By Jeff Ophime

Arts Center Director

The explosion of the computer and its importance in both our personal and professional lives has created a huge demand for artists. Designers of web pages, graphic designers and animators have made the computer what it is today. The early days of the computer being used only to type and store information is long gone. The computer screen is filled with colors, patterns, images and motion. These artistic elements combine to make the vast universe of information on the web entertaining and engaging. An endless selection of interactive games and millions of websites are dependent on the artist to make them appealing and visually interesting. Without the creativity of an artist, the computer would just be a big calculator.

It’s wonderful when someone can take a skill or passion and turn it into a lucrative career. The student that is inspired by art has thousands of opportunities to make a living by using their artistic skills. Fashion, web design, graphics, automotive design, architecture and industrial design are just a few examples of career opportunities for individuals with an art background.

Actors often describe the moment that the “acting bug” bit them was during their first performance on stage in their home town. Wonderful artists have told me that drawing pictures are their earliest childhood memories. I never became a great artist but I remember drawing at my desk when I should have been taking notes or paying attention in school. Drawing for me was something like dreaming while awake. I could spend hours taking the pictures from my mind and putting them on paper.

People often think of art only as a sculpture on a pedestal or a painting hanging in a museum or art gallery. This view of the arts can also lead you to believe that it’s a luxury, something for only a select few. The reality is that art surrounds us and enriches our lives almost every waking minute. I’ll start with the textile artist that created the weave and pattern of the clothing that you are wearing. The chair or sofa you are sitting on was most likely manufactured with specifications from a furniture designer. As you look around your house and view the wallpaper that was so carefully selected, a designer with an art background determined the shapes, textures, colors and repeat pattern that appear on the paper. The magazine that you last read was most likely filled with illustrations and photographs created by talented artists. From the pattern design of the soles on your Nike sneakers to the vivacious curves of that new sports car you long for, art enhances your life daily. The automotive industry employs many of the world’s greatest artistic designers to create cars that are appealing to the consumer’s eye. The shape, color, interior and exterior details all have to work together to create the look that will put you behind the wheel.

As wonderful as art on a museum wall is, the reality is that art touches our lives daily. The fine artist that created that painting or the sculpture mentioned above is just a couple examples of very important artists. Most people with an artistic talent are using their artistic ability to carve out a living and do not strive to end up with their work hung in a museum.

Cartoon classics like Disney’s Cinderella, Fantasia and Pinocchio owe their very existence to artists. The early cartoons demanded thousands of hours for artists to draw and paint every frame that passed through the projector. Today the process continues to rely on artists to bring the characters to life with computer animation programs. The computer has just made the creative process of animation faster and more cost effective. The artist still plays the most important role of supplying the creativity.