In collaboration with the Hall School of Journalism and Communication, the Department of Art & Design is hosting the inaugural Jerry Johnson Art & Design Symposium on April 19 at the International Arts Center.
The featured guest presenters will be Tommie Lee Washington III, ESPN and SEC Network Coordinating Designer, Travis Carlson, a TROY gradute and motion graphics artist at Brains of Fire, and Nikhil Ghodke, design professor at Auburn University at Montgomery.
“I could not be happier with our guest speaker line up this year, and being able to pay tribute to Jerry—who essentially built this department—by naming this even after him is the icing on the cake,” said Greg Skaggs, professor and Interim Chair of Art and Design. “Thank you to Chris Stagl and Will Jacks for pulling all of this together and creating a magical experience for our faculty and staff.”
The day will kick off at 1 p.m. with Carlson’s workshop on Motion Graphics in Advertising. At 2 p.m., Ghodke will give his presentation on New Visual Technologies. Washington’s session on his journey at ESPN begins at 3 p.m., and design professor and event organizer Chris Stagl will host a student work showcase from 4-6 p.m.
“Being able to offer TROY and specifically the students in the HSJC and Art and Design this opportunity is an incredible experience to be a part of,” Stagl said. “I can’t wait to see the speakers and what our students turn out for the showcase.”
In addition to the Symposium, a career fair will be held on April 20 from 9 a.m. to noon in the Trojan Center Ballroom.
Will Jacks, assistant professor of photography and event organizer, said the Art Department is excited about this opportunity for collaboration and the ways they can build off of this for future events.
“We are thrilled to offer this new symposium that is focused on design. Our collaborations with the Hall School of Journalism and Communication have been extremely productive thus far,” he said. “Working together, we’ve been able to offer unique programming for our campus and community that showcases the power of communication in a number of ways.”
