ArTech Fusion 13 will be held March 8th

ArTech Fusion 13
March 8, 6:30pm
Acadiana Center for the Arts

The ACA is partnering with UL Lafayette College of the Arts for this unforgettable evening of art infused with technology. ArTech Fusion 13 is the Opening Night for UL Lafayette’s annual Festival of the Arts. Join us for food and fun as faculty, students and community partners present one-of-a-kind performances the Lafayette way, featuring music, animation, poetry, traditional music, dance, film and more. Ray McIntyre, Jr., visual digital effects artist and supervisor of Pixel Magic (LITE Center, Lafayette) will receive the College of the Arts SPARK Lifetime Achievement Award. The winner of the 2nd Annual Department of Visual Arts Faculty Portfolio Raffle will be drawn during the program. Raffle tickets are $5 and will be on sale at the event.

Admission: Students $5, UL Faculty/Staff $10, General Public $20.

Purchase tickets online at: http://artechfusion13.eventbrite.com or call the College of the Arts (337.482.6224).

Meet Ray McIntyre, Jr., SPARK 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Meet Ray McIntyre, Jr., SPARK 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Ray McIntyre, Jr., digital visual effects artist and supervisor at Pixel Magic, will receive the 2013 SPARK Lifetime Achievement Award during Festival of the Arts this spring. Most of the digital work of Pixel Magic is now conducted at the LITE Center right here in Lafayette, and many graduates of the Department of Visual Arts have been employed by Pixel Magic upon graduation. McIntyre will be honored at this year’s Opening Night for Festival of the Arts. The event will be held March 8 at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, and is entitled, ArTech Fusion 13.

Ray McIntyre Jr. was born in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada and moved to Southern California with his parents at the age of 6.  After graduating from Chaminade High School, he attended California State University, Long Beach and graduated with a degree in Ocean Engineering.  Early jobs included working in film laboratories and learning the film business.

In 1985 Ray and a college classmate started a business and created computer controlled optical camera systems. This mechanized the optical camera and allowed it to be programmed to run automatically.  Among others, their business counted NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston as a customer.

After graduation, Ray worked as Chief Engineer of Baron Autoclave, where he created software for closed loop control of autoclaves.   These machines were necessary for curing composite carbon fiber and kevlar parts utilized in aeronautics.

In 1989, he joined Optical Cinema Service, his dad’s company, which was doing traditional non-computerized opticals.  With desktop computers and software becoming more available, Ray looked to the future, converted the facility to an all digital visual effects house, renamed the company Pixel Magic and stepped into the digital age.

Today, Ray is a partner in Pixel Magic and oversees all creative operations at their facilities in Hollywood, CA and Lafayette, LA. He is hired by movie studios as an on-set visual effects supervisor to design, shoot and complete the director’s vision.

In the short time since opening their office in the LITE Center in 2009, the office in Lafayette has become their primary facility for executing vfx work.  Pixel Magic Lafayette has worked on movies such as Secretariat, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Parts 1 & 2, Oscar nominated The Help, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1.

Ray was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1996 for HBO’s acclaimed Tuskegee Airmen.  In  2004 he won the Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects for his work in Warner Brothers’ The Last Samurai.  He also won an International Monitor Award in 1998 for his work in Caspaer Meets Wendy.

Design of Fletcher Hall Renovations Released

Ziler Architects of Lafayette released today an approved rendering of upcoming renovations for Joel L. Fletcher Hall on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus.

“The rendering offers perspective of improvements proposed to correct extensive leaks and of the design that will provide an additional 20,000 square feet of educational space on the second floor,” said Jim Ziler, the project architect.

For three years, the university has been planning renovations to Fletcher Hall while attempting to secure additional funding to remediate waterproofing deficiencies that have existed since the building was constructed in the 1970s. The building houses the School of Architecture and Design and the Department of Visual Arts.

The design modifies Fletcher Hall with reconfigured roof profiles, along with changes to the building’s concrete skin. The existing interior atrium will remain open at the top; glass walls will enclose the balconies of all three floors.

Hector LaSala, one of the UL Lafayette architecture professors who assisted during the final design process, said the new exterior materials and details integrate second-floor additions while preserving, even improving, the building’s overall aesthetic continuity.

“A key decision was to forgo adding traditional red brick to the first-floor exterior, among early design options,” LaSala said.

“The aggregate will remain on the first-floor exterior walls; it will be repaired, cleaned, weatherproofed and coated to complement the metallic color of new metal panels planned for the upper floors. A slight vertical corrugation of the panels will add a shadow play to the walls.”

Ziler said the panels are energy efficient and cost effective. He said that parapets of the same material will be added, extending the vertical profile of exterior walls on the second-floor additions to prevent the pitched roofs from dominating the configurations. The added roofs will have a slight slope to direct rain away from the walls.

Students and community members had expressed dissatisfaction with early designs posted on Ziler’s website, and proposed additions based on preliminary models, that were intended solely as studies. In early December 2012, messages to the university, a Facebook group and an online petition conveyed their opinions.

The initial study models that had circulated did not represent the final design, materials or colors, Ziler said.

At a Dec. 20 meeting, the state’s Office of Facility Planning and Control concurred with the project architect that a sprinkler and fire-alarm system would be a necessary addition to the project, according to Bill Crist, director of the university’s Facilities Management. At that meeting, he notified the state office that the architect and the university were reviewing designs to develop a final rendering.

The university allocated $500,000 in additional funding for the sprinkler and fire-alarm system, according to Crist.

“Refinements to the final design occurred through cooperative efforts,” said Gordon Brooks, dean of the College of the Arts. “The project expanded beyond its primary role to remediate water damage and improve safety. Design also was a significant focus.”

Final Design Process

On Dec. 28, a six-person group met on campus to deliberate conceptual design options for Fletcher Hall: Branden Leger and Brant Patout, students majoring in architecture; Kerrie Butts and John Maak, architecture graduates from UL Lafayette; and Geoff Gjertson and Hector LaSala, members of the school’s faculty.

UL Lafayette alumnus Charles Beazley, a local architect, also was instrumental in critiquing the project, according to Ziler.

Ziler said that his firm, with the input from faculty members, alumni and students, worked last week to complete the final rendering.

“Jim reviewed cost and structural modifications, and consulted with his engineer, while we made adjustments,” LaSala said. “From then on, Ziler and his staff pushed the design to a final solution.

“The design not only repairs the existing problems, it ultimately makes Fletcher Hall an outstanding building.”

Brooks said: “Jim Ziler deserves credit for being so receptive to input. The university administration and the state facility planning office have been supportive.  And, we are especially grateful to our architecture students, alumni and faculty who contributed time and effort to the process.”

LaSala said the process was “exemplary of true collaboration. We concluded with a design that reflects the prestige of our programs.”

Next Steps

Construction is expected to begin in April, according to Crist.

“We need to get a construction bid within the allocated $4 million budget,” said Ziler. “Budget and ultimate costs are still major concerns for completion of the project.”

Crist said another phase of the renovation ­– for interior buildouts of the second-floor additions and mechanical systems replacement ­– will occur once more funding is secured.

Louisiana Brass Quintet

The Louisiana Brass Quintet will perform their Fall Recital on Monday, November 26, 2012, 7:30 pm at Ducrest/ Gilfry Auditorium in Angelle Hall on the UL Campus.

The LBQ, music faculty at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette
includes Paul Morton and German Rojas, trumpets, Catherine
Roche-Wallace, horn, Eddie Mueller, trombone, and Scott Landry, tuba. Since its inception over 25 years ago, the LBQ has brought its eclectic style of brass playing to audiences throughout Louisiana. In addition to their formal recitals, the LBQ acts as “brass ambassadors” for the UL School of Music, presenting programs in high schools across the state.

The concert is free, the public is cordially invited to attend.

UNIV100: First Year Success

UNIV100 is an university-wide first-year seminar for all incoming freshmen that is offered as a 2 credit-hour interactive experience. Several professors in the College of the Arts underwent training this summer in order to lead the freshmen through the course. Robert Willey of the School of Music and Performing Arts was one of those professors. “The excellent training that Theresa Wozencraft and her colleagues gave us over the summer was a big boost, and made me rethink how I teach the rest of my classes,” said Willey.

Dr. J. Denise John from the School of Architecture and Design has received a lot of positive feedback from students. “I feel that it has helped me identify a few students who needed resource access who might not have otherwise known about them,” John states. “I feel that it may help the students be more successful in the long run.”

Overall, UNIV100 has been a success for both faculty and students. While the students are given the opportunity to become better acquainted with their University, the faculty are given the chance to connect early on with incoming freshmen.

“I am enjoying teaching UNIV100,” says Willey. “I think the content that has been developed is very relevant for the students, and they seem to understand how it will help them succeed in college and beyond. It is a lot of information, but they can come back to the topics and gradually incorporate it over time, such as in budgeting, note taking, studying, time management, using the library, career planning, and getting along with classmates and faculty.”

UNIV100 class doing their Service Learning Project

For more information on the Office of the First-Year Experience, visit ulstudentlife.com/first-year or email Theresa Wozencraft at wozencraft@louisiana.edu.

Little Libraries

Professor Hector LaSala explains the “Little Libraries” project. Watch the video and view the pictures.

State of LA Danse 2012

The UL Lafayette School of Music and Performing Arts presented State of LA Danse November 8-10 at 7:30pm and November 11 at 2pm at the Ducrest-Gilfry Auditorium at Angelle Hall on the UL Lafayette campus.

The 2012 production of State of LA Danse featured a reconstruction of the second act of the great Romantic ballet Giselle, which was directed by faculty resident artist Marie Broussard. The ballet tells the story of a peasant girl named Giselle whose ghost, after her premature death from a broken heart, returns from the grave to protect Albrecht, her unfaithful lover. Performing in the principle roles of Giselle and Albrecht were Courtney Anne Dressner and Vlad Marculescu Constantin courtesy of the Montgomery Ballet. UL Lafayette Performing Arts major Brittanie Scroggs performed the role of Myrtha

Chard Gonzales and Matthew Couvillon premiered in the 2012 production of State of LA Danse. Chard Gonzales is currently on the dance faculty at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. Artistic Director of Chard Gonzales Dance Theatre was in residence at UL Lafayette to create an original work for State of LA Danse entitled Love Thy Robot Self. Chard, who has performed and choreographed internationally, is the recipient of two Big Easy Classical Arts Awards.

Matthew Couvillon, the 2008 Outstanding Graduate from the UL Lafayette College of the Arts, returned to UL Lafayette earlier this fall to create a new work for the Performing Arts dancers set to a suite of songs by Bob Dylan. Matthew was recently seen in two productions of Cats and has toured Nationally/Internationally on the Broadway musical A Chorus Line.

Coordinator of Dance Kenneth L. Jenkins completed the evening with a whimsical dance created to music written for cartoon features from the 1930’s. Entitled Bug Dance this dance is a music visualization that captures the jaunty musical style of the score.

UL Symphony Orchestra’s Annual Halloween Concert

Adults and little ones alike will get into the Halloween spirit when the UL-Lafayette Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Blaney presents its Annual Halloween Concert. Tuesday, October 30, at 7:30 p.m. in Angelle Hall Auditorium. Orchestra members will be wearing costumes and the audience is encouraged to show up in their favorite Halloween costumes.  Musical highlights of this year’s concert include: James Bond, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Danse Macabre and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. The orchestra will also present a world premiere performance of Eric Sharp’s Renegade Convergence featuring the UL Dance Department. It’s a great way to celebrate the holiday in a fun and entertaining way.

Admission is $8 for adults, FREE for 17 and younger, FREE for all UL students, faculty, and staff with I.D. All proceeds benefit the UL-Lafayette Orchestra Program. For more information call the UL School of Music at (337) 482-6012 or visit  music.louisiana.edu/ to view information about all upcoming performances.

Beaux Arts Ball 2012

The Beaux Arts Ball (in French the Bal des Quatres Arts) is the annual costume ball traditionally given by the students of the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in the spring, in the École building on the rue Bonaparte overlooking the Seine. In 1931, in New York, famous architects dressed up as their buildings, and today, many American arts organizations hold similar costume balls as fundraisers for the arts.

UL College of the Arts’ 3rd annual Beaux Arts Ball, which was held at 7pm on October 5th, was nothing short of fantastic. The theme this year was Seeing Red and guests were encouraged to come up with creative ways of interpreting it. From lobsters to devilish fiends, all costumes were welcome as long as they were red. Musical entertainment was performed by the UL Jazz Ensemble, a delicious dinner was served cocktail buffet-style, and our raucously–red design students, among other surprises, awaited revelers who made it to this event!

This year’s guest of honor was Ray McIntyre Jr. Ray is a partner in Pixel Magic and oversees all creative operations at their facilities in Hollywood, CA and Lafayette, LA. He is hired by movie studios as an on-set visual effects supervisor to design, shoot and complete the director’s vision.

In the short time since opening their office in the LITE Center in 2009, the office in Lafayette has become their primary facility for executing vfx work.  Pixel Magic Lafayette has worked on movies such as “Secretariat”, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Parts 1 & 2”, Oscar nominated  “The Help” and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1”.

Ray was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1996 for HBO’s acclaimed “TUSKEGEE AIRMEN”.  In  2004 he won the Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects for his work in Warner Bros. “THE LAST SAMURAI”.  He also won an International Monitor Award in 1998 for his work in “CASPER MEETS WENDY”.

A Summer in Paris

UL Art students took a semester abroad this Summer in Paris, France to study as well as site see the historic city. Check out our Facebook Page for more pictures from the trip.

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