Category Archives: Class Projects

Voices of Afghanistan premiere on Friday

THIS FRIDAY

the debut of

“VOICES OF AFGHANISTAN”

A multimedia exhibit composed of Artfully Unforgotten’s film “VOICES OF AFGHANISTAN” together with Afghan inspired artwork created by students from the Illustration program at Parsons The New School for Design. All artwork will be for sale in benefit of the women and children of Afghanistan served by Bpeace and the Mashale Noor School.

DECEMBER 4th, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Best Buy’s Loft at 394 Broadway, 6th Floor

Tickets can be purchased online at www.artfullyunforgotten.com for $20, which includes food/open bar and entry into raffle.

[Image credits= top: Jeanine Gleaves bottom: Darbi Lee]

Seoul Train: Screening and discussion

LINK screening

Seoul Train

A public film screening, art donation event and discussion about the situation of North Korean refugees.

Last year, Parsons Illustration students collaborated with Artfully Unforgotten (http://www.artfullyunforgotten.com) donating their art and raising $5000 for an orphanage in Kigali, Rwanda. This semester, Parsons students collaborate with LINK, an organization supporting North Korean refugees in China, by donating art work which will be auctioned off to supporters of the cause, in Spring 2010.

Today, an estimated 250,000 of North Koreans, having escaped the food crisis in North Korea, live as secret refugees in China. The Chinese government arrests and forcibly repatriates illegal North Korean refugees who face human rights abuses upon their return, including forced labor and execution.

Please join us for the screening of Seoul Train, a documentary about North Korean refugees in China, and a discussion with LINK, on Thursday, October 29th, 2009, 7:30 PM at Kellen Auditorium, 66th 5th Avenue.

For more information, visit www.seoultrain.com or www.linkglobal.org.

[Photo copyright by Incite Productions.]

Plethora of Pinocchio-related items!

Via Les Kanturek, here’s a cornucopia of Pinocchio-related goodies to keep all of our summer readers inspired as they read.

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From “Pinocchio–1001 Uses,”we have a set of cards available to teachers to be used as a measuring exercise for elementary school.

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From the Cooper-Hewitt art/design collection, we have a delightful pop-up version of the Pinocchio book.

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From Pinocchio/The Dark Side,” we have a giant (Pinocchio-inspired?) skeleton at The Palazzo Reale in Milan by artist Gino De Dominicus  titled  “Calamita Cosmica.”

Keep up with Les’s research as the summer progresses–check out his Sophomore concepts blog!

Thanks, Les and keep reading everyone!

Follow-up: Camden Dunning wins the Geneva Sound System design contest

dunning tape
Awhile back we got the official results of the Illustrated Sound contest that Illustration students from Noel Claro’s Beyond the Page class took part in earlier this year:

There were 1395 voters. The most popular design as decided by the voters is:

Tape, by Camden Dunning

The illustration students should be proud of their work – there were many positive comments left and lots of compliments. One of our favorite comments came from an executive at Bowers&Wilkins, a legendary audio manufacturer, who manages a product, the Zeppelin, that is a direct competitor of the GenevaSound Medium:

“You don’t need to enter me in the contest. I already have a Medium and we are competitors. They are all great and I thought the artist would appreciate a vote of confidence.”

Thanks to everyone who helped to make this happen.

As a reminder, here’s the official description of the project:

Design Within Reach pairs sound with color as Parsons illustration students move “beyond the page” to illustrate a one-of-a-kind vinyl skin created for the Geneva Sound System, a modern “hi-fi” with a CD player, FM radio and iPod dock all encased in a piano-lacquered wooden box. Experience the intersection of music, illustration and design, and enter to win the medium Geneva with its unique Gelaskin.

Congratulations to Camden and to all the students who participated. Also, a big thanks to Gordon and Geneva for involving our students and sponsoring the contest!

Summer Reading: Pinocchio as seen through the eyes of Winshluss

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[Editor’s Note: We’re crossposting this entry from (Parsons Alum and Adjunct Faculty) Les Kanturek’s Sophomore Concepts blog. ]

Pinocchio, by well known French comix artist Winshluss was awarded the Fauve d’or (best comic book prize) at the 37th Angoulême International Comics Festival in France this year. Winshluss, is the pen name of Vincent Parannaud who might also be familiar to some as co-director (with Marjane Satrapi) of the animated film Persepolis.

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In Pinocchio, Winshluss has created a wonderfully dark, comic noir interpretation of Carlo Collodi’s classic children’s story. The artwork is primarily done in pen and ink, and watercolor but switches to paint for larger splash panels. He references a terrific range of illustrative styles and history in the story from late 18th century pen and ink, to early French film pioneer Georges Méliès , through early Disney, and underground comix.

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Though Disney’s 1940 animated Pinoccho seems to have become the definitive version here in the U.S., Winshluss’ work is much closer to Collodi than Disney in spirit. Like Collodi’s originally serialized story of the wooden marionette, Winshluss’ updated version was first published serialized as chapters in Ferraille Illustré, a French comics journal. Winshluss’ graphic novel is an adult noir movie that at times is both comedy and tragedy. The narrative begins with a shooting, and then flashes back to Pinocchio’s creation (he is now a robot-like android) and adventures. Collodi’s original story is also darker (Pinocchio is hung, Jiminy Cricket is killed…) than Disney’s version. Both versions portray Pinocchio going from one manipulative situation to another. Winshluss has also injected politics into his story which also played a part in Collodi’s original.

Pinoke Wolves

The Angoulême site described the book as an “Opera”, which it is in its visual lushness and drama. For the most part, the book is wordless, with multiple characters’ points of view all adding to the sum of Pinocchio’s story. Jiminy Cafard (Cafard translates as cockaroach, as well as hypocrite and a feeling of severe depression)–Pinocchio’s companion–provides the most talking in the book.  It seems appropriate and provides comic relief.

Jiminy1

As of now Winshluss’ Pinocchio is only available in French (which won’t stop you from enjoying it even if you’re not a French speaker) and through overseas online merchants . Hopefully it will be distributed in the states in the near future.

Thanks, Les!

Pinocchio available for pick-up!

pinocchio (nyrb ed)

If you are going to be a student in the Illustration Department next year, your very own copy of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi!

We are using a new translation (put out by the New York Review of Books) by Geoffrey Beck which features a foreword by Umberto Eco.  In addition to an earlier post about more classical illustrations of the book by Mussino, we’ll be featuring some more information about the book, the story, and the art of Pinocchio here on the blog, so keep your eyes open for that!

Come by today and get your copy!

Tonight–Illustration Senior Show: Art T/K

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ART T/K

Monday, May 11 5 p.m..-11 p.m.Parsons The New School For Design, Illustration Program
Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center

66 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY

Admission: Free and open to the public

Parsons The New School for Design presents a one-night curated exhibition of work based on the theme of “obsession” from 35 graduates of its BFA illustration program. The show will feature thesis work as well as other pieces exploring this theme.

Wendy Popp and students help kids with figure drawing at SOI

Editor’s Note: This entry is brought to us by Adjunct Faculty Wendy Popp, who participated in a cool project with the NYC Department of Parks and the Society of Illustrators.

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Two weeks each year, the Society of Illustrators, in conjunction with the NYC Department of Parks,  sponsors eight figure drawing classes for gifted 8- to 12-year-olds. Each class, lasting 1½ hours, is led by an Artist member who instructs the students in basic drawing skills from the urban centers of a few boroughs. I was invited to be a guest instructor on Friday, April 17th and I invited my students to participate. Ema ( I Chieh ) Chen and Emily Trenk are the sophomores who volunteered, and they were very generous with their time and creativity and the kids responded to their presence and expertise. I gave the students some information about children’s book illustration, signed a few books. We thought about skateboard deck design and worked with them conceiving ideas and executing their sketches as a  theme for the session. We worked in conte crayon and pastel.

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Thanks for sharing, Wendy!  And thanks to Emma and Emily for volunteering their time and efforts to such a wonderful cause.