National organization issues CMU art students gold and bronze finishes during nonprofit’s Young Ones program event
Grand Junction – Students from The Colorado Mesa University Department of Art and Design competed for the commendations of judges volunteering during The One Club for Creativity portfolio review that included university students from Wyoming, Kansas and Colorado.
The One Club is the world’s foremost nonprofit dedicated to supporting and celebrating the global creative community. The mission of the organization is to help educate the next generation of industry and art professionals. The Denver chapter of The One Club hosts the annual spring portfolio review for students to advance their professional and artistic development. Delegations from CMU team have attended the past four years.
CMU student Breanna Meininger took gold and praised CMU’s participation in the event.
“This is an incredible chance for art and design students to meet with real-world practitioners in the discipline, receive feedback from the best in the business on our work and improve our skills as a result,” said Meininger. “This event makes CMU students more competitive as we enter the highly competitive field of graphic art and design.”
CMU Professor of Art Suzie Garner attended the event with the students and encourages their participation.
“Teaching students to be good designers is something that can’t be done in isolation and events like this one give students a chance to see that they can make a living and a life with their design work,” said Garner. “The ability for our students to interact with design professionals and other design students of the caliber the event attracts is key. It helps students refine and craft their skills in a way that can't be done in the classroom alone.”
One Club President and CEO Kevin Swanepoel applauded the participation by CMU in the annual event hosted by his organization.
“Diversity and inclusion is one of The One Club's four main pillars supporting everything we do, and we are proud to have diverse participation from students in our Young Ones program," said Swanepoel. “Having representation from the western slope of Colorado, and having a student from a rural university place first, is a great example of the sort of geographic and cultural diversity we strive for. It also shows that art and inspiration come from all places where higher education exists.”
In addition to the first place finish of Meininger, CMU student Chris Clayton finished with a bronze. Meininger expressed appreciation for One Club and their leadership in Colorado’s professional development and the discipline of graphic design.
Additional student participants included:
Carly Asbury
Ryssa Asuncion
Bre Bell
Rachel Campbell-Osborne
Chris Clayton
Jason Cox
Erica Duda
Dejan Jestrovich
Susie Labonde
Andrew Lane
Breanna Meininger
Grace Rupp
Callista Smith
Jessica Sopher
Jamie VanDyke
The ONE Club for Creativity - Denver (previously the Art Directors Club Denver) is a multi-disciplinary, non-profit organization promoting collaborative creative culture throughout Colorado's Rocky Mountain Region. Since 1955, TOC-D has produced cutting-edge workshops, competitions, and industry events, all to empower future generations of advertising and design professionals. Art directors, new media and print designers, writers, illustrators, photographers, videographers, animators, educators, and students alike, form the fabric of our membership.
