Why AxS from ArtCenter

In the fourth episode of the Why AxS podcast—where brilliant scientific and artistic minds ponder the important whys—we explore the rise of Futurism in Indigenous art as a means of enduring colonial trauma and envisioning a more inclusive and sustainable future. We're joined by Virgil Ortiz, a Pueblo artist known for his traditional Cochiti figurative pottery and experimentations with science-fiction storytelling. Ortiz's art is a testament to his boundless imagination and his ability to push boundaries. He creates art the way his ancestors did while interweaving futuristic, sci-fi themes that bring light to untold histories. ReVOlt 1680/2180: Sirens & Sikas, for instance, unearths the artistry and significant history of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, the only successful Native uprising against a colonizing power in North America (which you’ve likely never heard of.) The striking piece is part of an exhibition currently on view at the Autry Museum of the American West entitled Future Imaginaries: Art, Fashion, Technology. The Autry’s Amy Scott joins this episode of the Why AxS to weigh in on the complex ideas animating an exhibition featuring over 50 works exploring representing a diverse array of Native cultures. Part of Getty’s PST ART: Art & Science Collide (as is this podcast), the exhibition also opens audiences to the significance of non-Western knowledge, especially when it comes to climate change. This is where our third guest, Dr. Daniel Wildcat, comes in. The professor and highly accomplished scholar works to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and culture into federal policy. Join us for a lesson left out of the history books, as we imagine a more inclusive and sustainable future.

Ready to go dark and get deep? In the third episode of the Why AxS podcast—where brilliant scientific and artistic minds ponder the important whys—we explore the infinite possibilities of the origins and nature of our universe. Our guests couldn't be more disparate in their paths, yet conjoined in their pursuits. Lita Albuquerque, an internationally renowned visual artist and ArtCenter faculty member, is inspired by the natural world, on this planet and beyond. Her works are intimate and epic, earthly and ephemeral—a celebration of how we connect to our environment, below and above. Her large-scale installations—like Rock and Pigment, a series of rocks in the Mojave Desert in alignment to the stars overhead—connect human to celestial bodies, allowing us to feel what our minds can’t comprehend—that we’re a tiny speck suspended among billions of galaxies. Dida Markovic, an astrophysicist at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also studies the incomprehensible, specifically the dark sector of the universe. Dark energy and dark matter govern 95% of all the gravitational interactions in the universe–yet, present a mystery to science.

Did you know the intersection of art + science has been rooted in the DNA of Los Angeles from the very beginning? In this episode of our Why AxS podcast, alum + former ArtCenter Exhibitions director Stephen Nowlin unravels the rich intertwining origins of the artists and experimenters who landed in L.A. and pioneered new industries, from aeronautics to film. As humans, we aspire to find common ground between the two district sides of our brain. That’s why science needs art to tell its narratives in a language that makes data illuminating, immersive, complex and even transcendent. We invite you to join us on this journey — and bring both sides of your brain.

Welcome to the Why AxS, ArtCenter’s podcast featuring brilliant scientific and artistic minds ponder the big why's that come with being a tiny part of this universe. Our first episode, How to Land on a Comet, takes you aboard JPL’s Rosetta Mission, as we’re joined by mission planner Art Chmielewski + alum/illustrator Liz de la Torre (BFA 13), who mapped the surface of speeding comet for a first-of-a-kind rendezvous with a spacecraft — from a single pixel. Rosetta remains one of the world’s most ambitious — and arduous — space exploration missions. Landing on a comet as it zips and twists through space poses seemingly limitless degrees of difficulty and danger. Seeking an artistic solution to a scientific problem — how to map the comet’s surface — Chmielewski recruited de la Torre while she was a student at ArtCenter. Now working as a Creative Strategist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, de la Torre acts as an artistic interpreter of scientific theories, using the illustration skills she honed at the College. For the Rosetta Mission, de la Torre listened to some of the world's leading experts on comets, and based on their ideas and projections, created multiple approximations of the comet’s terrain. These beautifully detailed visuals, capturing the comet’s potential tiny pores and bubbling gas, allowed scientists to better visualize the best approach — and helped secure the mission’s success. They are truly brilliant works of art and science. Join ArtCenter’s Lauren Mahoney and Ethan Stockwell for an episode full of behind-the-scenes insights into everything from the search for life in the universe to the hidden impact of space research on our everyday lives as we embark on an extraordinary and otherworldly ride.

Join us for ArtCenter’s new mini-series investigating the powers of art and science–and the extraordinary, unexpected outcomes when the two fields intersect. The four-part series, launching September 12, features prominent artists–often with connections to ArtCenter–and scientists tackling big ideas about dark matter and transcendence from right- and left-brain points of view. At ArtCenter, science and art often cross paths–after all, CalTech and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are in our backyard, allowing for unique collaborations through programs, exhibitions, internships and more. With Why AxS, we invite you into insightful conversations with some of the brilliant minds in our orbit as they explore the many big why's that come with being a tiny part of this universe.

Welcome to our second episode of Change Lab Presents Throughout this season, on alternating weeks, we’ll feature a series of bonus episodes we’ve handpicked from some of our favorite podcasts by, for or about the Black community. This week, we’re excited to share an episode from The Brown Girl's Guide to Politics from the Wonder Media Network. Host A’shanti Gholar leads conversations with women changing the face of politics. Episodes include interviews with politicians, candidates, and influencers. Today you'll hear from Brittany Packnett Cunningham. Named by People Magazine as one of the five inspiring people chartering a path forward as America fights racism, Brittany is the co-founder of Campaign Zero and a leading force in the fight for social justice. Please enjoy this Change Lab Presents episode of The Brown Girl's Guide to Politics. https://brittanypacknett.com/bio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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: BarbaraDuMetzPhotography.com 1984 Olympics Coca-Cola Advertisement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to our first episode of Change Lab Presents Throughout this season, on alternating weeks, we’ll feature a handpicked episode from podcasts by, for or about the Black community. This week we’re excited to share an episode from The Institute of Black Imagination. Hosted by artist, writer, and brand consultant Dario Calmese, the show features conversations from The Pool of Black Genius: a collection of iconoclasts at the leading edge of cultural thought and innovation. Today’s episode features architect, designer and scholar, Dr. Mabel O. Wilson, who discusses her trans-disciplinary practice touching upon the worlds of curation, performance, art and cultural history. Please enjoy this Change Lab Presents episode of the Institute of Black Imagination Links mentioned in the episode: Mabel's Instagram: @studio_and Her new book: Race and Modern Architecture: A Critical History from the Enlightenment to the Present Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is something almost poetic about beginning this season, dedicated to amplifying Black voices, with today’s interview with Bob Davidson, who recently stepped down from his post as Chairman of ArtCenter’s Board of Trustees. Bob was instrumental in my decision to assume my current role as President of ArtCenter. And over the past eleven years, our collaboration has been among the most profoundly transformative of my entire career. Our bond transcended our professional roles (for all intents and purposes, he was my boss) and became something much richer and deeper, rooted in our shared values and an almost spiritual commitment to manifesting the College’s mission statement: learn to create, influence change. And change we did. In partnership with Bob, we launched two iterations of a master plan that prioritized long-term sustainability and diversity. The College has grown in many important ways thanks to his contributions. But there’s still much work to be done, which we discuss at length in today’s conversation. Even though we’ve known each other intimately for over a decade, our candid conversation was revelatory. I hadn’t known the extent of the racism he faced growing up in the Jim Crow south. Nor was I aware of the subtle bias he experiences in his daily life now. At the same time, he confirmed many of the qualities and achievements I’ve long admired – his self-made success at the highest levels of business and his steadfast unwillingness to let anyone stand in the way of progress —his or anyone else’s for that matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On September 23rd, Change Lab will kick off its seventh season, which is dedicated to amplifying Black voices in art, design and activism. Much has changed since our last episode – everything really. So in response to these radically shifting times, this next set of interviews will lean into the special relationship between uncertainty and creativity and how it just might hold the key to unlocking ideas and works of art and design that can change the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of Change Lab happens to be the last one of this season and we’ll resume again, as usual, in the fall. And though it wasn’t planned this way, it’s hard to think of an interview more timely or better suited to demonstrating the strength of the creative spirit to transcend expectations, assumptions and challenges than this one with Chaz Bojorquez, aka the Godfather of Graffiti. There are few art world honors as coveted as having a piece of work included in the Smithsonian’s permanent collection. Likewise, in the pop culture universe, not many artists can claim to have their own special edition line of Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers. Chaz can claim both of those achievements and many more. A native of East Los Angeles, Chaz merged his tandem passions for creative forms of socio-political protest, underground comics and the Chicano muralist movement into a signature style that has influenced his widespread popularity and established prestige now, finally, attributed to street art. After Chaz visited ArtCenter last fall to deliver a talk about the role of graffiti in creating cultural unity, Lorne was taken by the power of his wisdom and his work. In fact, we were all so impressed with his accomplishments that we decided to award him an honorary doctorate at our Spring commencement ceremony (which was sadly postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis). But Lorne and Chaz had the opportunity to sit down together in early February to reflect on his remarkable career that blurs the boundaries between high art and street art, calligraphy and graffiti, popular and alternative culture. Related Links: https://americanart.si.edu/artist/charles-chaz-bojorquez-6040 https://lagunaartmuseum.org/artist/chaz-bojorquez/ http://www.sohodh.com/chaz-bojorquez https://sneakernews.com/2013/06/26/chaz-bojorquez-x-converse-chuck-taylor-all-star/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s not an overstatement to say that Jessica Helfand is a renaissance woman of the design world. She co-founded Design Observer, an authoritative digital publication on the state of visual culture and an oracle of wise and thoughtful discourse on design for many of us. She also co-hosts two podcasts: The Observatory and The Design of Business/ The Business of Design. In all aspects of her work and writing, she asks profound questions about creative practice and challenges our assumptions about how to reconcile an ethical design practice with a successful one. In addition to her thriving art and design practices, Jessica is also a prolific author of numerous books, including her latest work, Face: A Visual Odyssey, recently included on the “new and noteworthy” list of the New York Times. With encyclopedic thoroughness, Jessica examines the cultural significance of the face and its centrality in human experience, from archival mug shots through selfie culture and facial recognition technology. Her academic career has been no less impressive than her literary and creative accomplishments. She has taught design at Yale University, her alma mater, since 1996. She currently serves as the second-ever Artist in Residence at Cal Tech, which is located a few blocks from ArtCenter in Pasadena. Later in the episode, we’ll join her there in the classroom for a fascinating peek at how she’s opening pathways of design to the quantitatively-minded students of science and engineering. A fascinating conversationalist, Jessica readily peppers her answers with cogent insights into social media’s impact on the next generation of designers and a very honest and moving sense of the ways in which personal experience invariably shapes creative practice. Related Links: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/face https://designobserver.com/designofbusiness https://designobserver.com/ https://designobserver.com/podcast-the-observatory.php https://www.jessicahelfand.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ini Archibong is a luxury goods designer. He is also a furniture and immersive experience designer and an ArtCenter alum. This is all accurate and incomplete. So we’ll leave it to Ini to describe his creative practice: “Any of the objects I’m making -- all they are is a potential entry point to wonder.” Ini has been accumulating accolades and prestigious commissions from the moment he graduated from ArtCenter’s Environmental Design program in 2012. After earning his MFA in Switzerland from the Lausanne University of Art and Design (ECAL for short), Ini’s furniture began appearing in the pages of Vogue, Architectural Digest and the New York Times. Ini’s iconic works of functional art have made him a rising star in the design world culminating, most recently with his celebrated Gallop watch for Hermes. Over the course of a philosophical exchange with Lorne, Ini explored what it means to design a sacred space, the mythological underpinnings to his work and how he achieves a state of creative flow. Related Links: https://www.dezeen.com/tag/ini-archibong/ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/t-magazine/ini-archibong.html https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/hermes-watch-launch http://www.artcenter.edu/about/get-to-know-artcenter/people/david-mocarski.html https://www.hermes.com/us/en/product/galop-d-hermes-watch-40.8-x-26mm-W047890WW00/ https://www.ecal.ch/fr/100/homepage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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/ http://indianpointfilm.com/ https://www.sundance.org/projects/heir-to-an-execution Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sadie Red Wing and Saki Mafundikwa grew up a world and two generations apart. Sadie was born into the Lakota tribe and also considers herself a citizen of the Spirt Lake Nation of Fort Totten, South Dakota—two longstanding American indigenous communities. Saki, on the other hand, didn’t set foot in the United States until he left his native Zimbabwe at age 24 in 1979, almost twenty years before Sadie was born. Despite their different points of origin, their approach to their chosen profession is strikingly similar. They’re both pioneering designers who focus their practices on giving voice and context to underrepresented communities whose rich visual languages have often been subsumed or ignored by mainstream design’s bias toward Western modes of communication. Saki and Sadie joined forces for the first time in a joint workshop at ArtCenter entitled: Finding Our Way Home. The four-hour workshop created a space for students of all backgrounds to visually identify themselves, exhibit pride in representation and come away inspired to allow their heritage to inform their design work. We’ve also included a first-hand perspective on the workshop from participant, Amina Maya, a photographer and designer who works as a Junior Creative Director at Black Girl in Om, and Founder of Naturaliste Apothecary. This thought-provoking episode of Change Lab explores some of the most vital issues facing both design and academia through the lens of Sadie and Saki’s unique but parallel journeys toward better representing their own cultures in their work and encouraging diversity and inclusivity throughout the arts. https://www.aiga.org/design-journeys-saki-mafundikwa https://www.sadieredwing.com http://www.aminamaya.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though Phil Gilbert’s official job title is General Manager of Design at IBM, he’s more often referred to as IBM’s very own design evangelist. But ask him to describe his earliest creative impulses and he’ll tell you without hesitation that he was an entrepreneur from “day one.” It quickly became clear that Phil is all these things and more after spending the day with him at IBM’s colorful, post-it-strewn design studio in Austin. In other words, to use a tech-speak term of art: Phil is a unicorn. Need proof? Look no further than his decision to embed design thinking at scale across a company that spans 387,000 employees and 170 countries. Fast Company recently praised Gilbert’s accomplishment at IBM as “establishing a modern standard for increasing the role of arts in business.” Under Phil’s leadership, the legacy computer brand has resurrected and expanded its venerable design program and transformed itself into a nimble, forward-thinking company employing a fleet of designers, charged with applying their problem-solving skills to innovative software and B2B infrastructure initiatives, like quantum computing and state of the art digital security. To wit, ArtCenter alum Tina Zeng, a design researcher on IBM’s security team, offers an insider’s perspective on how design is being deployed on a day to day basis under Phil’s leadership. Over the course of a lively Change Lab conversation (conducted in IBM’s employee programmed radio station) Phil opened up about his appreciation for the school busing program in Oklahoma City that first exposed him to the value in a diverse learning environment, his evolution as a leader and the importance of seeing every day as a prototype that can be improved upon. Related links: https://www.ibm.com/design/ http://www.tinalzeng.com/ https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/gooddesign/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the lead up to the launch of Change Lab Season 5 on September 25, we’re releasing a series of “Encore” episodes. For this final installment, we caught up with graphic journalist Wendy MacNaughton to discuss her latest creative endeavor: A Honda Element she’s tricked out to function as a mobile studio. The car features a custom-made drafting table, art supply storage, and a double bed to catch some zzz’s on longer road trips. Wendy embarked on the project after realizing that solo time on the road has always been a reliable source of creative inspiration. Wendy called us from her idea-generating machine in San Francisco to update us on her most recent wanderings. We hope you enjoy the episode. Don’t forget to tune in for a whole new season of conversations on creativity and transformation kicking off with Lorne’s incisive interview with IBM design chief, Phil Gilbert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the lead up to the launch of Change Lab Season 5 on September 25, we’re releasing a series of “Encore” episodes. For this installment, we caught up with designer and entrepreneur Jesse Genet for an update on the big changes she’s undergone in the short time since we last spoke. As the home-shopping revolution continues to redefine the way we shop and live, Lumi, Genet’s packaging business, has become an integral part of the e-commerce pipeline. To accommodate this growth, Lumi has moved into a larger space near the Arts District in Downtown L.A. Genet invited us into Lumi’s new HQ to give us the lowdown on the latest developments in her dynamic career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the lead up to the launch of Change Lab Season 5 on September 25, we’re releasing a series of “Encore” episodes. For this debut installment, we caught up with artist Jackie Amezquita before she embarked on a three-week journey from Southern California through Mexico, primarily on foot, all the way to her native Guatemala. Amezquita refers to this emotionally and physically arduous journey as a performance titled “De Norte a Sud.” Over the course of her three-week trek, she’ll be retracing the path she took as a young Guatemalan migrant to an unknown life in the United States of America, only this time in the opposite direction. Amezquita uses her interactions and conversations with people along the way to explore the myriad cultural, economic, and racial divides so entrenched in this part of the world. This bonus episode interweaves two conversations with Amezquita, recorded more than a year apart, producing an illuminating and intimate portrait of the lived experience of an issue that’s too often reduced to sensational headlines. We hope you enjoy this updated episode. Don’t forget to tune in for a whole new season of conversations on creativity and transformation kicking off with Lorne’s incisive interview with IBM design chief, Phil Gilbert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices