ONEWS

Greetings from the Alumni Director, July 2009

Welcome to the latest installment of ONEWS! There is a new and easy way to share information about your work or exhibition by going to ONEWS Submissions. Be sure to join the Otis College Alumni Facebook Group organized by Shaun Grey (’01 Digital Media). It’s a great way to connect with other alumni to share resources and information. Also check below for super-easy instructions to log on to the Otis Job Board.

I want to thank all of you that gave back to Otis in a record-breaking year for alumni participation in the O-FUND. In a year that has been financially challenging for everyone, it is especially gratifying to see this level of commitment to Otis. See details below from my colleague, Andre.

Keep the great news and images coming – remember we count on you to let us know what’s happening with you and your friends. Thanks!

Sarah Russin otisalum@otis.edu

Notes From the Field

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David Jeno ('89) Curates at Koplin Del Rio

David Jeno with piece by Eric Kahn

As an architectural designer and principal of Perez Design Group LLC, and former student in Environmental Design at Otis during the MacArthur Park Campus era, David Jeno has curated his second architectural show at Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Culver City. “Memory of the L.A. Billboard-Telepolis in the Archetype” is a project which involved the collaborative effort of both fine artists and architects selected with Los Angeles as backdrop and an archetype commonly seen as both a theatrical prop and a cityscape media bender. “The effort to bring together well respected architects and artists in the field and to provide them with a subject of sociological mainstay, the billboard, is in itself challenging” he says “by promoting a group synthesis in a gallery setting has such a personal reward to it for me, because it allows the public a continuous opportunity to see ideas and endeavors from multiple perspectives, and to take something from the show for thought”. When approached on the influences he finds for the idea to promote a show he says “If the idea works well enough, it has to be a subject of historical, sociological, political, psychological and metaphysical content, allowing anyone who views the work optional perspectives to provoke their interest.” he adds “of course we all know a plain old billboard can be an eyesore to some, controversial to others, or just another structure in our landscape, but presenting the subject with a kinesthetic sensibility, can carry the show along with success in keeping the gallery enthusiast aware of thought provoking subject matter”.

The show is influenced by the writings of Anthony Vidler’s The Architectural Uncanny and from the now classic Learning from Las Vegas by architects Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and Steven Izenour “Billboards are the most obvious, archaic and brutally honest structures in our landscape with a purpose solely for the promoting of an idea, yet the intrigue of their very nature is the influence they attempt on the human psyche and the cultural pertinence which reflects upon us” he says. “Now with technology accelerating at such a high rate, the twenty-first century has created a whole new archetype, one of real time cinema and mise-en-scéne effects, a truly externalized virtual world”.

Participants in the show include Otis alumnus and student of Linda Pollari, Jesus Aguilar(’08), with his painted image of the Silverlake skyline during the Griffith Park Fire of 07, Untitled (Sunset Junction). Notes David; “Here is a piece that gives a prime example to image and event in the memory of an individual as well as place.” Sandow Birk (’89), a gallery artist gleefully focuses on noticing the unnoticed in the intriguing piece titled Urban Study. The Gallery owner Eleana Del Rio (’89) also is an alumna.

In the future, David hopes to promote additional ideas into a gallery setting. “If scheduling allows, I have numerous ideas to bring other shows to light, but for now I am simply pleased to know that the gallery owners, Eleana Del Rio and Sugar Brown have kindly allowed some of these visions to come to fruition and without their influences, none of this could have happened”, he adds “press releases, scheduling and constant communication are key for a shows’ success, it’s not just the idea”.

For now David is happy in pursuing multiple endeavors from sustainable architecture, furniture design, a succulent business in the desert to a potential eco-gallery.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to David for sending in this story on his curatorial project. If you have an interesting experience to share get in touch with Sarah at otisalum@otis.edu. If you have a blog that deals with an art or design topic or other issues of interest to our community send us a link to share in ONEWS. Here are two of my favorites from Zoe Hong (’02 Fashion Design) - verbalcroquis.wordpress.com and Khoi Vinh (’93 Communication Arts) - www.subtraction.com. Enjoy!

Campus News

Welcome Class of 2009!

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250 graduates have joined the ranks of Otis Alumni! Mark Parker, CEO of Nike, received an Honorary Degree and delivered the 2009 Commencement Address. Click here for a transcript of his inspirational remarks.

Did You Get This Issue Of OMAG?

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If you didn’t receive this magazine we might not have your current snail mail address - Update Contact Info Here. Also check out the Online Version.

You Made a Difference - Thank you!

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On July 1, 2009, after all the accounting had been done and all the “I’s” dotted and “T’s” crossed we are happy to announce that we met our goal of 10% alumni participation and raised over $45,000 to help students with much needed scholarships, campus improvements, and technology for our labs. We owe our success to every alumna or alumnus that gave, regardless of the amount, to the O-Fund, Otis’ Annual Fund, YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE. Thank you!

Remember, your investment every single year in Otis attests to the quality art and design education you received, an education that has remained a hallmark of a degree from Otis College of Art and Design.

Super - Easy Way to Access the Job Board and Other Useful Links

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Go to Job Board Click on “Register” and enter your User ID (that’s your student ID, “X” number) Create your own pin code and security question.Note: If you don’t know your “X” number, no problem. Just contact Mara Thompson at mthompson@otis.edu and be prepared to share your birth date or other info for verification. She will respond within one business day!
Join the Otis Alumni Facebook Group and post your events and shows here.
Check Alumni to see changing content on this special page for alumni.
Submit information on your work, exhibition or announcement for inclusion in ONEWS.
Review Calendar for free lectures and events on campus and around town.
Research links useful for fine artists, job searching, etc Career Resources.
Check Work to see what the new kids are doing!
Check out these newly-posted alumni interviews We Went to Otis

Alumni Events

Save the Date for these CONNECT Events

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Kerry James Marshall, Visible Means of Support: Mount Vernon, 2009
Atrium Installation, SFMOMA

October 8, 2009, 6-9 pm
CONNECT San Francisco
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Reception includes remarks by curator John Zarobell
RSVP sfevent@otis.edu

Sandow Birk, American Qur'an: Sura 100, 2009
ink, acrylic and gouche on paper, 16" x 24"

October 22, 2009, 6-8 pm
CONNECT Los Angeles
Sandow Birk Exhibition “American Qur’an” at Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Culver City
RSVP laevent@otis.edu

October 29, 2009, 6-9 pm

CONNECT New York
John Varvatos Showroom
RSVP nyevent@otis.edu

Opportunities

Student Loan Interest Rate Alert

Alumni with student loans in the variable rates category (unconsolidated loans prior to 2006) might want to take advantage of the new rates:
Student Stafford Loan: 2.48%
Parent PLUS Loan: 3.28%

To lock in the rate a borrower would need to consolidate their student loans. Go loanconsolidation.ed.gov and click on Borrower Services to begin the process. Everything is done online.

For any questions email the Financial Aid Department at otisaid@otis.edu and we would be happy to help you out. Alumni are always welcome to visit with our office in person.

Call for Entries
The Story of O: Graduate Fine Arts 1989-2009
Ben Maltz Gallery, Otis College of Art and Design
Deadline: August 31, 2009
Exhibition Dates: April 10 - June 5, 2010.

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Roy with Grad Students, 2006

Graduate Studies Alumni who attended between 1989 and 2009 are invited to submit new work for consideration for this exhibition in honor of Roy Dowell’s twentieth anniversary as Chair of Graduate Fine Arts.

Selection panel: Sarah C. Bancroft, Curator, Orange County Museum of Art; Dr. Nizan Shaked (’00), Assistant Professor of Contemporary Art History, Museum and Curatorial Studies at California State University Long Beach; Meg Linton, Director of Galleries and Exhibitions, Otis Ben Maltz Gallery; Roy Dowell, artist and Chair, Otis Graduate Fine Arts; Annetta Kapon (’85), artist and Assistant Chair, Otis Graduate Fine Arts

PDF of Submission Guidelines

Open Call for Artist Submissions: August 1 - October 1, 2009
Torrance Art Museum

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November 19 – December 19, 2009
ZOOM is the new prestigious annual group show of contemporary artists from So Cal, Baja, Nevada and Arizona. It will be a survey of some of the best art from the region, showing developing trends and current dialogues for artists living and working in the south west states of America and northern Mexico. Open call to artists and free to apply. Exhibition opens in Gallery One November 19, 2009 – December 19, 2009 ...click here for more info.

Recession Sale on GTST 2.8 Software for Artists

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Happy days are here again! GYST is announcing a special Recession Discount Sale. Buy the GYST software for $129, twenty bucks off the regular retail price. If you are an Otis alum or a current student or faculty member, you can get the software for only $99. To buy the software, visit www.gyst-ink.com/buy.

Created by practicing visual artists as a teaching tool for navigating all parts of a challenging art world, GYST 2.8 is the most comprehensive professional practices software solution available to artists today. The dynamic new GYST 2.8 software manages all the business-related paperwork for your art career, and comes complete with tons of educational and information resources, too. Available for both MAC and PC, the software easily keeps track of your art, exhibition history, prices, sales, invoices, budgets, and your artist statements, resumes, proposals and research notes. It also has a powerful inventory management system integrated with your contacts and mailing lists. With all this great information in one place you can easily keep your sh*t together.

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