COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 17 Crow teaches the class every other year. In 2021, the first time it was offered, the class was limited by pandemic restrictions and met via Zoom. The students considered works from local print houses—Durham Press, and Raven Fine Art Editions—LUAG added four of the selected works to its collection. In 2023, inspired by the recent LUAG-hosted exhibition Young, Gifted, and Black, students looked for works from living African American artists. The class traveled to New York City and met with the directors of a dozen art galleries, ultimately recommending that LUAG acquire a large relief sculpture by contemporary artist Lauren Halsey. Crow says that when he was getting familiar with the art and artists who would be part of the current exhibition, he tried to predict which works the students would gravitate toward. It turns out he was “absolutely wrong,” he admits with a laugh. Their perspective on technology and how art shows what it means to be human can be different from that of older generations. “I’m really surprised that my students—even though they’re interested in technology and they certainly use technology every day, including AI—are particularly excited about slowing down and unplugging and looking at a painting or a drawing or a work made by hand from clay or metal,” he says. “They’re really having a lot of great conversations about, ‘What is uniquely human about this and this perspective?’” The graphic design students of Maurizio Masi, an assistant professor in the Department of Art, Architecture, and Design, had a unique opportunity in the spring of 2025 when LUAG leaders asked them to design the centennial exhibition’s brand identity, including its logo. They eventually went a step further and redesigned LUAG’s primary logo, too. The Fusion: Design Practice elective gives students the hands-on experience of producing work for a client, much like Masi did himself when he worked as a designer in New York for 25 years. In the spring, the class visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to learn from the leader of its internal design studio, and they listened to a pitch presentation from Lehigh’s external design agency for its new brand campaign. Students reflected on those experiences as they researched and developed their own materials for LUAG. One of the biggest successes of the project was watching the students’ develop strategy and presentation skills, according to Masi. “Lehigh graphic design students presented and gained consensus on a logo redesign that literally encouraged LUAG to think outside the box for their new wordmark,” he says. “LUAG had never requested to see their logo without its original enclosed box design, and in fact, it was somewhat discouraged. I am proud of our students for persevering and demonstrating that good, smart design prevails, having the power to change established perceptions.” A visitor observes the Crochet Coral Reef installation (top); Stacie Brennan ’03 reviews poster designs for the centennial celebration (above); patrons attend “Here and Now: 100 Years of LUAG, 100 Local Artists” celebration.
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