Portrait of Robert Coombs

Robert (Bob) Coombs

I first heard about Bob Coombs three years ago, when faculty began to talk about a photography student who was doing very, very well. What I came to discover as I got a chance to see some of his early work, and the work he was doing at that time, was indeed somebody with a great deal of potential. And certainly, I could also get a sense of Bob as somebody who was also a very wonderful athlete. Many of the photos he was taking at the time celebrated his ability as a gymnast. Then, of course, came the point of Bob's accident; leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. And you began to think at that time, if you were going to hear about Bob again, you might just hear about a person that occasionally people talked about. It seemed such a challenge that here would be someone who could exceed all expectations as a result of such an injury.

In fact Bob has returned to Kendall, and has established himself as a remarkable presence in the college. And it's a great pleasure to share this profile of Bob Coombs, an outstanding man.

Photography Graduate Going Places

From just east of Grand Rapids to the East Coast, recent KCAD alumni, Katie Zychowski, will be honored for her work and featured in two shows: one local, at the state capital in Lansing; the other in New Jersey at Monmouth University.

A recent graduate of KCAD’s  photography program, Katie Zychowski has much to look forward to this fall. Her work has been chosen to be part of an upcoming exhibit at the state capital. Members of the Legislative Art Caucus have selected Katie to be part of the Student Art in Legislature (Arts in the House) Initiative after a nomination, which came from professor and head of Photography, Darlene Kaczmarczyk.

"We Settled on Wanting" - Katie Zychowski

"I Followed When We Separated," a photograph taken from Katie's Photography Thesis, was selected and will be displayed in the Anderson House Office Building. This month, a formal reception will recognize her work as part of the initiative. I expect this to be an exciting and interesting show in Lansing.

And, until October 14, Katie is being recognized on the East Coast. Her work is currently showing at Monmouth University's Ice House Gallery, in New Jersey. She was asked by Anne Leighton Massoni, after her senior thesis show. Katie is showing photographic pieces from her senior thesis entitled Langour, Temperance, Repose. I look forward to hearing more of Katie, and her work, as she continues to pursue her career in photography.

KCAD Alumni Board President Presents Beautiful Decay

Terry Frixen - Photo by Ryan P. Photo

I am pleased to share with you this post about KCAD alum, Terry Frixen; partly because I have always found it gratifying when graduates such as Terry have the ability to continue onto successful careers while managing the passion and inspiration to create fine art of their own.I also wanted to write about Terry, who currently serves as President of KCAD’s Alumni Board, because of his many roles within the community.

Terry, a Fine Art Photography graduate, has sustained a balance between his career with Meijer and his personal portfolio; including his latest show titled "Beautiful Decay," which was on display at Pub 43, a local venue in Grand Rapids.While Terry was a student at Kendall, he held a job at Meijer. When he graduated, the company awarded Terry a series of promotions. Three years ago, he had proven himself enough to the company that he secured a position in the corporate office. What's more remarkable is that Terry remained committed to the art community and to various non-profit organizations as he climbed the corporate ladder.

Terry volunteers for the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA) visual arts committee, the Kids Food Basket, and soon plans to start training at the GRAM, where he wishes to help out. Terry is also the Artist Relations Coordinator of the SiTE:LAB team. He says of his volunteerism: "I feel that by volunteering with the groups that I am, I will meet great people, make great connections, and learn a lot. This is starting to prove true." I should probably note that SiTE:LAB, co-founded by KCAD adjunct sculpture professor Paul Amenta, is a non-profit group of artist and art enthusiasts - one of which I hope to write about in the future.

"Beautiful Decay" was shown throughout the month of June. For those of you who hadn't the chance to see his collection hung elegantly along the north wall of the venue, Terry has graciously included two pieces of work from the show as part of this blog post.

He explains "Beautiful Decay" as a collection of three different series that express his recent fascination with rust, warped or rotted wood, and chipped or peeled paint. He says of his work: "I look at all the images I have right now and I feel that it truly shows the beauty in what could be considered ugly."

Terry has managed to pursue his love of photography, his career at Meijer, and his volunteer activities in the community, including the KCAD Alumni board, where he currently serves as the board president.

Terry’s Twitter: @tgf1980