Design program wins by putting fine arts first |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Apr 16 2008 at 2:50 PM |
Photo by Ann Bierbower
Professor Richard Schuessler assists and critques graphic design student Manami Nakai in his typography class. In this class students, study the art and use of letterforms.
Ann Bierbower
Guest Writer
The design program at UNK stands out against a background of larger universities in larger cities.
The Visual Communication and Design Program, or VCD, prepares students for a career in the development of graphic arts and officially began in 1996.
Richard Schuessler, a design professor who has taught at UNK for 15 years, explained that the current program is an updated and revamped version of the prior prgram.
The program has grown in size and prestige. "It holds its own," said Cassi Ellenwood, a senior in the program.
Ellenwood originally had trouble deciding between the American Art Institute at Denver or her hometown of Kearney when choosing a college.
"I came here because I knew I would be attending Denver for all the wrong reasons," Ellenwood said.
"I wanted the bigger city and to not be in my hometown, but there were too many good things about UNK."
Mark Hartman, chair of the art department since 1997, attributes the program's success to the department as a whole. "Our design students are fine art students first," Hartman said.
At larger or specialized schools the students are set free initially and start designing right away.
"What do they even need teachers for?" Hartman asked.
Hartman emphasized the importance of building a strong and diverse foundation first. "All of our decisions are based out of what we see as the needs of the students, in order to unlock their abilities," Hartman said.
"The program is like a fine art foundation with a design emphasis," Schuessler said. "The students take classes like printmaking, drawing and painting, which are essential to the program. It is a big umbrella with design as the shaft."
Students are even able to gain experience in mediums such as glass blowing. Claire Richmond, a junior in the program, said that she had tried the more typical classes such as sculpture and painting but found she enjoyed glass blowing much more.
The students work with molten glass and ovens that range from 900 to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The design students get a chance to compare their work to others and receive outside feedback by attending events such as the American Institute of Graphic Arts Conference, or AIGA, which is a national competition and networking resource that was in Denver last year.
The department took home 23 awards. No other single school won more than 11.
The department also participates in other networking conferences such as "Meet the Pros," which is available to all students in areas linked to journalism, advertising and design. The conference takes place annually in Omaha, and the Kearney chapter of AIGA helped fund 20 students to attend this year.
The program recently underwent a large turnover of faculty, some of whom had been there for over 30 years and were part of the initial program. Between 2000 and 2006, seven core faculty members left the department for various reasons, mostly retirement.
"The program is a little different in format now, it's a matter of getting to know your staff and reassessing due to what everyone brings, but our mission is still the same," Schuessler said.
Ellenwood, who was a student through the turnover said, "There was a rocky year, where it was all transition, but I think the program came out even stronger. Even through all the changes, I'm glad I came here."
Ellenwood began the program, which often takes five years to complete, with 36 students. Next December, she will graduate in a class of nine.
"The program is so labor intensive, you find out pretty quickly whether you can handle it or not," Ellenwood said.
The art program includes a diverse group of professors, one a nationally renowned printmaker and illustrator from Russia, Victoria Goro-Rapaport. Like her fellow professors, she is often found in the art building late at night and early in the morning working on her personal pieces and being a resource to her students.
"She is intense," Yves Gadjoro, a sophomore in the program said. "Her work is amazing."
The students say they have the benefit of close relationships with their professors since both student and professor are spending such long hours in the building.
"They have a clear passion for the students to succeed," Ellenwood said.
The program's mission statement revolves around successful problem solving through artistic expression.
"Each person has their own talents and solves problems in their own way and we teach them how to find it," Schuessler said.
The Walker Art Gallery, which displays student work from all areas of the art department is open Mon. through Fri. 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. It is currently displaying the senior projects of five VCD students. The projects are often the students' best works and demonstrate a culmination of their aquired skills.
