Editor’s Note: Please enjoy this selection of photos taken by friend of the department, Lasse Krug. They were taken at the “Ugly is Beautiful” exhibition at the Pictopia Festival in Berlin this past March. Thanks, Lasse!
Category Archives: Illustration Alumni
Quick Hit: Parsons Alumni Cocktail Party
Illustration Chair Steven Guarnaccia and Alum/Adjunct Faculty George Bates seemed to have had a good time at the Parsons Alumni Cocktail Party, which happened on April 18th. You can see more snaps here!
And hey, are you an alumni? Update us on projects, successes, deviations, sketches–ANYTHING! We love to know what’s going in your life. Also, hook up with Parsons Alumni services to get the word on job opportunities, get-togethers, and other news from your classmates.
ADC Young Guns Competition Call for Entries!
Visual arts, media, and design today are in a state of daily evolution, cross-pollinating ideas between their many disciplines. Industry categories that once defined the creative professional–photography, illustration, graphic design, architecture, fashion, advertising, the list goes on–have expanded to include newly synthesized versions of these fields. These days, a spirit of hybridization is on the rise, bucking tradition to fuse any number of creative pathways in search of a new direction. At the forefront of this ongoing revolution, the minds of ambitious young visionaries are at work and in play.
ADC Young Guns exists to identify the vanguard of creative professionals who let loose their imaginations, shattering conventions and breaking boundaries with a dash of brilliance and personal flair. Those of you who’ve set your minds to making a name for yourself, raising new standards from within cubicles, conference rooms, cramped apartments, and studios across the world–this is your chance to put those battle cries in action. If you’re age thirty or under and have two years of the working life under your belt, they’d like you to show them what it’s all about.
On a quest to identify the brightest young professionals across myriad creative disciplines, ADC Young Guns has become more than just a competition–it now comprises a community network of rebels and prodigies, unsung heroes and rising stars. Over the years, our roster has grown to include six classes of exceptional talent, among them Stefan Sagmeister (YG1), Rei Inamoto (YG4), James Victore (YG1), Ryan McGinness (YG2), floto+warner (YG5), Alexander Gelman (YG1), Deanne Cheuk (YG4), Todd St. John (YG1), Scott Stowell (YG3), and Mike Mills (YG1). Old Young Guns serve as the jury and select the fifty new creative wonders that form each new class of ADC Young Guns.
WHO CAN ENTER?
Entrants must be 30 years of age or younger when the entry site opens on March 19, 2009, and must have been working professionally for at least 2 years (both full-time and freelance work qualify). A proof of age will be required in the form of a Passport, State ID or drivers license from all entrants.
If you are a student with two years of the working life under your belt, you are also eligible to enter. Previous ADC Young Guns entrants ARE eligible to enter, but past ADC Young Guns winners are NOT eligible to enter subsequent cycles of the competition.
ADC Young Guns is an international competition open to all who qualify.
SUBMIT:
6-10 pieces of professional and personal work. A maximum of 3 pieces can be personal work. The rest must be professional, published work. Unpublished and client-rejected spec work counts as personal work.
Work entered does not need to have been created in a particular year – entries will be judged as a portfolio of work. Choose wisely. Pick projects that showcase the full range of your skills. Submissions need not conform to any specific media categories. Your submitted portfolio may feature work in one medium or several.
ENTRY DEADLINE: May 13, 2009, 11:59 PM EST.
ENTRY FEE: $135 USD.
Ready to prepare your portfolio? Review the Entry Instructions first.
Questions? Please contact info@adcyoungguns.org or visit their site.
Good luck!
Pat Cummings and the Dillons at Books of Wonder
On May 2nd Pat Cummings be signing books with a virtual CROWD of others at Books of Wonder. The new book has a collection of illustrators, among them Parsons grads Leo & Diane Dillon.
Here’s the info:
12 – 2 pm on Saturday, May 2nd
at Books of Wonder
Autograph session for:
Our Children Can Soar: From Carver to Owens, Fitzgerald to Parks, King to Obama. Thirteen African-American Artists Commemorate History’s Pioneers
Featuring work by:
BRYAN COLLIER, LEO & DIANE DILLON (Parsons Illustration Alums), PAT CUMMINGS (Parsons Illustration Adjunct Faculty), ERIC VELASQUEZ, E. B. LEWIS, SHADRA STRICKLAND, JAMES RANSOME, COZBI CABRERA and GREG CHRISTIE
Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 989-3270
Carousel coming up on April 30th
Dixon Place presents…
CAROUSEL
Cartoon slide shows & other projected pictures presented by a glittering array of artists, performers, graphic novelists, & other characters.
Hosted by R. Sikoryak (Parsons Illustration Alum and Adjunct Faculty!).
Featuring:
Brian Dewan
Dean Haspiel
Tim Kreider
Josh Neufeld
Jim Torok
Kriota Willberg
R.S.
and more!
Thursday, Apr 30, 2009
8:00 PM (door opens at 7:30 pm)
at the NEW
Dixon Place
161 Chrystie Street
New York, NY 10002
Tickets:
$15 (general)
$12 (students/seniors w/ valid id) or TDF
2 tickets for $25 with postcard (see attached jpeg)
Advance tickets & more info:
www.dixonplace.org
(212) 219-0736
Last Minute: Liz Lomax visits Pat Cummings’ class on Monday!
Dan Yaccarino wins prize at Bologna Children’s Book Fair
Parsons Illustration Alum Dan Yaccarino (’87) got an official Mention in the Fiction category for his book, EVERY FRIDAY, at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair this past March.
Here’s what the jury members had to say about his work:
With consummate awareness, Dan Yaccarino goes back over a key moment in the history of illustration, echoing with great skill the unforgotten magic of the years between the two world wars when posters, home furnishings, design objects and styles of fashion all came together to create a certain elegance of living. Yaccarino re-defines the light. The compact forms he draws and paints forego the weight of contours. His colour palette never includes the banal. Limpid perspectives are so clearly defined as to seem an accomplished exercise in style intent on inhabiting each scene with a serene, enlivening spirit. Yet as he returns, re-reads and re-thinks, Yaccarino shows a talent all his own that shows through in his own unmistakable style. The result is a magical encounter with a great artist and an unforgettable moment in the history of illustration.
Congratulations, Dan! And if you’re in the NYC-area, you can catch Dan signing copies of his new book at Books of Wonder soon. Here are the official details on that event:
Join Books of Wonder on Saturday, April 25th, from 12 to 2pm as we welcome an exciting new crop of books for spring by seven of today’s most talented authors and artists. On hand will be author KATE FEIFFER who will present her three new books: The Problem with the Puddles, her first chapter book for young readers; Which Puppy? a picture book illustrated by her father, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, author, and artist, JULES FEIFFER, and My Mom Is Trying To Ruin My Life, a picture book illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist DIANE GOODE.Also joining us will be author MICHEAL J. ROSEN who will introduce his new book of poems, The Cuckoo’s Haiku: And Other Birding Poems; husband-and-wife team WENDELL and FLORENCE MINOR to present their latest collaboration, the delightful If You Were A Penguin; and best-selling author and artist DAN YACCARINO who will share with us his fascinating picture book biography, The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau. Each of these talented authors and artists will present their books beginning at noon, answer questions from the audience, and then sign all of their many wonderful books.
Stop by and catch Dan in action!
Parsons Reunion Weekend
Parsons Reunion Weekend 2009: April 17-19, 2009
The Parsons Reunion is for all alumni (all class years, all programs) and is an annual opportunity to gather your classmates, reconnect with Parsons, and network with fellow alumni. We encourage you to take the weekend to reconnect with Parsons and your fellow alumni. See below for information about the various events, ticketing, and more.
This year, 2009, is also a special reunion for the classes of 1959, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, and 2004!
Friday, April 17
8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. View Spanning the Decades: 100 Years of Student Work from the Kellen Archives in the Gimbel Library. On display will be examples of student work from 1906 through 2007, including sketches, travel diaries, presentation drawings, and more. Departments and disciplines represented in the exhibit include Advertising Design, Communication Design, Costume Design, Environmental Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Architecture & Design, Product Design, Printmaking and Photography.
4:00-5:00 p.m. Tour Parsons’ Kellen Archives. The Kellen Archives documents the history of Parsons, with materials including archival records, manuscripts, posters, art and design works on paper, oral histories, photographs, films, videotapes, serials and ephemera. Wendy Scheir, Director of the Kellen Archives, will lead the tour and answer alumni questions about the materials. An RSVP to alumni@newschool.edu or 212-229-5662 x3784 is required for this event. Please indicate your class year or any questions you have about Parsons history when you RSVP, as the information on display will be specially geared towards alumni attendees. For more on the Archives, click here.
5:00 -8:00 p.m. Visit Parsons’ Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at 66 5th Avenue. In the Aronson Gallery you’ll find a student project called “Oyster Gardens” led by faculty member Mara Haseltine. In the Kellen Gallery you can view “Into the Open: Positioning Practice,” which is coming from the Venice Biennale of Architecture.
6:00-8:00 p.m. Join Felicitas Oefelein ’95 and Christine Leitner ’95 for a reception celebrating the launch of their new website, DESIGNintermix, a networking resource for designers.
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Isabel Samaras has first monograph released!
In just a few shorts weeks, on April 29th, Parsons Illustration Alum Isabel Samaras will have her very first monograph, On Tender Hooks, published by Chronicle Books! Here’s the official description:
On Tender Hooks — Isabel Samaras’s quirky, sexy, pop-surrealist art has had a cult following for years—and now at long last her first monograph, On Tender Hooks, is here. Drawing her influence from classic TV shows and paintings by the Old Masters—for example riffing on Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa by replacing the figures with characters from Gilligan’s Island—Samaras has created a witty, erotic, and surreal body of work. This fresh and dazzling volume includes a three-way interview between Samaras and fellow low-brow artists Shag and The Pizz, as well as delightful and enlightening commentary from gallerist Justin Giarla and art writer Colin Berry, and an erotic short story by Lucy Blue.
Pre-order your copy here and note that you can also get a deluxe version which includes:
Edition limited to 100 and 5 artist’s proofs
Print: Honey Dripper (Goldilocks & the Three Bears), 2008
Signed and numbered by the artist, 8×10 Giclée print
Fancy! There’s also an accompanying postcard collection if you’re short on cash but still want a little of this beautiful art.
Our congratulations to Isabel on this huge accomplishment. Seems like she’s pretty happy with the results, as well. Over at her blog, you can check out her reaction on getting a copy of the completed book.
Gavin Spielman featured on AND in Dan’s Paper
Parsons Illustration Alum and current Adjunct faculty member Gavin Spielman was recently honored with a cover illustration for an issue of Dan’s Papers. The issue also featured an interview with Gavin–he discussed his inspiration and techniques. Here’s a taste:
Q: Despite your being known for landscapes, you experienced a very different kind of scene when you were a student.
A: Yes, I used to hang out in St. Mark’s Place observing homeless people on the street, aging older men. I found them beautiful and sincere, with their weathered looks. I would pay them to pose for me. Oddly enough, my studio is in that same area.
Q: What else were you doing at that time?
A: I was doing graphic design. As a student I studied philosophy and music at SUNY-New Paltz, transferring to Parsons to major in illustration. I teach at Parsons now.
Q: How did that early experience with the homeless influence you?
A: I detached myself from the destitution on the street. I was sacrificing monetary gains to devote my work to the homeless.
Q: Your subjects are different now. How would you characterize your current style and subjects?
A: I’m a traditionalist; I don’t think technology and graphic design adhere to the “Old World” style that I respect. As for subject matter, I don’t look for social subjects now but for muted scenes like what George Innes would do. I am interested in looking for dark scenes, lighting-wise.
Read the rest of the interview here. You can see more of Gavin’s work on his official website, and if you live in the New York City area, his work is included in a show at 225 Gallery called, “Macy’s is Not the Only Flower Shop in Town!” The show is up through May 17.
So pick up your copy of Dan’s Papers and stop by 225 Gallery soon! Congrats, Gavin.
225 Gallery
225 W. 14th Street
Gallery Hours–Mon-Thurs: 10am – 7pm; Fri, Sat, Sun: 10am – 6pm