The Calendar section of today's Los Angeles Times had an interesting piece about the upcoming ARCOmadrid art fair and the fact that Los Angeles will be the "focus city" (rather than an entire country has been the case before). It appears L.A. is on a bit of a roll when it comes to interest from the international art community. Just last fall the city was honored by the International Book Fair in Guadalajara.
I won't be lucky enough to attend ARCOmadrid but I was in Guadalajara for the Book Fair and related exhibitions and if the buzz from Spain is the same as it was after Mexico then more recognition for the Los Angeles is likely to follow.
Otis alum Gajin Fujita '97 was one of four artists whose work was used in the article along with Raymond Pettibon, John Baldessari and Don Suggs (who had a major retrospective exhibition on campus in 2007).
You can read the entire article here. You can see a wide range of photos from alum Mark Dean Veca's exhibition in Guadalajara that was part of the Book Fair here.
18 February 2010
LA Lauded Again
03 November 2009
Mia's Motivations
I just finished reading a great interview with Otis alum Michelle Mia Araujo ('07) on Art Nouveau Magazine's website. I've been following Mia's career pretty closely ever since we used one of her images for an ad in Juxtapoz Magazine, and it's been rewarding to see how she continues to grow as an artist.
The interview covered a lot of expected ground- when did you know you wanted to be an artist, creative influences, favorite subject matter, and such but I think my favorite answer to a question was how she responded to "What is your favorite color to incorporate into your work?" to which she replied "Interesting question: I don’t really think of colors in that way, probably because I’m naturally a drawer, so I think with lines."
You can read the entire interview here and you can learn more about Mia's work here.
18 August 2009
Otis Alum Featured in Stages 09
When Lance Armstrong returned to France last month for the Tour de France he talked a lot about using the occasion to continue to raise awareness about the fight against cancer. To help re-enforce that message, his Livestrong Foundation, along with Nike presented an art exhibition- Stages 09.
Twenty artists including Raymond Pettibone, Ed Ruscha and Shepard Fairey created pieces "to raise funds and awareness for the fight against cancer." Fairey's work was mounted right next to the title wall so it really set the tone for the entire exhibition. The subject of his work- a young woman, staring back at you with an expression that is at once pensive and impatient (my interpretation)- is where Otis alum Jessica Ikenberry ('02) comes in (full disclosure Jessica is also my boss' step-daughter).
Two years after graduating from Otis Jessica was diagnosed with breast cancer- an especially aggressive form. She had to undergo in her words "massive surgery" followed by 12 rounds of chemotherapy in six months. Thankfully that treatment was successful and she is now, five years later, making art, designing and living happily in Los Angeles.
The photograph (a portrait by Dina Douglass/Andrena Photography) that served as the source image for Fairey's piece was taken early on in Jessica's recovery process. He described his intention for the piece as wanting it to be intense but also reflective of the fact that she was on the other side of her surgery and chemo and was healing. I definitely think that he accomplished that.
Stages 09 is still available to view online here. I have embedded a video that includes interviews with both Jessica and Shepard Fairey and you can learn more about her work and her life by visiting her blog.
03 April 2009
Wilkins' Windows Worth Thousands of Words
Each spring one of the things I look forward to is the series of MFA Thesis Exhibitions in the Bolsky Gallery at Otis. Every couple of weeks a new pair of Grad students present their work and as is fitting for a an MFA program, the content is varied and often thought provoking, including the show that just closed, which included the work of Crossman Wilikins.
Among the pieces in Crossman's show was a series of three posters mounted on the windows of the Galef Center, that provided a visual commentary on the state of our economy. Earlier this week the Shop Talk blog from Reuters picked up on his work as prominent part of the post "Picture the Economy: L.A." The story leads with "A picture is worth a thousand words-and some Californians have a lot to say about the worst financial crisis in decades." Crossman's work provides an extended commentary on the subject.
You can meet Crossman and see more of his work at the MFA Open Studios this Sunday (5 April from 2 to 5PM). More information is available here.
19 March 2009
Going Second is Going Places
When I am talking to students and their families about what it means to choose art school and deal with the constant tension of "doing what they love" versus "being able to make a living" I try to hit it head on. The fact is that you may have to doing one thing to pay the bills so that you can have the freedom do to what you are driven to do. Sometimes this resonates with them and sometimes it doesn't but the longer I am at Otis the more certain I am of this idea. We have a lot of very successful alums some of whom are making a living by doing what they love and others who do something else in order to attend to their passion in life.
Then there's Josh Alfaro who is doing a bit of both. A graduate of the Communications Arts program (and former Admissions office Intern), Josh is the Art Director at Emm Studio, which has developed an impressive client list that includesboth "big" names (Sony, Pioneer) and boutique operations (Green Dot Films, Space Magazine).
Emm's success is great to see but its Josh's burgeoning music career that is grabbing the headlines. As lead vocalist of the Salt Lake City based group Going Second Josh and his band mates have been receiving great reviews including recent write ups on Salt Lake's CityWeekly.net and In Utah This Week, which praised their release Wake Up saying- "Local boys Going Second could teach a class on pop/punk songwriting. They've got all the right moves -- the verses are crunchy, the choruses are big, and the vocal harmonies are tight throughout."
Going Second is playing gigs in and around their home base in preparation for a full blown summer tour. If you are in the LA area you can catch them at Molly Malones on April 15th and you'll find extensive coverage of their performances on YouTube.
04 February 2009
Veca on View
Last week Meg and I had a chance to go to the opening of Otis alum Mark Dean Veca's ('85) show Paintings, Wall Drawings and Collaborations at the University Art Gallery (located on the University of California, San Diego campus).
Mark's show on campus last fall was well received and I'd never seen the Ben Maltz Gallery painted so many colors. Though smaller in scale, the UAG show incorporates some of the imagery and themes from the BMG show. It also showcases some of his limited edition clothing he made in collaboration with Nike and Burton. We also were treated to a first look at his new line of pillow cases.
If you are going to be in the San Diego area at the end of the month he'll be giving an artist talk on 26 February. You can find more information here. The show remains on view through 1 March, 2009.
20 January 2009
Otis Influences the Obamas
Type "President Obama" into Google and you'll get back 59,600,000 (as of a moment ago anyway) results. It's extraordinary how many things can be linked to our new President and I'm about to add one more.
Last week it was announced that Otis Trustee and former student Michael Smith had been selected by our new First Lady to decorate the White House living quarters. Mr. Smith, who studied Environmental Design, has a thriving practice in Santa Monica and is well known for his work with celebrities including Steven Spielberg, Cindy Crawford and Dustin Hoffman. Despite his high profile client list, he has been known to keep a low profile so the vast amount of media coverage about his selection has not included many quotes from him but plenty is being said about him.
Here is a sample:
Los Angeles Times
Domino (includes a video tour of his own home)
Washington Post
New York Times
Huffington Post
The Guardian
And a segment that ran on the Today show (embedded)
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Enjoy!
08 January 2009
In Memoriam- Clio Chafee
The Otis community was saddened to learn about the death of Communication Arts alum Clio Chafee last weekend. The Rhode Island native returned to the east coast after finishing her studies and had been working for an architectural firm in Boston according to a story in the Providence Journal.
Sarah Russin, our Alumni Director shared with me how Clio's friends described her as a "brilliant woman and gifted designer." Her family said she was very committed to the environment and global issues. She was involved with bringing the exhibit "Darfur/Darfur" to Boston in 2007.
Funeral services are being held in her hometown next week.
24 October 2008
Kavin Buck- It's a Guy Thing
*Full disclosure- Kavin is a friend and colleague. Any perceived positive bias is intended*
According to ArtScene reviewer Roberta Carasso, Otis alum Kavin Buck sees himself as outsider artist in the sense that he "...grew up in a blue collar milieu in Orange County, is a white, straight, forty-something male, husband and father" who "...was never and still is not part of any social revolution."
It is in this context that Carasso weaves a theme of masculinity throughout the review of Kavin's current solo show at LA Contemporary Gallery. In some cases by using descriptors that one might associate as masculine traits- for instance in reference to some of the paintings she said they "...give the appearance of precision, deliberately measured and mathematical" or in regard to some of the sculpture she wrote "...his sculptures are built with precision tools, replete with right-angled configurations...in an architectural manner." Then there is the overt reference- "...his art involves male identity, particularly referencing a blue collar construction type of masculinity."
Whether these traits are more indicative of a male artist rather than a female one is obviously debatable. I did however appreciate the way in which it framed the discussion of Kavin's work. Especially when Carasso went on to deconstruct the image she set up- "The sculptures look incredibly heavy and yet are structurally fragile...the paintings appear controlled but are not. Looking more closely, nothing is precise. They have an off-beat rhythm, the results of a human hand pushing a paint roller." She finishes with her review with this- "...the exhibition implies that ultimately art's quality depends on the individual artist's perceptions and skill in bringing to fruition a profound and original idea. Certainly Buck's art proves this."
The exhibition continues through November 29.
09 October 2008
Volumes on Veca
Mark Dean Veca's ('85) solo exhibition Phantasmagoria opens this weekend (10/11/08) in the Ben Maltz Gallery as part of Otis' 90th anniversary Homecoming weekend. I expected that we would receive coverage after the opening but for the last three days the blogosphere has been full of posts about it.
The most notable mention so far has been the extensive Sneek Peek provided by Super Touch, a leading contemporary art and culture blog. You can find that piece here. Since then many more have picked it up and its starting to feel like when the publicity for the Do It Now:Live Green took on a life of it's own.
If you're in town this weekend, come to the opening from 5 to 7 PM. Admission and parking are free. Phantasmagoria will remain up through December 6, 2008.
