Towards the end of 2006-2007 academic year, a chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Student Group was formed at RWC for students who have a deep passion and commitment for the arts. The RWC chapter is one of eight other Cincinnati chapters, according to Professor Patrick Schreiber of the RWC Art and Visual Communication Department, who is the Education director and AIGA Student Group faculty advisor.Professor Schreiber stresses the importance of the members of this chapter getting not only themselves but others “involved in the local design community, create a community of their own and help them build leadership skills that will be valuable as they move into the professional world.”
The group currently has ten members and is making a strong effort “to promote art and design education to the Art and Visual Communication student body and the Raymond Walters community at large,” Schreiber added.
On September 18, 2007, the group, along with AIGA-Cincinnati and the Art and Visual Communication Department’s “ArtStart” program-orientation, co-sponsored a screening of a new independent movie “Helvetica.”
“‘Helvetica’ is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture,” says Schreiber. “It looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives.”
“Helvetica” is currently screening at film festivals, museums, design conferences, and cinemas worldwide. Several hundred members of the professional design community attended, along with members of the RWC faculty and staff.
AIGA students are also currently working on designing an information board next to Room 327 Muntz to encourage membership as well as upcoming events. The group is also organizing and sponsoring a Paper Symposium to be conducted by Shaughnessy Papers, a local paper supplier to professional designers and printers in the Cincinnati area, Schreiber said.
For more information on the AIGA, contact Professor Schreiber at .