鈥淚 had always assumed that the people who worked in animation were lifetime artists who had been drawing since they could hold a pencil,鈥� Reynolds said from their new home just outside of Portland, Oregon. 鈥淚 knew this wasn鈥檛 me and never truly considered [a career in] the film and animation industry.鈥�

But a high school art class changed their perspective by introducing Reynolds to computer-generated animation. As their interest in this blend of art and technology grew, they felt drawn to the 四虎影视 Computer Animation program.

鈥淚 could work on computers, with an artist鈥檚 mindset, and get to be a part of the film industry, which I was becoming increasingly more fascinated with,鈥� they said.

At 四虎影视, despite being accepted into the Computer Animation program, Reynolds found their interests expanding to even more topics and techniques. By year three, they began looking for new paths to pursue.

鈥淥ne thing I felt was missing from my experience in CA was the time and ability to research and explore academic topics that were interesting to me,鈥� they said. 鈥淰isual Studies seemed like a path where I could continue exploring CG work while also scratching the academic research itch in my brain.鈥�

For their thesis, Reynolds focused on the horror archetype of 鈥渢he monster鈥� as a medium for exploring queer storylines. They created 3D living spaces based on an early short story about lesbian vampires, exploring ways to give the audience insight into the characters鈥� personalities and story.

Unsurprisingly, Reynolds鈥� interests have only grown since graduation鈥攂oth at work and everywhere else.

鈥淚鈥檝e discovered other mediums of art that interest me, like photography and screenwriting,鈥� they said. 鈥淢y interests are always changing, and I find so much joy in trying new things.鈥�

Now working as a CG Lighter at LAIKA Studios, Reynolds has immersed themself in the job as well as the community. They serve as co-captain of the company鈥檚 Black ERG (Employee Resource Group) and have also helped to create mentorship opportunities for interns.

鈥淚鈥檓 pretty much incapable of entering a new space without trying to get heavily involved in the community,鈥� they said.

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During the segment, Fig gave a short tour of the exhibition, which includes an additional painting depicting a scene from the New Britain Museum of American Art.

Contemplating Vermeer features small-scale paintings inspired by the 2023 Rijksmuseum Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam. These works depict museum-goers closely engaging with Vermeer鈥檚 intimate scenes. They continue Fig鈥檚 decade-long Contemplation series that shifts focus between the art, its viewers, and the gallery spaces they occupy.

The exhibition is currently on view at the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, Connecticut, until January 11, 2026.

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骋谤补惫别蝉鈥� playful projects are thoughtfully made for a targeted audience. He designs play-based experiences for children, primarily toys and educational exhibits, all informed by his research on child development and fabrication. His practice combines digital modeling with hands-on fabrication, working with materials like wood, fabric, and 3D printing. His work prioritizes safety and accessibility, including checks for ADA compliance, appropriate clearances, and the use of safe materials. 鈥淚 love designing experiences for children because the work is just so endearing. The projects are fun, unpredictable, and often filled with genuine people who deeply care about what they do,鈥� Graves shared. 

Visual Studies faculty member Marina Shaltout described his detail-oriented approach to his projects: “For his thesis project, Braden created an interactive, educational children’s exhibit about bees and their importance in our ecosystem. He used traditional and digital sculpture techniques to build this complex and impressive structure. He paid attention to every little detail to make this a truly fun and engaging experience for children.” She said, 鈥淚 have had him in three classes now, and he always shows up with a positive attitude and a wonderful work ethic.鈥� 

After graduation, Graves would like to find a specialty educator role that allows him to contribute his design background to curriculum planning for children or a career working in children鈥檚 exhibition design. He explained his love and interest in designing for children:聽

鈥淐hildren approach the world with a natural willingness to learn. Creating for this audience is an especially creative challenge. You have to find ways to keep a child engaged while meeting the learning goals of a space.鈥� He explains, 鈥淚nteractive elements invite visitors to actively participate in the learning process, and as the designer, you have the ability to shape what a visitor sees, hears, and touches the moment they enter.鈥�

His approach to his projects is goal-oriented, with the needs of children and their user experience in mind. As he puts it, 鈥淟earning can sometimes feel intimidating, but if children step into a space that encourages them to explore, they are more likely to connect with the content in a lasting, meaningful way.鈥�

骋谤补惫别蝉鈥� Bee Interactive Exhibit for Children will be on view in the Stulberg Gallery from May 2 to 9 as part of the聽. The interactive exhibit is designed to introduce 3-5-year-olds to the world of bees through hands-on experiences like puzzles for sorting bee types, mazes that trace a bee鈥檚 flight path, and a honeycomb model.

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Voting is now open. 

The public can vote for one person per category. Cast your vote now on . To vote for your favorite project, scroll down to the four project categories and select one. Within each category, you can browse all of the shortlisted artists and projects or search for your favorite by name and select filter. Select the image for your favorite and inside the article you will find the vote button on the left side of the screen.     

Explore the Ringling alumni portfolios

• in the category of digital / visual communication / film
• in the category of digital / visual communication / film
• in the category of fine art / photography / craft
• in the category of fine art / photography / craft 
  

Arts Thread is a digital arts platform created as a launchpad for art and design students and graduates worldwide. Their annual competition consists of four categories: Fashion / Accessories / Textiles, Digital / Visual Communication / Film, Product / Architecture / Interiors, and Fine Art / Photography / Craft.

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The students are part of an EOD scholarship initiative that grants annual $1,000 renewable scholarships to students at regional high school Coexistence Clubs. Current Coexistence Club locations include Booker, North Port, Pine View, Riverview, Sarasota, Suncoast Polytech, and Venice high schools, as well as Imagine Schools North Port Upper Campus. Coexistence Club members serve as docents for thousands of students who visit EOD鈥檚 outdoor exhibits every year and design and lead student-driven initiatives in their schools to promote inclusion and acceptance.

Ben Jewell-Plocher, EOD鈥檚 learning and engagement director, explains that award recipients need to demonstrate how the Coexistence Club and their participation as docents for EOD鈥檚 exhibit has had an impact on their life and high school careers. 鈥淭he dedication of Coexistence Club members to promote inclusion, kindness, and respect in their schools and at EOD鈥檚 annual exhibit inspires us to honor their efforts and support their continuing education,鈥� says Jewell-Plocher. 

Murphy shared, 鈥淭he importance of representing EOD has never been more important. Everyone deserves to be themselves and practice the art of kindness.鈥�

For 21 years, Embracing Our Differences has delighted viewers with its annual outdoor display of 50 billboard-sized works of art and accompanying quotes. This high-profile art exhibition draws on the passion and perception of artists, students, and writers to create powerful statements of inclusion, kindness, and respect. The scale and impact of this open-air art show have continued to grow, attracting more than 4.8 million visitors since its inception. EOD鈥檚 annual exhibit is the heart of a year-round program of activities using art as a catalyst to create awareness and promote diversity.

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covers Shaltout鈥檚 creative inspiration from her childhood family dynamics and their effects on her perception of femininity to her favorite artists and her pension for the absurd.聽

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Thirty-seven students and five faculty from the Game Art, Virtual Reality Development, and Visual Studies departments attended the annual conference for game developers. 

The conference hosted lectures, panels, and roundtable discussions, with more than 1,000 speakers and 700 sessions, an expo showcasing the latest technologies from prominent companies, and two award ceremonies. 

Students attended seminars on how to build a great portfolio, with discussion panels and one-on-one portfolio reviews. They visited the expo to learn about the latest technologies on the market. Students practiced their networking skills, as they introduced themselves to recruiters from leading companies and organizations. 

鈥淚 got recommendations in addition to getting more experience talking about my work and advocating for myself in preparation for future interviews,鈥� said Ezri Sullivan 鈥�23, Game Art. 

Preparing for the conference gave students another chance to work on self-promotion and presentation. Eric Yang 鈥�23, Virtual Reality Development, explained that in getting ready, 鈥渢he conference was great motivation to put more time into our business cards, portfolio, and resume.鈥�

The students were joined by Joel and Gail Morganroth Endowed Department Head for Virtual Reality Martin Murphy and Game Art Department Head Morgan Woolverton, as well as faculty members Rick Dakan, Joseph Lobst, and Ana Carolina Pereira. 

鈥淎ttending national conferences like GDC is an insightful and necessary touchstone for educators who need to connect with the industry,鈥� said Woolverton. 鈥淚t is also our opportunity to share with the industry at large, our own results as a leading institution as we prepare students for their career.鈥� 

More than 28,000 people attended the Game Developers Conference which began in 1988 and has become the leading conference for the field. It takes place annually in San Francisco. It has also expanded to include additional conferences in Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; Vancouver, Canada; Shanghai, China; and Cologne, Germany.

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Three senior Visual Studies and Computer Animation students were selected as winners this year: 

• Hailey Bair 鈥�23, Computer Animation 
• Patricia Alyson Deogracias 鈥�23, Visual Studies 
• Kaylee Tian Lin Tan 鈥�23, Computer Animation 

Plus, honorable mentions for Mikayluh Bowers 鈥�23, Computer Animation and Eden Quan 鈥�24, Computer Animation. 

鈥淭he WIA Scholarship Program is an annual award committed to furthering deserving animation students who demonstrate artistic talent, a passion for animation, a financial need and a promising future in the field of animation. The scholarship pool totals $24,500 and also features workshops, tutoring opportunities, animation equipment and software packages for recipients of the 2023 cycle from industry partners Animation Focus, Animation Mentor, ArtStation, Autodesk, Foundry, LAIKA, Toon Boom, Wacom, WIA Bay Area Chapter, WIA Montreal Chapter and YellowBrick Learning.鈥�

The scholarship winners鈥� full bios and website links are available on the .

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The day began with a role playing game in which students broke off into three groups, each assigned a thematic entertainment project to produce. Students planned budgets, chose vendors, negotiated crises, and completed projects for a fictional Disney cruise. Ringling faculty and staff were enlisted to play the roles of difficult vendors, including an incompetent pilot. The exercise demonstrated an emphasis on collaboration, even between groups, as one group was encouraged to seek support from another. 

Following the workshop, the Disney Live team gave a presentation at the Morganroth Auditorium bolstering student recruitment. They showed several examples of projects that they had personally worked on as interns or employees. Showing a wide breadth of their assignments, the projects ranged from the development process for a thematic meet and greet building with its minute details to the collaborative and multi-stage progression of a thematic theater stage. Even the smallest detail is given generous thought, such as the design of a heating grate inside a resort hotel room.

四虎影视 Computer Animation alumni Sarah Schmidt 鈥�17 led the presentation, offering a transparent explanation of the path to employment with Disney. The tangible relationship between 四虎影视 and Disney was hard to miss, as three of the five members of the Disney team are Ringling alumni, Schmidt, joined by Mark Lim 鈥�19, Computer Animation and Bailey Maher 鈥�22, Visual Studies. Schmidt furthered that four of their current interns are Ringling alumni, and pointed out work by other alumni employed with Disney Live Entertainment, throughout the slideshow. 
More recruitment opportunities and other career services will be available at Career Insight, 10:30 am to 4 pm in the Alfred R. Goldstein Library on Feb. 14, 2023.

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Saltz was invited by 四虎影视 of Art and Design Fine Arts and Visual Studies Department Head Joe Fig, to talk with students about his career in art criticism, the role of the artist in contemporary culture, and what art he is excited about right now. 

鈥淛erry Saltz is one of the most influential art critics in the world,鈥� said Fig. 鈥淗e has over 500,000 followers on social media, where he addresses art criticism in a straightforward, understandable (and often humorous) manner, and cuts right to core of the meaning and importance of artworks and current issues in contemporary art. He understands artists and challenges they face.鈥�

This event, like so many others at 四虎影视, offered the campus community and students in particular an invaluable opportunity to listen and learn from a leading figure and voice in today鈥檚 art world. Saltz鈥檚 talk offered students, faculty, and staff a unique lecture that spoke to the student experience and the experience of being a working artist. Clearly written with Ringling students in mind, the talk was no less motivational for everyone else. His advice to talk to your parents less, stay up all night, and start a vampire gang, might also be useful advice for the faculty and staff in attendance. 

Saltz spoke candidly to the packed auditorium about his experience as a student and the realities of his career. His work week consists of attending almost nightly art openings with his wife, Roberta Smith, senior art critic at The New York Times. They grab a slice of pizza, eat standing up, go to the shows, and return home to their separate work areas to write up their reviews. Joe Fig spoke kindly about Smith before the talk: 鈥淩oberta may even be more influential than Jerry. Together they are a super powerhouse couple in the art world, advocating for artists and supporting the arts in general.鈥�

Saltz鈥檚 method of art criticism is approachable and rejects overtly intellectual art jargon. Similarly, his talk sought to find a common and relatable ground at every opportunity. In an attempt to distill the meaning and a definition of art, he gave a metaphysical reading of the oeuvre of Dolly Parton, with radical vulnerability as the key ingredient. The event felt like a TED Talk by a motivational speaker proposing a humanist approach to making art. He cautioned students to 鈥渕ake an enemy of envy鈥� and to 鈥渇inish the damn thing. It鈥檚 not going to be perfect, but finish it.鈥�

The talk at 四虎影视 was a prelude to a ticketed event that took place at Sarasota Art Museum on Saturday which was open to the community. 

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