AMBICA PRAKASH @ SUU's Art Insights (CC: April 14)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 04/07/11
Michael French
Public Information Coordinator
College of Performing and Visual Arts
Southern Utah University
Office: 435-865-8667
michaelfrench@suu.edu

Photo credit: Ambica Prakash. Credit: Courtesy of Ambica Prakash

FOR CALENDAR EDITORS: ART INSIGHTS, AMBICA PRAKASH
WHAT: A graphic designer whose work and research has increasingly grown in the realm of socio-cultural and environmental issues combined with formal explorations and experimentations blending visual aesthetics of different cultures, Ambica Prakash believes her design has the power to communicate, educate, and inform. The distinguished designer talks about her craft and shares her experiences at SUU’s Department of Art and Design’s weekly lecture series, Art Insights.

WHO: Art Insights, Southern Utah University, Department of Art and Design

WHEN: Thursday, April 14, 2011

TIME: 7:00pm

WHERE: Centrum Arena, Section K, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT

TICKETS: Phone: Arts Hotline: (435) 865-8800 or visit: www.suu.edu/arts

PRICES: Free and the General Public is encouraged to attend.


SUU’S ART INSIGHTS TO FEATURE
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
AMBICA PRAKASH
APRIL 14, 2011

Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah: A graphic designer whose work and research has increasingly grown in the realm of socio-cultural and environmental issues combined with formal explorations and experimentations blending visual aesthetics of different cultures, Ambica Prakash believes her design has the power to communicate, educate, and inform. The distinguished designer talks about her craft and shares her experiences at SUU’s Department of Art and Design’s weekly lecture series, Art Insights, on Thursday, March 24, 2011. The lecture begins at 7pm at SUU’s Centrum Arena. Admission is free and the general public is encouraged to attend.

Born in New Delhi, India, Ambica Prakash is an accomplished design professional with a wide variety of experience around the world. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from both the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, and the College of Arts in New Delhi, India. Currently the Principal and Creative Director of Eighty2degrees LLC in Washington, D.C., she leads her fast-growing design and development business with her ideals firmly in place. Eighty2degrees focuses on empowering clients to reach their target audiences in unique and conceptual ways, via print and web. Clients include the United Nations Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, OPOWER, United Nations Millennium Campaign, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and a range of small to mid-sized businesses. She is also the Director of Design for Indego Africa, a non-profit social enterprise empowering women in Rwanda to lift themselves out of poverty.
Throughout her three years as a tenure-track faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, as well as her one-year appointment in Washington, D.C. at American University, Ambica taught a variety of graphic design courses, including Introduction to Graphic Design, Branding, Typography, Publication Design, Senior Capstone, as well as Art & Design Perspectives in Northern India, an international study abroad course that she developed at UW-Stout. Ambica’s design work has won many coveted awards, and has been published in books and magazines. Her ideas about socially-responsible design work have been presented in speeches and on panels at various conferences. Her innovative professional and student work has always pushed the boundaries of what it means to be a designer.

Art Insights is a weekly program hosted during the fall and spring semesters by SUU’s Art and Design faculty. Students and community members meet weekly to experience presentations and discussions by visiting artists and art educators from around the nation who share their work and insights and attend gallery openings.

Come and meet a graphic designer whose creates work that is directed toward positive change. Experience the art of Ambica Prakash by attending her appearance at Art Insights. For more information on the SUU College of Performing and Visual Arts events, please call the Arts Hotline at (435) 865-8800, or visit www.suu.edu/arts.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE
The Southern Utah University College of Performing and Visual Arts is comprised of nationally accredited departments of Art and Design, Music, Theatre Arts and Dance, as well as a graduate program in Arts Administration. The College offers 16 different degree areas, including liberal arts Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees; professional Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Fine Arts in art and theatre degrees; and a Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration degree. More than 60 full- and part-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 550 majors in the College. Over 1100 students enroll each year in over 195 arts classes on the SUU campus. The College presents 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year. The College’s affiliate organizations include the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, American Folk Ballet, Utah Shakespeare Festival, the performance group Acclamation, and the SUU Ballroom Dance Company. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, contact the Office of the Dean at (435) 865-8561, or by e-mail at cpvamktg@suu.edu.