The UToledo Department of Art is proud to feature our alumni who are supporting inclusion and diversity in their careers and artistic activities.

Alicia Disantis, BA ’08, combines a set of artistic and entrepreneurial skills that have led her to establish a successful design and marketing firm, 38th & Kip, in Denver, Colorado. She also serves as brand manager at Aux in Lakewood, Colorado, where she develops and executes brand strategies that drive company recognition and profitability.

Her writing, graphic design and marketing expertise come together in marketing campaigns that include website design, print collateral, videos and trade show materials. Disantis’ own company provides creative pieces in various industries that include professional services, manufacturing, non-profit, technology and more. In the non-profit sector, Disantis has volunteered pro bono design services, including developing a targeted infographic for the Feline Foundation of Greater Washington, an animal welfare organization.

She founded 38th & Kip in 2010 with a mission to provide “exceptional, fairly priced marketing and design services to improve people’s lives.” Disantis’ business philosophy aligns with living in a just world, where fairness and equality are the norm, and the injustices of racism and bigotry are not tolerated. She says on the 38th & Kip website that her company is “committed to a better tomorrow.”

Disantis, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Studio Art, New Media, at UToledo, said about her professor, Deb Davis, “You know, I think of your classes often. You were challenging but your principles and passion for art stuck with me.” Alicia also earned a master’s degree in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management at Columbia College in Chicago. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from both colleges. She notes that she is inspired by retro design, Scandinavian minimalism, street art and bold colors. As an avid backpacker, she has traveled through many countries, stopping to visit as many museums as possible.

Product Promo Illustration Client: CU Service Network

Illustrations and type are hand-drawn, then scanned and colored.

Create concept and illustrations for product ads and a series of educational events that focus on specific services.

Aux Rebrand Client: CU Service Network

All rights 38th and Kip.

The UToledo Department of Art is proud to feature our alumni who are supporting inclusion and diversity in their careers and artistic activities.

Caroline Jardine, BFA ’17, BA Education ’16, identifies with art on a variety of levels — her personal artwork, the community-driven, public mural projects she leads and the creative expressions of her young students.

As a teenager, Jardine was introduced to place-making while she apprenticed for the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo. Through her passion for community-based art, Jardine became further engaged with local residents and arts practitioners, creating and leading mural projects, installations and other collaborative projects for organizations, businesses, schools and community events.

Caroline Jardine working on a mural in downtown Toledo with muralist Maya Hayuk.

Her 2020 work includes a collaboration with fellow muralist Maya Hayuk, whom Jardine assisted on a mural highlighting the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “Maya Hayuk has been my favorite muralist for years, so this was so meaningful to

me to be able to not just meet her, but work with her,” says Jardine. The year also saw Jardine working on a project for local business owners of the Stubborn Brother pizza restaurant, a project in which she hand-lettered all of the text.

Two additional Toledo projects from 2020 include a board-up mural at 1105 and 1109 N. Huron, and an interactive spray chalk mural on the grounds of the Toledo Museum of Art. Caroline was also the lead designer for the first Community Collaborative artwork for the Arts Commission Momentum ’20. The “art-by-number” pieces that were broken into smaller 6″ X 6″ squares completed by the community and placed within a larger installation on Adams Street.

Images: Caroline Jardine

Jardine, who teaches 6- 12th-grade art at St. Ursula Academy, blends Ukrainian symbolism into her personal, mixed media artworks to represent themes of identity, connection and history. “When working on personal artwork, I allow my own voice to guide the process,” says Jardine.

Voice is a significant distinction between her personal and public artworks, she says. “I believe that when leading a community mural, the mural must be informed by the members of the community; my voice should not be the loudest in the room. In creative place-making, community members lead the direction of the artwork. My role is to listen, ask questions, and facilitate the creation of an artwork that is representative and reflective of the voices of the community.”

BCAN video features the community mural work of artist/educator/muralist, Caroline Jardine.

Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation has released the results of a study developed in conjunction with the Center for Regional Development and Bowling Green State University that shows the true power and impact of Ohio’s creative industries. The report proves that Ohio’s creative industries are much more than regional amenities. In short, they are powerful economic engines. Key findings from the report show that the arts in Ohio have experienced significant growth in the past few years and now account for more than $41 billion in economic activity while supporting nearly 290,000 jobs annually. Additionally, the arts and creative industries generate over $4.5 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue annually.

Some TOLEDO highlights of the report:

• The creative economy generates $831 million in the Toledo MSA,
• It supports 12,065 jobs and supplies more than $466 million in wages and proprietor income,
• Advertising and public relations lead the creative industries. The sector is responsible for $183 million dollars and supports 944 jobs in the Toledo MSA,
• Museums, historical sites, zoos, and parks – direct impact = $79,210,422
• Ornamental and architectural metal work manufacturing- direct impact = $39,911,247
• Performing arts companies- direct impact = $35,285,152
• Independent artists, writers, and performers- direct impact = $27,508,446

To download the full report and to see more on the impact of the arts in Toledo, visit
https://www.artsimpactohio.org/toledo/

Artist Chad Rimer remembers the electricity he felt working in the foundry at the University of Toledo’s art department like it was yesterday.

“I miss the rush, the excitement, the glowing metal, the heat,” he said recently from Brooklyn, where he works as production manager for internationally known sculptor Tom Otterness. “You don’t know how your casting is going to turn out. It was fascinating to see what happened; did you do everything right, did it turn out well? It’s like opening a Christmas present.”

(Read full article – Toledo Blade online)

The University of Toledo College of Visual of Performing Arts is offering a wonderful way for you to engage your arts smarts this summer through Summer SmARTS, a series of nine workshops in art, voice and instrumental performance, music education and more. They are independent of one another so you can choose to take one or more, according to your time and inclination.

The Summer SmARTS workshops can be taken for personal development, and some for college credit at the undergraduate or graduate level. When taken for college credit, the regular participant cost is often waived, in lieu of applicable tuition and fees. The workshops are listed below in greater detail. Click the title of the workshop to register now or get more information!

Intro to Orff-Schulwerk Workshop | Dr. Pamela Stover

July 30 – August 1 (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.)
Registration Deadline: July 23
An introduction to the highly creative and integrative Orff-Schulwerk process of music and movement education for elementary education teachers and students. Designed for beginners to the Orff-Schulwerk, experienced teachers who hold Orff Levels and want a different perspective are also welcome  Led by Orff-Schulwerk specialist and Music Education professor, Dr. Pamela J. Stover.

High School Choir Workshop | Dr. Stephen Hodge
August 6 – 9 (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Registration Deadline: July 27
Sing, sing, sing!  Improve your vocal technique, sharpen your sight reading skills and explore choral singing in a wide variety of ensembles in this workshop for choral singers going into grades 8 – 12. Led by choral director and professor Stephen Hodge, the workshop concludes with a choral concert featuring the pieces explored during the week.