The Lamar Dodd School of Art is pleased to announce that two alumni of the School of Art have recently been named as presidents of institutions within the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD). Joseph Girandola (MFA ‘96) has been named as the president of the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Sanjit Sethi (MFA ‘98) has been named as the president of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

The Art Academy of Cincinnati’s Board of Trustees has named Joseph Girandola as the college’s next president. Girandola will assume office on August 1, 2019. Girandola currently serves as the interim associate dean of graduate studies and research at the University of Cincinnati in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. Prior, his roles included the Director of Graduate Studies for the School of Art at DAAP and director of the MFA program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. During his tenure at DAAP, he sought and secured new external funding opportunities for creative research and was part of the steering committee for the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub.

Though classically trained as a stone carver in Italy, Girandola turned away from the media concentrating on three-dimensional drawings and paintings using a variety of materials. His prominent medium of choice is Duct Tape. Invented originally to weatherproof military ammunition boxes, during the rise and abundant use of Central Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) units, the matte gray color and universal name of Duct Tape was introduced. Girandola’s work attracts attention to minute details often overlooked in the corrupt rush of modern society.

Minneapolis College of Art and Design has named Sanjit Sethi as its next president. Sethi, an artist and academic who most recently directed the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University (GWU), took office on July 15. With two decades of experience ranging from directing a major art and design school to running an interdisciplinary art center, Sethi is poised to lead MCAD’s future growth. One of the central goals of his tenure will be to continue to work to create a more sustainable, diverse, and inclusive community in all facets of the institution. His overarching charge as president will be to advance the institution, increase its visibility and impact, and foster student success.  

Sanjit has lectured widely on issues related to culture, creativity, and equity. As an artist and curator, Sethi’s work has spanned different media and geographies. Past works include the Kuni Wada Bakery Remembrance; Richmond Voting Stories; and the Gypsy Bridge project. Recent curatorial projects have included Spiked: The Unpublished Political Cartoons of Rob Rogers and the upcoming exhibition, 6.13.89 The Cancelling of the Mapplethorpe Exhibition. Additionally, Sethi is currently working on the Portland Hospice Potters Network and a body of paintings and drawings—the Delta Series.