Why AxS from ArtCenter
ArtCenter College of Design
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Top 10 Why AxS from ArtCenter Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Why AxS from ArtCenter episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Why AxS from ArtCenter for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Why AxS from ArtCenter episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Karen Hofmann on building an accessible, affordable and inclusive education
Why AxS from ArtCenter
06/01/22 • 49 min
To many of our listeners, this guest needs no introduction. She is someone who has burst through seemingly impenetrable ceilings – glass and otherwise – to claim leadership roles historically held by men. She rose through the ranks as a strategic industrial designer before returning to ArtCenter, her alma mater, for a transformative stint as Chair of our Product Design department. She was also a driving force behind ArtCenter’s innovative DesignStorm program, through which major brands engage our students in developing new products and ideas.
The force of nature I’m describing here is none other than ArtCenter Provost and President-elect, Karen Hofmann, who is the first woman to serve in either of those roles. On a personal and professional level, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in leading this College through the uncertainties of Covid-19 and the enormous logistical, creative, social and emotional adjustments that went along with the transition to remote learning and back. Thanks in no small part to Karen’s dedication and unflagging optimism, we’ve emerged stronger and better equipped to face the future than we’ve ever been. And, come July, Karen will be poised to build on those achievements when she takes office, upon my retirement, as ArtCenter’s first female president.
Throughout her tenure as provost, Karen tackled a set of complex challenges with an eye toward ensuring ArtCenter’s health and longevity. Karen managed to keep calm and carry on, facing each new obstacle with a solution-minded determination that is the hallmark of every great designer. In fact, it was almost as if she was making the case, in real time, that there is no better person to lead ArtCenter through the uncertainties that lie ahead.
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Aimee Mullins on Finding a World of Possibilities in Every Problem
Why AxS from ArtCenter
05/04/22 • 50 min
Aimee Mullins is a true polymath. Her passions and professional pursuits are as varied and boundless as the awards and groundbreaking strides she’s achieved within her many chosen fields. She broke new ground in athletics as the first amputee in history to compete against able-bodied athletes in the NCAA’s Division 1 track and field events. She went on to set records in the 100 and 200 meter races and the long jump.
Her poise and athleticism led to a career in fashion as a runway model for Alexander McQueen and as a global ambassador for L’Oreal. She then added acting to her portfolio with roles in wildly varied projects ranging from artist Matthew Barney’s Cremaster series to Netflix’s Stranger Things. Through it all, Aimee has continued to make sense of the many trails she’s blazed in a series of influential TED talks that have been viewed by millions and translated into 42 languages.
It was her paradigm-shifting talk on the “opportunity of adversity” that offered a veritable proof of concept for the ideas we're exploring in this season of Change Lab. Her powerful argument for the creative leaps that result only from the hurdles we face resonated deeply with the idea that the human imagination feeds on challenge and uncertainty – a familiar concept to regular listeners of this podcast.
Aimee contends that we meet and exceed our goals because of—not despite—each obstacle we encounter. An insight she’s earned the hard way navigating the world as a double amputee. Her insistence that “good enough” isn’t good enough has led to advances in prosthetic design that would never exist without her. In fact, Aimee contends that disability itself is a misnomer better attributed to a broken piece of machinery than a human being whose differences are the source of their strength. We all have much to learn from Aimee’s self-determination, curiosity and wonder.
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20 James Hollis on the Psyche, Uncertainty and Uncovering Creativity
Why AxS from ArtCenter
12/04/18 • 50 min
Dr. James Hollis is an accomplished Jungian Analyst and highly-regarded author who has published fifteen published books and over fifty articles throughout the course of his career. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Jung Society in Washington D.C. James co-founded the Philadelphia Jung Institute and began as its first Director of Training. He is also the Vice President of the Philemon Foundation, dedicated to publishing the unpublished works of Jung. He was the founder and first director of Jungian Studies at Saybrook University (in collaboration with Lorne Buchman), and he remains the Director Emeritus of the Houston, Texas Jung Educational Center.
His philosophical approach to engaging the relationship between creativity and transformation sets him apart from previous guests on the show. James' thoughts on creativity are invaluable for not only artists and designers; but also for all who strive to find meaning in their careers and lives.
In this episode, Dr. James Hollis and ArtCenter President Lorne Buchman discuss the creative potential of entering worlds of uncertainty, the role of dreams in our imagination and how we understand our creativity in relation to the soul.
Links Mentioned:
- http://philemonfoundation.org
- https://jungstudies.net/maphd-jungian-studies-from-saybrook-university
- https://www.junginstitut.ch/english
- https://www.jameshollis.net/hollisBooks.html
Learn more about James Hollis's work:
Learn more about this episode of Change Lab at www.artcenter.edu.
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40 Grace Lynne Haynes on painting to redefine darkness and light
Why AxS from ArtCenter
11/25/20 • 47 min
Grace Lynne Haynes’ creative calling didn’t announce itself until she set foot in her first college painting class. But from that moment forward, Grace’s artistic destiny came through loud and clear, as unmistakable as a spiritual epiphany.
Here’s how she describes it: “It almost reactivated my physical senses. I felt as if colors were brighter, senses were stronger. I just felt like my passion for life began to come back again. I knew that I had to be doing this for a living."
She poured that passion into her painting practice as an Illustration student at ArtCenter, where she cultivated the signature style that quickly translated into a thriving career as a professional painter and illustrator.
Her works are striking and instantly recognizable, at least partially because you’ve probably seen them on the cover of The New Yorker, which has featured two of her illustrations in the past eight months. She’s also recently graced the pages of Vogue, ELLE and The Washington Post.
The vibrancy of her bright color schemes and rich skin tones, which she describes as “pitch black,” offer a counter-narrative to the negative connotations placed on the very idea of darkness. Grace’s brush strokes depict a better world, one where light and dark coexist harmoniously in brightly hued images that celebrate contrast.
Grace’s career launched like a rocket the moment she graduated from ArtCenter. She was selected to be an inaugural member of Kehinde Wiley’s Black Rock Senegal residency and was included in Forbes “30 Under 30” list under Art and Style.
In many respects, Grace is now living her dream along with that of most every young artist. But perhaps most admirable is her commitment to pursuing a creative practice that reflects her deeply-held values.
https://www.bygracelynne.com/
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38 Kevin Bethune on realizing dreams through design
Why AxS from ArtCenter
10/28/20 • 52 min
Like the consummate designer he is -- Kevin Bethune has iterated his own job description.
Kevin’s strikingly diverse career-path includes stints as a nuclear engineer at Westinghouse Electric, a financial manager at Nike and strategic design innovator at Boston Consulting group -- all achievements that would stand alone as a high-point on most resumes.
But Kevin still had goals he’d yet to articulate and accomplish. And, as you’ll hear through his deeply introspective reflections in this episode of Change Lab, Kevin takes his dreams very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that they became the driving force behind his current venture, an innovation think-tank called dreams, design + life.
Animated by the idea of bringing a child-like openness and imagination to realizing our highest possibilities, Kevin now leads a multi-disciplinary team at dreams, design + life. There, he uses design innovation tools to help businesses plan for an uncertain future.
Kevin is a unicorn even by Silicon Valley standards. He comes to the table bearing a trio of specialized degrees from prestigious institutions – including a Master of Science in Industrial Design from ArtCenter. And, perhaps even more rare and relevant to his success is the kindness, humility and integrity he brings to every layer of his creative process.
Though he has faced his share of obstacles as a person of color. He’s prevailed by remaining true to his commitment to connecting people with their dreams and taking the high road in business and in life.
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37 Photographer Barbara DuMetz on bringing diversity to both sides of the camera
Why AxS from ArtCenter
10/14/20 • 51 min
Throughout her long and distinguished career as a commercial and fine art photographer, Barbara DuMetz has produced images that feel familiar even if you’re viewing them for the first time. Through her lens, even the most ordinary subject matter has a mythic quality. She has a story to tell that reaches far beyond the frame.
That’s her unique creative gift. And it’s one she began cultivating as an ArtCenter student and ultimately deployed to great effect in editorial spreads for glossy magazines and iconic ads for global brands like Coca Cola and Delta.
Despite her vast reserves of natural talent, it was hardly a given that Barbara would achieve her lofty creative goals as a Black woman making her way in the predominantly white male field of commercial photography in the 1970’s and ‘80’s.
And yet she persisted. Against steep odds, Barbara built a professional photography practice from the ground up and paved the way for a new generation of Black female artists. Her personal journey is nearly as inspiring and captivating as her iconic images of such legendary trailblazers as Maya Angelou, Quincy Jones and Thelonius Monk – the latter of whom she first met by chance as a young aspiring photographer.
In this week’s lively, history-soaked Change Lab episode, you’ll hear her describe that encounter with Monk with sheer wonder at his genius. And then, with characteristic humility, she’ll concede, after some prodding, that maybe, just maybe, her work echoes the deeply-felt rhythms of her beloved jazz. As anyone listening to this conversation can attest, Dumetz walks through life to a beat as cool and distinctive as the art she makes.
Links from this episode:
1984 Olympics Coca-Cola Advertisement
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17 Charlie Hodges on Pivoting from Dance to Design
Why AxS from ArtCenter
10/18/18 • 35 min
For twenty years, Charlie Hodges heeded his creative calling to dance at the highest level. With roles in acclaimed Broadway productions and as part of Twyla Tharp’s legendary repertory company, his trek to the peak of that profession was grueling to say the least. Charlie endured waves of intensely personal rejection – oftentimes targeting his body type and appearance. But he ultimately prevailed, thanks to his abundance of talent, perseverance and incredibly high pain threshold.
Most people would be more than satisfied with those achievements. But for Charlie, that was simply act one. He then pivoted – or, more accurately, pirouetted – toward a completely new creative métier: product design. Drawing on his lifelong passion for architecture, he enrolled in ArtCenter’s Product Design program.
His natural creative abilities and propensity for hard work continued to serve him well. Charlie developed Urbanette, a sustainable dollhouse, as part of an ArtCenter project sponsored by a major toy company, for which he received a prestigious IDSA award. He recently delivered a remarkably vulnerable and wise TEDx talk on the resilience he acquired pursuing a career in dance with an unconventional body type. And, finally, true to his commitment to excellence, Charlie graduated from ArtCenter College of Design as the summer 2018 valedictorian.
In this episode, Charlie and ArtCenter President Lorne Buchman discuss his hard-won ascent to the top of the dance world, the evolution of his passion for design, his lifelong belief in the power of persistence and his new passion for designing toys that can influence change.
Learn more about Charlies's work:
- https://www.charliehodges.design
- http://ladanceproject.org
- https://www.twylatharp.org
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrEDTelG_9U
- http://broadwaymusicalhome.com/shows/movinout.htm
Learn more about this episode of Change Lab at www.artcenter.edu.
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30 Documentary Filmmaker Ivy Meeropol on the Active Pursuit of Empathy
Why AxS from ArtCenter
11/14/19 • 51 min
Ivy Meeropol is a documentary filmmaker whose emotionally and politically charged films explore social and cultural injustice from the inside out. Her work in TV and film ranges from an exploration of the threat posed by the nuclear power industry to the good, bad and ugly of the American political system, particularly as it relates to her family (more on that in a moment). But what distinguishes her work most is her disarming refusal to judge the characters in her films as heroes or villains– a process Ivy describes as an “active pursuit of empathy.” The result is a deeply nuanced body of work that reverberates with wisdom, intimacy and socio-political nuance.
That empathy infuses every scene of her latest film, Bully, Coward, Victim: The Story of Roy Cohn, which recently premiered at the New York Film Festival. Combining archival footage with original reporting, the HBO film explores the complicated, controversial, and enduring legacy of Cohn, the closeted right-wing political attack-dog who was an early mentor to Donald Trump. Cohn launched his notorious career as the young prosecutor who convicted Ivy’s grandparents, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, of spying for the Soviet Union at the height of the Red Scare. Cohn succeeded in his quest to send both of them to the electric chair, leaving their two young sons (one of whom was Ivy’s father) orphaned.
Over the course of an intimate and animated Change Lab interview, she explored the personal and political forces at play in her work, her willingness to allow her films the freedom to dwell in ambiguity and her sense of responsibility to ask questions previous generations never could.
Related links:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1532413
https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2019/films/bully-coward-victim-the-story-of-roy-cohn/
https://www.sundance.org/projects/heir-to-an-execution
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28 Recent Alum Vicente Magaña on Solving the Riddle of Mass Transit in California
Why AxS from ArtCenter
10/09/19 • 48 min
ArtCenter’s Transportation Design program has a type and, at first glance, Vicente Magaña seems to fit it perfectly.
A lifelong obsession with cars? Check.
A childhood spent sketching every type of vehicle his imagination could conjure? Check.
An insatiable desire to land a job designing supercars and road testing them at top speed?
Well...that’s where Vicente, a Summer 2019 ArtCenter alum, separates himself from the pack. Vicente is the rare car guy whose driving passion is not to design the ultimate driving machine. Instead, Magaña dreams of designing a public transportation system that turns cars into more of a luxury for weekend joy rides than a necessity for getting from Point A to B. We were particularly intrigued to learn more about the motivating factors guiding Vicente’s unique spin on a quintessential ArtCenter career-path, which is why we selected him for this season’s recent interview.
As the son of Mexican immigrants (and the first person in his family to attend college), Vicente’s upbringing instilled a desire to use his education to improve the quality of life for those who need it most. While attending ArtCenter, Vicente seized every opportunity he could to apply his seasoned problem-solving skills toward the greater good. Nothing illustrates this more than his thesis project, Incog-NEATO, a modular system designed to convert most sedans into a discrete space for living and working out of a vehicle.
Intrigued and impressed by Vicente’s unique combination of courage, empathy, and humility, Lorne dedicated this episode of Change Lab to tracking the journey that brought him to ArtCenter and where he hopes to go from here.
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33 Dennis Gassner on the ‘method’ behind his Oscar-winning production design
Why AxS from ArtCenter
02/26/20 • 50 min
Storytelling is Dennis Gassner’s mother tongue. It’s the language – and the context -- through which the ArtCenter alum and legendary production designer processes the ideas of a script, and it fundamentally shapes the worlds his characters inhabit on screen.
The six-time Oscar nominee is best known for the technically ambitious and artfully realized environments he has created for six Coen Bros films, the last four James Bond movies, Blade Runner 2049 and Bugsy – for which he won an Academy Award. Dennis received his most recent Oscar nomination for his stunning work on 1917, a World War 1 epic for which he designed, built and destroyed French villages and battlefields all, seemingly, filmed in one-take. The film also presented him with the rare opportunity to go to war with his longtime collaborators, director Sam Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins – two major talents with whom he’s found great success in the moviemaking trenches.
On the eve of the most recent Academy Awards show, Change Lab’s Lorne Buchman interviewed Dennis in his home, which is steeped in Hollywood history and filled with artifacts from his films and the places they’ve taken him. As we sat facing each other on two art deco couches he used to furnish a lavish set in The Hudsucker Proxy, we discussed his transition from architecture to production design, his discovery (while at ArtCenter) that facing fear is fundamental to creativity and his conviction that successful storytelling is best measured by the heart rather than the head.
Related Links:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0309357/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
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FAQ
How many episodes does Why AxS from ArtCenter have?
Why AxS from ArtCenter currently has 74 episodes available.
What topics does Why AxS from ArtCenter cover?
The podcast is about Astronomy, Podcasts, Science and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Why AxS from ArtCenter?
The episode title 'Karen Hofmann on building an accessible, affordable and inclusive education' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Why AxS from ArtCenter?
The average episode length on Why AxS from ArtCenter is 45 minutes.
How often are episodes of Why AxS from ArtCenter released?
Episodes of Why AxS from ArtCenter are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of Why AxS from ArtCenter?
The first episode of Why AxS from ArtCenter was released on Sep 19, 2017.
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