Join us for the 5th Annual Siba Scholarship Fund Trivia Night. Complete in ten rounds of general knowledge trivia with cash prizes for the 1st place team! ALL proceeds from the event benefit deserving student at Stevens - The Institute of Business & Arts. 

$200 for tables of 8, OR $25 for individual tickets.**Special rates for students and alumni!** 

Doors open at 6pm, with questions starting at 7pm. 

Fantastic silent auction items up for bid, wine pull, and 50/50 raffle in between rounds.

  Your ticket includes soda, water, and popcorn. Feel free to bring your own food and beverages.

Join us in our reception for painter, Mark Swain. A tenured, St. Louis painter, Swain works in vivid color. The artist also creates pieces using leather inspired by his Native American descendants.

When: Friday, May 4th at 6pm.
Siba Gallery: 1521 Washington Ave., St. Louis, MO 63103

Enjoy light appetizers, check out Swain's vibrant collection, and meet the artist at this free event.

It comes as no surprise that St. Louis artist Mark Swain has an enduring love of nature. Swain traces some of his earliest artistic influences to Forest Park, where his father worked as a greens keeper. His dad would take him to the park, and while he worked, Swain would pass the time drawing.

This love of natural elements has grown and developed in the collection Swain features today at the Gallery @ Siba. Painting in vivid color and working in leathers, Swain’s subjects reflect his eclectic style. His leather work reflects his observation of Native American traditions and an awareness that “everything is alive.” Meanwhile, his colorful paintings celebrate his many interests – from pop culture references, to local events in St. Louis.

Swain also has many passions outside of painting. He’s a certified florist, licensed cosmetologist and esthetician, and a board certified massage therapist. He’s worked in holistic healthcare for decades, and is very active in the community. He currently serves as the President of the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Association and is on the board of Feral Companion, an organization serving feral and special needs dogs.

You can check out Swain’s amazing breadth of work and meet this modern Renaissance man, at our reception May 4^th at 6pm. Wine and light hors d’oeuvres will be served at this free event open to the public. You can RSVP for the event on our Facebook page.

Swain owns Mark Swain Arts, Red Wolf Arts, and Mark Swain photography. You can learn more about Swain and his art on his blog and Facebook page.  

With April celebrating all things related to libraries – April 4^th is National School Librarian Day and April 8^th marks the start of National Library Week, we thought it was appropriate to give a shout out to our favorite archive, the St. Louis Public Library Central Branch. St. Louis’ library headquarters are located about a block away from campus and offer so much more than a good read.

From history and research, to multi-media production and entertainment, the Central Branch is a robust resource for the community at large as well as Siba students. All Siba students are encouraged at the outset of their college career to sign up for a library card. Having one opens the doors to books, downloadable resources, and databases.

Siba’s Research Method’s class takes advantage of some of these resources. Style manuals are particularly helpful as are the many databases offered at the library. Databases include Learning Express Library, which aids in test preparation. Gale Online courses are free with your library card and offers 6 week, instructor-led courses to improve skills like writing. WorldCat is another free, and amazing source for research materials from around the US.

Beyond research materials, are other impressive offerings. Siba’s Graphic Design students regularly visit the library to check out special and rare collections of artwork. The Central Branch is also home to the Creative Experience. Anyone with a library card can take advantage of a “pod” which is set up with HD monitors, wide-angle cameras, microphones, software and seating for up to ten people to collaborate on multi-media projects. There’s also a recording room to produce professional quality music, podcasts, voiceovers, oral history and other audio projects.

The Central Library also hosts events throughout the year. Their popular Not So Quiet Concert Series features a variety of musical performances on the steps of their historic building. Community-centric events like special speakers, demonstrations, and poetic performances are also happening all the time at the Central Branch. For all these amazing offerings, we are so very lucky at Siba to be located so close, and to be able to enhance the education of our students with this fantastic resource. Happy National Library Week!

Graphic Design students had the valuable opportunity to work with a highly-respected St. Louis marketing agency recently. The real-world project enabled students to put the knowledge they gained in the classroom to use in a professional environment as they presented their concept to an expert in the field.

The Assignment: Elasticity Creative Director, Nick Walden, challenged students to develop artistic marketing plans for existing, well-recognized companies. The project used simulated client objectives that required the students to come up with multi-pronged strategies.

“I honestly didn't take it easy on them with the project topics and tried to challenge them in a way that was true to what we deal with in an agency on a daily basis. From the outset though they had great questions and soaked everything in, which is the best first step in any new project,” Walden said of the assignment.

The unique task allowed students to flex their graphic design muscles in a number of ways, using a multitude of skills gained in the program over the years: listening to and understanding the unique needs of a client, developing a creative concept and direction, executing that concept using the tools at their disposal, and ultimately pitching that final concept to the boss.

The class was divided into three teams, and each team assigned a leader to serve as Creative Director. Their first assignment was to focus on an existing company and develop one or more marketing objectives with that company in mind. For example, one group tackled the relaunch of Kodak’s traditional film. They proposed that while Kodak had focused on digital photography for the last few decades, a new generation was embracing traditional film. Tasks also included conceptualizing updated branding and a fully-integrated, multi-channel marketing campaign.

Third-year student Brady Schaefer said, “We researched our ‘client’ pretty thoroughly to make sure we didn't stray too far from their existing branding, and then execute our ideas based on that. We also made sure the members in our group stayed consistent with each other.”

The groups met with Walden mid-way through the project for feedback and a critique—a process that can be quite challenging for both sides, as acknowledged by Walden: “I could tell Ed [Graphic Design Department Chair, Ed Engel] had been working with them on following a process, taking feedback and being flexible, which are always things I'm looking for in creative interns or hires.”

The other two teams developed concepts for a Harley Davidson electric bike, and a revamp of Coca-Cola’s “Fruitopia” beverage. All three student teams created updated logos, enhanced packaging, and marketing strategies that they then presented to Mr. Walden at the end of the term. Walden’s response: “I was particularly thrilled to see them push beyond the design aspects of the project and take the extra step of showing how those designs fit into the larger campaigns across social media, outdoor advertising and events. There were aspects of each project that would have been totally at home in an agency-level client pitch.”

The experience added to the students’ graphic design portfolios AND gave them confidence when it comes to pitching their ideas to industry leaders. Schaefer said, “We all gained some great experience working as teams as well as creating some very strong portfolio pieces.” Walden added, “I'm always energized by seeing young creatives take on a project and just pour themselves into it. I'm looking forward to seeing more of what Siba students can do.”