Emergent Landscape Speaker Series- Chris Thompson

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“Be ready to fail. Make sure you go far enough out of your comfort zone that you are destined to fail.”

Chris Thompson, curator of the Burlington City Arts Gallery, spoke with an assurance attainable only by personal experience as he educated the current MFA students about the potential in the degree they are working toward. After twenty years of employment in the business world as a technology manager, Chris Thompson quit his job and, with the encouragement of his family, became a full-time artist.

“I had no idea what being an artist was,” he admitted. That is where he insisted that the students had a serious advantage. “An MFA teaches how to interact in the art world,” he said, and understanding the capability of such knowledge was an extraordinary thing.

A fantastic and captivating speaker, Chris Thompson detailed his interest in combining technology with art to create unique pieces of work. He is fascinated with patterns and how cultural mediums have underlying rules that are more structured than they seem.  As curator at the Burlington City Arts Gallery, Chris has managed showcases featuring Combat Paper (2009) and the JDK Kite Project (2011).

Speaking as part of the Emergent Landscape Speaker Series for the Champlain College MFAs in Emergent Media, Chris Thompson expressed the different things he had learned since becoming an active part of the art world.

“Natural talent will give you a head-start but it won’t win the race.”

 “Know the unspoken rules.”

“Cultivate your idiosyncrasies and play to your strengths.”

“Risk-taking and failure are essential.”

He offered excellent advice to those pursuing a future in art: talent is appreciated, but hard work has to be a large part of the equation. It is crucial to be aware of all personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and obstacles in order to accomplish all goals.

Perhaps most obscure to everyone is the idea of failure, especially the notion that one should embrace it in order to succeed. But the MFA candidates present would do well to stand strong in the face of disappointment, because, as Chris Thompson insisted: “Long hours of work mean that eventually you are probably going to make a really interesting mistake. Experience the resistance of the medium, [because] bugs are often some of the most interesting things I do.”

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the very last person we heard from was Chris Thompson,” said MFA student Andrea Olson, “who has led a life, not the usual kind. He definitely did not go from A to B like most people, which I think kind of represents what an Emergent Media student is.”

For more information about the MFA in Emergent Media, go to http://mfa.champlain.edu/

Project Spotlight- Fall 2011

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The Project Spotlight illuminates Emergent Media Center projects and the students who work on them, a tribute to the talented individuals employed here. This semester we have spoken to graphic designers, game artists, and programmers about their assignments and what they love most about the EMC.

Allyson, a senior Graphic Designer, is working on Breakaway's Facilitator's Guide. "I work on the graphics and send it in for feedback. I love getting feedback, and the EMC is great for that."

Dayna, a junior Graphic Designer, is working on the Champlain College Compass Project. Her focus is on accessibility for the mobile application. Every day she walks by the screens around Champlain's campus and thinks to herself, "I helped make that."

Ian, a sophomore Electronic Game Programmer, is working on an EMC project called the Citizen Stage for the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. When completed, the Citizen Stage will be the social media aggregator deepening the engagement and participation of its patrons. "Shaina, our MFA project manager, has been talking with the Flynn Center about improving their social media and this is the brainchild of that talk." http://www.flynncenter.org/

Ian, a junior Game Programmer, is working on an EMC project called Room to Explore, an interactive experience for high school kids as they begin their college search. Ian is preparing the game for testing and removing technical bugs. "The EMC is giving students the most hands-on experience of working with clients and teams. I'm learning a lot along the way."

Desiree, a sophomore Game Art and Animation major, is a member of the Brainstorming team and an artist on the Room to Explore project here at the EMC. "I like the fact that we're working on things that are relevant and important. They're meaningful and they have an impact." Next semester Desiree is looking forward to working with a team on the newest Microsoft Kinect Gadget.

Interested in more information concerning projects and other events at the EMC?  Be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter: @EMCchamp.

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INFORMATION SESSION WITH CLASS EXPERIENCE

When: Monday, November 28th at 5:30pm

Where: Burlington City Arts Center- 135 Church Street

Interested in the MFA Emergent Media Program at Champlain College?

Then don't miss out on a genuine MFA experience! Join us for a brief information session and the Emergent Landscape class with featured speaker Chris Thompson, curator of the Burlington City Arts Center. Be part of envisioning the creative spark in contemporary arts transforming the future of technology.

RSVP: Contact Kathleen Ray at kray@champlain.edu or 802-383-6602 by November 24th!

Online Streaming: http://mfa.champlain.edu/

Twitter: Tweet your questions and follow #champMFA

Facebook: post your questions and follow here: http://www.facebook.com/champMFA/

Not able to attend or follow live? Check back here for a recap of events and stay tuned for upcoming events and projects at the EMC: http://emergentmediacenter.blogspot.com/

The Emergent Landscape Speaker Series- Adam Rubin

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With tangible passion and dedication, Adam Rubin spoke to the current MFA students about the state of education.

“The United States is forty-eighth in the world in mathematics and science,” he said. “It’s a national security issue.” His firm, 2Revolutions, combines social change revolution and labor market revolution to improve the national education system. In its fourth year, 2Revolutions is an education design lab that “designs/launches new ‘future of learning’ models.” Adam Rubin’s presentation, The Future of Learning (…and how you can help design it), illustrated the dire state of the education system in our country.

Three-fourths of high school graduates are not adequately prepared academically for first-year college courses. Schools are built to manufacture citizens for a twentieth-century solution, a world in which the only options after high school were college, factory, or farm. “The game has changed,” Adam Rubin said. “But we’re still using the same system.”

Education should be personalized with students “driving their own learning.” A successful learning experience should be based on competency and proficiency—essentially “outcomes rather than time.” No person should be made to feel inferior because he or she required more than thirteen years to complete K-12 education. It should be a personal experience, each child receiving what they need to get the most out of their schooling. “Fixing the education problem will maintain U.S. economic competitiveness, preserve democracy and respect for diversity, and drive social well-being and quality of life across society.”

Adam Rubin spoke at Champlain College as part of the Emergent Landscape Speaker Series for the MFAs in Emergent Media. His goals for recreating American’s perception of modern education are relevant and necessary to the successful future of the country. Education at the K-12 level is supposed to be enjoyable and entertaining, stipulations that foster success.

As a society we have to get rid of the notion that a four-year college education is the only truly right answer, especially for an eighteen-year-old kid fresh out of high school. “Our firm does not advocate ‘college for everyone,’ but every kid should have the option to go and be successful. They’ve just chosen something else.” Essentially, forcing children to go to school at eighteen is counterproductive, and something needs to change.

2Revolutions is working toward redefining education to reach all of these goals, to change popular perception of the “right” steps in education. Adam Rubin is beginning the revolution in his own firm, utilizing Talent Clouds to brainstorm and develop ideas. The talent cloud encompasses various talents and places them in positions of experts, project managers and researchers, with each person doing what they want to do in a form that they are really good at.

Adam Rubin’s goals to redefine the education system seem to be based on a similar idea: it requires people who are using what they love to do in a way that offers positive results. He said he hoped to include the MFA students in his talent cloud as well, in an effort to “unthink school to rethink learning.”

The future, therefore, should be all about “do[ing] what you love for good.”

The Emergent Landscape Speaker Series- Michael Jager

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Michael Jager—tall, thin, and unassuming—entered the room with a smile.

“The human connection seems to be breaking down,” he said, opening his conversation on fearless empathy with a video of a couple kissing passionately.  His mission in the design world is to create things that reinforce and encourage that connection—a connection that stimulates a sensual memory, like a person’s first kiss.

In an incredible two hours, Michael Jager illustrated his achievements at JDK Design with the perfect amount of humor and audience interaction. Using such clients as Burton Snowboards, Zune, and Xbox 360, he explained the importance of empathy in his line of work. “Clients are not villains or meat… Always practice respect for your audience. People are not dumb.”  JDK’s success stems from the firm’s resilient recognition of that human connection and the importance of empathizing with those they work for: the brands and the community.

MFA graduate students and community members alike sat enthralled as Michael Jager displayed a design for a Burton Snowboard done entirely in blue ink from a Bic Pen, followed by more designs drastically different from the one preceding it. He explained the importance of starting from scratch for each design: “Kill what you know,” he said. “There is always more to learn.”

After encouraging the audience to always “disrupt with substance,” Michael Jager did just that, inviting the MFA graduate students present to participate in an activity titled Hand Jobs. Each person was given a mirror, a pad of paper, and one minute to complete a self-portrait without lifting the pen from the paper. When that minute was up, each pad was passed around three times to a different person, each participant adding first a noun, then a verb, and finally an adjective.

The end results garnered much laughter as each person read from the pad, presenting such creations as “Ground See Green” and “Frantic Thought Bomb.” It was a successful use of William S. Burroughs’ cut-up method, in which the consciousness of a group is merged and overlapped to create what may be lurking in the collective unconscious. “Don’t think, make,” Michael Jager said as he watched the MFA graduate students draw. “Make yourself make, and don’t stop.”

While part of the Emergent Landscape Speaker Series for the MFAs in Emergent Media, Michael Jager’s conversation on fearless empathy applied to all those present, Champlain College undergraduates and community members alike.

“Disregard where your abilities end. You can always go further.”

“Create trust.”

“Seek criticism, not praise.”

JDK’s success is largely due to the design talent inside the firm, but also remarkable is the company’s values and the idea of living brands that resonates with consumers and clients equally. Michael Jager made design sound personal, with each client and each assignment no more or less important than the ones before and after it. His notion of “fearless empathy” is easily applicable to any and every relationship, business or personal, and though unassuming and personable, it was very clear by the end of the conversation that Michael Jager was an expert on the idea of the human connection.

EMC Current Projects- Breakaway

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Violence against women and girls is a pervasive global problem, often based in cultural stereotypes. Students at Champlain College's Emergent Media Center are in the process of creating a unique online soccer game, BREAKAWAY, that tackles the issues of gender equality, fair team play, and racial stereotypes, as part of the United Nations' UNiTE campaign to end poverty and violence.

Between 15% and 76% of women are targeted for physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, and most of this cruelty takes place within intimate relationships. Violence against women is more detrimental than the obvious physical effects- it also contributes to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, unwanted pregnancies, and poverty, and results in long-term emotional and mental issues that have a significant impact on the global economy.

BREAKAWAY targets boys and young men between the ages of eight and fifteen by enabling them to identify and think critically about destructive stereotypes and shift their beliefs on gender issues to end violence against women.

Keep an eye out for BREAKAWAY, and tune in every week to learn more about current projects here at the EMC.

For more information about the sweeping issue of violence against women, click on the link below:

http://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/299-fast-facts-statistics-on-violence-against-women-and-girls-.html