Pittsburg State University Department of Art

Thursday, June 19, 2014

The Reals Family Gift Exhibition to Open July 3rd

Thursday, June 5, 2014

New Faculty to Join Department in Fall!!!

The Department of Art is very pleased to announce that Josie Mai will join us as Associate Professor starting Fall 2014! Josie will be responsible for the Art Education emphasis area within Department of Art.

Josie Mai is an artist and teacher from Kansas City. She received her undergraduate degree and certificate in art education from the University of Kansas. She then taught art to urban and suburban high school students in the Kansas City area's public schools and not-for-profit organizations such as Studio 150 and Chameleon, Inc. Ms. Mai received her Masters of Fine Arts degree at Parsons School of Design in New York City in order to explore new territory, develop as an artist, and earn a degree to enable her to teach at the college level.

Josie comes to PSU from being an Associate Professor of Art and Art Education at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri where she taught, developed her artwork, curated, and exhibited.

Help us welcome Josie to PSU! We are really excited to have her join our art department family!

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Current PSU Student enjoys a journey to the past

Department of Art's student Catherine Jepson blog describes herself as "A young artist searching for anything to suffice her curiosity of that one thing we all have in common and all struggle with, life. In the process, we should all enjoy the journey, one day at a time". Over the past couple of years, we agree her curiosity has successfully managed to take her on an amazing journey. It was undertaken due to what started out as an outrageously colored printing press.

Although the press is restored Cat's journey is not complete. She will be doing an internship this summer at Skylab Letterpress in Kansas City. You can read about the restoration of the press and internship via her blog:

Cat Jepson Letterpress Blog

xThursday, August 22, 2013:
"Vandercook No. 2 Proof Press, Made only by Vandercook & Sons, Chicago U.S.A." This is the information that I could find on the press itself. After a quick google search, I have found that this press is from either 1934 or 1935 and obviously not painted bright blue in its original state.

"With great excitement, my goal is to get it cleaned up and running so students in the future can use it."

Friday, April 25, 2014

Department of Art BETA Toy Design Course to Unveil work in Toy Sale

TOY SALE: Beta Toy Design Class

Congrats PSU Toy Design Students and Department of Art Faculty Portico Bowman. They sold out! Made over $300 for SafeHouse!

Pittsburg State University Student Toy Sale - Fourstateshomepage.com

The shop closed up shop at 12:45. Nothing left to sell!

Polymer Toy by Amanda Fitzpatrick
(Commercial Art Student)

The Department of Art is pleased to present a Toy Sale from the toys produced in the Beta Toy Design Class developed by Associate Professor of Art, S. Portico Bowman along with Assistant Professor Norm Philipp, P. E. from the School of Construction.

Toys, books and games created by Amber Baumgartner, DJ Bush, Amanda Fitzpatrick, Jake Geither, Cat Jepson, Blane Siebert and Chris Vanderbeck were be available for viewing and purchase. Proceeds from the sale were be given to SafeHouse Crisis Center.

Throughout the semester students have studied the mechanics of toy making such as how to make things move, the philosophy and psychology of toys and the purpose of play, while looking at the toy industry to analyze trends and

marketing strategies with an eye to pitfalls and toy making practices that could be challenged and changed.

Norm Philipp introduced many of the engineering concepts and aided in the development and production of components prepared on the 3D Printer. Emi Gennis provided insight into character development and Rhona Shand provided information on the practice of independent licensing. Plans for further Toy Design classes include internship liaisons with a variety of toy manufacturers, and participation in the Mystery Build Kit.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Comic Fantasy

Pittsburg State University Department of Art Comics: Theory & Practice Course prepares anthology-style mini comic for students to enjoy.

Students enrolled in the Comics: Theory & Practice course are currently working on their final projects. Comics: Theory & Practice is a new special topics course offered by the art department this spring, taught by instructor Emmalyn Gennis.

The final project for the class asks students to write and draw their own four-page story that will, upon completion, be collected into a small book or "minicomic" for the students to enjoy. The students voted on a theme for this anthology-style comic earlier in the semester and agreed upon "Fantasy," which they felt could be broadly interpreted to accommodate their many different storytelling styles.

Max Rinkel works with Wacom tablet.

For this project, students are allowed to use any traditional or digital media they choose to create their comics. Many of the students are applying skills they have learned in the Drawing With Ink course, another special topics course offered by the department this semester.

As an assignment earlier in the course, students had to design and create a cover for the book that will be the product of these final projects, and voted on whose design would actually be used when it is printed at the end of the semester. The winner of the cover design competition assignment was Mattie Parrigon, a Commercial Art major.

Mattie Parrigon hard at work on a new page.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Alumni Spotlight - Fun and Games with Alumni Ken Hogan

The Pilgrimage by Inkmech (Ken Hogan)

Gessarite by Inkmech (Ken Hogan)

Alumni Ken Hogan has been busy since he graduated from Pittsburg State University Department of Art as a commercial art major. Ken was selected to go to graduate school at Guild Hall at SMU in Dallas, Tx.

"Ken wanted to be in the gaming industry. We knew that the best way to accomplish his career goals was to successfully get Ken into a top animation and gaming graduate program. Guild Hall at SMU was where Ken set his sights. I was so proud when we heard he was accepted." - Rhona Shand, Chairperson and Ken's Commercial Art advisor and faculty instructor.

Ken now get to lives his dream. He is employed at Nerd Kingdom...and yes, he is making video games. Ken also freelances as a concept artist and illustrator with his own business, Inkmech, LLC.

You can find more of Ken's work at:

http://www.inkmech.com/

http://inkmech.deviantart.com/

"PSU Art Department was the start of my journey towards a career in Art. It helped cultivate my artistic sensibilities."