Five Virtual Ways to Engage with the Otis Community

1.   Some high school students and their families might not know the full extent of career opportunities for artists and designers. They can hear about them firsthand at a special panel discussion, Creative Futures in Art and Design, on November 18 at 7:00 p.m., moderated by Sheharazad Fleming, Creative Director at Otis. The panel will feature Juston Gordon (’13 BFA Fine Arts), Story Editor at Netflix; Lisa Huish (’10 BFA Product Design), High Temperature Soft Goods Technician at SpaceX; George Martinez (’14 BFA Communication Arts), Senior Packaging Designer at Mattel; Albert Valdez (’10 BFA Fine Arts and ACT), Manager of Mobile Programs, Education and Public Programs department, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and Lauren Smith Stone, Group Creative Director at 72 and Sunny advertising agency. More info here.
 

2.   Otis College Extension just launched a Game Level Design Certificate Program this fall semester and will be holding a special panel discussion, Diverse Voices in the Game Design Industry, on November 10 at 6:00 p.m. Join us as we speak with creative professionals Amy Allison, Chase Bethea, and Jonathan Scott, who will focus on their personal stories and career journeys in the game design industry. There is a $10 admission fee to attend the virtual session. Link to register here.

3.   Don’t miss  Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire on Netflix. The documentary chronicles the life and career of painter Carlos Almaraz, who earned his MFA in Fine Arts from Otis in 1974. The Los Angeles Times’ Caroline Miranda writes of the documentary, “A wealth of archival video interviews with Almaraz, as well as access to his journals, give the documentary an intimate touch—as does footage of the artist late in life, when AIDS had devoured his vigor. Ultimately, it’s a compelling tribute to an artist who lived fast and died young. But who left behind a rich visual legacy that was as informed by art history as it was by the singular landscapes of Los Angeles.” Check it out here. 

4.   Know someone who might benefit from an Otis education or want to learn more? Request an Admissions viewbook, which features a pull-out poster (above) illustrated by Khang Nguyen (’21 BFA Communication Arts). The Otis Admissions office also is hosting several virtual events this fall, including its annual Open House, on November 7, 2020.

5.   The Otis Laboratory Press is participating in the 2020 Virtual Los Angeles Printers Fair and you can purchase the prints they are offering at the Fair through the new Otis Online Store. Prints include Spirits in my Head by Alison Saar (‘81 MFA Fine Arts) and poet Harryette Mullen, and One Must Return by Alex Kizu, Fabian Debora, Juan-Carlos Munoz Hernandez, and Leslie Ross-Robertson, among others. These prints and others will be available throughout the month of November.