Art Institute Welcomes New Graphic Design Director

Some of Jana Rawling’s Graphic Design students make a statement in the Inland Empire: From left to right, top row: Collin Hjulberg, Amber Aguirre, Jesus Flores-Rodriguez, Armando Lopez, Nicole Lee, Adrian Aguirre, Stephen Figueroa, Tracy Anderson; middle row: Andrew Hernandez, Darius Giurar, Andrea Perales, Mariana Munoz Gomez, Dhani Olive; front row: Jeannette Castrejon, Jana Rawling, Megan Lane.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – “I have a passion for teaching and a dedication to student success,” explains Jana Rawling, the new Academic Director of Graphic Design at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. “I believe I do not have all the answers, but that I can find them and teach students how to find them, too.”

This is at the heart of this Upland’s resident’s educational philosophy. It’s hands-on guidance: “I earned the titles I’ve acquired, and worked hard to do it. I expect the same dedication and focus from this next generation.”

Rawling’s commercial art background spans nearly 20 years, first at 19 as the Art Director & Production Manager for Synaptix Advertising in Garden Grove, then as Creative Director at Internet Exchange International in Corona Del Mar. This was followed by an Art Director role for Ontario’s Sasso & Burgoon Advertising and then as Senior Art Director for Stewart Holt & Partners ad agency, when the two companies merged.

Then it was on to Irvine’s Freedom Communications as manager of Corporate Communication & Marketing, followed by Director of Marketing and Creative Services with Crown Printers in San Bernardino.

During this time, Rawling managed a multi-million dollar project for the Fleetwood RV account, responsible for all the art direction, print product, photos and more. Her design work for corporate annual reports didn’t go unnoticed, garnering her honors from as far away as Europe and as powerful as America’s ADDY Awards, the world’s largest advertising competition.

But, academia called, which led Rawling to The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire as a graphic design instructor. She was at The Art Institute, teaching just two classes on Saturdays when she got the call to join full time, and shortly after to head the 280-student Graphic Design department this past September.

Her move into that role will be a gradual one. “I don’t like change for the sake of change,” Rawling says. “There will remain a great deal of emphasis on becoming hirable. That is, it’s fine to have a beautiful or powerful portfolio as a designer, but the commercial artwork must have a strong concept, must have effective reasons for what’s on the paper or screen. It can’t simply be pretty, it’s got to sell.”

Rawling’s students, therefore, won’t only learn composition, typography and design. “We’ll also be exploring animated corporate and client multimedia presentations, Web design and development, account management, budget adherence and the importance of meeting deadlines. Students today have to be as technical as they are artistic. Still, even under the highest pressure of deadlines, budget requirements and resource management, one must have fun.”

Her education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix in Ontario and an Associate of Science degree in Graphic Design & Multimedia from Denver’s Westwood College Online.

“The Art Institute’s creative learners,” Rawling concludes, “often require a flexible, non-traditional approach to learning. Many of these students have previously had negative experiences with education, and they come into the classroom carrying that baggage; this must be overcome.”

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin April 6 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire is only one of more than 40 educational institutions within The Art Institutes system, located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.


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INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENTS VOLUNTEER SERVICES AS EXTREME MAKEOVER REALITY SHOW CREATES NEW HOME FOR WILDLIFE CARETAKERS

Art Institute of California - Inland Empire Interior Design students working on a remodel of the Forever Wild Animal Sanctuary in Phelan. The students volunteered with the Extreme Makeover television reality series to remodel this sanctuary and build its owners a new home in early February. Photo by Sara Sandoval


(PHELAN, Calif.) Life has become a whole lot better for Joel and Chemaine Almquist and all their animals.

Students and faculty from The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire played a part in this, as they joined with ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the Building Industry Association of Southern California and many other volunteers to build the Almquists a new home in one week. The makeover took place at the Almquists’ Buttermere Road home in Phelan, a High Desert community southwest of Victorville and Extreme Makeover presented the new home and shelter to them on Saturday, Feb. 7.

“It was an incredible atmosphere, a collaborative building experience,” said Sara Sandoval, academic director of the Interior Design program at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, and one of the project volunteers. “Our students were professional and helpful with any assigned task, no matter how difficult or labor-intensive the work. And because of our team spirit, a lot of people in Phelan were asking about our campus, many of whom now plan to come down to San Bernardino for their own personal tours.”

The Almquists operate Forever Wild Animal Sanctuary, where they care for nine tigers, three tortoises, three parrots, 10 alligators, four servals, four bearded lizards, two lynx and a Cobra. This shelter, which is licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Fish & Game, accepts these animals when a previous owner is no longer able to care for them.

Although Forever Wild Animal Sanctuary is a non-profit organization and Chemaine Almquist devotes her days to raising funds for it, the care and feeding of these animals had taken its toll on the Almquists’ personal lives. They lived in a double-wide mobile home with no heating or air-conditioning, leaking pipes and holes patched together by duct tape.

A team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition knocked on the Almquists’ door Friday, Jan. 31 to announce their plans to build a new home and animal shelter for them. While the Almquists were away on vacation, the Extreme Makeover team is working with more than 100 volunteers, including The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire students, to build the new home and shelter in a week.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.

The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin April 6 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with more than 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

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ARTISTS WITH A CAREER FOCUS SHOWCASE WORK AT DIVISION 9

Sharon Kauffman, owner of another gallery in Riverside, examines pieces in The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire’s EVOLVE student show taking place through Feb. 27 at Division 9 Gallery in Riverside.

A poster promoting the EVOLVE student art show is part of the display at Division 9 Gallery in Riverside. The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire also placed this image on on t-shirts and other promotional materials to make art enthusiasts aware of the show taking place through Feb. 27.


(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) “EVOLVE,” an art show with a different focus than most, is taking place through Feb. 27 at Division 9 Gallery, 3850 Lemon St. in downtown Riverside.

EVOLVE’s sponsor, The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, specializes in providing artists with a college education in a field will that allow them to turn their passion into a career. Thus, these student artists focus in school on graphic design and other commercial applications, such as Web design, animation and interior design. Much of the artwork in EVOLVE reflects this focus.

Yet, great designs begin with art. While Art Institute of California – Inland Empire students often rely on computer technology to produce their work, much of this technology is merely advanced forms of drawing, painting, photography and sculpture. Before they learn how to draw, paint and sculpt on a computer, students do so with the tools of a traditional artist - pencils and pens, ink, paint, photographs, chisels and clay.

EVOLVE is a balance of emerging artists’ creativity, and what happens when that creativity combines with the discipline and skill they’ve acquired in learning to be commercial artists. Students created all of the work displayed in EVOLVE as a project in one of their classes at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.

Some of this work may have been created for a fictional client. Other work is simply expressing an artist’s opinion through imagery. Sometimes it captures the amusing aspects of life, sometimes those that are more serious.

“There is a lot of thinking and a lot of humor in this art,” said Sharon Kauffman, who owns another gallery in Riverside and visited EVOLVE during its grand opening Feb. 5 at Riverside Artwalk.

“It shows that these artists are aware and involved in what is going on in the world.”

Jake Castorena, a Media Arts & Animation major at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire, has exhibited in both EVOLVE, and its 2008 predecessor, PROCESS. He sees the art shows as a way to showcase the multiple talents of The Art Institute’s students.

“It puts our finest works of art before the community, and it may inspire young people in the community to pursue art as a career, as we have,” Castorena said. “It also allows the Art Institute to show how well we are instructed in art. And it shows our family what we do. We are so busy with school, working in our rooms or in a lab, they don’t see much of us. This allows us to show them what we have been working on for six or seven months.”

Jennifer Rodrigues isn’t exhibiting in EVOLVE, but after viewing the show, this Art Institute of California – Inland Empire student agrees it represents her campus well.

“There are many talented people who attend my school,” she said. “This is but a sample of what there is at The Art Institute.”

The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design. The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start a new term at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin April 6 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information, or to arrange a tour, call The Art Institute at (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire), a system of more than 40 locations throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.


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Culinary School Offering $75 Valentines' Day Special

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) A few reservations are still available for a great Valentines’ Day deal – dinner for two at Seasons’ Restaurant at The International Culinary School of The Art Institute of California, for only $75 a couple.

Seasons Restaurant, located at 630 E. Brier Drive, provides real-world training for students of The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California. Thus, the $75 Valentines’ Day special features a menu that would be on par with the area’s finest dining establishments, yet at a fraction of the price.

Seasons is usually closed on Saturdays but will open on Feb. 14 from 6-8 p.m. with reservations only. For more information or to make reservations, call (909) 915-2170.

“Seasons is offering a Valentine’s Day special which is a four-course meal for $75 per couple,” said Eyad Joseph, Academic Director of The International Culinary School. “Most restaurants usually charge between $100-$250 per couple and are usually booked months in advance for Valentine’s Day.” The menu will be a four-course meal with selections from poultry, beef and seafood and a vegetarian dish.

Joseph said the idea for the Valentine’s Day special came from one of his students who suggested that Seasons stay open on Feb. 14, since most of the other restaurants are already booked up. “Valentine’s Day is a very busy day for couples and families taking their moms and dads out,” Joseph said. “Most restaurants are usually filled up months in advance, so I expect many people who left it to the last minute will welcome the fact we are open.”

The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Feb. 19 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

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Loma Linda University Provides Free Dental Care

A team from the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, supervised by Dr. Perry Burtch, DDS, (back row, right) visited The Salvation Army recently and offered 16 of its guests free dental screenings. Roosevelt Carroll, (front row, right) director of The Salvation Army’s Hospitality House, said the mobile dental clinic was well received, and about 150 people requested information about the dental services Loma Linda University offers at its School of Dentistry campus. Carl Dameron photo


(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – Sixteen guests of The Salvation Army recently received free dental screenings and cleanings when the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry brought its “Clinic With A Heart,” to the San Bernardino Corps parking lot.

“The clinic is actually an RV equipped with two dental chairs, an X-ray station and a sanitizer,” said Perry Burtch, DDS, who supervised a team of four student dentists when the clinic went to The Salvation Army. “We go to various locations throughout the year because we want to help as many people as we can.”

“While the mobile clinic was only able to see 16 patients, as many as 150 asked for more information about the clinic it offers on the Loma Linda campus,” said Roosevelt Carroll, director of the Salvation Army’s Hospitality House shelter.

“We enjoyed Loma Linda University’s presence,” Carroll said. “We hope they will come back soon.”

With the mobile clinic’s visit, The Salvation Army was able to add dental care to the vast array of services it provides. On a daily basis, it offers shelter to the homeless, hot meals to the needy and educational programs with a spiritual component to youth and children. It also helps people who are affected by natural disasters such as fires and floods.

Loma Linda University’s mobile dental clinic visits elementary schools in Redlands and Mentone on a weekly basis, offering the children who attend there such services as dental fillings and extractions, Burtch said. It also visits a homeless shelter in Riverside on a monthly basis, offering a similar service to the adults-only guests of that shelter.

And, it selects 10 to 12 other locations a year where low-income people may be concentrated, Burtch said. These are primarily to make the community more aware of low-cost dental services provided at the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry

At the locations where it isn’t regularly visiting, services are limited to dental screenings and cleanings. “Student dentists can’t work as fast as a regular dentists,” Burtch explained. “Since we want to help as many people as possible, we provide a limited amount of services and refer them to our dental clinic on campus if they need more than routine care.”

Anyone interested in these low-cost dental services, which accept most insurance plans, should call 558-4675 to make arrangements to be seen. For urgent care, call (909) 558-4666. To make arrangements for children under the age of 15, please call (909) 558-4689.

About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.

The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church, and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.

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INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENTS BRINGING BOYS & GIRLS CLUB KITCHEN BACK TO LIFE

Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino Executive Officer A. Majadi examines a 3-D scale rendering of a proposed kitchen remodel for the organization, as proposed by members of a design team from The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Photo by Carl Dameron

Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino Operations Director Constance Henderson and Executive Officer A. Majadi smile with their kitchen design team from The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire (Tamara Stevenson, Sonja Fallahian, Nancy Marquez and Patrice Bodell) after seeing that the team had put together a beautiful report and 3-D rendering that encompassed everything they had wanted in a new kitchen. Photo by Carl Dameron

Materials the Interior Design students from The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire used to present their concept of a kitchen redesign to The Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino. Using the computer skills they have perfected during their education, the Interior Design majors put together a full-color report and a 3-D scale rendition of the kitchen they have proposed for the Boys & Girls Club, which will transform it from its original 1960s design into a colorful place where boys and girls will want to learn about cooking and nutrition. Photo by Carl Dameron

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Four Interior Design students from The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, dressed to impress in coordinating black suits, took a deep breath and presented the project they had been working on all quarter.

Before they were done, their “client,” nationally-renown general contractor and non-profit organization leader A. Majadi, smiled broadly and offered them jobs as assistant project superintendents.

“This is absolutely fantastic,” Majadi said. “It has everything we wanted, all the elements necessary for a viable kitchen. Our boys and girls deserve the absolute best in our programs and materials. That’s what the Art Institute students have delivered, the absolute best.”

The Interior Design majors, who were enrolled in the Human Factors course at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire were commissioned by The Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino to redesign the club’s kitchen. Their project will transform the 40-year-old kitchen out of use for at least two years into a brightly-colored place for the children in the Boys & Girls Club to cook and learn.

“Our class is over, but we now plan to continue to work with the Boys & Girls Club until our kitchen design becomes a functional, working kitchen,” said Tamara Stephenson, lead designer for the project.

For 11 weeks, Stephenson, Patrice Bodell, Sonja Fallahian and Nancy Marquez met regularly with Majadi and others at the Boys & Girls Club to find out more about the project. They also researched the national Boys & Girls Club, to learn more about programs offered to children in San Bernardino.

From these meetings and research, they put together a new kitchen concept, which they rendered in a blueprint, sketches, elevation drawings and more in a 26-page full-color report and also in a three-dimensional model of the kitchen. They also presented a budget of just under $35,000, which was another aspect of the presentation that impressed Majadi.

One of the programs offered through the Boys & Girls Club is Triple Play, which teaches children how to be healthy. Since good nutrition is an important part of Triple Play, the Art Institute’s kitchen designers made it a focal point of the remodel.

“The design may provide the inspiration the Boys & Girls Club needs to grow a healthier lifestyle in all of San Bernardino,” said Rikke Van Johnson, president of the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino Board of Directors and a member of the San Bernardino City Council. “On behalf of the Boys & Girls Club, I thank them. I am excited about this.”

The new kitchen, as envisioned by the students, features lime green walls, with blue and white tile on the floor and halfway up some walls. A few purple accents embellish this color scheme, which the designers took from the logo the Boys & Girls Club uses to promote Triple Play.

A border of hand-painted tiles, either children’s handprints or children’s artwork, divides the tile portion of the walls from the lime green portion. On one of the walls, a mural will depict Triple Play’s logo.

“I am really digging these colors,” said Majadi. “I love their creativity.”

Before taking the position as chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino, Majadi served as a consultant for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. He also serves as treasurer of the national Black Contractors’ Association and as vice president of the Black Contractors’ Association of California.

Majadi has asked the four students to give their presentation to the entire Board of Directors, and that presentation will likely take place in January. The board will then decide whether to proceed with this remodel, and also if the below-expected budget leaves enough money to hire the students to assist Majadi in supervising construction.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design. The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Feb. 19 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

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