CSU Alumni Make Objects Come to Life
- July 15, 2012
By Stephanie Thara
It’s the shows on television that make the audience laugh. It’s the paintings in the office that liven up the room. It’s the music heard in movies that capture a scene. It’s the photographs on the wall that catch the eye. Arts and media influence everyday culture, and the California State University offers programs that produce artists who breathe life into objects.
CSU’s hands-on programs prepare students for careers in film, broadcast and interactive media, as well as teach them techniques to excel as a musician, painter, photographer or artist.
Through the courses, students develop skills and experience in facets of arts, design and media. Graduates of CSU art programs have made impacts in all aspects of the arts, such as music, dance, animation, visual arts, filmmaking, drawing and painting. Accomplished alumni include:
Cliff Cramp, a Cal State Fullerton alumnus and professor, illustrated the covers of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray.
Hilary Maiberger, who earned a music degree at San Diego State University, will play Belle in the national tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
Long Beach State alumna Jennifer Yuh Nelson won the Annie Award (animation’s highest honor) for directing Kung Fu Panda 2 and for best storyboarding in Kung Fu Panda.
Humboldt State graduate Dan Curry was the visual effects producer famous for artistry on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise, as well as NBC's Chuck.
Joe Carnahan excelled in film studies at Sacramento State and has gone on to write, direct and produce films, including Smoking Aces, Pride and Glory, The Grey and The A-Team.
Cal State East Bay alumnus was the production designer for Cowboys & Aliens, Salt, Star Trek, and Mission: Impossible III, and won an Emmy for work on the television show Alias.
Jayne Ann Krentz, a San José State alumna, is the New York Times best-selling author of more than 120 romance novels.
Muralist and Cal State L.A. alumnus Kent Twitchell painted the LA Marathon Mural (pictured below), which was featured on the 405 freeway, near downtown Los Angeles from 1988 to 1990.