From a recent graduate....

From a recent graduate....
"oh, tell all the kids that part of my job is blogging. apparently, it IS important..."

byAMT

byAMT Check it out.

Bits 'n Pieces Exhibition

Check it out. Be in the know.

Analog + Digital Worlds in Design

Check out coverage of this exhibition....lots of good leads here.
This review is from www.switched.com

SNAG Conference Student Work Exchange

Coping Skills- Right After Thanksgiving

Coping Skills

Walk-In Clinic

STARTS RIGHT AFTER THANKSGIVING BREAK!

Tuesdays: December 1, 8, 15

3:30-5:00 p.m.

Counseling Center (Glen Esk)

The Coping Skills Walk-In Clinic will present concrete tips on a variety of coping topics, and work specifically with the students who arrive each week to identify problems and help improve their coping strategies. Some common coping issues are: Dealing with Stress, Anxiety, Worry, and Panic Attacks; Improving Time Management; Stopping Procrastination; Effective Study; and Planning for Success.

The Coping Skills Walk-in Clinic will continue weekly in Spring 2010—dates/times/location TBA.

To sign up: Contact the Counseling Center at (410) 704-2512.

For more information: Ask for Dr. Greg Reising or Dr. Nancy Hensler.

Student Scholarships!

This year's conference for the Society of North American Goldsmiths [SNAG] is in Houston. The organization works hard to support students. If you are interested in a student scholarship let me know ASAP! Beginning students, don't be shy. Many students have attended the conference in the past- talk to the juniors, seniors and super seniors.....the conferences are great fun. We were a little late in trying to secure these last year....let's get in front of it!

Imagination, America's Edge

Tom Friedman, columnist for the New York Times, talks about the role of imagination in this age of globalization and America's future: America — with its open, free, no-limits, immigrant-friendly society — is still the world’s greatest dream machine.

Books by Friedman:
The Lexus and the Olive Tree
The World is Flat
Flat, Hot and Crowded

A Material: Gold

This image probably looks familiar to some of the advanced students as well as some students in the casting class- ingots or cast bars of metal, in this case gold. Melting metal into a "blank" to begin making other forms of metal from: sheet, wire, grain, solder, etc.

It is interesting to look at the diverse dimensions associated with materials. Where materials come from, how they are obtained and who wants them. Historically, how they are valued, how they have been used over time, and evolving associations.

Many art making materials are extracted from the earth which is good in one way: these materials are not synthetic or chemically made; materials which are closely handled as artists tend to get down and dirty with their materials. Materials extracted from the earth can also have a down side. Extraction industries such as metal mining destroy entire mountain tops in the pursuit of material creating myriad damage and destruction in the process.

The New York Times today looks at gold through the lens of the global issue of economic instability. It is an integral lens with which to examine the things we make, the materials we use, and the things we make out of gold.

Baltimore By Hand blog

To all students: put Baltimore by Hand on your press list! We have a terrific program and our alumni are out there running B-more but little coverage! Yea, yea, shadow of great oaks frabkly I don;t the the oaks are THAT great. Strut your stuff......

Remember! Jaime Salm Lecture Today, October 8th!

I am editing this post, adding new links......Just Click!
http://www.mioculture.com/about.asp
http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20070816/sourcing-it-jaime-salm-creative-director-of-mio-culture-icff-2007

Craft in America Series-PBS-Must Watch

http://www.pbs.org/craftinamerica/

interns wanted for ACC Baltimore show

Short Term Interns Wanted!

The American Craft Council needs interns for one week to assist with the 33rd annual American

Craft Council Wholesale and Retail Show in Baltimore, MD, February 24- March 1, 2009.

Baltimore is the American Craft Council’s largest show featuring more than 700 exhibitors and

25,000 attendees. If you are a student of craft, design, or the arts, don’t miss this fantastic

opportunity to gain first-hand experience setting up and conducting show operations, working with

makers and artists, exhibitors, wholesale and retail audiences.

Background: The American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit educational organization

dedicated to promoting understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft. Through

our 6 juried craft shows across the country, our specialized library, and a roster of programs,

symposia, seminars, and conferences, The Council is the leading voice for crafts in America,

celebrating the remarkable achievements of the many gifted artists working in the media of clay,

fiber, glass, metal, wood and other materials.

Internship: The internship is a one-week internship, totaling approximately 85 hours that will run

from Sunday, February 22- Sunday, March 1, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland. All work will be

performed at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD during the Council Show.

Responsibilities will be related to all facets of the necessary operations of the show.

The ideal candidate will have a background in art, art history, craft or media studies, design or

exhibition related field(s) and an enthusiasm and ability for working in a fast-paced, hands-on

environment.

Interns will work closely with Council Show Staff, playing an integral role with the following:

• Assisting Council show staff with Exhibitor Check In

• Assisting with Council office setup and maintenance

• Interacting with artists, makers, and exhibitors

• Disseminating exhibitor correspondence through out the week as needed

• Assisting show manger and show director with show operations as needed

Stipend: This is a non-paying internship. Interns selected who will be coming from outside the

Baltimore area will receive meal stipends and discounted rates on hotels in the area.

Eligibility: College student (junior year or above) or graduate level and above.

Application: Internship applicants should send or email –

• A brief statement describing your qualifications and interests

• Letter of recommendation from a professor

• A resume detailing prior academic and work experience

There are additional opportunities to apply for similar show internships at upcoming Council

Shows. For additional information, please contact Monica Hampton directly.

Applications and all other inquiries should be sent to

Mhampton@craftcouncil.org or to

Monica Hampton, Director of Education

American Craft Council

72 Spring Street, 6th Floor, NY, NY 10012

Fax: 212.274.0650

Deadline: All applications must be received by January 30, 2009. A decision will be made by

the first week in February.

Look at this! Velvet da Vinci exhibition--"also known as jewelry"

The current exhibition at Velvet da Vinci, titled also known as jewelry, features contemporary French jewelry. The following show description comes from www.velvetdavinci.com

Contemporary jewelry, in France and abroad, is undergoing a spectacular evolution: in recent years, it has both staked out new territories of experimentation, and claimed a pivotal position between art, design and traditional craft. The title of this exhibition underlines the specificity of contemporary jewelry, and the ambiguity inherent to a craft-based, boundary-pushing practice: the work selected is thus both alien to its tradition, and well versed in its history. The selection for this touring show focused on the work of 17 artists - French, or working in France - who together make a convincing case for the vitality of this rather under-exposed part of the European contemporary jewelry community. This project is part of the ongoing program by La Garantie, Association for Jewelry, founded in 2007 in Paimpont (France). The purpose of this association is to promote jewelry outside its primary audience of makers, collectors, and gallery owners. The aim is to increase its visibility, and encourage confrontations with amateurs and specialists alike, through various approaches: historical conceptualization, the confrontation of current practices, the promotion and critical analysis of contemporary trends. The diverse backgrounds of the association's founding members - two makers, two PhDs, one curator - reflects our ambition to establish a self-sufficient cultural `task force´ able to collaborate with both institutional and private partners.

NYC Trip

The NYC trip was a good time! First we went to the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, which was exhibiting a show called Design for a Living World. This show featured ten leading designers commissioned to develop new uses for sustainably grown and harvested materials in order to tell a unique story about the life-cycle of materials and the power of conservation and design. The featured designers and places include Yves Behar/Costa Rica; Stephen Burks/Austrailia; Hella Jongerius/Mexico; Maya Lin/Maine; Christien Meindertsma/Idaho; Isaac Mizrahi/Alaska; Abbott Miller/Bolivia; Ted Muehling/Micronesia; Kate Spade/Bolivia; and Ezri Tarazi/China.
The show featured drawings, prototypes, and video explaining the designers' experiences with the location and material they utilized as well as finished work.

http://cooperhewitt.org/EXHIBITIONS/Design-for-a-Living-World/?utm_source=Link&utm_medium=Web%2Bsite&utm_campaign=Global%2BBottom%2BLinks

www.nature.org


We also went to Pioneers of Change, a festival of Dutch design, fashion and architecture on Governor's Island. Pioneers of Change encourages a more responsible and sustainable approach to living. The event celebrates the blurring of low- and high-brow, establishing new collaborations, encouraging involvement and valuing handcraft and the local context. (www.pioneersofchange.com) Spread out over eleven officers' house on the island, the event featured different designers and design missions and collaborations relating to various socially responsible solutions for existing environmental and social problems.


http://www.ny400.org/events/ny400-week-pioneers-of-change

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/09/pioneers-of-change-dutch-design.php

http://www.core77.com/blog/events/pioneers_of_change_a_dutch_design_festival_on_governors_island_new_york_14350.asp

Check out this link

http://www.langorigami.com/art/artmain/artmain.php4
Robert J. Lang creates small and large scale objects using origami. He has exhibited his work nationally, and has created commissioned pieces for print, television, and animation projects. Lang developed several different computer codes to virtually create various objects, and also developed programs to create complex objects out of a single sheet of material.

Enironmental Initiative/ Social Change Scholarships

Students: please see the attached documents for more information. The Department of Art + Design, Art History, Art Education is offering exceptional opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students in the arts with scholarships in two categories: Environmental Initiatives and Social Change.

Scholarship Application Workshop: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 5-6:30 pm CA 2032

A scholarship application workshop will be held on Tuesday, October 6 beginning at 5:00 pm to assist you with the application process. Attendance is not mandatory. This informal session is designed to review your materials, discuss your abstract/project statement, and answer any general questions.

Application Deadline: Friday, October 23, 2009 by 4:00 pm.

Submit one copy of all application materials to Ms. Ginger Ross, Administrative Assistant for the Department of Art + Design, Art History, Art Education. Office: Center for the Arts, Room 3103F. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Notification of Awards will be announced in early November, 2009

Forms will be available on the boards in 2015/2006 or ask Jenn.

Do This! Student Design Competition!

ID Magazine has a Student Design Competition (link!) Submit YOUR work!! You might be required to! Deadline is December 1.

Welcome!

Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year!

We have a great team of faculty, graduate students, and students this year!

Faculty This Year
Heidi Lowe, Innovative Jewelry Studio, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, has a great exhibition up right now: Swedish Jewelry and new show going up next week. Visit!

Megan Auman, Megan Auman Designs, Megan will be exhibiting at the NY Gift Fair this week. Check out her website and blog for great new designs- housewares, objects, jewelry.

Janet Huddie, independent studio artist, was sporting a beautiful new rapid prototyped bracelet this week. You might be able to find a portfolio at the Metals Guild of Maryland site.

Kim Voigt, teaching ART 217 Intro to Computer Media [M,9-12:50] and ART 361 Rhino I, gave a great presentation last week with Courtney Starrett, CADlaborating in Virtual Realms, at the SIGGRAPH conference on a collaborative project that her students at Towson did with a group of peers at Winthrop University in South Carolina highlighting the Towson University Innovation Lab in Second Life.

We have a lot of exciting new ideas and plans in place for you!
Collaboration with each other is a big point of emphasis. We are going to use this blog as our home base for the Interdisciplinary Object Design/Metals + Jewelry program on the web with lots of authors. If you are not an author and would like to be let me know.

Some Dates
Thursday September 10th is our kickoff party: Middle School Dance. CA 2006, 7pm. Featured speakers: Taylor Gilbert just back from a semester in Scotland at the Glasgow School of Art will talk about that experience and studying abroad, Megan Pase just got a job in the field which she is loving, Johanna Haydon [2009] is working at an internship at the Innovative Jewelry Studio. Anyone wanting to share their summer experiences at Peter's Valley or other job/related experience, let me know. All are welcome. {Actually, the party is required :)}

Saturday, September 26, is our annual trip to NYC! The Cooper Hewitt is on first destination to see Design For A Living World. Prepare to be blown away :). Then, hopefully on to SOHO- Droog opened a store there earlier this year. Wahoo! [Get Googlin']

Thursday, October 8th, Jaime Salm from Mio Culture in Philadelphia is our featured guest speaker. CA2032, 6:30pm. Google now! This is a huge coup. P.S. Bring Birthday cup cakes!

And we have a great powder coating system in place!
And we have a new laser cutter!

Classes
Lots of intro classes, non-art major classes
ART 370.050, Design and Social Entrepreneurship, a.k.a Design Like You Give A Damn
ART 319, Casting: metal, concrete, biopolymers.....What can be cast?
ART 418 Metals + Jewelry II- surfaces, hollow fab
ART 414- Advanced Studio- we'll be doing all kinds of fun and custom designed, leading edge things.
Honor's Project

We've got it all! And we are happy to be here. And we are happy you are here!
Welcome.

summer studio monitors

If you are interested in being a summer studio monitor, please email megan ASAP at meauman@yahoo.com.

thanks!

Help Needed!

Anyone who's interested or planning on going to the SNAG conference- here's your chance to get involved!!
Volunteers are needed for help with the Student Show- this is a great opportunity to meet folks and get involved in SNAG.
Here are the times needed:

Setup May 19th from 9AM to 7PM

Setup May 20th from 8AM to 1PM

Gallery sitter, May 20th, 1pm to 5pm

Gallery sitter, May 21st, 8am to 5 pm

Gallery sitter, May 23rd, 8am to 12pm

De-install, May 23rd, 1pm-5pm

Reply here or contact Erin Williams at snag2009@gmail.com.
Help the Revolution!!

MIO at Towson, October 8th

A GIANT Hooray! Mio is coming to Towson University on Thursday, October 8th for a lecture! There are so many great things happening in Interdisciplinary Object Design at Towson University for us right now.....this is great, great news!
More to come but mark your calendars NOW!
[And its my birthday so bring cupcakes!]

Senior Show Opens!

This year's Senior Show opened last night! Please make time to stop by the Center for the Arts before May 16th to see the show. There are 14 metals + Jewelry and Interdisciplinary Object Design students graduating this year! The work looks great!

Muhammad Yunus-April 20th

Muhammad Yunus, author of Banker to the Poor and Creating A World Without Poverty will be speaking at the Meyerhoff on April 20th. This is a great opportunity to hear a world leader speak about social change. Tickets are $10. Come!

Red Bull Exhibition Opp- Check It Out

Check out this opportunity:
www.redbullartofcan.com/#config/home.xml

be a better graphic designer

From Seth Godin's blog (which you should all be reading):


Why aren't you (really) good at graphic design?
by Seth Godin

Ten years ago, you had a wide range of excuses for being a lousy visuals person. Starting with no talent, leading to no skill and going from there.

But now, in a world where you it is expected that professionals will be able to make beautiful powerpoint slides, handsome business cards, clever bio photos and a decent website, it's as important as driving. And easier to learn and do, and requiring less talent.

No, you and I will never be gifted designers or breakthrough designers. But there's really no reason not to be really good.

I put together a page with some blogs, books and sites you can check out. An hour a day for a month and you won't have to hide your face in shame. Sure, hire the very best in the world when you need a breakthrough. But you don't have to pay for better-than-mediocre design. You can do it yourself.

Schmuck

I posted a set of the pictures I took at Schmuck, the jewelry exhibit in Munich, on my blog yesterday. Go here to see them.

Taylor Gilbert

StuFF call for enty

Exhibition:
STUFF: JEWELRY FOR THE PEOPLE
To the Artist
Stuff: Jewelry for the People, is a group exhibition highlighting contemporary,
conceptual, and art jewelry. It is being organized by *Studio 4903, Anya Pinchuk and
Jimin Park. This exhibition will be held at Sub Octo Gallery in Philadelphia, to coincide
with the Society of North American Goldsmiths’ annual conference May 20 – 24, 2009.
SNAG’s theme this year is Revolution: a revolution is occurring in the Maryland, DC,
and Virginia area in our field, and Stuff’s goal is to showcase the artists driving this
movement.
Eligibility
Artists from Maryland, DC and Virginia may submit a maximum of 4 works completed
within the last 2 years. A maximum of 2 images per piece may be submitted. The juror
will be looking for new approaches, innovative use of materials, and unusual concepts.
Juror
Ellen Reiben is the owner of Jewelers’ Werk Galerie in Washington, DC. Jewelers’
Werk focuses on innovative contemporary jewelry by international artists.
Exhibition Calendar
• April 3 – Deadline for submissions. All applications postmarked by this date.
• April 17 – Letters of acceptance/non-acceptance will be mailed on this date.
• May 10 – Accepted works must be delivered by 5pm to receiving address at
Studio 4903, including hand delivered and shipped works. Late entries will
not be accepted.
• May 20 – 23 – Duration of Exhibition
• June 5 – Work will be returned
Image Submission Details
All works must be submitted in digital format. Digital image file titles should read: Last
name_first initial_Title of Work_entry#.jpg (Smith_J_Revolution_2.jpg) Please label
detail image with “a” after entry number (Smith_J_Revolution_2a.jpg)
All digital images must be JPG files with 300 dpi and a width and/or height maximum of
6 inches/1800 pixels. CDs will not be returned.
Liability and Sales:
Artists are responsible for insuring their artwork from the date of shipment until the date
of return.If accepted work is for sale, 70% of the retail price will be paid to the artist
following the sale.
Checklist
____ Entry form
____ Artist’s statement
____ CD of up to 4 entries
____ Resume
____ Non-refundable check or money order for $30 made payable to: Studio 4903
____ Your name on ALL materials
____ Self addressed stamped envelope for the jury notification
PLEASE SEND ALL MATERIALS TO:
Studio 4903
Stuff
4903 Wisconsin Ave., 2nd Fl.
Washington, DC 20016
*Studio 4903 is a working artist studio space located in Washington, DC, with a focus on
contemporary jewelry. Anya and Jimin are internationally recognized jewelry artists and
teachers in the jewelry program of the Corcoran School of Art and Design
Please direct all questions to Anya Pinchuk at anyapinchuk@gmail.com

Fractured Atlas

Check out Fractured Atlas- support for artists.
Looks pretty cool.

Spring Break Monitor Hours

These are the spring break monitor hours. If you intend to monitor and haven't committed to a time slot yet, please post it here when you know when you can do it.

2015-
Tues 3/17- Danielle 10-12
Jo-12-2

Wed 3/18- Amy 10-12
Sherri 12-2

Thurs 3/19-Danielle 12-3

Sun 3/22 - Megan 12-4

2006-
Tues 3/17- Lizzy 12-4

Wed 3/18- Lizzy 12-4

Thurs 3/19 Sherri 4-6

NOTE FROM BUILDING COORDINATOR AND THE CHAIR: STUDIOS WILL BE LOCKED OUTSIDE OF THESE MONITORED TIMES. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS MUST BE MONITORED IF WORKING IN THE LABS OR WITH MACHINERY.

Art for the Earth exhbition- Call For Entries

Call for Entry:

Art for the Earth: An Exhibition of Art Created by Towson University Students

Sponsored by the Art History Club, Department of Art + Design, Art History and Art Education, COFAC

Entries must be works that are made of recycled materials, or that otherwise display the value of reusing and recycling in order to create a more sustainable world.
Drop off works in the Potomac Lounge, in the Union, Thursday April 9th, from 3pm-6:00pm.
Space is limited and is given on a first come, first serve basis.
Cash Prizes. Prizes voted on by the Towson University Community from 6pm till 8:00pm. Prizes announced at 8:30 pm.
First place work will be displayed on the 3rd floor of Cook library for a week.
No Entry Fee. Open to all Towson University Students.
Works must be removed following the reception; work that is not picked up by 9:30 pm will be discarded.

Reception and Exhibition, Friday, April 9th, 2009
6:30pm—9 pm
Potomac Lounge, the Union
Live Music by Baltimore experimental musician Shelly Blake-Plock [shellyblake.com] and others.
Free and Open to the Public.
For further information contact the Art History Club AHCtowson@gmail.com or Allie Tscheulin atsche1@student.towson.edu.

Peter's Valley Scholarships

Peter's Valley Craft Center in Layton, New Jersey, has offered us three scholarships [50% off tuition] for summer workshops in Fine metals and four scholarships [50% off tuition] for summer workshops in Blacksmithing. Check out their course offerings. Monday, March 23rd is your deadline to have materials to me. If you are interested let me know.

Take advantage of this generous opportunity!

Spring Break- Studio Access

Spring Break is March 16-23. The university and building will be open on our regular schedule. The monitor schedule will change depending on monitors but look here for a Spring Break Monitor Schedule.

Tips about Loaning out Jewelry

I read a post today on Margaux Lange's blog about a necklace that was stolen from her. It has a lot of good information on it about things to look for and consider when loaning out your jewelry and also talks some about borrower's contracts. There's also good tips in the comment section. I found it really helpful to read, especially after the contract talk we had the other day in Senior Project.

Your Images, Our Website!

If you would like you images considered for inclusion on the Department website please burn a disk for me. The sooner the better. Don't wait until the end of the semester. Past students have sold work to major collectors off of the TU Departmental website. Do it this week!

American Craft Council Field Trip

Our annual excursion to the American Craft Council trade show at the Baltimore Convention Center is Thursday, February 26th! The ACC show is one of the oldest and most established craft shows in the country. We are fortunate that so many artists from around the country come to our backyard to show and sell their work. Thursday, February 26 is open to the trade only. So, getting you access to this private day is just one of the many benefits I provide to you as the Program Director! Please take advantage. If you have not let me know that you are planning to attend [required of all majors] please do so. I have complimentary passes for all of you so it will cost you nothing. Hooray! We will meet at the Light Street entrance of the Convention Center at 9:30am. Please be prompt. I will meet students at the Center for the Arts at 8:30am for a 9am departure. If you need a ride let me know so I know who to look for and gather before leaving. Maybe we will take the light rail to avoid gas an parking fees. We can talk about that.

One of my former students and ACC exhibitor, Ben Neubauer, has offered to go out for a bite to eat and conversation after the show at 3pm. If you are interested in joining us, please let me know. It is an excellent opportunity to have direct access to a successful artist and ACC exhibitor.

Please dress nicely. Please conduct yourselves in a professional manner while at the show. keep in mind that the exhibitors have paid alot of money to have their work at this prominent show and they are there to get orders andf make sales----do not crowd their booths with 5 of you. Please do not take their , promotional materials unless you ask- it costs them money and everyone is experiencing an economic downturn right now.

If you have questions, please let me know. It will be a fun and very educational day for all of you!
Get excited.

American Jewelry Forum-Emerging Artist Award

Please know about the American Jewelry Forum. They offer an Emerging Artist award each year. Please see their website.

Body/Image Exhibition Opp

The deadline for the Body/Image: Artists React to the Cultural Obsession with the Physical Form is this Friday, February 6th. Works should be delivered to Room 3003, CFA (The Dreier Design Studio). There are some interesting prizes from the varied sponsors. The last exhibition we did with the Counseling Center was a great success, we’d like this one to be even better. Amanda Burnham and Leigh Maddox can answer any questions.

call for entry

Spark Awards call for entry is open- check it out- they're looking for "multi-discipline aspirational design" in other words, neat new stuff.
thanks to Design Addict blog for the heads up!
here's their post: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2009/2/2/Spark-Design-Awards

and the main Spark Awards site: http://www.sparkawards.com/

American Craft Council Show-Baltimore Convention Center

We are taking a field trip to this year's ACC show on Thursday, April 26th. Check out the link...scroll down and look around. The American Craft Council also publishes this magazine [image above] which most of you probably know about. If you are a subscriber you can get in the show free. We are going on the last wholesale day and I would encourage you to also attend on one of the retails days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday of that same week. There are new exhibitors during retail days and wholesale exhibitors are not there during retail days.

Handmade Nation

I've already ordered Handmade Nation [www.amazon.com/Handmade-Nation-Rise-Craft-Design/dp/1568987870] for our collection in Cook Library but you might want to check this out on a shelf somewhere. I think all of you would really enjoy and find this book encouraging and informative. My favorite profile is from a woman was a graduate student at Stanford studying sweatshop labor, consumerism and the industrialized process of how objects are made when she decided to make her own clothing which led to a career change. And coming soon a documentary [indiecraftdocumentary.blogspot.com/] on the indie craft movement.

Be in the know.

Great Employment Opportunity!

The following is from a dear colleague of mine.....let ME know if you are interested.

Would you have a student that might be interested in summer employment in the woods of Maine? Minimally they would need to be able to teach basic jewelry skills (sawing/filing/piercing/soldering) but I'd love to have someone who can teach beginning enameling as well. Salary range depends on experience but is in the $1800. - $2300. range for about 9 weeks. Counselors live in bunks with campers and get room and board and a travel allowance to/from camp. We also send the girls out on many canoeing and hiking trips accompanied by our activity counselors so there's the possibility of getting out of camp for a change of pace.

They can also check out our website at www.campwalden.com<http://www.campwalden.com>.

The Flower of Oblivion

This might be of interest to some of you, it is to me. The Tunisian film The Flower of Oblivion is being shown at Goucher College on Thursday, February 5th at 7pm. It is free. For more info click here. Salut!

Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey designer of the Obama campaign materials.
An article from London's The Telegraph.

Elizabeth Alexander, inaugural poet

Inaugural Poem

Praise song for the day.

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."

We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."

Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.

Obama's Inagural Speech

Obama's Inaugural speech, video footage, slide show, et al.

Follow Taylor!

Follow Taylor while he is in Scotland....

Good Idea! The Long Tail

For those of you with commutes, some long, to school, I share my latest re-discovery which has turned into a small obsession...books on CD! In true fashion I am currently listening to 4 or 5. On the way to the gym today I started The Long Tail by Chris Anderson, editor of Wired. This is a link to the original article he wrote for Wired. I recommend it to all object makers but especially those who just completed the Designing For Production course. Drawback to books on CD: you aren't hands free to make notes.

Thea Tolsma

Know about Charon Kransen Arts [pronounced sha-rone]. Charon represents some of the best art jewelery on the market today. Be in the know. Check out Thea Tolsma's work at Charon's site.

Objectified, coming soon

I love FB and digital technology. There. I said it. And I am not ashamed or embarrassed. Last night while sending the last few emails [2am] my friend Doug was also online [he's hosting a huge conference in May which explains why he was up working at 2am] so we started IM-ing...and he gave me the heads up on a new documentary film coming out in March 2009 on objects and object making, Objectfied. Check it out. Thank you FB, I heart you.

Ana Cardim

Poaching Amy's research, here is an interesting art jeweler: Ana Cardim.

Design Loves a Depression

This past Sunday the Ideas & Trends was titled, Design Loves a Depression. As I read, I wondered are my students reading this? When the author mentions Rem, Zaha and Philippe, do they know who the author is referencing? When the author sites Julie Laskey and Reed Kroloff, do they know who these experts are? What about design pillars Charles and Ray Eames? In recent years I liken being a design educator to an athlete on a bosu ball, which way do I need to move now in order to stay upright in the field. I have brought them Cradle-toCradle ideas and open source design. I try to instill in my students the need to read reputable news media like The Times in order to keep their fingers on the pulse of the world in order to make what they design and make relevant. History is a great teacher. We need to know what has come before in order to be relevant and make relevant decisions. Let's hope our elected leaders believe this as well. Read On!

The Business of Craft @ Creative Alliance

TU alumni and successful small business owner, Juliet Ames, is organizing a Business of Craft workshop at the Creative Alliance on January 25th. It looks great. I encourage all of you to attend....you can't get this information too soon. Go!

Hooray Towson Metals + Jewelry Alumni!

Today I received hand delivered bottle of wine today. Well, that is enough to make it a good day. What made this bottle special is that the label features the work of Leyla Tas, an MFA alumni from the Metals + Jewelry program at Towson University. Leyla came to Towson as a study abroad student. Leyla and I hit it off immediately and she took to metals like ferric nitrate to silver. She returned to Tasmania [look it up!] finishing her undergraduate degree, sold her house, and moved stateside to earn her MFA degree. Leyla's MFA exhibition [solo] was the first in the new MFA gallery in the Center for the Arts and filled the gallery. She entered her MFA thesis workin the City of Hobart Art Prize, Hobart, Australia which was funded by the Moorilla winery. Violá!

Study Abroad.
Enter your work in shows!
Be successful.

Call to Entry- Book

Especially for all the upcycled projects from Social Design- check out this call to entry for creative reuse projects!
The Info

Having your work published is great! (Also great for the resume- it shows you're actively involved in the field.)

ganked from Make's blog

Want A Feel Good?

Check out what I believe is the first episode of The Entrepreneurs on cnbc hosted by Donny Deutsch. So inspiring!