This Saturday, Dec. 6, CalArts faculty, alumni, and students explore the past, present, and future of book design at a one-day, “mostly” hands-on conference at The Reef in downtown LA.
Yesterday + Today + Tomorrow: Book Design from the CalArts Community showcases publication design across generations of CalArtians, pairing printed works with the designs that shaped and inspired them in a timeline that demonstrates the evolution and influence of the craft.
School of Art faculty Lorraine Wild and Ching Xiaoqing Wang (Art MFA 06) of Green Dragon Office keynote the conference, offering insight into the ideas and processes behind some of their most iconic projects. The eight-hour event traces the interconnectedness of publication design from inside the Institute to professional practice to the world of publishing.
Wild, who has taught at CalArts since 1985, is also Consulting Creative Director at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). A major figure in American graphic design, Wild received the AIGA Gold Medal in 2006, one of her many prestigious awards including The New York Art Director’s Club. Books designed under her direction have been selected more than 25 times for AIGA’s annual 50 Books/50 Covers competition.
Wang specializes in books, ephemera, and identity systems. Her work has also earned recognition from 50 Books/50 Covers and several museum publication awards. She recently produced catalogues for LACMA, the Marciano Art Foundation, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
In addition to presentations by Wild and Wang, Becca Lofchie (Art MFA 20) and Silas Munro (Art MFA 08) also share the stories behind their bodies of work. Lofchie has taught courses at CalArts and currently teaches design at Cal State Los Angeles. Munro is an artist, designer, writer, and curator, and the founder of Poly-Mode, an LGBTQ+ and minority-owned design studio that has worked with cultural and civic organizations including the city of Los Angeles, MoMA, and MOCA. He is also on the faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA).
The event also features current MFA Graphic Design students’ projects and a Makers Marketplace of printed objects, handmade goods, and other creations from CalArts artists and designers.
