Academic News

The MCAD Gallery exhibition "Intersections: Women, Leadership and the Power of Collaboration" opened on January 20, 2012, and continued through February 26. The show brings together current or recent women studio department chairs, and their student or alum collaborators.  Eleven different Twin Cities colleges or universities are represented in the show. The exhibition is Karen Wirth’s sabbatical project, following last year’s leadership mentorship program at The New School University in NY, through an American Council on Education Fellowship. Other MCAD participants are faculty Stevie Rexroth and Katherine Turczan, alums Isa Gagarin and Catrin Magnusson, and student Gracemarie Keaton-Stasi.

Dan Hasley participated in the Homestead Design Series Workshop at MCAD - this year was his fifth.

Read more here.

Curt McNamara presented a talk on biomimicry for the 'Beaker and Brush Discussions' for the Science Museum of MN.

Read more here.

Katie Maren directed, animated and edited the music video for Still Pacific's track "Mine for the Time" in collaboration with MCAD alum Mike P. Nelson. Doug Gander and Jennifer Garza, also MCAD alumni, also worked on the project.

Additional Information:

• Still Pacific's "Mine for the Time": a pop-up video of sorts (citypages.com)

Dion Zuess was an invited speaker at CalPoly through a grant from Mohawk Paper. She presented about her online MCAD class, Citizen Design.

Britni West (Filmmaking '08) received $20,000 for an as yet untitled feature-length narrative. This film tells te story of Etta, an overweight woman in her forties who has spent most of her life living with her friend and platonic partner Carol. The two spend their days on the outskirts of a small town feeding pigeons from the front stoop of their apartment building and enjoying life free from the cares of a 'typical' woman.

MCAD received 13 awards from the 2012 Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles student competition! The work was selected from over 1400 entries and the jury included Tim Ramos - Art Director, Disney Studios Home Entertainment + Michael Humphries - Art Director, Background Artist, Disney Feature Animation & Instructor, Art Center College of Design.

Congratulations to the following students for their award winning work:

Sievert Arsta

Laura Beaverson

MCAD alumni Lyz Wendland (Fine Arts) opened a show titled "Within Lines" at the Gage Family Art Gallery on January 20. The show ran through March 16.

Additional Information:

• https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lyz-Wendland-Art/283291870334

MCAD alum Mike Kooiman (Post-Baccalaureate '04) led the redesign of the City Pages news weekly. An article on the City Pages website reads:

Ashland Creek Press is delighted to announce the publication of a mystery novel by MCAD alum Cheryl Fischer ('80). Fischer's captivating debut novel, FALLING INTO GREEN (forthcoming in May), is the first in an eco-mystery series featuring psychologist Dr. Esmeralda Green. We’re also delighted that a pilot for a TV series is currently being developed based on the characters in the book.

Mike Sgier '08 had a comic featured in the Philadelphia City Paper's annual comics issue (published December 1, 2011). The comic was also chosen as 'best-in-show' by guest editor Art Baxter.

Additional Information

• Sketch and Release (citypaper.net).