Harken is a company that designs and sells sails, parts for large yacht style sailboats and more. They have a full manufacturing, engineering and design facility in this building and they also have businesses in many countries around the globe including Italy. Students in my group learned more specifically about the Marketing department at Harken. This houses the graphic design, video and web design artists that create the catalogues, site and more. It was fascinating to see the innovation and creativity involved in all aspects of the company. I could see that students were really starting to brainstorm and understand the application of some of the classes they take in the art department. It was cool to see them make this connection and also realize that being an artist is a viable career option.
In my Digital Photography 2 class we had a guest speaker who literally lit up the room for students. Cory Zimmermann of z2 visit our class to discuss light photography and running a successful photography and design studio. Cory shared many of his techniques including Adobe Photoshop and Lighting techniques. He also discussed the practical applications of many of the artistic processes learned in a class such as Digital Photography 2. Again students were awed by the possibilities and the fact that Cory runs a very successful financially viable company that is highly creative.
In both instances having students dream big and make connections opened the door for a few. I'm hoping to take more field trips with my students and help them plan for their futures. It's also very meaningful for me as an educator to make these business contacts. Thanks to both Harken and z2 for being willing to talk to students and inspire them.