AIGA Las Vegas Chapter

AIGA LV Interview Showcase

President — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 19:48:27 +0000

We are very proud to announce our NEW AIGA members-only video showcase! Relive all the past and future AIGA Las Vegas interviews in one place!

JUST ADDED Creative designer, April Greiman, https://www.aprilgreiman.com/

Click on link for showcase

Get the password:
This is a benefit to all AIGA members. Please do not share your password with any non-members.

– AIGA Las Vegas Chapter Members: look for the password in your email or send an email to president@lasvegas.aiga.org
– AIGA Members outside of Las Vegas chapter: Send us an email at president@lasvegas.aiga.org with your name and chapter you are apart of and we’ll get you the password.
– Not a AIGA Member yet? No problem, memberships start at $50/year. Check it out here: https://lasvegas.aiga.org/membership/membership-rates/ Once you’re a member send us an email and we’ll get you the password.

Past interviews:
Illustrator Von Glitschka
https://www.glitschkastudios.com

Illustrator Kevin Tong
https://www.tragicsunshine.com

Designer Jonathan Bayme
https://www.theory11.com/about/artists/jonathan-bayme

Clothing company owner Mitch Klein

Illustrator Chad Geran
https://geran.ca

Illustrator Jay Fletcher
https://jfletcherdesign.com

Designer Victoria Hart
https://www.pinkkittycreative.com/victoriahart

DJ Clulow
https://www.instagram.com/djclulow/

Muralist Eric Vozzola
http://www.ericvozzola.com

Juan Muniz
https://www.ninobuniworld.com

Photographer Jason B. Michael
https://www.instagram.com/jasonbmichael

Chalk & Brush
https://www.chalkandbrushdesignco.com/

Laura Henkel, Managing Director of Art Culture PR

Mark Wayman, connecting the right people with the right position in high Profile industries
http://godfatherlv.com

Steve Wolf, Owner, founder and designer
http://stevewolf.co

Gemma O’Brien is an Australian artist specializing in lettering, illustration, and typography
https://www.gemmaobrien.com/

Shawn Nelson, founder of LoveSac
https://dflgroup.org

Alex Lang of Liquid Death
https://www.destroyanddesign.com

Muralist Tony Castillo
https://tone-castle.com

Dan Janssen, Lincoln Design Company
https://www.lincolndesignco.com

Brad Klausen, Artillery
https://bradklausen.myshopify.com/

Danny Gonzales and Jeremy Lasky, Perception
https://experienceperception.com/

Bonnie Siegler, 8 and a Half http://www.8point5.com

Nikita Prokhorov, https://www.nikitaprokhorov.com

Doug Appleton, https://www.experienceperception.com

Travis Neilson, http://travisneilson.com

Tyler Tolson, https://denik.com

Creative Director Ethan Manning, https://rare.design/

Artist Mark Allen, https://www.markandrewallen.com/

Illustrator Gris Grimly, https://grisgrimly.com/

Illustrator and designer, Jordan Kay, https://www.jordankay.com/

Creative director and designer, Christa Eagleton, https://www.christaeagleton.com/

A meeting of inspiration with Kevin Tong 12/10/2020

President — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 05:39:04 +0000

Join AIGA LV, AIGA CSN and AIGA UNLV for an exclusive – inside the Creative All-Star Studio with Designer Illustrator, Mondo Poster and collaborator KEVIN TONG @tragicsunshine Maker for IronMan, IronGiant, AntMan, Batman and hundreds more!

Thursday, December 10 from 6:30pm – 8pm PST

CLICK TO REGISTER HERE

Schedule of event:

6:30pm-7:30pm Discussion with Kevin Tong. Special Guest arrives at 7pm

7:30pm-8pm EXCLUSIVE MEMBERS ONLY AND DESIGN STUDENTS Q&A

Hosted by AIGA Las Vegas with our Emcee Professor Dan McElhattan III

Want to know who the secret, surprise guest is??? This person is internationally known 👀! Yup!! Register NOW!

Not an AIGA Member? Memberships start at $50/year: https://lasvegas.aiga.org/membership/membership-rates/

See you Thursday!

CLICK TO REGISTER HERE

We Bid ArtPop Las Vegas Goodbye and Celebrate the 2020 Winners

AIGA Las Vegas — Sun, 03 May 2020 17:34:52 +0000

AIGA Las Vegas extends our gratitude to ArtPop Street Gallery (@artpopstreetgallery). It has been a great honor to have partnered with such an amazing team and to have recognized all the talented artists throughout the Las Vegas valley. However, due to changes in fiscal support and internal funding, ArtPop Street Gallery has announced the downsizing of its multi-city program and has canceled the Las Vegas portion for 2020. ArtPop Street Gallery hopes to return to Vegas in the future. In the meantime, be sure to catch the last of the 2019 ArtPop features on billboards (and other spots) around The Valley now through April 2020.

https://www.artpopstreetgallery.com

Stanley Slaughter

Ashley Liu

Gina May

Lynne Adrian

Mary Hill

Nicole Cochener

Shan Evans

Greetings Las Vegas Creative Community,

President — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 17:49:27 +0000

Greetings Las Vegas Creative Community,

AIGA Las Vegas is postponing all in-person events until further notice.

AIGA Las Vegas, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) business is not considered “essential” so our in-person, group activities have ceased. However, our community is essential to us. We miss you all!

We urge everyone to follow Governor Sisolak’s 30-Day lock-down request, along with federal recommendations, to keep each of us and our community safe. Although we feel healthy and ready to go out and socialize, we know that staying in is the right thing to do. We urge everyone to take government requests and orders seriously, going out only for what is needed to survive: food, medication, medical attention, etc. The more any of us push the limits, the longer we will all stay in lockdown. We’re all in this together; thank you in advance for continuing to take this situation seriously.

We look forward to seeing you when this is all over, hopefully soon! Perhaps in the meantime, we can do some socializing online.

Below you will find some resources that might be helpful to you or someone you know:

Adobe Users:
Adobe is offering users a couple of months at no cost.
Instructions: Log in to your http://Adobe.com account and start a chat with support. Something like “I heard Adobe was offering creatives a few months of adobe software at no cost. Is this true?” They’ll come back with “To support our customers during this difficult time, we would be happy to provide your billing for X months free. Would the work?” Yup!

For designers working from home:
Working remotely can be very challenging, and sticking to a routine is one of the best ways to move forward. Get up and get dressed as if you’re going to work each day. That might even mean putting makeup on. Be disciplined. You can increase productivity by creating a prioritized to-do list and focusing your attention by decreasing distractions.

For businesses:
You may be eligible for an SBA loan of $2,000. to $2,000,000. at a low interest rate. This could be vital to help you to make payroll and to pay the bills.
To learn more and to apply, click here: https://disasterloan.sba.gov/

Creatives in search of work:
The links below are for temporary part-time and temporary full-time employment:

The Creative Group (Robert Half), AIGA National Sponsor:
Robert Half / TCG for AIGA

Creative Circle: https://www.creativecircle.com

While TCG and Creative Circle do not have offices here in Las Vegas, they have filled many creative positions in Las Vegas over recent years.

Artists Grants:
Facebook Small Business Grants Program https://www.facebook.com/business/boost/grants
Artist grant: Click here for grant information
Supporting Creators in Need with The Creator Fund: Click here

Things you can do:
–       Check-in with family, friends, and neighbors regularly, whether they are next door or in another country. Facetime, Skype, and Zoom are great for this.
–       Talk openly with your spouse, family or roommates about the household financial situation. Make plans and explore options.
–       Don’t hesitate to ask others for help, even if it’s just needing someone to talk with. We all understand this situation is challenging.
–       Exercise: taking walks, yoga, stretching, pushups, planking, all can be great for physical and mental health. Don’t overdo it though! And dogs love extra walks!
– Many community groups and churches are offering live video services, which are a way to connect with nurturing communities. Meeting your spiritual needs and hearing others speak who have challenges similar to yours can help with stress and changes.
–       Update your resume, portfolio, website, etc.  Make a list of potential clients you would like to work with in the future, or potential employers you’d like to interview with. Research companies.
–       Enjoy the 2019 AIGA Design Conference speakers: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBsiKvJPy6IEbHbplISBYgPV6OFDMEbIq&mc_cid=0101bb0f6b&mc_eid=58cf95e8f0
–       Read an actual paper book.
– Supplement your diet of movies and TV series with self-improvement videos: Masterclass.com, Creativelive.com and more are out there.
– Use this time to brainstorm, to innovate, and to plan your next move. One definition of Design is “to plan.” Plan your career path, your finances and your future.

Together, we will get through this pandemic as a community, a nation and a planet. Let us know if we can be of any help. We look forward to seeing you in the near future. Until then, keep moving forward!

Your AIGA Las Vegas Board,
Chris Johnston
Juan Beltran
Jennie Marsh
John Condemi
Amanda Farrar
Norma Jean “NJ” Ortega
Malachi Schlink
Therese Bautista
Keiaira Travis

LUSH Artist Spotlight ft. Mary Hill

President — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 03:37:04 +0000

Our next LUSH artist is Nevadan artist, Mary Hill. Her work is inspired by the writings and artwork of the late Frida Kahlo who wrote: “Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly . . .” Mary has worked in art and design for over twenty years, and has taught calligraphy, lettering, and journal arts to at-risk teens in Southern Nevada. Her calligraphy and book arts have been exhibited throughout the Southwest. She currently is a part-time design instructor at UNLV. Mary received her MFA in graphic design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2012.

Talk to us about what inspired the piece you created for the LUSH exhibit?

So out of three poems written by Jeffery Bennington Grindley, I selected to design a hand-lettered poster based on his work entitled “Precious Metals” because it inspired a personal sense of dissonance. Thinking about the raw emotions of aging; relationships changing; loved ones in and out of our lives. I wanted to illustrate that tension with letter forms that were tight, yet loose with watery ink. Like eyes welled with tears.

Who or what influenced your most recent work?

The lettering in this piece is influenced by the calligraphy of Sheila Waters. Specifically her study of Uncials and modernized Carolingian script – more on that may be found in her book Foundations of Calligraphy by Sheila Waters.

How important is design in the piece you created for LUSH?

Designing for the voice of poetry – on the printed page – lies in the careful consideration of letter shapes composed within the parameters of the page/poster size. The design of “Precious Metals” is important because it aids in conveying a relevant message about a shared human experience. It’s a modern design of a contemporary poem, using calligraphic letter forms that span the centuries. I think that this contributes and elevates Mr.Grindley’s ideas.

What is the most important design element for you to follow and why?

For me the most important design element begins with structure or ‘grid’ making (sometimes breaking) – and that boils down to a method I use: Rule. Render. Refine. SO that means compose a page from top to bottom, side to side, and organize it with harmonious hierarchy.

www.mhill-designs.com

Meet Mary Hill and our other amazing featured artists at our closing reception for LUSH: Art x Words, A Collaborative Exhibition on Friday, July 12th at 6pm to 9pm at Escape Studios inside of Arts Square. Please RSVP via Eventbrite.

LUSH Artist Spotlight ft. Tiki Jay One

President — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 01:25:51 +0000

Our first LUSH interview is with Troy James, also known as Tiki Jay One–an L.A. based urban artist, illustrator, designer, and art professor currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tiki is successful in creating and spreading his original art “brand,” containing a personal coding system and symbolism. At thirteen years of age, he became hooked on the style, honor code, competition, and adrenalin rush involved in the creation of street art, and has quite seriously claimed it as his own ever since. Tiki Jay One creates street art meant to thrive within the fabric of the urban landscape, along with commercial design that exists as a functional and marketable counterpoint to the world of the street. His work reflects an array of styles as much inspired by pop culture as art history. Each piece in Tiki’s body of artwork speaks to its own unique, momentary circumstance, whether shaped by client needs or by obstacles encountered within the urban landscape.

Talk to us about what inspired the piece you created for the LUSH exhibit?

The piece created for the Lush show seemed pretty obvious when I first read the lyric…Forgive Me America….sounds like something Donald Trump should be asking for. In my particular case appointing Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education has directly affected me as an art teacher as she enabled EDMC and Dream Center to go bankrupt and walk away with millions of dollars from students, not to mention all the jobs lost due to the bankruptcies.

Here is a link to the article:

https://www.republicreport.org/2019/whos-who-in-devos-dream-center-college-collapse/

Who or what influenced your most recent work?

The most recent work is inspired by political protest. Non-aggressive peaceful political protest.

How important is design in the piece you created for LUSH?

Design is a key element in the making of this piece. It allows the vernacular for the artist to communicate the message. Design allows a visual communication allowing others to understand ones statement. As an artist I have been looking for a way to protest this presidency. Though my Mom and her husband support Trump, I feel we need a new leader. I wanted my piece to be subtle when looking at it. Trump is wearing a mournful expression with the words that are an underlying statement that I think we (America) all need to hear.

What is the most important design element for you to follow and why?

I like solid values. I love making stencils. This piece was intended to be a stencil print, perhaps in the future it will be. When doing vector styled graphics it’s important the all the values play a role to create a 3D styled image through the use of flat colors.

Join us for our closing reception on Friday, July 12 at 6pm to 9pm at Escape Artist Studio.

RSVP for the event here:

LUSH Closing Reception

AIGA Las Vegas Community Event Wrap-up

Norma — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 20:29:31 +0000

Creatives through out the Las Vegas Valley gather at the Innevation Center on September 29th for AIGA Las Vegas’ inaugural Community Event. The purpose: to help shape AIGA Las Vegas into the essential and accessible source to help design thrive in our city. Festivities ran from 11am to 2pm and began with delicious snacks provided by Bouchon Bakery, coffee, and a plethora of Einstein’s Bagels.

President Angela Johnson, kicked off the event by welcoming attendees and introduced the AIGA Las Vegas board members. Johnson transitioned quickly into a constructive IBM Thinking Exercise to flush out ideas that could improve the design community.

Ideas for Growth

The community opened the flood gates with tons of amazing ideas to incorporate into AIGA Las Vegas.

Attendees were broken into groups to brainstorm four topics:
* Things that worked
* Things to change
* Questions we still have
* New ideas to try

What we learned from the community:

* Offer classes and mentorships
* Fun group activities not involving design
* More casual events
* Events on the weekends
* Basics on how to market yourself and how to freelance
* How to brand yourself
* How to promote yourself and work via social media
* Share, feature and support more student designs and art
* Give more advanced notice on events
* How to get more people involved
* More student engagement
* Team building activities that go outside design
* Promote YouTube channel & BOLD videos
* Art-walks & gallery gatherings

We appreciate everyone who took the time to share their thoughts and ideas at our Community Meeting. In November, AIGA Las Vegas will be taking your ideas to our local board retreat where we will be planning initiatives, events and content for 2019.

If you have ideas or an interest to be part of the board, we are currently looking for new board members! Please feel free to reach out to AIGA President, Angela Johnson: president@lasvegas.aiga.org

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ArtPop Artist Spotlights: Public Art Making a Difference

AIGA Las Vegas — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 23:41:49 +0000

Melissa McGill is a Mixed Media artist and much of her work consists of photo collage combined with encaustic or acrylic medium. Her multi layered, luminous images, combining industry and nature have become her trademark.

You have a powerful way of expressing your thoughts with your abstract work. Are you currently working on anything and what current issues does it directly speak to?

I am working on a series of abstract landscapes, some are details of landscapes and others are overall interpretations of expansive views. They are my way of adapting to living in the desert, so more personal than the Choices series.

Choices 5 reads like a hieroglyph mixed with a murder mystery. How would you instruct viewers to interpret the work?

The Choices works are trying to convey the question of whether or not we actually have choices or if our lives are decided by an accident of birth. Images of convicts from the early 1900’s are scattered throughout and contrasted with pop advertising which is geared toward making us believe we can buy our happiness . The young man was arrested for stealing a pair of shoes. All of the convicts were arrested for crimes of poverty, which is an accident of birth.

Who or what influences your most recent work?

My recent works are an attempt to understand simplicity and minimalism.

Why do you think art is so necessary?

Art expands the soul, it creates bridges between people and gives voice to ideas.

Talk about the importance of design in your work.

I come from an illustration and design background. You can see it clearly in The Choices series which are more like magazine pages than my recent works.

What has been your favorite response to Choices 5?

“Rad”

How do feel your work translated onto a billboard?

I loved it as a billboard! I think it was well suited as it has all these little sections of compositions so it can be captured in a glimpse or examined at length.

If you would like to apply for this great program, the call to entry is available here

ArtPop Artist Spotlights: Public Art Making a Difference

AIGA Las Vegas — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 23:29:20 +0000

Our next ArtPOP artist is the Latin American phenomenon, Justin Favela! There’s no doubt that you’ve seen his work around town or at the Life is Beautiful Music Festival. He is known for his jaw-dropping, piñata-styled sculptures that express his love for his Latin heritage. Learn more about the importance of being critical of your own culture through Favela’s perspective.

A majority of your work gives homage to your Mexican heritage; What inspired you to represent this through piñata-styled murals and objects?

My art is inspired my identity, my upbringing in the southwest and my family. My work is about celebrating my culture and reclaiming my culture. I think it is important to be visible in the art world as a Latinx artist and I chose piñatas as a medium to represent myself and my experience.

According to Nevada Art, your work Popocatepetl e Iztaccihuatl vistos desde Atlixco, after Jose Maria Velasco is a critique on Jose Maria Velasco’s original painting. Explain the importance of your critique on her work.

I think that it’s important that at Latinx artists take ownership of their history and become the historians of their own culture. Many times people of color are afraid to be critical of our own culture, but if we don’t look at our own work critically we let others become the experts of our culture and erase us from the story. My work is about visibility and representation, appropriation and celebration.

Why do you think art is so necessary?

Art is a form of expression that is necessary. Art documents history and changes history. Art is disruptive and healing.

Talk about the importance of design in your work.

A lot of my work is based on neon sign design. Sign design is an integral part of the Las Vegas landscape. When I make work with neon signage as the basis, I am paying homage to the amazing graphic design and architecture that sets this city apart.

What has been your favorite response to Popocatepetl e Iztaccihuatl vistos desde Atlixco, after Jose Maria Velasco?

All of the text messages I get from my friends and family who had no idea there was billboard with my art on it. It’s a nice surprise when they see it.

Where can we find your billboard?

I think its on Craig and the 15N.

How do feel your work translated onto a billboard?

The scale is amazing! It’s giving me lots of ideas for future projects.

If you would like to apply for this great program, the call to entry is available here

ArtPop Artist Spotlights: Public Art Making a Difference

AIGA Las Vegas — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 20:47:29 +0000

Originally from Hawaii, Cierra Pedro is a multimedia artist, co-founder of Freeform and a designer for Vegas Seven Magazine. She discusses the importance of minimalism in her personal artwork and designs.

Tell us more about Urban Wildlife? What were you trying to covey?

Growing up on the outskirts of Las Vegas, I was fortunate enough to see desert wildlife in its natural habit, and also witnessed the effects of suburbanization to their environment. I don’t think people realize these creatures still co-inhabit our city. Maybe it’s the assumption that because the city has developed more, the animals have moved on, but they still come into urban areas. I think that was one of the reasons I decided to silhouette the animals in white. They are there, we just don’t see them.

How would you compare your personal art to the designs to do for the Vegas Seven?

I try to incorporate my personal tastes for art and design into the work I do for Vegas Seven, so it’s hard for me to compare the two. Of course, the work I do for Vegas Seven is more editorial-based, and things I create for myself reflect my personal interests rather than something that was assigned. But as far as creatively, I feel fortunate that my job has allowed me to work my personal design style into what I create for them.

What currently influences your personal artwork?

Minimalism is a big part of what I aim for in design and art. Simple is better. I’m also influenced a lot by architecture and interior design elements. Clean lines excite me. I think that was more of an influence once Freeform came around and I began to look at design in a different way. Food also influences a lot of what I see as art and I’m constantly thinking of projects I want to do based on food. Food and minimalism. That’s what I love.

Any personal artwork you’re currently working on?

With my current workload between Vegas Seven and Freeform, personal projects have been at a halt. I guess I could say that my current personal project is redesigning and remodeling the house we purchased last year. That’s pretty much been consuming any free time and creative energy I have left during nights and weekends.

Tell us more about your company Freeform.

My partner, Aaron Miller, and I started a design and fabrication company about 4 years ago. He’s such a talented artist and builder, and for years before was just building things for us and clients in our garage. One day we decided to take it to the next level and make a business out of it, so we started Freeform. Freeform is a custom fabrication and design company that builds furniture, props, lighting, anything that needs to be created for a custom space, both commercial and residential. We also do motorcycle and off-road builds, primarily cosmetic stuff, but all custom. Some recent work can be seen at places such as Cornish Pasty, Vesta, and the Avengers exhibit at T.I. I can’t really take too much credit for the success though, Aaron is really the mastermind behind Freeform as he’s the one building everything and doing the hard work. haha. We collaborate on design concepts and I’ll create renderings of the designs before the build begins when needed, but all the physical labor comes from his part. We’re also lucky to be apart of a community that supports small business’ and craftsmanship, and continue to seek out work from us.

Why do you think art is so necessary?

Art is necessary because we need it to live. Almost anything you encounter is in some way an art. It helps us feel and understand one another. When you look at art, you think, you feel, you react. Art transports you to a certain state of mind and helps find beauty of the mundane. Art documents human nature and it’s past, and it communicates in ways that are sometimes otherwise difficult.

Talk about the importance of design in your work.

Good design is noticeable. Bad design is even more noticeable. I would hate to produce something that was visually beautiful, but the lack of good design knowledge ruin the entire project. For instance understanding spacing, typefaces, hierarchy, color theory etc. Not understanding how these elements work together can be disastrous. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve learned the hard way in the past by making mistakes, but that has only helped me get better. This has been important for all the median I work in, whether it be illustrations, photography, video or animations. Design allows me to focus the viewer on what is important, and what elements aren’t.

What alternations did you make to Urban Wildlife. How do feel your work translated on to a billboard?

The only alterations I made to the piece for ArtPop was removing the human figures in it. I didn’t think it was necessary for this so I took it out. I wanted the focus to be on the animals and the landscape, and I knew it would be relevant and relatable to the Las Vegas community.

What has been your favorite response to your billboard?

My favorite response to the billboard has just been people’s reactions to it. I’ve had old friends that I haven’t seen or spoken to in years reach out to me saying how they saw it while driving and how cool it is to have my art out there, and other times just getting texts in the middle of the day from friends and family with a photo of my billboard they were driving by. It’s been exciting. Just being able to connect with people.

Where can we find you billboard in Las Vegas?

Honestly, I’m not even sure anymore. Haha. It first went up off I-15 N and Craig Rd., then it was moved to Russell and I-515 but every time I drove by that area I couldn’t find it. They were running on a few digital billboards as well around town, but I don’t know if those are still in rotation.