Making things. From the initial design to the final product—whether it be a poster commission for a client or a piece of furniture he crafted in his spare time—Kevin Rudynski, chair of the Depart of Visual and Creative Arts and associate professor of fine arts, enjoys the commitment to and process of making things.
Rudynski worked in advertising as a creative director after completing graduate school before making his return to education. He has since spent over 25 years teaching in the rapidly changing field of graphic design, hoping to share his passion with his students.
Q & A with Kevin Rudynski
Q: What classes do you teach?
A: My primary area of expertise is in graphic design, so I teach all of the graphic design courses. I teach courses in visual identity, branding, packaging, publication design, and web design.
Q: Can you talk about the Visual Arts Discovery Days your department hosts on campus?
A: The main goal is to invite high school students and their teachers to come to campus and have a visual arts experience. We see it as an opportunity for our high school teachers to become familiar with us, and just as importantly, we hope we are seen as a resource to their programs and to their students. Students get a chance to do workshops, and we also do a portfolio review and talk to them about how to prepare their portfolio.
Q: What’s been your favorite part of working at Marian University so far?
A: I’d say it’s the students. I think they are interested in a much more personal kind of education that matches my interest as a teacher. It’s rewarding to invest in people, see them grow while they are here, and support them after they graduate.
Q: What are some of your current projects?
A: Right now in our department, we are working on revising our curriculum. In my own personal and professional work as a print maker, I do a lot of poster commissions for clients. I do a lot of independent projects.
We just recently had a faculty exhibition, and there I was exhibiting a personal project that had to do with the current dialogue that we have in our country on immigration. The poster series I’ve been working on has really looked at our recent debate on immigration policy in the United States. I’ve always tried to work on projects that I think are part of the current social discourse.