Not so long ago, College (“C” #1) was simply College – a kind of loose and fuzzy stepping

stone to whatever was next –

a special time-out prior to fully engaging

one’s emerging future – typically reserved

for the privileged few. Individuals

pursued College with a blind faith

that it would facilitate a meaningful,

even prosperous life. Fortunately,

from my point of view, many vestiges

of that enterprise remain, but the

territory has become more complex.

More recently, “C” #2 – Career – has

developed an intimate kinship with

College, which is now charged with

preparing students for nameable,

immediately lucrative jobs. College

is increasingly a training experience

where high-priced professionals groom

future generations for high-priced

professional Careers. The escalating

cost of College and the consequent

expectation of a Career return on

investment go hand-in-hand.

F r o m B r y a n r o g e r s , D e a n

Even more recently, “C” #3 –

Citizenship – or active engagement

with a global society, has become an

expectation for both College and Career.

College must not only lead directly to

a Career, the Career must engage the

pressing problems and possibilities

related to environmental sustainability,

social justice, public health, and other

global issues. Citizenship means more

than simply having a lucrative job.

While one could yearn for an earlier,

less complex time, I do not. The

national and global cultures we have are

the ones we have made. While Careers

have become equated with individual

identity and personal survival in

society, Citizenship is essential for

collective identity and survival.

The Four “C”s

The presumed consequence with

which I disagree, however, is that

the ternary confluence of College,

Career and Citizenship is sufficient.

While obviously self-serving for an

art/design administrator to claim, I

believe that adding “C” #4 – Creativity

– to the mix provides an effective and

efficient accelerant to the three-C

imperative that institutions must

provide. The dynamic global context not

only allows, but relentlessly demands

that individuals accrue complex

capabilities, versatility, and dynamic

identities. Creativity can and should

be taught to everyone. It is teachable

and can be learned by everyone. In

fact, once one has opened the doors

of Creativity, it becomes a driving

force, not simply a vocational skill. It

is a highly transferable approach to

problem-construction and problem-

solving. This is hardly a radical point

of view. Social institutions of all

types, namely financial and industrial

institutions, are currently extolling

the importance of Creativity.

The stories of individuals in this

issue of Emergence testify to the value

of Creative thinking. Michigan Art &

Design has set out to unleash Creativity,

not only in our small, cloistered

community, but throughout the

University, and the broader community

While the three “r”s remain

essential, the four “C”s must become

imperative in higher education.

College, Careers, and Citizenship

have established their legitimacy.

now it’s time to bring Creativity

on board. It’s available to anyone.

Faculty across universities, especially

in art/design domains, stand ready

to lead the charge. Once the powers-

that-be at institutions of higher

education acknowledge and enable

this imperative, both individuals and

the economic and social engines of

the global culture will thrive.

“Creativity can and should be taught to everyone. It is teachable and can be learned by everyone.”

1  •  Emergence  summer 2010 • { r } e v o l u t i o n •

Fast Forward PeoPle In CreatIve fIelDs ImmeDIately reCognIze the truth of thIs statement.

And professionals across the work spectrum are coming to acknowledge it as well. In the midst of a world characterized by accelerating change, the qualities of creativity, holistic thinking, and innovation — the hallmarks of an art and design education —are increasingly in demand. This is, in part, because preparing emerging professionals today means educating them for work roles in a future that we can’t even begin to imagine. In work, and in life, success is and will continue to be about being nimble, strategic, and fluid.

e v ery grand amer ican accomp l i shment,every innovation that has benefited and enriched

our lives, every lasting social transformation, every moment of profound insight any American

visionary ever had has been the fruit of the creative imagination, of the ability to reach

beyond received ideas and ready-made answers to some new place, some new way of seeing

or hearing or moving through the world.— Michael chabon

Daniel Pink, author of A Whole

New Mind concurs. He states that

while the Information Age was

characterized by logical and precise

left-brain thinking, we are now in the

Conceptual Age — “ruled by artistry,

empathy, and emotion.” Within this

new era, “the winners are designers,

inventors, counselors, ethnographers,

social psychologists, and other right-

brain folks, while lawyers, engineers,

accountants, and other left-brainers

will see their jobs migrate to Asia.”

Pink continues, ”The ability to

see the big picture, connect the

dots, combine disparate things into

something new —It’s a signature

ability that is a great predictor of star

performance in the workplace. Visual

artists in particular are good at seeing

how the pieces come together.”

Whatever the field, “Art and design

processes help people develop fresh

thinking through aesthetic ways

of knowing, imagination, intuition,

re-framing and exploring different

with uncertainty, ambiguity, and the

paradox of invention.” - Linda Naiman,

founder of Creativity at Work.

These big picture statements are

confirmation of a new awareness.

But even more resonant are the real

world stories that demonstrate how

an art and design education prepares

graduates for not just one professional

outcome, but for many.

We asked a & D a lu m s — some

who graduated decades ago and some

who have just left school — to

describe how they got from here

(A&D) to there (a career), and the

tools and techniques that helped

them find their way. It’s a snapshot

of the variety, richness, challenge,

and satisfaction that characterize a

life in art and design. perspectives. Art-based processes also

help people learn to be comfortable

Weaskeda&D

alums— some who graduated

decades ago and some who have just left school —

summer 2010  Emergence  •  2 • { r } e v o l u t i o n •michigan art & design

3  •  Emergence  summer 2010

Making the case for Creative Thinking

L inda Hol l iday BFa ‘ 79 Media, internet and Market ing entrepreneur

Getting through art school is, itself, an incredibly entrepreneurial process, from howdo I buy paint and pay rent? To figuring out what

the assignment is, to transporting sculptures.

You name it, art school is full of sink or swim

experiences. After graduation, I definitely

hit the ground running in my jobs, not just

because I could think outside the box but

because I really knew how to get things done.

My industrial design education at A&D

helped me put structure around the problem-

solving process. Most complicated problems

are design problems in that they are about

reconciling incompatible requirements.

so, design training is exactly what’s

necessary for solving the big problems

facing business, government, and

ecology. furthermore, most problems

are too complicated to understand

unless they can be visualized. the

exact intelligence needed to visualize

problems is visual intelligence!

I had no career plan when I graduated. All

I had was voracious curiosity. Curiosity and

the desire to expose myself to challenges of

all sorts—emotional, conceptual, physical,

intellectual, sensual—this is the hallmark

of the first- rate creative personality. Follow

what makes you excited, juicy, scared. Learn

everything you can. It has a way of all

coming together in new challenges and

• { r } e v o l u t i o n •

summer 2010  Emergence  •  4 

new accomplishments. One of my

favorite quotes is ‘in the end, life

is always right.’ It will happen.

I actually went from art school to

business school, which was unusual

at the time. Now, John Maeda, Vice

President of RISD, is saying that mfas

are the new mBas. After graduation

I went into cable television marketing,

sports marketing, television production

and then starting an interactive

marketing agency, which I sold two

years ago. We had a creative department

of over 70 people, and obviously I used

my education guiding the development

of the creative. Lately, I’ve been working

as a seed stage investor, advising

and investing in companies that

specialize in media and technology.

We’re moving from a mechanistic

view of the world to a systems view

of the world, from reductionism

to complexity, from linear to the

quantum. With the recent emphasis

on ‘mathandscience’ empirical

evidence, and ‘metrics metrics

metrics,’ the visual and the intuitive

have suffered low status. Did you

know the term scientist was coined

from science + artist because at

that time science had no status?

The humanities ruled. Thankfully the

monoculture era is winding down a bit

and the value of whole brain thinking,

visual thinking, beauty, design are

all being re-evaluated. Intuition

isn’t a dirty word anymore!

I believe that a degree in art and

design is one of the most practical

degrees for the future. Professions

and skills that don’t require intuition,

imagination and creative process

mastery are in danger of being

automated or outsourced to lower labor

cost markets. The valued professions

and skills 10 years from now won’t

look the same as 10 years ago.

I also think it’s imperative for artists

and visual thinkers to be articulate

about these distinctions and these

values, to be evangelists about their

contributions. It’s kind of shocking

to me, actually, that many creative

people I meet, even at high levels

in their fields, can be uninformed

and inarticulate about these issues.

Who can we expect to defend us in

this way of thinking and about the

importance of these contributions

if we don’t defend ourselves?

M a n y b r i l l i a n t p e o p l e leave school thinking they are not very smart. And that’s not their fault. It’s because the culture of education is not designed to identify the full range of human talents.

— Sir Ken robinSon

c r e at i v i t y is the process of bringing something new into being...creativity requires passion and commitment. Out of the creative act are born symbols and myths. It brings to our awareness what was previously hidden and points to new life. The experience is one of heightened consciousness–ecstasy.

— rollo May, the courage to create

• { r } e v o l u t i o n •michigan art & design

othervoicesI believe any successful career

is borne out of a passion or

all consuming interest in a

particular field. Enjoying being

immersed in a field of interest

will eventually bring about a

successful career or at least

reward one with happiness.

I was lucky enough to have

worked with two Chicago art

collectors early in my career.

They believed in my approach

towards interior design and

encouraged me to establish my

own practice. Their mentoring

was key to my success.

– leslie Jones, (Bfa ‘83)Interior Designerleslie Jones, Inc.

5  •  Emergence  summer 2010

other voicesNo matter how talented you are, you will have to prove yourself to

your employers on many levels in order to gain their confidence.

If you graduate confident in your abilities it will carry you very

far. Be confident. Be creative. Become successful. Give back.

– Jason Phillips (Bfa ‘83), furniture Designer

Edible Art Baker Heather anne Leav it t BFa ‘07

on how paint ing, sculpture and food can all come

together to make a career InsteaD of BeIng PrePPeD to fIt

into a specific career path, going to art school gave me the

tools to figure out what I wanted to do, and the ambition to

figure out how to get there.

I went to art school thinking I’d go into graphic design.

But I realized pretty quickly that I had a lot more fun

working in three dimensions. I entertained the idea

of going into industrial design, but a semester in Italy

studying sculpture and falling in love with cooking

changed my path. I came back, passionate about food, and

eager to express this passion through my artwork.

I actually started making cakes for my senior thesis project

at A&D. Being able to spend a full year on one project, after

trying out so many different media, gave me the opportunity

to find something that I was really passionate about.

When I graduated, I went to a local cake shop and

volunteered to help out on busy weekends. Then, the owner

asked me to be her assistant on a series of Food Network

Challenges. I met cake artists from all over the country,

r e S e a r c h h a S S h o w n that in creativity quantity equals quality. The longer the list of ideas, the higher the quality of the final

solution. The highest quality ideas appear at the end of the list.— linda naiMan, Founder, creativity at worK

• { r } e v o l u t i o n •

C a r e e r s t o r I e s

learned lots of new techniques

and got a better sense for the ins

and outs of the cake business.

I currently run a cake

business called Sweet Heather

Anne here in Ann Arbor.

(sweetheatheranne.com). I use

the skills from my sculpture,

industrial design, and painting

classes on a daily basis. My

time in CFC (an A&D core

course on developing concepts)

has also had a large impact on

my work. Most of the cakes I

make are completely different

from anything I’ve ever made

before, so I rely heavily on

creative problem solving... and

perseverance.

Photographer stephanie seliskar BFa ‘05

on deadlines, fashion photography, and becoming an entrepreneur

I am Currently a fashIon PhotograPher

in New York shooting fashion week runway shows, look-

books, and stories for magazines. I have worked with Betsey

Johnson, William Rast by Justin Timberlake, Charlotte

Ronson, Diego Binetti, Michael Angel, Band of Outsiders

and Sebastian Professional. My photos have been in Elle,

Cosmo, Seventeen, SURFACE and Glitterati magazines.

the school of a&D helped teach me to be creative

as an artist and, just as importantly, to be creative as

a business woman. I moved to New York City to start a

career as an art director in advertising. But once I was

established as a Senior Art Director, I realized I wanted to

be more hands on and conceptual in image-creation. I took

the jump and started a freelance photography business.

Three months later the economy tanked. So while I

decided to start my own business at the wrong time, I used

creativity, both in art and in business to my advantage.

leavIng College, I haD a vIsIon for my career that included a glamorous job in advertising

where I’d ride a Vespa to work and pick up fresh flowers on my

way home to my exposed brick loft. My journey has shaped

up differently than I had imagined, but the well-rounded

education, creative problem-solving and analytical skill set I

harnessed in college equipped me to grow into business roles

that have proven challenging and extremely rewarding.

After spending a year as a ski-bum, I took a contract

graphic design position with a start-up company in Santa

Barbara, California. What began as temporary work has

evolved into an eight-year career where I moved from sole

designer to Creative Director, and now sit as part of the

company’s executive management team. Today, as the

Marketing Director, I am responsible for the corporate

brand and communications strategy, new product design

and development, as well as all aspects of the customer

experience for our suite of products and web-based tools.

Had I been asked eight years ago if I saw myself working

at a technology solutions company, I would have surely

said ‘no way.’ Joining a small early stage start-up gave me

the experience to wear many hats, find my strengths, and

carve out a niche for myself that amplified my strengths

and encouraged me to step up to new challenges.

I had a narrow view, initially, about how I could use

my degree, but ultimately, I’ve learned that an art and

design education has a much greater application in the

business world. I’ve seen how having a solid foundation

in good design, an attention to detail, a critical mind,

and an ability to adapt and provide creative solutions to

problems are relevant and valuable in the workforce.

A&D taught me to build a portfolio, talk about art, and

display work in a gallery setting. I started showing at

small gallery spaces and shops in New York, designed

an identity, and basically self-promoted for a few years.

Slowly but surely, I picked up clients through friends,

friends of friends, and through online promotion.

A&D taught me to work hard, and accomplish (sometimes

seemingly impossible) creative tasks on deadline.

Sometimes you hit a wall, and have to think differently

to accomplish what you set out to do. U of M gave me a

background in being creative as an artist AND being

a good business-woman by meeting deadlines.

www.stephanieseliskar.com

summer 2010  Emergence  •  6 michigan art & design

Director of Market ing Jil l e ll is BFads ‘ 0 1

ref lects on how her career goals have changed over t ime

• { r } e v o l u t i o n •

I gr aDuateD Before neW meDIa BeCa me Part of the curriculum. And I was once asked if going to U of M School of Art

& Design mattered given the seemingly unrelated field of television and

film production I ended up in. A&D’s rich environment, however, fostered

a creative way of thinking and problem solving that embraced all and

transcended any specific medium at the time.

While at A&D, I was most interested in areas that involved process as

a big part of the aesthetic. I spent an awful lot of time in printmaking.

It only makes sense in retrospect. My job now, as a director of television

commercials and films, is a process driven occupation. We often start with

the abstract problem of how to create a feeling about a product and end with

something that becomes a part of millions of people’s lives and can change

our culture. There are many steps in this process. I often fall back on

everything from elemental problem-solving skills to different methods

of visualization… skills I was able to develop in art school. I don’t think

a vocational approach could have prepared me for the work I do now.

When I was younger, I was frustrated by not having a specific job in mind,

let alone one that paid well. I only knew what I liked and what I thought I

was good at. I slowly backed into situations that seemed right. Looking back

at it, this turns out to have been a very rewarding path. By taking smaller

steps in the direction of your interests you make more well

informed decisions toward a goal that will fit your changing

personality, skill sets, and the current world situation.

I think it is a mistake to look on an art education as job

training, though there may be some who unlike me know

exactly where they want to go. The best thing about a degree

in Art & Design is having a foundation of creative thinking,

which is personally rewarding and universally valuable. I

can’t imagine a better background.

other voicesBe a risk taker. You learn from what doesn’t

work and it can make what you do later

stronger. Be open to every opportunity.

And never dismiss tiny moments. You just

never know when something is going to jell,

when that idea or opportunity is going to

happen. Sometimes that thing that is not

the most linear, not the most expected is

that catalyst that transforms everything.

– ruth taubman (Bfa ‘81),Jewelry Designer,

ruth taubman, Inc.

to b e c r e at i v e M e a n S a S K i n g , “How do you see the world and how do

you see it in a way that no one else does?” Those questions lead to innovation.

— Creative thinking in the Classroom , boSton globe , February 23 , 2008

Fi lm Director Kev in smith BFa ‘ 78 on the benef its

of backing into a career

C a r e e r s t o r I e s

7  •  Emergence  summer 2010

summer 2010  Emergence  •  8 • { r } e v o l u t i o n •michigan art & design

after graDuatIng from mIChIgan I stuDIeD footWear design in both London and Milan before moving fulltime to Italy, where I found a job

as a pattern-maker in a luxury footwear factory, Calzaturificio Della Vedova. The

technical skills I gained at the School of Art & Design directly helped me to land the

job, and opened doors for me within the company after I was hired. When I went for my

initial interview for my job, the first thing that my future boss commented on was my

“buona mano” (good hand) – the precision and smoothness of my cutting. In this field,

that skill, which I refined in my drawing, woodworking, and metalworking classes at

Michigan, is invaluable. He hired me on the spot, despite the fact that I did not speak

Italian and he did not speak English.

Once I began working, I was able to put to use not only my buona mano but also

the computer skills acquired in my many digital classes at Michigan. When my boss

discovered that I was trained in so many other subjects, I was given responsibility

for managing and manipulating designs on Photoshop and Illustrator, creating line

sheets and technical spec sheets, and assisting on production – creating jewelry-

Footwear Designer danielle scarpulla BFa ‘06 “buona mano” gives her new opportunit ies

at an i talian luxury footwear factorylike accessories and weaving

sandal uppers. The designers

we worked with also invited me

to work in their studio when I

wasn’t needed in the factory.

There I did technical sketches of

lasts, consulted on shoe and heel

designs, and made color cards. The

past year of this work has been an

incredible education for me, but I

would not have had the opportunity

to work in so many facets of the

company were it not for my broad

design background from A&D.

Freelance I l lustrators Wendy Walters and John Brinkman

BFa ‘84 discuss the winding road from hat design to children’s books

as freelanCe Illustr ators and designers living in Brooklyn under the name

“John & Wendy,” we work primarily on children’s

books and products. Recently, Periwinkle Smith

and the Twirly, Whirly Tutu (PSS/Penguin, 2009),

which we both illustrated and wrote was published.

In addition, for the past nine years we have

illustrated the series Katie Kazoo Switcheroo.

We’ve also worked on a variety of other projects

for clients—including store windows for Barneys,

packaging art and gift cards for Target, note cards

and prints for YeeHaw Industries, and illustrations

and art for various magazines and department stores.

So how did we end up as a free-lance illustrators

and designers? After getting a foothold in

Brooklyn, Wendy and I started a little hat company.

We designed and made hats, mainly kids hats.

Really nice ones. A lot of work though, especially for Wendy.

One day, an accessories editor at Child Magazine who used our

hats in photo shoots, suggested I show my drawing portfolio to the

magazine’s art director. That led to an illustration assignment. Then

the accessories editors strongly suggested that the art director give

us the names of four or five other

art directors, and that really got

the ball rolling for John & Wendy.

Is it a career? It’s been a modest and

mystifyingly reliable livelihood so

far. At the moment, the best I can say is

that I draw for a living, and that Wendy

and I do our own thing, and work with

a lot of cool people. And you get to

listen to any music you want. All day

long. Unless Wendy’s home, in which

case no Mahavishnu Orchestra.

n e v e r has the need for creativity been so compelling

and never has genuine creativity been in such short supply. instead of experiencing the

refreshing spray of authentic originals we risk drowning in a sea of iterations on imitations.

— ryan MathewS and wattS wacKer oF FirSt Matter

9  •  Emergence  summer 2010

we begin to recognize, trust and encourage

those embers that become the fires in our

bellies. Rather than steering by trends, praise

from others, expert advice, or career plans, I

found our training equipped me with real skills,

resourcefulness and creativity.

moreover, there is no career to build, there

is only the daily returning to what are our real

concerns, what do we really care about, which

isn’t always what anyone else is going to be caring

about at that particular time or place. There is no

neat timetable—years may pass when we (and

others) may wonder what we are doing.

The challenge is and always has been the

courage to be simply who we are, following the

interests we actually find arising in us. It is not

about building an identity, but about accepting

that we have one. If there is joy in working with

our hands and eyes and materials and images,

whatever they are, there is every reason in the

world to study art or design.

What I value most that I learned in art school

was finding the key to taking the elevator down

deep into myself—to see that my first ideas

• { r } e v o l u t i o n •

I WIsh I haD knoWn

sooner that there was more than

one ‘successful’ outcome from

studying art and design. My

achiever’s orientation could only

see one— creating a body of work

that would result in my being

famous! I thought doing the work

was a means to that end. The

tricky wonder of art training is

in the fact that you can’t really

make art (or a life) that way.

Creativity arises in certain conditions, and fortunately those

conditions require that you relinquish most of your smallish (and

largish) ideas about yourself. Given my success perspective, there was

so much riding on how good the work was at each minute. How can you

possibly get good at something when you are so stressed about how

good you are that you can’t work?

Studying art and working at making art has turned out to be a

way more radical activity than I imagined. And I have learned many

secrets about how we can live well and happily. It requires that we

learn to live without

constantly needing

ego reinforcement.

That is what actually

frees us to tinker at

something with no

idea whether it’ll

result in something

tangible or admired

or profitable. It

requires that

The Power and Purpose of a Creative Life Joan sugihara BFa ‘ 72,

co-creator, with her daughter, of the Baggu,a reuseable, collapsible shopping bag.

“It is not about building an identity, but about accepting that we have one.”

summer 2010  Emergence  •  10 • { r } e v o l u t i o n •michigan art & design

other voicesFind an internship for every summer/semester you have

off. Don’t worry about pay. Many companies only offer

unpaid internships, but the knowledge and ‘real life’

experience will out weigh any 9-5 job you can get that isn’t

connected to the design field. Go to craigslist or visit sites of

companies that you respect and you believe would be great

to work for. – shane Ward (Bfa ‘96), Designer, Detny shoe Design

were almost always irrelevant or not of sustaining interest;

they were just jumping off points to begin the involvement. I

used to agonize over what to draw, what to paint, and more

broadly what kind of work to do, what kind of life to live

etc. What I found was that there is a whole other level of

involvement that only kicks in when we cede control, lose our

idea, and land in some deeper water where we actually are more

fully awake. Then we’re open, noticing something not even seen

or felt before— and it is way more alive and interesting than what

we thought we were interested in. Always follow that life. That

is where the safety is. It isn’t in figuring out which careers are

going to be in demand when we graduate. training in the arts

is really training in how to make authentic contact, from the

belly, with our life— which is always right where we are.

t h e n o M u r a i n S t i t u t e of Japan classifies four eras of economic activity: 1) Agricultural 2) Industrial 3) Informational... and now through the

evolution of technology 4) Creative: constant innovation.

b e h av i o r i S g e n e r at i v e ; like the surface of a fast flowing river... Generativity is the basic process that drives all the behavior we come to label creative.

— robert epStein phd, pSychology today July/aug 1996

t h e F i r S t g e n e sequencing machine, developed by Leroy Hood while at Caltech, was hatched by multi-disciplinary cross fertilization. “Hood needed the

cooperation and assistance of computer scientists and electrical engineers,” says Hollingsworth. This kind of innovation is less likely to occur at a typical university where different departments don’t communicate with each other.

— rogerS hollingSworth, univerSity oF wiSconSin MadiSon

other voices

My résumé never got me a job.

The question people want to

know is: ‘Do I like you?’ and

‘Can you do it?’ It’s ALL about

who you know. And if you do

a good job, one thing leads to

another. Having anyone who

cares about you at all will go

a long way in the business.

– Belal el-hibri (Bfa ‘07), film Colorist

ac c o r d i n g to a coalition of researchers, 81

percent of corporate leaders in America say that “creativity is an essential skill

for the 21st-century workforce.”

— creative thinKing in the claSSrooM,

boSton globe , February 23 , 2008

t h e K e y to p r i z e

winning science is interaction and cross-fertilization.

— rogerS hollingSworth, univerSity oF

wiSconSin-MadiSon

11  •  Emergence  summer 2010

C a r e e r s t o r I e s

I starteD my BusIness because I wanted to make a certain kind of

product, make a living at it, and be in control

of my minutes. I wasn’t thinking about

customers or markets or anything. I wanted

a certain lifestyle and I went on a quest to

make it happen. I was open to all sorts of

options and struggled to make financial

headway. Even ten years in I didn’t feel like I

was making enough money for it to be worth

it indefinitely. Thanks to help from Professor

Liker in UM Engineering, and sustained

effort on our part, the company is now

eighteen years old and healthy. I think about

succession, not survival.

The path to my current profession from

A&D is unusually direct. My concentrations

were in ceramics and figure sculpture and

after graduating I worked for an independent

potter and then for Pewabic Pottery making

tiles. After a few years at Pewabic, working

in production and later bookkeeping, I got

restless and decided I needed to be my own

boss. I received modest financial assistance

from my parents and started getting a

business education by reading Inc. magazine

Owner of Motawi Tile nawal Motawi BFa ‘88,

decided f irst on lifestyle, and then, with help fromUM’s College of engineering, on a business plan

religiously. Matawi Tile is built on my

aesthetic sense, which was highly

influenced by my work at A&D.

One main concept that I use

consciously from my schooling is

the idea that every aspect of the end

product relates to the central idea.

The details should all enhance the

message. It’s important to provide the

visual information needed to convey

the idea as clearly and succinctly as

possible and no more. End products

should be informed by the goal and

ideals of the maker.

• { r } e v o l u t i o n •

summer 2010  Emergence  •  12 

I’m WorkIng as a teaChIng artIst In Chicago. There’s a strong contingent of teaching artists in the city,

and I’ve gotten to make some great connections. As an undergrad,

I didn’t really know how viable this was as a career option! It offers

flexibility to make your own schedule, allows you to do your own art

work, and is constantly creative with curriculum, class proposals,

and various projects. I’ve also worked with a diverse group of

students in the public schools, homeless youth, and adult artists

with disabilities.

My post-undergrad life has also been a lot of creative problem-

solving in relation to my financial stability. The good thing about

all the struggling and odd jobs is that, after only a few years, I

have established a professional teaching practice that has grown

enough to mostly support me, and has allowed me to have time for

developing my portfolio and selling my work.

Teaching Art ist sara Holwerda BFa ‘06

f inds challenge and f lex ibil ity

A&D’s interdisciplinary program has helped me

tremendously with one particular course that I teach

periodically to adults and college students: The Creative

Process. In all my art and writing classes there were

general processes for generating and refining ideas. I made

this process into a unique curriculum that I was recently

invited to share in a workshop with students through the

Associated Colleges of the Midwest.

Teaching art is a great way to share your knowledge and

passion with others. It’s even more rewarding when your

students are eager for art. In one public school, where I

teach art to second-graders, a student exclaimed: ‘Art is

better than gym!’ which I considered a high compliment,

and also proof that art is a vital part of early education.

• { r } e v o l u t i o n •michigan art & design

I BelIeve a CreatIve mInD Is more inclusive and expansive, and thus more open to seeing things

and experiencing other ideas. The world today is complex. Being

attuned with, and receptive to, new ideas are critical to being able to

understand how we function individually and collectively, helping us

to keep moving forward.

I am lucky to be able to still paint and also work with artists as

director of the New York gallery Eleven Rivington, a job whose

beginning I can trace all the way back to Michigan. It began as a

required professional internship, while in graduate school, with an

independent curator and art advisor; this evolved into opening an art

gallery with her after I graduated and becoming the director. Later

on, an opportunity presented itself to leave that position and to open

and run a new gallery. It’s all been very organic: my job and my

studio practice, while separate professionally, are intertwined,

and navigating both is a constant challenge and source of great

pride and accomplishment. www. elevenrivington.com

Gallery Owner and Painter augusto arbizo MFa ‘97

f inds a balance between curat ingand creat ing his own work.

13  •  Emergence  summer 2010

While students will be drawn from across

the University, a core of undergraduates

comes from one of the four units on U-M’s

North Campus: the School of Art & Design;

College of Engineering; School of Music,

Theatre & Dance; and Taubman College of

Architecture and Urban Planning.

In addition to housing, Living Arts provides

students with a large, well-equipped studio,

individual and group practice rooms, wireless

study and collaborative-work spaces, and

designated classrooms and meeting areas.

Students also participate in a set of

shared course experiences, including an

introduction to creative problem solving,

an interdisciplinary independent study, a

lecture series and the highly innovative

course, Creative Process, cited by the

Michigan Daily as “one of the University’s

most intriquing courses.”

“This brings a new dynamic to living and

learning at Michigan, and sets a standard

for the entire country,” said David Munson,

dean of U-M’s College of Engineering.

“Catalyzing the creative, intuitive, analytical

and intellectual, the program will provide

a unique experience in trans-disciplinary

collaborations among students and faculty,”

Moving In Together

michigan art & design

enCouragIng stuDents from all DIsCIPlInes to explore the creative possibilities of their studies is the goal of a revolutionary new interdisciplinary living-learning community in Bursely Hall on North Campus. Opening in Fall 2010, Living Arts is one of the first of its kind among American universities. It’s also the latest example of U-M’s emphasis on encouraging students to be entrepreneurial and innovative within an environment that fosters radically new ideas and creative insights.

• { r } e v o l u t i o n •

“We’re providing an open,

interdisciplinary residential

community that enables

students to pursue the kind

of risky insights that might

not occur in a traditional

academic classroom

environment,” said Theresa

Reid, executive director of

Arts on Earth, sponsor of

Living Arts.

t h e B e n e f I t s o f

C r o s s - D I s C I P l I n a r y C o h a B I t a t I o n

Cross-fertI lIz atIon, a k ey

Com Pon ent of I n novatI v e th I n k I ng,

Is th e goa l of a groW I ng n um Ber of

Cou rses Dev eloPeD By a& D faCu lt y. By partnering with such fields as engineering, business, architecture, public policy, and anthropology in hands-

on projects, A&D students and faculty learn to speak and understand other “languages,” sometimes creating new hybrid languages in the process. They also practice the

arts of listening, learning, and problem solving together. What follows is a sampling of A&D courses that have

trans-disciplinary teamwork at their core.

Close L istening l e a r n I n g t h e l a n g u a g e

o f C o l l a B o r a t I o n

summer 2010  Emergence  •  14 

Cross DIsCIPlInary tea mWork anD real-

WorlD ProBlem solvIng a r e at t h e h e a rt of I n t egr at eD ProDuCt De v eloPm en t (I PD), a course that links Business Administration, Engineering, and Art & Design. Team-taught by A&D Professor Shaun Jackson and Business Professor Bill Lovejoy, the course is designed to develop an appreciation for the process of customer-oriented innovation, design and manufacturing in a competitive context, working in multi-disciplinary teams where success depends more on the combination of disciplines than any one in isolation.

If student feedback is a guide, the IPD experience is exhausting, educational

and very memorable.

Each IPD team — consisting

of students from art and design,

business, and engineering— designs,

manufactures and costs out a product.

Then, each team pits its product

against other teams’ products in two

simulated markets (a web-market

and a physical trade show). In both

the web and physical trade shows,

the public is invited to review the

products and vote for their most

preferred. In the past, teams have

been challenged to design a disaster

area portable hygiene station, an

urban shopping cart, and a kitchen for

someone with only one arm.

The course is unique in the country

in combining fully functional,

customer-ready prototypes

with economic competition. If

student feedback is a guide, the

IPD experience is exhausting,

educational and very memorable.

And the press concurs. The course has

been covered in The New York Times,

The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek

as well as on CNN. In fact, for three

consecutive years BusinessWeek has

selected the course as one of the top

design courses in the world.

Close L istening l e a r n I n g t h e l a n g u a g e o f C o l l a B o r a t I o n

15  •  Emergence  summer 2010 • { r } e v o l u t i o n •

C lose L istening

l e a r n I n g t h e l a n g u a g e o f C o l l a B o r a t I o n

summer 2010  Emergence  •  16 

Col l a B or at I v e t h I n k I ng a n D h a n Ds - on

projects that have impact were also the goals of A&D professor John Marshall, Architecture professor Karl Daubman, and Engineering’s Max Shtein in developing the course, Smart Surfaces. Smart Surfaces’ collaborative, project-based learning environment asked undergraduate artists, designers, architects and engineers to come together to build a real-world project focused on sustainability. The goal, to create a heliotropic surface—that is, a surface powered by solar energy.

For John Marshall, this course

pointed to the future of education.

“If we’re going to solve global

issues like climate change,

it will be by learning how to

cross the boundaries of our

disciplines, to think smarter

and more creatively.”

Students had to learn how to

harvest solar energy, how to do

microcontroller programming,

parametric modeling, digital

fabrication and how to move

beyond their usual intellectual

and disciplinary boundaries. Day-

to-day they were also challenged

to negotiate and manage the

differences among the cultures of

Art & Design, Architecture, and

Materials Science Engineering.

As teams worked to complete their

projects, another key element was

the cross-fertilization that occurred

as discipline-based methodologies

had to be redefined and merged in

response to concrete problems.

Was it successful? One Academic

Services staff member exclaimed

“You could auction off places for the

next course, it was so popular!”

other voicesI needed UM to help me find my focus. I was able to explore many options, and find

what I was passionate about and good at. I feel confident that I can do anything I

want from this point on. If I want to be a fashion designer for the best companies

in LA, I can. If I want to become a full-time artist making work for galleries, I can. If

I want to continue with graphic design and become an art director for a firm one day,

I can. It’s all about making these decisions, and pushing forward with what you

want, and you can have it. No doubt about it. – kevin tudball (Bfa ‘06), graphic Designer

michigan art & design

“If we’re going to solve global issues like climate

change, it will be by learning how to cross the boundaries of our

disciplines, to think smarter and more creatively.”

 “ i n t e r n i n g ( a S a p h oto g r a p h e r ) at the

San Diego Union-Tribune was affirming and exhilarating.

Each week I shot from four to six assignments. Once I

covered a Native American star gathering in the desert.

I took photographs at a DUI checkpoint on a highway. I

gained a lot of confidence and I discovered that not only

could I see myself taking the photos for a publication for my adult life, I would

have a great time doing so, too.” — angela ceSere

 angela’S eMployer SayS: “Angela showed she has a good working

knowledge of the technical skills needed in a newspaper environment.

She also showed a very important skill: critical thinking. I wish the

internship could have been longer.”

17  •  Emergence  summer 2010 • { r } e v o l u t i o n • michigan art & design

an art anD DesIgn eDuCatIon Is aBout BuIlDIng skIlls – in concept

development, drawing, photoshop,

wood, metals, paint, indesign,

ceramics, 3-D modeling, etc. But,

ideally, it’s also about developing

the skills students will need to

identify and pursue careers. And,

as with skill building in other areas,

learning how to become a professional

happens over time, and requires

practice, practice, and more practice.

This is where A&D’s internship

program comes in. Led by John Luther,

Career Development Coordinator,

the program begins its efforts to

bring students closer to their post

graduation futures as soon as they

enter the School as freshmen.

Every incoming student has an

individual orientation meeting where

s/he is introduced to the realm of

careers and career development.

“We start out with a very open ended

career exploration questionnaire

that looks at students interests,

skills and values,” Luther explains.

“We explore what is important to

each person and develop a baseline

that I have in mind when they

come to talk with me again.”

And, unlike many other schools

and colleges that only offer

internships during the last two

years of undergraduate education,

students at A&D can apply for

internships as early as their

Audit ioning the Future E x P E R I E N T I A L L E A R N I N G A T A & D

 “ r a r e ly d u r i n g o u r lo n g n i g h t S of finishing projects do we have the time to understand the bigger picture of our work, and reflect on the options we have as artists. However, this past

summer, I was fortunate enough to have (an internship) opportunity, opening my eyes to an entirely new possibility for me as an artist.” — alliSon iSenberg, a&d undergraduate

freshman and sophomore years.

“We know that employers state that

experience is one of their primary

requirements, so we try to give

students as many opportunities as

possible to get that experience.”

Once a student has determined

what s/he is interested in, the work

begins to make the internship a

reality —from training on where

communicate with the public – all

transferable skills. That project that

was done in class, it can be used to talk

about your ability to problem solve.”

He also applauds A&D alumni as one

of his, and students, best resources.

“Whether it’s being part of the yearly

A&D career expo or networking

with students, or giving advice, our

alumni are invaluable. I couldn’t

to look for opportunities and how

to find resources to learning how

to network and develop materials

for each opportunity including

resume, cover letter, and portfolio.

For Luther, “My role is to show them

how to take whatever experiences

they have, whatever creative work

they have, and describe it in a way

that makes it pertinent to their job

search. If you’ve waited on tables,

you work well under pressure, and

do my job without them.”

Once goals are defined and materials

developed, students make the contacts

and secure the positions themselves.

“There are other universities where

they have a team of people on staff

whose job it is to find placements and

match students to placements. But

A&D’s curriculum fosters independent

thinking and entrepreneurship and

the internship program mirrors those

values.” Because A&D students

summer 2010  Emergence  •  18 • { r } e v o l u t i o n •

other voicesI have always believed that you need to be smart, disciplined, tough, driven, and willing to say no. Additionally, you need to have a good handle on what you are trying to accomplish, how much risk you are willing to take, and what it really takes to build a leading company. Those are just a few of the skills that come to mind – in the final analysis, there is no substitute for hard work and a determination to outperform your competition. I know that many commencement

 “M y p h oto i n t e r n S h i p in the Bravo digital department in New

York exposed me to so many new things. I was quickly thrown into the

photo editing process, choosing images for various online photo galleries.

I was also a part of weekly editorial team meetings, and even asked to

contribute my ideas. I met new people, made great connections and

came away with new skills and confidence.” — Meredith KraMer

 Meredith ’S eMployer SayS: “Meredith brought original ideas to

Bravo, and had a passion and eagerness for learning. She is an extremely

dedicated and strong person and we at Bravo have all benefited from

having her work here. We would love to have her back anytime.”

take responsibility for their own

internships, they get early and, we

hope, multiple opportunities to practice

the application process for themselves,

just as they will once they graduate.

The program provides students with

resources, time, and support and, in

return, they are expected to assume

a certain level of responsibility. The

goal is to have graduates who can

navigate the world independently.

As John sums it up, “Are the

internship results different than

if a student had been part of a

different program? Maybe. But the

journey is definitely going to be very

different. The person who graduates

is different — with bigger ideas, and

more confidence in his/her abilities

to enter the working world.”

speakers tell graduates to follow their passion. But to me, that is too simple an approach, and one that can often lead to disappointment. Realistically, it is hard to know with any degree of certainty what your passion is when you are 21 years old. I think the better advice is to try to figure out what you are good at, and then to do your absolute best at it. In your twenties, you need guidance to build the foundation for your career. I believe the best place

to get that guidance is a well-managed business with talented leaders and a commitment to growing its people. And once you are working for that business, you should try to set aside many of life’s distractions and focus on making your employer (and ultimately yourself) be as successful as humanly possible.

– roe stamps, a&D’s Dean’s advisory Council

 “( w o r K i n g at S c o u t p r o d u c t i o n S ) opened my eyes to

how I can apply my creative, out-of-the-box thinking and my digital and

graphic design interests in the real world. It allowed me to gets hands-on

experience in a creative and fast-paced environment where I could apply

both my research skills and artistic/design knowledge.”

— alliSon iSenberg (bFa ’09)

 alliSon’S eMployer coMMented: “ In addition to her can-do attitude,

Allison impressed us with her graphic arts talents. With very little

supervision, Allison designed drafts of pitch books, relying on her own

sense of creativity. She also contributed to many creative brainstorms,

never afraid of jumping right in.”

If you can provide an

internship for an

A&D student, or know of

an internship opportunity,

please contact John Luther

at jonel@umich.edu

or 734-647-7761

19  •  Emergence  summer 2010

Moving Out

a &d sen ior s e n t er t he Wor ld

• { r } e v o l u t i o n •

In the mIDst of thIs gloBal shIft In Work,

the next crop of A&D seniors prepared for graduation, signaling their launch into

the "real world.” Graduation is also the time each year when seniors unveil their

Integrative Projects, bodies of work meant to synthesize their a&D educational

experiences. Each senior has had the whole year to plan, conceptualize, and build

a single project of his/her choosing. With the help of faculty advisors, students

manage their own creative processes and working schedules. And they each do this

work in an individual dedicated studio provided by the generosity of A&D donors

Penny and Roe Stamps. This April students exhibited the fruits of their year-long

efforts in galleries and theaters across campus and off-site.

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&D

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T

summer 2010  Emergence  •  20 • { r } e v o l u t i o n •michigan art & design

In April students exhibited

the fruits of their year-

long efforts in galleries

and theaters across

campus and off-site.

21  •  Emergence  summer 2010

1950s

Jim Adair (BSDES ‘52)I live in New Paltz, NY and work out of my

art gallery /studio. After a 42-year career

in New York City advertising as an art

director, I came to this wonderful upstate

Hudson River Valley region to initiate a

15-year experience with viticulture and

wine making at Adair Vineyards. Now

that operation is sold and I have been

painting watercolors for the past 12 years,

a desire established and nurtured at UM

but not acted upon until moving to the

land of the Hudson River School painters.

(My wine label bore a reproduction

of Asher Durand’s “Solitary Oak.” )

A recent exhibition of my work was at my

Red Pump Studio/Gallery in August ‘09. I’m

planning another show for August 2010,

in tandem with the new owner of Adair

Vineyards. I am a signature member and the

first vice president of North East Watercolor

Society where I received an award at their

33rd Annual International Exhibition. I

am a signature member of The Audubon

Artist Association, receiving an award at

their fall exhibition in New York City.

Jack Lardis (BSDES ‘54)I launched a nonprofit art organization

in 2003 called Oil Drum Art. Its mission

is to recycle 55-gallon oil drums by

having artists transform them into

artworks. Part of our program involves

students painting drums and creating

public art for inner-city parks, municipal

buildings and neighborhoods. Over

300 drum artworks have been created

and deployed throughout the state.

Recently, Oil Drum Art has partnered with

the Naugatuck Valley Arts Council to create

a “Drums For Troops” initiative, inviting

15 schools to paint drums with patriotic

themes. The drums will be filled with

donated goods and supplies and shipped

to our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is a pilot program. We hope media

coverage will help interest other groups in

initiating “Drums For Troops” projects in

their own towns. Those interested can get

information from www.oildrumart.org.

John Rieben (BSDES ‘57)I recently had two posters included

in Graphis Posters 2010. Graphis

features the best in design, advertising,

photography and Illustration. The Poster

Annual presents the best internationally

produced work from the previous year. I

have also reached that senior citizen

category of emeritus professor. I now

spend half the year in Florida and then

migrate north to Wisconsin when I have

been assured Spring is in full bloom. I

keep fairly busy creating trademarks and

posters for whatever clients I can locate.

And when that is not enough, I paint.

Alumni Updates

• A L u m n i u p d A t e s •

summer 2010  Emergence  •  22 

1960sJules strabel (BSDES ‘60)I was in the Michigan Watercolor Show,

the School of Art & Design Storm

Show, the Kentucky watercolor show,

and the I.S.E.A.International Society

of Experimental Artists Show where I

received an award. I was also fortunate

to get into Charles McGee’s Urban Edge

Show for the Grosse Point Artists, as well

as Wayne County Community College’s

Self Portrait Show. I need to live another

100 years to do all that I wish to do.

matthew Zivich (BSDES ‘60)I was recently included in the School

of Art & Design Work•Detroit show,

Migration. My art work, “Prairie

Home Companion,” was featured on

the posters promoting this show and

also on the Work • Detroit web page.

C. malcom powers (BSDES ‘59, MFA ‘61)C. Malcolm Powers participated in the art

show at First Presbyterian Church, Ann

Arbor, November 08, 2009. One of his

pieces was a figure called “O.K., O.K., Lord!”

Russell thayer (BS ‘57, MA ‘61)As the result of winning a Michigan

State University competition, I recently

completed and installed a large-scale

sculpture, Windrapids II, on the MSU

campus at the entrance of the Bio-

Medical Physical Science Building. The

smaller Windrapids I is in Birmingham,

Michigan. Both were fabricated in

our Franklin, Michigan, studio home

that has been featured in both Style

and Ambassador magazines.

My wife Nancy, a painter with three

pieces in the collection of the Detroit

Institute of Arts, and I are also both

currently teaching classes at the School

of Art & Design. We both recently

showed our work in a two-person show

at the Marshall Fredericks Museum at

Saginaw Valley State University, and my

sculpture was included in the invitational

Michigan Masters exhibition at the

Kresge Art Museum in East Lansing.

Jack Kelley (BS ‘62)In 2009, the Muskegon Museum of Art,

in cooperation with Herman Miller, Inc.

and the Ford Museum put on an exhibit

of the design history of Herman Miller.

I was fortunate to have been employed by

the Herman Miller Research Division in Ann

Arbor. I began as a student design intern

in 1961 and was hired full time upon my

graduation from A&D. Through the early

‘60s I worked with Bob Propst, research

director, in the research and development

of the world’s first modular panel furniture

system, Action Office. Bob and I shared

over 28 patents and created the furniture

system that revolutionized the way

offices worked and are planned. Yes, we

invented the tools that created the cubicle.

And it was done in Ann Arbor as well!

My contributions were many, including

the product design of the first installation

of the system at the U of Tennessee in

1965 and the custom design of the first

human factored computer workstation

for Dr. Doug Engelbart, the inventor of

the world’s first computer mouse in 1968.

In fact, as a result, I wound up designing

the world’s first mouse pad along with

several major components of Action

Office, recognized by the International

Society of Industrial Designers as the

best design from 1960 to 1985.

stephanie duran (BSDES ‘64)My daughter, Gabrielle Lyon, received

a Presidential Award for her non-profit

organization Project Exploration, that

works to ensure experiences with science

by populations traditionally overlooked—

particularly minority youth and girls.

www.projectexploration.org. I also

have two sons. Raphael graduated from

Brown with honors and is a musician/

sculptor and does installations all over

the world. He also finished a film, i film,

shot in Buenos Aires when Argentinian

banks were all failing. His website is

mudboymusic.com. Lucas works with planes

and cars and is amazing with machines

and engines. He graduated from Southern

Illinois University majoring in avionics.

Finally, I include a painting by my

husband, Robert Duran. He passed

away 5 years ago and was a well-known

painter and in many collections.

michigan art & design • A L u m n i u p d A t e s •

23  •  Emergence  summer 2010

Frank ettenberg (BSDES ‘66)I have been working as a self-employed

artist in Vienna Austria since 2003. I rent

my studio from the city, which has seen

fit to provide studios for qualified visual

artists as long as they are official residents

of the city. I am in the midst of a drawn-out

visa application and review process, since

the immigration department wants to make

sure one more subsistence-level, foreign

artist doesn’t get stuck here and turn out

to be a ward of the state. I recently had an

exhibition of selected works in the offices

of BMM marketing, Gmbh in Graz, Austria.

I would be happy to host UM art or

other tours, since I know the German

language and would be happy to

arrange the itinerary ahead of time.

margot Jacobson Gotoff (AM ‘66)I want to share w/you the honor bestowed

on me by the State of Ohio via the Ohioana

Library Association. I was awarded the

Ohioana Pegasus Award for my cultural/

artistic contributions. This same award has

been given to Maya Lin, Eric Kunzel, Doris

Day, etc. I received it in October for my

sculpture cast in glass and for my teaching.

norman stewart (BFA ‘69, AM ‘72) and susan stewart (BSDES ‘70, AM ‘00)As you may already know, my wife,

Susan, and I are partners of Stewart

& Stewart and are both graduates of

UM’s School of Art & Design (formerly

the College of Architecture and Design

when we earned our multiple degrees

in the late 60’s and early 70’s).

Since 1980, our studio in Bloomfield Hills,

Michigan has been working with artists to

print and publish fine screenprints. And,

over the past few years, we have also

been showing other fine prints created

by artists from across the United States.

Most recently, we have been showing

the outstanding woodcuts created by

Endi Poskovic, a new faculty member at

A&D. Endi’s work and the work of other

fine print artists were featured in 2009

Stewart & Stewart’s presentations at the

IFPDA’s (International Fine Print Dealers

Association) international Fine Print Fair

in NYC, and locally at Works on Paper

IV at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art

Center, and the Flint Print Fair at the Flint

Institute of Arts. We also presented at

the Capital Art Fair in Arlington, Virginia

(Washington DC area) this April.

The Detroit Institute of Arts mounted

two museum exhibitions celebrating

Stewart & Stewart’s accomplishments in

a 10-year anniversary exhibition in 1990

and a 25-year anniversary exhibition

in 2005. Our fine print editions have

been exhibited in and purchased by

museums, corporate collections, and

private collections around the globe.

1970s

diane morgan(BFA ‘70) I started my own business, Diane

Morgan Fine Art, four years ago.

After many years in advertising and

public art administration I decided

to take the plunge and go full-time as a

fine artist. Since going full-time I have

been winning awards and made great

strides in my artistic career. I have

been featured in International Artist

Magazine and The Artist’s Magazine.

F + W publications, publishers of Southwest

Art, The Artist Magazine and Watercolor

Artist have used my art as a feature in their

advertising. I was selected as the poster

artist for the Indian Wells Arts Festival

and my art is featured in their advertising.

One of my watercolors is on display in the

California State Capitol. Another is on a

year-long national tour with the National

Watercolor Society. Starbucks recently

purchased three pieces for display in their

new location at the Palm Springs

International Airport. If I hadn’t

taken the risk, I would not have

received the rewards. I look forward to

every day and the new creative chal-

lenge. It’s so true…..if you do what you

love, you will never work a day of your

life. I will never retire, because I love what

I do. Art is my life, not my job. I’m also

teaching now because I’m always getting

calls to demonstrate my techniques.

• A L u m n i u p d A t e s •

summer 2010  Emergence  •  24 

susan Hensel (BFA ‘72)In March 2010 Susan (McGaughan) Hensel

Gallery in Minneapolis, MN featured

the tenth anniversary of the national

survey show of artists’ books, Reader’s

Art 10. As a part of this anniversary

celebration, Susan invited long-time

curator of books, Jon Coffelt, to shape the

show. Reader’s Art began in 2000 in East

Lansing, Michigan at The Art Apartment,

an alternative space right across the road

from Michigan State University. From

the beginning, it had national scope,

showcasing handmade artists books from

across the United States. In 2005 the

show moved to Minneapolis with Susan

as she opened the Susan Hensel Gallery.

The Susan Hensel Gallery maintains a

robust online archive, which can be viewed at

www.susanhenselgallery.com

Beverly Brandt (BFA ‘73)Beverly Brandt, professor of design at

Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts,

has just published a new book exploring

the Arts and Crafts movement and its ties

to Boston. Entitled “The Craftsman and

the Critic: Defining Usefulness and Beauty

in Arts and Crafts-Era Boston,” (University

of Massachusetts Press) the book looks

at Boston in the “Gilded Age” as a center

for reform, epitomized by the Aesthetic

and the Arts and Crafts movements, and

the evolution of the profession of design

criticism in the 19th century. Brandt

said. “I wanted to explore how people

got those ideas, and shaped them. To tell

the back stories of the objects that are

part of the Arts and Crafts movement.”

For more information

contact Brandt or Beverly at

(480) 443-3043 or brandt@asu.edu

Jamie Joseph Alder(BFA ‘74)In 2009 I had four pages of my work

included in the book, Abstract Comics. I

also had four pages of my work included

in the show, Silent Pictures, at the Amie

and Tony James Gallery at the Graduate

Center at the City University of New York.

editor’s note: Jamie Alder

passed away on march 22, 2010.

nava Atlas (BFA ‘77)I’m participating in a traveling three-

person exhibition, In Retrospect: Artist’s

Books and Works on Paper by Maureen

Cummins, Ann Lovett, and Nava Atlas.

It opened at the Abcedarian Gallery in

Denver in April, traveling on to Hope

College, Holland, MI (August-Oct.), SUNY-

Ulster, Stone Ridge, NY (Nov.-Dec.), and to

several other venues from 2011-2012.

This year I’m also working on a new book,

The Literary Ladies’ Guide to the Writing

Life, to be published in May 2011, along

with its companion limited edition artist’s

book, Dear Literary Ladies, and the blog of

the same name www.dearliteraryladies.

blogspot.com. This multidisciplinary

project looks at the creative process of

writing through the first-person narratives

of classic women authors, and examines

how their experiences are relevant to

writers, especially women, working today.

Julie Walters (BFA, AB ‘79)I have been promoted to Senior Associate

at Brereton Architects, where I head

one of two design studios. We focus on

commercial interior design for projects in

the San Francisco Bay Area. I am working

on projects for several insurance and

engineering companies, along with

managing the tenant planning for over 30

office buildings in the Bay Area. I received

my BFA in Interior Design in 1979 along

with my BA in History of Art. I was dually

enrolled in both LS&A and the Art School

during my final two years at Michigan. I

also am involved in our local UM Alumni

club where I serve on the Board of

Directors. I recently hired a UM grad to

work in our studio as a junior designer.

1980selizabeth Laporte (BFA ‘81)Elizabeth LaPorte has been appointed

a member of the Michigan Sea Grant

Management Team, effective December

2009. LaPorte serves as co-principal

investigator of Sea Grant’s communications

and education programs. She is the director

of the award-winning curriculum, Fisheries

Learning On the Web. For the past nine

years, she has contributed to Michigan Sea

Grant’s strategic planning and program

development efforts. Currently, LaPorte is

managing the development of the Michigan

Clean Marina Classroom, a web-based

professional training program for marinas.

LaPorte joins Jim Diana, Program Director

and Professor in the UM School of Natural

Resources and Environment, and others, in

the management of this statewide program.

see michigan sea Grant:

www.miseagrant.umich.edu

michigan art & design • A L u m n i u p d A t e s •

25  •  Emergence  summer 2010

Francie (Johnson) Hester (BFA ‘82)I paint on aluminum and last year I won

a competition to create a piece for the

American Speech and Hearing Association.

The underlying themes in this piece

reflect the mission of ASHA to promote

effective human communication. The

understanding that language is the

bridge to everyday life becomes the

cornerstone for the structural elements

of the painting and ASHA’s vision to

make effective communication a human

right spanning a lifetime is captured

by linking themes of childhood

learning to those extending to the end

of one’s life. I am represented by Anton

Gallery in Monterey CA, and EA Gallery

in Port Chester, NY. I work just outside of

Washington DC — I have an old auto body

shop where I work in Kensington, MD.

my current work is on my blog linked

from www.franciehester.com

Jules (Julie Knittel) pieri (BFA ‘82)I founded Daily Grommet, an online

marketplace, in 2008. Given my degree

in design, it is a natural that I created a

business that finds one inventive product

or service a day and produces a video

review of it. I would love if A & D alums

would submit possible “Grommets” to me.

We look at everything from kitchen tools

to outdoor gear, to green products, and we

love anything with a deep social enterprise

heritage. There’s a form on our site to tell

us about the idea. Surely U of M A & D grads

can find some pretty amazing products,

and are also producing many themselves.

www.dailygrommet.com

Leisa Rich (BFA ‘82)2009 was a busy year for Leisa Rich with the

launch of her Etsy shop of creative items for

body and home (www.richmade.etsy.com)

and a solo installation exhibition (see it in

the Installations gallery at www.monaleisa.

com). In addition, Leisa was included in the

“Quilt National 2009” juried exhibition

at The Dairy Barn in Athens, Ohio (the

exhibition is now travelling) and in the book

of the same name by Lark Books Publishers.

The first in a series of exciting new work-

viewer interactive scenes- is also included

in the Fiberart International at Pittsburgh

Center for the Arts from April 16-August 22,

2010. Leisa is the state representative for

the Georgia chapter of the Surface Design

Association and is on the board of directors

and planning committee for the Southeast

Fiber Art Alliance soon to open in Atlanta,

Georgia. Leisa teaches art at The Galloway

School, the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, in

her studio and at Arrowmont in June 2010.

susan Wechsler (BFA ‘83)I opened my first museum exhibition,

Integral Elements, at the Loveland Museum

in Loveland, Colorado. This group exhibition

included the work of four artists from

across the United States — Liz Quisgard,

Hariete Estel Berman, Susan Weschler,

and David Chatt. The Loveland Museum

is one of the top 25 small museums in the

country. Wayne Theibaud’s retrospective

was just there, then DALI. They took

Dali off the walls and put my work up!

William macArthur (AM ‘84)I am participating in Buckham Gallery’s

25th Anniversary Art Exhibition in May

2010 in Flint, MI. It’s a five-person show.

I have created some rather unique works

just for this exhibition! I’ve made glow-in

-the- dark relief-sculptures, modular photo-

montage relief-sculptures and relief prints.

One sculpture is collapsible/modular and

made without using any conventional tools,

just scissors, cable ties and dowel rods!

• A L u m n i u p d A t e s •

summer 2010  Emergence  •  26 

Christopher s. smith(BFA ‘84)During the month of September 2009,

my series of sculptures “Perfectly

Naked” was exhibited at the Noyes

Museum in Hammonton, NJ. Twenty-

five sculptures were shown.

www.christophersmithsculpture.com

marco Lorenzetti (BFA ‘85)My photographs were recently included

in the Greater Michigan Art Exhibition

at the Alden B. Dow Museum of

Science and Art. The photographs are

36”x46” gelatin silver enlargements

from original 8”x10” negatives.

The group is called Divine Intervention.

Based on my submittal, the museum

granted me a solo exhibition award.

The show is scheduled for 2010.

James mott (MFA ‘85)I just had an Itinerant Artist Project (IAP) 10-

year retrospective exhibit here in Rochester,

NY including 60 of the best paintings from

30 weeks on the road, along with text,

maps, journals, sketches and a video loop

of the Today Show piece. It got enthusiastic

reviews from other artists, the press and

the general public. It’s a great show for

small museums and college galleries.

My website has more about the

project and contact info.

It was a good year for the IAP, with

a residency in Rome, NY; my first

workshop, in St. Augustine; and my

9th tour, which finished up with an

invitation to paint at Prout’s Neck,

Maine – a stone’s throw from Winslow

Homer’s studio. I also got a NY State

grant to do a local version of my project.

In 2010 I’m considering a New York City

tour: taking gift exchange into the heart

of the commercial art world. Anyone

out there want to host? Also... My wife’s

memoir, “Ghostbread,” recently published

by University of Georgia Press, won

the AWP award for creative nonfiction.

It’s strongly-written and an excellent,

unsentimental take on the subject of

growing up in poverty in Western NY.

www.jimmott.com

Andy Ross (MFA ‘86)Andy Ross has been busy creating web

sites, presentations, and other interactive

content using the Adobe Flash platform.

In fact, he’s been so busy he’s looking for

help. So if you know anyone with skills in

Adobe Flash, have them contact Andy at

andy@andyrossdesign.com. Andy recently

finished a web site for the local Ann Arbor

painter Nina Friday at ninafridayart.com.

Jennifer Bostek (BFA ‘87)I have been teaching Design Concepts

in the Foundations Department at the

College for Creative Studies for 10 years.

My 2009 exhibitions included The Detroit

Artists Market Small Show, Detroit Artists

Market Garden Party, Detroit Artists Market

All Media Exhibition 2009, The Anton

Art Center Michigan Annual Exhibition

2009, and two commissioned portraits.

Cary A. Zartman (BFA ‘87)Recently, Logo Lounge announced that

three Cary Zartman-designed identities

have been included in its new Master

Library series of books, on the bookshelves

in February 2010. Included in its Initials and

Crests edition are: Linkergy (a new business

development company), Out of the Ballpark

(an online business for the leisure and travel

industry) and Z Factory (a creative studio

that challenges and inspires businesses to

be inventive in their design and marketing

solutions). Communication Arts published

its Design Annual 50 in December

‘09, which also featured the recently-

redesigned Z Factory logo. (To see a more

in-depth exploration of each of these

identities, visit www.zfactory.net.) In

addition, Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood

has hired Cary to design a series of

wayfinding street kiosks to be installed

this spring along popular retail districts

within its area. www.zfactory.net

michigan art & design • A L u m n i u p d A t e s •

27  •  Emergence  summer 2010

1990s

Robin Weiss (BFA ’90)Robin Weiss, founder and artist of Paint

Your World, is celebrating her 10th year as

a muralist. Located in the New York City

region, Paint Your World creates custom

murals, faux finishes and furniture. Clients

have added custom details to bedrooms,

kitchens, play spaces, stairwells and more.

Paint Your World also services commercial

clients such as restaurants, office spaces,

schools and day camps. Visit her website:

www.paint-your-world.com for a browse

through the gallery and additional info.

Robin also recently completed her MS-Art

Education and is a NYS certified art teacher.

Lauren turetsky (BFA ‘91)For the past ten years, Lauren has been

running her own successful company,

Eyelevel Design. She has designed many

websites, logos, corporate identity

packages, data sheets and catalogs. She

also has been working as a part-time

instructor at the Academy of Art University

and at City College San Francisco. When

she’s not working, she is spending as much

time as possible with her three-year-old

son, Shea. www.eyeleveldesign.com

Robin Leventhal (MFA ‘92)I was just on season 6 of Top Chef Las Vegas!

www.bravotv.com/top-chef/

bio/robin-leventhal

From the Top Chef website: While pursuing

a Master’s in Fine Arts at the University of

Michigan, Robin took a job in the catering

department. It quickly became clear she had

a passion for food. Robin’s Pacific Northwest

roots are the foundation of her cooking,

accented by the flavors of her world travels.

Robin formerly owned and operated Crave,

a popular Seattle bistro. She currently uses

her cooking and culinary connections to

help raise money for lymphoma research

and is closely involved with the Fred

Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

www.cravefood.com

Cynthia Greig (MFA ‘95)I continue to work in photography and

video, occasionally writing and curating

on an independent basis. In 2009,

photographs from my Representations

series were included in the exhibition,

Complicity: Contemporary Photography

and the Matter of Sculpture at Rena

Bransten Gallery in San Francisco. I was

also happy that several images from this

body of work were recently acquired for

the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts

Boston, Smith College Museum of Art and

the Wellington Management Art Collection.

This year I’m in the group show,

Drawing Pictures, at the Camera Club in

New York www.cameraclubny.org, and

I have a solo exhibition at DNJ Gallery

www.dnjgallery.net in Los Angeles, CA in

May. Fellow A&D alum Angela Faris-Belt

kindly included several of my photographs

in her very successful book, The Elements

of Photography, already used in many

photography programs across the country.

An exhibition based on the book debuted

at Eastern Michigan University’s Art Gallery

in March 2009, travelling to venues across

the country over the next couple of years.

I’m still good friends with my darkroom

neighbor, Peter Finnemore, (MFA ‘95)

and was privileged to write a catalogue

essay for his Zen Gardener exhibition at

Oriel Mostyn in 2004. Richard and I had a

blast catching up with Peter and his Welsh

entourage in Venice when he was one of

three artists representing Wales during

the Biennale in 2005. I’ve lost touch with

many A&D friends but have fond memories

of our time together in Ann Arbor and

would love to hear from you and catch up.

www.cynthiagreig.com

shane Ward (BFA ‘96)Shoe designers Shane and Shawn

Ward (BSEME ’96) have launched a new

collection of affordable fashion shoes in

a partnership with Macys and Endless.

com. The shoes, which have the same

fashion forward/comfort fusion design

elements as the core SHANE&SHAWN line,

debuted Jan. 1, 2010, and are selling well.

• A L u m n i u p d A t e s •

summer 2010  Emergence  •  28 

paul Flickinger (MFA ‘97)A lot has happened in my life. I left my

position at the Kalamazoo Institute of

Art to start a non-profit, Clean Water

for the World. Our mission is to provide

simple, adaptable water purification

systems, at no charge, to communities

without access to potable water. We

have about 60 units installed around the

world serving about 36,000 people.

We recently partnered with the UM

College of Engineering to design a low

cost pump to supply water to the systems

in cases where water is not provided by

other pumps. We also will be sending

one of our solar powered units to Ghana

with Engineering students next summer. I

traveled with my daughter Nicole (all grown

up and working in Mid-town Manhattan) to

southern India to install 5 water purifiers in

poor rural communities. Last spring break

I travelled to Haiti to install our first solar

powered unit in a remote community on

the Caribbean coast. Clean Water for the

World is a volunteer run organization with

no paid employees. I am also teaching at

Western Michigan University in ceramics

and foundations. I have attached a photo

of kids at a school in India getting their

first taste of potable water. I am hoping

that A&D alumni can help me spread

the word about our organization.

www.cleanwaterfortheworld.org

Jason (Jay) LeVasseur (BFA ‘92, MFA ‘97)After graduating, I started freelancing

as Applied Art Studio. Concurrently, I

worked on a one-year appointment for

the Medical Illustration department on a

book illustration project with McGraw-

Hill. After that, I moved to Fort Collins,

Colorado (fall of 1998) and I’ve been here

ever since. I met a wonderful woman here

soon after the move, and she became my

wife in July of 2001. Her name is Celia.

We had a baby girl on September 12,

2005, and her name is Elise. She loves

to draw, and is a tremendous joy to us!

I teach 2D design, and figure drawing at

a community college here, and I continue

to freelance from our home. My clients

are mainly medical/surgical publishing

companies, with a sprinkling of non-

medical clients. As fot fine art, I don’t make

time to regularly create pieces. However,

at the college, we have a faculty show

about every other year, so this gives me

an impetus to generate something new.

eric Benson (BFADS ‘98)Eric Benson is an Assistant Professor

of Graphic Design at the University of

Illinois – Champaign. He recently won an

American Design Award for his design of

the webiste www.renourish.com. Eric also

has an active exhibition record including

the group exhibitions, Less is More 2010

at Connexion Gallery-Design Studio.

Dunwoody, GA.; the Hello: Graphic Design

Group Invitational at the University of

South Dakota. Vermillion, SD.; and Art

D’Eco at Gallery 125. Trenton, NJ. His work

has been published in “The Intersection

of Identity Within Pattern & Structure:

A FLYSPACE Continuing Collaboration.”

Multi: The RIT Journal of Plurality and

Diversity in Design. Spring 2010 (http://

library.rit.edu/oajournals/index.php/

multi); “Sustainable Design Education

Rethought: The Case for Eco-Modernism.”

In Design Principles & Practices: An

International Journal. Spring 2010;

“Counterculture Green: The Whole Earth

Catalog and American Environmentalism:

A Review.” DesignIssues. MIT Press. Spring

2010; and “Designing the Immaterial.”

DesignInquiry. Spring 2010. (http://

failagain.designinquiry.net/?cat=36).

Janna Bissett (BFA ‘98)Janna Bissett recently had a one-person

show of her work “Photography by Janna

Bissett” at Farmington Hills City Gallery

in Farmington Hills, MI. Bissett credits

her photographic style to the fact that

she works in many other media, including

charcoal, metalwork, paint and fiber. “Once

I accepted that having a hand in all these

different media can actually work for me

rather than against me, I started to see my

art grow in ways I never thought possible.”

In some of her photos, a combination

of media is used, as photos are shot

through a glass “painted” with cleaner,

and also manipulated after the shot.

Andrea urbiel Goldner (BFA, BS ‘98)After graduating with a Master’s degree in

Landscape Architecture from the University

of California, Berkeley, I joined Hood Design

(the studio of Walter Hood) in Oakland, CA.

The San Francisco Bay led me to Mexico

City, Veracruz, Rome, and a very long walk—

from the Pyrenees to the ocean—across

Spain for a traveling fellowship in landscape

architecture. Returning to Detroit, I’ve

now jumped with both feet into

michigan art & design • A L u m n i u p d A t e s •

29  •  Emergence  summer 2010

my own landscape architecture practice,

Peregrine Workshop. I also occasionally

teach design and visual communication

in the Master of Landscape Architecture

program at UM. The threads through

this work in the Bay Area, the traveling

fellowship, and now in Detroit remain: the

reconstruction of urban places, landscape

design for the person on foot, exploration

of the hinges between culture and ecology,

and multi-disciplinary collaboration.

peregrine Workshop 510.316.0261.

Jacquelene steele(BFA ‘98)I am pleased to announce that I am an

MD Candidate at Wayne State University

School of Medicine Class of 2013.

shawn Alexander (MFA ‘99)Shawn K. Alexander creates stories with

paint, words and film that meet at the Pan-

African crossroads of history, family and

identity. He co-wrote the award-winning

indie feature, August The First, distributed

via Filmmovement.com, and co-produced

the play, Raw Love, which ran at the Theater

for the New City in December 2008. He’s

currently developing an animation TV &

web series via Gruntled Entertainment,

LLC. and rewriting two feature-length

scripts, and shooting a trailer short

for another feature-length script.

2000s

peter Baker (BFADS ‘00)

& michelle Baker (BFA ‘00)My wife, Michelle, and I, both born and

raised in Michigan, recently moved

back to Michigan from San Francisco.

I have been running a small design

studio called Elevated Works for six

years now, providing freelance graphic

design and web development services

(www.elevatedworks.com) and have

also been working commercially as a

photographer and continuing some

long term photography projects

(www.peterbaker.net), the latest

focused on Michigan itself.

Michelle founded a letterpress printing

and design studio, Elevated Press

(www.elevatedpress.com),

specializing in custom stationery and

wedding invitations, and her own

line of greeting cards and prints

(www.elevatedpress.etsy.com). Our

studio is on Felch St, near downtown

Ann Arbor, where Michelle holds public

letterpress workshops and where

we collaborate with local artists to

host small gallery exhibitions.

Kelvin Hongshin pan(BFADS ‘00)In 2008, Hongshin Pan was invited to

join the startup company Healthcare of

Today as the Chief Operating Officer

(www.healthcareoftoday.com). Hongshin

was able to apply his creative background

to think about healthcare in new and

exciting ways. Under his leadership,

the young company quickly became an

aggressive force in healthcare, specifically

senior care. Hongshin oversees the daily

operations of the businesses and the

unique vertical-integration model that they

hope will pass savings to consumers. Over

the course of less than 2 years, the holding

company grew from four companies to over

30 businesses. Recently the company has

acquired Xenotis, an advanced human tissue

engineering company based in Australia.

Yolanda Curry (BFADS ‘01)Since graduating my time has been spent

creating jewelry and teaching youth art

classes. I have been creating and selling

jewelry in boutiques, galleries, online, and

featured at special events. This has been

very rewarding, as I have always been

interested in being an entrepreneur. My

Detroit line of jewelry, The D Collection,

has been very successful, not only in

the city, but across the country. One

reviewer commented, ‘The jewelry line

pays homage to the City of Detroit,

celebrating the rugged yet refined,

industrial and innovative, hard-working

and creative spirit of Detroit.’ Future

plans include a design studio where

other talented individuals can hone their

skills. I will once again be teaching, while

still maintaining my jewelry business.

I am also blessed with an amazing

daughter who turned three years old

in March. Needless to say, I am busy!

Kimberley ellsworth-Flores (BFA ‘02)On June 6, 2009 Kimberly married fellow

U of M alum Atticus Flores, BSME ‘02,

at Zion Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor.w

The couple and the wedding party took

pictures at the Big House, the Law Quad,

• A L u m n i u p d A t e s •

summer 2010  Emergence  •  30 • A L u m n i u p d A t e s •

Michigan Union, and Angell Hall before

heading to the reception at Kensington

Court on State Street. At the reception,

“Let’s Go Blue” and “The M Fanfare”

played. The bride and groom entered to

“The Victors.” Several members of the

wedding party were U of M alumni.

Kim put her graphic design degree to

good use for the wedding. She designed

the engagement and wedding invitations,

the ceremony program, the hotel guest

welcome bags, the logo for the Shutter

Booth filmstrips, the wedding cake and

the groom’s cake—a replica of the U of M

Rock, complete with squirrels. The graffiti

on the cake included words and phrases

that had meaning to the bride and groom.

The honeymooners visited Disneyland

before heading onto Hawaii for two weeks.

Kimberly is a graphic designer at the U of

M Law School. Atticus is a data transfer

engineer at L & W Engineering in Belleville.

The newlyweds reside in Canton, MI.

Yen Azzaro (BFA ‘03)

& nick Azzaro (BFA ‘04)Nick is a full-time working artist. His

site www.fotoazzaro.com shows some

of his fine art. He is also working on

securing grants and funding for large-

scale projection installations. His

current project utilizes the underground

advertising technology in the Chicago

subway tunnels that flashes a series of

images as the train goes by at 30 mph.

He is producing hundreds of photos for

a social commentary that will engage

riders and pique the interest of those that

normally do not see art in the public realm.

We have also started a small business

through Etsy, a site that markets stores for

homemade and vintage items. Our store

is called The Satisfied Ant. Nick shows his

photography and I show illustration and

design, a great reminder that I should be

painting more while keeping my day job.

www.etsy.com/shop/thesatisfiedant

www.fotoazzaro.com

Lee may (BFA ‘03)I now reside in Chicago where I am

studying for a Master’s of Art in Art

Education at the School of the Art Institute

of Chicago (SAIC). I also work as a graphic

designer in the Communications &

Graphics department and as a TA for two

undergraduate classes at the SAIC. Once I

complete my master’s, I’d like to become

a college/university teacher with an

emphasis in design and art education.

susan skarsgard (MFA ‘04)Susan Skarsgard (MFA ’04) has recently

been promoted to Global Industrial

Design Manager at General Motors Design.

In January she gave a presentation at

the Museum of the City of New York, in

conjunction with the exhibition, Eero

Saarinen: Shaping the Future, where she

took participants through a tour of her

one of a kind, custom-made book, Where

Today Meets Tomorrow, detailing the

michigan art & design

design and building of the GM technical

Center, (which is also where Susan has her

office.) Closer to home, a complete set of

the work from Susan’s solo exhibition at

Washtenaw Community College, Twenty-

Six of 26: An Edition of 26 Alphabets, has

been purchased by the UM Library Special

Collections. Susan’s upcoming speaking

engagements include a presentation for

the UM Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

concerning how artists continue to be

creative in times of economic hardship,a

lecture at AIGA Celebrate Michigan Design

2010 (also featuring Jody Levy (’02),

and Interview with EYE magazine about

Susan’s work/career and the career of

fellow calligraphic artist, Carl Kurtz.

William (matt) tailford (MFA ‘04)I’m back in Michigan thanks to the state’s

film incentives, and we started a studio

up in Manistee, 10 West Studios, to shore

up what Detroit has been doing and offer

a little something different. I have been

working as a production designer, art

director, actor, and producer. It’s pretty

quiet in the winter, which allows me to find

time for my sculpture work. When I was at

UM I studied the figure intensively in hopes

of doing figurative work. I’m wrapping up

work on my first commission bronze of a life

size wildcat for a school in Sylvania, Ohio.

Benjamin Vandyke (MFA ‘06)During 2009, Ben VanDyke (MFA ’06) has

been promoted to head of the graphic

design program at the University of

New York at Buffalo. He has had a solo

exhibition *Lecciones de Anatom=EDa, at

Casa Vecina-Espacio Cultural* in Mexico

City, Mexico as part of ATypI, 09, and

group exhibitions in Toronto, ON and at

I Space Gallery in Chicago, IL. He has

lectured at Oberlin College and the UK’s

University of Cambridge Clare College.

Ben has also received an NSF Grant

for Science & Art: materials research,

typography and educational outreach;

had six projects published in Typeface:

Classic Typography for Contemporary

Design by Tamye Riggs // Princeton

Arch Press and had his work

31  •  Emergence  summer 2010

reviewed in Eye Magazine Blog

*Dimensional Typography *by Leslie

Atzmon (www.blog.eyemagazine.com.)

Elected positions include those on the

Board of Directors of DesignInquiry and

the Society of Typographic Aficionados.

megan m. Greydanus(BFA ‘07)After graduating from A&D, I worked

in Athens, Greece as an Interactive Art

Director at the interactive design company

Can Communication. That experience

was fantastic, but I decided to move

back to Michigan where I worked at a

few different companies before deciding

become a freelance graphic designer. I am

doing really well with my own business

networking with other freelance designers

and small businesses. I’m getting design

work in the film industry that is coming

to Michigan. Last summer I worked as the

graphic designer for a Rob Reiner film,

Flipped, filmed in Ann Arbor. I worked

closely with Production Designer Bill

Brzeski. I also worked in Detroit on Master

Class, a film starring and directed by Faye

Dunaway. With my schedule I can now

travel and visit A&D friends who are in

other cities and I am able to bring my work

with me. www.greydanusdesign.com

Yoon Ji Lee (BFA ‘08)I work as an International Network

Coordinator at The Center of Visual Art

Boda in Seoul Korea. The Center spreads

photographic culture around the world,

selects and supports young artists, provides

gallery space, promotes creative artwork,

conducts academic research, and creates

both domestic and international visual

media based partnerships. The Center

not only contains exhibition space, but

is an International hub for revitalizing

exchanges within Asia, Europe, both North

and South America, etc. Boda wants to

expand cultural exchange so that anyone

unfamiliar with different kinds of visual

art can easily raise his/her cultural fluency.

Because of this cultural exchange with art

and culture communities from all over the

country, there will oftentimes be a chance

for people who live in Korea to see the

great international artwork domestically. If

you are interested in having an exhibition

in Korea or studying photography,

www.artcenterboda.com is our

Korean website, but it’s not fully

written in English, so we use facebook

as our temporary website.

edward Johnston (MFA ‘08)In 2009, I was the recipient of two Young

Artist’s Program Grants from the D.C.

Commission on the Arts & Humanities,

partly funded by the National Endowment

for the Arts. My work was selected for the

ArcheTime conference and exhibition at the

Tank Space for Performing and Visual Arts

in New York. My work was also selected

from the 2009 Artomatic Art Festival in

Washington, D.C. for the Best of Artomatic

exhibition at the Fraser Gallery in Bethesda,

Maryland. In November, my work was

included in the Urban Revolutions portion of

the Video Arts Festival, Miden, in Kalamata,

Greece. In February 2010 my work was

included in The Matter of Time exhibition at

the Philoctetes Center for Multidisciplinary

Study of the Imagination in New York,

NY. Finally, I just updated my website.

www.edwardsjohnston.com

in memoriamJamie J. AlderBFA ‘74March 22, 2010

marni BabasBSDES ‘66August 11, 2009

stuart p. BrowneBSDES ‘53September 19, 2009

Joseph L. FiemsBFA ‘70June 7, 2010

margaret A. GibsonBDES ‘40March 11, 2010

Vivian s. Gottlieb BDES ‘52November 8, 2009

Burton KellyBDES ‘50April 17, 2010

Bess t. LittletonBDES ‘48October 8, 2009

Warren F. mooreBDES ‘46June 12, 2010

doris B. peterBDES ‘39September 29, 2009

dwight W. presserBSDES ‘ 59October 19, 2009

James p. schafferBFA ‘72January 28, 2010

Arlene e. schultzBSDES ‘63May 1, 2010

James s. symons iiiBSDES ‘59September 25, 2009

donald H. WeirBSDES ‘53September 12, 2009

• A L u m n i u p d A t e s •

summer 2010  Emergence  •  32 

I am very pleased to announce that two dear friends and

graduates of A&D — Chris and Lisa Van Allsburg —

have agreed to create the Van Allsburg Undergraduate

Scholarship Challenge Match. they will match all

gifts for undergraduate scholarships, dollar for dollar

up to $200,000. this is a wonderful opportunity, in

effect, to double your donation. For every dollar you

give to a&D’s undergraduate scholarship fund, Chris

and lisa will give a dollar. our goal is to meet their

challenge by June 30, 2011.

I can’t emphasize enough what a difference your help will

make to A&D students. In many cases, it will be that boost

that makes it possible for them to continue their educations.

Please consider helping us rise to the Challenge.

With sincere thanks,

Bryan Rogers

Good fortune is recognizing opportunity when it comes your way and being ready and able to grab it.—Chris Van Allsburg, (BFA ’72)

author and illustrator

the van allsburg Undergraduate Scholarship ChallengePlease help us reach our $400,000 goal by June 30, 2011!

A special incentive for gifts over $10,000Donors of $10,000 or more to A&D’s undergraduate scholarship fund or to already existing named scholarship funds will receive a set of sixteen of Chris Van Allsburg’s childrens’ books signed by the author.

33  •  Emergence  summer 2010

Are you in?Announcing inCircle, a free, online directory and social networking site for all University of Michigan alumni.

inCircle allows you to find old friends, roommates, studio colleagues, and some faculty. You can let alumni know about your work, exhibitions dates, websites, future plans, personal plans, etc. You can post as much or as little as you want. You can also search or post a job!

inCircle houses the U-M Alumni Association’s job board with more than 3,000 job postings.

We Want to Feature You and Your WorkNow it’s easier than ever to have your event, exhibition, or announcement featured on the front page of the School’s website, and on our Facebook page.

Just submit your news online at www.art-design.umich.edu. Click on “news/events” in the left hand column, click on “submit news” and then fill out the form. It’s as easy as that.

It’s a great way to get your news out to former classmates, the A&D community, and beyond.Questions: contact Kate West at katewest@umich.edu

www.art-design.umich.edu/news/submit

• { r } e v o l u t i o n •

How do I join? Go to http://alumni.umich.edu/networking-tools/social-networking

You will need a university assigned unique name and a password. To get a unique name and password email m.alumni@umich.edu or call 800.847.4764

Questions: contact Scott Creech at Art & Design: creechsc@umich.edu

summer 2010  Emergence  •  34 

the school of art & Designis now on facebook!

Get in touch with old friends, network with alumni and receive news and information about A&D events.

B e C o m e a f a n a t :

www.facebook.com/umartanddesign

e d i t o r k a t e W e s t & d e s i g n e r C a r l g r e e n e

dean’S adviSory councilAnn AikensRobert AikensLinda BanksThomas L. Dent MDJoan K. Rosenberg-DentDebra GormanSteve GormanBette Klegon HalbyGary HalbyGretchen HoeneckeOdette MaskellRichard M. MaskellSally Angell ParsonsLuke RaymondEllen L. RontalMaxine SniderLarry SniderPenny StampsE. Roe Stamps IVIlene SteglitzMarc SteglitzChris Van AllsburgLisa Van AllsburgSusan Smucker WagstaffReid WagstaffSusan Isaak WahlEric Wahl

regional aluMni co-chairS:Roddie Pistilli, northern california

Bill Reuter, northern california

Linda Banks, Southern california

Arden Rynew, Southern california

Kevin Smith, Southern california

Perry Irish, illinios

Dick Maskell, illinios

Judy Maugh, Michigan - ann arbor

Ann Aikens, Michigan - detroit

Sally Parsons, Michigan - detroit

Ellen Rontal, Michigan - detroit

Janet Watkins, Michigan - grand rapids

Bette Klegon Halby, new york

Susan & John Brown, wisconsin

univerSity oF Michigan regentS Julia Donovan Darlow, ann arbor

Laurence B. Deitch, bingham Farms

Denise Ilitch, bingham Farms

Olivia P. Maynard, goodrich

Andrea Fischer Newman, ann arbor

Andrew C. Richner, grosse pointe park

S. Martin Taylor, grosse pointe Farms

Katherine E. White, ann arbor

Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio

nondiScriMination policy StateMentThe University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Senior Director for Institutional Equity, and Title IX/Section 504/ADA Coordinator, Office of Institutional Equity, 2072 Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432, 734-763-0235, TTY 734-647-1388. For other University of Michigan information call 734-764-1817.

michigan art & design

this issue of emergenceis brought to you through the generous

support of Susi and Reid Wagstaff

• { r } e v o l u t I o n •

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