On February 4, 2012, the faculty at California College of the Arts gathered at the college's San Francisco campus for a retreat focused on the state of the arts across our many disciplines. In the morning, 25 short presentations offered insights into challenges and opportunities faced by practitioners and thinkers in recent times. The word aired most frequently was crisis: the crisis of the Great Recession; the crisis of Global Climate Change; the crisis of understanding and working within a discipline in our digital age.

Watch the video of all the presentations (91 minutes), shot and edited by Yoni Klein (Photography 2012)

The economic downturn has produced an economic squeeze within most of our disciplines. Art directors, as Alexis Mahrus remarks, have diminished roles in shaping an illustration. Smaller profit margins reduce the flexibility and time given over to experimentation. Branding and celebrity worship take up a larger slice of the creative pie. Some presenters, like Sue Redding of Industrial Design, see no problem in this conflation of art and business and, furthermore, dispute the notion of a crisis. Yet many presenters feel that the economic crisis is not only real but wielding dangerously asymmetrical impacts. Demand remains strong for high-end craft goods and blue-chip fine art. Some small nonprofits are struggling to survive. To Ignacio Valero of Critical Studies, the priority given over to luxury items can be attributed to the ongoing influence of classical economic policies that privilege individual decision making over collective social and natural needs. Likewise, Sandra Vivanco of Diversity Studies notes that economic inequalities have greatly worsened over the past few years, especially in the developing world. Contemporary society is forging a timeless, spaceless way of conducting business, a race for lucrative and short-term gains that concentrates investment more than ever in the hands of a few.

Chanel barbells, meticulously re-created Prada eau de toilette packaging, a Burberry punching bag and an entire Kate Spade store replicated from scratch - those familiar with the aforementioned sculpture and installations by Bay Area artist Libby Black might be surprised to learn that her approach is far from a cerebral spoof of branding in the modern world. Rather, it hews closely to Black's own upbringing.

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Some materials have a way of not only resisting efforts to manipulate them but also almost battling back.

That seemed the case when, not long ago, S.F. artist Jonathan Runcio was attempting to work with one of the ungainly, rough chunks of concrete that he screenprints with collages of buildings. While he was printing one raw slab on a dolly, it shifted and his leg was pinned. Fortunately, before a scenario akin to an art-world "127 Hours" ensued, a friend freed him.

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CCA at CAA

Please join California College of the Arts at the College Art Association’s 100th annual conference in Los Angeles February 22–25. CCA faculty and alumni will be participating in various panel discussions throughout the conference. (See event schedule below.)

We invite you to drop by the CCA booth at the conference’s Book and Trade Fair to meet esteemed members of our faculty. We're looking forward to meeting you!

Special Reception for Alumni