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ART CENTER NEWSWIRE - April 2, 2002

To keep abreast of the exciting and innovative ideas, people and projects at Art Center College of Design, the media and general public can subscribe to Art Center's news digest by sending email to requests@lists.artcenter.edu and in the body of the mail type "subscribe newswire" (without quotes). We highlight some of the newsmakers in our Art Center community monthly.

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(626) 396-2394; fax (626) 683-9233.


OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

San Diego Union TribuneAgainst a backdrop of nationwide economic blahs, Los Angeles is experiencing a boom of large civic and commercial projects, including several designed b some of the world's leading architects. This boom is sweeping Los Angeles now due to a confluence of factors, including a nationwide trend toward large, pedestrian-oriented redevelopment projects, a relatively strong regional economic climate and the fact that Los Angeles' headlong, post-World War II growth, having reached its outward geographic limits, has begun to turn back inward. A small cadre of movers and shakersincluding developer Ira Yellin, billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, UCLA's Sylvia, (chairwoman of architecture and urban design, former Mayor Richard Riordan and Richard Koshalek, president of Art Center College of Design in Pasadenahave pressed the case for major civic projects and called for leading architects to design them.

Los Angeles Times"There was a deep feeling in the selection committee that this [design] had the capacity for greatness...And why shouldn't Los Angeles have it?" says Andrea Rich, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The decision to rebuild the biggest encyclopedic art museum west of the Mississippi from scratch was as much a surprise for her as it was for the rest of Los Angeles. But on Dec. 5, LACMA unveiled a stunning plan: Instead of merely remodeling its campus on Wilshire Boulevard, the museum would raze four of its six buildings, replacing them with a vast, futuristic structure designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. The design 'is to the exhibition of art what [Walt] Disney Concert Hall is to the performance of music," says Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, whose district encompasses the museum, and has been enthusiastic from the start. Art Center's Richard Koshalek, only has applause for Rich and the board: They took a leap of faith." Koshalek, Neil M. Denari, then-president of the Southern California Institute of Architecture; and Sylvia Lavin, chairwoman of UCLA's department of architecture, were independent consultants to the 10-trustee selection committee.


ALUMNI

Orange Coast MagazineLos Angeles-based photographer Stephen Harvey established his studio after graduating with a bachelor's in fine arts from Art Center College of Design. Harvey has brought to the advertisement and editorial scene a lively, warm, sun-splashed style epitomizing the California look. In addition to his worldwide location experience, Harvey produces innovative studio fashion and celebrity work. His more than 250 personality images are known for their informal, natural beauty. He has also produced many movie posters, including Poltergeist and The Mummy.


CAMPUS

MetropolisMembers of the Art Center community, including Provost Ronald Jones, Senior Vice President Patricia Belton Oliver, Special Programs Director David B. Walker and alumni and industry professionals Thomas Mueller and Matt Murphy, offered their insights and viewpoints on the future of Art Center. An excitement was captured in their comments that reflected the college's rediscovery of itself as not only an educational facility but as a catalyst in the evolving ways of design. A new curriculum that embraces transdisciplinary training is being created that will prepare students for a culture that blurs the lines of art, design and entertainment.

Los Angeles Business JournalGeorge Falardeau has been promoted to senior vice president of real estate and operations for the campus. His responsibilities include real estate and property management, working with the City of Pasadena government officials and community relations. He is also instrumental in the building construction of the college's facilities, environmental health, safety and security, media and food services. He has worked for Art Center since 1994.


FACULTY

Palisadian PostInstructor and alumna Marcie Begleiter has written an instructive book on the relationship of storyboarding in filmmaking. From Word to Image: Storyboarding and the Filmmaking Process teaches filmmakers how storyboards have been used by directors that include Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese. It also shows students how to use storyboards in their own work. "Some directors are frustrated by their inability to communicate about image," she said. "The book is about giving directors and writers visualization tools."

Car CollectorFormer transportation faculty member Robert Cumberford (ACE) has been chosen as one of the judges for the upcoming World Automotive Design Competition, hosted by the 2002 Canadian International AutoShow (CIAS) in Toronto, Canada.

CMYK"If you improve your drawing skills, you will become a better designer. Period." So says Doyald Young, undisputed master of letters, logos, and type of all forms. For over 26 years he has taught Art Center students the value of putting pen to paper and the discipline that will be acquired in doing so. Young has done work for such distinguished firms as Perletear Skin-Care products, Hotel East 21 and the TJRM Gallery. While he acknowledges the usefulness of computers, he doesn't think that "computer drawing is drawing; it is clicking." "Hand drawing can be tedious," he concedes, "but its rewards are long lasting."


FILM

Beverly Hills CourierFaculty member Marcie Begleiter began as an artist in Boston. From there, she moved to Los Angeles and has made a career as an art director and a teacher of storyboarding at AFI [American Film Institute] and Art Center College of Design. Her book is called From Word to Image: Storyboarding and the Filmmaking Process." It is fascinating to see how directors have used storyboards to aid their productions. This includes the angles, perspectives and movements used to facilitate the shooting schedule for the director and camera person.


PHOTOGRAPHY

Photo District NewsTony Luna, a photographers' rep and faculty member at Art Center, spoke with PDN about his course "Operating a Freelance Photography Business." He has been teaching the class for 18 years to offer insights into how the working world works. "We wanted our students to be able to wake up the morning after the morning after graduation and hit the ground runningrealizing there is a career to be created. We address the tools necessary to get our students off to a strong start." The course covers starting a business, copyright law, legal and ethical issues, target marketing, expense accountability, billing and payment.

Photo District NewsLivia Corona has always had a free-spirited, gutsy approach to her work. During breaks from Art Center, she often drove down to her native Mexico to find inspiration. There she began work documenting the lives of Mexico's famed enanitos toreros, or midget bullfighters. She befriended a female bullfighter, who invited Corona to travel with her troupe through the migrant farming communities in California. Once there, Corona captured the essence of the bullfighters, both in the ring and behind the scenes. "I haven't seen such cohesiveness in a young photographer's work in many years," says James Crump of Arena Editions, who is publishing a book on the project next year. Corona is thrilled about the response to the project. "Vibe asked me to shoot Ice-T based on one of the bullfighter pictures."

Malibu Surfside NewsAlumna Dana Fineman's photos incorporate the talent and instincts of a natural artist. Her work has been on the cover of countless national magazines and she now enjoys photographing her friends and neighbors, especially children. Though she is grateful for the time spent as a photojournalist, she says, "For so many years I had been going all over the world shooting other people's lives, and I wanted to go back and live my own." In doing that, her candid photos capture not only her subjects' joy and personality, but her own happiness as well.


TRANSPORTATION

The Wall Street Journal Classroom EditionAlumna Akino Tsuchiya is a rare reed: a woman in the male-dominated field of automotive design. But it's not just her gender that sets her apart. Ms. Tsuchiya, a Tokyo native, works on the leading edge of a cutting-edge professionconceiving the cars and trucks that will fit the evolving tastes of Generation Y. Her latest creation made its debut at the Dodge pavilion of the Detroit Auto Show, a stylish, brawny, bare-bones roadster concept called the Razor. The razor is just one example of the auto industry's newest obsession: very young customers. Some 63 million youths will reach driving age in the next 10 years, and the entire industry is convinced that these customers are the key to its future financial success. To tailor their designs and products to this market, the car companies will increasingly turn to young, creative up-and-comers for answers. People like Art Center graduate Akino Tsuchiya.

Los Angeles TimesGraduate Christopher V. Chapman has been named the head of the automotive design team for Designworks USA in Newbury Park. He replaces Adrian van Hooydonk, named late last year as president of the company. Chapman designed the exterior of the BMW X5 "sport-activity vehicle" and did the exterior of the X-Coupe concept car shown at the Detroit auto show last year. He will be leading a team of designers and model makers in the automotive unit.

The Plain DealerThe Apollo GT, a world-class touring automobile presented in the early 1960s, was the result of a true international effort. It had an American engine and running gear, a body built in Italy by a transplanted Canadian, and Italian/American styling by alumnus Ron Plescia. The car, with its sleek lines influenced by the then recently introduced Jaguar, might have been mistaken for a Ferrari. Though priced below cost, its creator Milt Brown couldn't find a distributor for the Apollo and the company failed after producing a total of 88 cars.

Grunion GazetteThe unveiling of alumnus Nick Pugh's "green car," the Xeno III, drew cheers from an audience of about 600 that gathered at Art Center to support the completion of more than six years of hard work. The high performance vehicle is a personal concept car that includes a 500-horsepower Chevrolet supercharged V8 engine that is encased in a highly detailed body.