Recent News
Conversations with Cal Poly Authors: 'Lives Well Lived' with Sky Bergman
Jan 25, 2018
Sky Bergman, professor in Art & Design, and Debra Valencia-Laver, associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts, will engage in a lively exchange about Sky Bergman’s experience producing and directing the film. The conversation will take place from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, January 19, 2018 at the ATL Keck Lab (No. 7). There will be time for audience questions and light refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public.
Jean Wetzel to Retire in Spring 2018
Jan 25, 2018
Jean Wetzel announced she will retire in spring 2018.
Habib Placencia Adissi and Kate Meissner Receive Outstanding Senior Awards
Jan 25, 2018
At the end of the 2016-17 academic year, Habib Placencia Adissi (Art and Design, '17), who concentrated in graphic design, won Cal Poly’s University Senior Recognition Award for Contribution to the Objectives and Public Image of the University; and Kate Meissner (Art and Design, '17), who concentrated in studio art, won the Cal Poly Arts Award for Excellence in Original Work.
Student's Photo Featured in Glamour Magazine's "50 States of Women"
Jan 25, 2018
Haley VanBaale, a junior in the photography and video concentration, had one of her photographs chosen to be published in the September 2017 issue of Glamour magazine. The article is titled “50 States of Women,” and VanBaale’s photograph of her roommate Emily Barbero was selected to represent California in the series. VanBaale is also a color guard member of the Mustang Marching Band and recently started working for Associated Students, Inc. as a photographer.
Art and Design Students Benefit from Generosity of Alumni
Jan 25, 2018
Alumni support and contributions in the form of monetary donations are invaluable to the Art and Design Department and directly enhance students’ educational opportunities. The generosity of our donors, including long-time donors like Joan Hughes, helps the department host guest speakers, purchase new equipment to ensure students learn and use the latest technology, and develop our program to maintain accreditation standards with National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), among other possibilities.
Three Teams from Cal Poly Placed at Paperboard Packaging Alliance Challenge
Jan 25, 2018
Three teams of Cal Poly students, including students from the graphic design concentration, received well-deserved recognition in the 2017 Paperboard Packaging Alliance 2017 Student Design Challenge, taking home second place, runner up and shout-out awards. The projects were generated in winter 2017 between IT 408 Paper and Paperboard Packaging in collaboration with ART 437 Graphic Design III. The challenge was to design an interactive package for a fitness tracker that allows customers to try on the product, which could be reused to store the product after purchase. The faculty mentors were art and design professor Mary LaPorte and industrial technology and packaging professors Javier De La Fuente and Irene Carbonell.
Kurt Brown Wins Outstanding Staff Award for Career Achievement
Jan 25, 2018
Kurt Brown, the Art and Design Department’s photography and video technician since 1984, won the 2017 College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Staff Award for Career Achievement.
New Art and Design Faculty - Elizabeth Folk
Jan 25, 2018
The Art and Design Department would like to introduce a new faculty addition in the studio art concentration with a specialty in sculpture: Elizabeth Folk.
Program Review and Reaccreditation
Jan 25, 2018
In May 2017, the Art and Design Department hosted site visitors for our comprehensive program review and reaccreditation with the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Among the strengths of our program, the Visitor’s Report cited the following:
Bob Howell Retires After 43 Years at Cal Poly
Jan 25, 2018
When Robert (Bob) Howell (B.A., Brooks Institute, 1973; M.A., Pepperdine University, 1976) arrived at Cal Poly in 1974, there was no art major and the department was scattered among several old Quonset huts in a former baseball practice field. As a professor of photography with interests that ranged from studio art to design to programming, Howell was instrumental in developing the art and design program and overseeing its initial accreditation with National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Prior to coming to Cal Poly, he taught at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara. A beloved professor over the past 43 years, Howell taught Cal Poly students from all majors. Students benefited from his teaching and mentoring in both professional and general education courses in photography. He also taught courses in the Computer Science Department at Cal Poly and at the Institute for Computer Technology in Sunnyvale. In 1975 Bob developed a campus-wide computer-assisted learning program available to all students, and in 1990 he presented his work at the International Conference on Technology in Paris.