UCDA Member Print 2022: About the Artists
For this year’s UCDA Member print, we celebrate and showcase custom artwork from UCDA members in honor of their commitment to UCDA programming, including the Creative Conversations, Elevating Black Design Voices, and the UCDA Book Club.
Print 1: Creative Conversations
Print by Peter Troutner
Creative Conversations is a monthly UCDA initiative that provides members with opportunities to casually discuss applicable topics that impact designers in higher education.
Peter Troutner is a graphic designer, typeface creator, collage artist, poet, and deep thinker who has a love for historical preservation and the tactile aspects of design. His font, created in 2020 while auditing an advanced typography class at Indiana Wesleyan where he works as a designer, was inspired by four letters on an old grape crate found in a local antique store. The existing letters, B-O-K-A, became the foundation for the Boka typeface, which is unique and rebellious. The rebellious flare was based on research that uncovered the Sabovich Brothers, whose name was on the crate, were involved in an illegal scab “union” in the 1950s or 60’s.
Peter graduated in 2018 with degrees in Graphic Design and Honors Humanities from IWU. He is actively involved in UCDA and in his local community where he helps run a design firm in downtown Marion that seeks to breathe life into the revitalization process of the community while working with interns from local universities. Peter contributes to the monthly UCDA Creative Conversations and has been a member of UCDA since 2020.
Print 2: Elevating Black Design Voices
Print by Jamal Collins
Elevating Black Design Voices strives to showcase the work of Black designers, facilitate a space for conversation and learning, and provide accessibility and scholarships.
Jamal Collins is a visual design consultant who teaches graphic design to at-risk youth throughout the inner city of Cleveland, Ohio. Introducing the next generation to the creative field, Jamal provides resources and skills as well as a solid visual educational experience by guiding youth in developing the capacity for challenging their sense of imagery and creativity, systemic critical thinking, and preparing them for client-based practices. His students explore the latest design technology, such as the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, and learn about photography, video editing, social awareness, marketing, branding and promotions. Jamal is an honorary member of UCDA and the 2021 recipient of the UCDA Foundation Krider Prize for Creativity.
Creative Kids Group. The overall vision of Creative Kids is to provide disadvantaged at-risk youth with the beneficial resources to develop the necessary skills that will introduce them into the creative field. Youth are engaged through educational social media platforms, interviews on their creative process, speed art tutorials, and field trips. Creative Kids are encouraged to think as business-minded individuals and realize that entrepreneurship does not have to wait until the completion of a higher education.
Print 3: UCDA Book Club
Print by Julie Spanos
Book Club allows a space for UCDA members to come together to read and discuss a book, relevant to members, over the course of several weeks via Zoom.
Julie Spanos became a full-time mixed media artist in 2021 after more than 35 years as a graphic designer in Dallas, where she focused primarily on print design. She now teaches classes, workshops, and weekend art retreats in hopes of inspiring others in their own creative pursuits.
Julie’s painting, printing, and collage process includes lots of experimentation and discovery. She does not work with a predetermined subject or worry about the outcome, but often ends up with paintings that reflect our human connection to nature. Julie’s love of texture, pattern, and color are reflected in her work and combined to create art that is both intriguing and inspiring. She believes everyone is creative and through her work and ideas hopes to inspire and encourage others to discover their own creative spirit and artist within. She holds a BFA with a double major in commercial art and printmaking. Julie is a UCDA Book Club alumna and has been a member of UCDA since 2009.