Creative Minds explores interdisciplinary collaboration

Creativity involves seeing, thinking and innovating.  Through interdisciplinary collaboration, different disciplines come together to share their perspectives, ideas and knowledge in the process of creation.

The 2019 Edwin H. Simmons Creative Minds Series welcomes BGSU alumnus Rick Valicenti, a Chicago-based graphic designer, and Iker Gil, a Chicago architect, who will share how interdisciplinary collaboration impacts design.

Valicenti and Gil will present “Interdisciplinary Collaboration: A Bigger Idea” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in the Thomas B. and Kathleen M. Donnell Theatre at the Wolfe Center for the Arts. The event is free and open to the public.

Iker Gil is an architect and director of MAS Studio, an architecture and urban design firm based in Chicago. He is also the editor in chief of the design journal MAS Context and the editor of the 2008 book “Shanghai Transforming,” published by ACTAR. He is a faculty member at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects. In 2015, he curated the exhibition “BOLD: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago,” included in the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial.  

Rick Valicenti, a 1973 BFA BGSU School of Art graduate, is the founder and design director of Thirst, a communication design practice providing design and immersive environments for high-profile clients in the architectural, performing arts and education communities. His work is widely exhibited and in several permanent collections. In 2011, the White House honored Valicenti with the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt, National Design Award for Communication Design. In 2006, he received the American Institute of Graphic Arts Medal for his sustained contribution to design excellence and the development of the profession.

The Edwin H. Simmons Creative Minds Series, intended to elevate the importance of the arts in our everyday lives, is made possible by a generous donation from the late Mary Cranker in honor of her father.

Guests with disabilities are requested to indicate if they need special services, assistance or appropriate modifications to fully participate in this event by contacting Accessibility Services at access@bgsu.edu or 419-372-8495 prior to the event.