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The 2019 MAD Fest

It will be a day filled with cutting-edge art and design, workshops and sessions, professional artists and producers, and an award ceremony for students. Hundreds of students from dozens of high schools in WV, PA, and OH will participate again this year. Because of the high level of interest in MAD Fest, we will be limiting registration this year to 30 students per high school. Be sure to register your students early. The open date for online registration will be announced soon.

The MAD Festival CompetitionĚýis open to high school sophomores,Ěýjuniors, and seniors from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.ĚýThere will also be a separate competition for all West Liberty University students. Entries will beĚýjudged by a panel of professionals in the media arts. See the MAD Fest Competition FAQ for more details. Best of Show prizes include scholarship money and more!

Questions?

madfest@westliberty.edu

MADFEST Poster from 2018 – Created by Mimi Albon – WLUĚýVisual Communication DesignĚý˛őłŮłÜ»ĺ±đ˛ÔłŮ

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The 2017 West Virginia MAD (Media Arts and Design) FestivalĚýwill take place on the Campus of West Liberty University on Friday, April 7, 2017. It will be a day filled with workshop sessions, professional presentations, and a student media arts awards competition and ceremony. Hundreds of students from dozens of high schools in WV, PA, and OH are expected to participate again this year. Because of the high level of interest in MADFEST, we will be limiting registration this year to 30 students per high school. Be sure to register your students early. Online registration will open on this site on February 1, 2017.

The MAD Festival Competition
Open to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. There will also be a separate competition for all West Liberty University students. Entries will be judged by a panel of professionals in the media arts. See the MADFEST Competition FAQ for more details.

Please visit our MAD Festival site for additional details

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Art faculty members participating in this year’s exhibition are Sarah Davis, Brian Fencl, James Haizlett, Martyna Matusiak, Moon Jung Kang, Rebecca Kiger, Lee Ann Thill, Nancy Tirone, Lambros Tsuhlares and Robert Villamagna. In addition, Dr. Matthew D. Harder, interim dean, College of Arts and Communication, will present a sound installation based on the exhibition theme.

“Each year the Art Faculty Exhibition features a theme and this year the art faculty selected the theme of “6 X 6 X 6,” said Gallery Director Robert Villamagna. “Artworks in the exhibition may be of any media and on any subject, however, each work must be no larger than six inches in any direction.”

“Having a new theme for the exhibition each year does a number of things,” he noted, “It brings a freshness to the annual exhibition, it challenges the members of the art faculty, and it shows students how a diverse group of artists each approach a single problem or idea each in their own unique way and in a variety of media. This year the “theme” is based on size.”

Here are just a few examples of what visitors to the exhibition will see:

Associate Professor of Creative Arts Therapy Lee Ann Thill explores the physical properties of paint as a metaphor for disease processes, combining it with collage imagery to illuminate the underlying mechanisms of the exploitation of The Other. Her work represents a visual commentary on interconnected social diseases that plague our culture.

Instructor of Graphic Design Sarah Davis created “Nest: The DNA of Making,” a composite of photographs of hand-made paper nests that explore our natural desire to mate and how animals (including humans) can develop and inherit ways of making that become coded within our DNA.

A sketchbook is normally a pad of blank pages for sketching. In Professor Villamagna’s “Sketchbook” the pages are individual 6”x6” pieces of wood, and each page contains images in a variety of media. Like a traditional sketchbook, Villamagna’s pages will be a documentation of the world around him, while other pages explore his creative process.

All exhibitions at the Nutting Gallery are free and open to the public and the gallery is open 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays; with evenings and weekends by arrangement. For additional information contact Villamagna at 304-336-8370 or at rvillama@westliberty.edu

JANUARY 16, 2015 BY MAUREEN ZAMBITO
Poster design by Sara Davis

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Design students and faculty braved the cold weather and terrible traffic to attend “Behind the Platen,” a Pittsburgh AIGA sponsored lecture and exhibition. Letterpress has seen a resurgence in recent years, and we were able to see examples of its use in contemporary design. Brandon Boan of Tip Type Design Studio was the principle lecturer. He purchased an old shop and is now experimenting with different forms of image making using antique tools and processes. Here are some examples of letterpress equipment and products.

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The art they created is varied and interesting, offering everything from a comic strip like artwork to interactive graphic design images with audio, video and sculpture. “This is one of the best senior shows we’ve had in a while. The students worked hard and I congratulate them on the result,” said Assistant Professor of Art Robert Villamagna, who is the director of the Nutting Gallery. All students created a formal artist statement to go with their artwork.

“The world is a very chaotic place. We are constantly in motion, at times eager to catch our breath. Sometimes it is easy to overlook the beauty of the world and to take for granted the wonder of life. I believe my job, as an artist, is to capture a moment, a memory, even a thought so that it can stand still and be appreciated without limits,” said Natalie Rees. Rees believes all art is a gift and allows her to create memories that will not fade. She is donating all money made from the sale of her art in the exhibition to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org).

Artist Lindsey Fair created work that explores the theme of body image on social and personal levels. “It is truly unfortunate that our society’s standards of beauty is heavily directed and pressured by impossible beauty ideals… My artwork takes a critical view of the social views by which women’s body image is influenced,” Fair said. Using a variety of materials and processes in each piece of art, she creates a consistent message.

Student artist Miranda Pellicano created images that reveal personal values or ideals, created in mixed media pieces. “The collage of concepts, techniques and materials acts as an effective medium to showcase the growth I’ve experienced not only with this show, but also as a designer and artist,” Pellicano said.

Another student created a compelling and funny video about his student experience on the Hilltop. “Mine was a video self-portrait that looked at my time on campus. I tried to bring in student experiences and show my journey. Hopefully it’s entertaining and enjoyable,” said Fauble, who stars in the video that is just over nine minutes long. The only male artist in the show, Fauble graduates on Dec. 13 with a degree in graphic design.Ěý

The exhibition remains on display through Friday, Dec. 12. The Nutting Gallery is located in the Media Arts Center building and is dedicated to educating, enriching and engaging students and the public through art exhibitions of the highest quality and to promoting the visual arts within the WLU community. The Gallery fulfills this mission through eight exhibitions during the academic year. The annual exhibition schedule includes five exhibitions by visiting artists, two Senior Exhibitions, and the Annual Art Faculty Exhibition.

The exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, please contact rvillama@westliberty.edu or call 304-336-8370.

DECEMBER 8, 2014 BY MAUREEN ZAMBITO

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Maria Mangano is an artist whose work focuses on the intersection of nature, museums, and science to address issues of wildness, conservation, memory, and humanness. A native of Syracuse, NY, Mangano moved to Pittsburgh to attend Carnegie Mellon University. More of her work can be found on her website

Randy Yoho of Kanawha County, WV is an award of excellence winner from the West Virginia Division of Culture and adjunct lecturer in art around the Charleston area. His oversized woodcut prints focus on line reminiscent of topographical maps and are impressive for their scale and amount of labor involved.

Mission
The Nutting Gallery is dedicated to educating, enriching and engaging students and the public through art exhibitions of the highest quality and to promoting the visual arts within our community. The Gallery fulfills this mission through eight exhibitions during the academic year. This exhibition schedule includes five exhibitions by visiting artists, two Senior Exhibitions, and the Annual Art Faculty Exhibition. The Nutting Gallery is also dedicated to supporting the educational and cultural mission of West Liberty University. These offerings are supported by the Department of Art and Communications, and guided by the Gallery Director.

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A group of WLU graphic design professors and senior graphic design students spent five days in Portland, Oregon for West Liberty’s first Design Week trip. The group, consisting of professors James Haizlett, Moonjung Kang, and Sarah Davis, and senior graphic design students Sydney Bennett, Jessica Wilson, Chloe Woods, and Miranda Pellicano, left for Portland on Saturday, Oct. 4 and came back on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

Design Week Portland was a weeklong event highlighting arts and design in Portland, Oregon, including graphic arts, photography, architecture, fashion, and film, Associate Professor of Graphic Design James Haizlett said. This was the first time that the graphic design program took students to Design Week, but each year, a different US city hosts the event. WLU’s graphic design program hopes to offer the trip every year from now on to graduating seniors.

Each morning of Design Week, Haizlett said, the group would start out at a central hub in the middle of Portland, where they would plan their activities for the day. Some of their many activities included, he said, “free exhibitions, studio tours, environmental installations, and social gatherings with other designers.” They also attended seminars and gallery openings, and toured art museums and exhibits. One of the most important things that the students were able to do while in Portland, though, according to senior graphic design major Miranda Pellicano, was networking and gaining professional graphic design contacts. “The Portland designers opened up their doors,” she said, “and we took the opportunity to take a step in.” Student Sydney Bennett agreed. “We reached out and networked with people clear across the country,” she said. “That is huge in this field.”

Though West Liberty’s art department has taken other trips in the past, this is the first one to focus specifically on graphic design. According to Associate Professor of Graphic Design Moonjung Kang, they host a trip to New York City every March, but that trip, she said, is “mainly about experiencing fine arts.” She added, “All the graphic design major students in our department start their studies with their artistic talent and joy of drawing. But when their studies get serious they really need to gain and collect more of the real life experience from existing and current graphic design fields.” This trip, then, aimed to teach the students about art but also about the real, professional world of graphic design. From the perspective of the students who went on the trip, Design Week Portland more than exceeded those goals, serving as an inspiration for their designs and their careers after graduation.

“I know I speak for everyone in the group,” student Chloe Woods said, “when I say that Portland really had an effect on us. Design is everywhere, but design is alive and well in Portland, Oregon. Out of all the incredible lessons, knowing that my passion for design is shared and encouraged by so many people who believe in it themselves is a great feeling.” Sydney Bennett agreed. “We honestly experienced design in every form it could have possibly been in, and it made me so excited to design new things and I’ve already started. It was like it created this jolt of energy in my design portion of my brain, and I can’t wait to take everything in and just create, create, create!”

Miranda Pellicano said, “I gained so much more enlightenment as to what graphic design is, how it’s used, how I want to use it, and more. [The trip] really solidified my passion and direction in design and art.” Jessica Wilson added, “The people there are so full of life and are really passionate about their work,” she said. “Just walking down the street and seeing beautiful design has me ten times more excited that I chose this field. I’m extremely fortunate to have had this amazing opportunity.”

The professors got a lot out of the Design Week experience, as well. Haizlett was amazed and exhilarated by the “unique design aesthetic” in Portland, adding that the best word to describe the city, and their trip there, is “quality.” According to Haizlett, those who went on the trip will be designing and producing a booklet to document their trip to Portland, which he hopes will become a series of booklets as the trips continue in years to come. The booklet will be available for viewing at the Elbin Library and the art department.

Ěý

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Every fall, West Liberty University College of Arts and Communication graphic design seniors have a chance to experience the challenge of presenting their work to a discriminating audience.

The design presentation took place in the Boyle Conference Room from noon until 1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 17.

From left, Sydney Bennett, Jessica Wilson, Kylie Woyat, Chloe Woods, Alexis Irvin, Lucas Fauble, Miranda Pelicano, Elizabeth Pabst and Carly Jochumsen pose after the competition.

During the competition, student teams present their own team corporate identities as they prepare to do “business” with campus and community organizations. The teams provide examples of their past work and compete in packaging themselves as the strongest design team to the audience.

Student team names and members include:

Ebb and Flow Ink – Alexis Irvin, Miranda Pelicano and Chloe Woods.
Ethøs – Sydney Bennett, Jessica Wilson and Kylie Woyat.
We Must Design – Lucas Fauble, Carly Jochumsen and Elizabeth Pabst.

“This is a great chance for students to practice their communications skills and hone their message in front of a professional audience comprised of campus faculty, administration, and community leaders. It’s their first milestone on the way to working with real clients on community projects throughout the semester,” said Associate Professor James Haizlett.

Audience members were given scorecards to grade the students on their presentations and are given the opportunity to provide valuable critique. Haizlett then tallied up the votes to select the winning student team.

Audience members were given scorecards to grade the students on their presentations and are given the opportunity to provide valuable critique. Haizlett then tallied up the votes to select the winning student team, which was Ethøs. Team members from the winning group of students were from the towns of: Sydney Bennett, Follansbee, W.Va., Jessica Wilson, Mount Hope, W.Va. and Kylie Woyat, Norton, Ohio.

WLU graphic design program is a member of the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), the professional association for design. Established in 1988, AIGA Pittsburgh has more than 450 members.

For more information on the West Liberty University graphic design program, please visit: westliberty.edu/art or contact Haizlett at 304-336-8077.

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The Nutting Gallery is located in the Hall of Fine Arts on the campus of West Liberty University in West Liberty, WV. All exhibitions at the Nutting Gallery are free and open to the public. The gallery is open 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM weekdays; evenings and weekends by arrangement. For additional information contact Robert Villamagna at 304-336-8370 or at rvillama@westliberty.edu

Mission
The Nutting Gallery is dedicated to educating, enriching and engaging students and the public through art exhibitions of the highest quality and to promoting the visual arts within our community. The Gallery fulfills this mission through eight exhibitions during the academic year. This exhibition schedule includes five exhibitions by visiting artists, two Senior Exhibitions, and the Annual Art Faculty Exhibition. The Nutting Gallery is also dedicated to supporting the educational and cultural mission of West Liberty University. These offerings are supported by the Department of Art and Communications, and guided by the Gallery Director.

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