{"id":17355,"date":"2019-02-21T08:38:25","date_gmt":"2019-02-21T13:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/?p=17355"},"modified":"2019-02-21T08:38:25","modified_gmt":"2019-02-21T13:38:25","slug":"what-design-can-teach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/2019\/02\/21\/what-design-can-teach\/","title":{"rendered":"What Design Can Teach"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Marc<\/a><\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Art + Design Marc Russo<\/a> calls himself an animator and storyteller. \u201cI usually tell people I do comics after<\/em> I talk to them for a few minutes,\u201d Russo says with a laugh. Russo, who is also an educator and researcher, doesn\u2019t just \u201cdo\u201d comics, animation, or storytelling. Woven into his creations are interdisciplinary connections with the arts, sciences, and humanities. Russo\u2019s projects go beyond entertainment by using art and design as teaching tools.<\/p>\n

Russo\u2019s first master\u2019s degree is in education, but Russo knew that he wanted to \u201cbe a maker\u201d in addition to being an educator. Teaching design offered this possibility, and, Russo says, it allows him \u201cto go to a deeper level and be in an environment where people are thinking and pushing boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right now, that kind of work has led Russo to a collaboration with UNC-Chapel Hill Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Triangle Wind Ensemble Evan Feldman. Russo has been creating an original 3-D animation to accompany a musical piece performed as part of the ensemble\u2019s 20th anniversary celebration<\/a> on April 13, 2019. The ensemble will perform composer John Mackey\u2019s \u201cSheltering Sky<\/a>\u201d while Russo\u2019s animation is projected onto the stage\u2019s screen.<\/p>\n

\"Animation<\/a>
Capture of the animation for Sheltering Sky.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The animation, which is narrative and character driven, and will be five-and-a-half minutes long, which Russo says is just at the boundary of what a small team can handle in the given timeframe and fits well into an audience\u2019s idea of an animated \u201cshort.\u201d Helping Russo with the animation are Art + Design<\/a> alumni Margo Jordan [BAD \u201817] and Kirby Colberston [MAD \u201912]. The project can feel overwhelming at times, and Russo is grateful for Jordan and Colberston\u2019s help. \u201cI know both of them; I know their strengths. They are awesome at what they do, and they work fast,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

In addition to the original collaboration, the project is also a form of outreach. After the animation premiere at the Triangle Wind Ensemble\u2019s anniversary celebration, the film will be available for showing when high school bands or other ensembles perform \u201cSheltering Sky.\u201d Russo hopes that the Fantasia-like paring of classical music and animation will help audiences engage with the music and show \u201chow the arts cross over each other and how we need each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russo\u2019s work isn\u2019t all about the arts though. He is also currently working on a long-term project with NC State College of Education Professor John Nietfeld that uses game-based learning and a science curriculum to help 5th graders improve their reading and writing skills. Students are given a science text to read, highlight, and summarize. Their highlighting is then compared to what science experts highlight so students can see how to engage with the text on an advanced level. The readings work together, building a narrative \u201cwith characters the students can connect with,\u201d Russo says. Each reading gives students clues to a science mystery that builds and can\u2019t be solved until all the readings are completed.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we\u2019re in the very roughing out phases of the project and this semester we\u2019ll actually put parts of it in front of students,\u201d Russo says. \u201cNext year, we\u2019ll start to roll out more\u2026 and put the narrative into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though his current projects are animation-based, Russo also enjoys creating illustrations, such as graphic novels or comics. \u201cWhen [people] hear \u2018comics\u2019 they think kid stuff,\u201d Russo says, but that\u2019s not what his published comic book is at all. \u201cWhere You Stumble, There Lies Your Treasure<\/a>,\u201d is a comic book Russo created illustrating \u201ca series of spiritual stories all from different philosophies and told in common language.\u201d The idea, Russo says, is \u201call of them have the same message, and whether we believe this or we believe this [other idea], essentially, at the core of it all, we believe in the human experience. That\u2019s the message, that we\u2019re all the same. We want the same thing. We have the same struggles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working in Art + Design<\/a> is a balancing act between the core foundations and \u201cpushing boundaries,\u201d Russo says. \u201cWe\u2019re never settled with where we are. We\u2019re engaged in what\u2019s new and what\u2019s coming and we\u2019re doing projects that are in that direction.\u201d On the horizon for the fall semester, Russo is preparing to teach animation studio, which he hasn\u2019t taught in years. \u201cI\u2019m excited to go back and start teaching animation as a studio again,\u201d Russo says. \u201cThat\u2019s where my heart lies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Staci Kleinmaier is a professional writer and photographer in Apex, North Carolina. She uses words and images to tell stories. To see her work, visit\u00a0www.stacikleinmaier.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\"Marc<\/a>\n\nAssociate Professor of Art + Design Marc Russo<\/a> calls himself an animator and storyteller. \u201cI usually tell people I do comics after<\/em> I talk to them for a few minutes,\u201d Russo says with a laugh. Russo, who is also an educator and researcher, doesn\u2019t just \u201cdo\u201d comics, animation, or storytelling. Woven into his creations are interdisciplinary connections with the arts, sciences, and humanities. Russo\u2019s projects go beyond entertainment by using art and design as teaching tools.\n\nRusso\u2019s first master\u2019s degree is in education, but Russo knew that he wanted to \u201cbe a maker\u201d in addition to being an educator. Teaching design offered this possibility, and, Russo says, it allows him \u201cto go to a deeper level and be in an environment where people are thinking and pushing boundaries.\u201d\n\nRight now, that kind of work has led Russo to a collaboration with UNC-Chapel Hill Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Triangle Wind Ensemble Evan Feldman. Russo has been creating an original 3-D animation to accompany a musical piece performed as part of the ensemble\u2019s 20th anniversary celebration<\/a> on April 13, 2019. The ensemble will perform composer John Mackey\u2019s \u201cSheltering Sky<\/a>\u201d while Russo\u2019s animation is projected onto the stage\u2019s screen.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_17359\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"800\"]\"Animation<\/a> Capture of the animation for Sheltering Sky.[\/caption]\n\nThe animation, which is narrative and character driven, and will be five-and-a-half minutes long, which Russo says is just at the boundary of what a small team can handle in the given timeframe and fits well into an audience\u2019s idea of an animated \u201cshort.\u201d Helping Russo with the animation are Art + Design<\/a> alumni Margo Jordan [BAD \u201817] and Kirby Colberston [MAD \u201912]. The project can feel overwhelming at times, and Russo is grateful for Jordan and Colberston\u2019s help. \u201cI know both of them; I know their strengths. They are awesome at what they do, and they work fast,\u201d he says.\n\nIn addition to the original collaboration, the project is also a form of outreach. After the animation premiere at the Triangle Wind Ensemble\u2019s anniversary celebration, the film will be available for showing when high school bands or other ensembles perform \u201cSheltering Sky.\u201d Russo hopes that the Fantasia-like paring of classical music and animation will help audiences engage with the music and show \u201chow the arts cross over each other and how we need each other.\u201d\n\nRusso\u2019s work isn\u2019t all about the arts though. He is also currently working on a long-term project with NC State College of Education Professor John Nietfeld that uses game-based learning and a science curriculum to help 5th graders improve their reading and writing skills. Students are given a science text to read, highlight, and summarize. Their highlighting is then compared to what science experts highlight so students can see how to engage with the text on an advanced level. The readings work together, building a narrative \u201cwith characters the students can connect with,\u201d Russo says. Each reading gives students clues to a science mystery that builds and can\u2019t be solved until all the readings are completed.\n\n\u201cRight now, we\u2019re in the very roughing out phases of the project and this semester we\u2019ll actually put parts of it in front of students,\u201d Russo says. \u201cNext year, we\u2019ll start to roll out more\u2026 and put the narrative into it.\u201d\n\nThough his current projects are animation-based, Russo also enjoys creating illustrations, such as graphic novels or comics. \u201cWhen [people] hear \u2018comics\u2019 they think kid stuff,\u201d Russo says, but that\u2019s not what his published comic book is at all. \u201cWhere You Stumble, There Lies Your Treasure<\/a>,\u201d is a comic book Russo created illustrating \u201ca series of spiritual stories all from different philosophies and told in common language.\u201d The idea, Russo says, is \u201call of them have the same message, and whether we believe this or we believe this [other idea], essentially, at the core of it all, we believe in the human experience. That\u2019s the message, that we\u2019re all the same. We want the same thing. We have the same struggles.\u201d\n\nWorking in Art + Design<\/a> is a balancing act between the core foundations and \u201cpushing boundaries,\u201d Russo says. \u201cWe\u2019re never settled with where we are. We\u2019re engaged in what\u2019s new and what\u2019s coming and we\u2019re doing projects that are in that direction.\u201d On the horizon for the fall semester, Russo is preparing to teach animation studio, which he hasn\u2019t taught in years. \u201cI\u2019m excited to go back and start teaching animation as a studio again,\u201d Russo says. \u201cThat\u2019s where my heart lies.\u201d\n\n

\n\nStaci Kleinmaier is a professional writer and photographer in Apex, North Carolina. She uses words and images to tell stories. To see her work, visit\u00a0www.stacikleinmaier.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/span>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Associate Professor of Art + Design Marc Russo is an innovative animator and storyteller. Learn about his current collaboration with 3-D animation to accompany a musical piece.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":17359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,7],"tags":[19,9],"class_list":["post-17355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-experience","category-newswire","tag-_featured","tag-art-design"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}