[pie]roManiacs Party

[pie]roManiacs Party!
Thursday, September 25th, 7:30pm
Center for the Arts, 2006

pies!
fruit pies
moon pies
sweetie pies
pizza pie
whoopie pies! My favorite.
boston cream pie
pot pie
Bring a Pie!

Suzi and Sherri will talk about their internship experiences with the Giardini Studio. Taylor will talk about his internship experience at Hasboro. Lizzy will talk about San Francisco and her visit to Velvet daVinci gallery. People who took workshops at Peter's Valley will talk about their Adventures in Metal. Current students want the grads and alumni to bring work. Everyone: bring work you made or get a pie in the face! We will also bring books we read/ordered and want to read to share.
It's your party..
Open to all, required for students enrolled in Metals + Jewelry courses.
Come!

Anthony Tammaro

Anthony Tammaro, our current CAD instructor, got his BFA from the University of the Arts, and his MFA from Temple University, both in Philadelphia. The inspiration in terms of form behind Tammaro's recently completed thesis work comes from "jellyfish and cephalopod like creatures". All of the work is RP'd and Tammaro uses the process in combination with material choice to further reference his inspiration. This body of work was photographed within the context of "an unusual fantasy environment", the work, while dynamic on its own, is given a richer story by being placed in these evocative settings.
It's very cool.
www.anthonytammaro.com
www.clutchworks.blogspot.com

Another Reason to Join ACMETL Listserv- Job Opps!

Another good reason to join and participate in the ACMETL Listerv. See previous post for a link to the join page.

TU's Copyright Resources Page

http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/ots/ciat/copyrightresources.asp

Marcel Wanders + FastCompany

For those of you sometimes unsure about the things I am asking you to look at and read.....Marcel Wanders is gracing the cover of this year's Masters of Design issue of FastCompany. Check it out. I hope those of you who did research on him last year feel ahead of the curve, like, "yea, I know who that is, and some of what he does, and some of how he thinks." Those of you who have taken my classes know I love Fast Company magazine [and recommend Fast Company's greatest Hits- its a feel good esp. Bill Strickland's essay]. It is a magazine that is about today's world from many angles. Design is covered in almost every issue if not every issue. Whether you like Marcel Wanders or not [we rarely like everything about other people] he is worth understanding. PLEASE, check it out.

NYC Logistics-Saturday, September 27, 2008

Hello Folks,
Our NYC Trip is this Saturday, September 27th!
Hooray! We are going to see all kinds of great stuff and have a great time together.

See Project Object, http://objectdesign.blogspot.com/, blog post on Friday, September 19th for what to see on our trip.

I created a Google Map for our NYC trips: JGrrrrl’s Guide to NYC .
There is more to do than we can in one day so we will have top pick and choose.

Please read the following post in its entirety.

Logistics
Please confirm, at your earliest convenience, your participation in this required event via one of my email accounts. I prefer you to use: jangrrrrl@gmail.com.

On Tuesday, September 23rd, bring a check made out to Superior Tours. Don’t fill in the amount yet. I am negotiating a price with Superior Tours- the more people that go, the better the rate.

To Charter A Bus?
In talking with the folks at Superior Tours, if we have between 41-44 people we can charter a bus with each ticket coming out to around $50. The more people that go- max is 54- the lower the fares. [If we got 54 people the fare would be $40.] According to my count we have about 22 people going. Some of you have asked about bringing friends…if we open this trip up I think we could charter the bus but it would be dependent on us to then fill it or cover the cost. So, by Tuesday at the latest, let me know if you will bring someone(s) with you. I have notified the grads so if other grad students want to come, they can grab seats also. First Come First Serve.

The downside to bringing friends is that your attention will be diverted from what I am directing your attention to, what your peers are thinking, and conversations between you and your colleagues in the program. Be aware of this and attempt to not let this slip away. Integrate your friends into the day and conversations rather than just hang out with them. A good example, is Katy’s mom. Katy’s mom loves to come on our field trips but she does so b/c she wants to learn and interact around the things that we are seeing.

If we can get 41 people minimum to commit, we can also choose our p/u time and location as well as our drop off location in NYC.

Some Details + Ideas
The quoted fare is round trip, up and back the same day. The buses that Superior has are new with more legroom. We would take the same bus up and back so you can leave things on the bus; it is secure. You can bring breakfast and dinner with you, if you would like, leave books on the bus, etc.

Bring lunch with you to save $$ and time. Powerbars are always a good idea.

This email is also posted on Project Object if you have additions to make or general comments. I know Megan had a bunch of good suggestions. April Lewis has been to NYC several times already this semester---what have you been seeing?

Please do not RSVP to me via the Comments Feature on the blog.

Looking forward to hearing from you and spending the day in NYC with you on Saturday!
Jan

NYC or Bust! Saturday, September 27, 2008

Hooray! It is time for our annual pilgrimage to NYC.
NYC Trip, Saturday, September 27th
My Google Map of NYC for our field trips: JGrrrrl’s Guide to NYC
Bring your student ID, power bars, and comfortable [but stylish] shoes.

Here are some highlights to think about.
I am suggesting these places in order of priority.

MAD, Museum of Art and Design, mid-town
www.madmuseum.org/
We have to go here.
It is the grand opening of their new location at 2 Columbus Circle and admission is free. This is the former American Craft Museum which was across from MOMA.

MOMA, mid-town
www.moma.org/
Home Delivery: Fabricating The Modern Dwelling
This looks like a great show and has gotten a ton of good press.

Please check out this page:
www.moma.org/collection/depts/arch_design/index.html

Pipe, Glass, Bottle of Rum: The Art of Appropriation
I want everyone to see this.

Projects 88:Lucy Mckenzie
Focus: Josph Beuys
Wunderkammer: A Century of Curiosities

Aaron Faber Gallery, across from MOMA
www.aaronfaber.com/products/studiojewelry.html

Moss, SoHo
www.mossonline.com/gallery-exec/display/home
I love Moss so we’re going! Seriously there are a lot of great places in SOHO. Seriously. I won’t disappoint you. Check out Kiosk, one of my favs: kioskkiosk.com/

Nolita, east of SoHo proper
This is the neighborhood Ann Fortune from Bluehouse mentioned to the Design and Production class during her crit. It would be easy to hit.

The Guggenheim, upper east side
www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/exhibition_pages/bourgeois/index.html
The Louise Bourgeois show is closing September 28th. If anyone loves Louise B and wants to go…..GO! It will be worth it. Her work is amazing and she is an art icon. See the website for a video.


Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, upper west side
www.cooperhewitt.org/
I love the CH but the shows that are of interest to me will up the next time I am in NYC. If anyone wants to go here, I am happy to go, it is a great museum and the Curators Select will nit disappoint. They have a great shop with both innovative objects as well as Amazing books.


One day is not nearly enough. I strongly encourage you to go on the NYC weekend trip that Jim Paulsen coordinates. This year it is November 7-9. You live once, there are no dress rehearsals. Make the most of your education and time on this planet. Go to New York.

NeoCon East

As we look at object design today and the hybrid designer, there are many venues that object designers can place their work in. NeoCon is a trade show organized by Merchandise Mart which started in Chicago years ago. October 29 + 30 NeoCon East will be at the Baltimore Convention Center. I am planning to go on Wednesday. Take a look and see if you are interested in learning about potential wider venues for your work or potential employment opportunities for the creative skills set. New projects like the welded steel project and lighting project are aimed at diversifying opportunities. There will also be sections and seminars of sustainable design.

The Design and Production course went on a field trip to Bluehouse, a progressive retailer focusing on sustainable design, for the first class. There we met Ann Fortune who is a primary buyer for Bluehouse. This means she visits trade shows of all kinds in addition to other buying opportunities. Ann has a primary role in Bluehouse. Making connections like this are important to your career. Ann got her MFA in Sculpture from MICA. Be aware of your own interests. Ask questions and be inquisitive how people get the jobs they get and what background they come from. What Is Product Design? by Laura Slack, is an excellent example of the objects in the marketplace today and the Profiles section does a nice job of outlining the different designers educational backgrounds in addition to what they are currently involved in. Inquiring Minds Want to Know.

Learn More About The Design Worlds.

Tyvek Lighting-That's Innovative!

Heath Nash, a South African designer, designed this series of lighting made of Tyvek, an incredibly strong and lightweight material. They fold flat and expand into a honeycomb form. Unicahome distributes them.
http://tinyurl.com/4swo6j

Design Blogs...Lead to Jobs and NYTimes Coverage

Some of you saw the article in the NYTimes this past week on design bloggers. In case you missed click here. I'll use this as an opportunity to [finally] post my design blog list although I didn't take time to update it.

Highlights from NY Times Article
Design Sponge
Apartment Therapy
Cool Hunting
Unbeige

Design Blog List
Design Observer
Speak Up
Personism
Design Boom
Core 77 blog
Bloesem- http://bloesem.blogs.com/
design*sponge- http://designsponge.blogspot.com/
New Jewellery- http://newjewellery.blogspot.com/
Extreme Craft-http://www.extremecraft.com/
Redefining Craft- http://www.redefiningcraft.com/
Craft Research- http://craftresearch.blogspot.com/

Recommended by Others
oh joy!-http://ohjoy.blogs.com/
decor8-http://www.decor8.blogspot.com/
spray glue- http://sprayglue.blogspot.com/
Karin’s Style blog-http://www.karineriksson.se/blog/

Artist’s Blogs
Abigail Percy- http://www.abigailpercy.blogspot.com/
Karen Gelardi- http://www.karengelardi.com/
Juliet Ames (Towson alum) - http://craftherapy.blogspot.com/
Annie Chau (Towson alum) - http://www.imogene.org/blog/?logged_in=0&has_items=0
Diana Fayt-http://oneblackbird.blogspot.com/index.html
Megan Auman- http://meganauman.blogspot.com/index.html

Follow blog links- the blogs listed on other's sites.

Towson Alum Named "Best Local Jeweler"

Annie Chau, Towson alumni was cited as Best Local Jewelry Designer by Citypaper.
Check it out.

Movable Feast-Thursday, September 18th

Movable Feast- if you didn't know.

NY Times, "Time Talk"- September 15th

First NY "Times Talk" Lunch of the Semester

Monday, September 15th

Join students, faculty and staff as “Don’t Hate, Debate 2008” continues with monthly lunch discussions of current issues relevant to the upcoming Presidential Elections. Each month a guest host leads a discussion of a recent New York Times article.

New York Times Talk Lunch

Monday, September 15,

Just Bring Your Brain!

Topic: Immigration in the United States

Hosts: Dr. Santiago Solis, Center for Student Diversity & Dr. Elizabeth Clifford, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice

Monday, September 15, 2008

12:00 - 1:00 PM, University Union, Room 314 - 315

Watch the Daily Digest for more information on the articles that will be discussed.

All articles can be found at www.nytimes.com

There will also be hard copies of the articles at the lunch.

Don't miss the FREE pizza and give aways!

Open to ALL students, faculty and staff.

Sponsored by The New York Times, the American Democracy Project, and Student Affairs

Questions? Email eruete1@towson.edu

Labels on eSubmissions

Reminder:
When you send me documents of any kind: word, jpeg, etc. please label accordingly:
NameofDoc/Project_first initiallastname+date.file abbreviation

Example:
BlogRemind._JBaum_12Sept.doc

It saves me time.
Thank you.

ACMETL Listserv Assist

This is a link to the ACMETL Listerv. On this page there is an option to Join or Leave The List. The image included in this post is a screen capture from that page. It seems pretty self explanatory. Participation is required for all of my students starting with an intro followed by posting 1x a week and introducing a new topic 1x a month.

Someone post about Arthur Hash's visit! Or your current design problems- what are you thinking about, working on, reading about?

Nothing happens in a vacuum. These are your peers- other members of the field you are training for. Start a conversation.

Surf the archives.
Broaden those horizons.
Enjoy!

Hash Take Aways, Arthur Hash

I really enjoyed the lecture and after party with Arthur Hash last night.
Here are my take aways and some favs.
Everything is fodder for his work. His eye is constantly looking. His work seems simple and I don't mean this in a pejorative way.
He returns to the basics design principles as a way of developing work.
[Why do students resist the very basics of design? And practicing strong design skills? Students cannot usually name the principles and elements of design yet these are the very foundation of their creative profession. Seems silly. Or foolish. Is this different in a design school?]
His work is strong in terms of visual design.
One things leads to another; not fuss, no muss. Well, I suspect there is "muss" Arthur just doesn't interpret the muss as "muss".
He is curious. Calm and curious. "Hey, what if I dripped this left over material on a surface and see what happens?"
Self-judgment and censorship seem to be held at bay.
He has fun and enjoys his work And doesn't take things too seriously.
He is resourceful again not allowing potential obstacles to become obstacles. The necklace made of hot glue was gorgeous. Which materials are available, affordable to make work from. If IU had supplied metal for students, how would Hash's future have been effected?
His visual eye is strong. He can see ideas in things. The Pig's Ear Bracelet.
He seems to just go through his life, having or creating his life. Pick up pig;'s ears for his dog and, "oh, hey, art material." It is his trained eye [and calm mind] that allows for this.
Frequently asks and acts on, "What can this material do?"
Jewelry, installation, sculpture, wallpaper, prints.....Which limits do we self-impose?
How do we set our selves up or limit ourselves?

Bookmark Arthur.
Here's his blog, The Art Escape Plan.

Hot Links and Blogs-IP

I just returned from a great conference [international, first time it was held in the USA] focusing on using new forms of digital technology in art and design curricula. One speaker was an attorney from Duke. I will post more about the conference and am happy to share info over lunch on a T/TH but for now: when you lift an image from the web give attribution using a hot link, at the very least. It is simple: copy the URL from the blog you are on and after using text in your blog post referencing the site/source, select it and hit the link button at the top of the blog post window next to the text color. This will open a new mini window where you cn paste the URL. Violá.

I have mentioned Creative Commons and Copy Left in classes last eyar and posted some info on Project Object last year. Please make a point to go to the Creative Commons website and educate yourself about CC. Copyright is something that we need to talk about more.....but where and when. perhaps our blogs and casual conversations is a good place to start. I used to teach a year-long Professional Practices course and served on the board of directors for an artists and lawyers group so I am pretty familiar with copyright law. With new developments in digital technology, the game has changed quite a bit and will continue to evolve.

Question: What is IP?

As always, educate yourself.

Link Flickr and Blogs

Please put a link on your blog to your Flickr site.

Metals and Jewelry Club!!

Check out the TU Metals and Jewelry Club blog! Find out when we're meeting, what we're doing at meetings, and how to get involved!!
www.metalsclub.blogspot.com

Good Queen Fun

I love what I do if you couldn't tell. Tonight since I was brain dead, I decided to catch up on PR. I am about 3 episodes behind. So, Good Queen Fun it was. I loved how far out of the comfort zone this challenge was. A dressmaker or fashion designer is not necessarily a costume designer. What would the equivalent be for us as object makers or whichever specialization we might have? This was a stretch. It is good to stretch.

Oh, this reminds me of the perennial comment, "jewelry is just small sculpture". No, in fact it isn't. It has a very specific tradition and a unique relationship to the body. There is common ground: variety of materials, three dimensionality.....but there is also a rich history and an intimate relationship with people's psyche and life.

I am particularly fascinated by the introduction of the client/models as women then the fitting as men and then the final product on women. I don't know what kind of wrench that would throw me as a designer but as a viewer I was trying hard to connect the dots. [And one guy wasn't wearing any pants when he left the fitting! Did you see that?]

I noticed that we didn't see the in-progress review of all the designers. "What is Stella up to?" was one thought.

I like Suede's outfit for Hedda Lettuce the best aesthetically. And that was an interesting dynamic between the two of them. Head Case, Hedda Lettuce.

The transformations from men to drag queens is fascinating to me. Transformation. It reminds me of an article a friend gave me years ago, Gay, Straight, We're All Just Acting". It was about how we all play the roles we cast ourselves in.

I loved Terri's product for Acid Betty. So creative and edgy but she made it all work. Gene Simmons and Diana Ross's love child. I think she should have won. I liked Mr. Detroit's product and I think he is a good, self-effacing designer but Terri took the bigger risk and she made it work.

I am so over Keith. He has no goods. He should have gone before Daniel. Daniel....it is true they keep giving him the information but he is unable to hear it. [I wonder what I am not able to hear.] He said, "sequins? I'd throw up." But the challenge was not about HIM. Designers are problem solvers. Unless they are independently wealthy, then they can afford to just design for themselves and their friends.

Kato and Sweetie! This is an excellent example of connecting. The dress without Sweetie is a costume. Kato "got" Sweetie. Together they made this piece sing and the judges heard it. Jewelry is just a piece of jewelry until it connects with the psyche of the wearer and that individual wears that jewelry. Same with objects. When we fall in love with the object and put that object in our environment, the object sings.

I love design.

Meeting + Getting Started in Second Life

Okay! Some of you are in Second Life. I have offered you friendship in SL which will connect us there.

You will automatically start on Orientation Island. You will only be here once. There is a short tutorial here. Help island is usually your next stop. There are tutorials and demos here as well as mentors on duty. If you have already logged on and off then you can go to the public Orientation Island and the public Help Island. Collect and keep the notecards you receive from Help Island.
The Free Dove has lots of free clothing.

A great way to start in SL is at the New Media Consortium's Orientation [108, 122, 39]. The region is NMC but you can type the coordinates in also. My office hours will be held at the Waterside Cafe in NMC and right near the Orientation area. I recommend walking to the Cafe but if you get lost or confused the coordinates are 62.166,28. I included a photo here of me at the Waterside Cafe so you can recognize it when you get there.

As I said in classes, I use SL like I would the real world- investigating the same interests. I have spent time on Better World Island and the Sundance Island [Sundance Channel]

Here are some additional resources/leads:
www.secondlife.com/events
www.wiki.secondlife.com/wiki

Just like life, "It's your virtual world what you do with it up to you".

Suzi's Blog

I am doing some blog checking for tomorrow and couldn't resist profiling Suzi's blog. Check it out.

T.U. Metals and Jewelry Club Meetings!

The first T.U. Metals and Jewelry Club meeting will be held in CA 2006 at 6pm on Tuesday September 9th. Come prepared to meet new people, find out about what we have to offer and what you can do for the club!

We will have regular meetings on the 2nd Tuesday and 4th Wednesday of every month. We will be discussing opportunities provided by the club for sales, community service and free demos on simple techniques that you can incorporate into your work.

Snazzy Metals & Jewelry aprons will be on sale and we will provide yummy pizza!
If you have questions or cannot attend the meetings due to scheduling conflicts please contact Sherri (Treasurer Extraordinare) @ ohsherri76@hotmail.com

Singular Vision Exhibitionhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Ken and Julie Girardini, with whom Suzi and I interned with this summer, will be featured in the Singular Vision show in DC. Their artwork consists of mainly welded steel. Also on display, will be art by Joan Konkel and Sue Klebanoff. Suzi and I will be attending Friday the 5th for the opening at approximately 5pm.

Let me know if you want to tag along. We will likely be taking the metro from Gaithersburg but feel free to meet us there. You can contact me @ ohsherri76@hotmail.com.

Sept. 5-28:
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday
11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday
Noon-5 p.m. Sunday

Zenith Gallery
413 Seventh St. NW
Washington, DC
• Information: 202-783-2963
• Price: Free
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/?node=cityguide/profile&id=1153274&venueid=791851

Inhabitat Design Blog

I'm still looking through this blog, but it seems like it may also be a useful source for green design ideas. This is the mission statement:

GREEN DESIGN IS GOOD DESIGN
GOOD DESIGN IS GREEN DESIGN

Inhabitat.com is a weblog devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future.

With an interest in design innovations that enhance sustainability, efficiency, and interactivity in the home, Inhabitat’s attention is focused on objects and spaces that are eco-friendly, multi-purpose, modular, and/or interactive. We believe that good design balances substance with style. We are frustrated by the fact that a lot of what we see being touted as “good design” in magazines and at stores is all style and no substance. A lot of contemporary design merely imitates the classic Modernist aesthetic without any of the idealistic social agenda that made Modernism such a groundbreaking movement back in the early 20th Century. The flip side to this is that oftentimes real technological innovations - the ones which will eventually change the way we live our lives - are often not packaged into enough of a stylish aesthetic to move beyond niche circles and crossover into mainstream popular taste.

Likewise, we are frustrated at seeing an emerging category called “Green Design” - as if sustainability is somehow seperate from good design in general. We believe that all design should be inherently “Green”. Good design is not about color, style or trends - but instead about thoughtfully considering the user, the experience, the social context and the impact of an object on the surrounding environment. No design can be considered good design unless it at least attempts to address some of these concerns.

We believe in the original modernist ideology that form and function are intertwined in design. Style and substance are not mutually exclusive, and Inhabitat is here to prove it!

www.inhabitat.com

Amend to this post: upon further investigation this is in fact a worthwhile website for research. There are different examples of green design in areas of fashion, interiors, architecture, graphics and a few other areas. Lots of leads on other sustainable design companies and products.

Creative Caffeine

I love the Creative Caffeine exercises that I started last year so we will continue this year although with more variety. The exercises that utilize a camera are obviously about looking. I want to engage your eyes and your gut and get you out there looking [rather than sitting at the end of a keyboard surfing, although we will do plenty of that as well]. Jane Fulton Suri works with my dream employer, IDEO. She and IDEO published a sweet little book [I didn't think to scan the cover, it is a sweet small book about 4'6"] titled, thoughtless acts? Here are some inspiring images. Look around your world and be inspired by your fellow human beings. Enjoy. Have fun. Have a great semester!

Look at these Pumas!

That's it...just look at them.












They are from Alexander McQueen's line for Puma.