4,139 miles and counting...

Project Identity’s odometer is spinning like a whirlygig mounted on the windy planes of a Kansas field. As PI pushes toward the five thousand mile mark, a few milestones have already occurred – such as the 210 participating students, 65 portfolio reviews and the production of almost 5 minutes of rotoscoped animation! Professor Barany was also able to present about the structure and doings of Project Identity this past week at the Wisconsin Education Association Council conference in Milwaukee, WI. After the PI presentation, yet another program jumped onboard from Johnson Creek, WI. This now puts the new number up to a total of 19 participating programs across 12 states.
This image was generated by algorithms designed to pull text and words from the entire blog and look for their frequency and hidden patterns. A little photoshop application helps to translate this raw data into an interesting image. Combined elements, the text and imagery visually encapsulate our combined efforts during the first two months.

Presto! Here is what so many of you have asked to see, a test clip from some of our rotoscoped animation done over the last two months. I promise to add more of these in the future, but please bear in mind, that these are just clips – not yet woven into the final work and they WILL BE ALTERED. Sorry the resolution is being kept at a minimal level, this is being done so that others can’t easily copy or manipulate our work from the world wide web; it’s truly all crystal clear back in the studio.
Lastly, here is a video hybrid of the many artists who have participated thus far on the project. Some imbedded audio elements are included from the Geography of Self writing prompt that was authored by David Martin, and helped to start the whole process. Thanks again for all of your intelligent, honest, hard work that easily adds up to hundreds of hours invested into the collaboration; your efforts are rapdily starting to show.

In continuum,

James Barany
Associate Professor of Foundations
MIAD
jbarany@miad.edu

3, 2, 1, 0, Blast off…

This week Project Identity journeyed south under the stars to Randolph Upper School located in historic Huntsville, Alabama. Randolph is located in a beautiful city which can boast the preservation of several antebellum homes that were spared during the conflict of the Civil War. Additionally, this community has been a stronghold for the production of U.S. missile defense, rockets and space age technology. Huntsville is full of History, and PI made history this week at Randolph too, as the assigned class which collaborated on the project was our first group of film students!

With the guidance of Drama & Film faculty Mrs. Connie Voight, and the coordinating efforts of Visual Arts faculty Mrs. Kimberly Reyes, PI flourished with these focused students from Randolph. Many of these students one minute videos will become imbedded into the final animation of the project, but this group held their own at rotoscoping too. These students reminded me of the passionate group from Kettle Moraine High School in WI, where PI got its start in the early days of September. Quality, not quantity!

Mrs. Reyes and her colleagues are running a fine visual arts program as was evident by the contents of the numerous portfolio’s that I had the pleasure to review during my short stay. I’d also like to thank Mrs. Reyes for allowing me to present to her AP class about MIAD’s dynamic programming, and answering all kinds of questions about who we are and what we do. What’s even more impressive, is the dynamic integration that occurs between the Performing and Visual Arts at Randolph, allowing PI to work with these students for an entire day.

I’d like to thank Mr. & Mrs. Reyes for their genuine hospitality during my visit (Mr. Reyes is also a MIAD alumni – 92′ Drawing), and I’d also like to compliment the entire Randolph program for nurturing and realizing the importance of creativity in their curriculum. Lastly, a sincere Danke! to the students at Randolph, for introducing me to sweet tea!

Where the skies are so blue,

James Barany
Associate Professor of Foundations
MIAD
jbarany@miad.edu

Immensity and abundance…
Zionsville Community High School greeted Project Identity with an entire regiment of eager animators who drew feverishly during PI’s whirlwind tour through Indiana. Founded by the construction of a railway station on the northwestern fringe of Indianapolis lies the quaint village of Zionsville. This charming community hosts the booming 1,600 student population of ZCHS.

Barany works with students from ZCHS in Indiana

Visual Arts Chair Lisa Klaunig and her colleague Mandy Jared help to run an exceptional visual arts program who’s fundamentals delve between the foundations of Fine Art and Design. These amazing ZCHS students fueled PI’s mission of community and collaboration through the immense amount of work they created via the rotoscoping process. These students pounded out hundreds and hundreds of drawings, in just two days time.

Project Identity would like to thank Mrs. Klaunig for her hospitality, and the amazing work ethic that her students resonated throughout the entire residency. Great things are happening in this program, in mass quantity and quality. Lastly, here’s a bit of press from the Indystar about PI’s visit to Zionsville.

From the speedy 500,

James Barany
Associate Professor of Foundations
MIAD
jbarany@miad.edu

Back to the classics…

Lawrence High Schools Visual Arts Instructor Wendy Leet Vertacnik clearly demonstrated how a classically-rooted curriculum, delivered in a focused manner can produce unbelievable bounty within the studio. This laser-like convergence was clearly evident in Mrs. Vertacnik’s devoted teaching, her students disciplined work ethic and visible within the powerful contents of her students portfolio’s.

MIAD should be proud to have such a good relationship with LHS and their substantial visual arts program. These young midwestern artist’s worked voraciously toward achieving excellence in every studio session that I had the pleasure to observe. Lawrence High School is located just beyond the reach of the University of Kansas in a community that was once leveled by fire and the destructive path of the American Civil War; profound national history has been created there.

It was a pleasure engaging Mrs. Veratcnik’s portfolio class into the immense amount of work and drawing required by Project Identity. These students quickly embraced the rotoscoping process and applied their advanced drawing skills producing hundreds of images for the collaboration. LHS and MIAD share several alumni, and I truly hope that our institutions can continue to work in tandem in the future, helping to nurture the young creative passion that dwells in both places.

From where the West began,

James Barany
Associate Professor of Foundations
MIAD
jbarany@miad.edu

Passion and dedication…

NOCCA’s Visual Arts faculty member Terry DeRoche helped to deliver Project Identity to Louisiana’s Arts Conservatory for High School Students with the same kind of dedication and focus that his students clearly demonstrated. I am still flabbergasted with the focus, ability and motivation of these young artists. They thrive in an environment that fully supports and nurtures their creative passions. Not only do the Visual and Media Arts abound at this jewel of ideation, but you will also find the same level of dedication in Dance, Music (Jazz, Classical, Vocal), Theatre, Creative Writing, Musical Theatre, Technical Theatre and even the Culinary Arts.

Over 100 public, private and parochial schools across Louisiana send students to NOCCA on a half-day basis, or for after-school programming. I found nothing less than a collegiate level of excellence throughout the entire institution and all at the secondary level. Just beyond the French Quarter, a beautifully converted cotton gin serves as the nurturing environment that even the torrents of Katrina couldn’t bring down; and it’s fully equipped to handle all of the students creative needs.

Project Identity was embraced by these young participants, as they gave nothing less than their best effort during our brief time together. Thanks again Mr. Terry! These students from NOCCA clearly demonstrated how effectively working together in a collaborative manner can be.

Merci and au revoir from the quarter,

James Barany
Associate Professor of Foundations
MIAD
jbarany@miad.edu