| Institution: | The Department of Art at Ohio State University | |||
| Contact: | Kenneth
E. Rinaldo Assistant Professor, Coordinator Art and Technology |
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| Email: | rinaldo@cgrg.ohio-state.edu | |||
| Url: | www.cgrg.ohio-state.edu/index.html www.arts.ohio-state.edu/Art/test2.html |
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Q1 Would you describe your program and its history? We began as a New Media arts Program and evolved into Art and Technology today. Art & Technology is an interdisciplinary studio art program in computer mediated art, which includes 3D computer modeling, animation, digital imaging, electronics, interactive robotic sculpture, holography, web based works, multimedia, installation and sound. Graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to consider content and approaches that may not fit with the traditional definitions of art, while acknowledging the structured processes usually associated with technology and the sciences. In addition to full time professors in this area adjunct professors in physics, glass, photography, design, and printmaking bring expertise and knowledge to these approaches, while demonstrating the Art and Technology's commitment to an interdisciplinary environment. The graduate Students in Art and Technology have access to the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) and several state of the art Macintosh labs known as the Fergus Gilmore Media Arts Center, and the Emerging Technologies Studio. Graduate students in Art and Technology will be utilizing Silicon Graphics Workstations and high end Macintosh based multimedia equipment, featuring; digital video, high resolution slide scanners, laser and inkjet printers. The Art and Technology area supports two advanced holography labs that are jointly administered by the Department of Physics and the Art and Technology area. Our Robotics and Electronics lab consists of test equipment, microcontroller programming workstations and production tools, which allow the art and technology students to work on a component level with building kinetic, robotic, interactive and sound installations. Our primary focus is helping students to discover their artistic voice utilizing some of the tools and techniques listed above. Art & technology is focused on exploiting advanced technology and tools in a studio environment to promote experimentation and realization of new forms, while developing the unique vision and aesthetic of each of our students.
Within the College of the Arts. ACCAD is an interdisciplinary center that unifies all the areas like, dance, theatre, music within the College of the Arts.
BFA
Q3 Computers and networks are profoundly conceptual media in the context of literature and the arts. Yet there is also a seemingly unavoidable necessity for students to learn technology skills in a constantly changing technological environment. This seems to demand both a very theoretical/art-historical approach to teaching as well as a need for high-tech education. Does your program have a specific approach to pedagogy in new media arts, especially as pertains to the balance or blending of theoretical and technical instruction? We focus on choosing the best media for the concept and not on technical training per se. We believe and practice that the best way to technical prowess is through a strong and inspired concept that drives learning with emotional involvement. This means that our courses are both structured in what they offer technically but that the expression within these courses is conceptually driven.
Q4 Theorists and practicing artists approach new media and network media from a wide range of interdisciplinary perspectives. Film and cinema theory, communications studies, literature, linguistics and semiology, fine art, activist art, computer science, information science, engineering, philosophy, biology, and other fields are platforms of theory and practice which have influenced new media and/or technology art. Which interdisciplinary approaches are most influential in your program, and how is your program integrated with other departments or programs at your institution? The Ohio State University is a tremendous school with many of the departments and areas that you mention. Our graduates and undergraduates find support in learning from the areas you mention and many of the core GEC's for the undergraduates are drawn from Literature, Computer Science, biology and philosophy for instance. The media theory as it relates to Film and Cinema theory and semiology comes primarily from our Art History area and upper division seminar courses which are conducted by the Art Critical Practices Area within the Department of Art. It would be difficult to say that one area is more influential than another, rather the students are given the opportunity to select and focus from their undergraduate program on the perspectives that most interest them.
Q5 How does your program engage with and relate to the traditional institutional artworld of museums and other art institutions? We have strong relationships with the Wexner Center of the Arts as well as other Museums like the Columbus Museum of Art and offer guest lectures which find and create content for The Fold website at the Wexner for Instance. The Wexner brings world class speakers and performers which the Department of Art utilizes as important lectures, while simultaneously the Art Department brings guest lecturers in which are given residencies at the Wexner. For example in the coming weeks Robert Irwin, Robert Rauschenberg, Mira Shor, Frank Gehry and Calvin Thomkins will all be offering lectures at the Wexner Center which our students will certainly attend. In the coming year I will be holding an interdisciplinary lecture series which arises out of a Betha Grant and all lectures will take place at the Wexner and we will be bringing Stelarc, Ken Goldberg, Roy Ascott and Jon Ippolitto to name a few, to speak about the World wide web, extended sense and arising conceptions of self.
Q6 Do you receive industry support or maintain relationships with companies who are interested in your graduates? We take a strong stance at The Ohio State University that our students are here to focus on discovery of their artistic voice. When they leave they are fine artists first. I believe this is why we receive amazing support and interest from universities throughout the US for our graduates and from local and international companies involved in design, new media, web based work and animation. Here are examples or accomplishments of recent Graduates and more can be found at this web site: http://www.cgrg.ohio-state.edu/accad/p-alumni.php3#A
Q7 Can you describe the type of studio work that your digital media students are primarily engaged in, and is theory and writing an important component of your program? The graduate and undergraduates work in 3D computer modeling, animation, digital imaging, electronics, interactive robotic sculpture, holography, web based works, multimedia, installation and sound both within all the labs described below. Writing is an important part of the program and all Graduate students produce a thesis and a MFA show. Our undergraduates produce a BFA show and also write extensively in theory related course work. Department of Art Facilities like our Robotics lab utilizing a Wintel environment with PIC chips like the Basic Stamp and MAX opcode 3.5 platforms, the Fergus Gilmore Computer Studio features software like Edit DV, Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, Lightwave, Illustrator, Director, Sound edit 16, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Painter within a G3 and G4 Macintosh environment. ACCAD features SGI and NT workstations 3D computer animation classes offered at the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design in Animation teach Procedural Animation, Digital Lighting using packages such as Maya and From Z. Our Holography Lab features lasers and Holography tables for realizing Holographic experimentation and works. http://www.ylem.org/artists/krinaldo/emergent1.html ART DEPARTMENT
FACULTY: ACCAD FACULTY
Graduate
animation stills: Undergraduate
work from spring 99 Digital imaging One Other Grad
Pages: http://www.cgrg.ohio-state.edu/~ibutterf/
Q8 Is there anything that is important for prospective students to understand about your program that may assist them in choosing a place of study? That we are interested in the conceptual approaches to the making of art with advanced technology. The people that are given access to this very competitive program are focused on the realization of fine art and pushing the tools to new limits. Our applicants need not necessarily come from Art and Technology undergraduate programs, but creativity in any medium is critical for consideration.
Q9 (Please provide a URL which will be displayed prominently in the feature article, so that interested parties can find more information.) URLS: for Art
Department Web Site: ACCAD Web
Site: ART AND
TECH UNDERGRADUATE PAGE;
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