Dana Mulranen Designs Poster to Raise Awareness

A poster, designed by Dana Mulranen (BFA GAID ’13), that raises awareness to the dangers of horse racing is now being displayed on PETA’s website.

“This project was initially an entry for the One Club Young Ones Competition last year. The task was to create a poster campaign for PETA about the horrors of the thoroughbred horseracing industry,” Mulranen said. “In May 2012, I was awarded a Bronze Pencil for my poster series at the awards ceremony in New York City and shortly after, the Senior Vice President of PETA reached out to me and asked if they could use my horseracing poster series for their company.”

PETA currently has the ad posted on their website and plans to use it in print as well. A mobile billboard with the poster was shown at the Kentucky Derby and there will be more printed publications of it before Preakness.

“Overall, I want the message to relay the serious problems caused by the horseracing industry. When I was envisioning the design for these posters, I was thinking of what could grab the viewer’s attention to make them stop and react to the poster and the issue at hand,” Mulranen said. “By isolating just the faces of the horses, I wanted to force the viewer to look at these beautiful animals and feel compassion for them and to take action against these wrongdoings.”

Mulranen’s poster was also a winning entry for the latest issue of Creative Quarterly. Receiving this kind of recognition is very exciting for Mulranen.

“The project was a fresh campaign for PETA and was also good press for myself,” Mulranen said. “Being a young designer, it’s great to get a chance to have my name known and recognized.”

Top International Street Artist is Tyler Alum

Chalk artist Tracy Lee Stum has kept busy since her time at Tyler. She is one of the top 3D interactive street painters, and her work is widely recognized.

She was recently commissioned by 20th Century Fox to create an interactive 3D street painting for the March 12 home entertainment release of Life of Pi.

“I was approached by Fox,” Stum said. “Usually the client first researches street artists. If they find several they like they contact us. Based on proposals, experience and quotes, they then select the artist they wish to work with. After the work is contracted I discuss the project with the client and start designing the project art.”

Her drawing for the promotion of the film featured a key scene where a giant whale appears and jumps over Pi and Richard Parker. For Stum, a lot goes into creating the final 3D design.

“The creative process involves planning an appropriate image for a given location. Anamorphic projection techniques and my grids are used to create the proper perspective needed for any image. I use photography to establish the proper viewing angle and sometimes use animation programs to create viewing grids that help layout the design,” Stum said. “Establishing a believable image in the correct place, from the proper angle, is the biggest challenge. You’ve got to assess your location to understand what sort of image would be optimal.”

Originally from Chambersburg, Stum studied at Tyler School of Art and then continued her education at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy.

“My studies at Tyler provided a very strong foundation in critical thinking and process approaches to art making. While many artists in my genre may be strong in technique, however, strong conceptualization skills may be lacking. Tyler’s program really helped shape my way of approaching how I work, and that has proven to be extremely valuable to my own growth and development as a visual artist,” Stum said.

Stum began street painting in 1998, she uses mostly chalk and sometimes paint in her designs.

“My strongest creative asset is my imagination,” Stum said. “I ‘download’ all sorts of data from the world and my experiences here, which runs through my bran and eventually comes out as intuitive impulses. I listen to those flashes of insight and go with an idea that fits best with my project. It’s a very free organic process that I never question.”

It is also notable that in 2006 Stum set a Guinness World Record for the largest street painting by an individual.

“It’s not something I think about too much! It’s cool to know that work was recognized and I am grateful for that,” Stum said. “Guinness has a specific procedure in recognizing records so it does require applications, verification, etc. I’m working on setting a new record in another category later this year with a larger team of artists. That should be exciting!”

Spam Carving Contest Brings Fat Tuesday to Tyler

Janice Marin stands next to her first prize creation for the Spam Carving Contest “C’est ne pas une SPAM.”

In celebration of Fat Tuesday, Tyler held a Spam Carving Contest open to all Temple students.

The six students who signed up for the contest were given two cans of Spam, toothpicks, a plastic knife and a spoon to use in their sculpting. The contestants had thirty minutes to come up with their best ideas to present to the judges.

Contestants were then judged on their concept, title, puns, and artistic merit.  Tyler Admissions staff Nicole Hall and Grace Ahn, along with Art Librarian Jill Luedke, judged the competition.

First place went to Janice Marin, who entitled her piece “C’est ne pas une SPAM.” Second place went to Molly Einhorn for her creation “Spunky Spam Monkey,” and third place went to Alexis Kandra for “Funny Bunny, Spam Version.”

Other participants included Mihir Patel who presented his piece “Spamera Porn,” Nicole Beek with “Alien Meat,” and Katie Driggs who modeled her sculpture after the “Column of Augustus” with tourists.

Tyler Student Eunice Yu Wins First Place In Photo Contest

“At the Marketplace,” Kerala, India, 2012.

After spending a summer in India, Eunice Yu (BFA Photography ’13) submitted three of her photographs to Temple’s Education Abroad office for their annual photo contest.

Her photo “At the Marketplace” was chosen as the first place winner for the Education Abroad International Photo Contest, in the Artistic Vision category.

“This image shows people in their natural environment, doing their everyday tasks,” Yu said. “To me, there is so much beauty in something that is ordinary for one person yet extraordinary for another.”

After being unable to travel to India the summer of her junior year, Yu had the opportunity to go to Kerala, India with a friend for three weeks this past summer.

“What excites me the most is that winning the photo contest allows others to witness the beauty of India through my image. I want to expose the splendor of the place to those who have not seen or experienced it,” Yu said.

When Yu took the photo, it was her first time visiting this particular market.

“I was walking around with my friend, soaking in the atmosphere – the noise and bustling in one place, the quiet and calm in another, the food, the objects, the people. With camera in hand, I could not resist the colors that were shouting with radiance,” Yu said. “There was magic in the way that the light bulb almost floats in the image, and the vibrant, rich colors everywhere – the food, the wall, the clothes.”

Yu credits Tyler’s Photography Department for her success.

“They’ve helped me step out of my comfort zone,” Yu said. “Every photography class and professor I had helped me build the skills and knowledge necessary for me to create images that reflect my perspective of the world.”

Yu’s photo was then displayed as part of the photo exhibition at the Global Temple Conference in the Howard Gittis Student Center South.

Temple Contemporary Hosts FulFill Fundraiser

On November 13, the Temple Contemporary gallery hosted FulFill. Tyler ceramics and glass students participated in the fundraiser for non-profit community organizations.

FulFill is a micro-granting initiative inspired by community based organzations. This year, the organizations included Philadelphia Urban Creators, Street Tails Animal Rescue, and Warrior Writers. Each organization was able to discuss their purpose and their impact in Philadelphia communities with guests during the event.

Guests were served a locally sourced meal in dishware created for the event by the Tyler School of Art Ceramics and Glass departments. Later, dishes were washed and returned to diners as a memento of the night.

All of the bowls and pet dishes at FulFill were contributed by Tyler Ceramics Collective. As president, Senior Ceramics major Emily Stanton works hard to encourage other members to do their best.

“We encourage up and coming ceramics artists to benefit and learn from working in a community setting, sharing and providing support for fellow students,” Stanton said. “We share a common desire to learn and improve our craft by investing our profits made in sales in visiting artists and involving ourselves in events like the Art Market at Tyler. With the help of these sales and events club members get first hand experience of selling their artwork, a chance to develop networking skills and the happiness that comes with people using and appreciating their work.”

Stanton worked with Tyler Ceramics Collective to produce many of the dishes.

“I did contribute to Fulfill. I made a few bowls and assisted with glazing many,” Stanton said.

Tickets for the event were pay what you can. All of the money raised was then re-granted to support the participating organizations.

“I heard from many people [FulFill] was great! I hope that it’s an event that will happen again,” Stanton said.

For more about Temple Contemporary and its events visit http://www.temple.edu/tyler/exhibitions/templecurrent.html

Migrant Workers Learn to Communicate Through Photography

Photo by Blanca Lua

The Schmucker Art Gallery at Gettysburg College recently hosted “Retratos Portraits: From Inside Looking Out,” an exhibition featuring photographs taken by migrant workers.

Gustavo Garcia, Tyler BFA with a concentration in Art Education, worked as a photo instructor for these migrant workers. The majority of the material came from Garcia’s course, and was then continued by Marilyn Romero who picked up the courses when Garcia left to return to Tyler for classes.

“I had just arrived home from my academic year abroad at Temple University in Rome, Italy. I was approached by Jorge Pérez-Rico, the director of the Migrant Education Technology Center for Adults and Families in Gettysburg. He had seen the photographs I took in Rome and he thought it would be cool to teach photography along with ESL. He asked me if I would be interested in teaching photography as a component of the METCAF summer programs,” Garcia said.

The idea to have an exhibit featuring the class’s work came about once Garcia realized the potential of the photographs.

“The exhibit was not the original intention of the project. The idea came about because once the classes got going we started to notice that the material was amazing. We talked and decided that we could not keep the images to ourselves. We decided we were going to share them with the broader community by creating a book and having an exhibition to highlight some of the image,” Garcia said.

The class focused on teaching migrant workers how to communicate through photography.

“Teaching them was challenging because we were trying to teach them photography and English at the same time, which meant that we had to translate the technical terms to Spanish,” Garcia said, “I learned a lot from the stories they had to tell, and I learned how hard it was to convey meaning in English and Spanish simultaneously, but in the end, the photographs conveyed the greatest meaning of all.”

According to Garcia, having the migrant workers photograph their lives opened up a dialogue between different ethnic groups.

“Images that captured daily life, celebrations, and graduations put the efforts of immigrants both young and old in a broader context; the shared goal of creating a good life for their children and families were equally, if not more, relevant to the text. It put the stories of these people in a place where they could be seen and heard, in a format that is familiar to all,” Garcia said.

Garcia hopes to continue working as an instructor in the future and helping others in the process.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity I was given by Jorge Pérez-Rico to work on this project. For me this work was a starting point in what I hope will be a lifelong mission of helping people of various communities express themselves through art and photography. Teaching photography to people of this community was rewarding and something that I consider integral to my development as a teacher and artist,” Garcia said.

Temple Art Education Faculty and Students Participate in an International Colloquium

On September 30, 2011, an international virtual exchange, Contemporary Issues in Art Education: Practice and Theory Colloquium, occurred between Graduate students at Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, USA and Doctoral students at ELTE University, Budapest, Hungary. Four presenters from each University presented their research study. Prior to the virtual seminar, students exchanged their powerpoint presentations, abstracts and references. At the time of presentations, Skype was used to broadcast the seminar internationally. The colloquium was facilitated by Dr. Lisa Kay and Dr. Andrea Karpati. More information can be found at www.tylerarteducation.blogspot.com.

Dr. Lisa Kay is an Assistant Professor in  Art/Art Education/Visual Studies at Temple University/Tyler School of Art and a Fulbright Scholar to Hungary, 2011-2012.  Dr. Andrea Karpati is a Professor at the Centre for Science Communication/UNESCO Chair for Multimedia in Education, ELTE and Fulbright Scholar to the USA, 2009-2010.  Photo above is of Dr. Lisa Kay and the Temple University, Tyler School of Art MEd Graduate Student Presenters: Jasmeen Rekhi (Teaching Multiculturalism through Photoshop Layers: An Intersection of Technology and Art Education), Lindsay Sparagana (Collaborative Learning in an Arts-based Community/University Partnership), Kelly Steinlage (Is silence golden? Talking about Controversial Topics with Early Adolescents in the Art Room) and Courtney Todd (Characteristics of a Rich Art Program for children with Autism in a Museum Setting).

Temple Gallery Exhibition Identity Selected for National Publication

Print Magazine has selected the Surface Deposit Exhibition Identity as a winner in their 2011 Regional Design Annual! This identity program was created to support last year’s Surface Deposit exhibit at Temple Gallery by Lead Pencil Studio’s Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo. The identity program was created by Tyler’s Publications and Design Director, Kelli Cavanaugh (Tyler BFA ’94) along with her student assistant Nina Reck (Tyler MFA ’11) working with former Temple Gallery Acting Director Shayna McConville.

Print Magazine is one of the most respected magazines about graphic communication and visual culture in America, and an authoritative inspiration for designers everywhere. The Regional Design Annual is one of the most comprehensive survey of graphic design in the United States—and one of the biggest magazine issues to hit the graphic design industry every year. It’s the only design competition organized by region of the country, from New York City to San Diego, Miami to Seattle.

Tyler BFA Student Gets Reviewed in the Art Blog!

Will Haughery, a BFA candidate in Sculpture, had a review of his BFA show, Seriously Making Fun, published in The Art Blog today.  His show, which ran from January 19 – 22 in the Stella Elkins Tyler Gallery consisted of self-portrait sculptures and drawings.  We congratulate Will for his great show, and for taking the initiative to get himself noticed!  Good job!

You can read the complete review on the Art Blog here.

Tyler Alum Featured at Miami Show

Peter Fox, (BArch ’88, MFA ’98) was featured last weekend in the Eyewash Projects room at Aqua Art Miami, part of the concurrent programming surrounding Art Basel Miami. Last week, the Aqua Hotel, boutique hotel in South Beach, was transformed into a hub for innovative contemporary art programming, represented by the 43 galleries exhibiting there this year. Eyewash Projects, based in Williamsburg, Broooklyn, functions as a migratory gallery in collaborations with other galleries throughout NYC.

Peter Fox has also exhibited with Pierogi, Roebling Hall, The Hogar Collection, Esso Gallery, ISE Cultural Foundation, White Box Annex, and The University Art Museum at SUNY in New York, The Hunterdon Art Museum and Rupert Ravens Contemporary in New Jersey, Curator’s Office (Washington, DC), Arin Contemporary Art/Dust Gallery (Laguna Beach/Las Vegas), Scott Richards Contemporary Art (San Francisco), Galleria Milano (Milan), Galleria Martano (Turin) and Magazzino d’Arte Moderna (Rome), among others. His work has been featured in The Brooklyn Rail, ArtNotes, WAGMAG, The Washington Post, Segno and TimeOut Roma, among other publications.

Work shown:  FIGURE, 2010,  acrylic on fiberglass display mannequin, 75″ high