Digital Media and Animation
Tammy Brackett, Chair, phone: (607) 587-4659, secretary phone: (607) 587-4696
E-mail address: BrackeTR@alfredstate.edu
Programs: Digital Media and Animation (AAS), Digital Media and Animation (BS)
The associates of applied science degree in digital media and animation and bachelors of science degree in digital media and animation serve the emerging new media, entertainment, and computer animation areas.
Department Mission
The Digital Media & Animation Department at Alfred State prepares graduates for immediate employment or continued educational opportunities in a range of design and technology-related disciplines. The department provides quality technical education that integrates theory and practice with a foundation in the arts and sciences.
About the Department
The Department of Digital Media and Animation (DMA) prepares students to become creative professionals in areas of interactive media, entertainment, animation, and other emerging new media. The associates of applied science degree prepares students for a number of entry-level jobs or transfer to related baccalaureate programs, while the bachelor of science degree prepares students for direct entry to the job market or pursuance of a graduate degree.
DMA students enjoy 24-hours a day access to high-end Mac Pro computers that run industry standard software within the digital studios. The studios serve as a technical and creative training ground for professional quality video and sound production, 2D and 3D animation, web design, interactive media, motion graphics, and other expanding forms of digital media. These digital studios are continually updated to provide students access to state of the art technologies. In addition to the digital studios, traditional studio space provides the opportunity to explore and produce two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of integrated media.
The Bret Llewellyn Art Gallery, located mere steps from the studios, hosts exhibitions of work by emerging and established international artists. In addition to being exposed to the work of these artists, students attend visiting artist lectures and hear from guest speakers currently working in new media.
DMA students work on “real world” projects. Sophomores in Interactive Authoring class have worked with the author of a Microbial Ecology textbook to develop interactive teaching tools to accompany the text. Senior capstone projects have included an animated 3D illustration of Alfred State’s new high-tech dairy barn and milking facilities. DMA students have landed internships with prestigious companies such as Fisher-Price, LA Comedy Shorts Festival, and Post-Central.
Two student groups, Visual Impact Club (VIC) and Game Development Club, gather students with common interests for creative endeavors beyond the classroom. VIC is curating the first WTFestival, a weekend of video and animation screenings on campus.
DMA faculty are both artists and educators who work at the leading edge of digital media technologies. Faculty practice what they teach as they create new artwork, exhibit internationally, design for web, print, and video media, collaborate with other industry professionals, publish digital media projects, and write textbooks.
