FashionDesign

Meet our Faculty

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  Martha Penaranda

  Fashion Design

  "Don't just dream about your fantastic ideas, get started—even if it's in the wrong direction."

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  Martha Penaranda

  Was there a defining moment when you knew you were destined to become a creative professional?
  
  It’s hard to isolate a single moment. From an early age I’ve been fascinated by the possibility of transforming what’s in front of you...the what if. I have to admit, all the cutting, gluing and painting things around the house got me in trouble a lot.
  
  How do you weave your professional background into the classroom experience?
  
  Throughout my career I’ve worked in quite different settings. As a computer pattern design developer for a knitwear firm in Florence, Italy; running workshops in coloring and dying with indigenous communities in rural Colombia; and designing costumes and scenery for a great variety of plays and audiences. That wide range of experiences gave me the ability to recognize the value of the task at hand, and taught me that every individual has something to offer. My goal in the classroom is to recognize that diversity of aesthetics and skills, and develop them according to the individual.
  
  What class assignment exemplifies your approach to teaching and mentoring?
  
  A creative career is a process of discovering possibilities. It’s the what if that drives us to explore different paths. I’m a firm believer in research. I urge students to look beyond the obvious. The web is a panacea of information, and we greatly benefit from its richness. But we should look beyond the computer. The world is full of patterns, colors and motifs. I want students to take risks, step out of their comfort zones, explore, discover, act on their ideas, fail, recover, and keep going.
  
  How does collaboration contribute to students’ success—particularly when students from various programs work together?
  
  Theater is the most collaborative art form. The work of playwrights, directors, actors, designers, and crew come together to provide the theatrical experience. Everyone contributes their craft to create what the audience ultimately receives. Here in school we have such a big pool of diverse talent talent under one roof. I’ve brought together visual artists, musicians and photographers, and I’m looking forward to much more collaboration.
  
  What’s the most important thing you impart to students to help them succeed in class and the real world?
  
  Be flexible, be open-minded, rely on good research, but most importantly, take action. Don’t just dream about your fantastic ideas, get started—even if it’s in the wrong direction. Mistakes can take you to great discoveries.

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  Vanessa Langton

  "Work hard and always give your best—your work is a direct representation of yourself and your abilities!"

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  Vanessa Langton

  What would you say is the defining moment in your life when you knew you were destined to become a creative professional?
  
  As a kid I made drawings regularly. When fellow students and teachers began to recognize my potential, I thought maybe there was something to art and creative expression. My mother nurtured my interests in art by taking me to museums regularly to look at the works of great artists and she bought me art supplies to practice. I knew very young that I could not live without art and art history in my life.
  
  How do you weave your professional background into the classroom experience to provide an industry veteran's sense of the realities / challenges / opportunities of the profession?
  
  Prior to teaching art history I worked as a graphic designer and I know what it is like to be an ambitious art student trying to prep a portfolio to hunt for a job. As an art historian, I also know how important it is to be able to describe your artwork through written and spoken words. Through art history, students learn not only about different eras in art, but they also learn how to talk about art. These skills can be applied to any area of study—graphic design, the culinary arts, game art design, photography, etc.
  
  Is there a class assignment that exemplifies your approach to teaching and mentoring? Similarly, how does your approach inspire each student to push themselves beyond their own perceived limits?
  
  At the end of each quarter, my students are required to give an oral presentation. Not only does the student have to research a specific artist or art era, but they have to put together a slide show, a script, and present this to a room of their peers. This pushes the student towards a goal as they are faced with a deadline.
  
  What role does collaboration contribute to students' success, especially when students from other programs contribute to the same project?
  
  Perhaps when students are assigned to work together they end up discussing their chosen areas of studies through a critical point of view and look beyond the surface to acquire meaning. They could question the who, what, and why using methods of formal analysis to all areas of the creative spectrum.
  
  In your opinion, what is the single most important thing you impart to your students to help them succeed in your class and in the real world? Alternatively, what is the most critical advice you would offer any student as he / she embarks on a creative career?
  
  Work hard and always give your best—your work is a direct representation of yourself and your abilities!
  
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  Rebecca Kerr

  "Continue to refine your speaking skills so that the ability to communicate never stands in the way of your success."

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  Rebecca Kerr

  Is there a class assignment that exemplifies your approach to teaching and mentoring? Similarly, how does your approach inspire each student to push themselves beyond their own perceived limits?
  
  Just the act of Public Speaking often pushes students outside their comfort zone. Standing up in front of a full classroom with all eyes on you can be uncomfortable. Then students must organize their ideas and clearly present them to the class. That can be terrifying! Students often enter my class believing they can't stand up and deliver a speech to their peers. However, I provide the students with coping mechanisms, skill development, and a safe environment allowing them to deliver not only one but many speeches.
  
  What role does collaboration contribute to students' success, especially when students from other programs contribute to the same project?
  
  Collaboration in a communication class serves a dual purpose. Collaboration allows students to improve their group communication skills, as well as develop an end result that is better than any single group member could do alone. Working in a group challenges students to clearly express their ideas, mediate during disagreements, compromise for the good of the project, lead, follow, and much more. Additionally by bringing students from different fields of study and diverse backgrounds together, students' own ideas, abilities, and limitations are challenged often resulting in a better end product.
  
  In your opinion, what is the single most important thing you impart to your students to help them succeed in your class and in the real world? Alternatively, what is the most critical advice you would offer any student as he / she embarks on a creative career?
  
  I work to ensure students leave my class with the ability to clearly and effectively communicate their ideas. I believe the ability to skillfully convey abstract ideas, like those often found in art, can set an artist apart from their peers. In the creative career field, students will be asked to communicate on many levels. They will pitch ideas, lead groups, speak to investors, and hopefully deliver acceptance speeches. My advice to students: Continue to refine your speaking skills so that the ability to communicate never stands in the way of your success.
  
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