The Art Directors Club today announced its class of 2012 for induction into the ADC Hall of Fame: Illustrator Barry Blitt; David Droga, creative chairman, droga5; photographer Mary Ellen Mark; Deborah Sussman, principal and founder, Sussman/Prejza; and winner of the Educator Award, Kevin O’Callaghan, School of Visual Arts (SVA) 3D design chair.
The new group of laureates, representing advertising, design, filmmaking, illustration, photography and education, will be inducted at a creative black-tie benefit gala held for the first time during Advertising Week in New York–on the evening of Friday, October 5.
In celebration of the new inductees–the ADC will be hosting the Festival of Fame, a series of events this fall at their gallery in New York, which will include an exhibition of inductees’ work, designed and curated by the laureates themselves, and a series of speaker events.
Select insights
Hall of Fame Selection Committee members talked about the class of 2012 and the rationale for their inclusion among a group of luminaries that over the years includes the likes of Walt Disney, Annie Liebovitz, Andy Warhol, Lee Clow, Dan Wieden, Jay Chiat and Alex Bogusky.
Committee member and lauded director Bob Giraldi, owner of Giraldi Media and chair of the Live Action Short Film Graduate Department of the School of Visual Arts, said of Droga, “In the long history of ad agency brilliance–successful writers and outrageously distinctive art directors have ruled the land. And now, add the name David Droga to that list as this truly independent and innovative agency thinker takes his place as one of the creative geniuses of the modern marketing world.”
Ivan Chermayeff, founding partner, Chermayeff & Geismar, related, “Consistency counts, making Barry Blitt a master of incisive, penetrating insights into the foibles of the characters of our times. He delivers with clarity in his own original style over and over again. The wonder is how he moves so fast to be so to the point so often.”
Janet Froelich, creative director, Real Simple, and ADC Hall of Fame laureate, said, “Mary Ellen Mark occupies a rare position in the world of photography — one of a handful of photographers equally known for incisive, groundbreaking photojournalism, and iconic, emotionally charged portraiture. She is considered a master of visual storytelling and her richly saturated images have become icons in the history of magazine design.”
Richard Wilde, ADC advisory board member, ADC Hall of Fame laureate and chair, Advertising and Graphic Design Department, School of Visual Arts, shared, “In the history of three-dimensional-design education, Kevin O’Callaghan has taken his vision to unimaginable heights inspiring students to achieve a professional level of excellence far beyond expectations.”
Louise Fili, president, Louise Fili Ltd. and Hall of Fame co-chair, noted, “Deborah Sussman’s induction into the Hall of Fame is long overdue. As one of the original students of the American Bauhaus and a designer at the studio of Charles and Ray Eames, she emerged as a pioneer of modern graphic design, as well as a role model for generations of young women.”
In addition to Giraldi, Chermayeff, Froelich, Wilde and Fili, the 2012 Hall of Fame Selection Committee includes: Anthony P. Rhodes, executive VP, School of Visual Arts, Hall of Fame Co-chair; Gail Anderson, faculty, School of Visual Arts; Doug Jaeger, partner, JaegerSloan Inc., ADC second VP, ADC Advisory Board president; Benjamin Palmer, co-founder and CEO, the barbarian group, ADC Board president; Richard Wilde, Design and Advertising Department, School of Visual Arts; and George Lois, art director, ADC past president.
Next month’s benefit gala will be emceed by Cindy Gallop, with all proceeds feeding the wide range of ADC educational programs.
ADC established the Hall of Fame in 1971 as a cross-disciplinary acknowledgement of the most renowned professionals in visual arts and communications. Past inductees represent a diverse group of luminaries in those fields, for the complete list, click here.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More