State Senator Gloria Negrete-McLeod – Keynote Speaker
State Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter – Keynote Speaker
Dr. Maxwell Ohikhuare, Public Health Officer for San Bernardino County – speaker
Sheriann Ferguson, manager of Countrywide Home Loans in Colton – speaker
Rialto Unified School District Governing Board Member Joanne Gilbert – Speaker
Fontana City Council Member Acquanetta Warren – speaker
Dr. Diane Woods, president and founder of African-American Health Initiative of San Bernardino County – Speaker
Rialto City Councilman Ed Palmer – Host
Rialto City Councilwoman Deborah Robertson – Host
Rialto City Clerk Barbara McGee – Speaker and Host
Beverly Powell, Regional Manager for Southern California Edison – speaker
(RIALTO, Calif.) Three Rialto city leaders will observe Women’s History Month (March) with a focus on women of today.
Rialto City Council members Deborah Robertson and Ed Palmer and City Clerk Barbara McGee are hosting the third annual “State of Women: A Dialogue Between Women” conference Saturday, March 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rialto Senior Center, 1141 Riverside Ave., Rialto.
The main speakers for this event are State Senator Gloria Negrete-McLeod and Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter. These women are two of only a few women in the Inland Empire holding state elected offices, and both representing Rialto.
“In November of 2006, for the first time, we finally had a woman representing us in the State Senate and another woman representing us in the Assembly,” Robertson said. “I thought then it was time to tap into a wonderful resource, to highlight during Women’s’ History Month in March of 2007.”
As they did the previous two years, State Senator Negrete-McLeod and Assembly member Carter, as well as other speakers will provide information about issues that are important to women.
There will be other speakers in the areas of health, employment, education, politics, family and finances. These speakers include:
Rialto City Clerk Barbara McGee
Rialto School Board member Joanne Gilbert
Southern California Edison Regional Manager Beverly Powell.
Dr. Diane Woods, director of the African-American Health Institute of San Bernardino County
Dr. Maxwell Ohikhuare, Public Health Officer for San Bernardino County
Sherrian Johnson, home loan consultant/sales manager of Countrywide Home Loans in Colton
Acquanetta Warren, Fontana City Council member
Lunch will be catered by the Complete Health Food Store, owned by Barbara Frenard, a woman-owned business in Rialto. Healthy Rialto, San Bernardino County Public Health, Brothers and Sisters in Action (BASIA), the South Coast Air Quality Management District, The Gas Company, Southern California Edison and the Rialto Redevelopment and Housing Agency will have information available.
Seating is limited, so those who wish to attend should RSVP as soon as possible by calling (909) 820-2519 or emailing bmcgee@rialtoca.gov
That’s not necessarily true, especially when you are an executive with a multi-national corporation and must deal on a regular basis with employees or customers who are based in another country.
KD Conseil, a French organization owned by Kathleen Dameron of Paris, seeks to help multinational corporations work through cultural barriers to deliver the best goods and services possible. KD Conseil helps multi-national firms understand the different cultures within their organization. By understanding and working through cultural differences, KD Conseil helps the firm develop “shared practices” that will be highly efficient ways of delivering their services and products in a global market.
“A lot of what I do is help people to understand that they have a culture,” she said. “When you are in your own culture, everything goes more or less the same way. When you go to work with a different culture, they will do the same things for very different reasons. And sometimes they will do things very differently.”
“You can have some surprises,” she said. “Some of them will be pleasant, some of them unpleasant.”
While differences between countries can be quite pronounced, people within the same country can also have different cultures based on the type of work they do.
“Marketing people have a certain way of doing things,” Dameron explained. “Engineers have another. So if you put into a room, people who are all American marketing people, they would have a lot in common as to how they do things. If you are in a room with different American people, such as marketing people, engineers and sales people, there are some things that will be different. And if you put together people who are French, American, German and Indonesian then they might have very different ideas about everything.”
For instance, Dameron has worked with a multi-national company that does business in about 80 countries. When the company first started working with her, it wanted all the subsidiaries to do all things the same way. She is helping them to envision a company-wide plan that addresses the need for flexibility in how things are done.
“Their practices were creating real issues within this organization. It led to things being done partially. They wanted things done that don’t work in the French market, that don’t work in the American market.”
For instance, this company wanted all of their offices to use the same insurance forms. But on a German insurance form, it is natural to ask the customer to state his or her religion. That is because of a difference in how Germany and other countries handle the issue of giving money to churches.
“In Germany, when people pay taxes, the government sends a portion of the tax money to a church, based on the taxpayer’s stated preference,” Dameron explained. “In the United States, if I want to give money to my faith, I’ll do it myself.”
“The Germans didn’t see a problem with that question,” she said. “But if their subsidiaries started sending that form to the United States, we could have had a lawsuit. All the subsidiaries did was argue with headquarters and then do what they wanted to.”
With Dameron’s help, the company and subsidiary managers were able to see that it would be more effective to develop a “shared practice.” That is, they would agree on a form with questions that all could ask, and each subsidiary could then send a supplemental form with additional questions that would be helpful where they did business.
As she did with this insurance company, Dameron works with each of her clients to help them develop a unique solution to whatever problems culture clashes could cause. She calls this “decoding” the other culture.
“A lot of firms want a list of what to do and not to do. You can find those things online,” she said. “My added value is how I can help you learn how to understand and work with the differences within another culture.”
“People want a list of what to do and what not to do because makes them comfortable,” she added. “Some of that is really useful and helpful. Some of it is giving yourself a crutch so you don’t have to learn about other people’s cultures. What you really need to do is learn how to decode the other culture.”
Dameron offers her assistance in decoding cultures primarily by presenting one- to three-day seminars to company executives in retreat settings. She is also a public speaker who has given presentations on multicultural competence to the French multi-national defense company Theles, executive MBA students at French business school Essec and to the French organization Societa Frances de Coaching, which is an organization for business coaches and life coaches.
Her recent clients include:
• AGF of the Allianz Insurance Group
• Rio Tinto Alcan
• BNP Paribas
• College de Polytechnic, which is the premier engineering school in France, she trains management/leadership executives enrolled in the continuing education program
• ESSEC, the premier business school in France, she trains students enrolled in the Masters of Business Administration and Master of International Affairs programs for executive management
• Thales
• KCI Laboratories
• Thomson Multimedia
• Tyco Electronics
• Veolia Water
• Vuitton
To reach KD Conseil, phone (331) 4221-0073 or email info@kdconseil.com. French speakers may obtain information about the company through the website www.kdconseil.com and English speakers will be able to do so soon.
Kathleen Dameron was born in East St. Louis, Illinois and also lived in southern California. She graduated from the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands in California. She also has a degree from the Universitè de Paris. She resides in Paris, France, where she established KD Conseil in 1992.
KD Conseil helps multi-national firms understand the different cultures within their organization. By understanding and working through cultural differences, KD Conseil helps the firm develop “shared practices” that will be highly efficient ways of delivering their services and products in a global market.
-end-
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Danielle Hobbs is adding a new twist to her motivational one-woman show “Hero” show this year. This year’s show, scheduled for 8 a.m., Friday, Feb. 27, at Frisbee Middle School in Rialto, features cultural heroes such as Cesar Chavez, Selena and Amelia Earhart.
Hobbs started the Hero show, named after the Mariah Carey song, “Hero,” to empower local youths and show that they can be a positive part of American history and future heroes. “I have been doing this African American heritage program since 2004,” Hobbs said. “The new show adds a little more cultural diversity. The show raises African American awareness, but it’s more about American triumph.”
“I want youths to walk away from this show knowing they can be whatever want to be,” Hobbs said. “I like empowering youths to be better and to have big dreams.”
Hobbs has a long and diverse history in the entertainment world. She first started dancing at the age of 4 , as an after-school hobby. She showed so much promise that she eventually graduated from high school two years early. Hobbs went onto to tour the world with a dance troupe.
After graduating from Long Beach State in 1998, Hobbs turned her dance skills to the music world working on music videos for artists such as Chico DeBarge, Usher, Will Smith, Master P, Snoop Dogg and the East Side Boyz. She later graduated to choreographing awards shows for BET and MTV and doing promo tours for Mariah Carey, Eve and Missy Elliot.
More recently Hobbs has worked with A-list star Beyonce, choreographing the “B-Day” video and working with Beyonce and Shakira on the video for “Beautiful Liar.”
Hobbs is currently working on a book titled “I Dance: A Simple Handbook for Starting a Successful Dance Career” scheduled to be published later this year. The book shows aspiring dancers how to make it in the entertainment world. “I’m so happy to have the opportunity to share my experience with upcoming dancers,” she said. “There are many young people who have the talent to succeed in this industry, but they just need someone to steer them in the right direction.”
For more information about the Hero show please call Dameron Communications at (909) 888-0017. -end-
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Sunil Thankamushy has what most young men would consider to be the dream job. He gets paid to design and play video games like “Call of Duty: Finest Hour.”
Thankamushy, founder of the video game studio Spark Unlimited, is a guest speaker at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, located at 630 E. Brier in San Bernardino, at 11:50 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 25. He is talking to students about how to break into the video game industry. Everyone is welcome. Please check in at the front desk.
“Sunil is a veteran insider of the video game industry,” said Santosh Oommen, Academic Director for Game Art and Design at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. “He offers our Game Art and Design students valuable tips on how to break into this business.”
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire’s Game Art and Design program prepares young people for jobs as video game designers and animators.
Thankamushy was one of the first animators selected by Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Interactive Studio. Thankamushy was one of a handful of people chosen to create the best-selling World War II video game “Medal of Honor.” As animation director of “Medal of Honor,” Thankamushy helped turn Spielberg’s ideas into a multi-billion dollar video game franchise.
“Medal of Honor” is loosely based on Spielberg’s Oscar-winning movie “Saving Private Ryan.” Imagine Games Network (IGN), a web site covering the play games online industry, ranked “Medal of Honor” as one of the top 25 games of all time for the PlayStation console.
After leaving DreamWorks Interactive, Thankamushy also worked at video game giant Electronic Arts (EA) before starting his own studio, Spark Unlimited. The studio has launched two originals games, “Turning Point: Fall of Liberty” and “Legendary.”
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.
The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.
It’s not too late to start a new term at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin April 6 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.
For more information, or to arrange a tour, call The Art Institute at (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire), a system of more than 40 locations throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
-end-
Pictured from left to right are Alex Alonso and his father Alonso Alonso.
Alonso Alonso stands in front of the entrance of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire recently enrolled its 1,000th student, a benchmark of the school’s recognition as a major force in creative college-level education.
The 1,000th student is Alonso Alonso, 34, from San Bernardino. He’s a culinary student and a single father of Andrew, 6.
“I did not have any background in the culinary field,” he recalls, “but even in junior high the Home Economics class fascinated me. Then when I got to high school I became hooked on cooking classes. So, that’s six years of culinary background before I even thought about college and a degree.”
Alonso entered quite a few local baking competitions while attending Calipatria High School in Imperial County, as well as drafting contests since he was also interested in architecture at the time.
He went on to enroll at California State University, San Bernardino, majoring in psychology. However, he dropped out to find a job in order to support his son.
After 13 years at an Ontario distribution warehouse, Alonso was laid off this past September. “I knew the company was in trouble,” he says. “There were around 40 layoffs, all without warning. I had to do something. I could go back to school and finish my degree in business administration, but I’d soured on the distribution thing. It was time to do what I really loved.”
What he loved was cooking and food preparation, and though he did consider various colleges, it became clear The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire’s award-winning culinary program could provide exactly what Alonso wanted and needed with a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Management.
“My focus was too spread out,” he remembers. “I couldn’t narrow down where I should concentrate for my education. But now, with The Art Institute’s culinary program, I’m on target.”
This 1,000th student has his sights set on being a chef after graduation in 2011, and with a B.S. under his arm.
“Alonso Alonso will do well here at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire,” said President Emam El-Hout. “In his first term here, we have seen his dedication to learning the basics of culinary arts so that he can provide a better life for himself and his son. We know his dedication will ultimately result in him managing or owning a fantastic restaurant where we can all look forward to enjoying gourmet meals.”
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.
It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Feb. 19 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.
For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.
Sandra Hugh, an eighth-grader at Ruth O. Harris Middle School in Bloomington, presents “Fashion Passion,” her concept of a pre-teen’s dream room, to judges in the Interior Design portion of the student organization FHA-HERO’s Region 10 Competitive Recognition Events held recently at Ontario High School. Judges included Sara Sandoval (left), academic director of Interior Design program at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire and Susan Thomas (right). Some of the drawings on Sandra’s presentation board were created with Auto-CAD (Computer Aided Design) software. Photo by Chris Sloan
(ONTARIO, Calif.) Before a young person commits to obtaining a college degree at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, something sparks their creativity.
For students who are pursuing degrees in Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Interior Design, Fashion Design and Fashion & Retail Management, that spark of creativity is often an organization they belonged to in high school, FHA-HERO. With that in mind the academic directors of these Art Institute of California – Inland Empire programs, Eyad Joseph, Sara Sandoval and Sherry West, helped judge a regional FHA-HERO competition held recently at Ontario High School.
Just as they would be able to continue doing at The Art Institute after high school graduation, the teenagers gain from FHA-HERO an opportunity to learn about and succeed in home economics-related fields. In fact, the HERO part of FHA-HERO means “Home Economics Related Occupations.”
The FHA part of the organization’s name means “Future Homemakers of America,” but that’s a tribute to their long history as an organization for students enrolled in home economics. Its only bearing on the home economics curriculum in 21st Century high schools in California is that a portion of the curriculum strives to prepare youth for personal success at home and in a career.
This curriculum is officially known as “Home Economics Careers and Technology.” It heavily emphasizes preparing students for careers in home economics, which is what The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire also wants to do for its Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Interior Design, Fashion Design and Fashion & Retail Management students.
Educators at both levels agree. The Home Economics Careers and Technology program is a great first step, but college is also important for those who seek more than an entry-level career in these industries.
“These students are looking for educational opportunities in the local colleges,” said Sara Sandoval, academic director of the Interior Design program at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. “Competitions like the one sponsored by FHA-HERO influence students entering The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. They come to our school having already experienced an opportunity to positively influence other people’s lives through their skills, and are ready to take those experiences to a new level.”
As an Interior Design instructor, Sandoval was impressed to see middle school students using Auto-CAD (Computer Aided Design) software to create their entries in FHA-HERO’s Interior Design competition. Auto-CAD is a program The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire teaches its third-quarter Interior Design students, after they first take two quarters of paper and pencil drafting.
But for the young teens who did this, learning Auto-CAD from family members was just one of the many ways they have enriched their lives through learning. To create entries that showed the judges their concepts of an ideal room for a pre-teen child, the students also relied on freehand drawing, math and public speaking to create entries that included display boards, cost and materials analyses and five-minute speeches.
“Their thirst for knowledge and interest in developing lifelong professional skills also coincides with their interest in supporting the wellbeing of a community by becoming involved in a school organization such as FHA-HERO,” Sandoval said. “As industry professionals and educators, it is our responsibility to channel their great productive energy into well-rounded designers.”
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.
The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.
It’s not too late to start a new term at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin April 6 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.
For more information, or to arrange a tour, call The Art Institute at (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire), a system of more than 40 locations throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
Every year, The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire hosts several competitions providing winners with scholarships. Here, current student Kevin Agra competes in the Best Teen Chef 2008 competition. For winning this competition he received a $3,000 scholarship. This was just one of many scholarships, totaling $159,000, the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire awarded in 2008. Robert Swapp Photo
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Fifteen Inland Empire residents are taking the first steps toward their dreams of careers in the arts, with the help of $159,000 in scholarships awarded by The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, located in San Bernardino, is a private university, which offers degrees in creative careers such as graphic design, interior design, culinary arts, culinary management, web design & interactive media, media arts & animation, game art & design.
“The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire feels that if people have the talent and drive, then paying for education should not be an obstacle,” said President Emam El-Hout. “The scholarships will help many Inland Empire residents receive an education that can help them pursue careers that they love.”
The scholarships include awards of $1,000 to $15,000. Four of the awards were for placing in the preliminary rounds of national competitions.
Alurra Hughes of Redlands won $3,000 in The Art Institutes Poster Competition for designing what was judged the best poster of all entries from The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire. Kevin Agra of Rancho Cucamonga and Scott Nerim of Riverside won awards of $3,000 and $1,000 by placing first and third in The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef competition, in which students cooked items on a set menu in a timed competition.
The remaining awards, for $5,000 to $15,000, went to first- and second-place winners in local scholarship competitions. There were two categories of award winners in most of these competitions, members of the Class of 2008, and adults who graduated from high school before 2008 and now wished to attend The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.
These scholarship winners demonstrated excellence in a particular program of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.
• Culinary – Students planned a menu, submitted the menu, its recipes and photos, and wrote an essay about why they wanted to be culinarians. • Game Art & Design – Students sent their ideas for new games, along with drawings of a character and a set. • Graphic Design – Students submitted a poster, two illustrations and either pencil or pen and ink drawings. • Media Arts & Animation – Students submitted four drawings, a computer generated 3-D model and their own 15-second animated Quick Time movie. • Interior Design – Students submitted a portfolio showing creative design ability, which included sketches, perspective drawings with hand-lettering and in some cases, floor plans and room elevations • Web Design & Interactive Media – Students submitted a portfolio including a five-page interactive Website and a site map flowchart for the Website.
A $15,000 scholarship for Web Design & Interactive Media makes the college experience easier for Hector Franco, whose hometown is the desert city of Littlerock, near Palmdale. Unlike many students, who live close enough to The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire to commute from home, Franco and a classmate from Littlerock High School moved after their 2008 graduation to the Art Institute’s student housing and must pay room and board as well as tuition.
“We don’t have much money, and we didn’t get any grants,” he said about himself and his friend. “So I was really happy to get this scholarship.”
Franco believes the skills he’s learning in the Web Design & Interactive Media program could benefit him in a variety of careers.
“Besides, Web design is something I have always liked,” he said.
Ceara Alejo of Mira Loma is also studying Web Design & Interactive Media, qualified for a $5,000 scholarship to the program. Like Franco, she believes this course of study will give her valuable skills in any career she may later pursue.
“I didn’t have money, so getting a scholarship really helped,” said the 2008 graduate of Jurupa Valley High School. “I have always enjoyed drawing, and I really wanted to go to The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.”
Aldo Lopez of Upland, who received a $15,000 scholarship in Graphic Design, doubts he would have been able to attend college without this help.
“Money is a big problem, because of the economy,” he said. “And college is not cheap.”
The 2008 Upland High School graduate is now pursuing an associate degree in Graphic Design, which he could obtain in less than two years through The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire’s year-round schedule. The associate degree alone would provide opportunities he does not have with just a high school education, he said.
“I think it would give me an edge,” he said.
But Lopez’ future may also include pursuit of a bachelor’s degree at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire before he starts his career. Both Graphic Design and the newly established Fashion Design programs are possibilities, he said.
“I have always wanted to design my own clothing line,” he said. “I most like the graphic element of that, such as designing logos for T-shits.”
Scholarship recipients are:
Winners name City Scholarship Amount Program Catherine Anderson Fontana $15,000 1st Culinary Erik Goebel Hesperia $5,000 2nd Culinary Alurra Hughes Redlands $15,000 1st $3,000 1st Game Art & Design Poster Contest Aldo Lopez Upland $15,000 1st Graphic Design Josiah Serrano Rancho Cucamonga $5,000 2nd Graphic Design
Ziad Jabeguero Fontana $15,000 1st Media Arts & Animation Hector Franco Littlerock $15,000 1st Web Design & Interactive Media Ceara Alejo Mira Loma $5,000 2nd Web Design & Interactive Media Kimbra Brown Riverside $10,000 1st Culinary Jessica Hurst Mira Loma $10,000 1st Game Art & Design Carissa Williams Victorville $5,000 2nd Game Art & Design Amanda Birosak Corona $10,000 1st Interior Design Shalonda Jackson Moreno Valley $10,000 1st Graphic Design Kevin Agra Alta Loma $3,000 1st Best Teen Chef Scott Nerim Riverside $1,000 3rd Best Teen Chef
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.
It’s not too late to start classes at The Art Institute of California–Inland Empire. Courses begin Jan. 12 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new an
d reentry students.
For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California–Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or (800) 353-0182 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with more than 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
Some of Jana Rawling’s Graphic Design students make a statement in the Inland Empire: From left to right, top row: Collin Hjulberg, Amber Aguirre, Jesus Flores-Rodriguez, Armando Lopez, Nicole Lee, Adrian Aguirre, Stephen Figueroa, Tracy Anderson; middle row: Andrew Hernandez, Darius Giurar, Andrea Perales, Mariana Munoz Gomez, Dhani Olive; front row: Jeannette Castrejon, Jana Rawling, Megan Lane.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – “I have a passion for teaching and a dedication to student success,” explains Jana Rawling, the new Academic Director of Graphic Design at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. “I believe I do not have all the answers, but that I can find them and teach students how to find them, too.”
This is at the heart of this Upland’s resident’s educational philosophy. It’s hands-on guidance: “I earned the titles I’ve acquired, and worked hard to do it. I expect the same dedication and focus from this next generation.”
Rawling’s commercial art background spans nearly 20 years, first at 19 as the Art Director & Production Manager for Synaptix Advertising in Garden Grove, then as Creative Director at Internet Exchange International in Corona Del Mar. This was followed by an Art Director role for Ontario’s Sasso & Burgoon Advertising and then as Senior Art Director for Stewart Holt & Partners ad agency, when the two companies merged.
Then it was on to Irvine’s Freedom Communications as manager of Corporate Communication & Marketing, followed by Director of Marketing and Creative Services with Crown Printers in San Bernardino.
During this time, Rawling managed a multi-million dollar project for the Fleetwood RV account, responsible for all the art direction, print product, photos and more. Her design work for corporate annual reports didn’t go unnoticed, garnering her honors from as far away as Europe and as powerful as America’s ADDY Awards, the world’s largest advertising competition.
But, academia called, which led Rawling to The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire as a graphic design instructor. She was at The Art Institute, teaching just two classes on Saturdays when she got the call to join full time, and shortly after to head the 280-student Graphic Design department this past September.
Her move into that role will be a gradual one. “I don’t like change for the sake of change,” Rawling says. “There will remain a great deal of emphasis on becoming hirable. That is, it’s fine to have a beautiful or powerful portfolio as a designer, but the commercial artwork must have a strong concept, must have effective reasons for what’s on the paper or screen. It can’t simply be pretty, it’s got to sell.”
Rawling’s students, therefore, won’t only learn composition, typography and design. “We’ll also be exploring animated corporate and client multimedia presentations, Web design and development, account management, budget adherence and the importance of meeting deadlines. Students today have to be as technical as they are artistic. Still, even under the highest pressure of deadlines, budget requirements and resource management, one must have fun.”
Her education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix in Ontario and an Associate of Science degree in Graphic Design & Multimedia from Denver’s Westwood College Online.
“The Art Institute’s creative learners,” Rawling concludes, “often require a flexible, non-traditional approach to learning. Many of these students have previously had negative experiences with education, and they come into the classroom carrying that baggage; this must be overcome.”
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.
It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin April 6 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.
For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.
The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire is only one of more than 40 educational institutions within The Art Institutes system, located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
Art Institute of California – Inland Empire Interior Design students working on a remodel of the Forever Wild Animal Sanctuary in Phelan. The students volunteered with the Extreme Makeover television reality series to remodel this sanctuary and build its owners a new home in early February. Photo by Sara Sandoval
(PHELAN, Calif.) Life has become a whole lot better for Joel and Chemaine Almquist and all their animals.
Students and faculty from The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire played a part in this, as they joined with ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the Building Industry Association of Southern California and many other volunteers to build the Almquists a new home in one week. The makeover took place at the Almquists’ Buttermere Road home in Phelan, a High Desert community southwest of Victorville and Extreme Makeover presented the new home and shelter to them on Saturday, Feb. 7.
“It was an incredible atmosphere, a collaborative building experience,” said Sara Sandoval, academic director of the Interior Design program at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, and one of the project volunteers. “Our students were professional and helpful with any assigned task, no matter how difficult or labor-intensive the work. And because of our team spirit, a lot of people in Phelan were asking about our campus, many of whom now plan to come down to San Bernardino for their own personal tours.”
The Almquists operate Forever Wild Animal Sanctuary, where they care for nine tigers, three tortoises, three parrots, 10 alligators, four servals, four bearded lizards, two lynx and a Cobra. This shelter, which is licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Fish & Game, accepts these animals when a previous owner is no longer able to care for them.
Although Forever Wild Animal Sanctuary is a non-profit organization and Chemaine Almquist devotes her days to raising funds for it, the care and feeding of these animals had taken its toll on the Almquists’ personal lives. They lived in a double-wide mobile home with no heating or air-conditioning, leaking pipes and holes patched together by duct tape.
A team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition knocked on the Almquists’ door Friday, Jan. 31 to announce their plans to build a new home and animal shelter for them. While the Almquists were away on vacation, the Extreme Makeover team is working with more than 100 volunteers, including The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire students, to build the new home and shelter in a week.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.
The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.
It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin April 6 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.
For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with more than 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
Sharon Kauffman, owner of another gallery in Riverside, examines pieces in The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire’s EVOLVE student show taking place through Feb. 27 at Division 9 Gallery in Riverside.
A poster promoting the EVOLVE student art show is part of the display at Division 9 Gallery in Riverside. The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire also placed this image on on t-shirts and other promotional materials to make art enthusiasts aware of the show taking place through Feb. 27.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) “EVOLVE,” an art show with a different focus than most, is taking place through Feb. 27 at Division 9 Gallery, 3850 Lemon St. in downtown Riverside.
EVOLVE’s sponsor, The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, specializes in providing artists with a college education in a field will that allow them to turn their passion into a career. Thus, these student artists focus in school on graphic design and other commercial applications, such as Web design, animation and interior design. Much of the artwork in EVOLVE reflects this focus.
Yet, great designs begin with art. While Art Institute of California – Inland Empire students often rely on computer technology to produce their work, much of this technology is merely advanced forms of drawing, painting, photography and sculpture. Before they learn how to draw, paint and sculpt on a computer, students do so with the tools of a traditional artist – pencils and pens, ink, paint, photographs, chisels and clay.
EVOLVE is a balance of emerging artists’ creativity, and what happens when that creativity combines with the discipline and skill they’ve acquired in learning to be commercial artists. Students created all of the work displayed in EVOLVE as a project in one of their classes at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.
Some of this work may have been created for a fictional client. Other work is simply expressing an artist’s opinion through imagery. Sometimes it captures the amusing aspects of life, sometimes those that are more serious.
“There is a lot of thinking and a lot of humor in this art,” said Sharon Kauffman, who owns another gallery in Riverside and visited EVOLVE during its grand opening Feb. 5 at Riverside Artwalk.
“It shows that these artists are aware and involved in what is going on in the world.”
Jake Castorena, a Media Arts & Animation major at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, has exhibited in both EVOLVE, and its 2008 predecessor, PROCESS. He sees the art shows as a way to showcase the multiple talents of The Art Institute’s students.
“It puts our finest works of art before the community, and it may inspire young people in the community to pursue art as a career, as we have,” Castorena said. “It also allows the Art Institute to show how well we are instructed in art. And it shows our family what we do. We are so busy with school, working in our rooms or in a lab, they don’t see much of us. This allows us to show them what we have been working on for six or seven months.”
Jennifer Rodrigues isn’t exhibiting in EVOLVE, but after viewing the show, this Art Institute of California – Inland Empire student agrees it represents her campus well.
“There are many talented people who attend my school,” she said. “This is but a sample of what there is at The Art Institute.”
The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design. The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.
It’s not too late to start a new term at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin April 6 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.
For more information, or to arrange a tour, call The Art Institute at (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire), a system of more than 40 locations throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
Beverly Powell, Regional Manager for Southern California Edison – speaker
