IN THIS ISSUE - Otis College of Art and Design

Otis College of Art and Design
IN THIS ISSUE:
Otis College of Art and Design
9045 Lincoln Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90045
A Green Room Grows in South Central • 200 Happy Meals Make a Misfit Diet
What is iTunes U? • Life Beyond the Fifth Ring • “Living Design” in Dar es Salaam
Non-Profit Org
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PA I D
Permit No. 427
Los Angeles, CA
www.otis.edu
25 Years of Fashion Design
2006 Vol.2
Otis College of Art and Design Magazine
02
20
24
28
Excellence and Diversity
At recent alumni gatherings in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, I spoke
with Otis graduates from no fewer than seven decades. It was gratifying to hear
their consensus that the rigorous studies at Otis prepared them well for life after
college. The vastly different journeys they have taken since Otis were also impressive. Indeed, excellence and diversity, two defining values of Otis College of Art and
Design, are reflected throughout this issue of OMAG.
Educational excellence at Otis is amply demonstrated by our renowned Fashion
Design Program, which has just celebrated its 25th anniversary. Since the inception
of the program, a stunning array of top professionals has come to the Otis studios
to mentor our talented and hard-working students (see pgs. 4-5). Having learned to
balance real world industry concerns with blue-sky creativity, our alumni become
creative leaders who enjoy career success (see pgs. 8-9) and shape the fashion
design landscape with their own paths and visions (see pgs. 10-13). Congratulations
and kudos to Rosemary Brantley, Founding Chair of Fashion Design, and her dedicated faculty. Other departments throughout the College share this commitment to
excellence (see College News beginning on pg. 24).
Diversity at Otis goes beyond the standard racial/ethnic framework. Our goal is
to foster a diverse educational environment where each student’s individual voice
can come into its own; in which creative individuals learn from each other, collaborate, and contribute to a future of openness and possibility. Learning across disciplinary boundaries and across the traditional divide between academic and real life
contexts is increasingly important in preparing our students for a constantly changing and more global future. Since the next generations of thinkers and makers carry
our hope for a better world, Otis has also become more mindful of teaching the
impact of responsible art and design. Otis alumna and mentor Wanda Weller guides
her students to consider the impact their action will have seven generations from
now (see pg. 12). The world-bridging Tanzania project (see pg. 16) and the local
community-based Integrated Learning project at Ballona Wetlands (see pg. 19) are
two other examples of Otis’ forward-looking curriculum. The diverse practices and
achievements of our alumni around the world (see pgs. 20-23 as well as Class Notes
on pgs. 28-30) are directly enabled by this unique education.
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 art. Otis' 1100
students pursue degrees in architecture/landscape/ interiors, communication arts, digital media, fashion design, fine arts, interactive product design, public practice, toy
design, and writing. Alumni shape contemporary visual culture—from fine arts to the
Hollywood screen, from the clothes we wear to the toys that engage our children.
2006 Vol.2 In This Issue:
02 Fashion Design @ 25
President Hoi with Betye Saar, former Otis faculty member.
Otis honored the Saar family at a closing reception for
Family Legacies: The Art of Betye, Lezley and Alison Saar
(’81, MFA Fine Arts) at the Pasadena Museum of
Contemporary Art in August. The exhibition traveled
to the San Jose Museum of Art.
14 Otis Monitor
A Green Room Grows in South Central
The Allure of Otis College of Art and Design
Watching the Great White Heron
Living Design in Dar es Salaam
Masami Teraoka: Passion is his Guide
24 College News
Editor: Margi Reeve,
Communications Director
Co-editor: Sarah Russin,
Alumni Director
Photography: Marcie Begleiter,
Lee Salem, Ian Brooks, Krista Kahl (’07)
Skye Moorhead (’94)
—Samuel Hoi, President
Cover Image: Cirque de Soleil finale at
2006 Scholarship Benefit Fashion Show
Back cover (detail) and opposite:
Sandow Birk (’88, Fine Arts), Poster for
Dante’s Inferno, a puppet-animated film
with voices by Dermot Mulroney and
James Cromwell. www.dantefilm.com
200 Happy Meals Make a Misfit Diet
Three Legged Legs and Exopolis win
Digital Awards
New Leaders in Design
What is iTunes U?
Commencement ’06
What Did a Frenchman Tell us
About America?
20 Alumni Around the World
Life Beyond the Fifth Ring
Nordic Amnesia: An Introduction to
Rethinking Nordic Colonialism
Marking a Solemn Anniversary
Sounds for the Grand Promenade, Athens
28 Class Notes
Award-Winners, Cool Designers, Soloists,
Entertainers, Alumni In Print, In Memorium
Otis Connects, Designing Otis, Otis Gear
Contributing Writer: George Wolfe,
Freelance writer, Founder/Editor
of The LaLa Times [lalatimes.com]
(Fashion Profiles, pgs. 10-13, and pgs. 14-15)
Creative: Intersection Studio
Design Direction: Greg Lindy
Design: Mark Caneso (’04)
© 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
Perfect Fit
“Perfect Fit,” the June 5, 2006, Los Angeles Business Journal’s profile of Fashion
Design Chair Rosemary Brantley, tells the story of this Texas native who brought
her keen understanding of fashion design to L.A. In her first 25 years as founder
and chair of the department, Brantley has “molded the department into one of the
most influential in the country, churning out design talent for some of the country’s
largest apparel companies.” After spending time in New York and London as a
designer, Brantley accepted the challenge of starting a program on the West Coast.
She sees L.A. now as “the home, the heart, the core of the contemporary market.”
Brantley considers L.A.’s lack of rules one of the main factors in its fashion prominence—this freedom sparks originality and fresh approaches.
OMAG 02
@25
Dominque Lemieux of Cirque du Soleil acted as
a design mentor in 2006, working with students to
create costumes based on Salvador Dali’s famous
tarot card designs.
03 OMAG
FEATURE
The 2006-07 roster
of mentors includes:
Design Mentors
Luba Azria for BCBG; Rod Beattie (’86) for
La Blanca; Red Carter (’92), Natalie Chanin
for Project Alabama; Francisco Costa for
Calvin Klein Collection; Kristopher Enuke
(’84); Bob Mackie; Mandy Robinson
for Billabong; Behnaz Sarafpour; Pamela
Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor for Juicy
Couture; Alan Shu and Susan Lee for
Armani Exchange; Julie Ann Silverman
(‘95) for Betsey Johnson Swimwear; and
Wanda Weller (’88) for Patagonia.
As juniors and seniors, students work with outstanding
visiting designers each year. These designers, many of
whom are alumni, donate their time to present a design
direction, and work closely with students throughout
the year. Among mentors since 1982 are:
Abercrombie & Fitch
Adidas
Anne Klein
Banana Republic
Barbie/Mattel
Billabong
Bob Mackie
Cosabella
Cynthia Rowley
Diane Von Furstenberg
DKNY
GAP
GUESS?
Halston
Hurley International
John Varvatos
Leon Max, Inc.
Levi Strauss
Michelle Mason
Mossimo
NIKE
Ocean Pacific
Oscar de la Renta
Pac Sun
Perry Ellis
Quiksilver
Richard Tyler
Roxy
Rozae Nichols
Sean John
Speedo
St. John
Target
The North Face
Todd Oldham
Trina Turk
Vera Wang
Volcom
Yeohlee
2006 Design Mentor Yeohlee Teng challenged her students to
create garments with respect for limited global resources, without
the use of power machines or textiles by the yard. These garments
were presented on the runway at the annual Scholarship Benefit
and Fashion Show. The kick-off party for the event, held at mentor
Trina Turk’s mid-century modern home, was co-sponsored by
ELLE magazine. Among the guests were “Project Runway” contestants Andrae Gonzalo (’99) and Daniel Franco (’95).
At the May Scholarship Benefit, Otis honored Joseph
Abboud, Cirque du Soleil, and Roxy with creative vision awards.
Approximately 1,000 guests at the Beverly Hilton Hotel enjoyed
the runway show featuring student designs produced with
mentors Morgane Le Fay, Nicole Miller, John Varvatos, Isabel
and Ruben Toledo, Dominque Lemieux for Cirque du Soleil,
Lloyd Klein, Yeohlee Teng, La Blanca, Abercrombie & Fitch, Trina
Turk, Volcom, James Perse, Pac Sun, Nike-Dance, and Speedo.
The finale included acrobats, jugglers, and other members of
the Cirque du Soleil troupe. $1.1 million was raised for student
scholarships. Special thanks go to Benefit Committee co-chairs
Joyce Arad and Lisa Janian, and all of the members of this group.
BURLAP
BURLAP EVENING GOWN
WITH MOPHEAD CAPE AND
GLOVES MADE FROM VINTAGE
CASHMERE SOCKS
BOAS
LACE GOWN MADE FROM
BLEACHED, RECYCLED BLACK
LACE; AND FEATHER WRAP
MADE FROM RECYCLED BOAS
JACKETS
COCOON KNIT CAPE MADE
FROM RECYCLED SWEATER,
AND SUEDE PANT CREATED
FROM RECYCLED JACKETS
CURTAINS
BROWN OMBRÉ HALTER DRESS
MADE FROM CURTAINS, AND
SHRUG MADE FROM RECYCLED
SUEDE JACKET
2006 Scholarship
Benefit Runway Show
OMAG 04
05 OMAG
Rosemary Brantley,
Founding Chair
Susan Baker
Maribeth Baloga
Pamela Banks
Aiko Beall
Eddie Bledsoe
Anne M. Bray
Leigh Cairo
Doug Coulter
Gus DeGuzman
Jackie Doyle
Jane Engelman
Rosi Gabi
Kathryn Hagen
Farnaz Harouni
Jill Higashi-Zeleznik
Linda Holler
Julie Hollinger
Morrison Jackson
Jane Mountney
Jones
Karolyn Kiisel
Lada Kirich
Gail Knierim
Sumi Lee
Amanda B. Linder
Michelle Lucas
Evelyn McInerney
Alexis Montgomery
Sarah Nichols
Justine Parish
Deborah Patterson
Aaron Paule
Evelyn Poghosyan
Sandy Potter
Mitra Rajabi
Karen Regoli-Arthur
Diane Sisko
Terri Slater
Francis Spitta
Pat Stiles
Elizabeth Strozewski
Dat Tran
Jennifer Uner
Robert Valerio
Jacqueline Wickser
Tony Young
Susan Zarate
Tadd Zarubika
Tuula Zivin
Staff
Bea Calderon
Jane Engelman
Byron LiCausi
Marytza Rubio
Shelly Sachs
Fashio n Q&A
Chair Rosemary Brantley credits her faculty
with the program’s success. Many of them
have taught for more than 20 years in the
department, and several are alumni. What
follows are their responses to questions
about teaching, designing, and shopping.
What do you think of the statement:
“If it can’t get into a taxi, it’s not valid”?
• Agree!
• Art to wear is different from fashion, which must be mingled
with human life.
• I have always savoured eccentricity, and the creative approach
to individuality.
• Cirque du Soleil costumes don’t need to get to the theater in
the back of a taxi.
What would you characterize as the biggest change in
fashion design education in the last ten years?
• More concentration in fabric/graphic treatments.
What advice do you give young designers who want to
develop careers in fashion design?
• Be aware of cultural trends and other ways of thinking about
clothes. Look at everything!
• It’s a competitive jungle out there. Go to a respected school, get a
BFA degree. Learn to draw, because no one can see good design
through a bad drawing.
• Explore the fashion industry through summer internships; seek
the top designers for employment.
• Develop a creative work process—generate ideas through
research, study construction.
• Learn to be organized and multitask. Pay attention to what’s
happening and what’s new—runway shows, designers, labels, etc.
• Dominant influence of street fashion.
• New ideas are the most important things to develop.
Innovation is what counts.
• Importance of teamwork.
• Develop the skills to be strong and patient.
• Emphasis on creativity and good ideas.
• Increased attention to merchandising.
• Layering, complexity, diversity of approaches.
• Influence of computer graphics. Photoshop and Illustrator
skills are entry-level requirements.
How do you get students to think independently,
to develop a unique point of view or style?
• Research! Research! Research! Encourage them to explore
lots of ideas.
• Teach them to arrive at a fresh solution through researching,
distilling, and developing two or three ideas in a new way.
• Encourage thinking about the unexplored areas of fashion.
• Help them solve their technical problems to achieve their
design goals.
• Stimulate innovation by emphasizing that there is rarely a
wrong way to do something, and many right ways.
• Direct them to look at influence and ideas outside of the
fashion magazines and trade reports.
• Teach them to develop the good idea until it becomes great.
What is unique about the L.A. fashion industry?
• Like a magnet, it attracts hoards of young talent.
As a young frontier, with few rules, it is a developing force.
• Doesn’t take itself too seriously.
• Allows freedom to be young, hip, and seasonless.
What fashion designer do you most admire and why?
• Rei Kawakubo, Donna Karan, Ann Demeulemeister, Junya
Watanabe, Marni, and Anna Sui have distinctive styles that
demonstrate strong points of view, year after year.
• Isabel Toledo has a unique sense of style and an architectural
approach to developing her patterns.
• Giorgio Armani, for his elegant and sophisticated classic style.
• Marc Jacobs’ clothing and Martin Margiela’s ideas.
• Vivienne Westwood, because she uses fashion as a subversive
influence, bases her designs on historical precedents, and takes
time to educate young designers. She wants to make people
think about what they wear and why.
What is your biggest satisfaction from being a fashion
design faculty member?
• Combining the Western way of thinking with the formal
Japanese aesthetic, from my formal education in flower
arrangement, calligraphy and fashion design.
• I greatly admire the fashion designers who make time to
mentor and teach. They are the special ones. The list of great
clothing designers worldwide is a mile long.
Where do you like to shop?
• Rose Bowl, Pasadena City College swap meet,
Barneys, Neiman Marcus, Fred Segal, odd little boutiques,
sample sales.
• Values innovation in fabric treatments, denim,
casual sportswear.
• Swimwear, and the influence of Hollywood, new music
and clubs.
• Pervasive influence of O.C. board/surf wear.
OMAG 06
07 OMAG
Otis Fashion
Design Alumni
Otis graduates lead in all segments of the fashion industry: couture, costume design,
textile design, fashion editorial and education. They are entrepreneurs, leaders of design
teams, and contributors to the looks we wear and see in the media and in retail locations.
Sporting World
Active
Adidas
Element
Skateboard
Nautica
Speedo
NIKE
North Face
Patagonia
Puma
Swiss Army
Surfwear
Billabong
Jantzen
Lunada Bay
Ocean Pacific
Pac Sun
Quiksilver
Roxy
Rip Curl
Volcom
Anne Cole
Becca
Betsey Johnson
La Blanca
Tommy Bahama
Warnaco
Swimwear
Robin Piccone
OMAG 08
Teens and Jeans
Abercrombie
& Fitch
American Eagle
Outfitters
Gap
Forever 21
Juicy Couture
l.e.i
Mossimo/Target
Old Navy
Paul Frank
Rampage
Skinny Minnie
Urban Outfitters
Vans
Xoxo
Jeanswear
AG Adriano
Goldschmeid
Earl Jeans
GUESS? Inc
Joe’s Jeans
Jordache
Levi Strauss
Lucky Brand
Lee Jeans
Roc and Republic
True Religion
Contemporary
and Glamour
Armani Exchange
Aeropostele
Banana Republic
BCBG
Bebe
Blue Dot Clothing
Club Monaco
GAP
Esprit
J. Crew
James Perse
Leon Max
Petrozilla
12th Street by
Cynthia
Vincent
Designer
Adrienne Vittadini
Anne Klein
Barneys New York
Calvin Klein
Donna Karan
Eduardo Lucero
Hervé Léger
Isabel Toledo
John Varvatos
Oligo Tissew
Rozae Nichols
St. John Knits
Tommy Hilfiger
Lloyd Klein
Film, Television
and
Performance
Nashville Ballet
The Pointer Sisters
Taledega Nights:
(2006)
Blue Crush (2002)
Empire Falls (2005)
(TV)
Ali (2001)
One True Thing
(1998)
The Station Agent
(2003)
Minority Report
(2002)
Monkeybone (2002)
Titanic (1997)
Legends of the Fall
(1994)
The Indian in the
Cupboard (1995)
Large Retail
Stores
Ann Taylor
Dillards
Eddie Bauer
Federated Stores
Limited
Mervyns
Neiman Marcus
Nordstrom
Target
Specialty
Claire Pettibone
bridal couture
Frederick’s of
Hollywood
Jenny Lee Bridal
Gymboree
GAP accessories
Isabel Fiore
Remy Leather
Fashions
Toy
Mattel Inc
(Barbie)
Disney
Consumer
Products
03 OMAG
09
PROFILES
Every Shirt Tells a Story
by George Wolfe
If looks could kill, why can’t clothes have stories?
After getting a business degree, would-be Skinny Minnie founder
Evelyn Choi (’95), worked as a plant manager for a computer manufacturer.
She wore a suit, and did a lot of walking through yawning industrial
spaces. Over the course of her five years there, her mind occasionally
wandered to the suits she wore, and the suits began to obsess her. In a
sense, they spoke to her: “From one suit to another, there was a big
difference in the way they looked and felt on the body. At the time, I had
no idea what made them so different. Granted, suits all appear similar:
lapels, sleeves, pockets, etc., but sometimes one fit far better than another.”
After burning out on that job, she took a year off to soul-search about
what she would do next. Thinking back to her interest in the construction
and fit of the suits, she realized that she’d always been fascinated by
fashion. She decided to go back to school and study fashion design. Otis
was perfect for her in terms of location and reputation.
“Having been in the working world, I knew this was a rare opportunity:
working with the instructors—and, of course, Rosemary (Brantley) and
her expertise and experience—and all the critics who came in. I grabbed
everything. You’ve got to value that time.”
Choi got her questions about the ins and outs of suits—and much
more—answered, and she moved on. She worked under a lead designer
for years, eventually getting promoted to sweater designer, and later being
in charge of a social dress division. By the time Choi decided to venture
out on her own, she had married classmate and fine artist Jon Riddle
(’95), and had her first child. As often happens with family, priorities tend
to change.
“I didn’t want to travel as much. I couldn’t really work late or do
weekends. I wanted to be on my own, so that I could spend more time
with my baby,” says Choi, chuckling. “Of course, that was very naïve.”
But a little naiveté never stopped Evelyn.
“If I wanted my own business, I needed to find a unique concept that
would set it apart from the rest of the industry.”
Several serendipitous events would lead to the creation of her novelty
t-shirt company, Skinny Minnie. In 2000, one of those “seize it or lost
it” career moments arose. 20th Century Fox wanted to do a promotional
shirt for the movie Moulin Rouge, but didn’t want it to be a simple giveaway. They wanted something consumers would actually buy and value,
and planned to sell it through Bloomingdale’s. Choi was contacted by
Kal Ruttenstein, the Vice President for Fashion Direction at Bloomingdale’s
to create the Moulin Rouge t-shirt for his famous shop concepts. She and
her husband then started working with costume designer Catherine
Martin. Choi’s challenge was now: How to make garments look vintage,
echoing the movie’s aesthetic of Paris in a bygone era?
Choi and her husband had the opportunity to experiment with a
machine that had been virtually abandoned since the ‘60s. It functioned
in a way that was different from the regular screen-print process. The
normal silkscreen process is oil-based, and the ink sits on top of fabric.
But Choi and Riddle devised a wet-printing process in which shirts soak
in water and the ink gets embedded in the fabric, giving it that aging
look. They created a unique look by placing graphics in a non-conventional way on the vintage-style fabric.
20th Century Fox and Bloomingdale’s were pleased with the results—
even more so when the shirts broke Bloomingdale’s records by selling
5,000 within the first month. This led to more collaborations between Choi
and Ruttenstein, with Hair Spray, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, and Rent.
OMAG 10
This gave Choi the financial security to branch out. With the
technique developed for Moulin Rouge, Choi set the identity for Skinny
Minnie. Choi and Riddle continued to experiment with breaking the
boundaries between image and seam, making designs that tied the
garment together as a whole. They spent the next six months developing
the printing process for the contemporary t-shirt market. As with her
previous fascination with suits, she became completely immersed in and
obsessed with shirts.
By the time they had their first show—with 10 different shirts—they
were anxious about how they’d be received. The show turned out to be
a huge success—“it was so crazy, we couldn’t write all the orders.” This
proved that the market didn’t need more plain t-shirts, but something
fresh. “I always try to find something that’s missing in the market, and
trust that the financial part will follow.” From then on, the (business) has
been very successful.
After a new idea has been introduced, the competitors jump in.
Choi estimates that it took about a year and a half for others to duplicate
that unique vintage look; in that time, she basically had a monopoly.
“Everybody’s always hungry for the next new thing, and our
novelty/niche shirts have gone a long way toward filling that hunger.”
But what happens when that craze is so ‘in’ that it goes ‘out’? “There
will always be knock-off companies. But there’s always the ‘intellectual
property of the design,’ which is not always obvious to imitators. They
overlook the intellectual side of garments, and can’t fully replicate it.
We’re validated by that. We’re still around, doing a lot more (business)
than when we started, and still growing.”
Later that year, Vanilla Sugar, a “missy” line, took off. Then came the
idea for a men’s line, which Choi delivered a year after that: Salvage. “We
didn’t want the men’s line to be too decorative;
we wanted it more masculine.” Again, with her
husband’s help they borrowed the basic Skinny
Minnie technique and created a line “based on
rock, punk rock and post-punk.” It took on a look
and a voice of its own, more higher-end than the
other lines, and has been getting a lot of attention.
It’s worn by the likes of Mötley Crüe, Slash from
Guns ‘n’ Roses, and Bono.
A dozen or so years after she quit her job at
the computer manufacturer, Choi finds herself
strolling along seemingly endless aisles of clothing,
hanger after hanger—all inside a giant hangar, southeast of downtown
Los Angeles. Like the computer manufacturing facilities she managed,
this is a yawning space of industry: the size of a football field, and tall
enough to house jumbo jets. But it’s not yawning in a dull sense. With
the help of 170 employees (including many Otis alumni), she’ll do about
$38 million in sales this year. This is her space, her design, her company.
By listening to that little voice inside—call it the subtle voice of the
clothing itself—she has arrived.
This suits her just fine.
Vince Neil and Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe in Salvage Supply
Nicole Kidman and Baz Luhrmann promote Skinny Minnie’s
Moulin Rouge t-shirt at Bloomingdale’s, April 2000 (inset)
11 OMAG
PROFILES
PROFILES
Renew/Recycle:
Patagonia’s Global Mission
by George Wolfe
If there’s a sliver of optimism to be found in a time of war and a world
challenged by incessant forces of destruction, it’s embodied in companies
like Patagonia and people like Wanda Weller (’88), design director of
the company’s outdoor clothing.
“Yes, I’m hopeful—absolutely hopeful. In fact, you have to be hopeful . . .
or you’ll slit your wrists.”
Enveloped in a benevolent corporate shroud that’s committed to
changing the world by action and example, Weller’s viewpoint is buoyed
by the numerous speakers who make their way through Patagonia for
one event or another.
“There’s an exhibition going around now: ‘Massive Change’ by Bruce
Mau,” says Weller, “with the tagline: ‘It’s not about the world of design,
it’s about the design of the world.’ These speakers are doing amazingly
proactive things in the world. They’re so uplifting and powerful. It
becomes infectious.”
Weller’s comments are far from empty hyperbole. Patagonia’s commitment is multi-faceted and backed by financial muscle. Their Environmental
Grants program has donated more than $20 million to more than 1,000
grassroots organizations (often ones overlooked by or too radical for more
traditional funders). Their 70-member Conservation Alliance works with
companies in the outdoor industry to build a central fund that has saved
more than 34 million acres of wilderness and dozens of waterways.
Their 1% For The Planet program encourages businesses to
donate at least 1% of their annual net revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. Their Common Threads
Garment Recycling program provides the incentive for
customers to send back worn-out base layers of Capilene,
which are then recycled into new polyester garments.
“At work, we’re constantly faced with reminders of the
underlying company values. We empty our own garbage
and recycling, bring our own coffee mugs, etc. That affects your home life,
too. Today, I traded in my car for a hybrid Prius—not that
I was driving a gas guzzler, but I felt that I needed to do better. And maybe
it won’t save the world, but who knows?—one little action can affect your
whole circle of friends . . . and grassroots movements have been known to
change the world.”
Men’s “Quilt Again” Jacket exterior of chlorine-free
wool and recycled polyester; interior lining of plush
fleece scraps from the cutting-room floor
OMAG 12
Oligo Tissew = Refined Cloth
by George Wolfe
For someone in Weller’s position, she certainly must’ve been a staunch,
environmentally conscious kid. “Actually, no. I grew up in Topanga [Canyon]
in Los Angeles. In hindsight I know there were things I was taught by my
parents about the environment. But at the time, I wasn’t conscious of what
those were.” Weller followed her sister (who was studying graphic design)
to Otis, and found herself at home. “I felt like I made the right choice. I was
one of those people who always made their own clothes. People said, ‘You
should be in fashion.’ So that’s what I did. Still, the environmental angle
would happen later. Otis was stimulating and exciting, all in one building
at the time. Going to school with people of all ages and backgrounds
was fantastic—people with more worldly experience influenced people like
me who were just a year or so out of high school. That dynamic was
invaluable for me.”
After graduation, Weller found a job in Oregon. She remained in the
Northwest for ten years, working in athletic and outdoor clothing design
at such companies as Adidas America and ZIBA Design. She garnered a
reputation “as someone who could communicate with creative types.”
Since joining Patagonia in 2001, the concept of “sustainable design” has
remained paramount. Does Weller feel at odds with the world of high fashion
or other segments of the fashion world? For instance, what about the
whole timely notion of “distressed clothing?” “Because one of Patagonia’s
iron-clad ethics is that every part of the garment should last equally, yes,
that sets us apart. In today’s society, we don’t have time to wear things in
anymore, so the trend of distressing garments fulfills society’s immediate
need. And of course with practices like distressing, there is the environmental
impact of the chemicals used. In addition, distressing something may well
make it last half as long, which then requires new resources to replace it.
Patagonia is committed to working so that garments will have a renewed
life. We’re really doing a lot of work in that area. We feel that that’s definitely
the next phase. The tricky thing, however, is communicating the need to
change ways. There’s often a huge learning curve.”
But there are certain aspects of designing for the outdoors—including
the consideration of technical and safety issues—that bear some similarities
to the world of high fashion. “For example, take something like couture. It’s
similarly meticulous, specific and endlessly detail-oriented. The obsessive
process, the way it’s built, is actually very technical. In both cases, you’re still
very much listening and responding to what people want. And, as with more
commercial fashion markets, we found that climbing apparel is moving in
the direction of streetwear, because that’s what people are comfortable in.”
Student designs in Weller’s most recent Otis mentorship ended up being
closer to high fashion than outdoor fashion. “It wasn’t so similar to what
you’d see at Patagonia—rather, it focused on the materials (using only plantbased dyes), and the thought process. What the students came up with was
so beautiful and amazing, so deep and rich, like tribal wear—only using
what’s available. It’s sort of like ‘Build locally, think globally.’ You derive your
inspiration and beauty from the community at hand.” This notion rings true
for Weller, and is in sync with Patagonia’s global mission.
“If I can communicate one thing to the students, it’s that we all need
to think of this concept of ‘total beauty,’ and the impact we’re having. The
Total Beauty of Sustainable Products, by Edwin Datschefski, encourages us
all to look at the gestalt of a design (instead of just the final result), and not
to separate how it was made from how we evaluate its beauty. We need
to move away from the disposable and think about the impact our actions
will have seven generations from now. It may sound trite, but what could
be more important?”
To get to Otis, and to follow his path toward becoming a world-renowned
independent fashion designer, Nigerian-born, England-educated Kristopher
Enuke (’84) had more than just a portfolio under his arm—he had an ace up
his sleeve. “My father saw me as an architect or an engineer,” says Enuke,
creator of the knitwear collection Oliver Twist, and the Oligo Tissew line of
denim. “He definitely did not see me as a fashion designer. Plus, he insisted
on an accredited program, but the school I had my eye on in England,
though excellent, didn’t offer that. Frustrated, I moved out of the house.”
Eventually, Enuke’s father agreed that textile design or graphic arts
“could be OK” as long as it offered a bachelor of arts degree. His father
agreed that studying in America was an option. Wanting some distance
from family at that point, Enuke applied as far west as he could go—
to Otis—and got accepted in fashion design. Pleased, but not out of the
woods yet, he still needed a way to get around his father’s stipulation.
Enuke went to a former dance instructor with whom he’d studied in
London. “I asked him to make me an offer to be a dancer in his traveling
dance troupe, which he did.” With the dance contract in one hand, and
the Otis acceptance in the other, he approached his father. “To my father,
fashion designing compared to dance was—relatively speaking—fantastic.
What could he really say? My father conceded: ‘OK, fine,’ he said. ‘If you
fought for this, then you believe in this, then you’ll succeed in it, and
I’ll support you.’” From that point on, both his father and mother firmly
advocated their son’s career decision.
But no sooner had he arrived at Otis than he suffered cultural shock.
Enuke felt a clash of different value systems. “Here I was coming from
London, where we lived fashion, it was all about individual expression, and
suddenly I saw kids coming to school in jeans, cut-off shorts and t-shirts. It
didn’t feel right. I just didn’t get how these people—art and fashion students
—were not living their passion with their whole being. So I stuck out like a
sore thumb. Still, I came to Otis knowing what I wanted, so it didn’t matter.”
“School was immersive, intense and involved in terms of giving you the
work. But I didn’t have the American habit of ‘protocol,’ where things like
order and punctuality—non-emotional elements—rated high.” Rosemary
(Brantley) was like The Mom. I swear, she was born for the job. She had the
patience. She knew our strengths, weaknesses, how to pump us up, how to
beat us up.”
At times, Enuke felt that if he didn’t stick out enough, then it was a sign
that something must be wrong. “My whole approach was: If my classmates
liked my croquis (small drawings presented to the class), then I hadn’t
thought enough. Most students assumed that when they finished school,
they’d work for somebody; but I knew I always wanted to work for myself.
The main thing is to know who you are, your style . . . and work toward it.”
“But all together,” says Enuke, “it was an exciting time, and good to go
to Otis. My favorite instructor and biggest influence had to be Aiko Beall.
She would say, “ Anything you can draw, you can make.” She understood
intricacies, she appreciated “dare” . . . you have to dare to create, to be in the
zone, otherwise, you’re pretty much regurgitating what’s
out there.”
Enuke decided to stay in America after he finished
Otis. But the workaday world soon proved to have its
own obstacles and frustrations. Although he was earning
a decent salary, he was haunted by the feeling that something was wrong. Over time he would come to articulate
what bothered him.
“It just felt . . . corrupt. It was like my hands were tied: ‘Just sit here,
be a good boy, collect your pay.’ For other people, that was fantastic, ‘Wow,
I get to take all this money home?!’ But I began to understand that your
boss either recognizes your ability (and can use it in a mutually constructive way) or wants to keep you confined (in which case you stagnate).
Sometimes there’s just not enough time to indulge your individuality.”
While continuing to move his way up the designer route, he essentially
learned the routine of knocking off other people’s things (because that’s
what his employers wanted). “At that rate, I could see that I’d pretty much
die being that kind of designer.” How to break out of the system? By freelancing, Enuke got his portfolio exposed. He also learned new skills, like
how to hand-knit sweaters. He sold his first collection to high-end retailers
such as Maxfield and Bergdorf.
He explains that his growth as a designer derived from his belief in
individuality. “If star pockets on jeans are ‘in,’ everyone chases that money.
But as a student, you shouldn’t chase money; you should chase your ability
to evolve a product so it’s always fresh in the eye of the market—because
that’s your strength. Always. Let them copy you instead of you chasing
them. And you have to build the ability to do that while in school.”
His jeans brand, Oligo Tissew, is characterized by a three-dimensional
star on one back pocket and a red remembrance bow on the opposite back
pocket. The remembrance bow is a reminder of all children born into
underprivileged circumstances, while the star signifies the possibilities
available for all children who are given an opportunity. A percentage of
sales of Oligo Tissew garments is donated to Nigerian school children.
Enuke imagines that if he came back to Otis 40 years from now, he’d
want to see Otis as the campus where “the world comes for innovation. It
should be a combination of innovation and balance. Rosemary taught us
how to emphasize both, and I can’t tell you how important that was; in the
big picture, it’s balance that brings back the ability to relate to the customer. Ideally, I’d like to see Rosemary’s legacy as balance combined with
extreme innovation.”
13 OMAG
OTIS MONITOR
OTIS MONITOR
A Green
Room Grows
in South
Central
by George Wolfe
When Katie Phillips, Chair of Otis’ first-year Foundation Program, was contacted by Global
Green, she jumped at the opportunity for students to work with a progressive, green-friendly
non-profit organization.
“We had the idea to partner with Otis,” says Global Green’s Walker Wells, “to develop a
sustainable landscape proposal for the entry to Woodcrest Elementary, a school in South
Central Los Angeles.”
Global Green, the U.S. affiliate of former Russian President
Gorbachev’s organization Green Cross International, focuses on
promoting renewable energy and green building. The Woodcrest
project (which would come to be known as the “Greenscape
Challenge”) was funded by the Annenberg Foundation, which
traditionally funded education programs, but has branched out
to include environmental initiatives.
“Personally,” Katie Phillips says, “my interest in the environment is informed by living in [semi-rural] Topanga where I am
surrounded by warning signals. We no longer get deer, bobcats
and fox regularly on our property. The mountain lion who used
to sun himself on the rocks above our house is gone. The frogs
no longer inhabit the creeks, and many of the creeks which used
to run are dry.
“And because Otis is an art and design college, many faculty
and staff members are by nature acute observers, and are noting
the same sorts of things as I am. They bring these issues into the
classroom whenever appropriate. And although everyone who is
interested in issues of global climate change, diminishing
species, or world population has not gathered and decided to
plan an Otis “response,” the subject often pops up during discussions. It has been more intuitive and individual. Our first
responsibility is to develop and graduate artists and designers,
but we also have a responsibility to educate students as to the
challenges they will face as professionals. Concerns about sustainability on the planet will certainly be one of them.”
OMAG 14
Senior Architecture/Landscape/Interiors Lecturer Anthony
Guida led the Woodcrest project in spring 2006. “I viewed the
project as an opportunity to develop design skills with a ‘green’
emphasis,” says Otis student Gary Garcia. “This project was real
and it deserved a real look into the green philosophy. I felt this
would be the perfect opportunity to inform myself, and that the
project would present me with a larger world, not only of design
but also of social views.”
Other students involved were Jesus Aguilar, Gary Garcia,
Cindy Kogure, Kevin Lee, Myung Lee, Danny Phillips, Katrina
Silva and Deborah Taieb. These designers were presented with a
space that is currently little more than a paved and fortified outdoor corridor where students assemble and wait for school to
begin or buses to depart. The challenge was to “greenify” it.
Daniel Phillips recalls that “We assessed the existing situation
and took stock of the pressing concerns of the teachers and
administrators. We noted a number of specific issues we wanted
to address with the proposed design—a need for seating, improved
traffic flow at the gated entry, and a need for green space.”
After the assessment period, the students came up with
many different ideas to tackle the various challenges. Gary
Garcia notes that “when the first design presentations took
place, everyone presented an idea. My idea ignored the social
conditions of the school. As a result, my idea was ignored, and
I’m glad it was. I had forgotten that site research is key to the
success of a project.
Proposed site plan with hardscape and plantings
The students then used community feedback to hone their
individual proposals and develop a team proposal that incorporated the most successful design elements. Their project, titled
“Green Room,” uses the notion of the room to organize the
main components. “The notion of the room,” explains Guida,
“organizes the design’s main components.”
Doors: An unsightly chain-link security gate is replaced with a
pivoting, transparent learning wall outfitted with chalkboards,
environmental graphics, and display panels for student work.
Windows: New openings in the administration building are
proposed as a way of increasing security through visibility.
Walls: In order to address limited opportunities for new
plantings, the designers devised a “sustainable mural” strategy
inspired by California landscape paintings. Composed of eightfoot squares and limited to eight paint colors, it resists graffiti
and is easily repaired or expanded.
Floors: Pervious materials route storm water to the soil and
plantings; surface patterning directs circulation through the space.
Furnishings: New benches facilitate impromptu use as an
outdoor classroom.
Ceiling: New sycamores and deciduous trees provide shade,
shelter drought-tolerant ground plantings, and teach students
about the change of seasons.
How did the students feel about what they created?
“I feel that the final design re-emphasizes the school’s attitude and vision,” says Gary, “and in the end the design came
down to the idea: Can design advance positive ideas in the
world, in order to lead to a greater social community?”
Daniel agrees, echoing the group’s lofty aspirations:
“Although the proposed design addressed the specifics of the
site, the hope was that the overarching concept of the Green
Room would be ‘projective’ — potentially serving as an early
model for the sustainable adaptation of aging inner-city schools
nationwide.”
Currently, the design aspect of the project is finished.
Implementation will begin after the school district's approval.
Regardless of how the lives of those at Woodcrest are changed
by their altered environment in years to come, some successes
can already be felt within the boundaries of Otis’s campus.
“In thinking back,” says Gary, “I truly believe that we finished
as much different people than when we began.”
NOTE:
More and more Otis students are being exposed to environmentallyoriented partners outside the school though Integrated Learning
projects (see pg. 19 for a description of the Ballona Wetlands design
project). Foundation Chair Phillips estimates that 200 freshmen
were exposed to such partnerships last year.
15 OMAG
OTIS MONITOR
OTIS MONITOR
Masami Teraoka:
Passion is his Guide
The seniors were articulate about their work. Some have unique
voices; others have strong concepts, but it seems they still have
a long way to go before they materialize their vocabularies.
I wished to see the students investigate aesthetic aspects as
well as conceptual aspects in art so that their expression would
benefit and their conceptual work would be brought to full
scale. If either one lacks, work suffers.
Livıng Design
in Dar es Salaam
The following email exchanges involve Dan Frydman (DF), Patty Kovic (PK) and Communication Arts senior Traci Larson (TL).
(PK) Dan, what was your main focus during your year in Dar es
Salaam as a Fulbright scholar?
(DF) My focus overseas was twofold. First, I was teaching at the
University of Dar es Salaam, so I had a distinct professorial focus
throughout the year. Teaching there is not like teaching at Otis, on
any level. My second focus was a research project: “Aesthetics and
Interface design for Tanzanian Youth and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic.” I
sought out youth-focused community-based organizations, and
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and partnered with them
to provide self-service, touch-screen, video-enabled interfaces for
health and social welfare education, training, and outreach. I studied how the interfaces were adopted and used by an audience with
little history of, or experience with, participatory communication.
These interfaces recorded video directly to the computer, and presented the audience with a direct feed, so that all those who
approached the display would instantly see themselves in a livecapture environment.
(PK) It sounds like you stayed very close to the vision you shared
with me about a year and a half ago, when we met in Venice and
you agreed to partner with my Interactive Typography class at Otis.
Both your research project and your teaching last year catapulted
you into a much larger global context. It seems that both groups of
our students enjoyed this new immersion, too. How did your students respond to this project?
(DF) The UDSM students greatly enjoyed the meetings. They were
super-excited that an art school on the other side of the world
was interested in them, in their works, in their lives. Many of the
students had never even seen anything like what your class was
working on before: interactive media, typographic exploration, and
narrative in a participatory concept that maps multiple perspectives. These processes are not part of the critical communications
dialogue in Tanzania, or for that matter, large swaths of the world.
Experiencing these processes directly, for the first time, and
through the authors themselves (your students), was an exciting
and challenging experience for the UDSM crowd. It inspired a
whole new way of thinking about what the students were doing
and some new ideas of approaching the world around them.
(DF) What was it like for the students at Otis? Was there a shared
sense of discovery that the whole class was experiencing, or were
the interactions more individualistic and unique to the student?
Traci, can you comment on this?
(TL) The video conferencing/live chats we held over iChat during
our class sessions offered that sense of collective experience you
mentioned. But the fact that we then chose individual areas of
focus for our projects allowed us to have a personal connection. I
greatly appreciate you putting me in contact with the dance troupe
Msewe Cultural Group. By chatting with them outside of class
(and receiving a package of video tapes in the mail!) I was able to
learn more about music and dance in Tanzania, and then feed that
information back to the community through my final project. Dan
and Patty, what do you feel is the relevance of global learning in a
living design environment?
(DF) We live in a Big Damn World (name for a project I am working on). There is really no way to appreciate the scale of our world
until you experience it firsthand. It is precisely this experience —
working in it, living in it and using design to try to improve what
we can — that is perhaps the best learning of all. It’s “living learning,” living design.
This creates whole new challenges for the designer. Living design
asks: How can you, the designer, make your mark by making
meaning? How can you add to the world? How can you improve
it? I see this as a whole new frontier for design. The next-est, bestest designers, the ones capable of working in a global context, will
come from an expanded set of horizons, a deeper experiential
field. As educators, we need to accommodate a broader, globalized context in students’ thinking, training, and doings.
(PK) Otis and other schools are addressing this relevance with
programs like Integrated Learning. These projects explore a more
interdisciplinary, experiential approach to learning in a broader
community context. They are platforms that support the development of the next generation of makers — those who need to go
beyond posing questions like “How can I make a good design?”
to arrive at “How can I change the world through design?”
NOTE:
During the spring 2006 semester, students from the University of Dar
es Salaam (UDSM) and Otis College of Art and Design interacted via
e-mail, iChats, message boards and video conferencing. This collaboration
was facilitated by Dan Frydman (a former Otis Communication Arts
professor and Fulbright scholar), and Patricia Kovic (Otis Communication
Arts Associate Professor). Frydman’s Fulbright proposal involved an
investigation of interface design and the AIDS epidemic in Tanzania, in
order to provide a human face to the faceless statistical tragedy of this
epidemic. UDSM students were asked to participate in this interactive
media project.
I feel that Otis should educate the students to establish their voices at the beginning of their curriculum.
The sooner you find your own being, the sooner you
have a chance to survive as an artist. Passion should
be your guide, not class assignments. This takes
intense focus that demands philosophical, aesthetic,
and conceptual creative processes.
Otis needs to offer inspiring educators who can
encourage the students to explore and evolve their own voice at
an early stage. Otis needs to help students express themselves
creatively. For this creative mission you need to focus on what you
want and where your passion leads you.
I was inspired by Shane Blackbourne’s wave sculpture (below).
Conceptually and aesthetically, his work writhes. I wish I could see
the finished piece in driftwood.
Marjan Vayghan’s unique installation pieces also inspired me
tremendously. Her tiles and fish installation was a special treat.
She integrated her cultural background as an Iranian (with fish that
meant so much to her) in her work. She also mentioned that she
herself was moved to organize a peaceful exhibition called “The
Bridge Exhibition,” between the United States and Iran. This show
Marjan is organizing could be a very timely exhibition in terms of
the current nuclear war threats. Marjan’s work and activity seem to
have edges where she speaks to people and shares her view of a
global humanitarian relationship.
Eric Medine’s wall installation derived from the current
digital world, and high-tech culture seems to reveal what we
may come to see in the near future. Its unknown visual language
contains a great deal about where our culture may evolve. It's a
visionary work.
NOTE:
Masami Teraoka (’64, ’68 MFA) was invited to be the spring 2006 Jennifer
Howard Coleman Artist in Residence, a program supported by the Samuel
Goldwyn Foundation. Returning to Otis almost four decades after graduation, Teraoka presented his work to the public, explaining his passion for
the social and political issues in which he is engaged. He also displayed his
inquisitive and gentle manner, visiting fine arts students in their studios
and encouraging them to grow and challenge themselves. The comments
above are excerpted from his email summary of the residency.
OMAG 16
17 OMAG
OTIS MONITOR
OTIS MONITOR
Watching the
Great White Heron
by Marcie Begleiter, Director of Integrated Learning
The Allure
of Otis College of Art and Design
by Christopher Miles, Assistant Professor of Art Theory and Criticism
California State University, Long Beach
Though I never studied at Otis, the school has been a key part in my fascination with Los
Angeles art since I was young. As a teenager falling in love with art, mainly as a result of
exposure to Los Angeles art of the 50s, 60s and 70s, I found that among those artists who
most inspired me were individuals who had studied or taught at Otis during its long history.
As a graduate student at USC, I routinely found myself stopping off at the old Otis campus at MacArthur Park to visit with
students I knew there, to check out shows in the gallery, or
just to hang out and get caught up in the vibe that people who
know Otis know it to have. The school’s Westchester campus
still has that feeling about it; you go there to see a show, and
you find yourself wanting to linger. And as I have both developed
a broad familiarity with the Los Angeles art of my generation,
and continued to observe the emergence of new artists, I
always am reminded, though I’m never really surprised, of
how many of the artists who interest me have come through
this school. The “Otis: Nine Decades of L.A. Art” exhibition
earlier this year at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery
reminded me yet again how important Otis has been to Los
Angeles, and to me. With that exhibition’s view of past Otis
students still in mind, I jumped at the chance to organize a
show of work by current Otis faculty. The promise of curating
for me is the chance to get to know something better. Because
of what I knew of people who currently teach at Otis, and
because of how much I knew I didn’t know, this was an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up, and it’s been an opportunity
I’m glad I took. I came to this project with no agenda in mind
and no assumptions about what I would see—just a sparked
OMAG 18
sense of curiosity, and an interest in presenting a sampling
of the vast body of work presented to me by Otis faculty. My
only regret is that the number of participants prevented me
from showing more work by each. I don’t know what exactly
this show might say about this school, and frankly I am wary
of the idea of a show that could sum up a school. If there is a
conclusion I can draw from this exhibition, it is that the show’s
eclecticism, combined with the vitality and quality of the
individual works within the show, is yet another expression of
the allure Otis has had for me almost as long as art has.
NOTE:
“Omage,” an exhibition curated by Cristopher Miles, was presented
at Track 16 Gallery, Santa Monica, from July 15 – August 31. The 74
faculty members who showed their work included painters, web
designers, sculptors, performance artists, illustrators, graphic designers,
photographers, installation artists, fashion designers, architects, video
artists, lighting designers, ceramic artists, and writers. The show
clearly demonstrated the creative skills of a community of teachers.
It is low tide when we arrive at the overlook. Although the Ballona Wetlands are circled by
residential and commercial tracts, these coastal lands continue to react to the daily pull of
the moon. Watching as a Great White Heron took flight, the 18 students (participants in
the first phase of Otis’ new Integrated Learning curriculum) set to work, cameras and
sketch books in hand, to observe and record this dynamic natural habitat just a two-mile
drive north of the Goldsmith Campus.
These wetlands are being restored, in part, by the Friends of
Ballona, who acted as our hosts for the site visit. The students’
visits to the site during the semester included a memorable
trek onto government land with Brad Henderson. As a California
Department of Fish and Game biologist, Henderson was
conversant with the extraordinary biological diversity of
this area, which is ordinarily not accessible to the public. On
these field trips, the students mapped the terrain and gathered
additional materials for a variety of art and design projects
that expanded their understanding of how their art and design
education fits in with the world around them.
One of next year’s projects will expand Otis’ engagement
with environmental sustainability by committing to re-design
the Friends of Ballona Restoration Center. A team of interdisciplinary juniors will study the site and propose ways to support
the partner organization’s mission: to educate the public and
preserve the wetlands. Proposals might include designs for
a new structure to house equipment, new plant I.D. tags, and
stylish docent uniforms.
The Friends are but one of the numerous community organizations that are partnering with Otis in this new and transforming
curricular initiative. Collaboratorations include the Hyperion
Water Treatment Plant, the largest plant of its kind west of the
Mississippi, and the L.A. River Project’s ambitious restoration
program. In addition, students study the history of our local
watershed with a project that investigates Centinela Springs,
the first fresh water source for the Native American
Tongva/Gabrielinos, who once thrived in the Centinela Valley.
Archeologists, biologists, eco-historians and tribal elders
have spoken on campus as well as accompanied the students
to partner sites, helping to reveal layers of meaning that are
not available to the casual observer. The Foundation (first-year)
class of 2005-06 was the first to participate in this new curriculum.
From now on, every undergraduate will participate in three
Integrated Learning projects, developing skills in research,
project planning, teamwork, and the execution of professionalquality proposals.
Huber and Hutchings observed in their essay “Integrated
Learning: Mapping the Terrain” that “One of the great challenges
in higher education is to foster students’ abilities to integrate
their learning across contexts and over time.” This thought
reflects current educational pedagogy, and Otis addresses this
challenge and responds to current educational pedagogy by
taking students out of the classroom and into fresh environments
that offer new context to their endeavors. Through the three-year
sequence, young artist/designers participate in a series of unique
experiences. Through repetition and comparison, the insights they
gain become embedded in their developing practices.
Otis’ Integrated Learning program develops partnerships
with environmental, educational, arts-related and even commercial partners. Within the next few years, the program will have
a discernable impact on the method and implementation of arts
education locally and beyond.
19 OMAG
ALUMNI AROUND THE WORLD
Nordic Amnesia
An Introduction to Rethinking
Nordic Colonialism
Life Beyond
the Fifth Ring
Brian Wallace of Red Gate Gallery met me
at the Beijing airport. “What a great day to
arrive!” he exclaimed. The sun had warmed a
cold December day. As our taxi sped down the
highway, my first impression was of rows and
rows of bare trees painted white at the bottom
that sunk to the brown of the barren ground
beneath them.
Beijing is cold. The double red doors of
my studio entrance had no clasps or locks, so I used an exacto
blade container to close them. The wind blew through the
opening. My studio boasted the ubiquitous cinder block walls
found everywhere in China, a stove, phone, and washing
machine. I hung my rice paper drawings from the upstairs
balcony to dry, showered early (before the hot water cut out,)
and wore multiple layers until a weak, yellow sun heated my
bedroom to 40 degrees.
The Red Gate studios in Fejia Cun are in a gated enclosure
off a long, narrow street that leads to Tong Da’s, a restaurant
built around ancient trees. Its massive interior resembles a
jungle with large, round tables under hanging lamps on which
bean, eggplant, tofu dishes, and pots of tea are served on lazy
Susans. On the other side, the street becomes a dirt path that
passes oil rigs and rice fields en route to vendors selling
persimmons, baby carriages, anything in their open air stalls.
“Tai guei la!” (too expensive!) opens all negotiations, which
are conducted with mandatory impassiveness. I found this challenging after meeting Yan, the calligrapher and framer, who
works, eats, and sleeps in a single room without heat.
Beijing as a city is broad and expansive, like L.A. It takes
time to get anywhere. The city has five ring roads and high-
OMAG 20
ways; loads of cars often sit, clogged in traffic. You know you
are in China when a Ming Dynasty fortress suddenly looms
from a cavalcade of office buildings. I usually traveled by taxi
into the city or rode my $24 bicycle alongside a mélange of
buses, taxis, cars, bikes, and horses (with carts).
Before departing, it became essential to experience the
Great Wall. With a driver in a decrepit Volkswagen, nested with
friends beneath a workman’s coat (drab green, gold buttons,
faux fur lining), I breakfasted on dried grapefruit during the
two-and-a-half hour drive north. Our van ascended a mountain,
and we eventually disembarked, crossed a moat, and paid a
small fee for admittance to the wall. The temperature plummeted below zero; we were alone. The wall rose 12 feet from the
ground, accommodating two visitors across at most. Its grade
was so steep in spots that climbing with both hands and feet
was necessary. We climbed for several hours. The mountains
rose around us while the sun moved over Beijing far below. In
the silence, rocks slipped beneath my feet and the shadows
lengthened. I suddenly realized that Chinese painting traditions
were based on this experience. On the descent, I saw how spatial intervals and compositional devices in scrolls echo a day in
the mountains. Returning to the cold of my studio, I began
composing “Life Beyond the Fifth Ring” from ink paintings,
words, and postcard images cut out and presented on a wall to
tell the story of my passage through Beijing.
NOTE:
Elizabeth Condon (Fine Arts, ’86) spent December, 2005, in Beijing at the
Red Gate International Artist Residency Program. Life Beyond the Fifth Ring
(11 x 21 in), composed of postcards and painting on rice paper, represents
a contemporary version of fresco painting.
“Rethinking Nordic Colonialism: A
Postcolonial Exhibition Project in Five Acts”
set out to shed light on a largely forgotten,
repressed, or romanticized history of colonialism in the Nordic region. We hoped not only
to explain why this past has been forgotten in
some parts of the region, but also to show
how this history continues to structure Nordic
societies today, and how our contemporary
problems of intolerance, xenophobia, sexism,
homophobia, and nationalism have their roots
in this history. Furthermore, we wanted to
engage the alternative modernities that have
emerged as more subversive legacies of colonialism and postcolonial healing in the region
and beyond.
We are now more than halfway through,
and the project has been a great success so
far. There is of course no singular “diagnosis”
of the region and its postcolonial state.
However, there does seem to be an immense
need for rethinking in the entire region in
order to deal with a series of unfinished businesses and particular problems. We need new
fora and alternative ways of speaking about
the issues that hurt. We need reconciliation,
and we need to keep complicating the postcolonial, as it harbors many phobic inequalities yet to be addressed.
With its global participation, the project
has been able to untie psycho-social “knots”
by showing that Nordic colonialism is part
of a larger fabric, and that there are legions
of people who are going through the same
processes of self-determination, healing,
and reconciliation. Furthermore, staging the
rethinking of the intersection between art
and discourse, and art and politics has proven
fruitful, as people have been fed up with up
with prevailing ways of talking about the past.
The field has been dominated by local
Realpolitik, which has seemed circular inasmuch as it has served to reproduce privilege
for some, but not all people locally and
regionally. In this respect, “Rethinking Nordic
Colonialism” has resonated especially well
with younger generations. (continued) 3
21 OMAG
ALUMNI AROUND THE WORLD
(continued from pg 21)
The once-colonizing countries can be said
to be compensating for the loss of empire and
the melancholia resulting from this largely
unconscious loss with the self-projection of
progressive social democracy. This image,
however, does not sit well with the hard facts
of our colonial past. On the other hand, the
once-colonized countries can be said to respond
to feelings of shame, guilt, inferiority and
paralysis with nationalistic sentiments and the
desire to live up to the success of dominant
Western values. In this manner, they reproduce
structures of inequality by uncritically adopting
a Scandinavian modus operandi when substituting the colonizers for local administrators
and policy makers without critically questioning the system as such.
The project’s many postcolonial voices will
reach the past colonizers of the Nordic region
and become audible to their present populations—and to the world at large through the
DVD release.
“Rethinking Nordic Colonialism: A Postcolonial Exhibition
Project in Five Acts” was curated by Frederikke Hansen
& Tone Olaf Nielsen. After opening at the Living Art
Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland, it was shown at the
Greenland National Museum; Faroe Islands Art Museum;
and VRn Veturitalli, Rovaniemi, Finland. At the end of
November, the DVD boxed set documenting the exhibitions, discussions, and activities generated during the
project was launched in Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, and
Stockholm. Nielsen and Hansen founded their curatorial
practice Kuratorisk Aktion in spring 2005. They see curating as a political-critical act, and devise exhibitions that
criticize the present order and propose alternatives. Their
mission is rooted in social change, public service, and
community mobilization.
Kuratorisk Aktion (Frederikke Hansen & Tone Olaf Nielsen (Fine
Arts, ’98)) during the opening of Rethinking Nordic Colonialism’s
Act 3 in The Faroe Islands Art Museum, Tórshavn, May 12, 2006.
Photo: ©Allan Broekie.
OMAG 22
Marking a
Solemn Anniversary
When I graduated Otis in 1993, these are just
a few of the things that I simply couldn’t have
imagined: a devastating attack on our shores
that would level the World Trade Center, the
Internet as a pervasive delivery vehicle for
information of all kinds, and my name on the
door, above the title ‘Design Director,’ at The
New York Times.
These particular circumstances all came
to a head on the recent fifth anniversary of the
attacks of September 11th, 2001. Five years
had snuck up on all of us quite suddenly, and
as the creative authority at NYTimes.com, I
personally wanted to make sure that our team
made its own humble contribution to mark
the day.
When one of the designers in my group
suggested that he invest extra hours over the
weekend preceding the anniversary to prepare
special presentations on the NYTimes.com
home page, I wholeheartedly agreed.
Times reporters and editors had prepared
a slate of truly superb journalistic pieces to
pay tribute to the occasion, and we felt it
would be a disservice to publish them using
just the Web site’s standard toolbox of layouts.
Like many online publications, NYTimes.com
is published using a series of highly articulated
but nevertheless regimented templates. Each
template provides a different set of display
options for news; they’re all capable of a
certain amount of latitude, but none of them
seemed to be appropriate for the articles
being prepared.
So, working together, our designer and
the home page editor crafted a series of
customizations—new CSS rules and XHTML
markup—to the top portion of the home
page; these were unique designs that we
hadn’t used before. They started appearing
at NYTimes.com on Sunday evening, rolling
out the pre-planned September 11th articles
alongside breaking news coverage.
I didn’t have a direct hand in designing
these, but they still make me feel very proud
of the work we’ve done at the Web site since
I arrived at the beginning of this year. Though
these custom designs look modest by
comparison to the way the newspaper’s own
talented art directors are able to design the
same content—which is to say, the range of
expression on the site is somewhat modest
in contrast to what’s possible in print—this
work still represents, for me, a nontrivial
advancement in the kind of design we practice
at NYTimes.com.
When I try to explain what it is exactly that
we do in our design group, the point I really
try to bring home is that we focus on designing the NYTimes.com platform, rather than on
art directing the NYTimes.com content. There
is so much demand for designers’ skills and
smarts to be applied to complex new features
and functionality throughout the site that
we’re consistently preoccupied with developing new sections.
This work largely consists of developing
design templates into which our editors and
producers pour new content; rarely do we get
to design in a way that responds directly to
a specific piece of content. This is a function,
as I said, of the design needs for our everexpanding platform; but it’s also a function of
the state of Web design today. We simply
don’t yet have the tools or the business model
to support art direction.
That’s why it’s so satisfying to see work
like this done, to see the Web site—if only just
for twenty-four hours—start to reflect the
nature of the content it’s presenting in a very
specific manner. It took a bit of extra effort
and it’s not without its own difficulties, but for
an event like this fifth anniversary, it seemed
worth it.
from Khoi Vinh's blog at www.subtraction.com
Khoi Vinh (Communication Arts, ’93) is the art director
for NYTimes.com, the industry-leading news site. He
was born in Saigon, Viet Nam, and immigrated to the
United States with his family in 1975. He grew up in
Gaithersburg, Maryland, and headed west to attend Otis.
Focusing initially on illustration, he decided to pursue
graphic design by his senior year. He worked as a print
designer before moving to New York City in 1998, and
dedicated himself to interactive media design. Khoi was
a founding partner at the groundbreaking design studio
Behavior LLC, where he worked with such clients as
The Onion, ResortQuest, Smithsonian, and HBO. After
four successful years, he became the Design Director of
NYTimes.com. He serves on the board of directors for
the New York chapter of AIGA.
Sound for the Grand
Promenade, Athens
Alumnus Steve Roden (Fine Arts, ’86)
was invited to create a site-specific
sound installation at the Turkish Baths in
Athens for “The Grand Promenade,” an
exhibition from July 17-September 29,
2006. Curated by Anna Kafetsi, the exhibition is the first of two large-scale international exhibitions organized by the National Museum of
Contemporary Art. Amish Kapoor, Jannis Kounellis,
Wolfgang Laib, Julie Mehretu, Rachel Whiteread, and
Thomas Hirschhorn are among the 44 artists from around the
world who displayed recent works or in situ commissions.
The Grand Promenade of the Unification of Archaeological
Sites refers to a large urban intervention around the
Acropolis, completed for the 2004 Olympics, that creates an
“open” museum.
I was invited earlier in the year to visit the area and select possible
sites, and ended up working with an indoor space—(the original
Turkish baths)—and an outdoor space (a large tree in front of one
of my favorite buildings in the world: The Byzantine Church of
St. Dimitris Loumbardiardis, which was transformed by architect
Dimitris Pikionis in the mid-1950s). Both works were inspired by
my initial contact with these spaces, and both were modular; sound
composition and sculptural units were prepared off-site, and overall
form was determined and built on-site. In both works, the sound
was composed using elements related to the sites and their histories,
and was quietly added to the existing audio landscapes. My wife,
Sari, also an Otis alum, participated in all the wiring and constructing.
23 OMAG
COLLEGE NEWS
Three Legged Legs and Exopolis
Win Digital Awards
200 Happy Meals
Make a Misfit Diet
Mr Toast, created by Dan Goodsell
Otis graduates and students once again dominated the annual
Broadcast Designers of America/Promax awards ceremony in
New York.
Brien Holman (’03) won the Rocket Award for the best new
talent (for five or less years in the business). His company, Exopolis
(www.exopolis.com), won a Gold award for a Nickelodeon campaign.
This fall, he created the animation and effects for the iPod TV spot,
co-directed with Mark Romanek, and produced in collaboration with
TBWA/Chiat/Day (at right).
Other winners were the team of Three Legged Legs (Reza Rasoli,
Greg Gunn, and Diffan Norman, all ’06), who won Best Student
Work for their animation “Let’s Be Friends.” In the World category,
the Gold award went to Three Legged Legs, the Silver went to
students Casey Hunt, Brandon Martynowicz and Chin Ko for
“Ricochet,” and the Bronze to Diffan Norman for his senior reel.
In addition, Three Legged Legs (now comprised of Greg Gunn,
Casey Hunt, and Reza Rasoli) won First Prize in animation and Best
of 2006 at the Global Student Animation Awards, hosted by Stash
magazine. Their 60-second animation, “Humans,” (below) is a public
service announcement on global awareness. In the VFZ (visual special
effects) category, two of the four runners-up were Otis students:
Chin Ko and Garrett Norlin. These winners were selected from
among hundreds of entries by an international panel of 16 judges
from all parts of the animation, VFX, and motion design industry.
by Meg Linton, Director of the Ben Maltz Gallery and Curator of the Exhibition
Excerpted from the essay for the exhibition “From the
Island of Misfit Toys,” Ben Maltz Gallery, February 10 –
April 15, 2006. Participating artists included Elizabeth
Berdann (blu), Deborah Brown, Nathan Cabrera, Jonathan
Callan, Jeroen deVries, Dan Goodsell, Kelly Heaton, Walter
Martin & Paloma Munoz, Anne Walsh, and 8 Bit Weapon.
The title “From the Island of Misfit Toys” is taken from
the 1964 stop-action classic Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer.
The exhibition featured the work of eleven artists who
manipulate toys to create sculpture, video, performance,
and music that push the conceptual boundaries of these
seemingly benign “toys” in every direction. It was a show
about exaggeration, customization, and consumption;
about inserting the “hand” back into the manufactured.
It reinvests the mass-produced cliché with individual
potential and imagination.
The seeds for this exhibition were planted when I first
saw Jonathan Callan’s sculptures in the wall-work Empires
(at right). Taking 200 McDonalds “premiums” (usually
licensed by Disney), Callan ripped out their stuffing and
injected them with white or black silicon caulking. The
original objects, designed to entice children to plead with
their parents for a Happy Meal, have been turned inside
out, filled beyond their capacity into repellant, gluttonous
symbols of corporate manipulation of our youth’s consumer appetites.
****
Many other projects began percolating in my head,
combined with the knowledge that only three toy design
programs exist in this country; Otis being the acknowledged
leader in the field. Dozens of shows have been done in
Los Angeles over the years with artists who work with
or are inspired by toys, like Mike Kelley, Kim Dingle, Paul
McCarthy, Takashi Murakami, Yoshitomo Nara, David
Levinthal, the Yes Men, and Rubén Ortiz Torres. My intent
with this “toy” exhibition was to bring together a relatively
small group of artists who are crisscrossing the boundaries
of their disciplines, media, and markets. “From the Island
of Misfit Toys” is a nod to the interdisciplinary nature of
OMAG 24
Otis, and to all artists who have felt like misfits, as well as
a chance to show humorous, imaginative and provocative
artwork that inspires a sense of wonder and perplexity.
New Leaders in Design
POSTSCRIPT:
After an exhibition like “From the Island of Misfit Toys,” I always
ask what I learned from this project. My lingering realization
is how dependent the toy industry is on plastics. I knew this, but
it was brought to conscious articulation when Nathan Cabrera
arrived with his life-sized sculpture The Cost of Fun is Going Up.
With gas prices fluctuating so drastically, sustainability is the key
issue these days, and Cabrera’s work has raised many questions
for me: What will take the place of plastics in all industries?
How are our lifestyles going to change and when? How should
we change our lifestyles now? Which Sci-Fi movie is our fate:
Mad Max, Star Wars or Tank Girl?
Otis, as an institution, has been asking lots of questions about
sustainability and responsibility. Our faculty has been urging our
young designers and artists to use their creativity, skill, and vision
to rethink the world they are inheriting. As much as it is a time
of worry about our global predicament, it is also an opportunity to
go beyond our wildest imaginations to find achievable solutions.
President Hoi announced the appointments of three new leaders in
design departments. “These new leaders bring to Otis a profound
understanding of design education and administrative expertise,” says
Hoi, “as well as uncommonly rich perspectives as designers in the
worlds of academia and professional practice.”
Kali Nikitas, new Chair of the Communication Arts
Department, brings dynamic energy and vision to the
program. Previously Chair of the Department of Visual
Arts at Northeastern University in Boston, Ms. Nikitas
was also Chair of the Design Department at
Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) for six
years, and professor of visual communications at the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago from 1991-1997. Nikitas holds an MFA in Graphic
Design from the California Institute of the Arts, and a BA in Graphic
Design with a minor in English Literature from the University of
Illinois at Chicago. In addition to her academic roles, she founded her
own design firm, is a fellow of the Design Institute in Minneapolis, and
Chief Editor of LOOP: AIGA’s Experiment in Design Education Web
site. She frequently curates exhibitions and writes about design.
Deborah Ryan, new Chair of Otis’ nationally recognized
Toy Design Department, has served as a faculty member
since 2001. Ms. Ryan holds a BS in Design from the
College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning at
the University of Cincinnati. A 20-year veteran of the
toy industry, Ms. Ryan was Senior Project Designer for
Mattel Toys for more than a decade, and held key creative positions
at Applause, Inc.; The Walt Disney Company; and Aurora World, Inc.
Ryan’s experience encompasses design and development, licensed
products, apparel, collector and fashion dolls, feature plush, novelties,
and gifts. Her educational objectives include enhancing the role of technology and electronics, and expanding community outreach.
David Fletcher has been appointed to the newly established position of Assistant Chair in the Department of
Architecture/Landscape/Interiors (A/L/I). Mr. Fletcher
will assist current Chair Linda Pollari in the management of this expanding program. An urban and
landscape designer, he holds a Master of Landscape
Architecture degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and
a BA in Sculpture and Public Art and BS in Landscape Architecture
from the University of California at Davis. Fletcher is project manager
with Mia Lehrer + Associates for the Los Angeles River Revitalization
Master Plan, and principal of his own firm, Blue Room Collaborative.
25 OMAG
What is iTunes U?
The world is changing. Over 10 million people currently spend
more than 25 hours per week in synthetic worlds, at inhabitable online
spaces like MMORPGs (Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing
Games). The number of synthetic worlds is doubling every two years,
and by 2030 the population of synthetic worlds is expected to reach
100 million people.
Education is changing to adapt to this by inventing new ways
of learning and communicating. College students, at home in the
digital world, are comfortable both finding information for themselves
and creating individualized text, images, audio, and video.
One of Otis’ technology initiatives, developed by the new
Technology Learning Center funded by a grant from the Fletcher Jones
Foundation, is iTunes U. Apple selected Otis to be among the
first experimenters with this feature, which allows professors to create
audio and video podcasts. Over the summer, several members of
the Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty created more than 50 podcasts
with subjects that range from basic concepts of visual culture to
the depiction of the Virgin Mary in folk art. A recent addition is a
time-lapse movie of the installation of Joan Tanner’s “On Tenderhooks”
exhibition at the Ben Maltz Gallery.
Students use the podcasts 24/7 via laptop, iPod, MP3 player, or
stationary computer. They listen, review, replay and practice, carrying
their classroom experiences with them wherever they go.
class
lecture
notes
MENU
OMAG 26
Commencement ’06
COLLEGE NEWS
Honorary Degree Recipient Bill Viola
Class of 2006 members
Moving Between
The Lines
Honorary degree recipient Bill Viola addressed 242 graduates at the 2006
Commencement. “Those who move between the lines control the board,” he
advised, exhorting the graduates to make their own places in the world. The College
honored Viola, a visionary contemporary artist who works in video, sound, music,
and performance art, for work that “excites the eye, challenges the imagination, and
enriches the spirit.” Kira Perov, his wife and creative collaborator, was recognized for
her accomplishments as curator and photographer.
Two days earlier, over 400 recruiters from firms such as Electronic Arts, Hasbro,
Fox Sports, Imaginary Forces, Disney, MGA, Sony, Ogilvy & Mather, Skidmore
Owings & Merrill, Dreamworks, Nickelodeon, Condé Nast, Liz Claiborne, Microsoft,
and Abercrombie & Fitch attended the year-end Career Night. More than 3,500 visitors viewed the Class of 2006 exhibitions.
The graduates embarked on a variety of career paths. Employers include Lucas
Films; Apple iTunes; fashion designers Rozae Nichols, Isabel Toledo, and John
Varvatos; and companies such as Mattel, Target and Warnaco. Others are pursuing
graduate degrees at UCLA in architecture and art.
Wanda Weller (’88), mentor for Patagonia, with 2005
award-winner Kirk Heifner
What Did a
Frenchman Tell us
About America?
The Otis Speaks spring ’06 events included
writer/philosopher/polemicist Bernard-Henri
Lévy (BHL) in conversation with impresario/
instigator/provocateur Paul Holdengräber. One of
France’s leading philosophers, BHL retraced the
footsteps of Alexis de Tocqueville in his controversial book American Vertigo. He and guest moderator
Holdengräber discussed prisons and mega-churches,
high rises and military facilities, brothels and malls,
Hillary Clinton, George Soros, and Sharon Stone.
Other events were lectures and demonstrations
by several of the artists featured in the Ben Maltz
Gallery exhibition “The Island of Misfit Toys
(see pg. 24), and a lecture by Distinguished Guest
Professor/Curator in Residence Dave Hickey on
the exhibition “Step into Liquid,” which he curated
at Otis’ Maltz Gallery.
Other prominent speakers at the College
during spring ’06 included artists Laura Owens,
Francesca Gabbiani, Guerrilla Girls, Jennifer
Bornstein, and Sandeep Mukherjee (’96) who
spoke to graduate fine arts students; and filmmaker Morgan Fisher, new Hammer Museum
Curator Gary Garrels, Jewish lesbian folksinger/
performance artist phranc, and contemporary
art writer Linda Weintraub, who spoke to undergraduate fine arts students.
Graduate Writing presented readings by
best-selling author Christopher Rice and poet
Amy Gerstler, and hosted a publication party
for Norman Klein's Otis Books/Seismicity
Editions publication, Freud in Coney Island and
Other Tales.
Architecture/Landscape/Interiors hosted landscape architect Mia Lehrer and architect Matthias
Sauerbruch, who discussed their pioneering work
with issues of environmental sustainability.
27 OMAG
CLASS NOTES
Richard Pettibone
(’62, Fine Arts)
This is a small sampling of recent alumni accomplishments. To keep up with Otis’
ever-active alumni, and to see the fully illustrated monthly news archive, click on
“Class Notes” at www.otis.edu/alumni. To submit news and images, contact Sarah
Russin, Director of Alumni Relations at otisalum@otis.edu. To receive a monthly
message with a link to the most up-to-date news and Class Notes, click “Register”at
www.otis.edu/alumni. It’s easy and we don’t spam you! Also, feel free to call Sarah in
the Alumni Office at 310.665.6937. Regular readers of the online alumni news reconnect
with old friends, and take advantage of opportunities for professional development.
If you haven’t already, we hope you will join the Otis alumni online community!
Richard Pettibone, Andy Warhol,
Campbell’s Soup Can (Pepper Pot),
1962, 2005, 7 1/2 x 5 7/8"
“Richard Pettibone: A Retrospective,” Institute
of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, and Laguna
Art Museum, CA. In her review of the exhibition
of 215 works spanning more than four decades,
New York Times art critic Roberta Smith stated
“It is unlikely that so much artistic ground has
ever been covered outside of an art history
survey book or a museum postcard display and
probably never quite as pleasurably.”
Kathleen Ahmanson Hall has been updated with the new logo on banners, cube,
and roof sign. The next time you are on the LAX runway, look towards Otis!
Coleen Sterritt (’79, MFA Fine Arts), Daddy-O, 2006, wood, glue,
insulation foam, cork, paint, shellac, found furniture, 83 x 38 x 40"
Award-Winners, Cool Designers,
Soloists, Entertainers, Alumni in
Print, In Memorium
Award-Winners
Tyrus Wong
(’32, Fine Arts)
Annie Award, Winsor McCay Award
for recognition of lifetime or career
contributions to the art of animation,
2005. Scroll to bottom for juried
awards at www.annieawards.com/
Center, Cincinnati, OH, Regional
Drawing Annual, exhibition in
print, 2006.
Zoe Hong
(’02, Fashion Design)
Gen Art Perrier “Bubbling Under”
Award, New York, N.Y., 2006.
http://verbalcroquis.wordpress.com
foryourconsideration.htm
Coleen Sterritt
(’79, MFA Fine Arts)
City of Los Angeles (C.O.L.A.)
Individual Artist Fellowship,
2006/2007. Exhibitions: d.e.n. contemporary art, Culver City; “Recent
Sculpture and Drawings,” Riverside.
www.dencontemporaryart.com
Mark Dean Veca
(’85, Fine Arts)
Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant,
2006. Exhibition: Schmidt Center
Gallery, Florida Atlantic University,
Boca Raton, FL. Feature: Juxtapoz
magazine (March 2006), and
illustrations, Paper magazine,
(March 2006).
Cynthia Harper
(’87, Fine Arts)
Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant,
2006. Exhibition: “Drawing:
Tradition & Innovation,” Arlington
Arts Center, Arlington, VA.
Publication: Manifest, Creative
Research Center and Drawing
Cool Designers
Mark Bryan
(’74, MFA Fine Arts)
Illustrator and Fine Artist.
www.artofmarkbryan.com
Lisa Stein
(’87, Environmental Design)
Project Manager, The Westfield
Group, for Valencia Town Center
Expansion. Company will develop
retail and entertainment portion of
development at Stratford-on-Avon,
U.K. for 2012 Olympics.
Ed Engel
(’88, Communication Arts)
Creative Proprietor: Engle Creative,
St. Louis, MO. www.EngelCreative.net
and www.EdwardEngel.com
Ingred (Fink) Sidie
(’89, Communication Arts)
Principal, Design Ranch, Kansas
City, MO. Creative focus on
youth/teen fashion, entertainment
and lifestyle brands for Target,
Hallmark, Lee Jeans, H&R Block,
Nike, AT&T, and Binney & Smith.
www.design-ranch.com
Naomi Sanders
(’96, Fine Arts)
Masters in Landscape Architecture,
USC. Landscape Architect, ah’bé
landscape architects, Culver City.
Founder, Plein Air landscape design.
Douglas Jones
(’99, Communication Arts)
Creative Director, Asylum
Entertainment, Hollywood.
Chris Chacon
(’01, Communication Arts)
Senior Graphic Designer, M.Cre8ive.
Major clients include Activision,
Jamdat and Encore.
Joyce Shin
(’04, Communication Arts)
Graphics Coordinator, Gehry
Partners, L.A.
Gerald Westgerdes
(’73, MFA Fine Arts)
“Passages & Tributes: 3-D Narratives,”
Zanesville Art Center, Zanesville, OH.
www.zanesvilleartcenter.org
Christine Taylor Patten
(Christine Patten Powell)
(’74, Fine Arts)
“Micro/Macro: 251 Drawings,” The
Drawing Gallery, London, UK;
“Drawing Time/Drawings from the
Micro/Macro” series, Leeds
University Gallery, Leeds, UK; 300
drawings from the “Micro/Macro”
series, The Drawing Center, New
York, NY. www.thedrawinggallery.com
Rose Lynn Fisher
(’78, Fine Arts)
“Liminal Spaces: Photographs of
Morocco,” UCLA Fowler Museum.
Goldenberg Galleria, UCLA, L.A.
Soloists
Karla Klarin
(’78, MFA Fine Arts)
Schomburg Gallery, Bergamot
Station, Santa Monica.
Bonita Helmer
(’79 Fine Arts)
George Billis Gallery, Culver City.
www.georgebillis.com
Sharon Kagan
(’79, MFA Fine Arts)
“Entwined,” Santa Monica College
Gallery, Santa Monica.
Sarah Perry
(’83, Fine Arts)
“Caught from Below,”
Hunsaker/Schlesinger Gallery,
Bergamot Station, Santa Monica.
Maryrose Mendoza
(’85, Fine Arts)
“Yield,” Solway Jones Gallery, L.A.
www.solwayjonesgallery.com
Keiko Fukazawa
(’86, Fine Arts)
“Dennis O. Callwood & Keiko
Fukazawa,” L2 Contemporary, L.A.
http://www.l2kontemporary.com
Lawrence Gipe
(’86, MFA Fine Arts)
Mid-Career Retrospective: “3 FiveYear Plans: 1990-2005,” Arizona State
University Art Museum, Tempe, AZ.
Ernest Lacy
(’60, Fine Arts)
“Ernest Lacy: A Fifty-Year
Retrospective in Liberating Color”
Lev Moross Gallery, L.A.
http://asuartmuseum.asu.edu/gipe/
www.levmorossgallery.com
http://upload.flipsidedesigns.com/RM_13D.jpg
John White
(’69, MFA Fine Arts)
Sylvia White Gallery, Santa Monica.
Elizabeth Grier
(’90, ’04 MFA Fine Arts)
Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
offices, L.A.
Rebecca Morales
(’86, Fine Arts)
BravinLee Programs, New York, NY.
http://bravinleee.com/past.html
www.johnmwhite.com
Kevin Appel
(’89, Fine Arts)
New Paintings, Angles Gallery,
Santa Monica; Wilkinson Gallery,
London, UK. www.anglesgallery.com
www.wilkinsongallery.com
Daniel Atyim
(’91, Communication Arts)
“Livid: Proud Flesh,” Everson
Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY.
Whitney Stolich
(’04, MFA Fine Arts)
“Third Space,” Angel’s Gate Gallery,
San Pedro.
Entertainers
Gary Lloyd
(’70, MFA Fine Arts)
Owner, Sky Drops Inc., digital
backdrops and on-site custom
scenic backdrops. www.skydrops.com
www.everson.org/exhibits/past.php
Carmine Iannaconne
(’93, Fine Arts)
“Re-Public Works,”
Solway Jones Gallery, L.A.
www.solwayjonesgallery.com.
Colin Roberts
(’01, Fine Arts)
Patricia Faure Gallery, Bergamot
Station, Santa Monica.
Blaine Fontana (Hogg)
(’02, Communication Arts)
“The Animal Council,” paintings
and installations, Scribble Theory
Gallery, Santa Ana, CA; “The Manifest
Soup Transcripts of Four Corners,”
Lineage Gallery, Philadelphia, PA.
www.totembookmedia.com/
“Sedimental Promises,” FIFTY24
Gallery, San Francisco, December
2006; Cover feature Juxtapoz
magazine, August 2006.
Tami Demaree
(’03, MFA Fine Arts)
“A Searing Lesson Every Girl Should
Know,” Steven Wolf Fine Arts,
San Francisco. “I’ll Cross My
Fingers but I won’t Hold My
Breath,” Angstrom Gallery, L.A.
Jim Rygiel
(’81, MFA Fine Arts)
Visual Effects Supervisor, “Night at
the Museum,” (2006) with Ben
Stiller, Robin Williams, Dick Van
Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Owen Wilson
and Ricky Gervais.
Natasha Presler
(’02, Digital Media)
Character Layout Artist, “Simpsons”
TV show (Film Roman/Starz), Disney
Television Animation.
Hyun Sun Yun
(’03, Digital Media)
Production Animator, 1k Studios,
Burbank.
Jinnie Choi
(’04, Architecture/Landscape/
Interiors) Producer, “Extreme
Makeover”: Home Edition, ABC
Judy Kim
(’04, Digital Media)
Senior Computer Artist,
TBWA\Chiat\Day, Venice.
Karen Aviles
(’92, Fashion Design)
Assistant Costume Designer,
“Thief,” FX television show, first
two episodes. Assistant Wardrobe
for “El Cantante” with Jennifer
Lopez and Mark Anthony, August
Rush with Robin Williams.
Michael Zimmerman
(’04, Digital Media)
Concept Designer, Electronic Arts,
L.A. www.premiumscribble.com
Raymond Sanchez
(’99, Communication Arts)
Creative Director of Online
Marketing, Trailer Park (newly
merged with Creative Domain).
Recent projects include “Pride and
Prejudice” and “Brokeback
Mountain” (Focus Features).
Gilbert Martinez
(’05, Digital Media)
3D Environment Artist, Indiana
Jones game project, Lucas Arts,
San Francisco.
www.brokebackmountain.com/home.html
Liuba Belyansky
(’02, Fashion Design)
Assistant Costume Designer,
“Chasing 3000” with Ray Liotta,
Lauren Holly and Rori Culkin.
David Duong
(’05, Digital Media)
Concept Artist, Activision, Santa
Monica. www.haidavid.com
Hunter Woo
(’05, MFA Fine Arts)
Art Department Assistant and
Cameo Actor for “American Dreamz”
and “Art School Confidential.”
www.angstromgallery.com
Tami Demaree (’03, MFA Fine Arts)
OMAG 28
Pining, mixed media on paper, 24 x 19," 2005
29 OMAG
CLASS NOTES
Otis Connects with Alumni
New York
In October, Pablo Rodriguez y Pantoja (’87, Fashion Design) hosted a gathering of 50 alumni and friends at his “June” studio in New York’s fashionable meatpacking district. Recent
graduates working in New York enjoyed connecting with alumni from previous years, and
meeting President Hoi and the Career Services team, Laura Kiralla and Laura Daroca (’03,
MFA). Thanks to Pablo for hosting the third N.Y. reunion.
Elizabeth Grier (‘88, ’04 MFA Fine Arts),
Mark Bryan (’74, MFA Fine Arts), Dick, oil on
untitled oil on panel, 24 x 24," 2006
canvas, 30 x 24" 2006
Nizan Shaked
(’00, MFA Fine Arts)
Curator and Writer. Review of artist
Izaak Julien, Xtra magazine.
Assistant Professor, Art History and
Museum Studies, California State
University, Long Beach.
Consider This
Robert Dobbie
(’01, Communication Arts)
Communication Arts Annual 2006
Sept/Oct feature.
Alumni Mario Ybarra (’99, Fine Arts) and Bruce Yonemoto (’79, MFA Fine
Arts) were two of the six artists commissioned to create installations
for “Consider This,” on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
(LACMA), April 9, 2006 – January 14, 2007. Organized by LACMALab,
and designed by artist Barbara Kruger.
Kelly Culp
(’03, Fashion Design)
Market/Fashion News Editor,
Jane magazine, N.Y.
In Print
George Maitland Stanley
(deceased) (’20s, Fine Arts)
Featured in L.A. Times story by
Bob Pool, “Hollywood Bowl’s
fountain gets a splash from the
past.” “Neglected for decades,
refurbished Streamline Modernestyle fountain is greeting visitors
to the Hollywood Bowl.”
Masami Teraoka
(’69, MFA Fine Arts)
Ascending Chaos: The Art of
Masami Teraoka 1966-2006
(Chronicle Books), spring 2006.
Bruce Kalberg
(’78, Fine Arts)
Author of crime novel Sub-Hollywood
(under pseudonym Bruce Caen), Yes
Press, with cover art by Gary Panter.
Anthony Ausgang
(’83, Fine Arts)
Included in L.A. Artland by Chris
Kraus, Jane McFadden, Jan Tomlic.
Also included are Fine Arts alumni
Kim Fisher (’98), Liz Craft (’94),
Sandeep Mukherjee (’97) and
OMAG 30
faculty members Carole Caroompas
and Meg Cranston.
Roxana Villa
(’85, Communication Arts)
Illustrations featured in L.A. Times,
“Women’s Health,” May 8, 2006.
Rod Beattie
(’86, Fashion Design)
Swimwear Designer, LaBlanca,
Apparel Ventures, L.A. residence
featured in Better Homes and Gardens,
August 2006.
Val Loh
(’89, Fine Arts)
Photographer, “Kahea Maoli:
Hawaiian Voices, Portraits and
Words.” www.honolulumagazine.com/
archives/1105/currentissue.aspx
Camille Rose Garcia
(’92, Fine Arts)
Cover Story: Juxtapoz Magazine,
March 2006. Graphic Novel:
The Magic Bottle (Fantgraphics)
Exhibition: “Subterranean Death
Clash,” Jonathan Levine Gallery, N.Y.
Brian T. Jones
(’04, Communication Arts)
Children’s Book Illustrator,
You Can’t Milk a Dancing Cow
by Emmy award-winner
Tom Dunsmuir
Meghan Moran
(’04, Communication Arts)
MOCA holiday card from
2005/06 featured in Print
Regional Design Annual.
In Memoriam
Harold Lehman
(’32, Fine Arts)
Harold passed away on April 2,
2006 at the age of 92. One of
his paintings was included in the
catalogue for Otis: Nine Decades of
Los Angeles Art. Harold’s daughter,
Lisa Lehman Trager, created a Web
site about her father several years
ago, and invites friends to visit.
www.haroldlehman.com
Gary Lloyd (‘70, MFA), Sky Drops Studio
OW Gray
(’76, Fine Arts)
Wailehua (also known as Orville and
Bubba) passed away June 7, 2005.
At Otis he studied with Matsumi
Kanemitsu, Charles White, and
Emerson Woelffer. He was a successful artist in L.A., and his work is
represented in international collections. In 1987 he returned to his
place of birth in Hawaii. His wife
wants everyone to know how very
proud he was to have attended Otis.
Santa Monica
Otis celebrated the work of Sarah Perry (’83, Fine Arts) at a closing reception for
her exhibition “Caught From Below” at Hunsaker/Schlesinger Fine Arts at Bergamot
Station in Santa Monica. Sarah led a tour for guests (l to r), including mentor Betye
Saar, classmates from ’83, and her students from the early ’90s. In addition, she signed
copies of her best-selling children’s book If, commissioned by the Getty Museum.
Peter Zahorecz
(’86, Fine Arts)
Peter passed away June 4, 2006,
from head-related trauma following
a skateboarding accident in England.
He worked as a gallery preparator
for Maryland Institute College of Art,
and was a well-known figure in the
art and music scene in Baltimore.
http://www.citypaper.com/arts/
story.asp?id=11927
Joan Hugo
Joan Hugo passed away on February
7, 2006. She was the Otis librarian
for 25 years, and was known
for beginning and developing the
Library’s important collection of
artists’ books and ephemera. She
was a critic for Artweek and other
publications and later worked as
assistant to the Provost at Cal Arts
for several years. A celebration of
Joan’s life, organized by her friends
and family, was held at LA Artcore
in the Brewery. Many Otis graduates
wrote to the College expressing
their affection for Joan, and citing
the deep influence she had on them
as a teacher and friend.
San Francisco
In November, painter Darren Waterston (’88, Fine Arts) hosted alumni and friends
at his beautiful home and studio in the heart of San Francisco. Thanks to Darren for
hosting the first-ever gathering in San Francisco!
Letter to the Editor
I got a big kick out of seeing Andre’s
[Andre Bombonatti de Castro (’85)] face in
the latest magazine!!!! . . . He had that very
serious face on . . . that same serious face
that he “wore” when we all were chums in
art school . . . !
Most interesting to see such a wonderful
array of talent . . . especially the fine arts
group. My impression in the 1980s and 1990s
was that the focus on the institutional “face”
shifted from fine arts to communication
design, with an understanding that by sponsoring a more perceived “safe” major, Otis
would attract more students interested in
applying to a four-year program.
As head of the LACMA design dept.,
and a fellow Otis graduate, I felt strongly
that Otis's true strength lies in its fine arts
program and that, historically, from Billy
Al Bengston to the ceramists from the 1950s,
Otis always has made its mark by demonstrating and attracting true renegades that
want to make individual marks of expression. We all feed off that energy that stems
from the fine artist.
I will never forget my first days at Otis in
my Foundation Year. On the day of registration,
the institution gave us all a 10-pound bag
of clay. I felt that symbolically this was an
amazing gesture, expecting that no matter
who we were or what our declared major
might be, we should all be ready to get
our hands dirty, and create fearlessly, and
most important of all, MAKE MISTAKES.
I was very fortunate in being at Otis
from 1981-85. I remember quite vividly
standing in line at Murray’s to order a sandwich. At the time, we were all hungry, both
metaphorically and literally. In front of
me was Liz Young (‘84, Fine Arts), and
behind me was a (cute cute cute) fellow
named Tom Ford (an environmental designer
who was a guest transfer from Parsons in
NYC who later, after his graduation, switched
to become our most wonderful fashion
designer del mundo) . . . to the left of me was
Peter Shelton, one of my teachers . . . and
then there were Sheila de Bretteville and Ave
Pildas talking out loud about typography . . .
and what did we all have in common?
We all desired the last of Murray's chicken
salad sandwiches!
CheersAmy McFarland (’85, Communication Arts)
www.jonathanlevinegallery.com/
31 OMAG
CLASS NOTES
Otis Gear
Designing
Otis
Have you noticed Otis’ new logo? After seven different names and two campuses, Otis
has a new four-letter word mark that clearly and directly communicates strength and
confidence. This new institutional identity serves as a serious backdrop for exuberant
and diverse—but blunt and honest—expressions of the students, faculty, and alumni. Now
you can share your Otis connection on your chest, head, or car.
Otis is developing a publication that
will chronicle alumni contributions to the
design world. Designing Otis (working
title) will be a companion piece to the
fine arts exhibition catalogue Otis: Nine
Decades of Los Angeles Art. We are
seeking work by designers to include in
this important publication.
What to Submit
Posters, theme park design, book illustration,
animation, photography, production design,
toys, fashion, exhibition design, and furniture
can be submitted. (Sound and motion may be
represented by a DVD insert.) All eras will be
represented, including the years before Otis
offered a formal design curriculum. Fine Art
alumni who have produced design work are
welcome to submit. Alumni do not need to be
currently working in the design world.
How to Submit
High-resolution digital images are needed
(300 dpi, 4”x5” or larger).
Send them to Sarah Russin at
otisalum@otis.edu through
www.yousendit.com.
Send motion work as DVDs. Supply as much
information as possible about the images,
including credit for any collaborating photographers, designers, etc.
When to Submit
Deadline: April 30, 2007.
Feel free to send work earlier!
We are hoping to hear from alumni who have
been out of touch, so pass on this opportunity
to your Otis friends!
Contact
Sarah Russin, Director of Alumni Relations
310.665.6937 or otisalum@otis.edu
Beefy T-Shirt
Black with white logo, L, XL
$23.00*
Women’s Fitted T-Shirts
Black with white logo, S, M
$21.50*
Hooded Zippered Sweatshirts
Heather gray with black appliqued logo
M, L, XL
$62.50*
Bumper Stickers (static, not glue)
$3.50*
Baseball Cap
Black “flex fit” with white embroidered
logo and url, One Size
$24.50*
Otis Beanie
Black with white embroidered “O” and url
One Size
$20.00*
License Plate Holders
Chrome with black logo
$12.50*
Place your credit card order with the art supply store Graphaids (Westchester Location)
by calling 310-216-6300. They ship around the country/world.
* plus tax and shipping
Opposite page:
Blaine Fontana
(‘02, Communication Arts)
A Dojo on the Morning After,
acrylic on board, 18 x 24"
OMAG 32