Contxt 2020 by Ringling College

2020

4 CONTXT IS ONLINE! Read expanded stories and stay up-to-date on new hires, awards, and news at Ringling College all year!

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SARASOTA ART MUSEUM AND RINGLING COLLEGE MUSEUM CAMPUS The Ringling College Museum Campus opens its doors!

SPRING 2020

CULTURE: IT MATTERS

DON STROM: SAFETY FIRST

Ringling College’s growing international population enriches our diversity and creativity.

Keeping the Ringling College Community safe.

FAST FACTS ABOUT SCHOLARSHIPS

AWARDS Ringling College tops the charts!

An at-a-glance look at Ringling College’s commitment to scholarships.

STUDENT LIFE: HELPING STUDENTS SOAR

REAL + READY: BEAU BRIDGES

On-campus resources help students succeed.

Becoming part of a film family with Beau and Emily Bridges.

HEAD OF THE CLASS

GIVING BACK

Trustee Scholars soar into the ‘20s.

Ringling College students engage with the Sarasota community through service.

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

MORE THAN A SNAPSHOT

The sky is the limit for Corinne Antonelli and her Boeing 757-worthy design.

Jenna Peffley: a photographer’s career.

Photo by Jenna Peffley ’08

DRIVE TO SUCCEED: THE ROAD TO GENERAL MOTORS

BUILDING A PRE-EMINENT COLLEGE

Taking the road to a rewarding career at General Motors.

Innovative programming prepares students for the coming Creative Age.

42 THE ART OF GIVING 46 ALUMNI NEWS + NOTES 56 A MESSAGE TO REMEMBER

REAL + READY: BRINGING WET DOG TO LIFE

ON THE COVER

Flight School Studio and Ringling College collaborate to bring Wet Dog to life.

This issue of CONTXT highlights the Sarasota Art Museum. Photo by Ryan Gamma Photography

A NEW ERA AT RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

It is finally here! After 16 years of effort by so many, the Ringling College Museum Campus, located at the site of the historic Sarasota High School and home to the Sarasota Art Museum and Ringling College Continuing Studies, is finally open. This Museum Campus allows us to engage more deeply with the greater Sarasota-Manatee community, offering opportunities for continuous learning and connection through both study of the liberal arts and engagement with art and art-making. In this issue of CONTXT, you can learn more about the journey to creating our Museum Campus, from those earliest meetings of committed volunteers to our official opening in December 2019. Photo by Matthew Holler ’11 If you have not yet been to see the Sarasota Art Museum, I encourage you to make the trip to experience the area’s only museum dedicated solely to contemporary art. I think you will join me in being awed by the stunning result of the adaptive reuse project that repurposed the historic Sarasota High School into a world-class facility for art engagement and learning. As you move through this issue of CONTXT, you will also see that our Ringling College of Art and Design students, faculty, and staff have been busy making creative magic. You will read about our growing international student population and the culture of service we foster at Ringling College. You will meet a student whose artwork is not hanging in a gallery, but is painted on the side of a Boeing 757 jet. You will learn about new majors, exciting real-world projects our students have worked on, and the accomplishments of our alumni who are putting the skills they learned at Ringling College to work in their chosen careers. For 20 years, I have had the privilege of leading this hub of creativity. The vitality and the energy of our creative community ignites my imagination and inspires me every single day. I hope that as you read this issue of CONTXT, you, too, will be inspired to join me on this incredible journey with our students. There are so many ways you can become involved, from volunteering in our Galleries to supporting scholarships—it all matters. I hope you join me at Ringling College of Art and Design—where our creativity makes anything possible.

Dr. Larry R. Thompson PRESIDENT OF RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

*This issue of CONTXT was created prior to the COVID-19 crisis.

Photo by Ryan Gamma

Rich Schineller

Karen Arango

SAR ASOTA ART MUSEUM AND RINGLING COLLEGE MUSEUM CA MPUS By Gayle Guynup

Opposite: Children twirl on the Los Trompos interactive installation by Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena. Above: Ringling College students enjoy the view of the Marcy & Michael Klein Plaza from the Jan Schmidt Loggia on the second floor.

PRESERVING THE PAST; INSPIRING THE FUTURE As I walked through the halls of the new Sarasota Art Museum on the Ringling College Museum Campus with Executive Director and Chief Curator Anne-Marie Russell, I could almost hear the 3 o’clock bell ring, dismissing classes for the day, with hundreds of students rushing through the hallways of the former Sarasota High School. It is one of the many magical things about this building, this unmistakable link with its past. While the spirit of those former Sailors lives on, this campus is all about the future, about the art of our times that surprises, inspires, and challenges us, and about learning that enriches, excites, and never ends. The former Sarasota High School, one of the Gulf Coast’s most enduring landmarks, has been given new life as the Ringling College Museum Campus. Fully opening in December 2019, the Museum Campus houses the College’s Continuing Studies program and its much-anticipated Sarasota Art Museum. In a city with a history of tearing down some of its most distinctive architectural treasures—the Lido Casino, the John Ringling Towers, and its railroad depot, to name but a few—the new Museum Campus is a remarkable exception. The campus is comprised of buildings in which the past, present, and future are inextricably, beautifully, and functionally linked.

Through an adaptive-reuse renovation costing $30 million, the 80,000-square-foot Museum Campus transforms the historic former high school into a state-of-the-art museum and learning facility while retaining characteristics of its past. Home to Sarasota’s only dedicated contemporary art museum, the Museum Campus offers more than 15,000 square feet of exhibition space; classrooms, art studios, and a ceramics studio for the Continuing Studies program, which includes the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and Studio + Digital Arts; a 110-seat auditorium; retail store, named the Shop; and, in Summer 2020, a café to be called Bistro. Thanks to its generous donors, many of these spaces are named. It is anticipated that more than 125,000 guests will visit the Sarasota Art Museum each year, along with the thousands who will participate in the various educational programming offered at the campus. “Creating this amazing Ringling College Museum Campus took the commitment and support of many,” noted Ringling College of Art and Design President Larry R. Thompson. “Everyone who was involved in getting us here should take great pride in having helped to build a campus that is dedicated to serving the community. With the region’s only contemporary art museum and opportunities for lifelong learning across all disciplines, the Museum Campus will serve as a gathering place for our community to engage, to have their minds broadened, and to just have fun. That we were able to save an iconic piece of our history and landscape is yet one more reason to celebrate this wonderful community treasure.”

CONTXT | SPRING 2020

THE MUSEUM & MUSEUM CAMPUS

Ryan Gamma Karen Arango

Visitors to the Museum Campus enter from Willis Smith Way, which, according to Russell, “gives you the first beautiful reveal of the architecture that unites the 1926 three-story Collegiate Gothic Elliott building with the 1959 Paul Rudolph building. What’s really interesting is that while the historic façade of the Elliott Building is preserved, we have a new façade in the back that ties these two buildings together.” The Bistro, scheduled to open in Summer 2020, will spill out from the Rudolph building, which is connected to the Elliott building by a corridor, onto the beautiful Marcy & Michael Klein Plaza, which connects the two structures. The Rudolph building is also home to Continuing Studies classrooms and studios. A few steps take you to the glass entry doors that lead into the new sunlight-infused Wendy G. Surkis & Peppi Elona Lobby, connected to the beautiful historic lobby, which retains the original mosaic floor. Off the lobby are the Museum Shop, Continuing Studies office and classrooms, and the Sarasota High School Alumni Auditorium.

Top: The K/R-designed shadow boxes frame the new entrance. Middle: The Museum Shop is a trove of artrelated treasures. Bottom: Color. Theory. & (b/w). exhibition installed in the John & Charlotte Suhler Gallery.

CONTXT.RINGLING.EDU

Rich Schineller

The Sarasota Art Museum is a kunsthalle, a museum without a permanent collection that will instead present rotating exhibits of contemporary art from World War II to present day. Art greets you from the moment you step on the campus, through the lobby, and onto the second and third floors. The second floor consists of nearly 10,000 square feet of exhibition space in named galleries and a cozy conversation corner situated on the Jan Schmidt Loggia where guests can take a few moments to relax and take in the view of Klein Plaza. The third floor provides 5,000 square feet of additional exhibition space, including a cathedral-like space that allows for large-scale pieces, and a library that offers information about current exhibits. For the Museum’s inaugural exhibition, the second-floor galleries hosted the works of Brazilian artist Vik Muniz. The third floor galleries came alive in Color: Theory & B/W, a group exhibition on display through May 31, and a dramatic site-specific installation by Sheila Hicks in the Tom & Sherry Koski Gallery. The art continued outdoors with Los Trompos, an interactive sculpture reminiscent of a child’s spinning top. The historic façade of the Museum Campus includes the Great Lawn and its Meander, a pathway that invites guests to do just that—meander, while contemplating the art currently on display or the discussion had in class. The pathway weaves from the Great Lawn to The Works, a distinctive Victor Lundy-designed building just to the north of the Museum Campus that served as the Museum’s headquarters during the renovation.

Left: Pieces by Vik Muniz being enjoyed. Rich Schineller

Below: Art world dignitaries with Sheila Hicks’ work in the Tom & Sherry Koski Gallery. Rich Schineller

Karen Arango

HOW IT ALL BEGAN The story of the Sarasota Art Museum and the Ringling College Museum Campus began more than 16 years ago in living rooms and dining rooms across Sarasota. A group that became known as The Founders began with Elizabeth and David Kruidenier and Dick and Linda Roe Dickinson and grew to include Mark and Irene Kauffman, Robert and Dottie Baer Garner, Bruce Bachmann, Dr. Richard and Barbara Basch, Murray Bring, Brooke Callanen, Koni Findlay, Dr. Angèle Cristine Isaac, Elaine Keating, Tom Koski, Flora Major, John Meyer, Keith Monda, Kat Schultz, Lois Stulberg, Wendy Surkis, and Peppi Elona. They all agreed: The one thing missing from the Gulf Coast landscape was a contemporary art museum. Members of this group brought forward the idea of a contemporary art museum, and for 16 years its members volunteered their time, passion, and treasure to make it happen. Their contagious enthusiasm spurred a movement to back the new Museum throughout the Sarasota community. With the will but needing help, the group turned to Ringling College of Art and Design President Larry R. Thompson, hoping he might be able to help devise a plan for moving the project forward. President Thompson was intrigued, offering to attend Founders meetings and sit in the back of the room—and listen. “My first thought was that if Ringling College is going to be a pre-eminent art and design college, one of the ways we can showcase the College is by having a world-class art museum, especially contemporary art. It doesn’t have to have it, but it adds greatly to the esteem,” President Thompson said. “The second was about connecting with the local community. Then the founders did this study about putting the Museum on the bay, we realized that, with an estimated $70 million price tag, it would never happen. It was just too expensive,” he said.

That might have been the end of the story if not for the Sarasota High School New Life Initiative formed in 2004 to try to find a new use for the historic—and long-abandoned—Sarasota High School. When President Thompson learned from Founder Mark Kauffman that the group was trying to decide what to do with this historic building and seeking proposals, he said, “I thought: If we and the Founders collaborate here, we could really make this happen.” The initial idea was for Ringling College of Art and Design and the Museum to operate separately while sharing the space and the costs. However, another idea soon emerged: To combine their operations under the Ringling College of Art and Design umbrella. The School Board approved the plan and offered a 99-year lease for $1 a year. For President Thompson, it was a natural collaboration. “Those who like contemporary art should like Ringling College of Art and Design. So, the new Museum Campus would serve as a way for the community to engage more fully with the College, and vice versa,” he said. Everything seemed to be falling into place. Now all that was needed was $22 million before construction could begin.

Top: Museum members and guests gather in the Wendy G. Surkis & Peppi Elona Lobby for a private tour by Executive Director and Chief Curator Anne-Marie Russell. Opposite, top to bottom: The Tom & Sherry Koski Gallery with the installation Questioning Column by Sheila Hicks. The colorful Vita in Motu by alumnus Christian Sampson fills the Jonathan McCague Arcade. Young visitors pass Leah Rosenberg’s 28 Colors (Sarasota, FL) installation on their way to the second floor.

CONTXT.RINGLING.EDU

Barbara Banks Photography

HELLO, WENDY

Stepping up to take charge of the fundraising was one of the original founders, Wendy Surkis. She was the volunteer president of the project since its inception in 2003. Wendy had retired in 2001 and moved to the area after building a New York advertising agency into an international company with more than $100 million in sales.

Ryan Gamma

“I was recently retired at the age of 50, full of energy, eager to explore, experiment, and smell the roses. Clearly, I had a new unfamiliar luxury— free time—as I transitioned from being a workaholic business woman,” Surkis said. “The thought of creating a new modern and contemporary art museum was quite compelling. It would add to Sarasota’s cultural community and become a go-to place for people of all ages where they would have the opportunity to explore new ideas through the visual arts. They would learn, grow, and gain greater insights and understandings through art. All of this was very exciting to me. And, when we were awarded the historic Sarasota High School, saving it and revitalizing it by giving it a new, vibrant life while paying tribute to the thousands of Sarasota High alums, it made me even more driven to achieve our goal,” she said. “We started raising money and we met a lot of people we didn’t know,” President Thompson said. “They would come to the College and fall in love and soon they would end up supporting both organizations.”

Coke Wisdom O’Neal

“Since 2003 my life had been focused on this project, from morning to night,” Surkis said. “On the magical day of May 31, 2014, we fulfilled our $22 million fundraising goal. We did it! It was a joyous day and I was both exhilarated and exhausted,” Surkis said. In celebration, hundreds of guests came out for a lively and well-attended gala on the grounds of the future Museum to mark the occasion. Spirits—and expectations—were running high, as the community was anticipating a 2016 Museum opening. Just as the renovations were beginning, the School Board offered to add the Paul Rudolph annex to the project, which changed, well, everything. While its addition to the project meant scrapping existing plans, it was also the proverbial deal that Museum planners could not refuse—and led to a complete reimagining of the project. It also necessitated raising an additional $8 million to complete the expanded project. As President Thompson said in a recent interview with Jay Handelman of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, “Now we had space to put in a bistro, a multi-purpose room, all those things that we couldn’t cram into that one historic high school. Now it was a chance to make this an engaging place for the entire community. It could be so much more than any of us had originally envisioned,” President Thompson said.

CONTXT | SPRING 2020 Rich Schineller

LEARNING THAT NEVER ENDS Ringling College Continuing Studies at the Museum Campus includes the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and Studio & Digital Arts. Together, these enrichment programs are a vital and vibrant part of the Sarasota community. Providing art and educational opportunities taught by engaging teachers, speakers, and some Ringling College faculty, Ringling College Continuing Studies at the Museum Campus fosters a community that enhances knowledge, yes, but that also connects. This new facility provides a thought-provoking setting that creates opportunities for meaningful dialogue among this learning community through engagement with contemporary art, participation in stimulating courses and lectures, and provision of gathering spaces to enjoy friends, old and new.

Karen Arango

OLLI offers hundreds of courses across myriad topics for lifelong learners of all skill levels in Sarasota and Manatee counties. It is a place where the community comes together to learn about topics as varied as finance, politics, foreign languages, and technology without the pressure of credits or prerequisites. Today’s OLLI grew from the Lifelong Learning Academy (LLA), which merged with Ringling College of Art and Design in 2015, and Pierian Spring Academy, which followed suit in 2016. Together, they became the Lifelong Learning Academy (LLA) at Ringling College. In 2017, it was accepted into the prestigious Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program of the Bernard Osher Foundation. There are 124 OLLIs; each state plus the District of Columbia has at least one. They are located on college campuses across the nation, including at Ivy League and Big 10 schools. Together, OLLIs represent the gold standard in lifelong learning. Janna Overstreet, director of OLLI at Ringling College, noted that “We are so proud to be an OLLI and to serve this community of avid learners.”

Karen Arango

Steve Thaxton, executive director of the National Resource Center for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, noted that he had only one thing to say about the Museum Campus: “Holy Cow.” He continued, “There are only about 10 percent of OLLI institutes that have dedicated spaces, and none can compete with this one.” Continuing Studies at the Museum Campus also includes the Studio + Digital Arts program, which enables students of all ages and skill levels to attend non-credit art and design classes, workshops, and lectures. Students can learn new skills, refresh old ones, and experiment with techniques like laser cutting, 3D digital modeling, or ceramics, offered at the new Linda & Dick Dickinson Ceramics Studio at the Museum Campus.

Karen Arango

Top: Instructor David G. Wilkins teaches The History of American Slavery. Middle: After-class discussions in the historic hallways. Bottom: Students collaborate in state-ofthe art labs.

CONTXT.RINGLING.EDU

Left: Executive Director and Chief Curator Anne-Marie Russell giving a tour to Museum members and guests. Below: Russell leads a preview tour for art world dignitaries. Karen Arango

THE RENOVATION AND OPENING The project that began as a wouldn’t-it-be-nice dream in 2003 finally began to take shape in 2015 with Keenan/Riley (K/R) as design architect for the project, Lawson Group Architects as lead architect of the adaptive reuse of the buildings, and Willis Smith on construction. 2015 was also the year that Anne-Marie Russell was hired by the College as executive director and chief curator of the Museum. Russell describes the work of her first five years with this project as three-fold: Assisting with the design and construction to ensure the Museum was a world-class facility; building the organizational, business, and governing infrastructure of a new cultural institution meant to last centuries; and conceptualizing and designing the curatorial and educational program for the Museum’s first three years. Russell also began reaching out to contemporary art lovers, hosting a series of popular, well-attended programs at The Works. Her first year was spent learning all she could about Sarasota, its history, and its sense of community. It was time well spent, as she learned important lessons that today we see incorporated into the new Museum Campus. “All of that ethnographic and historical research has informed our curatorial vision,” Russell said. “Sarasota’s rich history of engaging with the avant-garde, whether Bertha Palmer’s pioneering act of collecting impressionist paintings or Syd and Annie Solomon’s beach salons bringing new art and ideas to Sarasota, has informed some of our upcoming exhibitions,” she said.

Rich Schineller

“While the construction is complete (save for the Bistro), much of my previous work continues, but with the added work of running the complex business of an art museum. Plus, many art installations are complex from a construction standpoint, and a kunsthalle changes exhibitions every four months or so, so unlike a permanent collection, we’re never done. It’s a perpetual evolution!” Russell said. “Over the next two years, we hope to provide more amazing art experiences for visitors,” she said. “We hope to inspire more people to engage with the global world of contemporary art, to cultivate their curiosity, and to open their minds with new art and new ideas, hopefully helping them to interact meaningfully with the world around them.”

CONTXT | SPRING 2020

HEA D OF THE CL ASS BY PATRI CI A PE TE | P O RTR A ITS BY M AT TH E W H O L L ER ’11

ollowing dinner on an early November evening in Ringling College of Art and Design’s Soundstage A, the lights dimmed and the hall was filled with an expectant silence as the giant screen lit up and 13 students—the 2019 Trustee Scholars— took center stage. The distinction of Trustee Scholar is Ringling College’s highest honor, bestowed by the Board of Trustees. They are students who, in the eyes of the Trustees, best exemplify dedication, originality, brilliance, ambition, talent in their fields of study, and service to the College and to the community.

“After high school, I was looking for a college where I could combine the two worlds of business and art,” said Kaitlyn Guerrero in her address. “Other colleges couldn’t provide me with exactly what I wanted: A true integration of my two passions. I was not willing to settle for one or the other.”

The selection process is daunting. Each department head and the Office of Student Life forwards two student nominees from the junior class of that area as its best representatives. These nominees demonstrate exceptional creative talent and communication skills; contribute to their departments, the College, and the community; and exhibit leadership and citizenship. The student nominees then prepare a written statement and a portfolio of their work for review by the Board of Trustees. The Board then deliberates and must choose the next year’s class of Trustee Scholars. They will tell you that it is among the hardest decisions they make as Trustees.

Ringling College is a place where students learn resilience, overcoming challenges to achieve success. Isa Pinto had to learn to view themself as an artist, being a Creative Writing major in a sea of visual artists. Clark Perkins, a nontraditional student with a family to care for, learned to see himself as just another Ringling College student, regardless of any age gap.

On that November evening, Soundstage A was filled with families, friends, faculty, staff, Trustees, and donors to celebrate the 2019 Trustee Scholars: Kaitlyn Guerrero, Business of Art & Design; María Bjarnadóttir, Computer Animation; Isa Pinto, Creative Writing; Saga Eklund, Fine Arts; Michael Boomer, Film; Jasleen Rehsi, Game Art; Martin Pohlmann, Graphic Design; Franki Colett, Interior Design; Inka Schulz, Illustration; Doug Alberts, Motion Design; Clark Perkins, Photography and Imaging; Lillian Braman, Visual Studies; and Emily Lamberski, Student Life. Each student spoke to the gathered audience about their journeys and the importance this honor has to them.

Saga Eklund described herself as striving to be more than duktig, a Swedish word meaning both being good at something and being hard-working. She thanked her parents for introducing her to Sarasota, which led her to Ringling College of Art and Design and to becoming the artist she is today.

Friends, family, donors, faculty, staff, and the Board of Trustees present learned that these 13 students have not only achieved academic excellence, but also reached beyond what they thought was possible with their art—crafting their own stories, hopes, and dreams with every piece produced. It was a celebration of these extremely talented young men and women. It would be simple to describe the night as one to remember. While it was that, it was so much more. It was an inspiration, a joyous recognizing of the transformative experience of living your passion and being your true self. The 2019 Trustee Scholars are not just 13 excellent students who have brilliant futures ahead of them; they are the Visionaries—the big thinkers and doers—of the Soaring 20s. If the thunderous applause at the end of the evening was any indication, these students will have love and support follow them as they move into their professional careers, and beyond.

SEE M O RE O N TH IS S TO RY

CONTXT | SPRING 2020

Meet the Scholars

María Bjarnadóttir

Computer Animation

Clark Perkins

Photography and Imaging

Emily Lamberski Student Life

Martin Pohlmann Graphic Design

Inka Schulz

Illustration

Saga Eklund Fine Arts

Lillian Braman

Visual Studies

Doug Alberts

Motion Design

Franki Colett

Interior Design

Michael Boomer Film

Kaitlyn Guerrero Business of Art and Design

Jasleen Rehsi Game Art

Isa Pinto

Creative Writing

CONTXT | SPRING 2020

Children First

Alta Vista Elementary School

Early Learning Coalition

BY COOPER LEVEY-BAKER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAREN ARANGO

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County

Bay Haven Elementary School

Whitaker Bayou Clean-up

Visible Men Academy

Booker Middle School

For most of her young life, Meike Groh has used her art to make the world a better place. When she was a high school student in Zephyrhills, Florida, she read a story in the newspaper about Sunrise of Pasco County, a non-profit shelter that assists victims of domestic and sexual violence. She started by designing posters for the organization, and then later led art classes for the children of women staying at the shelter. “When the women had counseling sessions, their kids had nothing to do,” Groh said, “so they thought it would be nice to have a little arts-and-crafts session. It was fun.” When Groh arrived at Ringling College of Art and Design in 2009 to study Computer Animation, she looked for ways to continue her volunteerism. She found no shortage of opportunities. Recognized as one of the top art and design colleges in the world, Ringling College has also quietly earned a reputation for developing students who are deeply engaged with their community. In any given year, roughly 40 percent of Ringling students volunteer at Meike Groh least once and together Computer Animation ’13 they spend approximately 15,000 hours annually helping dozens of area non-profits and agencies. Florida Campus Compact, an organization that promotes civic engagement and service learning in higher education, named Ringling College of Art and Design as the state’s Most Engaged Campus in its category in 2018 and the College won a second-place Campus Community Partnership Award that same year. Rachel Levey-Baker, director of student volunteerism and service learning, joined the College in 2003 through the federal government’s AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program. At the time, Levey-Baker’s position was the only one at Ringling College strictly dedicated to volunteerism. Today, she leads a staff of three. While many Ringling College students volunteer by using their art and design skills for good causes, there is no limit to the kinds of service projects Ringling students can undertake. In addition to artbased service, like creating murals for non-profits and contributing pieces of art for fundraisers, Ringling College volunteers have yanked out invasive species, cleaned up polluted beaches and waterways, registered first-time voters, and pounded nails for Habitat for Humanity.

Rachel Levey-Baker

DIRECTOR OF STUDENT VOLUNTEERISM

“Ringling is very focused on educating the whole student,” said Levey-Baker. “We know that valuable learning can happen outside the classroom and that our students have all kinds of talents beyond art that they can share with the community,” she said. Groh started her volunteer work at Ringling by assisting with a project that benefited a local non-profit skatepark and later joined the school’s Youth Experiencing Art (YEA) program. Created in 2002 by John and Robin Sullivan, the YEA program pairs roughly 40-50 Ringling College students with teachers who work together over the course of a school year to create and lead projects that integrate arts into all subjects in public schools. Volunteering improves the lives of those directly impacted by the service, but it also benefits the person serving. It challenges and inspires Ringling College students and makes them better artists. Groh said that while her school projects were often highly regimented, working with kids in YEA gave her the freedom to design in a more unrestricted fashion. That giving spirit cultivated through service while at Ringling College stays with the students long after they graduate. While at Ringling, Frank Melton volunteered for two years with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County, teaching art lessons to kids after school. After he graduated with an Illustration degree in 1995, he stayed involved, offering art therapy lessons at a Veterans Affairs hospital. “I feel it’s important that we as artists, in every form and at every level, give back in some way,” Melton said. Since leaving Ringling in 2013, Groh has continued to volunteer. Now a professional animator in St. Petersburg, she recently completed a mentorship with a girl with special needs. Together, the two of them came up with a story for a one-minute animated film, painstakingly completed the clip, and then displayed it as part of a gallery show. “It was 100 percent her characters, with her story idea,” Groh said. “I just served as her guide.”

CONTXT | SPRING 2020

CULTURE : IT MATTERS. By Amy Pettengill, Director of International Student Affairs ARTWORK BY YEKYUNG KWON, ILLUSTRATION ’20, BORN IN SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

“As an aspiring artist, my goals align with the notion of exploring different aspects of the world, and one important factor regarding that is getting to know other cultures and building a network of people with different areas of knowledge, experience, and cultures.” JUDE, FIRST-YEAR BUSINESS OF ART AND DESIGN JORDAN

What began as a strategic initiative to expand the international student population at Ringling College of Art and Design has become an integral part of the College’s mission. Today, the College’s international population has grown to around the 20% mark, with students hailing from more than 60 countries. This living, breathing manifestation of diversity brings together students from varied backgrounds. There are now 40 Davis United World College Scholars at Ringling College. They come to the College having lived and studied in countries other than their own. Here, they interact with other international students who have ventured outside of their countries’ borders, along with American students fresh from transformative study experiences abroad, those planning to study abroad, and those who have never left the United States. Added to the mix are students who have engaged in self-directed international travel and international internships and projects. It is significant that this cross-cultural networking is done in a creative context. Art and design and the creative process thrive when enriched by difference—of concept, of perspective, of execution. These activities are defined, in large part, by culture. Culture plays a substantial role in determining how we see the world, what we value, how we express ourselves, and who we are. As artists, working with individuals from different cultures is both challenging and enriching.

CONTXT | SPRING 2020

OUR STUDENTS ARE CITIZENS OF...

“You can’t know yourself unless you know the world.” JOSHUA, SECOND-YEAR ILLUSTRATION UNITED STATES Imagine a world in which everyone approached a challenge through the same cultural lens. Consider how one-dimensional the solution created would be. Now imagine viewing that same challenge through many cultural lenses. How many more inputs to the solution would you now have? There is such richness inherent in exposure to perspectives and ideas different from our own. From the day prospective students step on campus for Preview Day, they are exposed to people from other countries, and it continues through their Ringling College experience. Students live, dine, socialize, and learn with students whose perspectives are very different from their own. They learn to bridge any differences, both as people and as artists and designers, through their interactions with each other. Later, when confronted professionally with a global society, they are prepared to navigate their way through cultural differences. In the classroom, students are encouraged to bring their cultural perspectives to their creative work. It could take the form of a lively debate about the role of the artist in a particular culture, or through International Education Week activities that highlight a sense of home through a photography exhibition. It may be a session at which students talk about their study-abroad experiences. Whatever the forum, creativity enhanced by intercultural experience yields amazing results.

“…Diversity opens the door to the world and prepares students to engage in the global society. Diversity enables students to think creatively by interacting with others from different backgrounds.” SEONGWOO NAM, ENTERTAINMENT DESIGN PROFESSOR SOUTH KOREA

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BEYOND OUR BORDERS Ringling College is committed to international outreach to foster connections overseas and to advance its aspiration to become the preeminent art and design college in the world. In support of these goals, Ringling College President Larry R. Thompson and Entertainment Design Faculty Seongwoo Nam have made two trips to South Korea, the most recent this past summer. The purpose of the last journey was threefold: to meet prospective students and their parents, introducing them to the College and its offerings; to communicate with parents of current students; and to enhance the international recognition of Ringling College. The trip yielded initial relationships with the Korea National University of Arts (KArts), the most prestigious art and design college in Seoul, and the Seoul Art High School, the only art high school in Seoul focusing solely on the visual arts. KArts hosted a groundbreaking exhibition of Ringling student work, the first time the work of students from another college was exhibited at KArts. The visit exceeded expectations, yielding feature stories—not paid advertisements—in three of the most widely read and respected publications in Korea. Furthermore, the College was invited to participate in the July Seoul Imagination Industry Forum, at which representatives spoke to large international audiences about the College and its mission. Ringling College was also given the honor of opening the showroom at the International Digital Art Fair, the largest digital arts fair in Asia, in October. Plans are underway to arrange similar visits to both China and Japan… and beyond.

“When we hear different perspectives, experience ways of living that are different from ours, talk to people in a different language, surround ourselves with new traditions, then we realize that we are not the center of the world, and there is actually no center. The world is big and we should all fit on it.” MAFER, FIRST-YEAR FILM STUDENT VENEZUELA Armed with intercultural understanding, Ringling College graduates are poised to put their creative talents to work. They have learned to appreciate cultural differences and realize that their creative endeavors are enhanced by their having experienced a community of the world… this world on which we all do fit.

By Gayle Guynup Photo by Karen Arango

In the last year, Strom has been busy making the campus even safer for the Ringling College community. “It has been a real team effort as we have put some new initiatives in place, including augmented crime-prevention materials; an on-line parking registration system; safety and security inspections of all campus-owned housing; training for our team; improved equipment and supplies, including a new radio system that links security to both the main and the Museum campuses; active assailant incidents trainings; classroom enhancements; and much more still to come,” he said.

Don Strom, who moved to Sarasota in October 2018, brings 40 years of law enforcement and security leadership experience to his position as director of public safety for Ringling College of Art and Design. Strom most recently served as a department leader in global security at Edward Jones, a financial services firm headquartered in Strom’s former hometown of St. Louis. Before that, he served as chief of police at Washington University in St. Louis, a campus of 20,000 students, faculty, and staff, where, among his other duties, he led the planning for two presidential debates and one vice presidential debate, all of which were held on the campus. He is a graduate of Southern Illinois University and of the FBI National Academy. Strom’s wife, Chris, was a police officer for 15 years, which is how they met, before their move to Florida. They have four adult children. The Strom family had vacationed in Sarasota for more than 30 years prior to moving here. “Chris and I had a goal of relocating to this area. When the opportunity at Ringling College came along, it fit nicely into our plans. I missed being in a university environment and the energy that you get from working around young people. The level of creativity is just amazing. I used to tell our officers to make sure to introduce themselves to all the students and to remember their names, because we would be reading about them one day as they went out into the world and did great things,” Strom said. “My job at Ringling College is to provide leadership for my team and to work with all of our colleagues and partners on campus to keep everyone safe,” Strom said. “What we try to do is take the best technology available and match it with the human resource side, that quality person-to-person interaction that is so important. It takes both to provide the most comprehensive safety and security program possible,” he said.

The new Ringling College Museum Campus provides its own challenges and opportunities. “The campus houses not only an exciting new museum, but also the College’s Continuing Studies program,” Strom explained. “We have an opportunity to interact with non-traditional students and the broader regional community. We are building a new security infrastructure in a unique campus setting, adding and training additional security personnel, and installing enhanced electronic security systems. Additionally, our team is getting the opportunity to learn even more about art!” he said. “Even with relatively simple on-campus events, if you plan everything right, the attendees will never know we were there. All they will know is that they came and had a good time,” Strom said. “On a much larger scale, hurricane season requires intensive planning. At orientation, we make sure students and their families become aware of the realities of where we live— including the possibility of hurricanes. We make sure that all students have a plan that includes knowing where they will go and how they will get there should the College have to close. We plan like all of these things are going to happen, and then we hope they never do,” he added. Ultimately, Strom noted, he is there to protect and defend.

“I have always approached this job by reminding myself that families are sending the most important person in their lives to a campus that is sometimes thousands of miles away from where they are. I know how that feels. I’m not just a public safety director. I’m a dad, and I understand their concerns.”

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BY MEGAN GREENBERG

Leave it to a Ringling College of Art and Design student to win a wildly impressive national contest that put her artwork on a giant globetrotting airplane simply because she was filling time on her spring break. While scrolling through a cell phone, as most weary travelers do to pass the time in airports, Corinne Antonelli, a senior in Illustration, stumbled upon what would turn out to be a much more rewarding way to fill her time waiting for a flight last year.

CORINNE ANTONELLI Illustration student

“I was heading back home to New Jersey for spring break,” said Corinne. “I was looking online and saw an ad that United Airlines was holding a competition for artists. I had no other work at the time, so I thought, ‘Why don’t I just enter for fun and see what happens?’”

Image courtesy of United Airlines

United Airlines’ Her Art Here contest is the first of its kind, created to showcase underrepresented female artists by providing them with a blank canvas like no other, a Boeing 757 airplane. The focus on female artists stems from facts and figures reported by The National Museum of Women in the Arts that though 51 percent of today’s artists are women, only 13 percent of museum artwork is created by women. United Airlines decided that percentage simply didn’t fly, so it offered women the opportunity to put their work on a canvas that would inspire girls of all ages. “An illustration is an experience. It’s not just viewed in a gallery,” said Corinne. “When coming up with a competition concept, I knew I wanted people to have an emotional reaction to my artwork, to see this crazy cool aircraft pull up and to be excited to get on the plane.” Her goal was to create art that represented her region, giving viewers a glimpse into what her New Jersey/New York upbringing looked like through her eyes. “I started with a template—a long, skinny canvas,” she explained. “I knew I wanted to have a visible contrast between the two states, so I focused on showing the difference between the rural part of New Jersey, where I’m from, and the modern, sleek aspect of New York. We have a historical mill in Warren County and it was a nobrainer to include it in the design while bringing far less organic shapes into the New York drawing.” Corinne’s approach turned out to be the right one. She was quickly chosen to compete against two other finalists from New York on United Airlines’ online public voting forum. After several weeks, Corinne’s colorful take on the Northeast won the contest. United Airlines proudly honored Corinne’s tribute to the New York skyline and the New Jersey Red Mill by adding it to a member of the fleet that uses the Newark Liberty International Airport as its hub.

“I received so much support from my Ringling family and community back home,” said Corinne. “Everyone in New Jersey recognized the mill. This is the biggest thing to happen to my small town and it was so amazing to see how it made everyone feel special and part of the design.” Winning was one thing, but the real victory was turning Corinne’s design into a traveling canvas. In case you are not a math whiz, a Boeing 757 is more than just big. It is 3,666 times larger than a standard 18-inch x 24-inch canvas. It makes 476 cross-country trips a year, roughly 1.6 million miles. The aircraft was painted in Amarillo, Texas. It took 17 days, 10 colors, 250-plus gallons of paint, and approximately 4,100 hours to complete the job from start to finish. “I’ve been overwhelmed with how this competition has connected me with strangers,” said Corinne. “I get messages from the pilots and flight attendants who tell me they’re honored to fly the aircraft. Even the ground crew gets excited when they see it approach—they take selfies and send them to me. What makes me most happy is that I came in as a regular college kid and was able to compete against established professional illustrators.” Currently, Corinne is focusing on her senior thesis and juggling commissioned works and freelance work she received after being thrust into the spotlight. “My ultimate goal,” she said, “is to use illustration to change how people view everyday experiences.”

SEE M O RE O N TH IS S TO RY

CONTXT | SPRING 2020

JENNA PEFFLEY

BY N I CO LE CA R ON

Jenna Ohnemus Peffley ’08, Photography and Imaging, picked up a camera at a young age and never put it down. She enrolled at Ringling College of Art and Design at age 23 after a short interior design career. A post-graduation move to Los Angeles landed Peffley work assisting several fashion photographers and doing re-touching work. Peffley’s last full-time position working for someone other than herself was three years ago when she served as photo director for Clique Media Group, overseeing digital creative and photo shoots. Today Peffley runs her own business, shooting interiors, fashion, and travel for Architectural Digest, Pottery Barn, Harper’s Bazaar, and many more clients, but she confirms that “the interior stuff is my heart.” Peffley credits her success to a strong network built over a 10-year period, Ringling’s lessons about digital and large-format work, and the technical and collaboration skills she has learned. “Nothing is given to you. You have to work for it. When I arrived here, I took any job I could possibly take. That got me networking in the industry,” she said. “I connected with so many people that before I decided to go solo, I was organizing a party for several founders of women-owned companies. Within 24 hours I was booked with shoots and I haven’t stopped since.” Peffley also attributes her achievements to the Photography and Imaging department, which she represented as its inaugural Alumni Honor Wall award recipient in 2018. “I had both Tom [Carabasi, Department Chair] and Sally [Pettibon],” she said. “They taught me to see art differently, to see different techniques, understand history, and form a visual style. Tom’s knowledge of the fine art photography world blew my mind open. He introduced me to Rineke Dijkstra. Sally’s documentary class broadened my horizons, and introduced me to photographers like Sally Mann and Mary Ellen Mark. Her eye really helped refine my own eye,” she said. The admiration is mutual.

2008 ALUMNA

PHOTOGRAPHY AND DIGITAL IMAGING

“Jenna was passionately curious about photography at the highest levels and very quickly started producing thoughtful, technically accomplished images,” said Carabasi. “I’m not surprised that her visual skills, keen aesthetic sense, and joyful spirit have been recognized by many others and enabled her to accomplish so much.”

Clockwise from top left: • Home of Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent • Angela Lindevall for MyDomaine • Home of Denise Vasi and Anthony Mandler / MyDomaine • Home of Jeet Kaur Rodriguez Sohal for Lonny Magazine • Home of Shay Mitchell for Architectural Digest

Pettibon concurred. “Jenna has an infectious enthusiasm and curiosity about life that makes her a joy to have around. She is a hard worker and takes all her experiences, even the unpleasant ones, and learns from them, making her the successful and creative force she has become.” When asked about favorite career highlights, Peffley notes that a day-long shoot with actor/ director Peter Fonda early in her career and shooting the 55 most influential women going into 2020 as “anything-is-possible” moments. She emphasizes the power of networking and treating others with kindness and respect. “I believe in human connections and I believe in being nice,” she said. “I won’t take on clients I don’t feel aligned with. I met with Conde Nast a few months ago. They had been following me! I walked out that day with a shoot booked. Netflix came to me through someone I used to work with. You never know which friendships will turn out to be great network connections.” Peffley’s advice to aspiring artists is “don’t be too big for your britches. Assist, assist, assist. That’s how you meet people. You have to work for as many people as you can. Give yourself three to four years to work and assist. Move to a big city. If you really want to do it, you have to pay your dues. People don’t take you seriously otherwise. And remember, Ringling College is there to refine your style and pull the artist out of you.” CONTXT | SPRING 2020 29

• FAST FACTS •

RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT DEPENDS ON YOU…. Success and education go hand in hand. However, what have we lost if an amazing student misses the opportunity to become a successful entrepreneur, filmmaker, teacher, or artist due to financial constraints? Scholarships help ensure that talented students poised to impact the world can pursue their dreams. Knowing that someone else believes in their potential motivates them to aim high and prepares them for a lifetime of achievement. Your support can help make dreams into reality and propel students to incredible accomplishments. With more than 90% of our students qualifying for needand merit-based financial assistance, most could not attend without help from donors. A gift to scholarship not only supports Ringling College of Art and Design’s mission to graduate discerning visual thinkers and ethical practitioners of art and design, but also creates the opportunity for some of the most creative students from all over the world to transform their passion for art and design into successful and meaningful careers. Scholarship support helps ensure that these students realize their dream of a degree from Ringling College. Gifts to scholarship reap benefits that ripple throughout our community and the world. You can support scholarships (or any area that you are passionate about) at Ringling College by returning the enclosed envelope with your gift, visiting our website at www.ringling.edu/giving, or calling us at 941.309.4733. Wherever you direct your gift, your support makes a difference in the lives of our students.

Student artwork credits on back inside cover.

CONTXT | SPRING 2020

Computer Animation graduate won a 2019 Student Academy Award – the 15th for the major

#1 Animation School in the U.S.

Computer Animation student one of three nominees for the College Television Awards

Animation Career Review

Creative Writing students regularly featured in local publications, including the Sarasota Herald Tribune and CONTXT Magazine

Interior Design student selected for 2020 Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship

#16 Film School in the U.S. The Hollywood Reporter

Virtual Reality Development was voted Runner-up for Immersive Media in 2018 and 2019 by The Rookies Ringling College was ranked top VFX school by The Hollywood Reporter

34 Ringling Alumni worked on 8 of the 2020 Oscar-nominated films

#2 Motion Graphics School in the world The Rookies

Ringling College Design Center won 7 American Graphic Design Awards in 2019 and won 10 Gold Suncoast Addy Awards as well as 2 Judges’ Choice Awards and 3 Amy Awards for Best in Category 32

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Motion Design senior won Rookie of the Year for Motion Graphics

Communications Strategies won 7 Higher Ed Marketing Awards and 1 CASE Award

#2 Illustration School in the U.S. The Art Career Project

Business of Art and Design senior wins National Student Advertising Competition’s Best Presenter Award

Illustration sophomore won the United Airlines Her Art Here contest

White Noise, a game created by two Game Art graduates, was a finalist at the E3 College Game Competition

Illustration senior took home the Society of Illustrators’ prestigious Zankel Scholarship

#3 Game Design School in the world The Rookies

Two Graphic Design students named Students to Watch by Graphic Design USA

Photography & Imaging graduate was selected as one of Artpil Magazine’s 30 under 30 Women Photographers

Ringling students wins a Gold Addy Award for Wet Dog Corp. Brand Activation Event at SXSW Graphic Design students took home Best of Show, 4 Gold, and 6 Silver Student Addy Awards

Ringling College students collaborate with Moffitt Cancer Center to develop creative content for digital health care technologies

A top Graphic Design School in the U.S. Graphic Design USA

Alumnus Jeff John and a full-scale clay model of a Cadillac door.

By Nicole Caron Considering this century’s stunning advances in the automotive industry, it is no surprise that Ringling College of Art and Design alumni are putting their skills to work at General Motors (GM). One of the world’s automotive powerhouses, GM employs more than 180,000 people around the world, including Ringling College graduates. One of those is Karen de los Santos, Computer Animation ’16, who today is a creative sculptor for Cadillac exteriors. She noted that public speaking and handling feedback were just a couple of the skills she learned at Ringling College that have proved to be especially helpful in her career. “Working for a big company, you have to be comfortable sharing your ideas and solutions and speaking in front of leadership,” de los Santos explained. “The critiques in Computer Animation prepared me for projecting my ideas in a corporate environment.” Exposing her ideas to different audiences was also crucial, as was learning how to apply similar techniques to different problems. “I took modeling classes for Illustration and Animation, and I applied those software skills to different subjects,” she said. “That has also been really helpful.” She describes Illustration’s collaboration with GM as a real door-opener. “A big aspect of the Ringling College experience is the way the classes network you into the corporate world,” de los Santos said. “GM has actively worked with the Center for Career Services as a recruiter for seven years,” said Charles Kovacs, director of the Center for Career Services. “When they worked through the Collaboratory, they made employment offers to 10 students who worked with the project of expressing the concept of speed using their industryquality car sculpting clay,” he said. Alek Betancourt, Illustration ‘15, is a digital sculptor in user-experience for Cadillac. He praises Ringling College for helping him prepare for teamwork, creative problem-solving, and 3D modeling. “When I applied for this position, my interviewers were interested in my collaborative skills,” Betancourt said. He describes Illustration as “a big umbrella — you can go anywhere with it. My fundamentals classes wound up being my most important classes. If you understand all of the elements of art and design, you can succeed in any industry,” he said.

Karen de los Santos COMPUTER ANIMATION

Alek Betancourt ILLUSTRATION

Jeff John COMPUTER ANIMATION

’16 ’15 ’05

Jeff John, Computer Animation ’05, a sculptor with Cadillac, has been at GM for 14 years. It was his first job right out of Ringling College. John hand builds clay models of cars, both scale and full-size, exterior and interior. “I was prepared for that,” he said. “In Computer Animation I learned how to work in Maya, which is similar to what computer modelers at GM do.” He gives great credit to Ringling College’s Center for Career Services. “A huge part of what Ringling did for me was through Career Services,” John recalled. “When you look at the schools from which companies recruit,” he said, “Ringling’s Career Services is a big selling point.” Karen de Los Santos and Jeff John have collaborated on projects at GM. John has also worked with several other Ringling alumni at GM. “The ice gets broken quickly because we have the Ringling tie,” he said.

“Ringling College alumni work in diverse industries,” said Dr. Larry R. Thompson, Ringling College of Art and Design president. “Soon they will become even more in-demand because all kinds of organizations, from businesses like General Motors to healthcare centers like Moffitt Cancer Center, will need creative thinkers and doers who can innovate and solve problems in new and different ways. I truly believe creativity is the most essential skill for success in the future.”

SEE M O RE O N T H IS S TO RY

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SEE YOU AT THE TOP BUILDING A PRE-EMINENT COLLEGE ONE DEGREE AT A TIME By Ryan Van Cleave

For over 85 years, Ringling College of Art and Design has been cultivating the creative spirit in students from around the globe. This commitment to providing a transformative educational experience takes constant evaluation, thoughtful planning, and purposeful growth.

Helping to fulfill that commitment is Dr. Peter McAllister, who joined the College in July 2017 as Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Peter has a vast knowledge of higher education and the arts, and he understands educational administration at premier levels. He works exceedingly well with his faculty colleagues and has been instrumental in moving a number of institutions to a higher level,” Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College, said of Peter’s hiring.

Entertainment Design, launched in Fall 2019, has proven similarly exciting. Its inaugural faculty member, Jamie DeRuyter, explained that the curriculum “provides students with the skills to conceive, visualize, and realize innovative design solutions that bring immersive entertainment experiences to life,” whether via a themed restaurant, themed hotel, theme park offerings, or other type of experience. DeRuyter described the students in the program’s first class as rock stars. “Their enthusiasm and pioneering spirit have made the beginnings of this endeavor fun and rewarding,” DeRuyter said.

Prior to joining Ringling College, Dr. McAllister led the eight departments of the College of Arts & Letters at California State University, Los Angeles, which included TV, Film & Media Studies, Fine Arts, and Liberal Studies. Despite his experience, creating new majors that are interesting, impactful, and relevant is no easy feat. The Academic Affairs leadership team must consider a range of issues when deliberating new curricular opportunities. Will this major help us support and prepare our students for top-level career success? Do we have the faculty talent and the infrastructure to properly support this major? Does this new major fit our identity as a pre-eminent institution of art and design?

This exercise is the one that Dr. McAllister undertook with his team in 2018 when considering whether to become the first art and design college to have a Virtual Reality Development major. This major has created excitement across the community, drawing partners and supporters, like Drs. Joel and Gail Morganroth, who were so inspired by the program’s potential that they earmarked a gift to help support it. “The VR program is a design major focused on making the world a better place by using VR technology to solve complicated problems in the real world,” said Morgan Woolverton, interim department head for Game Art and Virtual Reality Development (VR). “One example would be our partnership with Moffitt Cancer Center. We are working together to develop a way to better prepare patients for challenging treatments that require patient participation.”

Developing innovative programs to prepare students for the future is nothing new for Ringling College. The Creative Writing program was completing its second year as Dr. McAllister came onboard. He has said often that “Writing is a crucial aspect of being a professional creative. At the core, creatives are powerful communicators, ideally across multiple media.” It was clear to Dr. McAllister that, like the Creative Writing program, the Business of Art and Design (BOAD) and Visual Studies majors, both relatively recent additions, felt tailor-made to Ringling students and to preparing them for success.

The opening of the Ringling College Museum Campus is yet another innovative approach to learning. With its Sarasota Art Museum, this new community-serving campus houses much of the College’s Continuing Studies’ Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Ringling College (OLLI) and Studio + Digital Arts programs. Part of Academic Affairs, Continuing Studies also includes Englewood Arts Center (EAC) and PreCollege, an outstanding summer program for talented high school students looking to get a flavor for what life and learning at an art and design college would be like.

Success, however, does not come only from new majors. Creating fresh opportunities within existing majors can have an equally significant impact, evidenced through the popularity of Film’s Branded Entertainment track, launched in Fall 2018, and Illustration’s Visual Development track, launched in Fall 2019. “Having emphasis areas, or tracks, within successful majors allows students to dig deeper into their areas of specific interest,” said Dr. McAllister. “One-size-fits-all doesn’t always make sense. At Ringling College, we are able to leverage faculty expertise and passion to nimbly adapt to the needs of our students and to the ever-changing landscape of 21st-century work.”

Academic Affairs—and the innovative programs it develops to prepare students—is critical to the success of Ringling College of Art and Design. Understanding the landscape of the skills needed for success in the future where automation and Artificial Intelligence will so deeply impact the way we work and live—a future President Thompson calls the Creative Age—and responding to those ever-changing needs in meaningful ways takes vision, deep commitment, and creativity. Ringling College meets that challenge head-on.

CONTXT | SPRING 2020

STUDENT LIFE:

Helping Students Soar BY MARK ELLA PARAD I SSI S-WAG N ER

If you could look at the Ringling College of Art and Design campus from an aerial view, you would see classrooms filled with students at various stages of their academic journeys. Zoom in, and you will notice the diversity of the student body—with differing nationalities, gender identities, and cultures. You might find these students bent over their work, deep in concentration. You may see them with a sketchpad in hand, looking for a few moments of quiet reflection. Perhaps you hear the chatter of their conversations and feel the energy of ideas being born.

CONTXT.RINGLING.EDU

Beyond its rigorous curriculum, Ringling College is committed to developing the whole student. To help fulfill that commitment, the College offers various services, resources, and programming to support these aspiring young artists and to help make their campus and social experiences every bit as rewarding as their classroom ones.

For example, the new Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI), launched in Fall 2019, “strives not only to support the needs of Ringling College’s diverse population in a respectful, inclusive way, but also to create awareness of their cultures, nationalities, and identities through events, dialogues, and initiatives,” explained Yoleidy Rosario-Hernandez (ze/zir/zirs), associate dean of students and director of the CDI. Rosario-Hernandez brings zir experience as Director of the LGBTQ+ and Intercultural Resource Center at Rutgers University in Newark, NJ to this new role. While Rosario-Hernandez sees the CDI as an avenue for using art to achieve social justice, ze knows the importance of inclusivity beyond Ringling College as well. “One of my future goals,” according to Rosario-Hernandez, “is to take students both crosscountry and abroad to help them understand different cultures and to see how art works for social justice on a global platform.” Fostering an environment in which people are valued on a human level and for their unique identities is important to Rosario-Hernandez. To that end, Rosario-Hernandez poses the question: “How do we create a space where everyone feels like they can belong, be celebrated, and be seen for who they are in an authentic and respectful way?”

Yoleidy Rosario-Hernandez ASSOCIATE DEAN OF STUDENTS, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Student Access Services (SAS) is designed to help meet the educational needs of Ringling College students with disabilities. Student Access Coordinator Clair Willrich notes that SAS “offers students with documented disabilities equal access in their pursuit of a higher education degree.” Since each student is unique, SAS provides individualized accommodations based on a comprehensive assessment of the disability’s impact on daily and academic functioning. Each student is viewed as an individual, with solutions tailored uniquely to their needs. Also helping students is Public Safety. Dealing with a variety of issues centered around campus safety, Public Safety is available to students, faculty, and staff 24/7. From Campus Security Escorts to providing general safety tips, Public Safety strives to be approachable to the entire Ringling College community. While studying at Ringling College provides an incredible educational opportunity, it can be like any other college experience — stressful. The Student Health Center provides care for the daily stresses that affect both body and mind. When they walk inside, students can find treatment for most common illnesses and can seek both individual and group counseling services at the Peterson Counseling Center. The Student Learning Center (SLC) assists students with everything from time management to writing skills. The SLC’s goal is to help students enhance their skills and manage their workloads so that they can fulfill their academic responsibilities and have time for the full college experience, including spending time with friends and engaging in the many co-curricular activities that Ringling College provides. Academic advisors are available to guide students as they choose courses and sketch out their futures. Once their chosen directions become clear, in comes Career Services to support students in achieving their career goals during their time at Ringling College and for the rest of their lives.

Clair Willrich STUDENT ACCESS COORDINATOR

Of course, being a successful student is about more than getting good grades. Ringling College students have opportunities to engage both on campus and in the surrounding community. Student Leadership Development, its Campus Activities Board, and Community Engaged Learning offer opportunities for volunteerism, projects, and events that help students gain leadership skills, learn the value of service, contribute to the campus and broader community, and simply unwind. Each student needs a different form of support and for different amounts of time. At Ringling College, there are always options for help and engagement. Students are never alone. They have access to a variety of services and resources to help them deal with whatever issue might arise as they work toward becoming the artist they were meant to be.

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YOU CAN’T GET A JOB WITHOUT EXPERIENCE. BUT YOU CAN’T GET EXPERIENCE WITHOUT A JOB.

The paradox is as old as the dawn of higher education and as relevant today as it was then. So, we thought we would do something about it. Six years ago, Ringling College of Art and Design introduced the Ringling College Collaboratory Commitment*, a guarantee that every student will have the opportunity to take on actual client work during their time at the College.

Students get connected with clientbased work via a number of channels: ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT PROJECTS ART NETWORK CAREER SERVICES INTERNSHIPS THE COLLABORATORY DESIGN CENTER SERVICE-LEARNING + VOLUNTEERISM STUDENT LIFE THE RINGLING COLLEGE STUDIO LABS

The Collaboratory is an initiative developed by Ringling College in partnership with The Patterson Foundation that provides creative, experiential learning opportunities to all of its students.

The following stories present a handful of these projects, with an in-depth look at the specific challenge presented, the process, and the results. Notice that you won’t read about our students making copies or running out for coffee. They’re building experience, portfolios, and the confidence to break out of the catch-22 and into the careers of their dreams.

[ THE STUDIO LABS ]

ACTING: THE FIRST SIX LESSONS

BY CLONIA CHARITE

BEAU BRIDGES on stage with Film Department Head Bradley Battersby during a Studio Labs event. SEE MORE ON THIS STORY

Gaining real-life filmmaking experience while working with well-known individuals in the entertainment industry is just part of what makes the Ringling College of Art and Design Studio Labs, a collaboration between Ringling College and Semkhor Productions, such a rewarding experience. Indeed, this opportunity for experiential learning that allows students to work alongside industry professionals is a hallmark of the Ringling College Film program, one that distinguishes it from many of its peers. In summer 2019, I had the opportunity to be part of an amazing film family when I worked as script supervisor and associate producer for Acting: The First Six Lessons. This film is an adaptation of a play co-written by Beau Bridges and his daughter, Emily Bridges, in which both also star, based on the book of the same name by acting teacher Richard Boleslavsky. The book shares six lessons of acting as conveyed by a teacher to an aspiring young actress. In a press release announcing the arrival of Beau Bridges to campus in July, Ringling College President Larry R. Thompson noted, “This film has offered an amazing opportunity for our students to earn invaluable real-world experience while making crucial industry contacts and has also helped our graduates to continue to advance their careers.” Students were able to participate in the creative process on a number of levels. Ringling College students made up the majority of the film crew. Several top positions, referred to as above-theline positions, were held by recent graduates. Zifeng Zhuo ’19 and Austin Gorski ’19 served as co-producers; Jack Patterson ’19 was director of photography; and Darrien Land ’19 held the main camera operator spot. Additionally, undergraduate Alexis Dolfi ’20 served as production designer. Working alongside Beau Bridges, the team of students and graduates moved from three months of exhaustive pre-production work to the actual production of the film.

My roles as associate producer and the scripty, or script supervisor, for the project, gave me a nonstop learning experience. As associate producer, I helped the producers with various tasks—everything from arranging lunch for the crew, to tracking down green screens, and working with the production design team. It was also my job to invite actors to come for a limited, private master class with the Bridges after the shooting. Then there were props, costumes, overhead diagrams, and a mock set to ensure that everyone involved in the project was always on the same page. As we were preparing for Beau and Emily Bridges to arrive, my to-do list grew and grew. My lists were endless. When the Bridges arrived on July 3, my duties as script supervisor kicked in. I was using the student version of an app called Scripte that enables script supervisors to keep everything in an easily accessible digital format. The app helped me to immediately share the director’s—Emily Bridges—thoughts on the best scene takes with the post-production crew. A scripty also has to pay attention to the actors’ movements, making sure there are no inconsistencies between any of the scenes. The script was very dialogue heavy, and Beau and Emily Bridges both wanted to make certain that lines were said word-for-word from the script. On his first day on set, Beau Bridges gathered everyone and asked them to hold hands and pray for the upcoming weeks of filming. It was so exhilarating! I felt like I was part of something bigger than myself, bigger than our crew. As the filming wrapped up, Beau gave every student who worked on the project a recommendation letter along with a copy of the book, Acting: The First Six Lessons, inscribed with personal messages from both him and Emily. As every day of filming passed, I realized we had indeed become a family— my first film family.

CONTXT | SPRING 2020

[ ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT PROJECTS / COLLABORATORY / DESIGN CENTER ]

BY KATE SCHWARTZ

THE PROJECT The Collaboratory at Ringling College of Art and Design bridges classroom learning and real-world applications. For students, it is that sometimes elusive yet invaluable link between theory and practice—that magical moment when they watch their creative work come to life in the real world. So, when award-winning Flight School Studio, whose chief creative officer is alumnus and Ringling College Trustee Brandon Oldenburg (’95), approached the College about creating a virtual reality (VR) game, it is no surprise that the Collaboratory jumped at the opportunity. Students and faculty across disciplines embarked on a long-term partnership with the Flight School team, culminating in the launch of a multi-level VR game at the 2019 South by Southwest Gaming Expo (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. Before long, 15 faculty members, 45 students from five majors, and four Flight School studio professionals rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

THE PROCESS After reviewing dozens of applications from Game Art students eager to work with an industry giant, Flight School selected its team. They provided a simple game mechanic—a squirt gun putting out fires—and challenged the students to conceptualize ideas for a VR experience using that mechanic. After developing rough visuals, playable demos, and pitch decks, students pitched their creative visions to the Flight School team. It was the zany concept of Wet Dog Corp.—a futuristic, arcade-style dog-washing game—that emerged as Flight School’s winner. The next stop was Dallas, home to Flight School Studio, for a week-long design immersive. For many students, this experience was their first client collaboration in a professional setting. By week’s end, the team had refined the design and created a playable prototype. “It was this amazing interactive experience, figuring out what the game looks like, how it plays, how you keep score, and how you win or lose. Then the Flight School team and students jumped onto some computers to work on the interactions in the game,” said Jamie DeRuyter, inaugural faculty member for Entertainment Design.

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WET DOG CORP. LAUNCHING EARLY 2020 ON STEAMPOWERED.COM

SEE MORE ON THIS STORY

Teamwork was a big takeaway from the studio visit, as students experienced how idea ownership comes in second to collective progress when working toward a common goal. “When you’re a student, you’re often only responsible for your own creative vision; but, opportunities like this teach students to find their voices and creative solutions within an existing client framework. And that’s what it takes to be a great creative,” said Morgan Woolverton, interim department head for Virtual Reality Development and Game Art. Once back at school, the work continued via weekly Skype calls. Students were able to post progress, receive feedback, and problem-solve alongside their client. When the game was ready for publication, Game Art students handed off their product to Graphic Design, Illustration, and Motion Design majors, who worked on branding and marketing, and then to Business of Art and Design students, who coordinated the SXSW activation. Market research guided a branding strategy, and the look and feel of the Wet Dog identity began to take shape. The students then designed promotional materials and branded items such as t-shirts, aprons, waterbottle labels, vehicle stickers, and convention swag. “The creative pipeline was exceedingly successful. Regardless of where or when the students took part in the project, they were able to apply their skill sets and understand their roles in the process,” explained Angela Leed, interim faculty project director for the Collaboratory.

THE RESULTS The brand debut at SXSW was a smashing success, with nearly 1,000 people attending the one-day activation. From the moment they followed the painted paw prints to the booth, participants were treated to an entertaining and memorable experience. Although the main attraction was the VR game, every detail of the immersive marketing campaign brought the Wet Dog brand to life. There was even a Pug Hug station featuring adorable furry friends, courtesy of Austin Pug Rescue. “We worked for nine weeks, getting virtually no sleep, to create the perfect experience for our guests. There was something so magical about seeing that everything we worked toward was real. We saw the smiles, laughter, and amazement in people’s eyes and that meant more to me than anything else,” said Business of Art and Design student Ellie Winslow, who took on the role of lead project manager.

The brand activation event for Wet Dog Corp. at SXSW 2019 where students and faculty worked the game demo, photo booth, carnival style game, and Pug Hug station. Opposite: Still from the virtual reality game Wet Dog Corp.

DEAR FRIENDS, There are many joys of working in the Office for Advancement at Ringling College of Art and Design. I tell anyone interviewing for a job at the College that we have the honor and the pleasure of working with the nicest, most generous donors, alumni, faculty, and staff anywhere. Though that is certainly true, I admit that the greatest fulfillment comes from engaging with our students, like Kiara Harris, a first-year Motion Design major from Sarasota, FL. Like most of our students, Kiara has always known that she wanted a career in art and design. The dedication and passion that all of our students, including Kiara, bring to their work makes it easy to envision them changing our world, using their creativity and their art to solve problems and spark dialogue toward greater understanding. However, without scholarship support, a Ringling College education would be just a dream. Financial support for scholarships is always the College’s biggest need. More than 90% of our students are on some form of financial aid. It is truly the generosity of our donors that makes a Ringling College education possible for so many of our students.

Kiara Harris, a first-year Motion Design student, shows Stacey Corley her design work.

In the donor profiles that follow, you will see the passion these donors have for our students and for the exciting and innovative things happening at Ringling College. We love to see the connection that comes when donors support efforts at the College that are most meaningful to them. If you are interested in making an impact by funding a student scholarship, supporting an academic program, creating an endowed fund, or giving to an area of the College that means a lot to you, we are happy to assist. As you move through the rest of this issue of CONTXT, you will also read about donors who are leaving legacies to the College. Our Office for Advancement can offer insight into ways that your estate plan can benefit your loved ones and the places you cherish, such as Ringling College. Decades from now, Ringling College will continue to benefit from donors who planned today to make a difference to the students and programs of tomorrow. If you want to learn more about how you can make a gift that impacts students like Kiara, please contact us. If you have already been generous with your support, thank you for the integral role you have played in supporting remarkable students in fulfilling their dreams of using their creativity to improve our world. With gratitude,

Stacey R. Corley Vice President for Advancement

Hands-on Philanthropy By Gayle Guynup | Photo by Matthew Holler ’11

When it comes to philanthropy, Tom and Carol Beeler do not just pull out their checkbook. When they become involved, they become fully involved, with their own unique brand of hands-on philanthropy. Both Tom and Carol worked for Ford Motor Company in Detroit. Carol worked in the burgeoning computer side of the business. “In the 1960s, it was about 200 guys and me,” she said. Tom was in engineering and product planning. Following their time at Ford, they started a commercial real estate company, management company, and development company. For 45 years, they called Michigan home.

The Beelers’ hands-on approach to philanthropy is also evident through their dedication to mentoring and sponsoring students. “The students we mentor are all at-risk kids,” Carol said. “Most are the first in their families to go to college; one had no family and was living on the streets when we met him; and only three out of the 11 we have sponsored have had a father in lives,” she said. “Tom becomes the father figure, and it makes such a difference in their lives,” Carol added. “Mentoring is what most of these kids need, someone to teach them all the things they might not be learning at home.” The requirements for receiving funds from the Tom and Carol Beeler Foundation reflect their commitment to directly supporting students. Foremost, the funds must be used for education. “We don’t build buildings. We don’t buy equipment or pay salaries,” said Carol. “We do, however, allow a broad definition of education. It might be Circus Arts Conservatory, or Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, or a scholarship to Ringling College.”

Amazingly, of the 195 countries in the world, the Beelers have traveled to 135. In 2004, the Beelers’ love of travel brought them to Florida. After living on their boat through the winter season, they moved to a condominium on Longboat Key and then to their current home on Golden Gate Point. With no children of their own, the Beelers began considering how to invest their life savings. The result: A family foundation to provide education for low-income and minority students. They selected nine local non-profits to benefit from this legacy gift, one of which is Ringling College of Art and Design. But, why Ringling College? “Our first experience with the College was attending a student art exhibition. Lo and behold, who was the first person we met but Larry Thompson,” Tom said. “He invited us to come to campus the following Monday and offered to personally take us on a tour, which he did. We have always loved the arts. We love learning. And, we love the kids. That was really all it took for us to know that we wanted to get involved.”

T OM & CAR OL B E E L E R

The Beelers are so passionate about Ringling College that they are always looking to make connections for prospective students. While on a four-month cruise around the world with 600 students, faculty, and lifelong learners sponsored by Colorado State University, they met a prospective Ringling College student from Georgia in the former Soviet Republic who had been evaluating art schools all over the world. Although not yet a student, she continues to dream of the day when a scholarship will make it possible for her to attend Ringling College.

The other requirements are that money must benefit low-income families; at least half of the funds must go to racially diverse students; and the program must include training in life skills. Since life-skills training is not part of most scholastic or non-profit program offerings, the Beelers have partnered with the Education Foundation of Sarasota County to create a life-skills training program. The program, participation in which is required for all scholarship recipients, includes two four-hour workshops that cover such things as writing thank-you notes, etiquette, table manners, and other life skills. The Beelers believe that many people wait too long to make endowment or legacy plans or to establish a foundation or other philanthropic entity. As Tom said, “It is a lot easier to make money than to give it away.” By setting up their foundation early, Tom and Carol said, “We have been able to reap the benefits during our lifetime and to fully enjoy the experience.”

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An Indelible Legacy By Gayle Guynup | Photo by Barbara Banks

It was their dear friends Ed and Elaine Keating who first brought Ringling College of Art and Design to the attention of Susan and Roy Palmer, something for which Susan said she will always be grateful. “The first event we ever went to (in the late 1980s) was the Trustee Scholar Luncheon, which was held in the parking lot off of U.S. 41. There was no other place to hold an event back then,” Susan recalled. “I remember there were five Trustee Scholars and we came away so impressed with those students that we knew we had to become involved.” Susan and her husband, Roy, who passed away in 2017, lived in Chicago before settling on the Gulf Coast in 1987. Though she says that she and Roy lived like gypsies for much of their married life, traveling around the country and the world, they finally made Sarasota their home. After an extensive, four-year renovation, the Palmers settled at Es Ca Bay, an estate designed by Thomas Reed Martin that Susan calls her “dream house.” It was originally built for a Chicago spinster who was a former Ringling School of Art and Design student. The Keatings introduced the Palmers to then-Ringling President Arland Christ-Janer, better known to his friends as CJ. “We fell in love with CJ and learned there was a tremendous need for scholarships. Then, as we got more involved, we learned there was no endowment, and not much of a campus, other than the Keating Center and a few other buildings. … There was so much that needed to be done,” Susan said.

S U S AN PALM E R Susan Palmer in front of work by Vik Muniz at the Sarasota Art Museum.

“Roy was a great believer in education. We both felt very strongly that we wanted to contribute to scholarships, but CJ’s wish list at the time was for help with the school’s infrastructure,” Susan said. On the campus today, you will find the Palmer Quadrangle (student residences) and a group study room on the first floor of the Goldstein Library. There is also the Susan Palmer Fitness Center, named for Susan in honor of her many contributions.

Susan was also instrumental in establishing the Avant-Garde Scholarship. “It began in 2008, when I chaired the event,” she said. “We raised enough money for the endowment of what is today known as the Avant-Garde Scholarship, which is given annually to a junior based on his or her volunteerism and what has given back to the school and fellow students. That scholarship,” Susan said, “led to establishing the Emerging Service Leaders Award, scholarships given to 10 sophomores annually to recognize exemplary service.”

While the infrastructure of the campus was important at the time, it was scholarships that both Roy and Susan believed were the lifeblood of the institution. “There was nothing back then in terms of scholarships, nothing. And we have built and built and built over the years to where there are a considerable number today. Scholarships are crucial if we are to continue to attract the caliber of talented students that has made the school what it is today,” Susan said.

Dr. Larry R. Thompson joined Ringling College of Art and Design as its new president in 1999. Susan describes his contributions to the College as nothing short of phenomenal. “He will give anybody his time and listen to what they have to say. He is a wonderful listener and an even more wonderful doer and achiever,” she said. “He has drummed it into all of our heads that Ringling College is going to be the pre-eminent art and design college in the world. And you know, it is getting there. It really is.”

It was Arland Christ-Janer who introduced Susan to Diane Roskamp, and theirs became a lifelong friendship. Diane firmly believed that Ringling College needed to start hosting some fundraising events, and CJ believed that Susan and Diane were the team to make that happen. “What we ended up doing in 1997 was hosting The Night of the Red Dragon, which was the school’s first scholarship fundraiser. It eventually evolved into An Evening at the Avant-Garde,” Susan said.

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Susan has served as a trustee of Ringling College since 2005. “My first board meeting was on the day that we approved the new Ringling College Museum Campus, which includes the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College,” she said. “That is why underwriting and naming a gallery at the Museum was so important to me. It has been a part of my entire tenure on the Board of Trustees, and is part of my legacy here.” “Today, I feel just incredulous about the College and its students. The growth here is just off the charts. I don’t know what is happening at other art and design colleges, but here at Ringling College, the future for our students is unlimited.”

A Lifelong Love of Art By Gayle Guynup | Matthew Holler ’11

The view from the floor-to-ceiling glass windows in the downtown penthouse of Charlotte and John Suhler presents a scene that could inspire any artist. Or anyone who loves art. The Suhlers, who celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary on December 30, 2019, have shared a love of art for all of their married lives. “When John and I first met, we talked about how we would someday like to have a modern house filled with antiques and contemporary art. That was 53 years ago, and here we are,” said Charlotte. “Twentyplus years ago, Charlotte introduced me to contemporary art,” said John. “She had the interest and bought a few of our earliest pieces. My interest grew out of that,” he said. Both majored in advertising, John at Kansas and Charlotte at Southern Illinois University. John’s career was in media, mainly buying, selling, and investing in companies, though he also helped launch Psychology Today, later serving as its publisher. He was also president of CBS Publications, the magazine and paperback book publishing unit of CBS. Charlotte’s career also included magazines, such as the illustrious New York Magazine, where she worked with Gloria Steinem and Gail Sheehy, among others. They live in Darien, Connecticut, but have a history with Florida’s West Coast. For 20 years, they and their three daughters have spent weekends and vacations here. That family has grown to now include five grandchildren. Two years ago, they moved to their beautiful downtown pied-a-terre. Though they had heard of Ringling College of Art and Design and its many accomplishments, they first learned about the Ringling College Museum Campus and the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College through their friend Brooke Callanen, one of the Museum’s Founders. In 2012, they created the Charlotte and John Suhler Sarasota Art Museum Endowed Fund to support the operations of the Museum. In 2019, they made another gift to support its construction. In recognition of their support, the third-floor gallery as you step off the elevator is named in their honor. John and Charlotte’s support for Ringling College extends beyond their giving; John is an active member of the Museum Advisory Committee, a standing committee of Ringling’s Board of Trustees that provides input on what needs to be done and suggestions for how to do it, but which has no governing responsibilities. “We had both been involved with several non-profits in Connecticut, and we hadn’t gotten very involved down here. The Museum was our initial way of getting involved in the Sarasota community,” Charlotte said. “The cement of our interest in the College and its Museum was stimulated by the College’s Art Tours and Curatorial Trips,” John said. “We went with groups of about 15–20 people on three trips; one to Dallas/Ft. Worth, then a trip to Chicago, and this past summer a Museum trip to the Hudson Valley area in New York. The trips were fundraisers, but they also served to build a sense of community among potential donors.” The tours included visits to private homes of some of each destination’s most significant collectors and to public museums, where the group would receive curated tours of the collections.

CHAR LOT T E & JOHN S U HL E R “Many of the people who went on these tours ended up being donors to the College, including gallery spaces in the new Museum,” John noted. “They also became our friends. It has been such a joy for Charlotte and me to meet these people from all over the country who share this common interest.” John noted that both he and Charlotte have immense admiration for both Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design, and Anne-Marie Russell, executive director and chief curator of Sarasota Art Museum. “Anne-Marie is just special. She has a magnetism that is undeniable and has been a fun, interesting, talented leader through this whole experience,” John said. “With Larry and his team working so hard to make the College the pre-eminent college of art and design in the world, I don’t see any limits to what we can do. Larry is the heartbeat of both the College and its Museum. He exudes so much enthusiasm and energy that you can’t help but get caught up in it,” Charlotte added. Both John and Charlotte dabble as artists themselves, Charlotte in sculpture and John in painting. Both say they plan to take classes offered through the Ringling College Continuing Studies program to hone their artistic skills. “The future is so exciting. Sarasota already had such an established cultural base and the new Museum is an added gem, along with all our other cultural treasures,” John said. “Here we have The Ringling, and now the new Sarasota Art Museum. It brings such stature to Sarasota,” Charlotte added.

CONTXT | SPRING 2020 47

1956 Anne (Williams) Klingenburg (Graphic Design) exhibited Inspirations 44 at the New Providence Memorial Library (New Jersey) from August– September 2019. aklingenburg.com

1959 David Hedges (Commercial Design) retired from running his independent design consultancy, Studio D, in July 2017. In December 2019, David and his spouse, June, relocated within Chapin, SC, where he produces commissioned and personal pastel artwork. Morris “Moe” Mitchell (Fine Arts) exhibited Pioneering the Edge at Southern Adventist University’s John C. Williams Gallery in Collegedale, TN from January–February 2020. morrismitchell.com Craig Rubadoux (Fine Arts) exhibited Rubadoux World at Allyn Gallup Contemporary Art in Sarasota in April 2019. craigrubadoux.com

1963 Gloria Jean (Anderson) Marion ’63 (Commercial Design) and Jerry Marion ’64 (Commercial Design) run Pilgrim’s Rest Studios, specializing in paintings, portraits, and illustrations by commission in Mocksville, NC. pilgrimsreststudios.com

1966 Gene Johnson (Commercial Design) exhibited his paintings, Residuos, at Sao Paulo’s Galeria Lume from June–August 2019. Gene’s principal studio is in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. genejohnsonart.com Wendell Minor (Commercial Design) was awarded the key to the city of Aurora, IL and honored with the naming of the street of his childhood home Wendell Minor Way in May 2019. Wendell released Hi, I’m NORMAN: The Story of American Illustrator Norman Rockwell in September 2019 through Simon & Schuster/ Paula Wiseman Books. minorart.com

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Paintings by Jayne Holsinger ’76

1967

1976

Janet (Harden) Councilman (Commercial Design) released the children’s book she wrote and illustrated, Sammie the Shark and the Return of the Lost Gift, through Covenant Books in December 2019. A retired educator, Janet illustrates and designs by commission in Burlington, NC.

Jayne Holsinger (Advertising Design) exhibited Our National Parks: Paintings by Jayne Holsinger at the gallery in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Gateway National Recreation Area from December 2019–February 2020. jayneholsinger.com

William “Bill” Jameson (Fine Arts) exhibited new work at Shain Gallery in Charlotte, NC in December 2019. With a principal studio in Saluda, Bill teaches painting workshops throughout the Carolinas. williamjameson.com

1977

1970

1978

Jim Waters (Fine Arts) retired from the High Museum of Art in October 2018. As senior exhibitions designer, Jim served for 31 years and supervised the installation and design of more than 600 exhibitions. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Sculpture from the University of Mississippi in 1976. His art is included in numerous private and public collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Herman Miller, Inc., Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (ATL), and the High Museum of Art.

Linda (Walz) Cantrell (Graphic Design) retired from teaching special education at Gwinnett County Public Schools in May 2019. Linda now regularly enjoys the company of friends and family as she delves back to her roots, painting and crafting in Norcross, GA.

Dan Greshel (Graphic Design) exhibited Art from the Lost and Found at South Arkansas Arts Center in El Dorado, AR in April 2018.

Virginia Hoffman (Graphic Design) exhibited Virginia Hoffman: Vanishing Florida, in Ringling College’s Patricia Thompson Gallery from October–December 2019 and at Ringling College’s Englewood Art Center Mitchell Gallery in January 2020. virginiahoffmanstudio.com

1989

1981 Diane (Borowski) Dempsey (Graphic Design) expanded from her Retro Christmas Card Company to provide mid-century inspired and vintage-style designs in unique products for home and office through Retro Lifestyle Company in October 2019. retrolifestylecompany.com

(Sarasota County’s school for the mentally, physically, and emotionally challenged), Patricia is a fine art specialist in K-12 who also presents motivational lectures and artistic development programs through Women in Search of Healing Through the Arts. wishealingarts.com

Isabel Forbes (Illustration) relocated Isabel Forbes Studio & Gallery to a new Pine Street, Spartanburg, SC location in March 2019. Isabel’s working studio and gallery offers independent study, group classes, and workshops, in addition to hosting art events. isabelforbes.com

Christopher Skura (Fine Arts) and spouse Julie Knight ’90 (Fine Arts) exhibited new work in Aestivus: Summer Group Show at Cross Contemporary Art in Saugerties, NY from July– August 2019. Julie also exhibited in the group show, Abstracts & Pottery Alumni Show at Ringling’s Madeby Gallery in January–February 2020, along with Mark Bettis ’89 (Computer Graphics) and 1988 Fine Arts grads Scott Causey, David Hammel, and Jay Spalding.

Stephen Scott Young’s (Illustration) Moroccan Dress (2018) was selected for the December 2019 cover of Fine Art Connoisseur magazine as part of the article, “Dressing the Part.” Stephen is represented by Red Piano Art Gallery in Bluffton, SC. redpianoartgallery.com

1982 Matt Myers (Illustration) joined Ringling College as a full-time visiting Illustration faculty in August 2019. In addition to his design and illustration clients, Matt also designs and fabricates theatrical costumes across the United States. mattmyers.gallery

1983 Joy (Cumbaa) Snyder (Fine Arts) and spouse Tom Snyder (Fine Arts) celebrated their 10th season with the stop animation television show Robot Chicken. Their studio creates celebrity puppet heads in the greater Orlando area. joyandtomstudios.com

1985 Tom Chambers (Graphic Design) received the first place Fine Art Book Award from the 2019 International Photography Awards for his book Hearts and Bones, with a forward by Elizabeth Avedon and published by Unicorn Publishing Group. tomchambersphoto.com

1987 Gigi (Scott) Ortwein (Graphic Design) and Lauren (Pritchard) Thomas ’09 (Graphic and Interactive Communication) won a series of design awards at the 2019 Florida Magazine Association annual conference for their design work with Sarasota Magazine. Gigi has served as creative director since 2010 and Lauren as art director since 2018.

1988 Sandy Campbell (Interior Design) relocated EnteroDesign, her sustainable lifestyle company specializing in residential and commercial projects, within Seattle in September 2019. NCIDQ-certified, EnteroDesign has served the greater Seattle region for more than 25 years. enterodesign.com Robert Joseph (Interior Design) wrote “A Colorful Journey in a Disturbing Direction: HEATHERS,” for Perspective: Journal of the Art Directors Guild in its January/February 2019 issue. Robert is production designer on HEATHERS and resides in Los Angeles. rwjoseph.com

Claudia Interrante (Graphic Design) exhibited art pieces that she licenses for surface design in a Mount Pleasant pop-up show. Claudia’s artwork has been applied to everything from paper products to ceramics, textiles, and wrapped canvases nationally and internationally. For more than 12 years, she also has taught yoga to people of all ages in the greater Charleston, SC area. artlicensing.com/content/claudia-interrante

1991 Marc Hedges (Graphic Design) was selected to exhibit artwork in a special U.S. Navy Fleet Week exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego over the 2019 Veterans Day weekend. Marc is an independent graphic designer and marketing consultant who specializes in brand development, positioning, renovation, and reinforcement. Located in San Diego, Marc is also the new president for AIGA San Diego. marchedgescreative.com

1993 Robert Doyon (Fine Arts) exhibited Walkabout: The Work of Robert Doyon at Art Ovation Hotel, Sarasota from May–October 2019. 3rdravenstudios.com Matthew Hasty (Fine Arts) exhibited The Order of Time at Justus Fine Art Gallery in Memphis, TN in September–October 2019. Matthew is represented by L Ross Gallery and his art can also be seen on many television series including The Good Wife and Bluff City Law. matthewhasty.com

1994 Joseph Patrick Arnegger (Fine Arts) was a featured speaker at TedxHiltonHead: Reinvention and also exhibited Accumulus at Hilton Head’s J Costello Gallery in May 2019. josepharnegger.com

Michael Everson (Graphic Design) was nominated for 2019 Illinois Art Education Association Middle School Art Educator of the Year. An art educator in the greater Chicagoland area for nearly 15 years, Michael has been consistently exhibiting his paintings and monoprints in galleries for 30 years. michaeleversonart.com Patrice Kennedy (Illustration) won the Florida Art Education Association’s (FAEA) Special Needs Award for excellence in adapting instructional opportunities for students with varied learning, emotional, and/or physical exceptionalities at its annual awards ceremony during FAEA’s 2019 conference. Recently celebrating her 15th year at Oak Park School

Award-winning fine art book Hearts and Bones by Tom Chambers ’85

CONTXT | SPRING 2020 49

SEE MO RE O N TH IS S TO RY

ACCOMPLISHED ALUMNI By Abby Weingarten Showcasing what can happen when creative potential leads to professional accomplishments, Ringling College of Art and Design’s Alumni Wall of Honor gives future hope to aspiring artists. It is undoubtedly uplifting — seeing what past students have accomplished — while encouraging current students to envision where their own careers might lead. For three years, this on-campus installation in the Keating Center has paid tribute to award-winning Ringling College graduates who have made positive impacts in their career fields. On January 24, 2020, Ringling College President Larry R. Thompson led the annual ceremony for the 10 honorees of 2020. Now, year-round, passersby can learn about some of Ringling’s most accomplished graduates by visiting the Honor Wall, which was designed by Graphic Design Department Head Jeff Bleitz. “It’s inspiring for our current and prospective students to see some of the top alumni of the College. I’m so glad that they have such a high-traffic, highly visible space on campus in which to be honored,” said Susan Borozan, director of alumni relations and engagement. “We have a treasure trove of alumni and this is one way to recognize them.” The work of this year’s honorees spans the creative spectrum. Jessica Sances Torres ’02, a Computer Animation major, has contributed animation to films including Toy Story 3, Brave, Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Coco, and Incredibles 2. Film major Kate Fail ’11 has worked on The Academy Awards, The Emmy Awards, and The Billboard Music Awards, as well as on shows including Stranger Things and The Crown.

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Fine Arts major Jeffrey Scudder ’11 is an assistant professor of emerging digital practices at Southern Oregon University. Scudder has given more than 65 lecture-performances during his career. Game Art major Michael Marra ’16 has done video game work for Call of Duty: WWII, Battlefield 1, and Diablo IV. Graphic Design major Mark Unger ’02 is a partner/chief creative officer at PUSH, an Orlando-based branding and advertising agency. He has collaborated with Disney, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Lobster, The House of Blues, and Publix, among other clients. Edward Kinsella, III, Illustration major ’06, is an acclaimed illustrator whose clients include The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. Photography and Imaging major Hadar Pitchon ’09 shoots for highend editorial publications including Vogue, W, SID Magazine, Client Magazine, and L’Officiel. Motion Design graduate Brianne Gagg ’18 has produced content for Apple, Facebook, and Google, among others. Interior Design alumna Angela Rodriguez ’05, founder of Angela Rodriguez Interiors and Space as Art, PLC, has designed luxury resorts with global giants RTKL and WATG. Alexandra Tibbe ’14, Business of Art and Design alumna, landed an internship on a film set that led her to pursue a thriving multimedia career. “That experience taught me about the hard work and long hours I was destined to live, but also the joy that comes from doing something you truly love,” Tibbe said. “I have been fortunate enough to apply the skills gained in the business program in my work on commercials, television, and film,” she said. The knowledge and skills gained at Ringling College have translated into impressive real-world success for these and other graduates, as the Alumni Honor Wall serves to remind us.

1995 Bill Buttaggi (Graphic Design) released The Slush Mold Toys of Lincoln White Metal Works, a history and pictorial reference of Clayton E. Stevenson’s slush metal toy company, which produced dimestore toys between 1931–1937, filling a huge void for collectors of these toys. billsvintagetoygarage.com Nicole “Niki” Ciccotelli Stewart (Illustration) joined the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia as its first chief learning and engagement officer in April 2019. Niki had served for 10 years at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR. Ramiro Gomez (Computer Animation) served as rigging supervisor on The Addams Family animated feature film released in October 2019. He is currently rigging supervisor at Cinesite, working on Extinct and Riverdance, both 3-D films to be released in 2020. Michael Knapp (Illustration) was production designer on the animated film, Spies in Disguise, released by Blue Sky Studio in December 2019. michael-knapp-lydm.squarespace.com Brandon Oldenburg (Illustration) premiered his virtual reality experience, War Remains, at Tribeca Immersive, Tribeca Film Festival’s intersection of storytelling and technology venue, in April–May 2019. Brandon’s studio, Flight School, is located in Dallas. flightschoolstudio.com

1996 Jennifer (Arminio) Borresen (Illustration) joined GateHouse Media as data projects visualization editor in February 2019. For 18 years, she worked with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune on many award-winning teams as a graphic designer. Jennifer moved to the Herald-Tribune’s parent company, conceptualizing, creating, and working with its affiliates to deliver stories in more easily understandable ways through data visualization. When GateHouse merged with Gannett in November, Jennifer became the data visualization editor for the USA TODAY Network investigations team.

Virtual reality experience War Remains by Flight School Studio with Brandon Oldenburg ’95

Kirsten Drummond Todd (Computer Animation) relocated to Raleigh, NC to join Epic Games as senior lighting artist in May 2019. Kirsten most recently served as a senior lighting artist at Sony Pictures Imageworks on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in Vancouver, and previously on Spider Man: Homecoming, Smurfs: The Lost Village, Ghostbusters, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Hotel Transylvania 2, and Pixels. Amanda Goforth (Illustration) joined Fivable as interactive designer in July 2019. Amanda also illustrates by commission in Columbia, SC. behance.net/amandagoforth Nelson Plumey (Illustration) married April Glover in May 2019. Nelson is lead environment artist at Treyarch Studios, developers of titles like Call of Duty Black Ops II, III, and IV for the publisher Activision. Nelson is currently ramping up on his next title, which is yet to be announced.

1998

Chie Fueki and Kelly Sturhahn (Fine Arts) exhibited in the Second Annual Fine Art Alumni Exhibition in Ringling College’s Crossley Gallery from August–September 2019. Fine Arts alumni exhibiting also included Tom Stephens ’97, Omar Chacon ’02, Sooky Kim ’12, Matt Coombs ’13, Natalie Lerner ’14, and Muriel Holloway ’16.

Kim Gagnon (Graphic and Interactive Communication) joined Tervis Tumbler as a graphic designer in January 2019. Kim relocated to Venice, FL after 15 years in Birmingham, most recently as art director for Books-A-Million.

1997

Christian Sampson’s (Fine Arts) Vita in Motu was installed for Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College’s inaugural exhibition from December 2019–December 2020. christiansampson.net

Jamie DeRuyter (Computer Animation) was named Ringling College’s Entertainment Design Inaugural Faculty in May 2019. Since graduating from Ringling College, he has created 3D modeling, animation, and visual effects for theme parks, television shows, and games, in addition to teaching in Computer Animation and in Game Art. Most recently, Jamie created massive amounts of destruction for the remake of the classic game, Shadow of the Colossus.

Misty (Bell) Stiers (Illustration) was promoted to vice president, executive creative director at Isobar in New York City in January 2020. mistybellstiers.com

1999 David Elliott (Computer Animation) relocated his KEEN Creative Group to Beaver, WV in February 2020. KEEN is an award-winning motion graphics, video, and animation production agency specializing in full brand awareness. heykeen.com

2000 Jeff Boddy (Computer Animation) presented at the Future. Innovation. Technology. Creativity (FITC) Conference in Toronto in May 2019, sharing his take on the future, innovation, technology, and creativity. Jeff is creative director with Mill+ in Chicago. noboddy.com Julie (Miller) Kanapaux (Fine Arts) and her husband, Brett, welcomed their second child, Jane Amelia, in January 2019. Julie exhibited in the group show Round the Wheel at Dunedin Fine Art Center’s Douglas Whitley Gallery from September–December 2019. kankanstudios.com

2001 Michael Crabb (Fine Arts) exhibited in the group show Round the Wheel at Dunedin Fine Art Center’s Douglas Whitley Gallery from September–December 2019. Michael is also publisher of WorkingTitle magazine. Paul Downs (Computer Animation) and Michael Yates ’14 (Computer Animation) released Urban Legendz, a supernatural graphic novel adventure set in Brooklyn, through Humanoids Publishing in June 2019. Paul teaches computer animation at Ringling College and animated on the 2019 Blue Sky Studios film, Spies in Disguise. Michael is a story artist at Pixar, where his recent credits include Toy Story 4 and the upcoming Soul.

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2002

DID YOU KNOW? As a Ringling College graduate, you have access to these benefits and resources. Center for Career Services Ringling graduates have access to the Center for Career Services for life! • College Central. Access job postings, host career-related documents, and find resources on topics such as résumés, cover letters, job searching, and more: www.collegecentral.com/ringling • Career Counseling. Visit www.ringling.edu/ccsappointment to select a date and time to meet with Career Services staff or call 941-359-7502. MADEBY Gallery Sell your artwork in Ringling’s on-campus gallery devoted to student and alumni art. MADEBY features curated solo and group exhibitions, as well as retail space for your one-of-a-kind or limited-edition creative works. madebygallery.com Alumni Directory Your free, password-protected Ringling-only site. Sign up and find your classmates! www.ringling.edu/alumni-directory

ENGAGE FELLOW ALUMNI AND CURRENT STUDENTS Hire Ringling Talent For employees or interns, look to Ringling College talent first! Free to register and post opportunities: collegecentral.com/ringling Be a Mentor Assist students and alumni in finding mentors for career networking purposes. Post your profile at: collegecentral.com/ringling/MentoringNetwork.CFM Alumni Admissions Network Share your Ringling experience with prospective students. Connect in-person or remotely for events including Accepted Students Day, National Portfolio Days, and college fairs*. Contact alumni@ringling.edu *Volunteers are recognized as Alumni Leaders at the Alumni Wall of Honor

ALUMNI EVENTS* REUNION 2021

REGIONAL & MINI-REUNIONS

Stay tuned for this all-class, on-campus gathering to celebrate Ringling’s 90th anniversary in Fall 2021.

Meet up, catch up and sync up with alumni & friends to energize your network.

*For event updates & information, please check www.ringling.edu/alumni or email alumni@ringling.edu

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Heather (Carpini) Harris (Computer Animation) married Joshua Harris in June 2017. The couple resides in Newport News, VA, where Heather is a freelance animator. vimeo.com/hcarpini Tim Jaeger (Fine Arts) was appointed director of galleries and chief curator at Ringling College in October 2019. Tim is responsible for envisioning and executing an innovative curatorial program that simultaneously contributes to the educational experiences of our students and engages our local community. He is establishing an exciting calendar that engages the diverse audiences of the Galleries, working to promote and showcase student, faculty, and alumni work to help advance Ringling College’s vision to achieve pre-eminence. regeaj.com Katie Niewodowski (Fine Arts) was honored with a Teacher as Artist exhibition curated by the Hudson County Community College’s (HCCC) Department of Cultural Affairs from August–December 2019. The honor included exhibits at the Dineen Hull Gallery and Gabert Library in Jersey City, and at North Hudson Library in Union City, in addition to an artist talk and reception at the Dineen Hull Gallery. Katie has served as professor of visual arts for HCCC since 2016. She also teaches visual arts at Montclair State University (since 2006) and at Steven’s Institute of Technology (since 2018). In 2017, her sculpture was included in the book, A Glimpse of the Concealed–Body, Intuition, Art by Paul Vandenbroeck. In addition to her teaching and fine art practice, Katie owns Petitraits, a portrait business specializing in miniatures. petitraits.com & katieniewo.com Michael Sudal (Illustration) joined Facebook as data visualization lead for its global compliance, security, and investigations team in January 2020. Mike was visual editor and graphics editor with The Wall Street Journal for more than eight years. mikesudal.com

2003 Brandon Dunnick (Graphic and Interactive Communication) was awarded a master’s degree in communication studies with honors from the University of Miami in May 2019. Brandon joined Fiserv as marketing and operations manager in July 2019 and resides in the greater Orlando area. Paul Hargrave (Computer Animation) joined Ringling College as full-time faculty in Computer Animation in August 2019. Previously he was a 3D artist, modeler, lighter, and compositor at Buck, Gentleman Scholar, Sony Pictures Imageworks, The Third Floor, and Blizzard Entertainment. paulhargraveartist.squarespace.com

2006 Edward Kinsella, III (Illustration) received his second Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators in New York City in January 2020, at Illustrators 62, the premier showcase for illustrators and celebrating SOI’s 62nd anniversary of publication. Edward was recognized in the advertising category for Berberian Sound Studio for client Black Dragon Press, with ad by James Park. The exhibition was on view January–February 2020. edwardkinsellaillustration.com

2007 Christine (Sperry) Brunjes (Photography and Digital Imaging) married Kerri Brunjes in September 2016. After years in management in corporate America, Christine has a portrait photography business, specializing in newborns and children, located in greater Nashville.

Cover art for National Parks magazine by Annie Riker ’03

Amer Kobaslija (Fine Arts) exhibited Florida Diaries at George Adams Gallery’s Main Gallery in New York City from April–June 2019. Amer is represented by George Adams Gallery. georgeadamsgallery.com Shawn Pettersen (Fine Arts) and Morgan Janssen ’13 (Fine Arts) exhibited Flamingo Inn in Ringling College’s Patricia Thompson Gallery from September–October 2019. After earning his Master in Fine Arts degree from Montclair State University and spending years inspiring students as Ringling’s fine arts tech, Shawn joined Florida Gulf Coast University as lab coordinator and adjunct professor. seanpettersen.com Annie Riker (Graphic and Interactive Communication) relocated to Asheville, NC in September 2017. After seven years at the National Parks Conservation Association in Washington, D.C., where she most recently served as creative director, Annie is an independent illustrator, lettering artist, and designer. annieriker.com Jordan Sullivan (Illustration) relocated to Sarasota in March 2019 where he plein aire paints in shows and competitions throughout the southeast.

2004 Jorge Lacera (Illustration) and his spouse, Megan, released Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies! and were featured in Kirkus Reviews in April 2019. The Laceras operate Studio Lacera in greater Houston. studiolacera.com

2005 Josh Beveridge (Computer Animation) accepted a resolution from the City of Los Angeles recognizing Sony Pictures Imageworks’ Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse in February 2019. Spider-Verse was an Oscar and BAFTA winner for Best Animated Film and a Visual Effects Society Award winner for Best Animated Feature. Fellow alumni who worked on SpiderVerse included Computer Animation grads Kirsten Drummond Todd ’97, Jared A. Brient ’06, Brian A. Kloc ’07, Matt Kummer ’07, JQ Park ’08, Carolyn Vale ’08, Byung Joo Choi ’09, Ozan Basaldi ’10, Megan Deane ’10, Marcus Ng ’10, Eric Chou ’11, Kevin Herron ’13, Luiza Alaniz ’16, Tarun Lak ’16, Michael Trikosko ’16, along with Brian Mah ’00 (Graphic and Interactive Communication) and Brittany Shively ’16 (Game Art). Bronwyn Coffeen-Mercer (Illustration) was inducted into the UMS-Wright Preparatory School’s Arts Hall of Fame in February 2019 for “significant contributions in an arts discipline while attending our school, meritorious work in the field beyond graduation, and giving back to the school/community,” as reported by the Newnan Times-Herald. Bronwyn is archive graphic designer at USA TODAY Sports Images. Cesar Rodriguez (Computer Animation) joined Ringling College as a full-time faculty member in the Game Art and Virtual Reality Development departments in August 2019. Cesar began his career at EA Tiburon in Orlando, working on the Madden NFL franchise before moving on to n-Space, Inc. and Steamroller Studios as a senior animator. Cesar’s primary focus has been developing cinematics and presentation animations, with notable titles Mortal Kombat 11, Anthem, Dauntless, Madden NFL, NBA Live, and Tron: Evolution.

Study #1 by Matthew McLaughlin ’07

Matthew McLaughlin (Fine Arts) exhibited Spatial Rapport at Pyramid Atlantic in Hyattsville, MD from January–February 2020.

2008 Jessica (Lozano) Brezzo (Computer Animation) and her spouse, Marley, welcomed their second child, Leonardo, in April 2019. The Brezzos reside in greater San Francisco where Jessica launched a story, Lights in the Mist, for the Tales app in December 2019. taleswriter.com Matthew D. Knopf (Fine Arts) earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University in May 2019. Matthew is an aerospace engineer with Ball Aerospace, and also serves as a space ops officer with the U.S. Air Force. Adriana Raby (Illustration) married Patrick Stone in August 2019. The Stones reside in the greater Los Angeles area. CONTXT | SPRING 2020 53

It was 1958 when Neil Jansen graduated from what was then Ringling School of Art and Design with a certificate in commercial design. There were 450 students at Ringling that year, and though the campus was less than 30 years old at the time, it had a profound impact on Jansen’s life and career. Jansen came to Ringling College following a year at Pratt Institute, “which was too regimented for me,” he said. Jansen first learned about Ringling College from an ad in Good Housekeeping, but what impressed him most once he arrived was the faculty, “most of whom were successful working artists,” he said. Following college, Jansen volunteered for the draft and joined the U.S. Army. After a year of teaching art at Fort Dix, he was sent to Korea, where he was assigned to special services. There he created visual aids for officers illustrating methods for teaching equipment repair in the field. While in Korea, Jansen continued to paint, holding evening art classes in a makeshift studio for anyone interested in learning. When he came home, Jansen began a career in marketing and advertising that took him to Madison Avenue in Manhattan. He began doing magazine paste-up and design, followed by five years as art director for a division of Mead paper. In that role, he created point-of-sales displays for a variety of companies, including the National Distillers Products Corporation. He became National Promotion Manager for 11 of its brands, sparking a career that spanned 25 years.

Neil Jansen ’58, Commercial Design

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When the liquor division was sold to Jim Beam Brands, Jansen went to work for Ledan Displays. He created displays in all of the major department stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, and Bergdorf Goodman. Jansen moved to Rose Hill Plantation in Bluffton, South Carolina in 2012. Today, Jansen continues to paint in a small studio he had built. “At 84, painting brings me as much joy as it ever did,” he said. Because Ringling College had such an impact on Jansen’s life, he has left a planned gift to Ringling College of Art and Design in his will, “hoping to help the next generation of artists as they start out on their own journeys,” he said. neiljansenart.com

2009

2010

Brittany Adkison (Illustration) returned to her roots–the sea–by launching her own company, Lodestar Marine Services, in March 2019. Brittany is currently pursuing her captain’s license while acting as chief stew/chef traveling the globe on a 118-foot private yacht. @theketogalley

Brendan Carroll (Computer Animation) married Mariana Senra Carroll in April 2019 in Rio de Janeiro. Brendan is rough layout artist at DreamWorks and worked on Madagascar 3, Peabody & Sherman, and The Boss Baby. He also worked on other titles such as Mulan, Thor: Ragnarok, and Lego Ninjago.

Sorcha Augustine (Photography and Digital Imaging), as an assistant to international dance photographer Tony Eng, was the first woman in history to hold an official photographer badge at Blackpool Dance Festival, the oldest ballroom dance festival in the world. Sorcha’s Sarasota studio specializes in dance and theatrical photography. sorchaaugustine.com

Francesco Giroldini (Computer Animation) is lighting lead at DreamWorks Animation. Movies on which Francesco has worked include How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Madagascar 3, and Trolls World Tour. francescogiroldini.com Kyle Hall (Illustration) married Jackie Pistey in January 2020. They reside in Boynton Beach where Kyle is graphic designer and illustrator for Sun Broadcast Group. kylephall.com Victoria “Tori” King (Fine Arts) married Matthew Taber in June 2018 in Asheville, NC. The couple resides in St. Petersburg, FL where Tori is registrar and exhibitions manager at the Florida Holocaust Museum (FHM). Tori is responsible for the permanent collection and contributes to the research and curation of exhibitions at the FHM.

Jessica Pomerleau (Computer Animation) married Jameson Halnon in August 2018. The couple resides in Burlington, VT, where Jessica owns Jess Boutique, offering unique brands, sophisticated style, and warm personal shopping guidance to women seeking to make their own personal fashion statements. Jess was profiled in the August 2019 issue of Business People-Vermont. jessboutique.com George Retkes (Fine Arts) won the People’s Choice Award at the 19th Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition in Lakeland, FL in May 2019. George and partner, Laura Spencer ’11 (Illustration), each received a Creative Pinellas 2019 Emerging Artist Grant in March 2019. The grant includes a $2,000 prize, mentor assignment, and participation in Creative Pinellas 2019 Emerging Artist Exhibit at the Creative Pinellas campus in Largo, FL. George also exhibited in the 47th Annual Art Beth-el Exhibition in St. Petersburg in January 2020. georgeretkes.com & themisscrit.com

2011 Chelsea Clifford (Graphic and Interactive Communication) relocated to the Hudson Valley area of New York and joined Stamford Hospital, in Stamford, CT as its first in-house graphic designer in June 2019. chelsea-clifford.com Avner Geller (Computer Animation) released Things That I Hear, a book of satirical cartoons chronicling the times in which we live, in November 2019, when he also held a gallery show and book-signing at Gallery Nucleus. Avner is a visual development artist at DreamWorks Animation. avnergeller.com Michael Gable Marynell (Computer Animation) was featured in Atlanta Film and TV blog, Atlanta’s Movers and Shakers: Storyboard Artist, Michael Gable Marynell in December 2019. michaelgablemarynell.com

Ruach by Nila Curry ’09

Nila Curry (Illustration) earned a Master of Theological Studies and a Master of Divinity in a dual degree program at Wesley Theological Seminary in May 2019. Nila is using her African-American church studies specialty and illustration skills to serve young adults, women, and the underprivileged in Washington, D.C.

Matt Oztalay (Game Art) relocated to Raleigh, NC where he is developer relations technical artist at Epic Games, supporting users of the Unreal Engine.

Sandra (Builes) Diaz (Illustration) was promoted to art director at Amazon Prime Video in May 2019. luciaand.co Jesse Penico (Graphic and Interactive Communication) joined Amazon in May 2017 as visual UX designer in the devices design group, providing high-level and detailed visual design for the Alexa app across multiple devices, products, and platforms. future-pixels.com Greg Tariff (Graphic and Interactive Communication) married Sarah Cappello in September 2018 and resides in San Jose, CA. He was a featured speaker at the 2019 London eCommerce Design Summit. With 10-plus years of UX/UI experience, Greg is head of design at Intuit for Quickbooks Live and serves on the advisory board for multiple startups. Additionally, he has worked in the past for eBay, Visa, Groupon, BFG, Oak Labs (acquired), and Fetch Labs (acquired).

Kuku Studios , co-founded by Stanley Moore ’10, has released its first project Go! Go! Cory Carson.

Stanley Moore (Computer Animation) launched Kuku Studios as co-founder and vice president of creative in January 2016. Ringling Computer Animation grads on the Kuku Studios team include Adam Campbell ’12, director and show runner; Uri Lotan ’12, director; Jason Heaton ’10, director; and Natasha Brown-Sauls ’09, production coordinator. The studio’s first animated project, Go! Go! Cory Carson, was released by Netflix in January 2020. kukustudios.com

Mandy Ray (Illustration) joined Humane Society of Sarasota County as an adoption counselor in May 2019 and was promoted to volunteer coordinator in November, overseeing 350-plus volunteers and rebuilding the shelter’s foster program. Mandy and her spouse, Robbie Weppner, married in October 2018 and reside in Sarasota, where she illustrates by commission. JaymeLee (Benesh) Rivera (Graphic and Interactive Communication) and spouse, Jorge Rivera, welcomed their first child, Frances, in February 2020. JaymeLee is creative associate with Indigo in Memphis, TN. Andrea Rodriguez (Illustration) married Michael Hanley in Jalisco, Mexico in November 2019. The Hanleys reside in Queensland, Australia. Andrea taught children visual arts at the International School of Nanshan Shenzhen in China for seven years and is now teaching art to high school students at The Gold Coast Art School. andrearodriguezart.com CONTXT | SPRING 2020 55

2012

2014

Marceli Colato (Illustration) joined Warner Brothers Entertainment as a senior designer (and pop culture maven) in October 2019. Marceli had served previously as designer II with Hallmark for seven years in Kansas City and Los Angeles. marcelicolato.com

Daniel Cruit (Illustration) was commissioned to do San Jose State University (SJSU) President Mary A. Papazian’s portrait as part of Portraying Possibility. The exhibition was on view at SJSU in February–March 2019. Daniel is pursuing his Master of Fine Arts degree at SJSU. danielcruit.com

Matthew Decker (Illustration) opened RAD Printworks in the River Arts District of Asheville, NC in July 2019. RAD specializes in screen printing, apparel, merchandise, and original artwork. radprintworks.com & matthewstuartdecker.com

Andrea Caprotti (Computer Animation) joined Bluepoint Games as a 3D animator in July 2019. andreacaprotti.com

Dillon Endico (Illustration) was a co-founding member along with three other artists of Art Garden AVL in December 2019, a multi-purpose artists’ maker space, gallery, and garden located in the River Arts District of Asheville, NC. Dillon is a mural painter and freelance artist. artgardenavl.com Rose Generazio (Photography and Digital Imaging) was promoted to marketing director at Dean Honda in Pittsburgh and Lake View Ford in Conneaut Lake, PA in April 2019, where she is in charge of all digital and print advertising. Rose also owns The Frame Dame custom framing and photography in Pittsburgh. theframedame.com Adam Hartlaub (Illustration) and his spouse, Becky, welcomed their first child, Theo, in October 2019. Residing in the greater Philadelphia area, Adam joined ETS as senior UX lead designer and researcher consultant in August. adamfine-interactivedesign.com Kathleen Sobr (Business of Art and Design) was appointed as Ringling College’s Business of Art and Design department head in January 2019. Kathleen served as interim department head from 2017–2018.

2013

2015 Elena Haas (Interior Design) and her spouse, Alfredo Mendez–Saldana, welcomed their first child, Luisa Elena Mendez-Haas, in August 2019. The family resides in Orlando. Iggy Smalls (Photography and Imaging) was named to ARTPIL’s 30 Under 30/Women Photographers 2019 and exhibited in its group exhibition at Galerie Claude Samuel in Paris in November 2019. Iggy is based in Barcelona. iggysmalls.com

2016 Arri Du (Illustration) and Shu Yu Zhang (Computer Animation) married in October 2019. They reside in Baltimore where Arri is a character artist for Big Huge Games and Susie is an animator for Zenimax Online Studios. artstation.com/arridu & susieshuyuzhang.com David Jacaruso (Fine Arts) was awarded his Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from Pratt Institute in May 2018. dfjacaruso.com Holly Lavigne (Illustration) relocated to Atlanta to join Carter’s/OshKosh B’gosh as assistant designer in May 2018. She also illustrates children’s books for independent and selfpublished authors. hollylavigne.com

Matthew Coombs (Painting) was in the group exhibition Same Sight Slighter at Pilot+Projects Gallery in Philadelphia in June–July 2019. Matthew earned his Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from Tyler School of Art in 2016. mattcoombs.com

Anne Lesniak’s (Illustration) art Don’t Tread on Us (2019) was selected for the April 2019 cover of Ms. magazine as part of the article “Keep Your Hands Off Our Bodies.” Anne is an illustrator for Cloudco Entertainment, a division of American Greetings. illustrationsbyanniee.com

Max Golosiy (Game Art) and Miranda (Thomas) Golosiy ’13 (Game Art) married in October 2017. They reside in Los Angeles where Max is texture artist for Naughty Dog and Miranda is a freelance digital sculptor. figureight.artstation.com & mirandagolosiy.com

Kyle Lopez (Computer Animation) worked under James Cameron’s team at Lightstorm Entertainment as sequence artist. Previously, he worked on Spiderman Homecoming, Pacific Rim 2, and The Star from Sony Pictures Animation. Kyle is based in Los Angeles. lopezkyle.com

Walter Matthews (Painting) exhibited I Don’t Swim So I Float, a solo show at Art Center Sarasota in March–April 2019. walterericmatthews.com

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Carol Patton (Motion Design) relocated to Bellingham, WA in Spring 2019 where she started Little Hiker Bird, specializing in stationery and comic merchandise for sale online and in stores. littlehikerbird.com

Emma Seaworthy (Graphic and Interactive Communication) exhibited Keep it Beautiful, a solo exhibition and commentary on convenience culture and ocean plastics, during a week-long residency at the Art Ovation Hotel in Sarasota in September 2019. Her art was also included in the Artists for Action exhibit at Venus In Orbit Gallery in St. Petersburg, FL in November 2019. @seaworthydesign

2017 Robin Thompson’s (Illustration) art Confliction won the Christ-Janer Center for Illustration mural contest in March 2019. Robin resides in Los Angeles where she is a freelance illustrator for PSYOP. Her illustrations have been published by Simon & Schuster. robin-thompson.work Griffin Goodman (Fine Arts) exhibited in the group show Spectrum 4 at Art Center Sarasota from March–April 2019. Griffin earned his Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in May 2019. He is a visual arts teacher at the Chicago Academy for the Arts. @griffingoodman

2018 Vanessa Bundschu (Visual Studies) received her Master of Arts in Television from The University of the Arts, London, in December 2019. vanessabundschu.com Aviv Mano (Computer Animation) was recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with the 2019 Silver Medal Student Academy Award for his animated short film, Game Changer, in October 2019. Aviv is an animator with Pixar.

2019 Sanghyun “Sean” Kim (Computer Animation) was one of seven finalists for a Student Academy Award for his animated short film, Misguided, in August 2019. Sean is 3D animator at Electronic Arts. Matthew Vargas’ (Illustration) mural art was selected for the new Starbucks located west of Ringling College on Tamiami Trail. Matthew fulfilled his wish to create a different kind of art for Starbucks. Matthew noted that “Within every brushstroke, every color, and every shape in this mural is a story. It’s a story about a man who made it his chief goal in life to uplift others through art.” Matthew is assistant graphic designer at Carter’s Inc. in Atlanta. Alva Christo Yoshe Wijaya (Photography and Imaging) is assistant to documentary photographer Joseph Rodriguez in New York City. alvachristo.com

Zifeng “Zi” Zhuo (Film) joined Ringling College as Studio Labs Coordinator in December 2019. Zi interfaces with various constituents to facilitate entertainment contracts and partnerships, support the development of entertainment content, develop marketing campaigns, and coordinate student participation on professional projects with the Film department.

NOTABLE GROUP EXHIBITIONS Honoring A Teacher: A Tribute to Leslie Lerner, curated by Francine Birbragher, Ph.D., was exhibited at the Art Ovation Hotel from April– October 2019. Along with works by former Fine Arts Faculty Member Leslie Lerner (1945–2005), the exhibition featured exceptional work by some of Leslie’s former students, acknowledging and honoring his legacy. Alumni Julie (Miller) Kanapaux ’00, Michael Crabb ’01, Nancy Turner ’01, Tim Jaeger ’02, Claudia Ryan ’02, and Shawn Pettersen ’03 participated in the show. Signs from the Interior, curated by Kathryn Harrison ’15, was exhibited at The International Center of Photography in New York from January–March 2019 and in Ringling College’s Crossley Gallery in May–July 2019. The exhibition featured recent work by graduates of the Ringling College-International Center of Photography programs, exemplifying the partnership’s extraordinary educational benefit to both institutions. Alumni included in the exhibit were Athena Torri ’11, Karen Arango ’13, Bill Ellis ’14, Mariana Greif ’14, Kathryn Harrison ’15, Rachel Kuzma ’15, Angie Garcia ’16, Miles Goscha ’17, Charles Robbins ’18, Alyson Smyth ’18, and Rebecca Morello ’19.

IN MEMORIAM William L. “Bill” Eagan ’49 Commercial Design May 18, 2019 Winter Park, Florida William A. “Bill” Whiteside ’51 Fine Arts December 13, 2017 Cashiers, North Carolina Robert “Bob” Chase ’52 Fine Arts July 19, 2014 Sarasota, Florida Danila (Frassineti) Devins ’52 Fine Arts November 27, 2017 Pinehurst, North Carolina Roselyn Joyce “Joy” (Weaver) Raye ’52 Fashion Design September 29, 2019 Gainesville, Florida

When faced with your own mortality I look back and see the physical strength I’ve lost, thoughts of my education suddenly come to mind, all of the fights I’ve won suddenly have little meaning. What I feel is important are the personal relationships I’ve made and how those relationships touched me and I too, to them.... My education, I keep with me: the stroke of the paint brush, the gradients of charcoal, the darks of inks and the foundation of the pencil. Envisioning the world through the eyes of an artist, any artist, is a wondrous feeling to have. In the end I feel that’s all we have… vision. The vision to reflect.

RUSS WINTERS ’96

Jack Stanley Reed ’52 Fine Arts March 4, 2014 Rome, Georgia

Martha Julia (Hicks) Ellzey ’64 Fine Arts January 10, 2020 Vidalia, Georgia

Barbara (Davies) Thompson ’54 Costume Design and Fashion Illustration January 14, 2020 Sarasota, Florida

Susan Garner Hamilton ’67 Commercial Design October 24, 2014 Savannah, Georgia

Nelson Charles “Chuck” Rancorn, III ’85 Illustration June 2, 2019 Newport News, Virginia Jeffrey Allen Gallimore ’86 Illustration January 12, 2020 Roanoke, Virginia

Richard “Ric” Barbour ’58 Commercial Design January 12, 2013 Indian Rocks Beach, Florida

Edward “Ted” O’Hanlon Hill ’67 Commercial Design Blair Ashby ’91 April 28, 2019 Fine Arts Advance, North Carolina January 12, 2018 Bradenton, Florida J. Kenneth Jones ’69 Interior Design Craig Anthony Grasso ’92 September 24, 2014 Illustration Asheville, North Carolina November 21, 2019 Santa Clarita, California Mary Rose (Gandy) Samuelson ’79 Derrick Brazeal ’93 Painting Graphic Design September 28, 2017 March 23, 2016 Sopchoppy, Florida Columbus, Ohio

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Robert “Bob” Biddle ’58 Advertising Design December 26, 2015 Franklin, North Carolina

Sandra “Janette” Laderer ’83 Fine Arts March 26, 2005 Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Russell “Russ” Winters ’96 Illustration December 5, 2019 Hollywood, Florida

Alumni Relations & Engagement Office for Advancement 2700 North Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34234 941-309-5455

Robert H. Cranor, Jr. ’63 Fine Arts June 19, 2019 Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Frank A. “Sandy” Porter ’83 Graphic Design February 28, 2020 Hickory, North Carolina

Matthew C. Kummer ’07 Computer Animation July 5, 2017 Vancouver, British Columbia

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU, ALUMNI! Send us your news! alumni@ringling.edu Follow the Ringling College Alumni Facebook page for future Alumni event dates and locations, as well as THE LOOP, your alumni e-newsletter.

Joseph Michael “Mike” Huey ’56 Commercial Design January 10, 2019 Pensacola, Florida Herbert E. Jowers ’57 Commercial Design March 7, 2018 Indian Harbour Beach, Florida

CONTXT | SPRING 2020

A Message to Remember BY MEGAN GREENBERG | PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLIFF ROLES

A parent attending his daughter’s college graduation is not out of the ordinary, unless that parent happens to be the president of an internationally recognized company who not only attended the ceremony, but also took center stage to offer members of the graduating class some advice as they embark on their own careers. You may not know the name Reggie Fils-Aimé, but you certainly recognize the word Nintendo, the company Fils-Aimé joined in 2003 as executive vice president of sales and marketing. By 2005, Fils-Aimé had been named president of the organization, where he spent 13 years at its helm before retiring in 2019. During his time there, Fils-Aimé developed a bit of a cult following as an extroverted, larger-than-life personality who enjoyed connecting with the gaming community, which helped extend Nintendo’s messaging to a large, enthusiastic audience. After serious successes with the dual-screen handheld console Nintendo DS and the hugely acclaimed video game, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, both of which were developed and launched under Fils-Aimé’s tenure, gaming fans almost unanimously agreed: ‘The Reggielution’ was coming and they were all for it. His retirement video received millions of views and the Twitter account he activated on his last day in office quickly reached half a million followers. Claire Fils-Aimé, a Ringling College Illustration major, donned her cap and gown in May 2019 for the College’s commencement ceremony. Whereas kids wave to their parents in the crowd, Claire had the opportunity to cheer her dad on from the student section as he made his way to the stage to offer guidance to the 2019 graduating class. His appearance on stage was met with booming applause from Ringling graduates. They listened raptly as a gaming icon offered relevant realworld advice to help them navigate the world that waits on the other side of their educational journeys.

Fils-Aimé focused on five key points, principles he used as guideposts along his own career path. 1. What happens to you is up to you. 2. Life is hard, so dig deep. 3. Be open to alternatives. 4. Embrace your fear. 5. Live in the moment and have some fun along the way. He went on to underscore the importance of the skills the graduates had learned through their Ringling College education. He offered a practical perspective on failures and successes, while his trademark joie de vivre resonated, earning him a standing ovation from the appreciative audience.

Fils-Aimé concluded his compelling talk with one final message. “You will make things that no technocrat, no Wall Street titan, no elected official, and no business executive ever will. You’ll make art that elicits an emotional reaction—a laugh, a smile, maybe even a tear. You are the creators.”

SEE MORE ON THIS STORY 58

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CONTXT is designed and produced in-house by the Ringling College Design Center. It is published by the Office of the President of Ringling College of Art and Design.

RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN Board of Trustees Officers

The information presented in this issue of CONTXT is correct to the best of

Chair Ms. Jean Martin

our knowledge. We hope you will alert us to any inaccuracies. We apologize

Vice Chair Mr. George Miles

for any concern they may cause.

Secretary Ms. Rosemary Oberndorf Treasurer Mr. Michael Klein

Alumni, keep in touch! Update your contact information at www.ringling.edu/alumni and let us know

President Dr. Larry R. Thompson

what’s new in your life. You may also email us at alumni@ringling.edu.

Ringling College Senior Officers President Dr. Larry R. Thompson V.P. for Academic Affairs Dr. Peter A. McAllister V.P. for Advancement Ms. Stacey R. Corley V.P. for Finance & Administration Dr. Tracy A. Wagner V.P. for Human & Organizational Development Ms. Christine DeGeorge V.P. for Student Life & Dean of Students Dr. Tammy S. Walsh

If you want email updates and/or to discontinue receiving printed copies of CONTXT magazine, contact us at contxt@ringling.edu.

We encourage comments and questions about CONTXT CONTXT Magazine Ringling College Design Center 2700 North Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34234

CONTXT Team

You may email us at contxt@ringling.edu or visit www.ringling.edu/contxt

Publisher Dr. Larry R. Thompson Executive Editor Jim Dean Creative Director Jennifer Mumford Brady Editor Raelyn Lincoln and Gayle Guynup Designer /Art Director Laura Bucholtz ’04 Video ART Network Production Manager Karen Durocher Business Manager Laurie Strothman Writing Susan Borozan, Clonia Charite ’20, Nicole Caron, Stacey Corley, Megan Greenberg, Gayle Guynup, Cooper Levey-Baker, Markella Paradissis-Wagner,

For other inquiries Admissions admissions@ringling.edu Alumni Relations alumni@ringling.edu Campus Store store@ringling.edu Center for Career Services www.ringling.edu/talent or talent@ringling.edu School of Continuing Studies scs@ringling.edu Advancement giving@ringling.edu Library library@ringling.edu Marketing & Communications communications@ringling.edu

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Photography Karen Arango, Elan Photography, Ryan Gamma, Matthew Holler ’11, Cliff Roles, Rich Schineller Illustration Yekyung Kwon ’20

For more information, call 941-351-5100 or visit www.ringling.edu To learn more about the Design Center and to keep up with what we are doing,

Images on page 31 Clockwise, from top left: Illustration student Megan Rose Ruiz at work; App design by Alex Castiglia, Amalia Fredericksen & Mindy Nguyen; Illustration by Brenna Thummle; Motion graphics by Darius Safani; Fine art by Therese McPherson; Photography sutdents at work; Motion graphics by Jake Ferguson and Tyler Heacox; Film students at work; Game art by Sarah Lundberg; Motion Design student Simone Samuels at work; Virtual Reality work by Seth Baldwin; Computer Animation by Rachel Kral

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