Comments on: John Maeda and Maira Kalman at ADC http://blog.idaimages.com/2008/11/13/john-maeda-and-maira-kalman-at-adc/ Blog of Ida C. Benedetto, Brooklyn based photographer, artist and media strategist. Ida works with visual media and digital technology to support storytelling, collaboration, and diversity. Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:52:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Jamie http://blog.idaimages.com/2008/11/13/john-maeda-and-maira-kalman-at-adc/comment-page-1/#comment-153 Jamie Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:18:42 +0000 http://idaimages.wordpress.com/?p=737#comment-153 i feel like it's a bunch of labels in front of me i have to stomach, i cannot bow down to maeda's labels, there has to be something real behind them and I haven't seen it yet.... i feel like it’s a bunch of labels in front of me i have to stomach, i cannot bow down to maeda’s labels, there has to be something real behind them and I haven’t seen it yet….

]]> By: Jamie http://blog.idaimages.com/2008/11/13/john-maeda-and-maira-kalman-at-adc/comment-page-1/#comment-154 Jamie Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:16:32 +0000 http://idaimages.wordpress.com/?p=737#comment-154 bravo! love the write-up seems pretty accurate. We graduated from RISD just prior to this regime of terror! What happened to art? It's now the school of social climbing, what a bore gag gag, excellence my ass... bravo! love the write-up seems pretty accurate. We graduated from RISD just prior to this regime of terror!
What happened to art? It’s now the school of social climbing, what a bore gag gag, excellence my ass…

]]> By: Ida http://blog.idaimages.com/2008/11/13/john-maeda-and-maira-kalman-at-adc/comment-page-1/#comment-152 Ida Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:06:57 +0000 http://idaimages.wordpress.com/?p=737#comment-152 It's clear that Maeda is highly accomplished and intelligent. My question is, to what effect? I have heard criticisms of Media Lab as being technofetishistic at the expense of honestly evaluating the impact of their projects. My experience at Parsons attests to the popularity of this mind set in the design and technology fields, often in the interests of self promotion and marketing. Accolades attract accolades. I need to spend more time with his work and its critics to decide where I stand on his contributions. He has not won me over with his talks. Much to the contrary, I am now paying attention because I want to understand what about his projects inspires my suspicion and why all these other organizations aren't suspicious. He certainly did not come off to me as shy. It’s clear that Maeda is highly accomplished and intelligent. My question is, to what effect? I have heard criticisms of Media Lab as being technofetishistic at the expense of honestly evaluating the impact of their projects. My experience at Parsons attests to the popularity of this mind set in the design and technology fields, often in the interests of self promotion and marketing. Accolades attract accolades. I need to spend more time with his work and its critics to decide where I stand on his contributions. He has not won me over with his talks. Much to the contrary, I am now paying attention because I want to understand what about his projects inspires my suspicion and why all these other organizations aren’t suspicious. He certainly did not come off to me as shy.

]]> By: RT http://blog.idaimages.com/2008/11/13/john-maeda-and-maira-kalman-at-adc/comment-page-1/#comment-151 RT Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:27:51 +0000 http://idaimages.wordpress.com/?p=737#comment-151 ida, good points. hearing about his work would have been interesting, maybe he's shy ;-) john...now you're the one being a little harsh! just did a web search, his bio is pretty stunning: - helped develop the interactive motion graphics that are prevalent on the Internet today. - initiated the Design By Numbers project, a global initiative to teach computer programming to visual artists through a freely available, custom software system that he designed. - In 1999, Maeda was included in Esquire magazine's list of the 21 most important people for the 21st century, Fast Company’s 20 Masters of Design in 2004, and the I.D. Forty in 2005. - recipient of the highest career honors for design in the USA (1999 Chrysler Design Award; 2001, National Design Award), Japan (2002, Mainichi Design Prize), and Germany (2005, Raymond Loewy Foundation Prize), and his early work in digital media design is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. - awarded the Class of 1960 Innovation in Education Award for his efforts in advancing undergraduate education at MIT. - received both his BS and MS degrees from MIT, and earned his PhD in design from Tsukuba University Institute of Art and Design in Japan. - during his 12 years teaching at MIT, Maeda held the E. Rudge and Nancy Allen Professorship of Media Arts and Sciences, and was the Associate Director of Research at the MIT Media Laboratory, where he was responsible for managing research relationships with 70+ industrial organizations. - developed advanced projects for an array of major corporations including Cartier, Google, Philips, Reebok, Samsung, among others. - author of four books not too shabby. ida, good points. hearing about his work would have been interesting, maybe he’s shy ;-)

john…now you’re the one being a little harsh! just did a web search, his bio is pretty stunning:
- helped develop the interactive motion graphics that are prevalent on the Internet today.
- initiated the Design By Numbers project, a global initiative to teach computer programming to visual artists through a freely available, custom software system that he designed.
- In 1999, Maeda was included in Esquire magazine’s list of the 21 most important people for the 21st century, Fast Company’s 20 Masters of Design in 2004, and the I.D. Forty in 2005.
- recipient of the highest career honors for design in the USA (1999 Chrysler Design Award; 2001, National Design Award), Japan (2002, Mainichi Design Prize), and Germany (2005, Raymond Loewy Foundation Prize), and his early work in digital media design is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
- awarded the Class of 1960 Innovation in Education Award for his efforts in advancing undergraduate education at MIT.
- received both his BS and MS degrees from MIT, and earned his PhD in design from Tsukuba University Institute of Art and Design in Japan.
- during his 12 years teaching at MIT, Maeda held the E. Rudge and Nancy Allen Professorship of Media Arts and Sciences, and was the Associate Director of Research at the MIT Media Laboratory, where he was responsible for managing research relationships with 70+ industrial organizations.
- developed advanced projects for an array of major corporations including Cartier, Google, Philips, Reebok, Samsung, among others.
- author of four books

not too shabby.

]]> By: John http://blog.idaimages.com/2008/11/13/john-maeda-and-maira-kalman-at-adc/comment-page-1/#comment-150 John Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:24:50 +0000 http://idaimages.wordpress.com/?p=737#comment-150 You know, I've always found Maeda a bit of a fraud. What exactly has he done to be so well regarded? It's always astonishing to me how banal some of the usual "design heros" are. It's a tribute to the power of arrogance and social climbing. You know, I’ve always found Maeda a bit of a fraud. What exactly has he done to be so well regarded? It’s always astonishing to me how banal some of the usual “design heros” are. It’s a tribute to the power of arrogance and social climbing.

]]> By: Ida http://blog.idaimages.com/2008/11/13/john-maeda-and-maira-kalman-at-adc/comment-page-1/#comment-149 Ida Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:40:12 +0000 http://idaimages.wordpress.com/?p=737#comment-149 Hi RT. I don't expect Maeda to reinvent his life story. You're right, many in the crowd probably hadn't heard him speak before, so they might have taken away something more than I did. Maeda reflects on the project of public speaking, implicating the audience in his observations about how people talk, what they talk about, and how it's received. This he does very well. I would have like to hear something more about his work or what he thinks of his contribution to the field of design. Those contributions are what he was being honored for, right? Hi RT. I don’t expect Maeda to reinvent his life story. You’re right, many in the crowd probably hadn’t heard him speak before, so they might have taken away something more than I did. Maeda reflects on the project of public speaking, implicating the audience in his observations about how people talk, what they talk about, and how it’s received. This he does very well. I would have like to hear something more about his work or what he thinks of his contribution to the field of design. Those contributions are what he was being honored for, right?

]]> By: RT http://blog.idaimages.com/2008/11/13/john-maeda-and-maira-kalman-at-adc/comment-page-1/#comment-148 RT Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:17:41 +0000 http://idaimages.wordpress.com/?p=737#comment-148 this recap is a bit harsh. i thought they were engaging and insightful, and you can't expect someone like maeda to reinvent his life story every time he speaks...plus, i'm guessing 99% of the people there hadn't heard him speak before, so why not retell relevant bits of his history? this recap is a bit harsh. i thought they were engaging and insightful, and you can’t expect someone like maeda to reinvent his life story every time he speaks…plus, i’m guessing 99% of the people there hadn’t heard him speak before, so why not retell relevant bits of his history?

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