Students from both the undergraduate and graduate programs worked hard to prepare for their respective end-of-the-year shows. Hosted by the Department of Visualization, the graduate Viz-a-go-go (in its 16th year) and undergrad VIST Shows exhibited work done in traditional media, software programming, interactive installations and 3D animation.

	Brian Linder, Creative Director, and Randy Bradshaw, Director of Technology for clickhere.com spoke to students about developing trends in the use of the Internet to market products/services and disseminate information. Moving beyond multimedia, students were introduced to the concepts and challenges of transmedia development.

	The Artist in Residence workshop with Rebar Art Collective’s John Bela and Blaine Merker unfurled on April 3. Eighteen participants designed “interventions,” ephemeral public enhancements for specific locations on campus. Materials were recycled and recyclable. During their week-long visit, the artists took cues from Ant Farm and burned the midnight oil on inflatable designs in preparation for a visit to the Ecological Urbanism Conference at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. Rebar’s bright pink, star-shaped inflatables—Bushwaffles—baffled and delighted passersby throughout the week.

	At the beginning of April, Patricia Beckman of Disney Animation Studios discussed some of the visual challenges they faced to achieve the desired look of the film, Bolt. A few days later, students attended a presentation by Ken Maruyama. He talked about the various techniques Sony Imageworks used to create the look and detailed articulation of Dr. Manhattan from their film, Watchmen. In addition to presenting examples of upcoming films, both guest speakers discussed internships at their respective studios and portfolio submissions.

Every summer, students taking VIZA 627 get the opportunity to produce an animated short while working with industry professionals from one of the leading visual effects or animation studios. This coming summer, students will work with a team from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

March 26th marked the official opening of the College of Architecture’s Faculty Biennial Art Show - ARchiTecture. The collection of work will remain on display at Stark Galleries in the Memorial Student Center until May 31.

The Association of Former Students and the Office of Graduate Studies recognized a dozen graduate students for their distinguished research and teaching at the 2008-2009 Distinguished Graduate Student Awards at the Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center. Recent graduate, Igor Kraguljac received an Excellence in Masters Research Award for his recent thesis work.

This coming summer, the VizLab will offer workshops for teachers who instruct junior high and high school students in visual-based courses. MORE »

The College of Architecture hosted Michele Brody, artist, for a workshop this spring with 16 students from LAUP, Architecture, and Visualization. Brody's concept for "seed posts" was researched by the team. Faculty from LAUP and Horticulture brought considerable knowledge to the process. Several test structures were fabricated, with a sustainable system for self-watering. The seed posts are sprouting on the 2nd floor walkway between A and C buildings. The Artist in Residence program is supported by the Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts, The College of Architecture, and the Visualization Lab.

Associate professor Robert Schiffhauer's exhibit, "Abolitionists, Abraham Lincoln and Reconstructors," is on display at the Brazos Valley African American Museum until March 31 as part of a celebration of black history. MORE »

Faculty member, Paolo Piscitelli recently created a printed compilation of his work. His text can be previewed and ordered online.

The State Coordinating Board granted permission for the Bachelor of Environmental Design - Visual Studies Option degree to be moved from the Department of Architecture to the Department of Visualization and renamed the Bachelor of Science in Visualization.  This is big news for the faculty and staff who spent years to make this a reality. It also marks a major milestone for the department. New undergraduates enrolling for Fall '09 will be BS in Visualization majors.

Former Vizzer, James Price was the visual effects supervisor for Australia. This film was selected by members of the Academy of Motion Pictures as one of the final seven films to be considered for Best Achievement in Visual effects.

An interview with Igor Kraguljac appears in the Spring 2009 edition of Oranges and Sardines , a quarterly review of poetry and visual arts. The photographic work from Igor's thesis project is also featured. To read the complete interview online, go to www.poetsandartists.com , then enter page number “115.”

Work by Joshua Bienko, viz-faculty member, recently appeared in an issue of the Atlanta Peach. The work ( "Ever So Much More So" ) was featured in early October in a show called Fashion Statement curated by Mary Stanley of Mary Stanley Studios in Atlanta, GA.  Christian Louboutin, the famed shoe designer, was scheduled to appear in Atlanta toward the end of October.  Mary arranged an exclusive meeting with Christian to discuss Ever So Much More So.   He approved of the piece, and furthered the project (making it Ever EVER So Much More So?) by drawing on the insides of the three pairs of shoes. This project, and other work by Joshua can be seen at his site, joshuabienko.com

The Visual Effects Society is the only entertainment industry organization that represents the full range of visual effects practitioners. The VES hosts an annual awards event that reaches an international audience of 10,000+. This year, three of our former students have been nominated to receive a VES Award:

Craig Hammack - Best Single Visual Effect of the Year,
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

John Walker - Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture,
IRON MAN

Craig Hammack - Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Feature Motion Picture,
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

Keith Klohn, Outstanding Effects Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture,
WALL-E

During the spring semester, students have the opportunity to participate in one, two, or all three Artist in Residence workshops. Visiting artists for Spring 2009 will be Michele Brody, the Rebargroup, and Jenny Sabin. MORE »

Mary Beth Haggerty, Senior Industry Manager of the games division at Autodesk spoke to Australian game developers at the Games Connect: Asia Pacific Conference in Brisbane. In an interview conducted by The Age, Mary Beth discusses the latest developments, and crossover trends in the gaming industry. MORE »

Lauren Simpson worked with fellow students to produce a music video for the band, Motion City Soundtrack. Lauren's video won 'Best Video' at the mtvU Woodie Awards. MORE »

Former student and now effects supervisor at PIXAR Animation Studios, Apurva Shah, is featured in an article posted on CGTANTRA’s web site. CGTANTRA is an online community and resource center for students and professionals in a variety of fields associated with the advancement and production of computer graphic images. MORE »

At a ceremony held at the Center for Teaching Excellence, President Murano presented Yauger Williams as a Montague CTE Scholar. The Montague program was initiated in 1991 by Judy and Kenneth Montague (class of ’37) to recognize teaching achievements in the early careers of junior faculty, in the quest for sustained teaching and learning excellence at Texas A&M University.

From Meet the Robinsons to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, former Vizzer, Jay Davis has worked on both traditional animated films as well as live-action films that required believable animated CG characters. In an article featured on Animation World Magazine’s VFXWorld web site, Jay Davis talks about the challenges his team faced when it came to modeling, rigging, and animating the robot army in Hellboy II. MORE »