Visiting Caelifera

Associate Professor in Sculpture Peter Eudenbach recently caught this picture of a local resident (or tourist) checking out the new Barry Arts Building.

Experimental Video on Granby Street

Streetscapes, a series of short videos by students in this semester’s Experimental Video Class, are screening now on Granby Street. Associate Professor of Sculpture Peter Eudenbach is instructing the course. Over the past few weeks, short videos have also been screened by glass artists from the Chrysler Glass Studio, and students from the Governor’s School for the Arts. The storefront at 733 Granby was generously made available by Bob from Bob’s Gun Shop.

ODU students in the current series are: Jasmine Battle, Samantha Frazier, Katie Hayes, Jeff Henderson, Stephanie Lipuma, Kari Miles, Anthony Miralles, Cody Simmons, Chris Smith, and Samuel Winters.

Agnieszka Whelan to discuss “Dazzle Ships”

Lecturer in Art History Dr. Agnieszka Whelan will discuss Dazzle Ships, a photography exhibition by Polish artist Lukasz Wierzbowski on Thursday, March 13, 7:30pm at Nobile & Amundsen in Norfolk. Wierzbowski has exhibited his works in galleries across four continents, his photographs have been published in lifestyle magazines and art zines, and he’s shared an incredible amount of images on Flickr and Tumblr. His clients include Penguin Books, Saatchi and Saatchi, and Urban Outfitters. And yet, in this world of international and electronic coverage, Wierzbowski relies on two unlikely, traditional constants: his analogue camera and the wealth of artistic references with which he grew up in his native country. Dr. Whelan will talk about Wierzbowski’s visual connections to the artists of Europe and the United States, and particularly to developments in Poland today.

“Monuments Men” Lecture Show

Some of the exhibitors in the Undergraduate Research Symposium also presented their work on February 20 in the North Café of Webb University Center. The display preceded the lecture by Robert Edsel as the Marc and Connie Jacobson Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Lecture speaker for ODU’s President’s Lecture Series. Edsel is author of the 2009 book, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. Show above (left to right): Margaret Bush, Jux Howell, Zachary Stille, Michael Santos, Suzanne Burns, Yvonne Frederick and Shakira Brooks. Not photographed were Jessica Gunsher, Rebecka Hall, and Amelia Wood. For more photos from the event, go here.

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2014

Once again, the Art Department had a major presence in the University’s annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, held February 8–9, 2014 in the Learning Commons. Students from all three Department majors presented their work in displays and sessions. On Friday, February 8: New Research in Renaissance and Baroque Art, chair: Lecturer Dr. Agnieszka Whelan, presenters: Andrea Dalton, Olivia Morgan, Cristina Irizarry, Carly Sutphin, and Yvonne Frederick. Art Education: Critical Thinking, Collaboration and Community Connections, chair: Lecturer Patricia Edwards, presenters: Autumn Bailey, Leanna James, Ruth Freisenbruch, and Camie Romano. On Saturday, February 9: New Research in Modern and Contemporary Art, chair: Dr. Robert Wojtowicz, presenters: Christopher Madden, Tracy Hundley, Jennifer Goodrich, Preston Mosley, and Ashley Nicole Yarsinke. Also on Saturday, Studio Art majors displayed their work and conversed with visitors: Shakira Brooks, Suzanne Burns, Margaret Bush, Sandra Connors, Yvonne Frederick, Jessica Gunsher, Rebecka Hall, Jux Howell, Karina Nigro, Frances Sahagun, Michael Santos, Zachary Stille, Patricia Tobias, Angela VanDyke, Robert Wolford, and Amelia Wood. Congratulations to all!

To view photos from the Symposium (taken by professor Elliott Jones, who was a coordinator for the event (shown in the photo above, with (on left) Lecturer Heather Bryant who also helped coordinate, and 2010 Studio Art alumna Danielle Jweid), go here.

Abigail Johnson selected for National Conference presentation

Congratulations to Abigail Johnson (BFA Fine Art/BA Art History, expected Spring 2014)! Her paper, “Botticelli and the Medici: The Patron’s Support during the Age of Savonarola,” was among the papers selected out of more than 4,000 submissions for presentation at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research scheduled for April 3 – 5, 2014 at the University of Kentucky.

Kenneth FitzGerald at Central Michigan University

Professor of Graphic Design Kenneth FitzGerald was a visiting artist for the Graphic Design program in the Art Department at Central Michigan University, November 12–13, 2013. On the evening of November 12, FitzGerald gave a talk called “Singing the Surface,” and followed the next day with a presentation of his “Graphic Equalizer,” after the essay in his 2010 book Volume.

Kenneth FitzGerald named to AIGA post

Professor of Graphic Design Kenneth FitzGerald has been named to the AIGA Design Educators Community Steering Committee for a three-year term. The DEC’s mission is to enhance the abilities of design educators and educational institutions to prepare future designers for excellence in design practice, design theory and design writing at the undergraduate and graduate levels, while supporting the fundamental mission of AIGA.

Graphic Design Exit Review

The faculty and graduating students in the graphic design concentration invite everyone to the 2013 Graphic Design Exit Review, on Friday, May 3, 7:00–9:00 pm. The event is an open house in VAB 116 and 211 where visitors may view the final portfolios of the graduating class of graphic design students. (Graphics by James Harris.)

“Blunt” Design Education Conference

The 2013 AIGA Design Educator Community’s conference, Blunt: Explicit and Graphic Design Criticism Now, was held at ODU on April 12–14. Graphic Design faculty Ivanete Blanco and Kenneth FitzGerald were co-organizers of the overall conference and served as event hosts. The conference welcomed over 100 attendees from the U.S., Canada, and Europe discussing topics on graphic design critical writing, education, history, and practice. A workshop by Hatch Show Print’s Jim Sherraden was a featured part of the event, with thanks to Ken Daley for hosting the workshop in the Printmaking facility. For pictures of the conference, go here.