West Liberty University’s MAD (Media Arts and Design) Festival will welcome motivational speaker Andy J. Miller on Friday, April 6.
The festival includes workshops, professional presentations and a student media arts awards competition and awards ceremony. MADFEST is open to area high school students as well as WLU students and takes place from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. in WLU’s Media Arts Center and College Hall.
An accomplished illustrator, Miller has a successful podcast called Creative Pep Talk. He’s illustrated for clients such as Nickelodeon, Google, Converse, Sony, Smart Car, Oreo, The Boston Globe and Nutella. His website is located at andy-j-miller.com.
“We are so fortunate to have such a popular motivational keynote speaker coming in for MADFEST on Friday. Students will love him and his talk is open to the public,” said professor Jim Haizlett, MAD Festival director who teaches visual communication design and digital media design at WLU.
The schedule for Friday includes:
8 a.m. — High school students arrive and enjoy refreshments and table displays.
9 a.m. — Everyone gathers in College Hall to hear from professionals serving as guest jurors who provide a 15-minute multimedia presentation highlighting various aspects of their work and career in media arts.
10–11:30 a.m. — Media Arts and Design Award Ceremony (registered guests only). Jurors remain on stage and comment about the work as the awards are presented.
11:50 a.m.–12:40 p.m. — Session One (half of attendees enjoy lunch, half attend Session One)
12:50 p.m.–1:40 p.m. — Session Two (remaining guests enjoy lunch, others attend Session Two)
2 p.m. — Keynote address with Andy J. Miller
3 p.m. — High school students leave campus.
3 – 4 p.m. — Presenter Forum for WLU students and recent graduates.
Due to the overwhelming popularity of MADFEST, only WLU students, staff, and students of high school teachers who have pre-registered may attend the morning awards ceremony.
The following afternoon sessions are free and open for walk-ins on the day of the event:
- Visual Effects in Feature Films — Sessions at 11:50 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. with motion juror Pasquale Greco. Tracing visual effects shot from paper to screen, providing some of the professional juror’s on-set photography to demonstrate the techniques and technology used to bring written word to life.
- “Your Pencil in the Stone – The Power of Personal Projects” — Sessions at 11:50 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. with imaging juror Andy J. Miller; Illustration Hands on workshop. Bring some favorite drawings for critique and selection for critique and commentary by Dr. Pizza himself!
- Crash Course: Lessons Learned, but Not From Art School — Sessions at 11:50 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. Career Advice (recommended for college students and recent graduates). Professional juror Syd Weiler (resident of Wheeling) will outline disastrous career events that her private art school education did NOT prepare her for and how she overcame them, and provide you with the knowledge on how to do the same.
For more information on MADFest, contact Haizlett at madfest@westliberty.
