HELP I N G P R O M O T E C O M M U N I T Y B Y OFFE R I N G R E S O U R C E S T H A T S U P P O R T LEAR N I N G , V O L U N T E E R I S M , S T E W A R D S H I P, RECR E A T I O N , A N D C A M A R A D E R I E .

he Urban Ecology is a non-profit organization dedicated to working with and educating the public about environmental issues such as conservation, sustainability, and wildlife.They have two centers, one located at Washington Park and one at Riverside Park. Both of these parks were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted during the late eighteenth century as part of Milwaukee’s “Great Necklace of Parks” (which also includes Lake Park). After much industrialization in the Milwaukee area, these parks fell into disrepair and were a downright scary place to be before the Urban Ecology centers were established in these areas (and still weren’t that great during the organization’s early years). Urban Ecology was part of an effort to revitalize these areas and attract people to them once again. The Riverside Park building (completed in 2004) is made from recycled and renewable materials and is the main office building for the organization. A vast system of solar panels adorn the roof to help power the building. This location also boasts a 40-foot climbing wall/observational tower and the Native Wisconsin Animal Room. The Washington Park location stands adjacent to a vast lagoon that is home to a variety of waterfowl throughout the year as well as fish and other interesting and unique creatures in the area. A huge variety of outdoor recreational activities are offered at both the Riverside and Washington Park locations. Cross-country skiing, canoeing, skating, rock climbing, and numerous nature hikes are just some of the many options.

MIAD Bridge

they don’t just teach the public about the local environment but also work to help preserve this community

photos taken by Kyle Baldwin

Urban Ecology offers a huge variety of activities to educate the public about the environment.They work with people of all ages, from school children to college students to adults and seniors. They work directly with schools within a twomile radius of each center and also provide a number of after-school activities and summer camps. The Urban Ecology Center believes that educating people from a young age will foster a lifelong awareness of environmental issues. They host numerous seasonal events such as the Earth Day Festival in April or Winter Festival in January.

September 2010

Staff at Urban Ecology also gather data about local wildlife and some vegetation. This could be bird banding of migratory birds or surveying and planting native flora.They don’t just teach the public about the local environment but also work to help preserve this community. The Riverside building itself is very successful in communicating what UEC is all about. Built using reprocessed and renewable materials, it is a low emissions facility that is greatly powered by solar energy and has rainwater flush toilets.The floor of the main entrance is a map of the river system of Southeast

Wisconsin. Adults can appreciate the gorgeous details of this building such as the recycled hundred-yearold maple floors and wraparound porch made from scraps from the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Children can appreciate the fun “Easter eggs” built into the facility such as a unique secret slide entrance and hidden classroom with a camouflaged animals mural. Most of the people I observed that usually visited the center were always really engaged in the activities, especially the children (I know I would have loved to have had a place like this near me when I was

people of the community want to be involved in what UEC has to offer because they have a variety of interesting activities

A series of activities held at the Urban Ecology Center for students who take field trips from various schools.

a kid). Everything about Urban Ecology is very hands-on which I think is what makes them so successful. People of the community want to be involved in what Urban Ecology has to offer because they have such a huge variety of interesting activities to offer that educate about everything from composing to pond wildlife. Everything the organization does, within themselves and for the public, is done with environmental care in mind. From recycling all materials possible in their buildings to providing community gatherings to promote these ideas such as multiple clothing swap meets.

I think one of the biggest problems this organization has to face is a lack of respect for, misinformation about, or apathy towards the environment. After all, it is the very definition of “ubiquitous” (or at least it used to be). It’s easy to forget that even the smallest action can have negative consequences on the world around us and for the longest time our society has taken the Earth for granted. The negative ramifications of past generations’ actions on the environment has come to light over the past few decades and global warming has become one that the Urban Ecology Center has to coun-

ter this is their partnership with local schools to promote a respect for the environment from a young age. I think another problem they have is just publicity.They have so many cool things to offer that no one knows about! I had no idea this place existed until last semester (I know that sounds narrow-minded to think that I didn’t know about them, so other people must not know but so many people I talk to don’t know about the Urban Ecology Center!) They are a nonprofit organization so obviously they can’t go placing ads in newspapers and such. Perhaps using the web to market themselves more?

MIAD Bridge

September 2010

vegetarian Eco-friendly lifestyles are a more popular trend in colleges around the nation. MIAD is planting the seed for vegetarian lifestyles.

t seems safe to say that there have been an increasing number of people who have become vegetarians or vegans all around the world. There are many reasons for switching over to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, which include ethical, personal and environmental reasons. What these reasons are depend entirely on each individual person. One of the most effective reasons is the environment, which show many statistics encouraging having a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Being at an art school, we have an advantage of having vegetarian and vegan options. If you go to the MIAD Union, you probably wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even find anything with meat in it, except for the occasional Cousinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sub. But overall, MIAD is supporting the eco-friendly lifestyle even with their food. The cafeteria has vegan options, which is something you might not find at any other ordinary school. But because we are an art school and many of us make the environment one of our top priorities, we have that alternative. Though some students that come from smaller communities arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t aware of how eating vegetarian or vegan can help our environment, MIAD does a great job at voicing those different reasons.

MIAD Bridge

The environment is our surroundings, what we live in, and what accompanies us and other organisms. It’s what keeps us living, so it’s no rocket science that we need to protect it and not take it for granted. Eating a vegetarian or vegan diet is an effort to help our environment and our community in many ways that most people overlook or are completely oblivious to. Some of the more serious positive effects on the environment by eating vegetarian or vegan include avoiding global warming, protecting and using less of our Earth’s limited resources,

decreasing pollution, and saving many species from extinction. Global warming is an issue that has recently become an issue in the last few years. This includes increasing temperatures, melting icecaps and glaciers, higher sea levels, weather patterns that seem unpredictable, and currents of the

food for vegetarians or vegans is beneficial to the environment because it uses less water, which helps us to conserve water on a regular basis. It takes multiple times as much water in the production of protein from animals as it does protein from plants. Another thing that helps the prevention of global

ocean that have been changing. Global warming’s is probably one of the most serious issues the world has to face and it’s obvious that we as the human population must try to do as much as we can to prevent as much of it as we possibly can. Going vegetarian or vegan helps this global warming issue in many positive ways. The production that goes into making

warming is that less tropical forests and other forests are cut down to create more area for livestock to be raised and graze. Forests are a huge factor in our environment that gives a filtered air supply and only benefits our world in many other ways that are uncountable. These forests are ripped down and destroyed only for the production of animal protein for food. The reduction of rainforests and other forests also reduce the ability for less carbon dioxide to be emitted into the atmosphere. In order to keep our temperatures on Earth to be stable, we need to keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Just by simply eating vegetarian or vegan can help this issue in so many ways. In part to global warming and the number of rainforests and forests in our environment being ripped down only for animal protein, there is another issue arising from this; the extinction of many species that have homes in these forests. This not only includes animals, but plants as well. Many amphibians have already gone extinct due to global warming, but what will happen when many of these plants go extinct? What

helping the environment 16

September 2010

will our medicine supply for our health become when these plants disappear and are never to be seen or used again? It’s more of an issue than we think. Without some of these vital plants, could the human race someday become extinct? It’s a little far-fetched, but these things need to be thought about each day we are using hazardous ways and procedures of producing food. Food that isn’t necessary for our health or our planets’. Pollution and the use of many limited resources is another factor that plays into our environment negatively. Our environment is polluted daily through the use of large amounts of water, petroleum, grain, drugs, and pesticides that go into the production of livestock or animal protein. Manure and wastewater with manure containing it are constantly polluting rivers and other water sources, which in turn harm the ecosystem, kill off fish, and block waterways. Just eating vegetarian or vegan can reduce all of these negative effects. Luckily, Milwaukee has quite a large crowd of vegetarians or vegans whose voice is heard all over the city. Many restaurants around the area offer quite a few vegetarian or vegan options. MIAD has also heard the voices of students whose diets are vegetarian or vegan. The MIAD’s cafeteria now offers options for the vegetarian or vegan, as well as the Union café on campus. These options help our community and the environment in just the simple fact that there is no animal protein in these foods. It’s environmentally friendly and healthy and it’s in our community all over. It’s easy to help the environment simply by eating vegetarian or vegan, so why not?

MIAD Bridge

Contributors

Special

thanks MIAD BRIDGE GIVES THANKS TO THE ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS MAGAZINE WITH THE IR WORDS AND THOUGHTS. Walton-Meyers, who is an

This magazine was a collaboration of

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design.

minds and without the supportive help of its contributors it would not be the

These students include but are not Illustration junior. Furthermore, a limited to Communication Design special thanks also to Professor Anne

unique and personable magazine you

major,

see before you today.The students who helped make this magazine possible are young and driven design students from

September 2010

Kelsey Barnowsky, Illustration senior, Marisa Seguin, Communication design senior, Zac Jacobson and Katherine

Ghory-Goodman who gave valuable input throughout the entire process of MIAD Bridge. Without her this magazine would not be what it is.

Designer FAQ

QUESTION

of the Issue:

What is your favorite dessert? As you noticed, MIAD Bridge showcases a picture of the designer who wrote each specific article in the top right corner of the opening spread. Below the name a common answer to a simple question is posted. A Question of the Issue was developed to provide insight to the MIAD designers who write and design for this magazine. It is a fun, random question that is asked to the designers to give a personal look into their likes and dislikes outside of the design world. It is something we do to help discover something personal about the talented and driven designers we have. Enjoy.

About MIAD A few facts about MIAD’s community of artists and designers: History – The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) was founded in 1974. It is the successor to the Layton School of Art, founded in 1920. Accreditation – MIAD is Wisconsin’s only college devoted exclusively to the education of artists and designers. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) and by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD). Degree Programs – Communication Design, Drawing, Illustration, Industrial Design, Integrated Studio Arts, Interior Architecture + Design, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Time-Based Media

FOR FURTHER READING GO TO

bridge.miad.edu MIAD Bridge