Back for another attention-grabbing and eye-opening presentation, Aaron Daplin, creator of the world-renowned Draplin Design Company (DDC), spoke on campus again in the Morganroth Auditorium, hosted by the Graphic Design Department. 

Although he started the presentation by calling himself a “real serious, real academic guy,” Draplin’s enthusiastic love for graphic design quickly debunked that persona as the first (of many) pranks he pulled on the audience throughout the night. His big personality, along with his wide smile and firm handshake, helped disarm an audience in awe of the quality and amount of work credited to the Draplin name.

The Draplin company first launched in 2004, and 20 years later, Draplin is proud to report that he’s managed to ‘keep everything out of the red.’ From a humble beginning in the Midwest, Draplin grew up loving snowboarding and skateboarding, with much of his future inspiration coming from the design culture of those two activities. During his presentation, Draplin said he first started drawing at age three on paper diner placemats, a last-ditch attempt from his mother to keep him from misbehaving in public. A funny anecdote from the start of his career, but Draplin continues the tradition of drawing wherever and whenever he can.

DDC has worked with dozens (if not hundreds) of organizations, big and small, including companies such as Nike, Hot Wheels, and Skillshare, public figures such as Chris Stapleton and Tenacious D, and even government organizations such as NASA, the United States Postal Service, and the Barack Obama administration. His most recognized work, the Field Notes workbooks, can be bought worldwide and are commonly found in bookstores, cafes, and malls. But that’s not all DDC brings to the table. Draplin came equipped with plenty of swag, bringing an array of stickers, pins, patches, hats, pencil bags, dice, posters, and more for purchase. His iconic book, Pretty Much Everything, currently in its 13th printing, was also for sale.

The Draplin Co.’s work is best described as classic Americana: thick outlines, efficient design, and retro colors. While never confined to one niche, Draplin’s work amasses a large body of coherent yet unique designs. One of the more unique areas of Draplin’s work, however, is his educational design. Motivated by past medical experiences and family health scares, Draplin aims to use graphic design to open the door for talking about scary topics. Education is the first step to solving problems, and if a funny sticker helps start that difficult conversation, it’s a net positive. 

And that’s the crux of Draplin’s philosophy: finding the net positive in whatever you do. In a world where graphic design seems more threatened than ever, Draplin’s speech was an uplifting reassurance to the audience, emphasizing the importance of finding joy in your work. He stated that he likes to share interesting work that inspires him in the hope that it will inspire others, and inspire others he did. Draplin’s presentation was a constant reminder of the beauty that can come from graphic design and poignant advice on how to achieve it. One of the most important mottos to take from work is to celebrate what’s important, “no matter how big, small, or ugly.” 

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Randle contributed significantly to the design and execution of the new Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experience attraction at Universal’s Epic Universe, which garnered an award for Outstanding Achievement. Randle has received a number of Theas in the past for his work on theme parks and experiences like Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando and Caesar’s Magical Empire in Las Vegas.

Primm worked on several projects that received Outstanding Achievement recognition at the 2026 Thea Awards, including the overall creation of the Epic Universe park, as well as two of the park’s attractions, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry and How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk. Primm, too, has earned Thea Awards in the past, including for the theme park Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and attractions like Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure at Universal Islands of Adventure.

For the first time in the history of the Thea Awards, the TEA will celebrate the winners at a conference in Orlando from April 29 to May 2. 

Greg Randle Thea Awards
Caesar’s Magical Empire, 1997
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, 1999
EPCOT’s Millennium Village, 2001
Revenge of the Mummy, 2005
Shanghai Disneyland, 2017
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, 2021
Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, 2026

Kevin Primm Thea Awards
Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure, 2020
Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi, 2020
How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, 2026
Harry Potter & Batte at the Ministry, 2026
Epic Universe, 2026

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What does the professional design world actually look like? This spring break, 12 Graphic Design students from ������Ƶ traveled to New York City to learn firsthand by visiting major in-house design teams and independent studios across the city.

Organized and led by full-time Graphic Design Faculty member, Lisa Jayne Willard, the group of three sophomores, five juniors, and three seniors—toured organizations including The New York Times, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, Lublin Design Center, 2×4, Collins, Pentagram, Red Antler, and Squarespace. The itinerary moved quickly: visits to The New York Times and Cooper Hewitt kicked things off, followed by a full day of studio tours in Brooklyn at Lublin Design Center, 2×4, and Collins. Students then met with members of the Pentagram team, including designers affiliated with the Italian designer Giorgia Lupi’s group, and later toured Barbarian, where Ringling alum Nancy Nyström ’15, Graphic and Interactive Communications, shared insights into her professional journey. The final day wrapped up at Red Antler and Squarespace, where alum Nicole Gavrilles ’12, Fine Arts, led a tour and lecture. Between visits, students had time to explore the city independently and shared a group dinner at John’s Pizzeria.

One of the biggest takeaways was that while many studios appear to do similar work, they are fundamentally different in their approach. Each had its own area of focus—branding, digital experiences, strategy—and its own way of solving problems. Some emphasized research and data-driven design; others leaned into conceptual thinking or visual experimentation. As one designer put it during a visit, “There isn’t one path to a solution. What matters is how you think your way there.”

Work culture proved equally defining. Some studios ran on constant collaboration, with teams continuously building on each other’s ideas. Others allowed for independent exploration before converging. The atmosphere, team dynamics, and even the physical spaces all contributed to each studio’s creative identity, a reminder that culture isn’t just a backdrop, it’s a driving force.

Perhaps the most reassuring realization was how closely professional practice mirrors what students are already learning at ������Ƶ. Research-driven design, concept development, and critique came up repeatedly across studios. The transition from school to industry may feel like a leap, but this trip showed the foundation is already being built in the classroom.

The professionals themselves reinforced this, with many sharing that their own paths weren’t linear, and that persistence, adaptability, and growth matter as much as technical skill. “Your work should show how you think, not just what you can make,” one speaker noted. For students preparing to enter the field, the message was clear: the skills are relevant, the path is achievable, and there is room to grow into an individual voice as a designer.

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Now in its 30th year, ������Ƶ’s annual fundraising gala Avant-Garde returned this year for an unforgettable evening—one that broke records with over $1.5M raised for scholarship support and that honored the couple who have been at the heart of the Ringling community for nearly three decades.

The theme, Dancing Through the Decades, was a fitting tribute to Dr. Larry R. Thompson and his wife Pat, celebrating movement, momentum, and the timeless power of the arts to inspire, unite, and uplift. With Dr. Thompson set to retire at the end of the school year, this year’s gala carried an extra layer of meaning, as guests, donors, faculty, staff, students, and members of Sarasota’s arts community gathered to honor the couple’s indelible mark on ������Ƶ and student scholarships.

Since the gala’s founding in 1995 under then-President Dr. Arland Christ-Janer, Avant-Garde has grown from an intimate 200-person event at Michael’s On East into one of Sarasota’s most anticipated celebrations of creativity and community. For 25 of those years, the Thompsons have opened each gala with an iconic grand entrance, embodying elaborate personas ranging from Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to Glinda the Good Witch and the Wizard of Oz.

 

The funds raised each year go directly toward student scholarships, helping to bridge the gap between the cost of a ������Ƶ education and the resources students need to pursue their creative futures. This year’s record-breaking total will make a meaningful difference for students across the college’s many programs.

 

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Art Deco takes center stage at Sarasota Art Museum in Art Deco: The Golden Age of Illustration. During one of the Curator’s Tour events at the Museum, Senior Curator Rangsook Yoon, Ph.D., led a group of visitors through an in-depth exploration of one of the early 20th century’s most influential art movements.

This exhibition is pretty much a graphic designer’s dream. The centerpiece is a collection of 100 rare promotional posters from the 1920s and 30s, essentially the early days of modern advertising. The posters are large-scale and cover a wide range of products and experiences, from drinks and cars to luxury travel and sporting events. What’s interesting is that several of the brands featured are still around today: Bouillon Cube, Twinings Tea, Chrysler, and even the London Underground.

I met with a small group of Museum visitors in the second-floor gallery. It was here that we began our journey into the evolution of Art Deco.

Alongside the posters, furniture pieces from the same period on loan from the Wolfsonian Museum at Florida International University in Miami help bring the early 20th century to life. One standout is a round wood and glass table inspired by airplane propeller blades, that also doubles as magazine storage—a pretty clever design solution. There’s also a curved orange bench that was originally installed in the Cincinnati Union Terminal, one of the best surviving examples of American Art Deco architecture. It’s hard to walk past without stopping to look.

The gallery also features a solid range of other objects from the era, including original poster ads, tea sets, emblems, and toy replicas of vintage aircraft.

One of the more unexpected highlights, though, is the Prohibition era barware. Designed to look like silos, bowling pins, airplanes, and car radiators, these pieces were created specifically to hide illegal alcohol, and they’re an example of just how creative people can get when under pressure.

The Art Deco movement drew heavily from the industrialism of its era, weaving machine-age aesthetics directly into its artistic identity. Its connections to the development of cars, planes, and other vehicles mark the height of the industrial period in the Americas and Western Europe.

As my visit extended into the late afternoon, I had the chance to speak with another visitor on the tour, a pharmacy student who had come to the Museum with his family. Despite his STEM pursuits, he grew up surrounded by artists and has spent his life so far learning to appreciate art, even if not creating it.

My tour mate reflected on the unique impact of seeing the work in person. “You can see pictures online, but they don’t really capture the scale of it,” he said.

His favorite piece was the Normandie poster by A.M. Cassandre (1935), which he called “a really powerful image, scary, almost.” As someone drawn to ships and trains, the sweeping scale of Cassandre’s ocean liner spoke directly to him.

The exhibition’s appeal spreads through all walks of life, welcoming artists and art enthusiasts alike.

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At first glance, the gallery feels soft, almost sweet. Walls washed in pastel pink and powder blue hold what appear to be abstract landscapes: rolling curves, gentle shadows, fields of color. Some visitors pause. Others hesitate. A few turn around and walk out.

Then comes the realization.

They are not landscapes at all—they are bodies.

Currently on view at Sarasota Art Museum, Selina Román: Abstract Corpulence transforms tightly cropped photographs of the artist’s own body into large-scale abstract compositions. Through careful framing and pastel bodysuits, ������Ƶ Fine Arts faculty member Selina Román turns stomachs, thighs, hips, and backs into studies of line, shape, and color. The result is both intimate and disorienting; a quiet challenge to traditional notions of beauty and femininity.

But perhaps the most fascinating part of the exhibition is not what hangs on the walls—it’s how differently people see it. Sandra Lefever, a staff member at the Museum, has observed audiences navigating the space over the past six months. She noted that older and younger women often spend the most time with the work, studying it closely. Others, she observed, step inside briefly before deciding it may not be for them.

One piece in particular became her favorite after hours of looking. At first, she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. Eventually, she recognized it: “It’s her back,” Lefever explained, pointing out the mirrored spine within the composition. That moment of recognition changed everything. “The whole thing reminds me of an iceberg,” she added, suggesting that what viewers first see is only a fraction of the meaning beneath the surface.

Even now, she says, visitors frequently misidentify the body parts. One canvas in the lower right remains “pretty ambiguous… it could be anything.”

The exhibition takes on yet another life through younger viewers. Lefever recalled guiding a group of third graders through the gallery. Many of them interpreted the works as landscapes, drawn especially to the pastel tones they described as “ice cream” colors. Their reactions reveal something essential about abstraction: meaning shifts depending on who is looking.

Organized by Sarasota Art Museum of ������Ƶ, and curated by Rangsook Yoon, senior curator at Sarasota Art Museum, Abstract Corpulence turns the gallery into a space of subtle resistance. By magnifying the body until it becomes unrecognizable, Román invites viewers to reconsider scale, perception, and the politics of size.

As the exhibition approaches its closing in March, one question lingers in the quiet, color-washed room: Is this exhibition about the body or about the way we choose to see it?

Perhaps it is less about identifying what part of the body we are looking at and more about recognizing how our own experiences shape what we see. In the end, the work does not demand a single interpretation. It asks only that we stay long enough to look and to look again.

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By Ethan Connolly ’29, Entertainment Design, and Cam Contreras ’29, Creative Writing

To celebrate the renowned works of Lino Tagliapietra, Barbara Basch has displayed a collection of his glassblown art pieces in the Richard and Barbara Basch Glass Gallery at ������Ƶ. The Basch glass collection features over 40 artworks that celebrate Lino Tagliapietra’s marvelous artistry.

Barbara Basch and her late husband, Richard Basch, have collected dozens of glass-blown artworks for their contemporary glass collection since 1993. Their involvement with ������Ƶ began in 2009, when they donated their 300-piece glass collection to the college, which is part of an exclusive gallery there. Various pieces from the Basch glass collection are displayed annually in a gallery that honors both the collection and its collectors. Their involvement did not stop there—as in 2014, the Basches gave a generous donation to ������Ƶ that helped erect the Richard and Barbara Basch Visual Arts Center, which has helped transform ������Ƶ.

The Basches became fascinated with Tagliapietra’s works when they first collected one of his pieces several years ago. The seemingly gravity-defying geometric forms, along with the bold color palette used, attracted their attention immediately. They have collected over 40 of Tagliapietra’s glassblown artworks.

Tagliapietra’s career spans well over seven decades, during which he has produced hundreds of uniquely stunning blown-glass pieces. His works derive from centuries-old traditions of Venetian glassblowing that have been infused with his own contemporary art styling to produce exuberantly dynamic forms of art. Tagliapietra’s works have always combined rich history with stunning innovation in a perfect blend.

What makes Tagliapietra’s works so visually stunning are his glassblowing techniques, vibrant color palettes, and sculptural meticulousness. When Basch was asked why she chose to showcase Tagliapietra’s works, she stated, “I want to make him feel honored. He can no longer create glass-blown works because they require a lot of upper-body strength.” The glassblown artworks displayed in the gallery are some of Tagliapietra’s most visually captivating pieces. His Dinosaur series comprises a few glass pieces that utilize scale and color in a breathtaking perspective. The twisting geometry of the thin neck gives way to a vase-like base infused with vibrant colors arranged in a radial form. Basch went on to explain that, with all of Tagliapietra’s works, there was always a level of understanding in chemistry and geometry needed to perfect the techniques used in glassblowing. Fuji, London, and Africa are a few more notoriously beautiful pieces created as an artistic tribute to those countries, with their color palettes being inspired by dominant and primary colors found within the countries. When light shines onto these pieces, the reflected color brings a new vibrance and energy to the space in which they occupy. Each glassblown piece has an intimate connection held together by themes, which serve to form relationships with those observing.

Tagliapietra’s legacy is one that will continue on. From collaborating with fellow artists to having taught students, Tagliapietra’s grasp on glassblowing has blown into other inspiring artists’ hands. Tagliapietra’s mastery of the glass medium has led to a profound career that explored the great possibilities of glassblowing. His legacy is one filled with beauty, innovation, and creative evolution, and it still continues to shape the art form of glassblowing today.

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RaMell Ross, the director behind the Golden Globe-winning, Oscar-nominated historical drama Nickel Boys, brought his unique approach to cinema to ������Ƶ. Ross spent a day with students through a series of events across campus. Meeting with multiple groups throughout the day, Ross generously engaged students on a series of topics.

The Morganroth Auditorium buzzed with excitement from both students and faculty. Ross—a critically acclaimed artist, writer, director, and Brown University professor, and a distinctive voice in contemporary cinema—spent the day on campus as the featured guest of the 41st Annual Visiting Art Historian Lecture Series, co-hosted by the Liberal Arts and Film Departments.

The day’s events included meeting with students on the Film Soundstages throughout the day, giving students the opportunity to sit down with the filmmaker, who chatted candidly about filmmaking, his process, and life. In the afternoon, his film Nickel Boys was screened in the Morganroth Auditorium, followed by a talk and Q&A session.

As an artist, Ross deliberately centers Black experience and perspective in his work. His path to cinema was non-linear. Before becoming a filmmaker, Ross played professional basketball for a team in Ireland’s SuperLeague North Division. Following his basketball career in Ireland, he returned to the United States to teach, a role he continues as an associate professor in the Visual Arts Department at Brown University. He has had numerous art and photography exhibitions.

His documentary debut, Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018), earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature, along with a Special Jury Award at Sundance and a Peabody Award.

He then made the leap to narrative filmmaking with Nickel Boys, adapted from Colson Whitehead’s 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which received Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay nominations at the 97th Academy Awards.

Nickel Boys tells the story of two Black teenagers at an abusive Florida reform school during the Jim Crow era, inspired by the real-life horrors of the Dozier School for Boys, informed by the real-life testimonials gathered by Whitehead for the novel. What sets the film apart is its radical formal approach: shot entirely from the first-person point of view of its two protagonists, Ross’s concept of “sentient perspective” or “Black subjectivity” asks audiences not to observe these young men’s lives, but to live inside them.

For students who spent the day with Ross, the visit felt like more than an inspiring lecture. Jayde Dauley, Film Senior and Black Student Union President, who also helped give Ross a tour of the film department’s facilities and showcased Black history in the surrounding area, reflected on the significance of the visit. “As a film senior, I was ecstatic at the opportunity to meet and talk with RaMell Ross. Being able to hold conversation and ask questions about his life and work was exciting and entirely welcomed by my peers and I.”

“As a filmmaker myself, I found it helpful to receive advice from an active filmmaker in industry whose work is intentional and cultured,” Dauley shared.

Daniel Pacheco, who organized the recording of the lecture and Q&A and had the chance to speak with Ross afterwards, was struck by both the filmmaker’s generosity of spirit and the precision of his artistic thinking. “I felt as if my consciousness expanded just listening to him. He’s not only a true artist in every sense of the word, but also a scholar and one of the most inspiring filmmakers I’ve had the privilege of talking to,” Pacheco shared. “Learning about his views on cinema and his own approach to art has had a profound impact on me, and I think it’s already changed my trajectory as an artist.” One line in particular stayed with him: Ross’s observation that as an artist, “you’re always trying to make something smarter than yourself.”

“It was one of the best experiences I’ve had at Ringling by far,” Pacheco said. “I’m so grateful for Hector Sotomayor and all the people responsible for putting this together.”

The Visiting Art Historian Lecture Series is now in its 41st year, continuing its mission of bringing transformative creative voices to campus.

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Race, who also received a total of four Gold ADDYs, earned her Best in Show recognition for Between Us, an infographic iPad application that visualizes data on loneliness with interconnected personal stories. She also received a Judge’s Choice award for Two Wheels @Houston, a campaign to promote bicycling as a lower-stress alternative to traffic-heavy commutes.

The other two Judge’s Choice awards went to Nathan Kipka ’27, Motion Design and Brallan Ramirez ’27, Graphic Design.

In total, ������Ƶ Graphic Design students took home 20 Gold Awards, one Best in Show, and two Judge’s Choice. Motion Design students won 55 Gold Awards, 12 Silver, and one Judge’s Choice. Film Students won five Gold Awards and one Silver Award.

The local ADDYs are the first step in a three-tier national competition presented by the American Advertising Federation (AAF). These winners can go on to compete in the district round, and district winners can then compete for a national ADDY Award.

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������Ƶ Computer Animation alumni-led projects won big at the 4th Annual Children’s and Family Emmy Awards. The ceremony took place at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City on March 1 and 2.

 

Michael Yates ’14 won four Emmys for his Pixar animation series Win or Lose. As co-creator, writer, director, and EP, he was awarded the Outstanding Children’s or Young Teen Animated Series, Outstanding Writing for a Children’s or Young Teen Animated Series for the episode “Pickle”, Outstanding Directing for an Animated Series for the episode “Home”, and Outstanding Editing for an Animated Program for the episode “Mixed Signals.”

 

The show is the first original series from Pixar Animation Studios. The series tells the story of a single week in the lives of a co-ed middle school softball team, with each episode showing the perspective of a different team member, as well as the coach and umpire. The voice cast includes comedian and actor Will Forte.

 

Esteban Bravo ’17 won Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation – Storyboard for Win or Lose. In 2017, Bravo also won Gold at the 44th Student Emmy Awards in the Animation category for his senior thesis short, In A Heartbeat.

 

Echo Wu ’16 won Outstanding Show Open as the creator, writer, director, and EP for the Netflix series Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld.

 

The series follows a Chinese-American 16-year-old named Jentry, who, while living with her grandmother in Texas, discovers she is being hunted by a demon king who hopes to steal her superpowers, all while navigating run-of-the-mill teen problems. Wu calls the show a love letter to her childhood. The voice cast includes Ali Wong, among other familiar voices.

 

Kal Athannassov ’16 won Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation – Character Design for Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld. The two grads have also shared awards for their collaboration on their senior thesis animation, The Wishgranter, which was nominated for a Student Academy Award, and won a BAFTA/LA Student Film Award and a College Emmy. Athannassov won four Daytime Emmys for past projects, Baby Yaga in 2021 and Crow: The Legend in 2019.

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