Animation

#1 in Ohio for animation

| Amy Youngs

Ohio State University continues to be ranked #1 for animation among schools in Ohio!

For public animation schools in the United States, we also held our position as #3.

Animation Career Review has been doing these rankings since 2012 using criteria  described here.

In response to the ongoing interest in animation among students studying outside the Department of Art, we have  helped develop an interdisciplinary Animation Minor which includes many of our Art & Technology courses, as well as course options from the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD), the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts, the Department of Design, and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

Digital Currents – Art & Tech Exhibition

| Amy Youngs

You are invited! The show is this Wednesday, December 4th, from 5 – 7pm throughout the first floor of  Hopkins Hall.

See the art projects from the Digital Imaging, Internet Art, 3D Modeling, Animation, New Media Art, Studio Practice, and Interactive Moving Image courses. These will be display on the first floor of Hopkins Hall as part of the Undergraduate Open House and Graduate Open Studios, which span the entire building, plus the Sherman Art Studios. More info on the overall open house.

Wexner Center exhibiting Illya Mousavijad

| Amy Youngs

Go see the latest animation by Art & Technology faculty Illya Mousavijad, playing in the Box at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Aug 24, 2023–Oct 31, 2023

Between a Lost Home and a Losing Destination, courtesy of the artist.

Between a Lost Home and a Losing Destination explores exile and migration in the Iranian diaspora. Mousavijad uses computer-generated animation techniques to meticulously render objects from his home country of Iran, including rugs, dishes, and glassware. Alongside animated models of fresh Iranian fruits and food, these objects are placed on top of the rendered rugs. The objects dance around as the rug moves underneath, creating a surreal collision of memory and present reality.

The work is inspired by the story of the magic carpet from the collection of Middle Eastern folk tales One Thousand and One Nights, with the carpet representing both the means of transcending place and the experience of exile. By recreating the objects associated with family feasts in Iran, Mousavijad highlights how inaccessible his memories are from his current location in the United States and the constraints faced by family and friends in Iran. (6:50 mins., HD video) Free for all audiences.

A beautiful essay by Harshavardhan Bhat about this work is posted on the Wexner Center’s website: https://wexarts.org/read-watch-listen/illya-mousavijad-harshavardhan-bhat-between-lost-home-and-losing-destination

 

OSU Animation Highly Ranked in Ohio and Among Public Institutions in the US

| Diana

Exciting news! Ohio State University is ranked #1 in animation in Ohio, and ranked #3 among Public Animation Schools in the US in 2023.

Animation at The Ohio State University has been consistently ranked highly by the Animation Career Review, an online resource for people aspiring for careers in animation, game design, graphic design, digital art, and related fields.  In 2022, OSU was ranked 4th on the list of top public animation schools nationally, and 1st in the state of Ohio.  

The Department of Art offers introductory animation and moving image courses, within the Art and Technology area, that explore animation as an art form.  Many students gain an introduction to animation through these courses.  Additional courses in the Department of Art provide students with other fundamental skills that benefit an animation portfolio, such as life drawing and sculpture, and color theory. 

Students can also take animations courses through the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD).  ACCAD is a pioneering institute of collaborative interdisciplinary research in time-based digital media production, including animation and interactive media through integration of emerging arts technologies.  While ACCAD does not offer a degree program, courses that ACCAD offers provide a broad range of animation techniques and practices, ranging from fundamental principles to advanced explorations of the latest technologies including interactive animation, virtual reality and motion capture. 

Additionally, The Department of Theater, Film, and Media Arts features a Moving Image Production Major providing a pathway for students interested expanding their knowledge of filmmaking.

See animation works from the Art and Tech area of the Department of Art on our Vimeo page.

Abby Koskinas, Animated GIF, 2020

VR Space & Animation

| Amy Youngs

Visiting Assistant Professor Illya Mousavijad is offering a new class for Autumn 22: VR Space & Animation. This is a special topics course Art 5001 titled, Aspects of Art and Technology, which changes each semester – as culture and technology do.

Exhibition: A Textured Transmission

| Amy Youngs

wavy lines behind text "A Textured Transmission"

An exhibition of student work throughout Hopkins Hall & Online

Dec 8, 5 – 7pm; First floor work on view through Dec 10

Set in a hybrid of online and physical space, A Textured Transmission is an exhibition of student artwork showcasing the range and depth of work coming from art & technology area courses in the department of art. After a semester of exploration with tools, technology, and time, students are ready to broadcast their ideas and accomplishments. This exhibition signals an exchange of ideas and carries an energy that emerges as we make our way back to physical spaces.  It also melds with the new techniques and online spaces we have built over the past year. This is a textured transmission.

  • First Floor Hallway: Digital Imaging | 3D Modeling | Moving Image Art | Computer Animation
  • Collaboratory 167 & New Projects Lab 146: Studio Practice | New Media Robotics
  • Hopkins 340: Art & Science of Roots
  • Emerging Technology Studios 346: Virtual Reality and Video Game Artwork during the opening.
  • Meet the Art & Tech Student Club! They will be tabling on the first floor during the opening.
The Ohio State University, Hopkins Hall, 128 N Oval Mall, Columbus, OH 43210
Marker View on map

Aspects of Art & Tech: Across Form, Time, and Space – Spring 22

| Diana

Art 5001: Aspects of Art & Technology Spring 2022

Across Form, Time, and Space
Instructor: Illya Mousavijad, Visiting Assistant Professor
Meets Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:55 to 6:40 pm in Hopkins Hall
Contact mousavijad.1@osu.edu

This course investigates the generation of visual content as impacted by its transitions between and across form, time, and space. Students will learn and employ various traditional and technological means of production to create and experience immersive spaces consisting of both physically tangible and virtual arrangements. A wide range of multi-disciplinary projects will encourage students to (A) conceptualize and visualize material and explore software possibilities (B) integrate cross-pollinations between physical and virtual forms of presentation (C) consider the social, cultural, political, and art historical influences that define contemporary art practices. The pedagogic methodology of this class employs studio sessions, lectures, critiques, and workshops. We will also study a field of precedents including artworks, practices, readings, and films which work with intersections between the physical and virtual to create dynamic new ways of seeing, thinking, and creating.

Multidisciplinary production means explored in this class include computer animation, virtual reality, photography, videography, 3D modeling, 3D scanning, 2D production, projection mapping, and physical fabrication. Anticipated software and practices employed in this class include Autodesk Maya, Adobe Suite, Substance Painter, Gravity Sketch, Tilt Brush, Z-Brush Mini, Madmapper, Lightform Creator, as well as traditional painting, drawing, clay/foam modeling, woodshop/metal shop fabrication.

This course is ideal for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in studio-based, lab-based, and performance-based disciplines such as Art, Dance, Performance, Music, Architecture, and Landscape Architecture. Humanities majors motivated to explore the visual representation of their critical ideas are welcomed as well. While not necessary, prior experience with visual (physical or computer) production is encouraged. Students will be responsible for the potential expenses (estimate $50-$100/semester) of their project fabrication.

Poster image credit: Meriem Bannani: Fly Photo by Derek Schultz

Download Flyer

Visiting Artist – Stephanie Rothenberg

| Amy Youngs

Stephanie Rothenberg’s interdisciplinary art draws from digital culture, science and economics to explore relationships between human designed systems and biological ecosystems. Moving between real and virtual spaces her work investigates the power dynamics of techno utopias, global economics and outsourced labor. She has exhibited throughout the US and internationally in venues including Eyebeam (US), Sundance Film Festival (US), Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art / MASS MoCA (US), House of Electronic Arts / HeK (CH), LABoral (ES), Transmediale (DE), and ZKM Center for Art & Media (DE). She is a recipient of numerous awards, most recently from the Harpo Foundation and Creative Capital.

Artist Website: http://stephanierothenberg.com/

When: Monday, March 8, 12pm EST.

Contact Amy Youngs youngs.6@osu.edu for zoom link.

With thanks to the Department of Art Fund to support visiting artist presentations.

Alumni Snapshot – Sarah Hockman

| Amy Youngs

Sarah Hockman, (BFA 2016) visited the Studio Practice course this semester to share her career path with us. After graduating, she researched jobs online while traveling to California in her van. Her first job was at Unity Labs in San Francisco, as a Virtual Reality Lab Assistant. Her creativity and working knowledge of emerging technologies were very helpful skills for this position.

Eventually, she sought new challenges. She had quite a bit of experience working in animation and video as an Art & Technology major, and she knew she really enjoyed it. She aimed her job search at smaller companies, which would allow her to have more creative control of projects and she found a great match as a Motion Graphics Designer at Avalanch Media in Salt Lake City, Utah. After a few years of working there, she decided to leave so she could go on a long bike trek in Spain.


With her work portfolio and a solid network, she is able to find clients as a freelancer now. Check out her website here.

 

Some of her advice to students included:

  • reinvent your brand regularly
  • maintain an up-to-date website
  • don’t get too fancy with your resume
  • make time for your own creative projects
  • make sure to enjoy your life, too!