Bikes, art, and digital media: Michael Brodsky’s 35 years at LMU | News

As multimedia arts professor Michael Brodsky approaches the end of his tenure at Bluff in the spring 2024 semester, his 35 years of service to the university has impacted LMU’s student body. There is no doubt about it. . From helping create the Multimedia Arts Concentration to developing and teaching his own first-year seminar, his course “Bicycles: Art, Ecology, Culture,” Brodsky’s time at LMU has been nothing short of productive. It was nothing.

Brodsky has worked exclusively in digital media since 1983, but his first exposure to technology was in Cupertino, Calif., where notable alumni Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, co-founders of Apple, were among his students. It was during my high school days when I attended Homestead High School. This allowed him to become familiar with developing technology, even if he wasn’t interested in pursuing it professionally right away.

“My high school was full of technology.” [but] Most people had never even seen a computer.For years I’ve been playing [with technology] But I wasn’t interested. This was years before Photoshop and the Macintosh. [computer] It helped foster a more intuitive way of working. It just felt right,” Brodsky said.

Brodsky said his involvement with electronic media provided a “faster and more intuitive process” for art production, allowing him to take his career to an international level. His work has been included in many digital media exhibitions and published internationally, including at the International Center of Photography in New York City, the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, and the Folkwang Museum in Essen, Germany. Among other things.

“For a while, I was one of the few people working in digital. Galleries and museums started to take notice, and some appreciated this approach. When digital media was growing, I was in the right place at the right time. That was the reaction from collectors. My work was a critique of technology, asking the question, “How do we reproduce ourselves through pixels?” People tried to reproduce traditional photography. I tried to work abstractly and critique the way we appear on screen,” Brodsky said.

Film photographers at the time Brodsky was starting to grow up believed that digital photography would never replace film, but that didn’t stop Brodsky from experimenting with the medium. He said he was not worried about the quality of his work and was determined to be innovative with new forms of art and collaborate with those around him.

“By collaborating with different curators, we learn how to display the work to make it even better. When we create, we think about the image, but the installation itself can tell a story,” Brodsky said.

Through his work in the art industry, Brodsky realized that he wanted to find a more sustainable career and pursue higher education. He pointed out that “many people who are artists don’t realize that they teach.” [is] It’s possible, but I realized that teaching would give me more time in my career. ”

After earning a master’s degree in art and design from California College of the Arts in Santa Clarita, California, he began teaching photography and design at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Shortly after, in 1988, he accepted a position assisting in the development of digital programs at LMU. This included the introduction of his first Macintosh system to the university.

“I helped devise the curriculum and program. We had an art and graphic design program, but we developed a multimedia curriculum and added a third focus in multimedia arts.” said Brodsky. “Before that, people worked by hand. Graphic design was done by hand, and photography was done in the darkroom.” Art and Design on Computers [were] It was something new at the time. ”

Now a tenured professor, Brodsky looks back on his 35 years at the university with gratitude. “One of the great things about teaching at LMU, he said, is being able to work with amazing students, some of whom have gone on to successful careers.” [they were] I was always passionate about what I was doing and interested in people as a whole. ”

Brodsky believes that LMU’s mission to advance justice brings a broader perspective to students’ lives, allowing them to flourish in a variety of careers. “I enjoy teaching at LMU because [in Los Angeles] …LMU has a lot of different students coming to it…LMU has a special social justice mindset that makes a difference,” Brodsky said.

Because Los Angeles is a “creative capital,” Brodsky was given the opportunity to stay here and contribute to the community. He helped found His Spoke of Santa Monica in 2009, a nonprofit organization “dedicated to improving walking, biking, and healthy transportation in the city of Santa Monica.”

“I always liked cycling, but it was nothing special. In the 1970s, it was much more common to cycle to class or school, but in recent years it’s become less common. .For my first 20 years at LMU, I drove a car, but then I started to become more conscious and started driving, thinking about polluting the planet,” Brodsky said. Told. “There was a growing interest in alternative transportation.” [and] Then it became a passion, both recreational and purposeful. ”

One of Mr. Brodsky’s bachelor’s degrees was in environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. At LMU, I had the opportunity to create a first-year seminar that incorporated my concern for the environment and my passion for the arts. This course is aptly titled “Bicycles: Art, Ecology, Culture.”

“It was really nice to work together.” [University] It is concerned with social and environmental justice. As this whole climate crisis grows, I’ve wanted to share my awareness of it and offer solutions. Things are now so critical that “if we don’t do something, the world will become unusable for future generations,” Brodsky said.

Brodsky, who is nearing retirement, is looking forward to continuing to make art and ride his bike, but he also wants to continue lecturing and focus more on creating. “Right now, my time is divided between teaching and creating art. [Retirement will] Give me more time to research, and even show opportunities,” Brodsky said.