Camarillo, Calif., Nov. 25, 2014 – Three CSU Channel Islands (CI) students took home top awards for their work in the annual CSU Media Arts Festival this month, extending CI’s winning streak for a 12th consecutive year.
CI swept the Interactive Media category, with 2014 graduate Adam Webber winning a first-place Rosebud Award and $500 for his portfolio website, www.adam-webber.com. Fellow graduate Travis Lent took second place for his portfolio website, www.travislent.com. Both websites were created in the Web Design course taught by Professor of Art Liz King.
“Winning this type of award was fun because I felt like I was able to earn recognition for the school, as opposed to just for myself,” said Webber, now working as a designer, illustrator and animator for movie and web advertising. “I give special thanks to my professors at CI. They were my inspiration to pursue becoming the best artist that I could be, and I owe so much of my success to them.”
CI senior Miguel Leyva won second place in the Animation category for "Three Feet from Gold” (http://vimeo.com/95111143), an animated short film recounting a true-life tale from the Gold Rush. Leyva created the video in art instructor Elizabeth Leister’s Time-Based Imaging course.
“I feel very honored,” said Leyva. “CI has given me the fundamentals I need to pursue my career in graphic design and animation. I want to thank all the art professors that encouraged me to exceed my expectations.”
The award ceremony was held Saturday, Nov. 8, at CSU Los Angeles. The annual CSU Media Arts Festival recognizes the best in film, video and interactive media work by students from all 23 CSU campuses. A total of 164 student entries were received and evaluated by a panel of faculty and industry experts. The judges chose 40 finalists for award competition in nine categories: animation, documentary, experimental, interactive, music video, narrative, television, feature screenplay, and short screenplay.
“This award recognizes the continued excellent work that students are doing in interactive media and animation,” said Art Professor Liz King. “CI's continued success at the competition shows our commitment to teaching students how to create professional work and compete against the best work being done by their peers in the state of California.”
For more information, contact Liz King, Professor of Art (Graphic Design Technology, Web & Multimedia), at 805-437-8556 or liz.king@csuci.edu. Visit http://blogs.calstate.edu/summerarts/index.php/media-arts-festival/ for more information about the CSU Media Arts Festival.
# # #
About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.