Uncovering the Legacy of Innovation in Contemporary Art
Susanne Caldwell Designs Commemorative Piece for UCI Gerard Lecturer Event “A Short History of American Humor” with Alistair Cooke
Susanne Caldwell Designs Commemorative Piece for UCI Gerard Lecturer Event “A Short History of American Humor” with Alistair Cooke
“I started creating and loving art at a very young age; it seemed to pave the way for me through school and through life. So the opportunity to study and explore arts deeper at the college level was not only a dream, but a natural progression for me. During my senior year at UCI, I wasselected by my art professors, the Art & Lecture department and UCI to create a commemorative piece for honored guest speaker Alistair Cooke. It was an incredible honor.”
Susanne Caldwell (Susie Hays)
Owner
Q2Mark
The University of California Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts emerged from a “sea of mud” in the mid-1960’s setting up a foundation where the faculty’s lives as active professionals in their fields would provide an authoritative basis for teaching. The Department of Art immediately distinguished itself by attracting the most forward-looking artists, curators and students of the period. The legacy of innovation continues in contemporary art by emphasizing experimental work across disciplines in all of their programs.
The University of California Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts emerged from a “sea of mud” in the mid-1960’s setting up a foundation where the faculty’s lives as active professionals in their fields would provide an authoritative basis for teaching. The Department of Art immediately distinguished itself by attracting the most forward-looking artists, curators and students of the period. The legacy of innovation continues in contemporary art by emphasizing experimental work across disciplines in all of their programs.
In the 1990-1991 academic year, the Department of Art & Lectures was to welcome world-renowned British-American journalist, television personality and broadcaster Alistair Cooke. Best known in the states for hosting PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre, Cooke was the Leona Gerard Endowed Lecturer of the year, speaking on American humor with his “Short History of American Humor.”
The department was looking for one student to develop an honorary piece for UCI’s event, and that student was me.
I was familiar with Mr. Cooke through his work on Masterpiece Theatre, so of course I was beyond thrilled to be the one student out of the entire UCI student body chosen by our professors chose to create a special poster commemorating Mr. Cooke’s campus presentation! This was my first opportunity to develop work on a large commercial scale. I knew I needed to create a piece that:
I studied and explored many ideas, but developed two concepts for consideration. Both of my design concepts were pattern formations in a quilt like structure. I worked with Ruby Film, painstakingly cutting all the pieces for each design by hand. Using two different color palettes, I then layered and connected the shapes together into the perfect silkscreen designs.
BOTH of my designs were selected and executed as celebratory pieces paying homage to the event. This was the first time in department history that they would honor two design pieces. In the end, both designs sold out, resulting in a huge success for UCI, Alistair Cooke and UCI’s senior artist, me.
“Life is about making your mark. As an artist, I do this in my work; as a marketer, I help do this for others.” – Susie Hays
760.459.9201
Susie@Q2Mark.com
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