MCAD Magazine

VOLUME 3 / SPRING 2012 www.mcad.edu

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CONTENTS Spring 2012

Features 08 Live Locally, Art Globally

Piotr Szyhalski ignites international creativity through his Street Lab project.

10 MCAD 125

Students and alumni pore over MCAD artifacts.

18 The Economics of an Education

How MCAD is meeting the needs of today’s students through scholarship funding.

23 Plotting the Changing Course

MCAD Continuing Studies students chart new professional worlds.

33 A Legacy of Good Design

Renowned interior designer Tom Gunkelman’s generosity to MCAD lives on.

Departments 02 Perspective

22 Sharpen Edges

04 President’s Letter

24 Alumni Notes

05 Dialogue

30 Openings & Events

06 Between the Margins

32 Creativity & Purpose

16 Look

34 Upcoming Events

on the cover: Photo collage by Brian Mueller ’12

Possibility

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“

The core of 21st century education needs to be a capacity for creative problem solving. Students need to understand that things can look concrete from one perspective and yet look abstract from another perspective.

MCAD students get that experience. They learn to be aware that there is always the possibility of a different path.

”

–Kevin Bennett

Principal of FAIR School Crystal and FAIR School Downtown, MCAD Trustee

photo by Patrick Kelley ’06

outside voice

PERSPECTIVE

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Kevin Bennett, principal of the FAIR school since 2004, was recently named Minnesota’s Middle School Principal of the Year for 2012.

mcad / spring 2012

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Transforming the World

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he ancient view of an institution of learning as an “ivory tower,” where teachers and scholars work in blissful remove from the distractions of the outside world, has never applied to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Our faculty and students have always been fully involved with our local and global communities, and as we continue the yearlong celebration of our 125th anniversary, it seems appropriate to consider some of the seismic changes that have taken place not just on, but beyond, our campus.

The world of art and design was very different 125 years ago: Impressionism was still a shocking new approach to rendering the world on canvas, and design was generally believed to have reached its perfection in ancient Greece and Rome. Education was very different as well: in the

Inhotim, sculpture by Hélio Oiticica, Penetrável Magic Square, Brazil

1880s, fewer than five percent of Americans graduated from high school, and even fewer attended college.

MCAD opened its doors in 1886 with just twenty-eight students; as we’ve grown, we’ve not only responded to the challenges of our changing world, we’ve educated leaders who have gone on to influence that world in significant and lasting ways. Phil Anderson’s article on page 10 tells a vivid story of MCAD’s influence and points to the challenges we’ll be addressing in coming years.

As globalization accelerates, strengthening and deepening the connections between MCAD and our broader communities is more important than ever. That’s why over the past several months I’ve traveled with some of MCAD’s academic leaders to New York, Los Angeles, Qatar, Bra-

zil, and China to cement academic partnerships — to ensure our students get the best possible training and have a wide range of opportunities to travel and study beyond our campus.

Even as we build our global networks, we remain mindful of MCAD’s crucial and sustaining relationship with our neighbors here in Minnesota, so we’ve launched a project to connect energetic MCAD students with President Coogan with staff and faculty rural communities to help of United International College, Beijing local residents use creativity as a force for economic development.

At MCAD, we don’t just think, we do — and that’s as true of our anniversary celebration as it is of our curricula. In September, we welcomed leaders in advertising, design, and culture for a wonderful anniversary gala celebrating MCAD’s 125 years as a catalyst for creativity and change.

See page 30 for photos of the festivities.

Whatever your relationship to MCAD — current or past student, faculty member, supporter, friend — you are helping us to make a difference in the world by harnessing the limitless powers of the human imagination. Thank you for being a part of the MCAD family, and you can be certain that I’ll keep you abreast of the ways in which we are continuing to fulfill our vision of transforming the world through creativity and purpose.

Jay Coogan Twitter: @JayCoogan P.S. A special word of thanks to those of you who participated in November’s 14th annual MCAD Art Sale, the nation’s largest college art sale, which raised over $300,000 in funds for artists and student scholarships.

photos courtesy of Jay Coogan

Through Creativity and Purpose

DIALOGUE

MCAD Reaches Out to its Alumni “MCAD’s strength depends on an active and engaged alumni network.

Each and every one of you is an important part of MCAD’s story, and I’m committed to supporting you and our students in every way I can! I look forward to hearing from you soon.” — Brian Gioielli, director of major and alumni giving It’s been an exciting year for the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Alumni Association Board of Directors. The board has almost doubled in size and has taken on important new initiatives that focus on supporting current students and increasing alumni pride, community, and engagement. The volunteers of this group are passionate, crossgenerational representatives of the alumni community who are committed to bring MCAD into the next now.

What has the Alumni Association Board of Directors been working on? Stay tuned, get involved, and keep connected!

• New Quarterly eNewsletter beginning in 2012 • Alumni serving students through Snack cART • Alumni Gatherings in the Twin Cities and beyond • Graduation Resource Guide for all seniors and recent grads • The All-Class MCAD Reunion on June 1–2, 2012 For more information on volunteering, email bgioielli@mcad.edu.

HELLO MCAD ALUMNI AND FRIENDS! We are very excited to announce that MCAD Magazine is now available in a new online format. This new platform will allow us to better connect with you and provide a more interactive experience.

Now you can visit artist's websites, view photo galleries, RSVP for events, or make a gift with just a click.

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We welcome your feedback about the new online MCAD Magazine.

Please email me at bgioielli@ mcad.edu to share your ideas about how we can make this publication even more entertaining, useful, and informative.

You are a part of what makes MCAD one of the preeminent art and design schools in the nation, and we thank you for your support. Click on the link below to learn about all the great things that are happening at MCAD! Brian Gioielli Director, MCAD Alumni Relations mcad.edu/magazine

Check out page 33 for a full listing of current board members. mcad / spring 2012

BETWEEN THE MARGINS

Campus News

BRIDGE BUILDERS

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Black and White and Fun All Over Left to Right: Josh Ritenour, Christopher Atkins, Luke Axelson “It’s partnerships like MCAD@MIA that are a learning opportunity for the MIA. All of of sudden we have these great ideas for re-imagining our public spaces and thinking about the museum as a place where art can be made as well as displayed.”

— Christopher Atkins, Coordinator, Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program, Minneapolis Institute of Arts

One night last fall, the Anderson United Community School gymnasium opened its doors to a crowd of Minneapolis College of Art and Design students dressed to the nines in black and white, ready to dance to the musical stylings of the internationally acclaimed DJ Spooky. Though the college’s annual Black and White Ball typically takes place at the Children’s Theatre Company, this year the theme — classic sports — dictated a new venue.

The event, which this year coincided with MCAD’s 125th anniversary celebration, was first held at the college around the year 1900 as a Beaux Artsstyle costume ball, though it did not become a tradition until 2006 when Beth Van Dam found reference to it and decided to recreate the experience.

“We push students really hard here. This is an opportunity for them to relax and have fun,” says Brett Smith, assistant director of student activities. –A.S.

photos by Patrick Kelley ’06

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he work of two current MCAD students will be on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) March 15–June 17, 2012, as part of MCAD@MIA, a partnership between the college and the Institute. “It is a unique opportunity, for MCAD students only, to submit proposals to do a sitespecific installation at the MIA,” explains Karen Wirth, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs. The students, seniors Luke Axelson and Josh Ritenour, won the juried competition with their proposal to create a site-specific installation using reflective material and geometric forms to provide a layered experience of space and light. Axelson notes, “It’s a very dynamic piece.” –Andy steiner

PENNIES FROM HEAVEN

Recess Time

photo by Patrick Kelley ’06, illustrations by Bill Rebholz ’12

Drive by campus around 10:00 p.m. and you might see a group of students on the lawn playing traditional playground games like dodge ball and foursquare. It’s a gathering of the Recess Club, a group of undergrads dedicated to “super noncompetitive fun,” says senior Sarah Julson.

In cold weather, the club meets indoors for board games or creative rounds of hide-and-seek.

Participants don’t have to be athletically gifted, Julson insists. “At the start, we always say, ‘We’re artists. We stink at this kind of stuff. But let’s get into it anyway.’” –A.S.

New monument signs for the college were installed along 26th Street and at the 25th Street entrance. Internally illuminated, the light columns are able to change colors at the push of a button. SDDI Sign Systems designed and manufactured the signs in consultation with Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle.

In a creative commentary on the grant process, students Sarah Julson, Matte Szklarz, Rachel Knoll, Alex Fritz, and Linda Schumann doled out “grants” from money they earned selling DIY 7 art kits at MCAD’s annual art sale. The fund’s total? $125.

“We came up with the idea in an advanced installation and performance class,” explains Julson, who says the group named the awards “Penny Grants.”

“We wanted to find a way to help artists within our means.” Forty students applied, and the fifteen winners received their awards — 500 pennies wrapped in tiny burlap sacks — at a special ceremony. “We were going with the idea ‘every penny counts,”’ says Julson.

“Even if it is a small amount, artists could use all the help they can get.”

–A.S. mcad / spring 2012

BETWEEN THE MARGINS

faculty News

Piotr Szyhalski incites international creativity through his Street Lab project.

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Live Locally, Art Globally

“Students can go anywhere and experience the world as artists.

It doesn’t only have to happen here at this time and this place.

It can happen anywhere, at any time.”

s a native of Poland who moved to the United States in 1990 and began teaching at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1995, Media Arts Professor Piotr Szyhalski does not self-identify with any one nation, but instead considers himself “a citizen of the world.” His hope — and the thinking behind MCAD’s developing global partnerships with art schools in China, Brazil, the Middle East, and Italy — is that art students will step outside the studio and begin seeing themselves the same way.

Last summer, 20 students from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou traveled to Minneapolis to take part in an intensive two-week “art boot camp” led

by Szyhalski. Street Lab, which Szyhalski has been teaching every summer since 2006, uses the neighborhoods surrounding campus as a classroom, with the goal of “looking at public space as a studio. Students work with anything they can find, buy, or repurpose in order to engage with their environment.”

The students, whose Englishlanguage skills ranged from conversational to essentially nonexistent, spent 14 days exploring Minneapolis and creating their own daily art projects. Szyhalski, who communicated with the students through a translator, said that he wanted them to understand that “they can go anywhere and experience the world as artists. It doesn’t only have to happen here at this time and this place.

It can happen anywhere, at any time.”

In an effort to expand MCAD’s international study abroad programs and attract more foreign students, Szyhalski and President Coogan aim to take the China partnership even further in the coming years. Rather than simply sending a group of MCAD students overseas next summer, Szyhalski hopes to set up a more integrated exchange program.

“I’d love to see ten students from MCAD working together with ten students from China for Street Lab one summer, then sending those same ten MCAD students to China where the Chinese students are the guides the next summer.

It’s that type of dynamic that brings people closer to the culture and makes this program truly unique.”

–Regan Smith

mural photos by Rik Sferra

Regan Smith is a freelance writer in Minneapolis and a co-founder of Paper Darts Magazine.

Richard Barlow finished a mural in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood in June 2011. The mural spans two sides of the Acme Awning building. It was funded through a Clean City Minneapolis graffiti abatement project. Danny Levar ’11 worked on the project as an intern.

FACULTY NOTES

Andy Ducett’s work (left and right) was included a group invitational exhibition at Eastern Oregon University which featured both national and international collage artists.

Dr. Kris Belden-Adams has written for the forthcoming book Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop. This catalog will accompany the October 2012 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to telling the story of altered photographs from throughout the medium’s history.

Arlene Birt ’02 was an invited speaker at the 2011 International Institute for Information Design (IIID) GreenID Conference held in Vienna.

Bernard Canniffe has been invited to speak at the Design Ethos 2012 conference at the Savannah College of Art and Design examining the overlap between visual design and living.

Elissa Cedarleaf-Dahl ’07, MFA, was the consultant on the Jungle Theater mural in Minneapolis during Summer 2011. She received a Valspar Paint Grant and hired MCAD students Jake Dwyer and Bill Rebholz and alum Jenn Salmon ’10 to paint the mural.

Jeremy Faludi was the invited keynote speaker at Baldwin-Wallace College’s 2011 Sustainability Symposium in Cleveland.

John Gaunt was a juror of drawing and pastel submissions for the 150th annual Minnesota State Fair Fine Art Exhibition.

Cindy Gilbert will be appearing on PBS Kids show SciGirls. She’ll be working with a team of girls to use biomimicry concepts and tools to solve a sustainability challenge.

Paula McCartney has completed her ninth artist book, titled On Thin

Ice, In a Blizzard, a subseries of her project A Field Guide to Snow and Ice. Kindra Murphy ’s book MCAD Creates: 125 Stories, co-designed with Anne Yiling Wang ’11 as part of MCAD’s 125th anniversary celebration, was chosen as an honorable mention winner in the graphics category in I.D. Magazine’s 2011 Annual Design Review.

Zak Sally was an invited guest and participant at Pierre Feuille Ciseaux in France, an international comic artists experimental lab and workshop devoted to showing the value, diversity, and richness of the form.

Katherine M. Turczan was awarded a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship in photography.

Christina Schmid ’s first curatorial adventure, Deceptive Distance, opened last September at the College of Visual Arts. Schmid moderated a panel discussion with Patricia Briggs, Jane Blocker, and Camille Gage ’97 on opening night.

Dr. Anna Tahinci co-curated the exhibition Rodin and America: Influence and Adaptation, 1876– 1936 held at Stanford University Cantor Arts Center. Additionally, Dr. Tahinci contributed an essay to the exhibition catalogue titled “Rodin and His American Admirers.”

mcad / spring 2012

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Students and alumni pore over MCAD artifacts

by Phil Anderson

A conversation with: Riley Burrus Kelsey Henry Jessica Ibarra Nicole Schoonover Christian Moser Ben Petersen Alyssa Thomas Jesi Gross Matt Mills Olivia Johnson Claire Strautmanis Peng Wu Maria Albornoz

Minneapolis College of Art and Design is as old as Coca-Cola and Mercedes-Benz. Did you know we share a birth year with both the tuxedo and aluminum? Or that our doors were open 29 years before our museum neighbor’s doors? Thanks to extensive college archives, discoveries about the impact of MCAD on the world of art and design keep emerging.

However, as we celebrate MCAD’s 125th anniversary, a focus on the “then” demands a switch to “now” and “what’s next?” MCAD’s next chapters are already being written. We’re into our third century — and our second millennium.

It seems only fitting to sample two groups for the latest perspectives on the college’s past, present, and future — with a special nod to their own. The first graduates of MCAD’s third century, post-2000, have been out in the world and working — they know a unique “history.” So, too, do the college’s freshest, youngest students — they’re on the cusp between the college’s history and their own future.

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What does “125 years” even mean to you?

Take a look: what about this famous children’s book, Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gág ’16?

Riley Burrus, freshman: I can’t even fathom something lasting for 125 years. I’ve been away from home for just four months, and that has seemed like a very long time!

“feltLifemybefore MCAD” — I creativity had

Jesi Gross, freshman: Oh my gosh, this is really cute. Looks very Scandinavian.

Kelsey Henry, sophomore: blackand-white film. I’m a film major, and movies didn’t even exist in 1886!

Burrus: I have seen this before! Oh, I love the landscape; it’s

little focus. [Then] “Life after MCAD” — perhaps a more polished version of myself.

Jessica Ibarra ’06: 125 years — wow!

Nowadays I’m living in “Life after Seoul” — an era I never dreamed of being in, as an expat English teacher. I never knew I’d LOVE this, and have been able to use many of the communication skills (both visual and verbal) that I practiced at MCAD.

Nicole Schoonover ’04: Wow, 125

”

— Jessica Ibarra 12

I think of trees, mainly because they’re the first living thing I can think of that actually gets to hang around that long.

years. A few words come to my mind.

Legacy, change, improvement, failure … The civil rights movement, women’s suffrage [and] … the opportunities I have versus my grandma’s generation.

so awesome, but so tedious too. All those little hatch marks!

Her horizontal format I really like. Her frames go across and through both pages.

Thomas: I love her work. The limited palette especially, though that was more of a printing limitation than anything … Her style still feels very current.

Matt Mills ’03: Hadn’t heard of her … reminds me of Thomas Hart Benton meets Dr. Seuss. And she’s credited as being the first artist to use the double page spread. How awesome is that?!

Did you know anything about MCAD’s past when you first came here?

Henry: Harry Potter book covers, right? [by Mary GrandPré ’81] Christian Moser, sophomore: I did know about the Fight Club logo — that bar of soap. [by P. Scott Makela ’85]

Ben Petersen, sophomore: My dad went here, so I’d read a few old alumni magazines and been to the Art Sale. But honestly, I knew nothing about MCAD’s long-ago past. It’s pretty interesting — being as old as Coca-Cola.

Alyssa Thomas ’02: I only knew that amazing gold catalogue

Wanda Gág

designed by Joe Monnens ’94.

’16, Millions

of C at s, 19

28.

MCAD 125 years

{TIMELINE} April 15, 1886 Members of the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts establish the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts.

1889 School moves into the newly finished Minneapolis Public Library. Enrollment: 70 students.

1890 Nude models are used in life-drawing classes — day classes “for ladies only,” night classes “for gentlemen.”

> Read about some of MCAD's notable alumni from the past 125 years at MCAD.edu/125/alumni

1910 School changes name to Minneapolis School of Art.

1916 A $50,000 pledge funds construction of the school’s first building.

Some of the most recent alumni work has been done by Isaac Gale ’03, who just co-directed some short films to go with the new songs by Bon Iver (Justin Vernon).

Let’s look at a video…

Burrus: Music videos can also be simple, quiet little moments. And he’s using smoke — it’s this profound thing.

Strautmanis: It’s funny you’ve shown this to me! Because I was thinking of making a video like this … How nice it might be to have a simple time lapse on my computer, to go along with music.

G

on ’43, Co eorge Mor ris

llage IX: Land

sc ape, 1974

Kyle Werstein, sophomore: I’m a musician myself. I appreciate a well-crafted music video; they can serve the song or exist independently and still be relevant. I think I like these films more than the album itself!

.

Maria Albornoz, sophomore: I like Bon Iver. But the music reminds me of a side to the USA you don’t learn about until you get here. It’s that Minnesota attitude — being nice, not forcing things, relaxed. The film reminds me of what I really appreciate about being here.

Or, try looking at these works by George Morrison ’43…

Olivia Johnson, freshman: I should at least know who this is! In his earlier paintings, I like his use of thick paint, with the knife. And I’m not much for abstract art. But those wood pieces — I could look at them forever.

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Claire Strautmanis, freshman: I’m a Rubik’s Cuber. I love 3D puzzles. And that driftwood mosaic sculpture — I want to take it apart and put it back together.

Peng Wu, MFA student: Oh, I saw this in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts! I really like it; each little piece of wood has its own story.

Isaac Gale ’03, Music

1916 Wanda Gág, author and illustrator of Millions of Cats, the oldest American picture book still in print, graduates.

1950

1926 Museum trustees mandate frequent student visits to the MIA “to familiarize themselves with its permanent collection.”

Video. Bon Iver — Per th (Deluxe).

1943 Artist George Morrison graduates, later moving to New York.

School becomes a degree-granting institution. Director Edmund Kopietz steps down after 23 years, succeeded briefly by Robert Coffin.

1951 Study guided by Clinton Morrison determines the school should “rise above a pure trade school” and “must attempt to instill a sense of values.”

And what do you think of these works

by Project Projects, the design studio in Brooklyn cofounded by Adam Michaels ’00?

Werstein [reviewing the website]: It’s all about the user

Just wondering: did you know about these iPod ads by the studio named Logan, headed by Alexei Tylevich ’94 and Ben Conrad ’95?

experience…this work is gorgeous, and I like that they keep to the high-modernist ideal in design. All these publications look like so much fun to work on.

Moser: They’re so very original. They’ve worked with

Burrus: I’m so jealous of great design — my mind doesn’t

middle school, and got my first iPod. They work so well because they’re graphic, and simple enough that they don’t show the real features, just how it’s supposed to be used.

organize so neatly. I like how they have that diagonal line on the book cover, like you’d dog-ear a page when you’re reading.

the brand equity of Apple very well.

Henry: These commercials came out when I was in

Albornoz, sophomore: People from MCAD did

“Minneapolis “I consider the School

of Art one of the greatest assets of the Northwest. It is conducted in the finest art school building in the United States…

”

— George E. Leach, Mayor of Minneapolis, 1927

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How would you organize your own history so far?

this? Really? That’s so cool. You can see those iTunes gift cards [with the same silhouette design] all over Latin America.

Johnson: Well, I’ve lived two decades now…I’d definitely include when I first decided to be an artist, when I drew a robin at my grandparents’ house during preschool.

Moser: I’d group by accomplishments, and the times of genuine happiness. Also by what I’ve made already — it’s something that wouldn’t exist except for me!

Thomas: I group my life by industry and role more than anything — the service-based design industry, greeting card product illustration, and quilting and fabrics as a business owner.

Ibarra: “Life before MCAD” — I felt my creativity had little focus. [Then] “Life after MCAD” — perhaps a more polished version of myself.

Nowadays I’m living in “Life after Seoul” — an era I never dreamed of being in, as an expat English teacher. I never knew I’d LOVE this, and have been able to use many of the communication skills (both visual and verbal) that I practiced at MCAD.

1955 Design wing is added to the Morrison Building.

1960 The school’s BFA program was among America’s first accredited art and design programs.

1963 Junior Year Abroad program launches.

Grades are abolished.

> Read about some of MCAD's notable alumni from the past 125 years at MCAD.edu/125/alumni

’95, A pple Ben Conrad ch ’94 and age cour tvi le Im Ty t. i en xe em Ale T V ad vertis ” ty en ev iPod “S PingMag. le Inc. and es ty of A pp

1970

1981

Minneapolis School of Art is renamed Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD).

Enrollment doubles to almost 600 students.

Design chair Peter Seltz creates first computer lab at MCAD.

What might your own ‘future history’ be?

Imagine 25 years from now…

Peng: It’s my future, not my history! But history is so abstract; you have to embody it in actual things. I moved around so much in China, and always saved one thing from the last place I lived when I got a new apartment. I never plan more than one year ahead.

Gross: Published and successful!

Petersen: I don’t see a limit on what I can do — could be both design and illustration. I’d like having a clothing line, maybe even sew it myself. I sewed this hat!

Henry: I can’t even fathom the first year after graduation! But James Casebere ‘76, "La ndscapes with Houses (Dutchess County, NY ) #8”, 2010.

certainly to be part of a making community, like indie films on a local basis.

— Phil Anderson

James Casebere ’76 is going to be on campus in 2012. What do you think of this work?

Albornoz: These are plaster? Cardboard? This older one looks like some really fancy cake.

Peng: These are from stop-motion films? Oh…wow, it

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becomes more and more sophisticated.

Johnson: Is he an architect? Oh, a photographer? I wonder how he took these shots.

Gross: Is he a set designer?… It’s very theatrical, that’s for sure.

New MC AD sig

Martin: It seems like a micro/macro experiment, or like

nage — phot

Kurt Schwitters’s Merzbau work. You can make profound statements with miniature objects…and it’s so precisely done. I feel I could go to these places.

1988 After more than a century of shared history through the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts, MCAD and the MIA become autonomous organizations.

1998 1994 DesignWorks, the in-house, on-campus design studio, opens.

The MCAD Art Sale launches, giving students a chance to create, showcase and sell their work to the public. Since 1998, it has raised more than $1 million.

o by Patrick Ke

lley ‘0 6.

2000s MCAD is one of the nation’s first colleges to issue a laptop to every incoming student, a trend soon followed at other colleges nationwide.

2011 MCAD celebrates its 125th anniversary.

LOOK

RECENT GRADUATE MOVES TO NEW YORK, MAKES GOOD 16

THE DREAMS OF YOUNG ART STUDENTS come in all shapes and sizes, but none so big as moving to New York and “making it” fresh out of school. In that right, Tuesday Bassen ’11 is living the dream, but while she has arrived, she understands she didn’t make it there alone.

A newly Brooklyn-based illustrator, cofounder and curator of the design blog Studio Sweet Studio, and one of GOOD Magazine’s “Top 25 Favorite Female Illustrators,” Bassen’s recent clients include The New York Times, Fiat, BUST Magazine, and Target. “As luck would have it, I’m living my (more recent) dream of drawing for a living,” Bassen says.

Though she has quickly found work at the forefront of her field, Bassen understands her role as part of a community. “I love promoting other talented people, and I have no qualms with recommending other people for illustration jobs. Share it all! You’re talented and creative, you can, and will, find MORE opportunities, more people to talk to and more people that will find your work engaging.

You won’t win if your community can’t win.”

–COURTNEY ALGEO

Bassen’s newest project, The City Scout, made specifically with the traveling artist community in mind.

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mcad / spring 2012

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The Economics of an Education: How MCAD is meeting scholarship needs Sarah Fowler ‘12 Drawing & Painting “Scholarship support has given me the opportunity to grow as an artist and as a person, particularly studying in Ireland last year, and it will allow me more post-graduation flexibility because of reduced debt.”

The demands on 21st century college students are President Jay Coogan describes MCAD as an not for the faint of heart. Determining what career “incubator of innovation.” MCAD’s goal is to train path to pursue — personal passion versus financial students to be successful in the visual world — a stability — particularly in a lagging economy reworld that is important to this country’s economic quires equal parts focus and soul searching. Figuring vitality and increasingly diverse cultural landscape. out how to pay for it is an altogether different matter, “We encourage and grow creative thinking at MCAD especially if it is a small, high caliber private instituand it is unquestionably what our country needs. tion like the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, We encourage people with imagination and allow where the 2011–2012 academic year cost $30,450. them to continue in the creative side of their minds And that was only tuition! Making ends meet is in order to give future meaning, individually and critical for today’s student. universally, to our country.” He notes that corporaAlong with changes to programs and the tools tions and private businesses are establishing new that students use (see illustration this page), the positions titled Lead Designer or Chief Innovation financial support landscape of today is vastly difOfficer, whose creative voice impacts a company’s ferent from years gone by. In 1990, Federal Aid (Pell vision, direction and future success. “Design is the grants and Stafford loans) covered 60 percent of a differentiator in the marketplace from environmenrecipient’s tuition. In 2012, those same grants and tal to product design,” says Coogan. loans cover only 36 percent of tuition costs. While With the change in school costs, and the recent students have a great number of decisions to make dip in the economy, many prospective students are about attending school, cost is the primary obstacle beginning to wonder if college, or moreover, if MCAD keeping top-notch students from enrolling, even is worth it. Absolutely. Just ask Christina Chen, a though more than 90 percent of MCAD’s approxischolarship recipient pursuing a bachelor of science mately 650 degree-track students are awarded some degree. “MCAD is a pricey school, but definitely form of financial assistance. worth the money if you’re willing to be pushed to McKenzie Erickson, 22, a junior pursuing a your limits every day, every night until graduation. bachelor of science degree in visualization data unMCAD constantly pushes me to become a better derstands, first hand, the need for funding. “MCAD artist and visual communicator.” empowers students to be successful. It clearly values Obviously, scholarships are the gateway for many creative activity but it is also a school that provides students to launch their fledgling careers in the crestudents with practical skills and emphasizes real ative economy. Three primary scholarship spots life experiences through internships and jobs,” she are available to MCAD students: NOW scholarships, proffers. For her, however, it was the financial supannual scholarships, and endowed scholarships. port that “sealed the deal” in her decision to attend NOW Scholarships fill in the cracks where other MCAD. “The support allows me to complete my financial aid packages are simply not enough. Judegree in a timely manner in a creative environment niors and seniors are particularly at risk for falling with very little debt. This means greater flexibility behind, as they have added expenses associated with when I graduate,” she explains. projects and exhibitions. In most cases, a one-time

The Average MCAD Scholarship Student in 2012:

2a. Tool: custom-build MacBook Pro $2,500.

1a. MCAD offers three degrees: BFA, BSc, MA, MFA and three Post-baccalaureate certificates.

3a. Maximum federal aid (Stafford loan and Pell grant) covered 36% of tuition tuition.

4a. MCAD students have access to programs in Florence, Germany, England, Austria, Italy, Japan, Ireland, the Netherlands, and China.

NOW scholarship of $3,000 enables hardworking students to avoid dropping out and achieve their academic dreams.

Annual Scholarships are established by individuals, corporations, and foundations and can be named by donating $2,000 or more annually for four or more years. These funds are expended in full each year and therefore earn no income. Donors may establish award criteria (minimum GPA, area of study, etc.) or may allow the college to distribute funds based on student need.

Endowed Scholarship Funds require a generous contribution of $25,000 or more. These permanent funds keep giving each year; they also keep growing since only a portion of the income generated is awarded annually in scholarship support. Endowed scholarship funds may honor a family member, mentor or friend of the college and may be funded with a single gift, gifts over a number of years, or a bequest.

Donors may establish award criteria (minimum GPA, area of study, etc.) or may allow the college to distribute funds based on student need.

For sophomore illustration major Bobby Rogers, a Minneapolis native, scholarships have been the golden key to the creative and challenging life of MCAD. “I wouldn’t be here without financial support.

Continued on page 20

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5a. Student Faculty Ratio 12:1.

6a. Born during the Clinton presidency.

Design by Brian Walbergh ‘11

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Ben Peterson ‘14

“Students come here to find their tribe.”

Llew Mejia ‘12 Illustration “You could say the financial support gave me a leg up on time, as I would not have had the time or energy to focus on my work with a regular day job. It has helped me to travel and make connections and provided me with resources for post-graduation.”

It has allowed me to grow as a person and an artist.

My style has changed. My teachers allow me to develop my own style. It’s amazing.”

Ted Birt, 24, agrees. A senior graphic design major and a transfer student, he has benefitted from the NOW program in a basic way. “This scholarship helped cover my food and housing for my senior year, which helped me be healthy and comfortable,” Birt says. “Without aid, I would have had more postgraduation loans to pay off. Or I might not have been able to finish school. Period.”

Needless to say, financial support is the number one priority for MCAD. “It is imperative we identify donors who believe in the institution enough to give financial support so MCAD can compete nationally on price and quality,” Coogan explains.

“We are working very hard to offset costs by external sources such as private donors and philanthropic entities, alumni, and corporations.” These scholarship gifts will enable MCAD to attract students who will impact the future in critical and creative ways.

A small amount of money can make the difference between staying in school full time and quitting.

“Our students are a catalyst for creativity in the Twin Cities,” says Joan Grathwol Olson, MCAD’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement.

“We need to keep them here.”

About 60 percent of MCAD’s student body is from Minnesota and approximately forty percent are transfer students. But to stay competitive, according to William Mullen, Vice President of Enrollment Management, MCAD must recruit nationally. Statistics show that the Upper Midwest and the East Coast are losing one to two percent of their student population base each year as families move to the burgeoning Southeast and Southwest. Ironically, he points out, most colleges are in the East and

Graphic Design “At MCAD I’m much more confident that I will not only grow within school but that I will succeed after school as well.

Things are much better at a school that knows me and supports me as an individual.”

Midwest. Thus, MCAD must attract out-of-state students who otherwise would take in-state financial support in states like Texas or California.

“MCAD will provide $6.7 million in aid to students in the 2012–2013 academic year. And family incomes are flat,” states Mullen. “In order to provide support and services to a culturally diverse student body, raising scholarship money is critical.”

Patricia Welch is a junior fine arts major, a mother of two, and a former photographer in New York.

MCAD has given her an unparalleled experience studying sculpture. “With sculpture I had my first real breakout experience, where I did something totally different, on my own terms. I’ve never had that kind of breakout moment before, and I’ve wanted it all my life,” she enthuses. “Without financial suport, none of this would be possible.”

No matter how one cuts the financial pie, student scholarships are critical to MCAD’s growth as an art and design college dedicated to quality, artistic integrity, and its students’ success. Grathwol Olson interprets MCAD’s appeal, if not its abstract importance, with a poetic observation about the MCAD experience. “Everybody knows everyone — and cares — at MCAD. Students come here to find their tribe.”

Mejia concurs. “MCAD is fulfilling because of the family I have created by meeting various people and mutually recognizing commonalities in each other,” he says. “Making better connections with people who will help you later in your respective career is important.”

Perhaps McKenzie Erickson puts the sharpest point on the critical importance of student scholarships. “You’re supposed to get as much out of school as you can,” she proffers. “And I am, because of my financial aid.” — Mason Riddle

The Average MCAD Scholarship Student in 1990: 1b. Voted on 1992 ballot that elected Bill Clinton.

2b. MCAD offers one degree — BFA.

3b. Tools: Paint brush and X-acto knife $1.90.

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illustration by Bill Rebholz ‘12

4b. Maximum federal aid (Stafford loan and Pell grant) covered 60% of MCAD tuition.

5b. Student Faculty Ratio 10:1.

Mason Riddle is a St. Paul based writer of articles and reviews about the visual arts, architecture, and design.

Brian Walbergh ’11 is a graphic designer and book maker currently working at the Walker Art Center.

Bill Rebholz ’12 is an illustrator and typeographer working at MCAD’s DesignWorks.

6b. MCAD offered one study abroad program in Florence. mcad / spring 2011

SHARPEN EDGES

career & Professional Development

Students show off their talents to local businesses hoping to make a professional connection.

Creating Connections

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M

inneapolis College of Art and Design strives to bring creativity and application together. One of the strongest examples comes during the annual Emerging Talent Showcase. Graduating seniors have the opportunity to show their work to relevant businesses. All majors are invited to participate.

Linking potential employers to graduating seniors is essential, even if the businesses do not currently have openings. KSTP’s Director of Creative Services Paul Gaulke and Henry Schneider ’11, a film major at MCAD, benefited by meeting each other at last year’s event. When KSTP had an opening, they already had Schneider’s resume on file — Gaulke had seen his work and knew his talent. Schneider said, “I wasn’t exactly looking for a job, but I was opening as many doors as possible.” He interviewed and was chosen to be KSTP’s new producer/editor.

“My art director and I both find the showcase to be a great use of our time,” stated Gaulke. “We get to meet new talent coming into the job force. They are students with very defined skills that easily transfer to > To see the work of MCAD’s graduating seniors, visit MCAD.edu/talent.

our industry. But it’s also great to see the work that’s being done. These students are reflecting what’s new and changing with art and design. It’s a quick way to get your mind refreshed and refocused. Plus, MCAD does a great job of organizing the event, so you can maximize your time with the students who fit your areas of need.”

Schneider suggests that employers pay great attention to the students’ skills. While most students have not worked on corporate or commercial projects and their portfolios are usually personal work, they will rise to the occasion if given the chance. He added, “MCAD students have drive and commitment to make things better and faster than anyone else. They are wholeheartedly in love with doing what they do and that will make them excel in any situation.”

–Phyllis Ware > This year’s event is scheduled for Friday, May 4, 1:00–3:30 p.m., with a reception to follow. Contact Christine Daves at cdaves@mcad.edu or careers@mcad.edu for more information.

photos courtesy MCAD Career Services

MCAD’s EMERGING TALENT SHOWCASE provides linked opportunities for students and businesses

Minneapolis College of Art and Design is pleased to announce the launch of two new online programs: a 36-credit master’s degree in sustainable design and a 30-credit post-baccalaureate certificate in interactive design and marketing. These two new offerings join our successful 30-credit post-baccalaureate certificate in graphic design, creating professional growth opportunities for students looking to continue their education. From environmentally friendly design to interactive marketing, to identity and brand development, these programs are teaching the skills necessary to succeed in today’s creative workplace.

For more information on MCAD’s professional development programs, visit mcad.edu/ academic-programs. Application deadlines are May 15 for certificates and June 15 for the new master’s degree.

This page: Ibada Wadud ’11 shown with examples of her project, June 2011.

PLOTTING THE CHANGING COURSE: MCAD CONTINUING STUDIES STUDENTS CHART NEW PROFESSIONAL WORLDS

A

lot can change between the time a college student declares a major and that first step into the professional world. The reality of the job environment, changing personal interests, and a growing awareness of professional fields may lead one away from an initial goal set at the beginning of a college career. Two Minneapolis College of Art and Design Continuing Studies students recently found themselves far away from where they began professionally.

Ibada Wadud ’11, a student with wide-ranging interests who began her career working in international politics and social justice, moving eventually to teaching English, is now enrolled in MCAD’s Sustainable Design Online program on a new path toward becoming an eco-fashion designer. When asked why she is passionate about the field of eco-fashion design, Wadud said, “I believe that design thinking is unique in its ability to drive innovation and that it will take more than good business, charity, or aid to improve human well-being for future generations.” For

Wadud’s changing goals, MCAD’s Sustainable Design Online program is the perfect combination of design, education, and a community of “aspiring, creative social change makers.”

As an undergraduate, Benjamin Johnson was focused on the field of kinesiology; however, after working for several years in a job that wasn’t measuring up to his goals and expectations, he shifted his attention to graphic design. Johnson’s philosophy is that “life’s too short not to pursue your passions and do what you really love.” After extensive research on breaking in to the field of design, he found MCAD’s Graphic Design Certificate program. A recent graduate, Johnson now works with 3e – The Life Time Agency as a Junior Art Director, which he says is “a rewarding career, doing what I love.”

Though they are working in different fields, both Wadud and Johnson recognized the need for continuing education programs to help them transition into new, fulfilling creative careers. –Lara Roy

mcad / spring 2012

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ALUMNI NOTES

1972

Frank Seidl, through his company Seidl Studios, is working with San Diego artist Flo Li to place her artwork with interior design companies nationally and internationally.

1975

Pamela Belding is currently working as creative director for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.

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Judy Luna, Fayetteville, Arkansas, is returning to filmmaking after a long absence, and is working toward an MA in broadcast journalism at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Her half-hour documentary film Home at Last: Hmong People in the Ozarks premiered in October at the Fayetteville Public Library.

1978

Doug Smock’s art was recently featured in volume three of InPrint Magazine.

1980

Bob Hoffmann was the Animation Director for Remi Gold and Remi Silver Awards in the Health and Wellness Category at the 44th Annual WorldFest-Houston Independent International Film and Video Festival.

Martha Shepp, in addition to showing her work at the Red River Theaters Gallery in Concord, New Hampshire, is training to teach the visual arts course of the International Baccalaureate Program at the New Hampton school, where she has been teaching art and graphic design for four years.

1982

Cindy Lindgren’s Fireflies illustration, created for an anniversary card produced by Great Arrow Graphics, was awarded a LOUIE Award

by The Greeting Card Association and presented during the National Stationary Show.

Beth Humphrey ’91 Beth had a solo exhibit of her recent paintings at the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum in Woodstock, NY. David Rathman had a solo show at Weinstein Gallery entitled The Other Side of Sunday, exhibiting his watercolor works. “I absolutely love ink and watercolor,” David has said. “I always have. Watercolor and ink have a mind of

> Submit your alumni notes to mcad.edu/alumni.

their own; as you paint you watch with amazement as the pigment pools, swirls and explodes. You end up with something unexpected and not of your hand.”

1986

Keith Braafladt’s new book Technology and Literacy: 21st Century Library Programming for Children and Teens, co-authored with Jennifer Nelson, was published by the American Library Association.

1988

Todd Larson volunteers as the board chair for Leonardo’s Basement/Studio Bricolage, a creative workshop in Minneapolis. The workshop received a 2012 Minnesota State Arts Board Arts Access Grant to provide arts programming, incorporating engineering and technology, for economically disadvantaged families and cognitively disabled persons in St. Paul.

Donna Jarva is currently working as a freelance graphic designer for small businesses dealing in services for print and web.

1989

Ann Tracy-Lopez, MFA, is working as an art teacher at Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson. Three of her paintings were included in the 2011 Arizona Biennial at the Tucson Museum of Art. Gail Wallinga’s photography appeared in Sticks in the Mind: Alaska Oil Spill Project, an installation by Carole Fisher ’64.

1990

Tom Eslinger, Worldwide Digital Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi, has been appointed as this year’s Mobile and Interactive Jury President at the Eurobest, Europe’s Creative Advertising Festival and Awards.

1992

Helen Greene started her own motion graphics company, Greenhaus GFX, which has provided graphics for such films as Battle: Los Angeles, The Change-Up, and The Smurfs.

Joseph O’Leary, founder and principal designer of Veto Design has launched his company’s new website, which can be found at www.vetodesign.com.

1993

Sonjia Erickson, Minneapolis, has launched a new design and culture blog.

Developed as a celebration of creative spirits, Blue Bergitt is a thoughtfully edited collection of tidbits and whatnots, curated with personal sensibility, design aesthetic, and curiosity in mind.

Theodore Holdt’s work was shown at a joint exhibition entitled Gamic Magic with artist Jesse Reno at the Graeter Art Gallery in Portland, Oregon.

Merick Reed, as part of the Minneapolis-based Carbon Collaborative, created a new identity for the frozen yogurt vendor Mixmi.

1995

Jodi Reeb-Myers was recently commissioned to create three mixed-media paintings for the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital.

1996

Julie Fakler received McKnight Individual Established Artist Grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council.

Bill Rude’s paintings were part of the 2nd Annual Tribute to Disney’s Haunted Mansion group show, which was on display at the Parlour Gallery at Halloween Town in Burbank, California.

Brent Schoonover ’02, Brent’s poster illustration for the Minnesota History Center was selected for the 2011 Communication Arts’ Illustration Annual.

1997

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Jeff Berg wrote and illustrated a children’s book entitled Mrs. Claus and the Batty Christmas, after being inspired by his daughter’s question “How do vampires get their presents if they’re up all night?”

Camille Gage served as the national project leader for 10 Years + Counting, an artist-led initiative which encouraged musicians, artists, writers, and concerned citizens everywhere to do something creative during the days between September 11 and October 7, 2011 to mark the ten year anniversary of our nation at war.

Melissa Rands began doctoral studies this past fall in educational leadership and policy studies in higher education with an emphasis on social justice at Iowa State University. Her research interests include higher education administration and issues of equitable access to higher education.

1998

Edith Garcia authored the book Ceramics and the Human Figure, which will be released by A&C Black in 2012.

Jamie Sawyer ’10 working with a small team of artists at Rok!t Studio in Los Angeles, created the title sequence for Marvel Studio’s Captain America: The First Avenger movie.

The sequence was featured on the industry website Art of the Title.

Nathan Hinz, working with the design company Cue, was proud to launch a rebrand of Jack Daniel’s whiskey.

mcad / spring 2012

ALUMNI NOTES 1999

Jen Ward had her first solo exhibition of paintings at the Ecce Contemporary Gallery in Fargo, North Dakota.

2000

John Maichel Thomas’s short film Photos & Drawings won Best Cinematography at Ego Fest. He also created the opening title sequence to the independent feature film Au Pair, an official selection of the 2011 Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival.

2001

Marlo Cronquist spends a great deal of time blowing glass at the FOCI Minnesota Center for Glass Arts and was honored to be named artist of the month in September of 2011.

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Karen Wilcox has been invited to exhibit two of her wall installations, Muse and 28 Prayers, at Art on the Plains XI, showing though May 2012 at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota.

Julie Jilek ’05 Julie participated in the first annual Fox Valley Plein Air Event in August, a three-day competition in Wisconsin, where she was awarded third place for her painting The Glow. She will also be included in Strokes of Genius: The Exploring Line, the fourth edition of the acclaimed Best of Drawing collection from Northern Lights Books.

2002

Emily Christenson’s Pelagic Series: Schooling # 2, a diptych in charcoal and encaustic on paper, was purchased by the Dubuque Museum of Art for their permanent collection after receiving a 2010 Biennial Purchase Award.

Michael Gaughan teamed up with the Cedar Cultural Center to organize a citywide, clue-by-clue scavenger hunt bike event called “Capture the Adventure.” The event included live music, art, performance, clues, and activities that took place during the summer of 2011 at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.

Thomas Boyer ’10, MFA, had a solo

exhibit at the SCENE Gallery in the advertising agency Carmichael Lynch. His show Reworking the Family Album centered on manipulating photos from his own family’s albums. He also had work on display in the show t at the Mpls Photo Center. > Submit your alumni notes to mcad.edu/alumni.

Erin Hauber was awarded the “2011 Full-time Excellence in Teaching Award” at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. This award is one of three that the school gives out each year. Hauber, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts, received nominations from alumni, students, faculty, and academic administrators for teaching excellence among the fulltime faculty.

Gilpin Matthews’ company Kick.Stand.

Press, which offers custom and contemporary screen printing, was proud to open its new doors in the Casket Arts Building in Northeast Minneapolis.

Tyler Page, MFA, has signed with agent Jennifer Linnan at Sanford J.

Greenburger Associates to represent and develop his book Raised on Ritalin while he searches for a publisher.

Alyssa Thomas’ studio, where she makes all of her embroidered patterns for her company Penguin & Fish, was featured in the Fall 2011 issue of Studios Magazine.

2004

Nicole Schoonover’s photograph entitled Barber Chair, Eastern State Penitentiary was accepted into the 2011 Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition.

2005

Mitchell Dose had a solo exhibit at the Peerless Gallery in Omaha, Nebraska, called Zones.

Samantha French had a solo exhibit entitled Open Swim at the Left Bank Gallery in Essex, Connecticut.

Anne Haberstroh, MFA, had the opportunity to create educational decors as part of a series of kitchenware for children by the company EMSA, a leading manufacturer of household and garden items.

Aaron Hauck took part in a group show at the TNC Gallery in New York, along with, among other artists, Samantha French ’05.

Bethany Kalk, MFA, completed a mural for the city of Indianapolis to decorate a wall along the canal under the New York Street Bridge.

Melissa Loop had two solo shows, one at the Soo Visual Arts Center in Minneapolis and another at the Breeze Block Gallery in Portland, Oregon.

2006

Christy Oates will have three pieces in a group show at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, set to go up in July. The three pieces in that show will join work from thirty-nine other artists in an exhibition entitled 40 Under 40.

The exhibition celebrates the Renwick’s 40th Anniversary and will tour the nation. Upon its return, the Crane Chair — a piece from the exhibit — will be added to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Monica Haller, MFA, was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for photography.

J.M. Culver was featured in an episode of Minnesota Original on Twin Cities Public Television.

Jeff Anderson had a solo exhibit entitled Operator Error at the Denizen Gallery in Portland, Oregon.

Jared Watsabaugh and Michael Dvorak ’96 had their photographs showcased in an exhibit entitled The Final Eight as the final part of OverExposure’s three-year project What’s New?, which dealt with the growth and challenges of neighborhoods in and around Minneapolis.

Pamela Kirton has created a fine collection of illustrated bird calendars for 2012, available through Lulu.

Sara Lintner’s “Sly Fox” child’s onesie, from her product line Too Many Suitors was featured in Parents magazine last November. This product line was her senior project at MCAD. In addition, her logo design was featured in Print magazine’s Regional Design annual, 2011.

Karen O’Bryan’s work was featured as part of AZ Gallery’s Art Brawl in St. Paul, an event similar to The Art Crawl “but…quarrelsome.”

2007

Joe Dressel directed a film entitled Rough Tender, which was selected by the Film Society of MinneapolisSt. Paul as the Best Minnesota-Made Narrative Feature of the 28th Annual Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival. The film has been described as “a darkly comic, sadly sweet, and even poignant tale about

Gregory Euclide ’08, MFA Gregory did the artwork for the 2011 Grammy Award-winning Bon Iver album Holocene and his single Calgary.

finding and keeping love despite the odds.”

Emily Harris attended the Milton Glaser Summer Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, an intensive week of design boot camp led by Mr. Glaser himself.

Esther Loopstra is now the creative director at PurpleTrail, and invitation and card company in Seattle.

Angela Zammarelli, MFA, was named a 2011 Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in sculpture/installation.

Ke Jiang ’05 worked independently to animate a five-minute 3D segment of a special episode of the popular Cartoon Network program Adventure Time, which will air in February.

2008

Kenny Abdo received his master’s degree in journalism from Georgetown University. He will continue to live in Washington as he pursues his writing career.

Brendan Leahy, MFA, taught Intro to Film Production at Washington University, and is teaching Intro and Intermediate Filmmaking this spring.

In other news, the film he created for his graduate thesis show won first place in the St. Louis Filmmaker’s Showcase and was chosen to screen at the St. Louis International Film Festival.

Betsy Ruth Byers, MFA, has an exhibit entitled Peripheral Accumulations on display through March at the University of Minnesota Morris Humanities Fine Arts Gallery.

Mike Sgier, MFA, contributed his comic The Muon to Secret Prison #4, an alt-comics tabloid published in Philadelphia. He also contributed a sketchbook to The Sketchbook Project 2011, sponsored by the Art House Co-op and the Brooklyn Art Library.

The exhibit went on the road, visiting ten different states over the course of 2011.

2009

Owen Dennis has released a new music album called Galactaron. The album is the score to an electronic musical, the story of a space band named Galactaron and their maiden voyage to Earth. The album features wailing guitars, gigantic synthesizers, and songs in multiple languages.

mcad / spring 2012

27

In Memoriam Robert J. Anderson ’57 passed away October 25, 2011. His final year was spent painting Canadian Landscapes for an exhibition in December 2011 at the First Unitarian Congregation in Toronto.

ALUMNI NOTES Kingdom, run by Blast Theory, an internationally acclaimed group of artists who use interactive media to create “groundbreaking new forms of performance and interactive art that mixes audiences across the Internet.”

2010

John Bell, MFA, has work in the upcoming Midwestern issue of New American Painting, no. 95.

Kathryn Evans had a six month internship at the design company Duffy + Partners where she participated in designing labels and packaging materials for various commercial product lines.

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Gregory Ganeles received a Next Step Fund grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.

Rececca Wichmann ’08, Rebecca won first prize in the graphic design contest as part of the Europe Day celebration sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Consulate General of Sweden, the Consulate General of Finland, and the Delegation of the European Union to Russia. Her winning design, themed in provoking youth to take part in the environmental protection of Europe, will be distributed across Europe in the form of postcards and posters.

Ben Innes exhibited his work at Maker Faire, “a showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness and a celebration of the Maker mindset” and the world’s largest DIY festival created by MAKE Magazine. Additionally, he has been doing photo work for The New York Times.

Liz Plahn was promoted to Senior Designer at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art after working as Junior Designer since 2009.

Tyler Stefanich will be doing a residency at 20 Wellington Road, a renovated Victorian icehouse overlooking Shoreham Harbor, in Brighton, United

Amanda Lovelee, MFA, has finally completed her Call and Answer Project documentary film after a year of hard work. The project focuses on the connections between strangers and square dancing, Minnesota’s state dance. Lovelee also was accepted to the Minnesota Center for Book Arts Jerome Foundation Book Arts Mentorship Program.

Victoria Martinez had her first solo exhibition, Pills Posted, Golden Stone, at the Metro Gallery in Baltimore,. She was also accepted to the Arquetopia, Foundation for Development Artist-in-Residency program in Puebla, Mexico.

Tamara McCoy-Barroll started a new job as a project coordinator at Periscope, an independent advertising agency located in the Mill District of Minneapolis.

Jenny Tondera’s Urban Outfitters Summer Internship 2010 newsprint collaboration piece with Michael Aberman ’11 and Annie Wang ’11 was selected to be featured in the 2010 AIGA Philadelphia Design Awards and was on

> Submit your alumni notes to mcad.edu/alumni.

exhibit at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia during the summer of 2011.

2011

Kody Goodson started a job at Six Speed with fellow graduate Mitch Green ’11.

Tuesday Bassen and Meg Lewis ’11 have launched a sister site to their design blog Studio Sweet Studio called The City Scout, tailored specifically to traveling creatives who are looking for an off-the-beaten-path city experience, featuring city guides from designers all around the world.

Robert James Algeo, MFA, was selected as one of the “seven up-andcoming artists so good we never want them to leave” by Twin Cities Metro Magazine in their fourth annual Keeper Awards issue, January 2012. He is the first comic artist to make the list.

Annie Wang, Emily Reile ’11, Julie Roche ’10, and Alexandra Roche ’10 have been working collectively as Cave Party, and have been featured in GOOD Magazine’s “25 Female Designers and Illustrators We Love,” alongside Tuesday Bassen ’11, Sarah Kissell ’08, Aimee Gauthier ’09, and Anne Ulku ’07.

Alumni Notes and Photos Alumni notes will be edited for clarity and style. We also welcome photos of all alumni gatherings at recent ceremonies, opening receptions, or other events. Each image must be 300 dpi and include the event name, location, date, and alumni names. We will publish as many photos as space permits.

CONTACT mcad.edu/alumni alumninotes@mcad.edu

Jan L. Erickson ’86 passed away on April 6, 2011. A loving mother, daughter, and sister, Jan was a truly moving artist. She spent her final year in Panama City, Florida.

David R. Hadley ’66 passed away peacefully at home in Oakton, Virginia, on December 31. David received his BFA with highest honors at MCAD, where he later taught and served as Assistant Dean of Administration.

Inese Jansons ’72 of New Bedford, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully February 1, 2011. Inese was an accomplished artist and the illustrator of many books including The Sea Wedding and Other Stories from Estonia, My Amazing Body, and Gabby Gaffer. Inese will be dearly missed by her many Latvian and American friends.

Walter Mattila ’63 of Brookyn Center, passed away November 1, 2011.

Walter grew up in Minneapolis and worked in product design, most notably with Shamrock Industries.

Kathleen O’Rourke ’01, PB, of Minneapolis passed away on April 3, 2011. A talented and accomplished colorist, designer, screen print artist, and adjunct professor, Kate was a graduate of the University of Minnesota, MCAD, and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Carrie S. Pickmosa ’87 passed away on October 27, 2011 at the City of Hope Hospital in California, surrounded by her family and loved ones. She resided in San Diego and enjoyed training people for the Voter Registration Department and, along with James Oehlke, enjoyed exploring the beauty of San Diego and California.

Jean Smith ’50 passed away peacefully on September 14, 2011. Jean was a member of the Easton Academy of Arts, the Dorchester Art Center, and the Working Artist Forum on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Christine Rosholt ’89 passed away suddenly on December 28, 2011.

A talented and well-known jazz singer, Christine was also drawn to painting and photography. She studied at both MCAD and the Art Institute of Chicago.

WATERCOLOR PHILANTHROPY:

GIVING BACK

photo by Patrick Kelley ’06

The Art Sale Altruist Club offers recent graduates an opportunity to give back to MCAD Like most recent college graduates, Allegra Lockstadt isn’t swimming in cash. But the Minneapolis College of Art and Design 2010 fine arts studio major is rich in the watercolor and Crayola marker drawings and paintings that she creates from images she finds in popular culture.

So when MCAD announced the opportunity for students and recent graduates to donate a work of art to the annual MCAD Art Sale through a new scholarship fundraising program called the Art Sale Altruist Club, Lockstadt jumped at the chance. “I was able to come to MCAD because I received a scholarship,” says the Kentucky native, who now lives in St. Paul and works as a freelance designer and illustrator. “I don’t have money to donate, but I do have work that is available that I can contribute.”

This year, 59 of the 181 participants in the Art Show volunteered a work of art. Of those volunteers, twenty-two sold pieces, which in turn generated over $5,000 for scholarship funding for current students who are struggling financially to stay enrolled. “It’s fantastic that one-third of the artists chose to contribute to this new program.

The college’s highest priority is attracting and retaining talented students, and it’s clearly a concern for students, too. Programs like this are critical to our ability to keep MCAD affordable and community focused,” remarked president Jay Coogan.

Lockstadt is thrilled she was able to participate. “Even though what I donated was small in terms of yearly tuition, it will help someone go to MCAD,” she says. “It’s a great opportunity.”

–ELIZABETH FOY LARSEN

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mcad / spring 2012

OPENINGS & EVENTS

ATTENDING AN EVENT OR OPENING? Grab two MCADers and take a photo. Send us your pictures, and we’ll run them in this space.

Upload at mcad.edu/alumni, or email from your phone to magazine@mcad.edu.

pARTy 125 MCAD celebrated its 125th anniversary in style with a September 17 event that featured a dinner, auction and dance pARTy with DJ Spooky.

The evening's proceeds supported scholarships for current MCAD students.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: • MCAD's main building received some mood lighting showcasing student creativity. • Event Co-Chair Betsy Massie with Brian Palmer. • Trustee Miles Fiterman with alum James Rosenquist, Shirley Fiterman and Steven Fiterman. • Life Trustee Clinton Morrison was honored with a special reception. • A painting by Samantha French '05 was the highlight of the live auction. • Alumni Association President Janet Groenert '79 with James Rosenquist and Emily Taylor '00. • Event CoChair Lee Lynch was the auction emcee. • Kara Gregory '14 and Jacob Schroeder '14 contributed a painting and stopped by on their way to the Black and White Ball. > View our latest gallery and campus photos at flickr.com/mcad_photo.

Opening Night for 14th Annual MCAD Art Sale MCAD Trustees, alumni, and members of the President's Circle gathered to celebrate MCAD as a catalyst for creativity.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: • Elisa Porcini, Trustee Mauro Porcini, Melinda Nelson, Joan Grathwol Olson, Trustee Cy DeCosse '52, Paula DeCosse, Cindy Theis. • Mat Olig '10. • Robert and Gail Blake. • Kathleen Pletcher and President Jay Coogan smile for the camera with Ute Bertog '05 and Melissa Loop '05. • Team members from BI Worldwide celebrate with Lars Mason. photos by Patrick Kelley ’06.

mcad / spring 2012

CREATIVITY & PURPOSE

From left to right: Tousue Vang ’11, Morgan Richter ’11, Patrick Kisport ’12, Madeline Reese, Michelle Schwartzbauer ’11, Alicia Reyerson ’12, Derek Skar ’12, and professor Nancy Rice ’70.

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Nancy Rice '70

T

ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, BSC PROGRAM

his past spring, a group of MCAD advertising juniors and seniors took the world by storm — or by social media, integrated design, and a unique approach to culture-crossing communications, to be exact. Led by industry pioneer and advertising legend Nancy Rice ’70 and the members of “Team 15,” the group developed a comprehensive communications plan for the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). Founded in 1915, WILPF is a worldwide organization active in forty-two countries that’s dedicated to promoting human rights and justice initiatives across the globe. The proposal, which was aimed at helping WILPF generate awareness, increase youth membership, and reach out to the next generation of leaders, was developed by students over the course of the spring semester. To present their plan, members of the class traveled to North Carolina, Costa Rica, and the

United Nations Summit in New York, where the proposal was met with enthusiasm by WILPF Secretary General Madeline Rees.

Now in its production stage at MCAD DesignWorks, the plan is set to launch in two years. But that doesn’t mean it’s strayed far from the minds of its original creators. Several of the students who completed the class have already committed to returning next year and seeing the proposal through in advisory roles. In addition to providing the students with intimate local, national, and international connections, Rice says the WILPF project gave students the knowledge that “the power to affect the peacekeeping world is in their hands, right now.

They don’t have to wait for graduation or their first job; they already have the skills and wisdom needed to change the world and it’s entirely up to them to make it happen.”

–R.S.

MCAD DONOR PROFILE

MCAD MAGAZINE Published for alumni, donors, and friends.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Grathwol Olson MANAGING EDITOR Courtney Algeo CONTRIBUTING EDITORS & WRITERS Jay Gabler / Morgan Halaska / Holly Harrison Elizabeth Foy Larsen / Carleen Pieper Mason Riddle / Lara Roy / Regan Smith Andy Steiner / Phyllis Ware ART DIRECTORS Brian Donahue, Principal, bedesign, inc.

Brent Meyers ’97, Director, MCAD DesignWorks

A Legacy of Good Design

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS & DESIGNERS Patrick Kelly ’06 / Brian Mueller ’12 / Bill Rebholz ’12 / Nicole Summers ’10 / Brian Wahlberg ’11

Renowned interior designer Tom Gunkelman’s generosity to MCAD lives on.

illustration by Bill Rebholz ’12

W

hether a can opener in his kitchen, a typeface on a business card, or one of the stunning interiors he designed for homes and businesses across the United States, the late Tom Gunkelman always made sure that his choices supported good design.

Originally from Fargo, North Dakota, Gunkelman burst onto the Twin Cities interior design scene in 1976, when he moved his firm, Gunkelman’s Interior Design, to a storefront on the Nicollet Mall. His success was recognized by House Beautiful magazine, which named him as one of the “Top 100 Designers in America” three times.

A friend of Minneapolis College of Art and Design for more than twenty years, Gunkelman began his involvement at the college as a volunteer with the MCAD Associates, a group of boosters and fundraisers. When his close friend and colleague Gaylord Benson — a graphic designer and MCAD graduate — passed away at a young age in 1994, Gunkelman wanted to make sure that other promising young designers would have access to an MCAD education.

ADVANCEMENT STAFF Joan Grathwol Olson, Vice President of Institutional Advancement / Brian Gioielli, Director of Major and Alumni Giving / Cindy Theis, Director of Development / Cheryl Wolken, Advancement Services Coordinator / Kristine Wyant, Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations

Gunkelman established the Gaylord Benson Merit Scholarship to achieve that purpose. “Tom believed in providing opportunities for young people,” says Cindy Theis, MCAD Development Director. “He wanted to help people’s careers in the creative community and liked making sure there were no financial barriers for talented students.” He supported the scholarship for fifteen years before he died last May at the age of 81.

Before his death, Gunkelman made a provision in his estate that the Gaylord Benson Merit Scholarship would be permanently endowed at MCAD to ensure that financial opportunities will be available for MCAD students in design. Thanks to his long view of generosity toward the arts, Gunkelman’s legacy will live on for generations to come, and the scholarship will continue to be awarded. Once the estate closes, plans are underway to change the name of the endowed award to the Tom Gunkelman/Gaylord Benson Merit Scholarship. “The continuance and support of good design was so important to Tom,” says Brad Shark, a friend and colleague. “He wanted to make sure that it continued when he was gone.”

–E.F.L.

> For more information on endowed scholarship funds or how to make an estate gift,

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Janet Groenert ’79, President / Emily Taylor ’00, Vice President / Mike Keefe ’86, President Emeritus / Abigail Allan ’08 / Keith Braafladt ’86 / Joe Cecere ’92 / Jan Elftmann ’84 / Kerri Jamison ’02 / Gary Springer ’63 / Hilary Bullock ’89 / Justin Clifton ’00 / Boriana Mintcheva-Strzok ’08 / Deb Beck ’07 / Jake Szymanski ’10 / Julie Sirek ’10 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Bruce Bean, Chair / Mary Lazarus, Vice Chair Kevin Bennett / Leslie Berkshire / Uri Camarena Anne Cashill ’83 / Nathan Davis / Andrew Dayton / Miles Fiterman / John Lindahl Monica Little ’78 / Mitzi Magid / Betsy Massie David E. Moore, Jr. / Clinton H. Morrison Mauro Porcini / Howard Rubin / Julie Snow D. Robert Teslow II / Bill Thorburn ’84 LIFE TRUSTEES Bruce Bean / Cy DeCosse ’52 / Clinton Morrison TRUSTEES BY VIRTUE OF OFFICE Jay Coogan, President / Janet Groenert ’79, President, Alumni Association Board of Directors

contact Cindy Theis at 612.874.3777 or ctheis@mcad.edu.

mcad / spring 2012

UPCOMING EVENTS The Post-Baccalaureate exhibition features the work of Ian Miller and Sreekishen Nair, who are graduating from MCAD’s post-baccalaureate program.

MFA Thesis Exhibition 2012 Northrup King Building Gallery 322 1500 Jackson Street NE, Mpls.

April 28 - May 12 Reception: May 11, 6:00–9:00 p.m.

Senior Commencement Exhibition All Galleries May 2–12 Ceremony and Reception: Saturday, May 12

Made at MCAD MCAD Gallery March 9–April 15 Reception: Friday, March 9, 6:00–8:00 p.m.

Jurors: Clara Kim, senior curator of visual arts, Walker Art Center, Travis Olson, creative co-chair, mono This annual all-school juried exhibition demonstrates the high caliber work executed by MCAD’s artists and designers.

Disegno 5: Undergraduate Drawing Show Concourse Gallery and Gallery 215 March 2–18 Reception: Friday, March 9, 6:00–8:00 p.m.

This traveling group exhibition features drawings by undergraduate students from four art institutions — the Kansas City Art Institute, the

Maryland Institute College of Art, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and the University of South Carolina. Exhibitions at each institution will include more than fifty works by twenty high caliber students. The artists selected to represent MCAD include Sarah Fowler, Ryan Hughes, Joshua Meillier, Nadia Pereira, and Luke Tromiczak.

Faculty Sabbatical Exhibition: Rebecca Alm, David Goldes, Brad Jirka, and Philip Larson Concourse Gallery March 24–April 15 Reception: Friday, April 13, 6:00–8:00 p.m.

Post-Baccalaureate Commencement Exhibition: Ian Miller and Sreekishen Nair Gallery 215 April 2–15 Reception: April 13, 6:00–8:00 p.m.

Emerging Talent Showcase Student Center May 4, 1:00–3:00 p.m.

A reception will follow.

For more information, contact Christine Daves, director of career services at cdaves@mcad.edu, or careers@mcad.edu.

About Change An exhibition featuring the transformative ideas and actions of MCAD alumni MCAD Gallery June 1–June 29 Reception in conjunction with Alumni Reunion weekend: Friday, June 1, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

As part of MCAD’s celebration of its 125th anniversary, this exhibition features a dozen alumni who have significantly influenced their respective professions.

MCAD’s 125th Community Celebration Northern Spark: A Blanche Nuit MCAD galleries and campus-wide June 9 Community celebration: 6:00–9:00 p.m.

Northern Spark: sundown, June 9 to sunrise, June 10