Once you have voted on Tuesday, November 4, why not stop by the Michael P. Metcalf Auditorium in the Chace Center and catch up with Carol Catalano ‘80 ID? She’ll be speaking at 6:30pm as part of our Alumni Lecture Series. Carol has run her own successful Boston-based product design and development firm, Catalano Design, since 1987. Based on the belief that “good design is a careful balance of art, science and craft,” she designs everything from audio speakers to office furniture to gig bags. Her career really took off once her Capelli Stool (now sold through Herman Miller for the Home) won a Silver Prize at the 1999 International Furniture Design Competition in Asahikawa, Japan.  You can read more about her in this profile. See you Tuesday!

The mail is not what it used to be, now that letter writing has migrated to email, and seems to contain few surprises these days.  So it was especially delightful to receive a catalog of works by Andrew Stevovich ‘70 PT, published in conjunction with the exhibition Andrew Stevovich: The Truth About Lola, organized by the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY.  The exhibition, which opened on September 27, runs until January 11, 2009, and will travel to The Boca Raton Museum of Art, Florida, March 17 - May 31, 2009. The exhibition and catalog was made possible by Adelson Galleries, which represents Andrew.

So thanks Andrew for letting me know what you’ve been up, and for perking up my mail!

An artist is someone who does the wrong thing … at the right time.

In about 20 minutes I will be speaking at the IDEAS Boston conference. I arrived about an hour ago and within minutes I bumped into a RISD alum. Anywhere there is innovation or funky ideas, RISDfolks are certain to be nearby.

RISD alums Joe Gebbia (ID ‘05) and Brian Chesky (ID ‘04) have combined the most important meal of the day with the most important decision you’ll make this year.  CNN recently interviewed the young entrepreneurs to discuss the creation of their politically-flavored cereal, Obama O’s (”Hope in every bowl”) and Cap’n McCains (”A maverick in every bite”).

The limited-edition cereal can be purchased online via their AirBed & Breakfast site (a separate venture launched by the duo that allows users to book rooms with locals instead of at expensive hotels).  Fill your bowls and hit the polls!

Check out the November issue of Domino magazine for an article featuring artists who can be commissioned to create portraits in a variety of mediums, including Elyse Hradecky ‘07 PR , who uses lithography to create her contemporary renderings.

I’ve been a bit overwhelmed these few weeks and have many things to post. One thing I notice about RISD is how on an given day there’s always something to see. I recently peeked into the RISD Illustration Studies Building (ISB) and caught the ongoing faculty show. As a Star Wars fan I couldn’t help but be heartened upon seeing my eternally optimistic hero R2-D2 make an appearance.

RISD’s department of Furniture Design represented the school in fine fashion at this year’s Fine Furnishings Show downtown at the RI Convention Center.  The show, featuring hand crafted furniture, furnishings, fine art, crafts, jewelry and more, is open today and tomorrow from 10am-6pm and on Sunday from 10am-5pm. Alissa Jones ‘09 and Andrew Mau ‘09 (pictured above) are among the students manning booth #603. Stop by and say hello!    

Congratulations to Stuart Karten ‘78 ID, whose “Zon” Hearing Aid just received the People’s Design Award, one of the National Design Awards recently conferred by the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Stuart’s design won in two-day online voting; whereas the other NDA recipients were judged by jurors, the Zon was judged by everyone — a true design for the people. Congratulations, Stuart!

Seth MacFarlane ‘95 FAV is once again in the news, this time as the cover story in the November issue of Fast Company (with photographs by Jill Greenberg ‘89 PH). Earlier this year the Emmy Award-winning creator of Family Guy and American Dad (and next spring’s The Cleveland Show) famously signed a $100 million — plus — contract with Fox, but the Fast Company article also focuses on the comic genius’ latest venture, Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, a series of webisodes distributed by Google via its AdSense network. The online shorts are sponsored by advertisers and, as Fast Company points out, exist at “the intersection of advertising, television, and the web — all of which are blurring together”. Seth has long credited RISD with contributing in large part to the success he enjoys — “the open-minded approach, where they teach you to do everything, and you have the freedom to experiment and find your own style.” You can’t put a price on that.