MassArt News

MassArt Senior Wins National Merit Award for Industrial Design

2008-04-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 5, the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) presented its Student Merit Award to Paul Sukphisit, a senior at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The presentation was the highlight of the 2008 IDSA Northeast District Conference, which was held in Philadelphia.

One of Sukphisit’s projects is a fully reconceived tea infuser. His prototype addresses a number of problems with infusers currently on the market, such as water dripping from the infuser onto the counter and surrounding surfaces; the infuser falling into the cup while brewing; and multiple parts that require regular cleaning.

“My final direction is ultimately an enhancement on the current infuser, which blends a coherent aesthetic and functional appeal” Sukphisit says. “The drip-catching clip functions as a stand and graphic brand identifier. The overall form is marriage of functionality and elegance.”

Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Paul Sukphisit grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he attended school at Nova High School. After graduating, he took a break from school and moved to Massachusetts to work full time. He eventually enrolled at Bunker Hill Community College, where he received an associate’s degree in graphic design. He will graduate from MassArt in May with a bachelor of fine arts degree in industrial design.

Sukphisit was selected on March 20 by a jury of professional designers—members of the Boston chapter of IDSA—to represent MassArt at the district conference. Students from Rhode Island School of Design, Pratt Institute, the University of the Arts, the Art Institute of Philadelphia, Carleton University, Kean University, Philadelphia University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, the University of Bridgeport, and Wentworth Institute of Technology also attended the conference and competed for the award.

Sukphisit, along with national award winners from four other districts, will present his work at the IDSA’s national conference this September in Phoenix.

FA2D Student Showing at Cannes

2008-03-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Shaun MacLean Marrow's (FA2D) short documentary segment will be screened at Cannes International Film Festival, Short Film Corner in Cannes, France, May 14-25, 2008.

'Hearts of Darkness: A Painter's Apocalypse' is the short documentary chronicling the development of the art installation, 'Apocalypse Still,' a 100 meter painting using Coppola's 'Apocalypse Now,' as subject, installation as evidence, and movement as dialogue. The installation will be "screened" in July, this short contains interviews and actions showing the intensity and intent of the project, as well as the impetus behind such a piece, and the trials and tribulations of such an endeavor.

Directed by: Shaun MacLean Marrow
Starring: Shaun MacLean Marrow
France, 2008, 14 min

http://audience.withoutabox.com/films/HeartOfDarkness
film support site

http://apocalypsestill.blogspot.com
project blog

MassArt Students Participating in Boston Immersion Alternative Spring Break

2008-03-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

The Colleges of the Fenway (COF), through the collaborative COF Civic Engagement Committee, are poised to begin their second annual Boston Immersion Alternative Spring Break, March 9 – March 14, 2008. In answer to Mayor Menino’s call for increased involvement among institutions of higher education in the city, our students are spending their spring vacation, including several pre-spring break learning sessions, exploring questions that affect our local communities, including how to connect high school students to opportunities in post-secondary education.

This program offers students from participating institutions an opportunity to spend their spring breaks staying in Boston to learn about, connect with, and take positive action in the community. Eleven students from Emmanuel College, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Simmons College, and Wentworth Institute of Technology have been working to prepare for the immersion week. Read more...

Whitney Biennial Includes MassArt Faculty and Alumni

2008-03-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

Massachusetts College of Art and Design is pleased to announce that two members of the MassArt family are included in the Whitney Biennial 2008 from March 6 - June 1, 2008, in New York. Heather Rowe '93 and Assistant Professor of Film/Video Gretchen Skogerson follow a long tradition of MassArt alumni in the Biennial such as Jack Pierson '84, Christian Marclay '80, William Wegman '65, Sam Durant '86, Glen Seator '83, Richard Phillips '84, and others as well as faculty such as Taylor Davis (Studio Foundation). Congratulations!

MassArt Visionaries Honored by US Art Critics Association

2008-03-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

MassArt is pleased to announce that the college’s president, Dr. Katherine Sloan, and its director of public art and former director of exhibitions, Jeffrey Keough, have each been awarded Distinguished Service to the Art Community awards by the New England Chapter of the United States Section of the International Association of Art Critics. They were honored at the 2008 AICA New England awards ceremony, which was held on Wednesday, February 27, 2008, at the Rose Art Museum of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Each year the United States Section of the International Association of Art Critics invites its nearly 400 members to vote for the best exhibitions created during that season as a way to acknowledge the exceptional work contributed by artists, curators, and dealers in the field of the visual arts. These prestigious annual awards are the art-world’s equivalent to those given each year by the New York Film Critics Society, the Drama Desk and the Academy of Motion Pictures. Additionally, for the past six years, the New England chapter of AICA has initiated its own awards ceremony to honor local efforts, which are also announced at the National AICA/USA awards ceremony to be held on March 17, 2008, 6:00pm, at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Dr. Katherine Sloan was honored by AICA New England for her leadership and vision in expanding MassArt’s influence by strengthening the college’s commitment to the community, expanding its role in shaping visual art and design education on the local, regional and national levels, and becoming a tireless champion of New England’s creative economy and its critical role in the state. Dr. Sloan has been president of Massachusetts College of Art and Design since 1996, when she was appointed the tenth president of the college and the first woman to hold the position in the institution’s 135-year history.

Jeffrey Keough was honored for his achievements during the two decades he was director of exhibitions at the college. During that time, Keough curated and directed many regional, national, and international exhibitions touching on a wide variety of subjects and themes such as Australian Aboriginal prints, international photojournalism, Russian graphic design, Dutch ceramics, art in reaction to AIDS, drawings and artifacts from the Holocaust, murals from Hiroshima, Mexican photography, and new art from Cuba, to name a few. He has curated one person shows by artists Polly Apfelbaum, Xu Bing, Abelardo Morell, George Nick, Nicholas Nixon, Kiki Smith, William Wegman, Sam Durant, Richard Yarde, and group shows have included artists Tony Oursler, Janine Antoni, Vik Muniz, Petah Coyne, James Casabere, and Barbara Bosworth. Many of these exhibitions have garnered critical acclaim and have traveled nationally. He has served on a number of prestigious juries and has selected artworks for public display in the city of Cambridge, in the city of Boston, and at Logan International Airport. He also directed Boston’s Cavalcade of Cod, part of the city’s millennium celebration.

Two Faculty Members Receive Creative Capital Grants

2008-02-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

MassArt is pleased to announce that faculty members Kianga Ford (SIM) and Cauleen Smith (Film/Video) are among fifty-two artists, representing forty-one projects in film/video and the visual arts, to receive this year’s prestigious Creative Capital 2008 Grants. They were selected from among 2,535 applicants seeking funding from Creative Capital, the premier national artist support organization committed to funding projects by individual artists and providing them with professional advisory services. Kianga Ford received a Visual Arts 2008 award in the Interdisciplinary category for Walking Home and Cauleen Smith received a Film/Video 2008 award in the Narrative category for Rebecca. For a complete list of grantees, profiles of funded projects, and up-to-date grant cycle information, visit www.creative-capital.org.

MassArt to Award Master of Architecture

2007-11-06T06:26:00.000-08:00

The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education has unanimously approved the application of Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) to award the Master of Architecture (M. Arch.). After three years of intensive program development, including a review and site visit by the National Architecture Accrediting Board, the college is now poised to offer a 60-credit graduate degree designed to provide rigorous, accessible, and affordable professional preparation for a variety of architecture-centered careers, including those which address global challenges. The program expands the college’s graduate offerings; while enhancing its stature as a leader in art and design education. The first cohort of ten students will begin the program during the summer of 2008.

“This truly is an exciting time for MassArt, and we are pleased the Board of Higher Education has joined us in recognizing the richness and value of this new program and the complementary role it provides to our other offerings.” -Kay Sloan, President, Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Read the entire press release.

Honorable Mention for MassArt

2007-10-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Craig Kilburn, MassArt's Environmental Health & Safety Officer and Eric Friedman, Director of the Leading by Example Program

MassArt received an honorable mention in this year's Leading by Example Environmental Innovation Awards. The Leading by Example Awards recognize outstanding efforts in implementing sustainable practices among the Commonwealth's state agencies, public institutions of higher education, and municipalities.

In the short span of only eight months, MassArt has made steady strides in increasing the collection of recyclable materials. As of October 25, 2007 the College has managed to recycle 84,920.00 pounds of materials and is increasing this number by the week.

The expansion of our GREEN ROOF was completed in August. The expansion of the Green Roof is expected to offer a drop in energy required to heat and cool the 10th floor of the Tower Building.

In terms of water conservation, MassArt has been installing new fixtures throughout campus resulting in reduced water consumption by 996,303 gallons between FY06 and FY07.

As MassArt continues to improve its campus with new construction projects, all contractors and materials are reviewed for their Sustainability Status. We are looking for companies that have LEED Certified Plants and or products that are made from recycled materials.
MassArt has switched all of its cleaning products to “Green” environmentally safe products.

Green roof, Tower Building, 11th floor

Shadow of the House

2007-09-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

Shadow of the House-Photographer Abelardo Morell
A film by Allie Humenuk

MFA SCREENING TIMES:

Thursday, September 13th, 8 pm
Q&A with the Director and Abelardo Morell.

Saturday, September 15th, 1:45 pm
Q&A with the Director and Abelardo Morell. Reception to follow.

Thursday, September 20th, 2:45 pm
Saturday, September 22nd, 3:30 pm
Wednesday, September 26th, 8:30 pm
Sunday, September 30th, 12:15 pm

All screenings take place in the Remis Auditorium at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue.

Advance tickets available at http://www.mfa.org/calendar/sub.asp?key=12&subkey=1

For more information about the film visit: http://www.shadowofthehouse.com/

Co-Sponsored by the Photographic Resource Center at Boston University.

MassArt Receives New England Foundation Arts Grant

2007-08-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

MassArt is one of seven recipients of a New England Foundation Arts Grant. Massart received the grant for a sustainable design public art project along Hungtington Avenue.

To view the article, click on the link below:
http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/exhibitionist/2007/08/new_england_fou.html

Selections from the Graphic Imperative on View in Turkey

2007-08-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

Garanti Gallery in Istanbul, Turkey will proudly be hosting the exhibition "Selections from The Graphic Imperative" between 31 July - 25 August 2007. "Selections from The Graphic Imperative" is 50 posters "selected" from the original 121 posters present in the larger traveling exhibition "The Graphic Imperative: International Posters for Peace, Social Justice and The Environment 1965-2005" a retrospective of forty years of sociopolitical posters.

"The Graphic Imperative: International Posters for Peace, Social Justice and The Environment 1965-2005" was curated and organized by:
Elizabeth Resnick, Associate Professor and Chair, Communication DesignMassachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA
Chaz Maviyane-Davies, Professor, Communication Design Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA
Frank Baseman, Associate Professor, Graphic Design Communication Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, PA
http://www.thegraphicimperative.org/

Book Tackles Old Debate: Role of Art in Schools

2007-08-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

MassArt faculty member Lois Hetland, Ed. D. (Art Education) and Ellen Winner, along with co-authors Shirley Veenema and Kimberly Sheridan, have a new book due out this month. An article was published about it in the NY Times on August 5th.

MassArt Student is Finalist in 2007 Adobe Design Achievement Awards

2007-08-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

Adobe Systems Incorporated announced the winners of the 2007 Adobe Design Achievement Awards. The premier student design and film competition honors the most talented and promising student graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, animators, digital filmmakers, and computer artists from the world's top educational institutions. Using the latest Adobe products, more than 2,500 students from 30 countries competed in the program.

MassArt student Carolin Horn is a finalist in the Interactive and Web Design category. Congratulations Carolin!

MassArt Animation Student Receives International Honors

2007-08-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Only five Undergraduate Films are included in Competition at The Ottawa International Festival this year. Alan Jennings' (ANI 07) "Running in Darkness" is among those selected and will receive its World Premiere at the festival.

This film was Alan's degree project film documenting the affect of alzheimer's on family members. Included in the interviews are MassArt faculty Flip Johnson and Suzanne Barnes. Handcrafted by a technique of painting on glass, the work is maturely rendered and sensitively edited, paired down to just over 2 minutes of footage from hours of audio footage.

Alan's film is one of only 2 US selections from hundreds of international entries submitted for consideration. Others include works from Taiwan, Israel, and France.

Governor Approves New Name for Massachusetts College of Art

2007-07-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

Governor Deval Patrick has signed into law an act officially changing MassArt's formal name to Massachusetts College of Art + Design.

Founded in 1873 as Massachusetts Normal School of Art, the college’s formal name has been changed on two previous occasions: in 1926 as Massachusetts School of Art, when it began granting a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, and in 1959 as Massachusetts College of Art, after receiving approval to offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Massachusetts College of Art + Design is one of the premier colleges of art and design in the United States, attracting students from across the country and around the globe. BusinessWeek magazine includes it among the Top Global Design Schools. According to a 2006 University of Toronto study, Boston is ranked second in North America as a center for design employment, and MassArt is the area’s primary educational institution preparing professionals for that industry.

As the college enhances its national and international reach in all areas of visual arts, the addition of “Design” to its official title more accurately reflects its full range of programs.

(L to R): Kay Sloan, President of Massachusetts College of Art + Design; Governor Deval Patrick; and Cheryl Warrick (BFA ’88), Chair of MassArt’s Board of Trustees. Photo: Sonia Targontsidis.

Rogers Corporation Awards Scholarships to MassArt Winners of the PORON® Urethanes Fashion Design Challenge

2007-06-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) showed its support for education and design innovation by awarding fashion students at MassArt. The scholarships were given as part of the company’s first, annual “PORON Urethanes Fashion Design Challenge”. The competition showcased the versatility of PORON Urethanes in non-textile design applications created by student designers.

Under the rules of the program, two $1,000 scholarships were awarded to students in the college’s sophomore creative design class for the “Most Creative Use of PORON Urethanes” and “Most Fashionable Garment”. Rogers also presented two $250 scholarships for honorable mentions. The scholarships will be applied toward the students’ upcoming academic year tuition expenses. The winners include:

Most Creative: Hilary Davis, $1000 scholarship (top, left)
Most Fashionable: Leah Lundberg, $1000 scholarship (top, right)
Honorable Mention: Jane Sommer-Fuller, $250 scholarship (lower, right)
Honorable Mention: Maya Molina-Araujo, $250 scholarship (lower, left)

Rogers donated rolls of PORON Urethane foam in various thicknesses and colors which students used to design and construct their non-textile garments. The sixteen students who participated in “The Challenge” created a variety of garments, including swimwear, daywear, evening wear and fantasy wear with flexible PORON Urethane. Rogers’ representatives reviewed and evaluated the garments based on their creativity, potential wearability, intricate design details and finishing work.

MassArt Fashion Student Wins Project Prom Contest

2007-06-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

The results are in! MassArt fashion senior Sujung Cho has been voted the winner of the Boston Globe’s Project Prom fashion design contest. Her prizes include a $500 gift certificate from Fabric Place and a trip to New York City to have lunch with Nicole Fschelis, the fashion director for Macy's. For more information about the contest, visit the Boston Globe’s Project Prom website at: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/special_projects/2007/projectprom

Artadia Recognizes MassArt Faculty and Alumni

2007-06-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to MassArt faculty members Jane D. Marsching (Studio Foundation) and Stephen Tourlentes (’88 MFA Media & Performing Arts and Photography adjunct faculty) on being two of seven Boston artists recently selected for a 2007 Artadia Award in the amount of $1500. Nationally prominent curators Pieranna Cavalchini (Curator of Contemporary Art, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston), Michael Darling (Contemporary Curator, Seattle Art Museum), and Rene de Guzman (Visual Arts Curator, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco) juried the competition and named the ten awardees – 3 Artadia Awards of $15,000 and 7 Artadia Awards of $1,500. MassArt faculty member Denise Marika (Studio for Interrelated Media) and alumnus Douglas Weathersby (’02 MFA Painting) were among the 15 finalists.

Applications for the Artadia Awards were open to visual artists in all media and at any stage of their career working and living in the metro Boston area, and award winners were selected from nearly 700 applicants. Artadia is an organization devoted to individual artist support at the local level, and has partnered with several local foundations to help make this award possible here.

Boston is the fourth city in Artadia’s national awards program. The organization already administers successful programs and awards in Houston, San Francisco and Chicago. Laura Donaldson, Director of the Mills Gallery at the Boston Center for the Arts will curate an exhibition of the Awardees’ work during the summer of 2008 and a fully-illustrated catalogue will be published to commemorate the inaugural Artadia Awards in Boston.

For more information about the award process and great list of Boston artists who are this year's awardees visit: http://www.artadia.org/news.html

Jane Marsching is a photographer, sculptor, and video artist. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, she collaborates with scientists from all over the world for her current project Arctic Listening Post. Pulling content from various sources including the internet, science fiction illustrations, and historical source material, she weaves the complexities of the “real” visions and representations of the North Pole and Arctic with artistic sense of imagination and “narrative wonder”.

Stephen Tourlentes teaches at the Massachusetts College of Art and the Isaldn Center for the Arts in Skopelos, Greece. His current series of black and white photographs explore the sites and geography of the prison industry in the United States. Tourlentes’ eerie nightscapes capture the light pollution and menacing aura of the penitentiaries.

MassArt's 2007 Commencement Ceremony

2007-06-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

On Friday, May 18, 2007, MassArt awarded Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, and Master of Science in Art Education degrees to approximately 360 graduate and undergraduate students. In addition to recognizing the tremendous efforts of graduating students, the college also awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts to Robert Pinsky, United States Poet Laureate, translator, essayist, and teacher. Mr. Pinsky addressed the class of 2007.

Congratulations graduates!

To view a slide show of this year's Commencement day festivities visit photographer Glenn Kulbako's website. Photographs are available for purchase.

For more information on Commencement 2007 view the press release.

AIGA 2007 BoNE Show

2007-05-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

June 8–August, 2007
Tower Auditorium & Stephen D. Paine Gallery

Award Ceremony: Thursday, June 7, 2007, 6:30 pm
Reception: Thursday, June 7, 2007, 8 pm

American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) hosts its bi-annual award show (Best of New England). The award ceremony will be held at 6:30 pm in the Tower Building Auditorium followed by a reception at 8 pm in the Stephen D. Paine Gallery. Award Ceremony & Reception AdmissionFree AIGA Members and MassArt Community$15 General Public $10 Students with ID

Gallery hours: Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Selections from the Master Print Series

2007-05-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

May 11–September, 2007
President’s Gallery

The Master Print Series Program has been in existence since 1993. Artists are invited to produce original prints in collaboration with MassArt printmaking faculty and students. This program gives students an opportunity to observe professional artists at work and to actively participate in the complex procedure of transforming ideas into quality prints. The artists are in residence during the collaboration and the myriad activities of strategy, matrix preparation, proofing, editioning and curating are a team effort. The finished works produced are divided equally between the artist and the school. Each student who participates in the project receives a Printer’s Proof. Prints sold from Mass Art’s archives cover the production expenses and are an essential and major component of funds donated towards student merit awards in the 2D Department.

Gallery hours: Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Two MassArt Fashion Seniors Finalists in Boston Globe’s Project Prom Contest

2007-05-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

MassArt fashion seniors Miriam Perlov and Sujong Cho are featured in this Sunday's Boston Globe Magazine as finalists in the Globe's Project Prom contest.

View their designs, hear their interviews, and vote on line for your favorite prom dress design.

The designer who receives the most readers' votes wins a $500 gift certificate from Fabric Place and lunch in New York City with Nicole Fschelis, the fashion director for Macy's.

Commencement 2007

2007-05-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 18, 1 p.m.

President Katherine Sloan will present the Massachusetts College of Art graduating class of 2007 in an outdoor ceremony to be held at the college on Friday, May 18, at one o'clock in the afternoon. Approximately 360 graduate and undergraduate students will be awarded Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, and Master of Science in Art Education degrees.

Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts
Robert Pinsky, United States Poet Laureate

Distinguished Alumnus 2007
Arne Glimcher (’60)

Massachusetts College of Art Award for Excellence in Education
Diana Hampe

Press release here

More information about Commencement here.

Thesis Show III

2007-05-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

May 8–19, 2007
Reception: Thursday, May 10, 6:00–8:00 pm

Gallery Hours: Mon.–Fri., 10:00 am–6:00 pm; Sat., 11:00 am–5:00 pm

Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibitions

2007-05-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Bakalar and Paine Galleries, Massachusetts College of Art
March 16–May 19

Massachusetts College of Art presents the MFA 2007 Thesis Shows I, II, III; featuring the work of graduating Masters of Fine Arts students from various disciplines and diverse backgrounds. The exhibitions, on view in the Bakalar and Paine Galleries from April 6–May 19, 2007, as well as a live installation performance at Pozen Center on March 16 and 17, showcase an array of media including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, film, video, and performance.