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Art Academy of Cincinnati President, Joseph Girandola in front of an orange wall with duct tape.
Jul
15
Q&A with Art Academy’s New President Joseph Girandola
  • Posted By : Art Academy of Cincinnati/
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  • Under : FEATURED News, News

Q&A with Art Academy’s New President

Meet Joseph Girandola, the Art Academy of Cincinnati’s (AAC) new president. During his seven-year tenure at the University of Cincinnati, Girandola oversaw all of UC’s graduate students in design, architecture, art, and planning (DAAP). He begins at the AAC in August.
Last week, we got to sit down and talk with him about his own artistic journey, and what he’s looking forward to as president of the AAC.

How did you get into art?

Girandola says he was doing creative work long before he realized it. As a kid growing up in Maryland, he was fascinated with cooking, and he helped his dad make meals for the family.
“And putting together ingredients, which I didn’t really know would become essential to how I made artwork… the idea that one simple ingredient could change the whole flavor of a meal.”

He was also determined to figure out how things work.

“I was taking apart everything from the washing machine to dishwashers to see how they worked. And I knew that I loved to work with my hands, but never knew what being an artist really meant.”

It wasn’t until Girandola was nineteen that he began to consider art as a trajectory in life.

“I was fortunate to become an apprentice stone carver, and that pretty much sealed my fate.”

His apprenticeship in Florence, Italy, ingrained in him the impact artists and designers can have on an urban environment. By simply walking through the streets, he was observing the work of expert practitioners—from cobblestones to doorknobs to artwork created for churches and cathedrals.

“And so for me, my life has been guided by that—noticing small little details in every urban environment to understand the necessity, now more than ever, of what artists can do, artists and designers, what they can do for society in making the world a better place.”

How did you get into the administration side of things?

“I’m the type of person that likes to say yes when people ask me “can you do this?”

After earning his MFA from the University of Georgia, Girandola went to Omaha, Nebraska, for an art residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. The residency’s founder and director asked if he’d help her cook meals for the group, and he said yes. During that time, his eagerness to help other artists became more and more apparent.

“I would talk about my willingness to do anything for artists to make their lives easier, including assisting them with finding grants for their own practice.”

At the end of the residency, he was asked to stay and work there, eventually becoming the residency director. This meant writing grants for nonprofit arts organizations and learning as he went.

“I became a de facto artist and administrator at that point without really knowing it […] I think they’re the same basic ingredients to do both things. It includes passion, it includes skill, it includes knowing when to ask questions, and knowing to be fearless in asking those questions for assistance.”

And you’ve never stepped away from your own [artistic] practice?

“No, never. When my kids go to sleep, I go down and work in the studio. And whether that’s not making anything in the studio and just looking at what I’ve done the day before or the week before, I still consider that an idea-generation act of being in the studio. And for me, maintaining a studio practice I’ll never give up, it’s who I am as a person—it’s who I want to be as a mentor as well— is to let people know their practice is always alive.”

What’re the things you’re most excited to build on here at the AAC?

“I’m most excited about this downtown location for sure. To be in a truly urban environment. This is a place where artists and designers can solve many problems that exist with out-of-the-box thinking.”

While working with graduate students at DAAP, Girandola says he has been repeatedly impressed by the students coming from the AAC.

“I see in them a fearlessness to be bold to be empowered to express themselves. And that is a world I want to live in.”

What are things you’re curious about exploring more with the AAC?

“The more community engagement in social practice, the better. I want to completely look at programming for an educational degree to include that component in everything we do. What does empathy mean? What does truth mean? In every class, these need to be taught. What is our role as human beings in this society?

The Art Academy can take the lead in being a visionary program for creatives to understand how to make a better society through their practice. And being downtown in OTR and seeing the transformation of this part of the city and this part of the region, this is a place to make that happen.”

Girandola also wants to delve deeper into community partnerships and collaborations. He would love to see the AAC collaborate more fully with institutions such as the art museum, regional nonprofit arts organizations, and educational institutions such as UC, NKY, Miami, Mount St. Joe, and K-12 schools.

Can you speak briefly on duct tape?

“For sure. My passion for duct tape starts when I was a stone carver […] I wanted to have some kind of fingerless gloves that could protect my hands but also lock my wrists in place.

[…]

That created a practice of when I would cut off those duct tape gloves at the end of the day. I loved how they looked like these immaculate little sculptures caked in marble dust and the oil from the tools and from the grime and grit of a day’s work. And it reminded me of the fabric of the city of Florence.

[…]

And so since then, I’ve gone on to create duct tape classes with the support of this company Duct Brands duct tape. The founder of the company saw my work over 15 years ago, and we created a collaboration to fund students making giant works out of duct tape. Which has been amazing.

[…]

What I try to teach artists of this day and age, of any age, from kindergartners through masters and graduate-level students, is that the more they can collaborate with people outside that know more than them, the better they will produce their work.

[…]

Because for [an organization] it’s all about a story. And for artists, it’s all about a journey and a story. […] And the more we can connect with the stories we’re telling and the kind of journey we are on, the better we are able to connect, to get our practice out to the world.”

Anything else you would want students and faculty to know about you that they might not know?

Well, I have a passion for wood-fired pizza. I make wood-fired pizza ovens. I’ve created a mobile pizza oven, so we’ll have that hopefully at orientation here. And I like to teach people how to use the oven and make pizza so then they can operate it on their own.

And I also have an open-door policy to come and talk with me whenever students want, whenever faculty and staff want. […] I consider [my office] a welcome mat to the students, faculty, and staff. And to the community.

My goal is to have the art academy have an open door policy to everyone in the city. And that includes other academic institutions, other arts organizations, to the community, to the public.

We need to open the ground floor to the city, being a beacon of creativity, of arts and design in the city. We need to have an open access policy. And really look at the world in a way that builds upon the success of the faculty, staff, and students of the Art Academy of Cincinnati for 150 years. And really connect with our alums again to welcome them in a return of a resurgence of this excellence.

The article was written by Sarah Dupee. 

 


Oct
11
$375,000 in New Scholarships to Art Academy of Cincinnati
  • Posted By : Art Academy of Cincinnati/
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  • Under : AAC News, Admissions Featured, FEATURED News, News, Student News, Student Spotlight
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To view more photos from the event, click here.

The Art Academy of Cincinnati announces two new transformational scholarships: the Carson E. Smith Scholarship and the William E. Villa Scholarship. Smith and Villa were both graduates of the Art Academy of Cincinnati and remembered the school in their end-of-life plans.

William E. Villa enrolled at the Art Academy in 1963 and studied drawing and painting, sculpture, visual techniques, graphic design, art history, and color theory. While a student, he worked as a photography lab technician. As a graduate, he began his career as a television news photographer for WKRC. He filmed, edited and produced local news stories.

In 1970, just four years after graduation, he moved to San Francisco and worked in the production of secondary school educational films. He was a television production specialist for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and a recipient of a national HUD photography award.

In 2000, he made his home in Kula, Hawaii. Photography served him well in his profession. Throughout his life, he stayed connected to his creative, artistic side, especially regarding the Art Academy training in graphic design and color theory. He continued to paint and draw; he created stained and fused glass. Just before his untimely death in 2010, William had plans to create an art studio.

Carson Smith graduated from the Art Academy of Cincinnati in 1957 with a degree in Design and Portraiture. As an Art Academy student, Carson met William Henschel, an Art Academy instructor and Rookwood Pottery artist, who recognized Carson’s talent and helped him get a summer job at Rookwood Pottery that lasted for many years both before and after his service in World War II. He earned the Purple Heart for his service to his country during the Okinawa invasion.

His career embraced beauty. He created intricate three-dimensional designs for cigarette cases, pocket watches, and cosmetic cases. Smith was known for his designs at Wadsworth Watch Case Company and Helena Rubenstein Cosmetics. It was not unusual to see celebrities and royalty using items he designed.

His most notable design was the Cadillac emblem – a shield with traditional figures of heraldry. While the emblem has evolved over the years, his design is still the foundation of what Cadillac continues to use.

Until his retirement in 1990, Carson worked as an interior designer at Greiwe Interiors, where he was recognized with a national award for the original Pigall’s restaurant in downtown Cincinnati.

The Scholars Celebration, October 3, 5-6:30 at the Art Academy, will recognize significant scholarships and the students who receive them. Art Academy students received financial support from

  • AAC Alumni Scholarship
  • AAC Portfolio Awards
  • John E. & Mary Ann Butkovich Scholarship,
  • Cincinnati Art Club Scholarship,
  • John Fisher/Leonard Sive Traditional Painting Scholarshp
  • Franklin Folger Memorial Trust
  • Gary Gaffney/Jacqueline Wollman Award
  • Omer T. Glenn Scholarship
  • Edie & Charley Harper Scholarship
  • Helms Trust Purchase Award
  • Fannie Isidor Scholarship
  • Carolyn & Julius Magnus Family Award
  • John & Judy Ruthven Scholarship
  • Carson E. Smith Scholarship
  • William E. Villa Scholarship
  • Bertha Langhorst Werner Scholarship
  • Stephen H. Wilder Scholarship

Art Academy 2017 Scholarship Recipients are

  1. Andrea Bacca, Bristol,VA
  2. Cody Bechtol, Cheviot, OH
  3. Caroline Bell, Turpin Hills, OH
  4. Bruce Bennett, St. Paul, MN
  5. Kaitlin Burke, Hudson, OH
  6. Lauren Castillo, Greensboro, NC
  7. Mandy Clements, Greenville, NC
  8. Madison DeAtley, Loveland, OH
  9. Joseph DiMario, Cincinnati, OH
  10. Taylor Dorrell, Westerville, OH
  11. Claire Flath, West Chester, OH
  12. DJ Gathers, Madisonville, OH
  13. Zach Gibson, Covington, KY
  14. Sydney Greene, Union, KY
  15. November Hardy, Madisonville, OH
  16. Sam Holloway, Carmel, IN
  17. Jen Horsting, Loveland, OH
  18. Abriljoanna (April) Huerta, Fairfield, OH
  19. Aubre Lightner, Evanston, OH
  20. Noel Maghathe, White Oak, OH
  21. Nicole McClure, Tulia, TX
  22. Hailee McElroy-Herin, Clifton, OH
  23. Nikki Nesbit, Newport, KY
  24. Jack Nichols, Madisonville, OH
  25. Sabrina Pachla, Warren, MI
  26. Cecilia Padilla, Fairfield, OH
  27. Hannah Parker, West Price Hill, OH
  28. Audrey Patterson, Mount Juliet, TN
  29. Cody Perkins, Hebron, KY
  30. John Platt, Walnut Hills, OH
  31. Sydney Rains, Covington, KY
  32. Tez Robertson, Over-the-Rhine, OH
  33. Kane Sargent, Lucasville, OH
  34. Carly Simendinger, Lebanon, OH
  35. Vera Thornbury, Price Hill, OH
  36. Tiffany Tran, Verona, WI
  37. Savannah Vagedes, Ludlow, OH
  38. Sophia Velasco, Fisher, IN
  39. Julia Waldorf, Fairfield, OH
  40. Taylor Wellman, Amanda, OH
  41. Mal Wesley, Over-the-Rhine, OH
  42. Harris Wheeler, Lexington, KY
  43. Althea Wiggs, Lexington, KY
  44. Lindsay Wiles, Blanchester, OH
  45. Andre Wilson, Westwood, OH
  46. Katelyn Wolary. Wilmington, OH

May
08
2017 Wilder Traveling Award Recipients
  • Posted By : artacademy_admin/
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  • Under : AAC News, FEATURED News, News, Student News, Student Spotlight

The Art Academy of Cincinnati is pleased to announce that Noel Maghathe and Tiffany Tran are the recipients of the 2017 Stephen H. Wilder Traveling Award.

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Apr
17
Six Questions for Blake Lipper
  • Posted By : Art Academy of Cincinnati/
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  • Under : AAC News, Admissions Featured, FEATURED News, News, Student News, Student Spotlight

By Marcy Robledo

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Apr
17
+B Program at the Art Academy of Cincinnati
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  • Under : AAC News, FEATURED News, News

By Doug Geyer

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Apr
05
Throwing Yourself Through Time and Space
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  • Under : AAC News, FEATURED News, News

by Doug Geyer

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Mar
20
Dreaming of Disney in the Sewer
  • Posted By : Art Academy of Cincinnati/
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  • Under : AAC News, Alumni Featured, Alumni News, News

By Doug Geyer

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Mar
20
An Experiment in Movement
  • Posted By : Art Academy of Cincinnati/
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  • Under : AAC News, Alumni Featured, Alumni News, News

By Doug Geyer

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Mar
10
148-year-old Art Academy reflects on building a Cincinnati where art grads want to stay
  • Posted By : Art Academy of Cincinnati/
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  • Under : AAC News, Alumni News, News

Pierce, E. (2017). 148-year-old Art Academy reflects on building a Cincinnati where art grads want to stay. Retrieved from http://www.soapboxmedia.com

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Feb
08
small is beautiful
  • Posted By : Art Academy of Cincinnati/
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  • Under : AAC News, Alumni News, Exhibition News, News, Student News

By Doug Geyer

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