Creative Arts & Technology
CAT International 2008
The CAT program is rapidly expanding its reach beyond the United States by creating rewarding study and work possibilities for our students all over the world. Watch these pages for some truly exciting projects.
Welcome to India, welcome to Pune!
Bloomfield College has entered into a preliminary agreement for CAT to collaborate with a large Indian company that is setting up an animation training center (Sumeru Academy of Digital Arts) in the city of Pune, and hopes to expand nationwide. If Sumeru succeeds in attracting students, CAT will be working with them on developing curriculum and sending American teachers to India to teach for stints that could range from two months to a year or more. The Sumeru students will be pursuing an 18-month certificate program in animation and related areas of visual content, and we're already developing an option for the last month or two that would enable interested students to study at Bloomfield College in a special summer program.
Professor John Towsen traveled there in April to speak at their first open house and to carry on in-depth discussions on the future of the program. You can catch up on this whirlwind weekend trip to India on a blog created for just that purpose: http://indiaweekend.blogspot.com/
CAT Global Travelers in Rome, Florence and Pompeii
From February 28 - March 7, Professors Nancy Bacci and Lisa Rabinowitz and their intrepid husbands Jim and Harold traveled with ten CAT Honors students to Rome, the second course and destination run as CAT 333 Global Arts. The students were juniors and seniors, majors in Fine Arts, Animation, Game Design, Graphics, Music, and Video. The trip was astonishing for the happiness everyone felt, nearly every minute, at being in such a beautiful, historic city, in the side trips to Florence and Pompeii, and in each others’ company. It is rare to enjoy group travel this much.
Click here to read the whole story
Join IDEA and CAT for their 2008 Summer Institute in Turkey!
Last summer, CAT began a collaboration with the International Debate Education Association (IDEA) on a summer institute devoted to teaching not only debate, but Citizen Journalism & New Media. Last year's institute was held on the beautiful grounds of the United World College overlooking the Adriatic Sea in Duino, Italy. Due to renovations to the facilities there this summer, we are moving one sea over, to the banks of the Aegean, settling in for three weeks (June 29 – July 19) at the Decemko Resort (see photos below) near Dikilli Town, Turkey, and a mere 75-minute ferry boat ride from the nearest Greek Isle. As in the past, CAT students will be supplying the program's new media training, teaching students from all over the globe how to use audio, video, and the internet to broadcast their stories to the wider world. Read more about it here:
http://www.idebate.org/institute/
http://tatilkoyu.decemko.org/
Art in Italy: CAT Honors Students Leave for Rome (February/March 2008)
On Thursday, February 28th, Professors Lisa Rabinowitz & Nancy Bacci are leading ten CAT Honors students on a spring break trip to Rome, Florence and Pompeii. The students are part of this year's Global Arts: Up-Close and In-Person course, in which students study the culture of a foreign country and then get to actually visit there for at least a week. Last year was Art in Paris, and it looks like next year's course will be Art in Mexico! You can follow all the action by checking out their blog at:
http://artinitaly.wordpress.com/
When East Meets West Kicks off its Third Year (January 2008)
|The collaboration between CAT and Jeonju University (Jeonju, South Korea) kicked off its third year this January 2008 with the jam-packed three week visit of five Korean students and two Korean faculty members. Their visit was blessed with mild weather, which made our frequent jaunts to Manhattan much easier, especially when it came to walking all over the place! Some of the dozens of sites visited together included Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Koreatown, Rockefeller Center, the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, the Museum of the American Indian, Harlem, St. John the Divine, the Guggenheim Museum, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Nintendo World, NBC Studios, Federal Hall, Trinity Church, the Apple Store, the Cloisters, Columbia University, Curious Pictures Animation Studio, Kaos Game Design Studio, and a performance of Blue Man Group. In addition, there were trips to Princeton, NJ for higher education in laser tag (thank you, Mel!) and the Jeonju contingent did their own two-day trip to Washington, D.C.
Back on the BC campus, our Korean friends worked with nine CAT students on three separate collaborative media projects involving video and animation. These projects were part of a broader plan to collaborate with our partner institutions in creating a Digital Artist Learning Environment (DALE), new interactive and immersive tools for learning about and better exploring the work of significant artists.
CAT Students Teach in Italy and Shoot Documentary Footage in the Czech Republic (Summer 2007)
Summer 2007 was quite an adventure for CAT students Mercedes Pagan, Tierney Steele, and Kahlin Whatley! It all began when they arrived in Duino, Italy to teach for three weeks in the International Debate & Citizen Journalism Institute co-sponsored by Bloomfield College and the International Debate Education Association (IDEA). Joined by Professor Laura Nova for the first two weeks and Professor John Towsen for the final week, the CAT students headed up the new media component of the Citizen Journalism curriculum, teaching a wide array of tech skills and mentoring students from dozens of countries on a variety of audio and video projects. The results of their excellent work can be seen here: http://www.idebate.org/citizenjournalism/
After three exciting but exhausting weeks in Duino, the students headed on a long overnight bus trip (the trains were on strike!) to the Czech Republic, where they switched hats and became the video documentarians for the IDEA Youth Forum. In addition to the experience, an actual salary, and all expenses being paid, the students were able to visit Venice, Trieste, and Prague twice each during their five weeks in Europe.
CAT Begins Collaboration with the Arts Institute at Bournemouth (England)
Why not consider a semester abroad in England? Thanks to our new partnership with the Arts Institute at Bournemouth, you can now study abroad and continue to work in your CAT area of specialization, at approximately the same cost as a semester here at home. Bournemouth, located on the English Channel less than two hours from London, offers high-level study in animation, textiles, visual communication, architecture, photography, acting, arts & event management, fine art, graphic design, illustration, film, modelmaking, fashion, and interactive media. For more info, visit their home page at:
www.aib.ac.uk
Art in Paris (Spring 2007)
After 18 years of exposing our students to live art of all kinds in
our Art in New York class, CAT added a more exotic variation with its 300-level honors course officially titled
Global Arts: Up-Close and in Person. Our first offering in Spring 2007 was the long-awaited Art in Paris. While still in
Bloomfield. fourteen CAT students were introduced
to French visual arts, music, performing arts and even cuisine by Professors Lisa Rabinowitz and John Towsen. During spring break, the entire group traveled to Paris to experience it all first
hand. Their eight days in the French capital were indeed jam-packed, as they...
• walked countless miles, exploring the sights, sounds, and above all the architecture of the "City of Light"
• ventured out on a Sunday morning bike ride all the way to the Bois de Boulogne and back
• visited the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsai. and the Pompidou museums
• attended a performance of Nouveau Cirque
• dined in a wide variety of restaurants
• were hosted by several Parisian artists in their own studios.
On top of that, each student completed a research projects on a topic of their own choosing!
This is Year One in what we hope will be an annual series of visits to
different international arts capitals, with Italy next up in 2008 and Mexico in 2009!
CAT Students Shoot Documentary in Beijing (November 2006)
During November 2006, CAT video students Steve Stover, Mercedes Pagan, and Nick Silvestri traveled with Professor John Towsen to Beijing, China to shoot a documentary for the International Debate Education Association (IDEA). The students spent a week at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), documenting a major college debate competition, the first of its kind in Beijing, with participants from all over China as well as from such countries as Pakistan, Burma, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Bulgaria, Australia, and the United States. Despite working long hours, the CAT crew squeezed in visits to such tourists sites as the Silk Market, Tiananmen Square, and the Great Wall, and enjoyed in-depth conversations with their new international colleagues, two of whom had spent years in jail for promoting democracy in their home country of Burma. On their way home, our travelers took advantage of a 5-hour stopover in Japan and visited the magnificent and historic Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, founded in the year 940. The trip was a rich experience for all, and CAT is very much looking forward to future collaborations with IDEA and BFSU.
Asian Culture & Language Classes at Bloomfield
CAT is excited to excited to be offering three new
classes in Asian culture, one about Korea, one about Japan, and
one about China. They are all 2-credit classes and are a must for students wanting
to study in these countries.
Korean Culture & Language
On the cutting edge of new media innovation yet drawing upon a rich cultural
heritage, Korea is clearly a country on the move. The land of Buddhist temples,
tae kwon do, hanji papermaking, kim chee, and exquisite traditional crafts is
also Asia’s most wired nation. Readings, movies, guest speakers, and class
trips provide an overview of Korean culture within a historical and political
context. Each class session will include lessons in speaking basic conversational
Korean, which is accessible to Westerners because it uses a conventional alphabet
(han’geul) of vowels and consonants rather than pictographic characters.
Japanese Culture & Language
Be it anime, judo, sushi, the films of Kurosawa, the cars of Toyota, or the
latest game from Nintendo, Japanese culture is very much a part of the American
way of life. This course offers a fascinating look at both traditional and contemporary
Japanese art forms within the context of Japanese politics, history, and lifestyle.
Text, film, multimedia, guests, and class trips will inspire and prepare you
for a visit to Japan, and each class session will include lessons in speaking
basic conversational Japanese.
Chinese Culture & Language
It is often said that we have just finished the American Century, and that the
21st will be the Chinese Century. With 1.3 billion people, the longest and arguably
richest history of any country ever to exist, and the fastest growing economy
in the world, China is poised to play a dominant role in shaping your future.
This course will provide an overview of Chinese culture within the context of
Chinese history and politics, including such topics as calligraphy, kung fu,
Beijing Opera, cuisine, literature, architecture, and contemporary film and
music. Each class session will include lessons in speaking basic conversational
Mandarin.
East Meets West Collaboration with Jeonju University (South Korea)
Seven students and two professors from Jeonju University (http://www.jj.ac.kr/)
in South Korea arrived at Kennedy Airport on January 14th, after a 14-hour flight
from Seoul. For the next month they worked intensively with eleven CAT students
and three CAT professors on an intercultural project that has continued via
the internet this past spring. Shared activities included visits to Ellis Island,
Blue Man Group, the Pixar Animation exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, a "vertical
tour" to the top of St. John the Divine cathedral, Manhattan's "Koreatown,"
the Rose Planetarium, and countless other sites and attractions. On June 26th,
eight CAT students and three CAT professors traveled to Korea to continue work
on this project over a period of three weeks at Jeonju University. Both student
teams were comprised of members with advanced skills in graphics, animation,
music, video, writing, and programming. Unlike many study abroad and student
exchange programs, our East Meets West project is a true collaboration that
allows students from both cultures to really get to know one other and work
closely together.
The result of all this collaboration is a bi-lingual web site (see home page image, below) exploring the cultural differences between the United States and South Korea. The site uses text, graphics, animation, video, and games to explore its subject matter. The official unveiling of the site is schedule for later this month (October, 2006). As soon as it's up and running, there will be a link to it on this page. So stay tuned!
CAT Students Work in Southeast Europe
CAT was contracted by the Open Society Institute (OSI) to provide training and
follow-up support to the SEEYLI Youth Radio Project during the spring of 2006.
(SEEYLI = SouthEast Europe Youth Leadership Initiative.) Our contribution took
the form of creating, equipping and conducting audio production workshops for
"citizen journalists," and establishing and maintaining a web site
to broadcast the products of these workshops. The workshops were planned and
conducted by CAT honor students Lauren Jadick and Tierney Steele, who traveled
to Macedonia and Kosovo this past spring break. Since then, CAT faculty and
students have been working to provide follow-up support to SEEYLI trainees via
a dedicated web site that has included storage and retrieval of audio files
from the on-site trainings. You can hear the results at: http://cj.bloomfield.edu
and you can read more about Lauren and Tierney at:
http://bloomfield.edu/admissions/biolounge1.asp
CAT Students Visit Tokyo
After three weeks in South Korea this summer, three CAT professors,
eight CAT students, and one CAT alumnus flew to Tokyo, where they explored everything
from A to Z (Anime to Zen Buddhism) in less
than a week. Partial funding for the Japanese portion of this trip was generously
provided by InterChem Corporation (http://www.interchem.com/)
and by numerous local merchants who contributed many valuable gifts to our fundraising
raffle. Here's a shot of Ray and Brett at Tokyo's famous Bandai World Toy Museum
.(http://www.bandai.co.jp/e/facility/index.html)
CAT Students Teach at IDEA's Youth Forum in Romania
Fresh on the heels of their work in Macedonia and Kosovo this past
spring break (see above), CAT students Tierney Steele and Lauren Jadick traveled
directly from Korea to Romania this summer, where for two weeks they taught
multimedia to students from over forty countries as part of Youth Media Training
at the annual Youth Forum of the International Debate Education Association
(IDEA).. For more information:
http://www.idebate.org/citizenjournalism/
CAT Hosts United Nation Foundation's "The People
Speak" Project
CAT has been chosen to provide training and to manage and host
the web broadcasts produced all over the world this fall by participants in
the United Nations Foundation program, The People Speak. CAT multimedia students
will have the opportunity to produce, edit, and broadcast the "citizen
journalism" reports coming out of this project. For more information:
http://www.thepeoplespeak.org/
CAT Launches IDEA Internet Radio Station
In its role as multimedia trainers and web consultants for the
International Debate Education Association, CAT was pleased to collaborate on
the launch of IDEA's streaming Internet Radio Station. Kudos go to Tom Toynton
for all his hard work on the project. To tune in, go to:
http://www.idebate.org/idearadio/
...and click on "Listen to IDEA radio"
Did you know that....
...CAT teachers, students and staff have quite an international background??
Click here to get the whole story.
Other Links
Student Travel Booking: http://www.statravel.com
Teach in China: http://www.uschinaedu.org/mainteach.asp
Teach in Japan: http://www.jetprogramme.org/
Teach in Other Countries:
http://www.statravel.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-0A536D8D-7EBB115E/us_division_web_live/hs.xsl/766.htm
Volunteer Projects: http://www.statravel.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-0A536D8D-7EBB115E/us_division_web_live/hs.xsl/volunteer.htm
Questions? Contact Professor John Towsen at: johntowsen@gmail.com
And don't forget to check out our CAT International bulletin board as you enter Westminster Hall!
