Spring Semester Symposiums

Ruane Miller

How did you come into using digital painting?
-- She told me how she had gone back to school for her MFA and started what they called computer arts.

I have a great appreciation for her work and this ability to be in a hyperrealistic and surreal world, that the contrast makes you second guess what is real photograph and what is just a painting. The meshing of surreal and photographed spaces .





Dan Boyle - Graphic Design Alumni 

Interaction Design 

2003 Graduation 

Designer developer and projector director at Ebay

how our interaction with internet and global world, if you got on the internet and got a voice, you had a chance to be heard

the transition to the world today, the easier to create and design and the outlet to the internet was different. Everything Changes

Experiences and connections, the connections to every client. Networking, who you know not always what you know.

fine the people that inspire you, fine that places where they have worked, then research that company, see the work that they do. find connections

Make sure people can see your work

Most interesting projects- see your part in the projects and how you worked through them.

Understand what the company does!!!!!
what at Ebay do you want to change or what you understand

Freelance and find jobs always keep creativity flowing

Jennifer Kakaletris
Freelance, networking, managng clients, getting paid

Freelance work
works with non profits
started through an internship

Freelancing isn't a real job.. or that you can't find a job. You have to deal with clients which anf be worse then a boss sometimes.

Networking- building relationships

These relationships can give you leads or be a support group when you find a lul

how to go about networking?
   keep in touch with colleagues and keep up a business relationship, this could help your business.

don't burn bridges, to help you out

take in interest in others and build relationships, don't be afraid to ask

Always remember to thank them even if it didn't turn out the way you wanted it

open communication with clients. keeping communications positive

what contracts should include
scope of work
ownership of work
revisions
deadlines
payment amount
payment timing and late fees
reimbursement of expenses
early termination


Hans Haacke

Student open forum

Simple and concise outline and structure for hist students.  He gave them freedom to help them find their own voice in the art community. Avoid making them disciples of him, by not showing his students his work.  It is not about pleasing him by emulating his work it's about finding yourself as an artist.  Being honest about work is the only way students will learn, it is not that a professor is being mean

One big thing that I rook away from the talk was how he thought art jargon doesn't really need to be used.  It's a way to make something simple or boring sound fancy. Sometimes using a clear simple description is better then using fluff.


Deborah Hutton

 Beyond the Images on the Evening News: Afghanistan's Visual Culture in Context

We have these preconceived notions and single vision of a place and people who live there.  Growing up I have only ever known one view of the Middle East and Afghanistan because of the filtered images that have made it into the media.

The main thing that I really took away from Dr. Hutton's talk was the way she felt connected to the family that she had met and how she felt she needed to portray them and their heritage.  Giving them more then just an academic view but also a human and personal feel. How their art has not suffered because of the living conditions or how they were raised but how they have a strong sense of conceptualism from their point of view of the world and their home.


Afghan Film Screening 

The films that I had the strongest connection to were the more contemporary and the modern documentaries.  The artist talk was consisted of us all finally getting to talk about the things we don't normally think about daily life in Afghanistan, how their streets are cleaned, how homes get power, and even how mail gets delivered.  Jump Cut productions had the most successful and compelling film in the series.  The use of a film that lacked dialog but told a story through music and action was beautiful.  It also made the viewers aware of the beginning and ending scenes by how they use the same shot to bookend the film.

I personally don't know yet how it applies to my personal practice. I have only used video once and I think that I would think more about how sound and music play a role in the narration and continuation of the story without having to have a dialog or narrator.

Kandahr Treasure

The work of these women are flawless and it is truly inspiring and beautiful.  The talk that she gave was shocking in how she was not afraid to tell all her business secrets, it is a refreshing change from the secrets that many business keep.  Her motivation to help change the face of Afghanistan and the society that is slowly changing in this modern society.  The needle work is an art and skill that is truly fascinating and delicate. I don't know specifically how the talk would apply to my over all art practice, but use of textiles and fabric in my work has been a nice change.  I would love to be involved with business and organizations that are reaching out and helping the community and the women of Afghanistan gain a voice and help them become providers for their families.


Will "Kasso" Condry 

This is the best talk I have gone to in my college career. He spoke from the heart of how his work is something that starting to change the community of Trenton. The Alumni from TCNJ is also a co-founder of the Sage Coalition who's purpose is to inspire change through art.  He has done murals commissioned and not that have become a way of creating a dialog in the city and promoting change in a dark place.  His style is a hyper realistic portraits, the Gandhi Garden and the Wu Wall are two of the most famous projects of his.

After I had a chance to eat lunch and just talk with him. What he said on stage and in his presentation is how he was one on one which is a great feeling. He is a great artist and an inspiration to my work. He was a great speaker and I hope that the college will have hime come back. Myself and a classmate are looking forward to going to see the opening on April 11th for the sage coalition. But today it felt as if we walked away with a new friend he is that kind of person, which in the end is inspiring

Combat Paper

Joe Kerksteter- marine corps 2003-2007

Why your work is relevant right now? The culture you live in the things you are exposed to and how you can spread change

David Keefe- always been an artist- University Delaware
september 11 happened he joined the military on september 22 2001
Patrolled Syra to Iraq
Went right back to school when he got home- got his MFA in painting , 2007 Montclair State University
Started teaching painting and an independent study
His work has to do with fishing... and bombs
Etchings - youth and innocence
Paintings were just images. there was no real substance. Got out of his MFA just trying to be a practicing artist, his experiences were catching up to him.
Got a call from the printmaking center of NJ - help them make this a thing
He cut into a uniform and it changed his life.
Create a new language so that we can begin to understand what the veterans are going through.
Marking art about veteran experience is not something new
Community and collaboration of making this art, the language and what they are going through. How can they go through change to feel like a part of society again
2007 Drew Cameron combat paper project started- Breaking Rank, cutting his uniform off of him
Created such a following to stat this change
2011 The Printmaking center of NJ took in combat paper
Safe space.. Vet to Vet. There is a level of understanding
Deconstruct(uniform.. and experiences start to come out) Reclaim(making the paper, the pulp in to the frame) Communicate


Skateistan 

Over all amazing presentation for an amazing organization helping to change the face of Afghanistan.  Their Schooling programs and arts education is powerful and helps children that other wise would never have the advantage to get a good education also build leadership, art and skating skills.  The percentage of girls in the program is surprising and exciting that this is giving so many girls the chance to receive education and make a life for themselves. Plus it is spreading throughout the country and more facilities are opening.

Steve Mumford

Iraq
Guantanamo
Bp oil spill

2003 on large paintings of the natural world. Updated natural history painting, with a modern object. Thought about the Vietnam war and how we saw it coming to Iraq. Why Iraq? Working in a painting of a Vietnam painting, as this invasion happened. Inspired Winslow Homer who did drawing during the civil war. Too late to get imbedded to go to Iraq. Bought a ticket to Quiate. To then sneak across the boarder. He started taking pictures and felt like a fraud. He went outside and he realized he was stuck, he pulled out his drawing pad and he started drawing. Everything he did seemed wrong but he had no choice. Made 6 trips and every trip started with him feeling out of place.

He started walking around and trying to find American soldiers. Making his connections took him 3 hours till he found them. The directions were never super direct. It was easy for him to get to patrol with the marines. There was a feeling a sense of lawlessness. Iraqis like him drawing, very different then taking photographs. They were striving for normalcy and didn't like the vision of things being messed up.

Sadam city that was where the shite were placed. He didn't have people who would rush him to the scenes and he had a vision of just randomly walking around to find a better representation. The war would come to him and that many thought he wasn't showing all war. He wasn't there to show horrid of war. People were reaching out to him to draw in their tea shops. The kids would race out to see the soldiers. Parents were toll weeny but not supportive. The American soldiers looked forward to that because there was some happiness. Draw from life and had a camera incase he couldn't finish.

Florida national guard in trip two. Isam was their guide and had all these skills for the national guard. He would paint over the portraits of saddam. He introduced him to the Iraqi art scene.

He started to try and get to the front lines and see the war. Most people would act as if nothing was happen. Something was brewing. The suni triangle. You can't take photos but you can draw.

Romani base shared by us infantry unit and a Puerto rican unit.


Field trip to Brooklyn

Over all it was a grate trip and it was interesting to see how each artist dealt with the spaces and accommodating studio mates.  Both buildings had great layouts and the location was nice in terms of access to local areas and businesses in New York.  Nate's studio was the most impressive to me just because of the scale of his work and how he creates his wood cuts. How he works and how he is also consistently getting works for shows and murals was interesting.  Tracy's studio was larger and I haven't seen much work with air brushing so that was exciting, her fabric pieces were beautiful and engaging.  Out of the experience i enjoyed going besides the critique but its all good.