Friendlies:
I just got off the phone with my brother Jeff, who is an Alum of CCA[C] Illustration. He graduated in 1985, which was one of the first years that Illustration was offered as a major at CCAC. He was the first to know, and you’re next:
It was announced today that I have been appointed as Chair of the CCA Illustration Program. I have been working with Chair Owen Smith for the past six years as Assistant Chair, and will start as Chair in August 2022. Owen will continue as Tenured Faculty at CCA. I am so grateful to him and all our colleagues at CCA: to Provost Tammy Rae Carland, Dean Helen-Maria Nugent, and Director Cecilia Ng-Newman.
Being both an Alumni of CCA Illustration and the next Chair of the Program is a special kind of responsibility; I am working alongside an amazing group of Faculty and Students and will continue to work diligently to make sure CCA Illustration remains as vibrant as it is today.
Exciting.
[fx: rolls up sleeves and gets to work]
“Over the past nine years, Owen has led many changes to the Illustration Program - the re-definition of the studio course sequence, many new courses reflecting the breadth of current illustration practice, he has built on the traditions of the Junior Review, Senior Show and Alumni exhibition and has initiated collaborations with other programs including Graphic Design, Print-media, and MFA Writing. Finally, Owen has recently collaborated with the chairs of adjacent programs to develop two new Minors available to Illustration Students; one in Visual Development and one in Comics. These will come online in 2022/2023.
I’m delighted to announce that this leadership work will continue with Michael Wertz who will be appointed as the Chair of the Illustration Program with a start date of August 2022. Michael brings to the program twenty-five years of experience as a freelance illustrator and printmaker, twelve years as a faculty member at CCA, and six years as Assistant Chair. Michael is looking forward to guiding CCA Illustration through campus consolidation and furthering the visibility and impact of the Program. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Michael in this new role. ”
My offering for the CCA Legacy Print Project.