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Transcript of OMAG 11
Non-Profit OrgU.S. Postage
PAIDLos Angeles, CA Permit No. 427
9045 Lincoln Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90045
Otis College of Art and Design
310.665.6800 / OTIS.EDU VOL.11
How Does the Mind See? pg.04
Freedom Memorial in Palaupg.16
Creative Legend Bob Mackiepg.18
in this issue:310.665.6800 / OTIS.EDU OTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN MAGAZINE
Fall 2011
ISSUE 11
Otis prepares diverse students of
art and design to enrich our world
through their creativity, their skill,
and their vision.
Founded in 1918, Otis is L.A.’s first independent professional school of visual arts. Otis’ 1200 students pursue BFA degrees in advertising design, architecture/landscape/interiors, digital media, fashion design, graphic design, illustration, interactive product design, painting, photography, sculpture/new genres, and toy design. MFA degrees are offered in fine arts, graphic design, public practice, and writing. Otis has trained generations of artists who have been in the vanguard of the cultural and entrepreneurial life of the city. Nurtured by Los Angeles’ forward-thinking spirit, these artists and designers explore the landscape of popular culture and the significant impact of identity, politics, and social policy at the intersection of art and society.
FALL 2011 VOL.11 IN THIS ISSUE:
© Otis College of Art and Design
Publication of material does not necessarily
indicate endorsement of the author’s viewpoint
by Otis College of Art and Design Otis College of Art and Design
02
03
08
Rising to the Challenge
Liberal Arts and Sciences
College News
28
The Art of Liberal Arts and Sciences
The Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) program at Otis College of Art and Design is spotlighted in this issue of OMAG. It is an important but not well-known fact that the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree dedicates one-third of its curriculum to studies in the humanities and sciences. At Otis, the faculty pursues purposefully and imaginatively the underpinning ideal of training the hands, eyes, and mind in a holistic manner.
LAS is a vertical core program that weaves through all four years of an Otis education. The faculty has carefully developed ways to address the needs and interests of an art and design student population. Creativity, social responsibility and identity—along with other themes that are important to contemporary art and design—are curricular bridges that help students connect their LAS course work and studio practice.
LAS also extends the classroom to the rich resources in the city of Los Angeles. Currently, the groundbreaking regional initiative of Pacific Standard Time (PST) showcases the birth of the Los Angeles art scene and its significant movements. Museum and other site visits are built into LAS courses this year, and various classes study today’s urban development in the
context of ideas shaped by the historic decades covered by PST, examining how the visual culture in Los Angeles affects and reflects cultural perspectives.
When I went to college, I took a class called Physics for Poets. The idea behind the class acknowledged that science studies could benefit from a delivery that is attuned to its arts and humanities students. If thoughtfully tailored, such courses can lead to discoveries and epiphanies; if conducted as throwaway education, they can patronize and alienate students. Happily, my Physics for Poets class was taught with infectious passion by a top Physics professor who was mindful of his audience, and I developed a lifelong interest in quantum physics. The Otis LAS program, committed to this productive path, guides and challenges students to learn to relate to others, be curious about unfamiliar cultures and ideas, and, very importantly, learn what they need to accomplish their work and life goals.
At Otis, LAS aims to help students develop a 21st-century mind frame and skill set so that they are equipped to evolve, thrive, and contribute in an environment of constant and complex change.
Samuel Hoi, President
Back cover: The Waitresses, “Easy Three-Step Guide
to Food Protection in the Event of Nuclear Attack,” 1982-83
Performance as part of Target L.A. Fallout Fashion Show.
Photograph by Joyce Dallal. © The Waitresses: Jerri Allyn
and Anne Gauldin
Editor: Margi Reeve, Communications Director
Co-editor: Sarah Russin, Assistant VP, Institutional Advancement
Director of Alumni Relations: Laura Daroca (’00 MFA Fine Arts)
Alumni Relations Coordinator: Shefali Mistry
Photography: Jesse Benson, Kristy Campbell, Anthony Cuñha, Jessica Dawson, Joseph Escamilla, Miho Hagino, Siri Kaur, Lee Salem
Creative/Design: Mark Caneso (’04)
Contributors: Kerry Walk, Provost; Randy Lavender, Vice Provost; Debra Ballard, Chair, Liberal Arts and Sciences; faculty members Carol Branch, Erin Hauber, Jill Higashi-Zeleznik, Heather Joseph-Witham, Joan Ogawa, and Rob Spruijt; alumni Jesse Benson, Becky Koblick, Amanda Thomas, and Marjan Vayghan; Class of 2011 grads Holly Buskirk, Rocío Carlos, Caitlin Knox, Hazel Mandujano, Cole W. Moss, Terry Norton-Wright, David Russell, Lindsay Schulz, Sang Youb Shin, Harmony Hines Slattery, and Sam Tanis; George Wolfe, freelance writer, and Alexandra Pollyea
FPO
26 Alumni Around the World
24 Alumna + Donor Profiles Blood, Sweat and Ten Years Later; Amanda Thomas (’10) Into the Light: Local Artist Supports Scholarships
Benson (’03 MFA) and Koblick (’04) in London/BrusselsVayghan (’06) in Tehran/L.A.
New Provost Team
Making + Thinking Go Hand in Hand How Does the Mind See? Rob Spruijt Converging Galaxies: Heather Joseph-WithamBattle for Equality: Boo Jarchow (’08)
11 for 2011Commencement Class of 2011 exhibition Freedom Memorial, Palau New Spins for Preschool Toys Bob Mackie, Creative Legend Doin’ it in Public at the Ben Maltz Gallery Power of Three: Teaching Awards
President Hoi at the annual Scholarship Benefit and Fashion Show with Honorees Art Coppola of Santa Monica Place, and designer Bob Mackie
311604
28 Class NotesPacific Standard Time Wall of Inspiration Visual Artist Fellowships
OMAG 2 Otis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine 3 OMAGFall 2011
Walk and Lavender bring complementary strengths to the Provost’s Office, which is responsible for the quality of the College’s undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs, and also oversees academic support services and public programming.
After earning a Ph.D. in English Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, Walk spent close to two decades as a faculty member and academic administrator at premier liberal arts institutions, including Harvard and Princeton. She served most recently as Associate Dean of Faculty at Pitzer College, in Claremont, where she focused on strategic planning, educational assessment, and institutional accreditation. A distinguished teacher and leader of
New Provost and Vice Provost Take the Helm
After two years of interim academic leadership, a new Provost and Vice Provost were appointed last Spring—Otis newcomer Dr. Kerry Walk and long-time Foundation Associate Chair Randall Lavender, respectively. President Samuel Hoi calls them “a dream team as the College positions its educational services and impact for the 21st century.”
interdisciplinary programs, Walk brings a unique combination of academic and administrative expertise to Otis.
Lavender joined the Otis faculty in 1983, with an M.F.A. from Claremont Graduate University, and served as Assistant Chair, then Associate Chair, of the Foundation program for thirteen years. He is a nationally and internationally exhibited artist, has worked in and taught a variety of art and design media, and has published numerous essays on art and design in higher education in leading academic journals. Most recently, Lavender completed with two co-authors Otis’ first original research on student success. The study chronicles an important cognitive/affective aspect of first-year students’ experiences and identifies responsive teaching methods.
Walk calls the unique collaboration with Lavender “a happy synergy of experiences, styles, ideas, and goals.” United in their focus on students and their deep knowledge of “best practices” in teaching, Walk and Lavender have begun to develop an educational approach to best prepare Otis students for the future.
“Our primary goal is for Otis graduates to become leading next-generation creative professionals,” says Walk. “We can achieve this goal by supporting Otis’ greatest resource—our talented faculty—and by building on high-impact academic initiatives such as internationalizing students’ experiences, teaching sustainable art and design practices, and blending more diverse education delivery modes into our exemplary curricula.” Walk and Lavender also regard the consolidation of Otis’ prestigious graduate programs into a single facility as a high priority.
Maintaining academic excellence as educational costs rise is just one of the challenges that will motivate the new team in years to come. They believe that emerging communication technologies offer an exciting way forward and plan to build on the success of online learning that is already underway. Lavender notes that “innovative approaches to studio education delivery can be created using a carefully crafted blend of online and classroom teaching and learning modes. One of our hopes is to work with academic leaders to create exemplary ‘blended learning’ offerings that can help us meet students’ needs for flexible scheduling and the College’s need for maximum efficiency.”
Through their shared focus on student-centered education and systems enhancement, Walk and Lavender hope to catalyze new possibilities for art and design education, and leverage them into leading, influential models of excellence that other institutions both admire and imitate. “Otis can lead the way in art and design education for the 21st century,” says Walk. “Randy and I look forward to working with the entire Otis community as we step together into the future.”
Rising to the Challenge
Featuresection:
creativity, sustainability, social responsibility,
and identity are woven throughout the
curriculum and reflected in work posted in
the students’ electronic learning portfolios, all
culminating in the capstone class. In the first
year, they take foundational core requirements;
after that, they pursue classes directly relevant
to their major, and electives that allow them to
play and think “outside the box.” These elective
offerings are as diverse as Global Cinema; the
Aesthetics of Politics; Shakespeare; Text and
Image; Imagination and the Brain; Fashion
Culture; Representations of War; Shamanism:
Art and Sacred Spaces; the Classical World; and
Gods and Artists.
In a single-purpose college like Otis, it might
be tempting to speculate that every unit and
every hour should be devoted to the major,
however, no major or discipline by its very
essential and necessary nature can address all
that a student needs to creatively adapt to the
real-world demands of work, citizenship, and
life in a world of disruptive uncertainty. Along
with the excellent studio programs, LAS covers
and uncovers the incredibly diverse record of
human creativity, where making and thinking
go hand in hand.
—Debra Ballard, Chair, Liberal Arts and Sciences
This is a conversation I had (to the best of
my dimming recollection) with a city council
person who was giving me an outstanding
teaching award.
Given the relentless pace of complex
change in the 21st century, artists and
designers, now more than ever, need to be
broadly educated, independent thinkers
who can approach issues both skeptically
and empathetically. In a world where
information is increasingly conveyed visually,
the ubiquitous work of our alums shapes
culture. Graduates need to be strong and clear
communicators who are also intellectually
resilient, interculturally competent, prepared
to deal with dislocating change in a world
characterized by the need for innovation and
global savvy where many of the jobs they will
have don’t even exist today.
Disciplinary frontiers are fluidly expanding
and shifting in our knowledge-based
culture. Students can never master any area;
memorization of facts will not prepare them. In
engaging new challenges and questions, they
will need to be intentional, reflective learners
who are able to find, evaluate, and apply many
emerging resources in a critically informed way.
Spanning all four years, the 45 units of
Otis’ Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) curriculum
include writing, art history, literature, speech,
creative writing, integrated learning, cultural
studies, natural sciences, social sciences, and
the often anxiety-provoking math requirement.
However, in order for our students to succeed,
the curriculum must be so much more than an
accumulation of units.
Our student population is wonderfully
diverse, and the curriculum reflects that
diversity with high-impact practices. The
First Year Initiative component helps them
transition into the Otis community; writing-
intensive classes focus on writing as a way
of thinking and discovering; an honors
component provides additional challenges; a
sophomore Integrated Learning requirement
prepares them for collaborative work in the
community; and minors in Art History, Creative
Writing, and Cultural Studies broaden their
choices and exposure. The themes of diversity,
LAS courses have expanded my lexicon of art and design lingo so that I am more confident in speaking with other professional designers and artists. I know how to see the world in the context of visual language, culture, propaganda, and symbols.
““�And�what�do�you�teach��
at�Otis?”�“I�teach�English.”
“�I�didn’t�think�they�had�English�at�an�art�college.�How�wonderful!”
What the Liberal Arts Covers & Uncovers
”
I firmly believe that without constant questioning of artists, art, and the social structure responsible for shaping them, society, artists, and art will all lose their accountability and relevance.
IN HAND
MAKING +THINKINGGO HAND
OMAG 4 Featuresection: Otis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine 5 OMAGFall 2011
I began to teach at Otis in 2000, during my junior year as
a student here. I came to Otis with a previous degree and
career in psychology, and a teaching position for psychology
of perception had suddenly opened up. I am still thankful to
Debra Ballard, the chair of LAS, for even considering me as a
teacher for my fellow students, and to those fellow students,
for even listening to their peer.
Since then, my career has developed on two tracks,
frequently crossing and influencing each other. I have a
career as an artist, showing my still-life paintings nationally
and internationally. I am currently working hard for a fall
show (“Tulipomania” at Lora Schlesinger Gallery, Santa
Monica, Oct 28-Dec 3). I love to paint, and to explore and
apply the techniques of representing. At the same time, I
am also endlessly fascinated by the neurology of the visual
mind of the artist making marks and by the mind of the
viewer making sense of those marks. Teaching drawing
and composition at Otis as well as academic classes in
perception and imagination are both natural extensions of
my praxis as an artist.
Perception is not just about absorbing images passively.
Recognition of a friend after years of separation, or
recognition of a landscape in marks on a page requires us
to make sense of what we see, not just to record what is in
front of us. Following the data from the eye to the brain,
it becomes more and more clear that 'seeing' is actually
the brain making visual sense of the limited and distorted
data from the eye. The image we 'see' is in the mind, not in
the eye.
From that realization it is but a short distance to
thinking about visual imagination: the mental images we
can experience without input from the eyes. Much of what
artists do critically depends on visual imagination. Drawing,
painting, etc. is the way in which we make our imagination
visible and the way we share it with others. The longer I
teach drawing in Foundation, the more I suspect that even
observational drawing is as much about mental imagery
as it is about looking and measuring. Developing eye-hand
coordination in a drawing class trains the imagination as
much as the muscles. A lousy drawing of a horse is more a
lack of imagination than a technical problem.
There are few useful books on the neuropsychology of
mental internal images. Thus, I found myself eager to teach
a class on the neurology of imagination, while lacking a
good textbook. After some trepidation, I eventually decided
to write my own text. The chapters grow in number and
in quality guided by my experience using them in the
classroom and feedback from students ('did I see a yawn
there in row three?'). I use my evening hours to put my
thoughts together, and I hope to publish the first book
on the neuropsychology of imagination written for artists.
In the meantime, the daylight hours are for painting.
HOW DOES THE MIND SEE?
ROBERT SPRUIJT(’01�Fine�Arts)��
Associate�Professor,�LAS�Dept.
“ I enjoy a good book, but I retain a lot more information whenever I see something, touch it, and interact with its context.”
OMAG 6 Featuresection: Otis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine 7 OMAGFall 2011
To be an artist is to be an observer. One of
the important things I learned while minoring
in Cultural Studies was the difference between
observing and understanding. The ability
to understand and convey that understanding
both artistically and linguistically is a
powerful tool.
As a student, I was able to seamlessly apply
what I was studying in LAS to every project I
did for Product Design, and vice versa. I didn’t
know that, once I finished school, those parallels
would continue to exist so intensely in my life
and work.
I don’t work as a product designer in
the way I was taught at Otis, but I still design
products every day—just a different kind.
Working in online media means I do a lot
of photography, constantly use Photoshop,
create videos and, most importantly,
write about what is going on in the world of
SheWired.com readers.
A few months after I graduated, California’s
Proposition 8 passed, and I found myself diving
headfirst into the hardcore LGBT activist
community. I organized rallies and protests,
and soon found myself helping to spearhead
the National Equality March in Washington, D.C.
Providing coverage of these events for SheWired,
a brand under Here Media, the biggest LGBT
media company, qualified as both work and
pleasure. While the initial impact of Proposition
8 has calmed slightly, the inequality created
remains. I would never have been able to
evaluate the actions i planned or measure their
impact on people outside the LGBT community.
I hear details of lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender culture constantly—far more
than the average member of our community.
Keeping the battle for equality on the
minds of people who have all the rights that
others are denied is dificult. It requires
campaigning and newsmaking and fundraising.
It requires creativity.
In June I participated in the AIDS/LifeCycle.
I rode my bike 550 miles from San Francisco to
Los Angeles, along with 2,500 other cyclists and
600 roadies, to raise money and awareness for
AIDS programs at the LA Gay & Lesbian Center
and San Francisco AIDS Foundation. As we
rode through towns where the populations are
one-tenth the size of the ALC group, residents
greeted us with signs and noisemakers,
cheering us on in our journey. Most, if not all
of the riders know someone living with or have
lost someone to HIV or AIDS, and understand
how crucial it is that the epidemic ends. By
riding and covering the event as a writer, I
transmit the importance of finding a cure to
the people cheering—those who saw us at a
stoplight and Googled “bike riders all dressed
in red,” and anyone else who may not be aware.
I wouldn’t be able to do my job without
observing and understanding both the needs
and beliefs of my own community and those
of the communities around me. Comprehending
the thinking of those who voted against us,
motivating younger people to call and Tweet
their senators or raising funds even during a
recession are all skills I acquired in the Cultural
Studies program.
THE BATTLE FOR EQUALITY Boo�Jarchow(’08 Product Design, Cultural Studies Minor)
“ I didn’t know that, once I finished school, those parallels would continue to exist so intensely in my life and work.”
I landed at Otis quite by accident. I was teaching
at UCLA in 1997 when a friend had me substitute
for her LAS class. I fell love with the students
and their open-minded perspectives during
the first hour. I next taught Myth, Fairy Tales
and Folklore. It was a revelation for me that
students not only wanted to collect and tell
tales, but wanted to illustrate and create them
in a variety of art forms. After that, I was hooked
and never left.
I found that my doctorate in Folklore
and Mythology gave me valuable training in
teaching Otis students. Folklore sounds old-
timey, but it isn’t. It’s about the customary
behaviors that we have and why we do what
we do. It’s about people connecting and
creating community through their actions.
The expressive manifestations of human
beings that we study can be stories, material
culture, verbal lore, etc. It is a field grounded
in ethnography – the first-hand collection of
material. This has helped me create the first-
year Cultural Studies programming. Students
perform fieldwork and observe, interview and
analyze people regarding their customary
behaviors. They attend a field trip to understand
the diverse spaces in which we live and work.
Otis students learn that their stories, beliefs and
customs matter. They are a part of who they are
and therefore become a part of their actions
and creations. Understanding behaviors leads
to becoming better artists, designers, thinkers,
and citizens of a global world.
Popular culture has certainly caught on to
the value of traditional behaviors. I published
a book on Star Trek fans and costume art,
and am working on a manuscript about the
popular customs we use try to contact those
in the Afterlife. I sometimes get calls to speak
about folklore for the media, which really is
pure fun. I’ve presented on everything from
vampires to Atlantis, doppelgangers to ghosts,
beliefs about angels and UFO’s to urban
legends and Christmas lore on various shows
and documentaries, from Mythbusters to the
Food Network Challenge. Certainly, folklore is
currently entrenched in popular culture, and
it inspires our students. My job is to “Otisize”
these topics by making sure students can
access and study them firsthand, and then
analyze or create based on it.
I tend to use my own interests in the
‘Popular’ to create courses that I believe are
relevant for our students. For example, I teach
Vampire Literature and Lore. On the surface,
you might think: really?! However, students
learn about the role of the outsider in our
culture and the importance of such a figure,
which is relevant to their own perspectives. I
teach Modern Mysticism and the Afterlife in
which students create an altar for the annual
Día de los Muertos Festival at the Hollywood
Forever Cemetery. This art/altar is seen by
thousands of people, and we experience a
diverse and valuable cultural custom.
The Otis classroom is a protected space. I
know that as long as the students and I agree
to be open-minded, sensitive and participatory,
within the classroom we can discuss politics
with liberals and conservatives, religion with
Mormons and Wiccans, ethnic stereotypes
with Jews and Korean-Americans. This is
a space reserved for thinking, connecting
and enlightening. It is a place for galaxies to
converge. Where better to teach?
CONVERGING GALAXIES Heather�Joseph-Witham�FolkloristAssociate Professor, LAS Dept.
Heather Joseph-Witham (third from left) with students at
the Día de los Muertos Festival, Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Boo Jarchow (center) in action
“ I tend to use my own interests in the ‘Popular’ to create courses that I believe are relevant for our students.”
OMAG 8 College Newssection: 9 OMAGOtis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine Fall 2011
Hometown? I was born in Carson City, Nevada, but I’ve lived in Long Beach since I was one.
Final Senior Project? Our collective Senior Project this year was “Big Bang Barcode.” My own final studio project was a children’s museum on the Chicago River Walk.
Other intriguing projects? The Donghia Master classes with LTL Architects, and Sharon Johnston and Nader Tehrani. I was awarded a scholarship for my portfolio submission each year, and also received the Donghia Senior Scholarship. Most fun/influential LAS class? Critical Analysis & Semiotics and Composition & Critical Thought —both taught by Jean-Marie Venturini—and the Creative Writing Workshop with Melissa Clark. I’ve found that narrative is a skill that comes in handy when presenting architecture projects. Favorite place in L.A.? Downtown L.A., with the fashion and bank districts and Bunker Hill. Also Santa Monica. And it’s pretty fun to see a movie at Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
How did Otis affect your work/life? The Integrated Learning class “NeighborGapBridge” was a major turning point in the way I view my studio work and the way I understand the profound interaction be-tween the world in which we live and the individual.
Next? I’m going to graduate school for architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I am pleased to say I received a tuition waiver and Teaching Assistantship so I’m going for free.
Something unusual/idiosyncratic? I’m 28 and I’ve never had a driver’s license. For four years I took public transportation between Long Beach and Otis.
Hometown? Joplin, Missouri.
Final Senior Project? “Untie a Knot”, the first in a series focusing on important issues in America. And a book, paintings, and videos focused on Mr. Unicorn (“Unicorn Being a Jerk”) will be published by a subsidiary of HarperCollins in November 2011. Website: misterunicorn.com.
Other intriguing projects? Classmate Tiimo Schul-ze’s SpaceMovies • Classmate Nicole Emanuel’s ‘The “What if” of 1988’ • Hazel Mandujano (‘01 MFA) and faculty member Lorenzo Hurtado (‘07 MFA) “Good Exchange.” Cool things outside of school? Participating in the design program M/M Summit for nine days in Holland forever changed every bit of my work. Most fun/influential LAS class? The chance to explore and expound upon ideas from all of the classes I took during the last four years was one of the best things that happened to me. I will never forget the daunting, treacherous, and beautiful experience of writing a paper with faculty member Marlena Donahue about the changing face of monogamy in America.
Favorite place in L.A.? The Cheese Store in Beverly Hills has my stomach, the Natural History Museum has my eyes, and my other parts are undeclared.
How did Otis affect your work/life? I can now, for the most part, articulate why I feel the way I feel. I am still surprised to see how valuable words have become to me in what I do every day.
Next? I’ll try to make mistakes so that I can learn from them now, rather than later.
Hometown? South Korea. My family immigrated, most recently residing in Orange County.
Other intriguing projects? Motion Graphics with Bill Sneed, a very well-known figure in the industry. Cool things outside of school? Rock climbing.
Most fun/influential LAS class? “Concept and Creativity” with Jennifer Egger. She helped me create works with humor, gave compliments, and reminded the class that humor stays in people’s heads for a long time.
Favorite place in LA? I love Koreatown. After a late night at school, I’d go with a friend at 6 a.m. to enjoy breakfast.
How did Otis affect your work/life? I was able to endure all the hardships, like staying up all night, without drinking any energy drinks. Every-thing seems easy since graduation. Next? I have been freelancing as a motion graphic animator and designer. I’m planning to go on a vacation to Japan. Something unusual/idiosyncratic? I’m ob-sessed with sodas!!
Cole W. Moss
112011
for
10. Graduate Writing / Rocío Carlos 11. Graduate Public Practice / David Russell
06. Toy Design / Harmony Hines Slattery 07. Product Design / Ryan Robertson
Cool things you did outside of school?
I am working on a novel right now. I also have my own blog, thelasercutter.blogspot.com
Final Senior Project?
“Go Green or Else,” a PSA motion graphics piece about global warming, was featured in Computer Arts Magazine 190.
Something unusual/idiosyncratic?
I collect tie clips. I’ve also eaten more macaroni and cheese than anyone west of the Colorado River.Meet eleven members of the
class of 2011, one from each
major. They answer questions
about their backgrounds,
projects, favorite places in L.A.,
and what’s next for each.
01
Sam Tanis
of 11 Architecture/Landscape/InteriorsBFA
02 of 11 CommunicationArtsBFA
03
Sang Youb Shin
of 11 Digital MediaBFA
04. Fashion Design / Holly Buskirk, Caitlin Knox
05. Fine Arts / Lindsay Schulz 03. Digital Media / Sang Youb Shin
01. ALI / Sam Tanis 02. Communication Arts / Cole W. Moss
08. Graduate Graphic Design / Hazel Mandujano
09. Graduate Fine Arts / Terry Norton-Wright
OMAG 10 College Newssection: 1 1 OMAGOtis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine Fall 2011
Hometown? HB: Yucaipa, California, a small town nestled into the hills of Big Bear Mountain. CK: I’m from all over the West Coast. I’m a ranch- family brat.
Final Senior Project? HB: We worked with mentor Bob Mackie to create eveningwear inspired by Afri-can tribal garments. Caity and I chose the Ndebele tribe and created a patterned chain mail. We also made a dress entirely out of tree bark inspired by the Surma and Mursi tribes who adorn themselves with mud and plant life.
Other intriguing projects? CK: Holly and I had the same mentor for all but one project, and would laugh after independently designing identical gar-ments. Each of us pushed the other to take the craziest or most bizarre idea as far as possible.
Most fun/influential LAS class? HB: In “Time Travel Literature” taught by Jean-Marie Venturini, we explored different ways to perceive time and studied quantum physics and Einstein. It changed how I see the universe.
Favorite place in L.A.? HB: Rose Bowl flea market in Pasadena: everything you could want or need (or absolutely don’t need but buy anyway) can be found there.
How did Otis affect your work/life? CK: Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger. Work is never over. After Otis, the rest of my life looks vastly more achiev-able. Otis forced me to fight a war against the limits of my mind and my body. Creativity doesn’t sleep, though often it eats whole boxes of Cheez-Its without realizing it.
Next? HB: I am interning at 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent (‘88) CK: I’m designing women’s wear at James Perse – a complete dream come true. Something unusual/idiosyncratic?HB: Caity and I both love Harry Potter. We knew we would be friends when each of us noticed that the other had casually snuck Harry Potter elements into our work. CK: Our wizardry runs REAL deep. There is no part of our lives, friendship or creativity that is not influ-enced by Harry Potter.
Hometown? Simi Valley, California
Final Senior Project? “Butterfly Magic” for young girls, made of translucent “buggie bodies” that housed LEDs and glowed when picked up. The kit came with ways to decorate the butterflies, which could also be worn as jewelry.
Other intriguing projects? I participated in the Palauan Memorial Freedom Project class. Traveling to Palau was incredible. I also did a group project sponsored by Disney/Pixar.
Cool things outside of school? Surfing, camping, going to the beach, and snowboarding.
Most fun/influential LAS class? A children’s litera-ture class was pretty cool.
How did Otis affect your work/life? It set me on my career path.
Next? I’m now working as a designer at JAKKS Pacific, a toy company where I had an internship while I was a student.
Something unusual/idiosyncratic? Whenever my friends travel, I ask them to bring me back a rock or shell, and I keep them in a big glass bowl.
Hometown? Scottsdale, Arizona
Final Senior Project? I developed a new business model for government bureaucracies to use scarce resources in an eco-sensible way. Specifically, I designed a line of furniture made from an old-growth salvaged tree which otherwise would have been tossed in the wood chipper. The idea came to me when I read about eleven acres of 200-300 year-old oak trees in Southern California that were removed and shredded.
Other intriguing projects? Developing a prosthetic leg out of recyclable materials, and participating in the Palauan Freedom Memorial Project that honors U.S. military veterans from all wars—and visiting Palau!
Cool things outside of school? Skydiving with my friends and scuba diving in Palau.
Most fun/influential LAS class? David Bremer’s “Capstone” class helped me put all of my true design interests into a concise paper.
Favorite place in L.A.? 26th Street in Manhattan Beach. Since I began surfing, I think I’ve spent over 100 hours there.
How did Otis affect your work/life? I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to do something that involved drawing and building things. Otis was one of the big stepping-stones to get me where I want to go.
Something unusual/idiosyncratic? I’m obsessed with living close to the ocean.
How did Otis affect your work/life?
HB: Otis is a boot camp for artists. The faculty members push you to, and beyond, your limits relentlessly until you have almost no limits. Your mind stops fighting you, and you can work endlessly at peace.
Next?
I am working on my own projects and looking for a company that makes objects that create positive change in the world.
Hometown? Santa Rosa, California. However, in the first eight years of my life, I spent every weekend in our RV at motocross races for my father and brother.
Final Senior Project? I produced four different pieces. In “the white out series,” I made five 44” x 34” ink jet prints, painted white out over the photo-graphs (many hours and about 200 bottles of Liquid Paper), and hand-inked text from a typeface created based on the Peanuts text. The images in this series are photographs that my father took with his Kodak Brownie of his childhood home. My grandfather, Charles Schulz (creator of Peanuts) became a struc-ture for the series.
Other intriguing projects? For Alex Slade’s “Land-scape” class, I silkscreened on burlap materials in three horizontal lines: the top line was cows’ blood, the middle was bleach, and the bottom was [used]motor oil.
Cool things outside of school? Some of my favorite memories were being on Olive Rhyme. We created that title for road trips I took with classmates Cole Moss and Nicole Emanuel. Olive Rhyme 1 took us to San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Byron, Yosemite, and back to LA. In Olive Rhyme 2, we went to Santa Rosa, Muir Woods, Portland, Seattle, Montana, Yel-lowstone, Salt Lake City, Zion, and back to LA. We are heading out on Olive Rhyme 3 in a week!
Most fun/influential LAS class? Creative writing. Definitely. I’ve been writing stories since I was six, and unfortunately drifted away from it for a few years until I took that class.
Favorite place in LA? First, the LAX lookout. My father is a private pilot and I’ve always been around planes. It is meditative to sit and watch the planes take off – I often visit during the middle of the night and at dawn. Second, a ranch in Agoura Hills where I board my horse. It is absolutely wonder-ful to get out of the city, and spend time in such a tranquil environment.
How did Otis affect your work/life? Otis’ work ethic affected me the most. If I’m not working on at least eight projects at one time I begin to think I’m slacking. I spend about 90% of my time doing research and writing for projects now. What I’ve noticed the most is how rad artists are! Our vision, creations, humor, lifestyle...nothing could be more ideal.
Something unusual/idiosyncratic? Most of my behavior results from protecting myself against my older brother. For example, when I look in a pantry, I keep one foot outside the door because when I was younger, my brother would push me in, hold the door shut, and turn off the light (which was always conveniently located on the outside).
Next?
I am currently interning for artist Kerry Tribe, who is amazing! I have two paintings in an exhibition at the Charles M. Schulz Museum called “Pop’d from the Panel.” I’m doing my best to create new works with any free time I have!
07
Harmony Hines Slattery
of 11 Toy DesignBFA
06
Ryan Robertson
of 11 ProductDesignBFA
05
LindsaySchulz
of 11 Fine ArtsBFA
04
Holly Buskirk and Caitlin Knox
of 11 FashionDesignBFA
Cool things you did outside of school?
C: Can you please define the term “outside of school”? I’m not familiar with the concept.
TURN TO NEXT PAGE TO READ ABOUT THE MFA CLASS OF 2011
Favorite place in LA?
A “secret” beach in Ventura County
OMAG 12 College Newssection: 13 OMAGOtis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine Fall 2011
Hometown? Wilmington, California
Thesis Project? Reverb (For Girls) is an educational program for inner city teenage girls interested in becoming artists, writers, musicians, designers, and entrepreneurs.
Other intriguing projects? Working with faculty members Meg Cranston, Larry Johnson, and Kali Nikitas. They changed everything for me.
Most fun/influential LAS class? “Theory As Practice”
Favorite place in L.A.? Tidepools and the Sunken City in San Pedro.
How did Otis affect your work/life? Going to Otis made me realize how poor and rich I was at the same time.
Next? I am developing a practice that involves art, design, education, and administration. Something unusual/idiosyncratic? Most of my possessions are books.
Hometown? South/East Los Angeles.
Thesis Project? A manuscript of poetry.
Other intriguing projects? I was assistant editor of our literary tabloid OR. As part of Jen Hofer’s poetry seminar, we wrote and created a book using Otis’ Lab Press to bind the books for a “real” look.
Cool things you did outside of Otis? Going to shows and art events.
Most fun/influential class? The poetry workshop with Dennis Phillips.
Favorite place in L.A.? Rattle Snake Park adjacent to the L.A. River.
Next? I am writing my poetry manuscript, freelance editing, and looking forward to teaching at Otis.
Something unusual/idiosyncratic? I am a baker to be reckoned with.
Hometown? Born in L.A., but hometown is Denver.
Thesis project? My thesis, “Mobile Mural Lab,” (MML), was a collaboration with Public Practice alumnus Roberto Del Hoyo (‘10 MFA). This mobile art space promotes and supports the visual voice of citizens in the public realm. We outfitted a for-mer City of L.A. search-and-rescue van, and paint the exterior approximately twice a month. The interior serves both as an exhibition space and as a multi-media information resource.
Other intriguing project? Assisting artist and faculty member Andrea Bowers at “Project Row House” in Houston, and participating as a fellow in the Anyang Public Art Project in Korea, where I spent a week with Korean architecture students analyzing the current state of gentrification in and around Seoul.
Cool things outside of school? Reality.
Favorite place in L.A.? East L.A.
How did Otis affect your work/life? Otis provid-ed me with insight into community engagement and the contemporary art world. I also learned about the history of L.A., and how modernization and globalization affect society today.
Next? Roberto Del Hoyo and I currently operate the Mobile Mural Lab full time as well as paint and restore murals in and around L.A.
Rocío Carlos
Cool things you did outside of school?
I recently spent three months in Amsterdam working with great designers and thinkers.
Something unusual/idiosyncratic?
I wake up every morning at first light to surf.
How did Otis affect your work/life?
The mentorship I received was invaluable. I now have a much sharper lens for my own work.
09
Hazel Mandujano
of 11 Graduate Graphic DesignMFA
10 of 11 Graduate WritingMFA
11
David Russell
of 11 Graduate Public PracticeMFA
Hometown? Landisville, New Jersey
Thesis project? “En Wonder,” an installation calling into question one’s relationship with one’s own body and the relationship between form, nature, and mortality.
Other intriguing projects? Late nights at the grad studios. Meeting other artists and learning from them. Some of the conversations I had between 12 midnight and 3 a.m. I will never forget. Also, artist studio visits.
Cool things outside of school? Attending faculty members’ openings. I even flew to N.Y. with some classmates to see one of our professor’s solo exhibi-tions. That was really cool.
Favorite place in LA? The airport. I also love driving the Pacific Coast Highway.
How did Otis affect your work/life? If you really trust and commit to the experience of grad school, and are willing to feel like you are walking around inside out, and are open to being taught and able to stand up to your fears, you will discover the source of your creativity.
Next? I am making work! I have also started a business called The Culture Production Company. I produce art objects, collaborations, performances, shows, and special projects, and provide consulting and individual artist services.
Something unusual/idiosyncratic? I am obsessed with organizing.
Most fun/influential class?
Critique, thesis writing, and a class secretly called “Advanced Beef.”
08
Terry Norton-Wright
of 11 Graduate Fine ArtsMFA
Commencement Speaker and Honorary Doctorate
recipient Sheila Levrant de Bretteville—also the found-
ing Chair of Otis’ Communication Arts Department—
told students: “The best attribute in changing times is
to be open to the unexpected, dextrous in ability, and
focused on the continued development of your own
unique work, even as you accommodate what has been
unexpected. Wherever you go, whatever you choose
to do, I wish you the power of your imagination.”
President Hoi noted: “At Otis, the students feel
connected to each other and the work has heart. Please
stay connected to others while staying true and honest
to your feelings and beliefs as you make choices and
generate action, and you will keep inspiring others.
Through your inspired responses to reality, you will
mobilize our world to transition to a better and more
sustainable future, and you will enjoy success and sat-
isfaction in a lifelong cycle of inspiration and action.”
Valedictorian Paula Suzanne Little (Communica-
tion Arts) spent ten years as a fashion designer and
investment banker to earn money to enroll at Otis. The
New Zealand native had these words for her class-
mates, “As they would say back home: ‘Kia kaha,’ which
means ‘forever strong.’”
Watch the ceremony at http://bit.ly/j6fgtR
2011 Commencement
The Powerof Your Imagination
“�What�makes�Otis�great��is�a�diverse�collection����of�individuals”�
President Hoi with honorary doctorate recipient
Sheila Levrant de Bretteville
OMAG 14 College Newssection: 15 OMAGOtis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine Fall 2011
Class of 2011
Graduating students display their projects at the year-end exhibition, showing their
professional work to future employers, museum curators and gallery owners, alumni,
parents, friends, and family.
“I have seen other student shows and have taught at other schools. I must say what I
see and feel here is special. A lot of times elsewhere, ambitious and talented students
want to succeed, and the schools give them a formula for success. At Otis, the students
feel connected to each other and the work has heart. I see the ability to explore
and to use emotional truth to connect with and serve the larger public. It is inspiring.”
“�I’ll�pay�Otis�and�students�the�highest�com-pliment.�The�student�shows�have�nothing�‘student’�about�them.�They�are�professional�in�every�way,�from�the�presentation�to�the�immensely�creative�content.”
OMAG 16 College Newssection: 17 OMAGOtis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine Fall 2011
Day 1 and 2
Treated to one of the most amazing sun-
sets leaving Guam on the way to Palau; it
looked like the sky was on fire.
Day 3
Palau is made up of sixteen states. Our
team lodged in Koror, in the dorms of a
community college. Met Helen Reed-
Rowe, the American Ambassador and
Patrick Tellei, President of the community
college.
Day 5
In the evening, presented the project
proposals to President Toribiong and
several other heads of state, who were so
impressed that they were speechless.
Day 7
Our visit was profiled on the front page of
the Island Times newspaper. We presented
our proposals to the United Artists of
Palau, other Government officials, and
invited guests.
Day 8
Two team members presented their health
campaign projects to the Minister of
Health. He was so impressed that he invit-
ed them each to do a month’s residency in
Palau next summer! Otis women attended
the first childbirth ceremony for a relative
of the Bilung (the Queen of Palau).
“When we got our first glimpses of the
new mother, a hush fell over the group;
she was simply stunning; the contrast of
the bright yellow skin [she is painted in a
mixture of turmeric and ginger] against
the blue and red skirt was amazing.”
Day 10
The Bilung gave us a personal tour of the
Cultural Center, including the Bai, a meet-
ing place, covered in traditional painted
storyboards that is latticed together and
tied down by coconut husks. We were
treated to a demonstration of traditional
dance and a sumptuous meal. We then
presented to both the Council of Chiefs
and the Bilung’s Council of Ladies.
Day 12
Visited the island of Peleliu, the site of a
bloody, three-month-long WWII battle
between the Americans/Palauans and
the Japanese. Signs of the past were
everywhere: abandoned tanks, markers of
mines that continue to be discovered, as
well as the remains of fallen soldiers.
In June, a group of Integrated Learning students spent almost two weeks in the Republic
of Palau as the first phase of a three-year initiative to design and build a memorial to
Palauans who lost their lives serving in the U.S. military from World War II to the present.
Visiting faculty members and public artists Jeffrey Vallance (’81 MFA) and May Sun (’79),
and cultural anthropologist Cindi Alvitre worked with the students to transform creative
ideas into built reality in cooperation and consultation with the people of Palau.
The Palauns suggested that the students could incorporate their symbols: a turtle shell
(women) and an axe (men).
In addition to meeting with the civic leaders and relatives of those military mem-
bers who lost their lives, the students explored the island’s wonders: Jellyfish Lake,
a 12,000 year-old marine lake that is the only one in the world where jellyfish have no
stingers; tropical waterfalls; sandy beaches; amazing diving, and tropical flora and fauna.
For the first time in Otis’ history, sophomores in Joyce
Mesch’s design class teamed up with Spin Master Ltd.,
one of the leading toy manufacturers in the world, to
create and design preschool products. Spin Master’s
sponsored project was coordinated by Toy Design Chair
Deborah Ryan alongside Spin Master’s Senior Designer,
James F. Elliott. Jim worked side by side with the Otis stu-
dents as they generated ideas, honed their concepts and
prepared for their final presentation. Along the way they
learned valuable lessons in “real world” design challenges.
“I knew from the first day of class it was going to
be a great experience,” said Mesch, “and that this was an
exceptional group of students. Even though they were
working on individual concepts, they functioned like a
true design team. They had a great rapport, were always
willing to share ideas and resources, and they trusted and
reacted to the feedback they were given by their mentors.
That kind of collaborative effort made everyone’s projects
stronger and it showed in the outcome. The results
were inspiring and exceeded everyone’s expectations.”
At the end of the semester, the students presented
their designs. With excitement in the air, Spin Master
surprised the students with awards of $1,000 for first
place, $700 for second place, and $500 for third place; all
participating students received a $100 payment for their
efforts. Between the culmination of a lot of hard work and
the surprise award money, there wasn’t a dry eye in the
house, as the students expressed their gratitude for the
opportunity to work with Spin Master.
Naomi Kwiatkowski, the first-place winner, noted:
“The group that I was able to work with made this experi-
ence incredible. My peers and mentor were so helpful
and supportive along the way, providing constructive
criticism and inventive ideas to further our concepts into
something concrete. We all had the privilege to perform
as professionals, and the process was challenging but
exciting. In the end, I feel that it was hard work and the
group effort that led me to this achievement.”
In addition to the collaboration on the sponsored
design project, six students completed design internships
at the company this summer in one of four toy categories:
boys, girls, wheels, or preschool.
Christine Shu-Hotta, Spin Master’s Director of Global
Talent Acquisition, explains the addition of a summer
intern contest that was added to the internship program:
“We partnered marketing and design interns to
work together to develop a concept toy review. Grouped
in three teams, they were asked to present to an executive
judging panel, but we also had our most senior directors
and designers attend the final presentations. The
presentation was not only to ‘sell’ the storyboard, but also
to create a marketing plan. The general consensus from
our panel and the audience was that all teams did an
exceptional job. There was a first, second and third place
awarded to each of the teams in a very festive ceremony.
I think the students really felt part of the whole team here,
and a couple of them are continuing with part-time work
at Spin Master. We intend to further our relationship
with Otis, and continue our summer internship program
for the years to come.”
“The Spin Master-sponsored project was a great
way for us to transition from a school dynamic into a
professional environment for the summer internships,”
said intern Rafael Bencosme. “It provided a taste of how
toy designers get to work in a world-class company.
The school projects tend to give a lot of flexibility to the
students, fostering uniqueness in the designs. We had
the opportunity to concentrate on specific brands for
specific users. What really made it a unique experience
was the opportunity to receive feedback and trade ideas
with highly talented people.”
Freedom Memorial Project
Students posted daily to the blog, chronicling their adventures in the South Pacific
Nick Hayes, Sprouts
Naomi Kwiatkowski, Sweet Surprise Tea Party
One team’s design proposal
incorporates Palauan carved wooden
boards that tell the story of creation
and other myths.New Spins for Preschool Toys
“ I knew from the first day of class it was going to be a great experience.”
by George Wolfe
OMAG 18 College Newssection: 19 OMAGOtis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine Fall 2011
A Creative Legend
“ To see them run with it, and do such beautiful work is very impressive...”
Editor’s Note: Costume designer Bob Mackie, who has dressed such luminaries as
Cher, Bette Midler, Pink, Tina Turner and Carol Burnett, has volunteered his time over
the last fifteen years to act as a mentor to Fashion Design students. This year, along
with the display of the African-inspired work his students designed, Mackie received
the Creative Legend Award at the annual Scholarship Benefit and Fashion Show.
Also honored at this event was the renovated LEED-certified Santa Monica Place. Art
Coppola, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Macerich, accepted the Creative Vision
Award. To see a video about Bob’s work at Otis, visit otis.edu/mackie.
Bob Mackie honored at the 2011
Scholarship Benefit and Fashion Show I get so much out of these sessions with
the students. They know things that I don’t
know and I can give them some knowledge.
It’s amazing to see students who are so well
educated turning out product that looks
so beautiful.
When I came to Otis with an
assignment, it was always something
that I wished I could do. And I thought,
well, I’ll just have them do it, and it
will be terrific and inspiring. Teaching
them is like a gift.
2011 Mentors
Bleu/Rod Beattie (’86)
Bob Mackie
Cynthia Rowley
Diesel
Forever 21
Hurley and Nike
Juicy Couture
Dawn Nguyen (’99),
Brogan Terrell (’08)
and Emily Bowers (’03)
Kaufman Franco
MAX AZRIA
Max Studio
Amé Austin Max (’95)
Old Navy
Sean John
Steve McSween (’94)
top: student design, mentor Sean Jean (Steve McSween ’94)
middle: Award-winning seniors Esther Kim, Sung Hee Shin,
Bara Kwon, Mona (Seung) Jung, and Yi Seul Choi
bottom: Mentor Amé Austin Max (’95) of Max Studio with
award-winning student Yi Seul Choi
(At Otis) the students almost do it for
real before they hit the market, and
they’re feeling their way but this school
is really, really good.
“ ” “ ” “ ”
OMAG 20 College Newssection: 21 OMAGOtis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine Fall 2011
DOUBLE U • OH • EM • AY • EN
From 1973-1991, the Woman’s Building (WB) in downtown L.A. offered opportu-nities for women in creative writing, graphic design, printing, performance art, video, and visual arts. The WB housed the Feminist Studio Workshop, galleries, a feminist bookstore and travel agency, and the L.A. office of NOW. It was named after the Woman’s Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, which was designed by architect Sophia Hayden. As WB member Terry Wolverton wrote, Language splinters under the com-plexity, the immensity, the tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of women whose imaginations and emotions and lives touched and were touched by the Woman’s Building. All their stories, their dreams. And it was the art that was made within its walls, yes, but also the art that was made by some woman in some little town, work that came into being because she’d heard that the Woman’s Building dared to exist.*
One such woman was artist Betty Gordon, a Seattle housewife:“In 1978, I read The Feminine Mystique, and thought Betty Friedan was telling my story. The spirit moved me to get out of the house. I heard about Judy Chicago and FSW (Feminist Studio Workshop), and I moved from Seattle to L.A. I was 30 years older than the others. I began to tell my story of being at home all those years. The young women were independent and bright, and inspired my work as an artist. The culture gave me the courage to talk about anything, because I was supported, and I learned how to advocate for myself. I found the tools to express the meaning I wanted to communicate.”
Leslie Labowitz-Starus (‘72 MFA) on the hoisting of
Kate Millet’s sculpture of a woman on top of the WB:
It must have been a slow news day because we got front-
page coverage in the L.A. Times with a headline “New
Image of Women.”
I applied for a Fulbright to go to Dusseldorf and study
with Joseph Beuys. Going to Europe was the best thing
I ever did for my political awareness as an activist, artist
and feminist.
Sheila Levrant de Bretteville
The WB symbolized the freedom of beginnings; women
looking for ways to be more visible. The spirit of the time,
all over the world, was liberating. We were figuring out
what to do, what questions to ask. Before there was such
a thing as women’s studies programs anywhere, WB con-
tinuing education presented lectures on women’s studies.
Cheryl Swannack
Our goal was to put feminism IN the world. It was about
DOING IT rather than dreaming of it.
Jerri Allyn
The WB felt like a beehive.
We envisioned the crit as a supportive tool, and this be-
came a lasting benefit for teaching.
Deena Metzger
The future seemed possible. Social change could come
through the arts but you had to live it.
Eloise Klein Healy
WB was a life-changing experience; it was a liminal
space—the air was charged. I was a Catholic girl running
around with witches on broomsticks—it was crazy.
Cindy Marsh
My boyfriend Buzzy walked me to the WB, where we saw
all these women (with spiky shaved heads, wearing t-shirts,
with armpit hair) hanging all over each other at the gates.
He said “It’s your decision,” and left. So I took a leap
of faith, walked in, and knew I had became part of a
different world. The WB artists’ legacy is the humanist
movement in art and communication that they intro-
duced to the world.
Anne Gauldin
According to Arlene Raven, one of the WB founders, the
goals of feminist art were to invite dialogue, raise con-
sciousness and transform culture.
Michelle Kort
I can date everything back to the WB—part of it was person-
al, but part had to do with life and society, from a woman’s
viewpoint. We were always documenting; we had a sense
of history even as we were doing it. Now enough time has
passed that it is part of history—and can be honored.
Terry Wolverton
The WB started like wildfire, like a magnetic force. It could
only have happened in L.A. where there was no high-
stakes art world. There was a museum and a few galleries
but not fierce competition for careers. The supportive
environment encouraged us to try many different things.
Editor’s Note: “Doin it in Public: Feminism
and Art at the Woman’s Building” is on
display at Otis’ Ben Maltz Gallery through
Jan. 28, 2012, as part of the Getty’s Pacific
Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980, an
unprecedented collaboration of more than
60 Southern California cultural institu-
tions that tells the story of the birth of the
L.A. art scene. Please check otis.edu/cal-
endar for many public events scheduled to
complement the exhibition. These excerpts
are mainly from video interviews created
by Otis’ Teaching and Learning Center,
posted at otis.edu/public_programs/
ben_maltz_gallery/wb_videos.html and
on Otis’s YouTube Channel youtube.com/
user/OtisCollege
During fall semester, Liberal Arts and
Sciences is offering many electives con-
nected with the WB and the PST exhibi-
tions. Students will learn about aspects of
feminist art, the development of contem-
porary art in L.A., urban development and
popular culture, collaborative and perfor-
mance art, and other related topics.
* Insurgent Muse: Life and Art at the Woman’s
Building, Terry Wolverton, City Lights, 2002
Anne Gauldin, Photo collage for the Woman’s Building Newsletter, undated,
Woman’s Building Image Archive, Otis College of Art and Design
Bia Lowe
“Someone put me in the wrong nest. When I got involved
with other ducks, it was great!” Everyone gravitated to-
ward each other. We were young and were going to change
the world. The WB exuded a magnetic confidence, energy,
cohesion, and sharing.
Paula Lumbard
At the WB, the personal became political.
In “Bedtime Stories: Women Speak out About Incest,” the
work became a vehicle for healing.
Joyce Kozloff
I never had a woman studio art teacher, and I never
thought about it. It all changed that year I spent in L.A.
(1970-71) I felt very lucky to have participated in that mo-
ment. My generation became woman-identified, and the
optimism, energy and enthusiasm were infectious.
Rachel Rosenthal
The WB was organic: members attracted others as they
lived their lives. It created so much change in the lives of
so many. It was a place where you earned your ribbons!
Graduate Public Practice Chair Suzanne
Lacy and Leslie Labowitz-Starus (’72 MFA)
created “In Mourning and In Loss” as a
media event by women protesting violence
against women. The arresting image of
huge, tall, hooded women at City Hall was
a response to the hillside strangler.
The Woman’s Building offered up a spark, and
this was the message in its glow: that you, a
woman, could be an artist too, and that your
woman’s life—whatever its particulars—
could kindle your art, and that in turn, the
act of making art would ignite that life, and
finally, that a community of women, engaged
in the twin acts of making art and making
a new life, would transform the mirrors of
culture into windows through which you all
would fly, like sparks, into the night.*
Why is there a woman’s building?
Because all the other buildings in
town are mens’ buildings!
Michelle Kort
“ Heaven or Hell?,” Feminist Art Workers, 1978, performance,
Pictured: Cheri Gaulke, Woman’s Building Image Archive,
Otis College of Art and Design, © Feminist Art Workers
Suzanne Lacy and Leslie Labowitz-Starus (’72 MFA), In Mourning and In Rage, performance at L.A. City Hall, 1977 © Suzanne Lacy
OMAG 22 College Newssection: 23 OMAGOtis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine Fall 2011
For me, the passion that exists in teaching is about the process, the journey, which results in a body of work that the student is proud of. Seeing and recognizing the value of what hard work and drive can accomplish is indeed uplifting.
The most valuable attribute of a great teacher is the ability to pull the best work out of each student, regardless of ability. For some it comes easily, for others it is more of a challenge. But in either case it is equally rewarding.
There is no one thing that I value most about teaching; rather, there are related moments. I appreciate the moment when I give students new information or a new perspective, opening their eyes to something other than themselves. I get really excited when the students take that knowledge and apply it to their lived lives, whether making art, starting a petition for a “just” cause, or having a “friendly discussion” with a person they just met.
The most valuable characteristic of a great teacher, to me, is the ability to bring joy into the classroom. Sometimes we ( faculty members) get caught up in titles, schools, knowledge, etc. However, in the end it’s about reaching the student. Edu-cation should be fun. If you are having a good time in your course, you can be sure the students are.
Since 2001, Dr. Carol has been teaching in Liberal Arts and
Sciences, creating classes as far-ranging as “Examining the
Civil Rights Movement” to “Harry Potter.” She received her
PhD from UCLA in Folklore and Mythology, specializing in
African American performance. Among her many accom-
plishments, perhaps one of which she might justifiably
be most proud, is founding Otis’ longest-running student
group, Under the Baobab Tree, dedicated to the retention of
African- and Latin-descended students. Students regularly
characterize her teaching as “excellent,” “best teacher I’ve
ever had,” “awesome,” and the ultimate student accolade
that transcends generations and cultures: “cool.”
Carol’s teaching is generous and accessible, caring
yet demanding, both “deeply human and humanizing.” Her
teaching practice exemplifies her belief in our students’
ability to achieve and succeed, and creates a classroom
atmosphere that has a genuine sense of community; one
that always models the very ideas she teaches.
– Debra Ballard, Chair, Liberal Arts and Sciences
Carol’s talent in teaching is her ability to take very complex and challenging material and present it in an engaging and relevant way. I’ve heard great things about her as a teacher. Her enthusiasm seems to put my friends in the greatest moods. Dr. Carol enriches the life of every student she en-counters, and her teaching style and subject matter actually help students learn. It is a blessing to know a teacher who so passionately supports students in their quest for an education.
Even though I haven’t had Erin since my first semes-ter junior year, she sticks out in my mind as a teacher who encompasses the fol-lowing admirable qualities: She always had a way to communicate constructive criticism, and a pat on the back when deserved; she was always strict but fair, and made you a strong designer and a thoughtful and responsible person; while she was serious, she had a great sense of humor and made the classroom a fun environment to be in, especially as the relation-ship evolved over time through multiple critiques, conversations and projects.
She gives out her heart when helping out with design. She does not only apply what she knows, but also understands and studies each individual student, and works with them to find what is best for their designs. She pushes and pushes until you see your real talent. I graduated four years ago, but her spirit still awakens me when I am lost.
Erin Hauber was an exceptionally generous and committed
member of the faculty whose teaching impacted the lives of
many students, balancing high expectations with compas-
sion and patience. She joined the department during a time
of change, and helped to usher in a new curriculum, several
faculty colleagues, and a number of initiatives. Erin took her
job seriously but never lost site of the humor needed to get
through a semester or a given day. She communicated her
passion for teaching to all her students, shared her know-
ledge freely, and communicated her belief in them wherever
their careers might lead them.
– Kali Nikitas, Chair, Communication Arts
Note: Erin is now continuing her education to earn an MFA.
If you want something done, just ask Jill! Not only will it
be done quickly and efficiently but also with the highest
quality and a taste level that all respect and admire. As an in-
valuable member of the Fashion Design team, she is a leader
who puts in the extra time to help students in any way that
she can. Her skills earn her the title “Designer’s Designer”
among her peers. Jill is serious about her work, straightfor-
ward and honest but always fair in assessing a situation.
Her incredible organizational and time management skills
establish the bar of excellence for all who work with her. All
of these qualities are mixed with humor and an infectious
laugh that lightens the fast pace of the department.
– Rose Brantley, Chair, Fashion Design
Being a teacher is fun! Every day students challenge me to be a more enthusiastic maker, supportive mentor and effective communicator. I enjoy seeing students develop their voice, come to realize there is thinking in making, and expand their understanding of themselves and their work.
The teachers I admire—and find the most effective— combine a passion for their subject with an open-source philosophy about sharing knowledge, and an intense curiosity about the world-at-large. A great teacher models the collaborative, hard-working and courageous behavior we ask of our students.
Recognized for communicating a thorough knowledge of and
enthusiasm for the subject and transforming or enhancing teaching
methodology and practice.
Erin Hauber
FULL-TIME TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARD
Carol Branch
Recognized for communicating a thorough knowledge of and
enthusiasm for the subject and transforming or enhancing teaching
methodology and practice.
PART-TIME TEACHINGEXCELLENCE AWARD
The Powerof Three Jill Higashi-
Zeleznik
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR AWARD
Recognized as a long-term faculty member who consistently
motivates students, inspires colleagues, and creates a lasting
impression of an extraordinary educator.
Editors note: Three annual teaching excel-
lence awards are given to faculty members
for their commitment to Otis, clear and
effective teaching, and exceptional ability
to respond to a diverse student body.
Students, faculty and alumni nominate
these faculty members. One Distinguished
Educator Award and two Teaching
Excellence Awards (one full-time and
one part-time) are presented at the annual
Commencement Ceremony. (On the fol-
lowing pages, comments from students
and alumni follow the Chairs’.)
Otis’ Annual Teaching
Excellence Awards(’87 Fashion Design)
OMAG 24 section: Otis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine 25 OMAGDonor Profile
With an extremely creative dad and a business-savvy
mom, Amanda Thomas feels that the lion’s share of her
drive and self-discipline is in her blood, but she points to
Otis’ “Entrepreneur 101” class as being critical (and
humbling) in terms of focusing her thoughts and efforts
regarding her business.
“Learning how to write a business plan, researching
your market and demographic, coming up with PR
tactics, producing accounting spreadsheets of potential
expenses are all things I probably wouldn’t have done on
my own. But I’m so happy I was able to have those few
months before graduation to get it done, and have clarity
and knowledge to move forward. You think you know
everything . . . until you have to create a business plan.
So although it’s cumbersome, it’s completely necessary.”
But starting a business right out of school is
daunting. “A lot of my colleagues talked about seriously
starting their own companies. But it’s hard to commit,
because when you’re fresh out of school, you have bills to
pay and student loans that make it extra tough to get a
new business off the ground right away.”
Thomas believes that her surprise interest in graphic
design had a positive impact on the bottom line of her
business. “My education in graphic design has helped
immensely with Luv Aj. I cannot even tell you how
invaluable it is to know how to code my website, design
my lookbook, shoot my product shots, etc. These are
skills I learned at Otis, and most people have to pay top
dollar for them. So not only do I save a lot of money that I
can use for other business expenses, but I am able to
control every aspect of my brand visually. The skill set I
learned at Otis is definitely a factor in the sudden success
of Luv Aj.”
She also underscores the importance of constant
in-person and online networking: “Networking is
everything. My motto is ‘be nice to everyone,’ because
you just never know. Sometimes I think networking is
gross and forced, because it can be, so I just try to be
myself and hope that my personality and the product
speaks for themselves.”
In summer 2010, she produced her first real
collection, shot the lookbook and, less two weeks later,
Who What Wear did a story on Luv Aj. “The morning the
story went live, I woke up to 300 emails, and my line had
been picked up by Nordstroms, Shop Bop, and 40 other
boutiques. The L.A. Times wanted to do a feature, and I
remember crying for two days straight. I was so happy
but so overwhelmed that it was really happening. My
dream came true but it was happening so fast that I
didn’t have a minute to digest it. So I had my mom, dad,
brother, sister, neighbors — you name it — in my studio
packing boxes, filling orders, and helping me get it all
done. Unfortunately, at that time I didn’t have a
manufacturer, so I made every piece by hand. That
summer I single-handedly wire-wrapped over 1,000
pieces of jewelry. I worked morning noon and night . . .
blood, sweat, and tears. Now I have a full-time
manufacturer, three interns, and an amazing team, and I
can fully appreciate all that work — I was paying my
dues. It took a long time to find the right people to work
with, but I’m so happy that I had the journey to the place
I am now. Having your own line and running your own
business is a 24/7 responsibility that is so incredibly
rewarding but also such a challenge. There are no breaks.
Ever. But being my own boss is the greatest thing in the
world.”
And a full year after graduation, she has launched a
collaboration with Urban Outfitters called LUV ROCKS,
which is a less expensive diffusion line based on her
current collection. “I still pinch myself when I see the
samples. It makes me hopeful that there’s so much more
to come in the future.”Blood, Sweat and Ten YearsLater
by George Wolfe
by George Wolfe
Janet Tucker, who resided in
the Westchester community,
may have lived in the shadow of
Otis for many years, but her
posthumous gift to the college is
now shining a light upon her
generous spirit. Tucker came into
an inheritance after her brother’s
death and, later, while she herself was coping with cancer,
decided to make a difference in the lives of art students by
writing into her will a significant gift for Otis scholarships.
Tucker had no children, but had been interested in the
arts since high school, and saw the potential to nurture
generations of young artists.
Anne Baber met Tucker in 1980, and they both worked
for a realtor in Marina del Rey. Over the years, they went
together on home and garden tours, and attended
arts-related events in town. Tucker had studied art history
in college, and painted portraits and figure studies,
primarily using pastels, acrylics and watercolors. She also
submitted her work to art shows. In fact, both she and her
brother Jerry loved the arts; he had taken art classes in
Sedona, and the two would attend the symphony and visit
museums in the San Francisco area, where he lived.
After Tucker’s passing, Baber discovered that she
was to be executor of Tucker’s estate, and learned
more about her friend’s intent from handling the estate.
“The gift to Otis just showed what kind of a person she
really was,” says Baber. “I know she’d be happy with
this arrangement.”
Tucker was also a friend of Pam Banks, an Otis
instructor who taught draping to fashion design students,
and now teaches sewing and draping through Otis’
Continuing Education program. Banks fondly remembers
their “girls’ night out” jaunts, especially going on the tours
of area homes, then discussing anything and everything
related to aesthetics, décor, design and the arts.
“To select Otis out of all the excellent schools out
there is a real honor,” says Banks. “She couldn’t have
selected a better institution.”
Into the Light . . .Local Artist Supports Scholarships
While most high schoolers were content with simply surviving
the daily vicissitudes of adolescence, Amanda Thomas (’10) was
making her own jewelry, interning with a store designer, and
hitting the streets of L.A. in search of boutiques to carry her
jewelry. But on a day when she wasn’t looking, she got her first
break. Wearing one of her necklaces at the Fred Segal boutique,
she got a compliment from a jewelry buyer, and replied that
she had made it. Fred Segal met with her, and picked up
her line while she was still in high school. It wasn’t until she
graduated from Otis, however, that she pursued her business,
Luv Aj, full time.
1
2
Alumna Profile
1
2
OMAG 26 Alumni Around the Worldsection: Otis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine 27 OMAGAlumni Around the Worldsection: Fall 2011 27 OMAG
After graduating from Otis, I packed four suitcases, two
carry-ons and a computer bag full of art, and traveled to
MOCA Tehran in 2007 to curate “Manifestation of
Contemporary Arts in Iran.” The exhibition featured works
from 67 Iranian and American artists, including Chair of
Graduate Public Practice Suzanne Lacy, Masami Teraoka
(’68 MFA), Co-founding Director of Artsts, Community and
Teaching program Jerri Allyn, and honorary degree
recipient Bill Viola. Former Prime Minister and reformist
politician Mir Hossein Mosavi’s name appeared in the
exhibition catalogue.
During the Green Revolution, I returned to Iran to
curate a solo exhibition of Masami Teraoka’s watercolors.
On August 5, 2009, my partner and I took a cab towards the
gallery. Police presence mushroomed on Vanak Square as
forces on foot, motorcycles, and vans lined the street.
Suddenly I was pulled out of our cab while a man foaming
from the mouth lunged his upper body into the moving
taxi. Arrested, blindfolded and hooded, we were
interrogated into the early hours of August 6. On August 7,
I attended my first childhood friend’s funeral, where his
mother grabbed my inner knee, pleading for her son.
Speechless, I disconnected from all I knew. I didn’t
leave my aunt’s home again until August 18, when I was
assaulted by two men on a motorcycle. My cries were
quickly silenced, as I was informed that it is unladylike to
cry in public. My only remaining impulse was a need to
articulate creatively.
On August 29, I opened Masami Teraoka’s solo
exhibition. Everything I had to say about the taboo topics
of globalization, Westernization, sanctions, fundamental-
ism, HIV, prostitution, and the trafficking of young girls
as Iran’s biggest export could be found in Masami’s
controversially bold paintings. Masami’s work embraced
and visualized the aesthetics of the green movement in
a complex subversive plateau just beneath the governing
factions of the Islamic Republic’s radar of genocide
and oppression. The paintings were done in the 1970s
with traditional Japanese brushstrokes but they were
perfect for the “Jumong”-obsessed Tehran of 2009.
The 2009 uprising was inspired more by “Jumong” (an
extremely popular South Korean soap opera) than by
Mir Hossein Mousavi.
These days I find myself working on the two time
zones of Tehran and Los Angeles.
10:00 am - 5:00 pm bears a plethora of emails, and an
endless search for regular curating and writing gigs to
support my many art and activism obsessions.
10:00 pm - 5:00 am is spent curating and organizing
Rooftop Projections and Exhibits throughout Iran.
Updates from family members and friends include:
“Grandma was hit by a motorcyclist. Grandpa is losing
his sight and memories. You shouldn’t come back to Iran
this summer. Strangers are coming by the gallery and
asking for you.” I continue shifting my consciousness
towards collecting subversive literature and art for our
Rooftop Exhibits.
Join our Building Bridges Rooftop Reflections
by sending us your art and support.
www.marjanvayghan.com
Building Bridges: Tehran – Los Angeles
OMAG 26
Marjan and her mother at a protest at
Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery, southern
Tehran, on top of open graves and in
honor of the 40th day anniversary of
Neda Agha-Soltan’s murder
Performance at “Debating through the Arts: Performance Art 3,”
18th Street Arts Center, Santa Monica, June-August 2011
Marjan Vayghan | (’06 Fine Arts)
IRAN
BK: There are seventeen women in my class who represent thirteen different countries!
We study in a workshop setting, collectively set our themes, and once a month gather for
a three-day practicum in which we give presentations, invite guests and carry out
lengthy discussions. The rest of our time is dedicated entirely to individual research and
exhibition projects.
I am assistant director of MOTInternational, a gallery in the East End. I have been
very fortunate to travel to several European cities, and since September, I have been the
associate director of our new gallery space in Brussels.
JB: Moving to a radically different city with different sensibilities and philosophies for
production was admittedly confusing at first. I knew my practice was being fed by the
experience, but I couldn’t get enough perspective to grasp it. I’ve made some break-
throughs recently, including Future Sculptures, a series of odd and intricate one-off
sculptures in sterling silver. I began making them after being exposed to wax-carving
techniques under the employment of boutique U.K. jewelry designers Johnny Rocket
(not the burger place).
BK/JB: During our time at Otis, faculty members like John Knight and Juli Carson
provided an outstanding example of how important it is for artists to spend time in
Europe. We have since encountered the difference between the American art world
system, largely dependent on the support of private patrons, and the U.K./Euro one,
where Government grants provide much support. In the former, object-based production
is ultimately privileged, while the latter privileges “alternative” production like
time-based work. Pop taste differences are also apparent, e.g., theater affects London
artists more than it affects L.A. artists.
As for the architecture, we are particular fans of the building that houses
London’s Natural History Museum. The odd and amazing design by Alfred Waterhouse
reflects a Victorian Gothic Revival period that borrowed from German Romanesque
and Gothic styles.
P.S.
JB: At Johnny Rocket, I was asked to design a Swarovski crystal tiara proposed for Kate
Middleton as part of a magazine promotion. Becky and I decided to brave the spectacle a
bit without getting up at 5:00 am or camping out (true Londoners don’t do stuff like
that!) We wandered through the incredibly empty half of the city with a bottle of
champagne in hand. In the incredibly full half of the city were street parties and tourists.
After maneuvering close enough to catch a glimpse of the royal entourage, we eventually
abandoned the scene in favor of a posh lunch at Fortnum and Mason.
Americans Abroad
Jesse and Becky met at the Graduate Studios where under-grad Becky saw an installation of Jesse’s. Jesse says that he was trying to impress her because she co-owned an art gallery. After Otis they moved to London, where Becky is finishing her MFA in Curating at Goldsmiths, University of London. As of this fall, they are living in Brussels.
Jesse Benson (’03 MFA Fine Arts) | Becky Koblick (’04 Fine Arts)
LONDON - BRUSSELS
Moving to a radically different city with different sensibilities and philosophies for production was admittedly confusing at first.
OMAG 28 Class Notessection: Otis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine 29 OMAGClass Notessection: Fall 2011
I am thrilled to be the new Director of Alumni Relations! As an alumna
and the former Director of Career Services, I look forward to hearing
from fellow alumni and interacting with you in a new way. The exciting
and inspiring accomplishments of Otis alumni never cease to amaze me.
Reach out to me at [email protected] or (310) 665-6895.
The listings below are a small sampling of recent alumni achievements
and announcements. The Otis Times blog showcases a more extensive
listing of what’s happening with alumni around the world, allows you to
share news and opportunities, post images and video and connect with
fellow alumni. Also, keep in touch with us and each other by joining the
Otis Alumni Facebook page. Go to otis.edu/alumni for links to both sites
or contact us at [email protected] Gallup’90 Fine Arts
“California’s Channel Islands”
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art,
Malibu
Dana Montlack’94 MFA Fine Arts
“Sea Creatures”
Joseph Bellows Gallery, La Jolla
Marco Rios
’97 Fine Arts
“Despair Beyond Despair”
LA><ART, L.A.
Steven Bankhead’01 MFA Fine Arts
Eighteenth Brumaire rooftop installation
Steve Turner Contemporary, L.A.
Kenneth Ober’01 Fine Arts
“Shortest Distance BTN2PTS”
K. Saari Gallery, Steamboat Springs, CO
Fay Ray
’02 Fine Arts
Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica
Annie Buckley’03 MFA Fine Arts
“Love and Fortune”
Jancar Gallery, Chinatown, L.A.
Nate Frizzell’06 Communication Arts
“To Become Myself”
LeBasse Projects, Chinatown, L.A.
Nate Hess’06 Fine Arts
“Modified Body”
STATION at USC Roski School of
Fine Arts
Marjan Vayghan’06 Fine Arts
“falling up, with the cage”
Gallery 825, L.A.
Mary Younakof’06 MFA Fine Arts
“343 Dresses: Chromatic Convergence
Project”
Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood
John Weston’07 MFA Fine Arts
“Pleasure Paintings”
Sabina Lee Gallery, L.A.
Amanda Keller Konya’09 MFA Fine Arts
“Specimens from North America’s Most
Polluted River”
Centennial Museum, University of Texas,
El Paso
JJ Stevens’10 MFA Fine Arts
“Department of Archeological Oversight”
Dark Matter Gallery (with D-Block
Projects), Long Beach
COOL DESIGNERS
Douglas Kinsey ’85 Fine Arts
Wine label for Florencio L. Navarro ‘s
newest wine from Portugal, Semaphore 7
Steven Learner’86 Environmental Design
Volunteered with Globe Aware to build
a greenhouse for a children’s school in
Cuzco, Peru
Heather Verran
‘86 Fine Arts
Created new brands of Activewear:
MBody for Madonna and Eleven for
Venus Williams
Raymond Zibach’90 Communication Arts
Production Designer, Kung Fu Panda 2DreamWorks Animation
Zoe Hong’02 Fashion Design
Co-produced a fashion show at Cotton
Mill Studios, Oakland
SOLOISTS
Althea Edwards (two-person exhibition)
’84 Communication Arts
“Launching a Dream: Reviving Tongva
Maritime Traditions”
UCLA Fowler Museum, L.A.
James David Thomas’84 Fine Arts
“Nocturne”
Terry Martin Gallery, Santa Monica
Lucas Reiner’85 Fine Arts
“I see men as trees, walking”
333 Montezuma Annex, Santa Fe
Elisabeth Condon
’86 Fine Arts
“Climb the Black Mountain”
Lesley Heller Workspace, N.Y.
Lawrence Gipe’86 MFA Fine Arts
“Approved Images”
Tucson Museum of Art
Cindy Kolodziejski
’86 Fine Arts
“Portraits of Sorts and Curiosities”
Frank Lloyd Gallery, Santa Monica
Yuichiro Ando’87 Fine Arts
“Left to Rod”
New Puppy Gallery, L.A.
Anne M. Bray’87 Fashion Design
“Small Pleasures: Sketches Drawn from
Everyday Life”
TAG Gallery, Santa Monica
Darren Waterston’88 Communication Arts
“Forest Eater”
The Contemporary Museum & Honolulu
Academy of Arts, Hawaii
Three Legged Legs
(Greg Gunn, Casey Hunt, and Reza
Rasoli , ‘06 Digital Media) “We’re All
in this Together” spot for Method
Cleaners shown on Virgin America
Steven Bankhead (’01 MFA Fine Arts) Eighteenth Brumaire, Rooftop installation at Steve Turner Contemporary, L.A.
Valerie Tymoczko (’04 MFA Fine Arts)Latched onto Stephen Colbert (as Richard Branson) for a photo shoot for PROJECT, Branson’s iPad-only magazine
ALUMNAEALUMNI ALUMNUSALUMNA
Cindy Kolodziejski(’86 Fine Arts)Bubble Eyes, 2011 earthenware, glass eyes, and silver wood frame
Laura Daroca
(’03 MFA Fine Arts)
Director of Alumni Relations
OMAG 30 Class Notessection: Otis College of Art and Design Alumni Magazine 31 OMAGClass Notessection: Fall 2011
Fay Ray (’02 Fine Arts)Neither, 2011, c-print
Elisabeth Condon (’86 Fine Arts)Hello, Yellow, 2010, acrylic on linen
Greg Gunn, Casey Hunt, and Reza Rasoli (Three Legged Legs)
’06 Digital Media
Selected by The Los Angeles Business Journal for its “20 in Their Twenties”
feature on young entrepreneurs, April
2011. Recently signed by Blind, multi-
disciplinary Santa Monica-based studio.
ENTREPRENEURS
Ingrid Sidie
’89 Communication Arts
Principal and Partner, Design Ranch,
Kansas City, MO
Jade Lai’02 Fashion Design
Owner, Creatures of Comfort boutique
featured in “Up Close: The Roundabout
Route to NoLIta”
New York Times, April 21, 2011
Robert Apodaca’03 Architecture/Landscape/Interiors
“Tastemaker,” Los Angeles Magazine, May 1, 2011
IN PRINT
John Zelenik’87 Communication Arts
Illustrated cover of “Armageddon
Unlimited (A Sourcebook for the Heroes
Unlimited RPG),” Palladium Books
Jo Lauria’90 MFA Fine Arts
Wrote feature on Charles Hollis Jones
Burbank residence for Entra, a new digital architecture magazine
Aaron Philip Clark’08 MFA Writing
“The Science of Paul: A Novel of Crime,”
New Pulp Press
IN THE NEWS
John Baldessari (’58 Fine Arts),
Kerry James Marshall (’78 Fine Arts),
and Alison Saar (’81 MFA Fine Arts)
“Human Nature: Contemporary Art from
the Collection” LACMA
Paul Wee’87 Communication Arts
“Simpsons’ animator draws from his
heart,” The Burbank Leader, July 29, 2011
Naomi Tashiro Schoenherr (’89 Fine
Arts) and Scott Schoenherr (’90 Fine
Arts) Selected by the Laguna Beach Arts
Commission to design a sculpture garden
in Heisler Park
Mario Ybarra Jr.’99 Fine Arts
“Possible Worlds: Mario Ybarra Jr., Karla
Diaz, and Slanguage Studio Select from
the Permanent Collections”
LACMA
Jacob Rhodes ’01 Fine Arts
“Bronx Calling: The First AIM Biennial”
Bronx Museum, N.Y.
Matt MacFarland ’03 MFA Fine Arts
Artist-in-Residence
The Artist Studio, Pasadena
Marissa Magdalena’08 Fine Arts
“Mercado’s work a year in the making,”
Eye Gallery
Bakersfield.com, June 16, 2011
AWARD WINNERS
Mark Dean Veca’85 Fine Arts
2011 City of L.A. Individual Artist
Fellowship (COLA)
Khoi VInh ‘93 Communication Arts
Named one of 50 most influential
American designers by Fast Company, October issue
Irina Contreras’04 Fine Arts
Grant for Scenes Unseen National Queer
Arts Festival
San Francisco
Greg Wilken ’04 Fine Arts
Artists’ Resource for Completion Grant,
Center for Cultural Innovation
Michelle Chong’06 MFA Fine Arts
NextGen Arts Grant, Creative Capacity
Fund
Ryan Riddle’08 MFA Writing
Two Greater Bay Area Journalism awards
for his work with The Daily Post
IN MEMORIAM
Jacquelyn Sage’45 Fine Arts
Painter and illustrator, passed away
August 28, 2011
Bruce Kalberg (Bruce Caen)’78 Fine Arts
Artist, graphic designer, publisher/editor;
passed away September 17, 2011
Ardison Phillips
’68 MFA, BFA Fine Arts
Restauranteur and founder (with wife
Susan), McKeon-Phillips Winery,
Santa Maria; passed away June 1, 2011
Kenneth Figueredo ’71 Communication Arts
Passed away October 1, 2010
Alan Riggle ’71 MFA Fine Arts
Passed away August 2011. His family
invites OFund contributions in his honor
(otis.edu/ofund)
Laurie Viapiano’86 Fashion Design
Designer, Fashion Design Assistant Chair
(1998-2001) and faculty member; passed
away August 16, 2011. Donations to the
Huntington can be sent to: Kimberly
Valentine, The Huntington, 1151 Oxford
Road, San Marino, CA 91108
Work by many alumni is featured in two new books
about the emergence of contemporary art in L.A.:
“Rebels in Paradise: the Los Angeles Art Scene and the
1960s” by former faculty member Hunter Drohojowska
Philip and “L.A. Rising: So Cal Artists before 1980” by
Lyn Kienholz. These books, along with the more than
60 exhibitions in the area that comprise the Getty’s
Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980 (Oct. 2011 –
Jan. 2012) will shine a new light on this seminal period.
Among the exhibitions is “Collaboration Labs:
Southern CA Artists & The Artist Space Movement,”
curated by Alex Donis (’94) at the 18th St Art Center in
Santa Monica. which includes work by Leslie Labowitz-
Starus (‘72 MFA)
Alumni are also included in “Civic Virtue: The
Impact of the L.A. Municipal Art Gallery and the Watts
Towers Art Center” at Barnsdall Park.
Check www.pacificstandardtime.org for information
and dates
Otis’ Wall of Inspiration was created
as a unique way to thank leadership-
level donors for their generosity.
Additionally, this tiled Wall allows
many alumni, parents, and Otis
community members to recognize,
honor, and memorialize their loved
ones. The customized stainless steel
tiles complement the adjacent Bronya
and Andy Galef Center for Fine Arts.
“Last spring, I took my Product
Design clay students to the Wall of
Inspiration, where I have my name on
a small tile. For one year, I contributed
a little per paycheck, and my hope is
that some day they will give back to
Otis and have a tile with their name
on it in support of future student
scholarships. I tell the students that
when my parents were the same age
as they are, my mom was in America’s
Internment Camps while my dad was
drafted into the Army, and waited
ten years to practice architecture. I
benefited from their ability to keep the
dream of a creative life. I am fortunate
to have lived at the right time in the
right country where social change is
possible, where Americans give
scholarships as a ‘hand up and not as a
hand out.’”
- Faculty member Joan Takayama-Ogawa
If you have questions or would like
to purchase a tile, please contact
[email protected] or call
(310) 665-6869
Otis and Southern California Art
Wall of Inspiration
Read entire essay at otis.edu/PST
2011 Fellowship for Visual Artists Andrew Lewicki (’07 Fine Arts)
Marco Rios (’97)
Hazel Mandujano (’03, ’10 MFA)
Maggie White Lomelli (’06)
Roberto Gil de Montes, ’74 MFA Eloy Torrez, ’77 MFA May Sun, ’79 Bruce Yonemoto, ’79 MFA Coleen Sterritt, ’79 MFA Mineko Grimmer, ’81 MFA Diane Gamboa, ’84 Liz Young, ’84 Annetta Kapon, ’85 Cindy Koloziejski, ’86
Patssi Valdez, ’85 Steve Roden, ’86 Sandow Birk, ’89 Alex Donis, ’94 MFA Sandeep Mukherjee, ’96 Ruben Ochoa, ’97 Marco Rios, ’97 Juan Capistran, ’99 Adrian Meraz, ’00 Desmond McVay, ’01
Awarded a 2011 Fellowship for Visual Artists
from the California Community Foundation.
Past Fine Arts alumni recipients include:
02 03
otis.edu/givenow
01
310.665.6869
Andrew Lewicki (’07 Fine Arts)
Oreo Manhole Cover, 2010, cast iron
Please make a 100% tax-deductible gift that is meaningful to you by visiting our secure giving site at otis.edu/givenow. If you have any questions or would like more information on other giving options, please contact Andre Khachtourians, Director of Annual Giving, at (310) 665-6869 or [email protected].
HOW TO CONTRIBUTE
Poster for short film
Despair Beyond Despair
This collaboration of artist,
designer, and printer
resulted in a limited
edition lithograph for an
exhibition at LA><ART.
Bryan Hunt’71 Fine Arts
Ten cast bronze sculptures on Park Avenue installed as
part of a project through The Sculpture Committee of
The Fund for Park Avenue and the Public Art Program
of the City of N.Y.’s Department of Parks & Recreation,
September–mid November
clockwise, from upper left: Charioteer, Big Twist, Flume I, Crossing, Flume I and II, Hoodoo
opposite: Flume II