Alumni & Friends

Welcome to 2010 to all COFA alumni

Last year was full of great events which were well attended by growing numbers of COFA alumni. We started the year with the first of our artist studio visits, with an inspiring visit to the studio of Janet Laurence. Being in Janet's studio is a magical experience and she shared so generously about her work. This was followed by a night at Object galley, where COFA graduate Lucy Simpson was a finalist in Design Now. Lucy spoke about her beautiful work and Steve Parkes gave us some interesting background on Object gallery. George Gittoes captivated the audience when his film trilogy Soundtrack to War, Rampage and The Miscreants was shown. Many of you enjoyed an exclusive curator lead basement tour of the Powerhouse, with its huge collection of images and objects that are rarely shown. COFA alumni who graduated in a '9' year had the chance to celebrate their time at COFA with a reunion held in the spectacular iCinema complex, and around 300 of you attended the COFA annual exhibition.

Keep tuned for news of upcoming events as 2010 promises to deliver much more for COFA alumni.


                                               


You and your guest are invited to the COFA Alumni and VIP preview of the Annual Exhibition. Please join us for a glass of champagne and a chance to meet many of COFA’s talented 2009 graduating students.

COFA Annual 09 Alumni and VIP Exhibition Preview

When
Monday 23rd November
6pm - 8pm

Where
COFA campus
F Block
3rd floor

RSVP
16th November
Katy Fitzgerald
alumni@cofa.unsw.edu.au
9385 0699

FOR ALL THOSE WHO GRADUATED IN ‘59 ‘69 ‘79 ‘89 ‘99 OR ‘09 FROM COFA, ALEXANDER MACKIE, CITY ART INSTITUTE OR NATIONAL ART SCHOOL (PRIOR TO 1975)

WHEN
Wednesday 9th September
09/09/09
6.30PM - 9.30PM

WHERE
Scientia Foyer and iCinema
Main Campus

WHAT
09 Reunion
Drinks and refreshments.
iCinema experience

RSVP
Katy Fitzgerald            alumni@cofa.unsw.edu.au    9385 0699            2nd September

During the evening, you will have the opportunity to visit the iCinema Centre for Interactive Cinema Research. Working
across the Faculties of COFA, Engineering and Arts and Social Sciences, iCinema is involved in developing frontier digital
technologies and interactive art projects. The focus of these projects is on how digital media can be used to help us reimagine
some of the issues confronting us in a contemporary world.

• COME ALONG AND MAKE SURE YOU ARE PART OF A GREAT 9 REUNION
• TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RE-CONNECT WITH OTHER ALUMNI FROM YOUR 9 YEAR
• BRING ANY FUNNY STORIES OR PHOTOGRAPHS FROM YOUR 9 YEAR TO SHARE

Dinosaur Design directors receive an Alumni Award

Three outstanding COFA alumni, Liane Rossler, Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy, are the creative force behind the successful and distinctively Australia Dinosaur Designs.  Their company, Dinosaur Designs, employs over 70 people, exports to over twenty countries, is an environmentally and socially responsible and climate friendly company.

Liane, Louise and Stephen continue to support creativity and innovation in the arts and sponsor an annual COFA prize for outstanding design.







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Recent COFA Alumni Event: George Gittoes film screening & discussion

George Gittoes was the guest speaker at the recent well attended COFA alumni event. Segments from his film trilogy, Soundtrack to War, Rampage and The Miscreants were screened, followed by a discussion and questions from an enthusiastic audience. It was the first time ever that the three films had been shown together, emphasising how the films link together.








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Recent COFA Alumni Event: Red Dot Design Museum- Singapore

WHAT: Intriguing Senses : Contemporary Textile Design

WHEN: 7.30 pm Friday, 22nd May, 2009

WHERE: Creative Nexus Centre for Design Studies, 03-01 Red Dot Design Museum, 28 Maxwell Rd, Singapore

 

This lecture by COFA Head of Design Studies, Liz Williamson, documented contemporary textile design practice in Sydney, Australia by profiling a selection of leading designers and emerging talents. Designers have embraced innovative techniques to explore complex concepts producing innovative and intriguing designs marketed in a variety of ways. By exploring current issues of sustainability, environment and place combined with historical reference and new technologies, designers are developing intriguing ways to inform the senses.

From established designer Julie Paterson of ‘Cloth’ with her iconic interpretations of the environment to emerging designers Lucy Simpson’s awarded Gaawaa Miyay range, this lecture will illustrate the innovative and beautiful textiles, experimental design currently being designed and produced.  All have associations with the School of Design Studies at COFA as lecturers, alumni and students or as part of the wider COFA community.






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Recent COFA Alumni Event: Object Gallery

Recent COFA alumni event held at Object Gallery. Gallery Director Steve Pozel spoke about Design Now 2009 exhibition and Lucy Simpson, COFA graduate
and finalist in the exhibition spoke about her work.







Hi everybody,

I'm wanting to let you know about a promotion we are running with the COFA alumni on-line community.
To really make this site work for you and to give you lots of reasons to visit it regularly we need your help and participation.

The site offers many advantages, such as ...

    o    letting your peers know what you are up to,

    o    update on where you are working,

    o    information about jobs and other opportunities,

    o    finding artistic collaborators,

    o    a chance to exhibit your work online

    o    as well as other things that you might like the site to offer!


To get the site really working, we ask you to ...

    o    register, if you haven't already done so, by following this link - cofa.unsw.edu.au/alumni/ - and click on 'register'

    o    then simply include some information in your profile and portfolio with current and interesting information about yourself.

    o    The more information you enter the more you are likely to gain from the site, such as interest in your work from other Alumni and possible job prospects.


As an extra incentive for you for doing this, we will be giving away...

        o     6 x $350 vouchers to be spent on a COFA short course of your choice

        o     50 x Free double movie passes

        o    and more!

During April and May, anyone updating their information will go into a draw for these incentives.

So - get started! Take 10 minutes and write something fascinating about yourself and post some images of your work!

When you have done this, just send me a quick email - alumni@cofa.unsw.edu.au so that I can make sure you become eligible for one of the above incentives.

Recent Alumni Event: Janet Laurence studio visit

Our recent alumni event held at Janet Laurence's studio was a great night. Janet talked about many of her projects, her inspiration and how she overcomes challenges in her diverse work. Our very engaged and interested enthusiastic alumni audience asked many questions and revelled in the opportunity of being inside such an intriguing studio.   

Keep visiting this page for future Alumni events and news

ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

COFA Alumni Association reflects the values of the UNSW Alumni Association, to build a lifelong partnership between UNSW, COFA and its worldwide alumni, which fosters active participation in the life of the University and brings benefit to a broader society.

COFA values highly the diversity and international reach of the alumni community, acknowledging their role as leaders in their field, as artists, teachers or administrators.

COFA’s desire is to create a strong and vibrant Alumni community and offer an innovative and  diverse program of events that will appeal and entice you to attend.

Over the years COFA has changed names and incarnations, separated and re-merged. Regardless of which Faculty you graduated from, be it COFA, Alexander Mackie, National Art School or City Art Institute, you automatically becomes part of the Alumni Community on completion of your studies. There is no need to join or pay any fees , all you need to do is ensure your contact details are up to date.

STAY IN TOUCH

All graduates of COFA, City Art Institute, Alexander Mackie College and National Art School are encouraged to stay in touch and ensure their contact details are up to date.

This will ensure that you receive information on the Alumni program of events as well as  other relevant information on COFA and UNSW developments.

To ensure your contact details are up to date, please email the following information to:
alumni@cofa.unsw.edu.au

Name
Address
Phone number(s)
Email address
Course / Institution / Year

NEWS FROM COFA ALUMNI

Many COFA alumni are actively involved in contemporary creative culture both in Australia and beyond. Graduates from COFA's Fine Art, Design, Multi Media, Art History & Theory, Art Administration and Art Education degrees are shaping their fields as practitioners, administrators, educators and theorists.

JANET LAURENCE is one of Australia’s most well known and successful artists. She was included in the 9th Sydney Biennale and three Australian Perspecta shows. Her works are in several international collections and major Australian galleries. She is a former trustee of the Art Gallery of NSW and is currently on the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council.  Laurence’s work examines the intersections between science and architecture and explores the fragility of nature and the possibility of regeneration.‘I love working in a way that the work you do creates a space for possibility.’    

SHAUN GLADWELL does not make too much of a distinction between art and life, allowing the things he was doing before art, now become his art. Skateboarding, being one of those activities, features prominently in the work of this painter, installation and video artist and is imbued with balletic grace and poetry in motion. Although the adrenaline rush achieved through his stunts helps to push Gladwells work to new levels, he is also asking bigger questions about human nature and its limits. 

CLINTON NAIN is one of the most complex and visually subtle artists of his generation, and the layers of meaning within his art keep on unfolding. Nain believes his research into his family history has given him much ground to work from within his artwork. This is also reflected in the power of his work which integrates dance and performance. Nain believes the popularity of Aboriginal art is a positive way of allowing people to interact with Aboriginal history and culture. 

TRENT JANSEN was the recipient of the Object Award for Design for Manufacturing in his final year in the COFA Design course. His work, Sign Stool was constructed from recycled street signs and functions both as seating and shelving. Jansen has a commitment to sustainability, and a desire to imbue objects with personality. Jansen’s hope is that a relationship between owner and object brings about longevity of use, rather than the short-term life many fashionable objects suffer from.

MELISSA CHIU graduated from COFA in Arts Administration and Arts History and has done much to bring attention to the work of Asian and Asian-Australian artists. She was founding director of Gallery 4A, the first Australian gallery specialising in Asian art. In 2001 she moved to New York to join the Asia Society Museum as the first curator of Asian contemporary art within an American art gallery. Three years later as director of the gallery, Chiu retains her curatorial role as well as working on establishing Asian art centres in Hong Kong and Texas. 

The above extracts have been taken from the special edition of COFA Magazine, 2007, which features many successful COFA Alumni. For more information on these Alumni as well as many others, please refer to the magazine.
If you would like a copy of this edition of the COFA magazine please contact Katy Fitzgerald on 9385 0699 or alumni@cofa.nsw.edu.au

SHORT COURSES

These courses are run by highly qualified lecturers, either from COFA academic staff or other respected institutions.  Short courses are a great opportunity to refresh your skills or to explore new areas of art, fashion and design and integrate them into your own practice.  Participants in these courses include under graduate students, post graduate students, lecturers, artists, designers, as well as participants from a diverse range of backgrounds.  Short courses are a great way of enhancing your own craft, as well as learning something completely new.
 
All alumni receive a $20 discount on courses.

For more information on these courses, go to www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/shortcourses

YOUR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

The Alumni community is your community! It’s life and vibrancy is determined by the program of events and the level of participation and involvement of its members.

We welcome any comments and suggestions that you have and will look to incorporating your views wherever possible.

To register your comments and suggestions, please email:

alumni@cofa.unsw.edu.au