Lipkin Chair
Cecil and Eleanor Lipkin Endowed Chair in the Fine & Performing Arts
Jason Zulli, assistant professor of art at Northampton Community College (NCC), has been selected as the second recipient of the Cecil and Eleanor Lipkin Endowed Chair in the Fine & Performing Arts. According to Dr. Christine Pense, dean of humanities and social sciences at NCC, Zulli’s proposal, “Illusions of Time, Space and Motion: Art Meets Technology” captured the imagination of the award committee. “The committee saw the large scale and the interactive nature of the art as the strongest and most exciting element of the proposal,” Pense says.
Zulli plans to investigate the relation between time, space and motion by developing and implementing a set of digital art exhibits that transform, expand, amplify, connect, compose and capture NCC spaces. Across three years the project will create virtual artwork, present multiple pieces that relate to the mind-body, and develop a network with the local community of digital artists.
Zulli aims to give audiences a new awareness of presence and interactivity. His work will create a physical illusion of images using projection mapping and mobile devices. Audiences will mold the artwork as it unfolds in front of their eyes. The pieces will be shown at a large scale and will be experienced by everyone who passes by.
“Imagine walking through the common area and seeing a number on the College Center Building. You text the number on your phone and a video brings the building to life. Multiply that by hundreds and you have a piece of work that is constantly changing,” Zulli says.
Zulli has always been fascinated with large-scale videos. Since 1999, he has been deeply involved in developing digital media/art. His first pieces of art were developed with Mac Paint and displayed in the art gallery at The Pennsylvania State University. He has created numerous digital art works for Zoom Zoom Magazine. His artwork has also been exhibited in local and regional galleries. Recently his pieces have used motion sensors and LEDs to draw viewers into his art.
Zulli believes there is a great opportunity for students and the community to see more than traditional art and photography in galleries. “This proposal celebrates the spirit of NCC through an accessible digital arts festival and expands the possibilities for public art in the Lehigh Valley,” he says.
Zulli is a digital artist, painter, graphic designer, photographer, and educator who completed his bachelor of arts in graphic design and integrative arts at The Pennsylvania State University and earned his master’s degree in instructional design and development from the College of Education at Lehigh University while also completing a project management certificate in Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics. He holds a tenure-track position at Northampton Community College where he teaches creative designs, media art, new media theory and practice, new media production, web design, flash, and 3D animation courses.
Bruce Wall, the first holder of the Lipkin Chair, completed his project “The Art of Kolam: Ritual Designs of India” in September of 2011. During his tenure, the college community created and celebrated the art of Kolam in digital, photographic, chalk, and rice-power media.
The Lipkin Chair was established by Cecil and Eleanor Lipkin through a gift from their estate in 2005. Cecil Lipkin was a founding member of NCC’s Board of Trustees and, with his wife, Eleanor, a patron of the arts in the Lehigh Valley. The couple had a particular fondness for theatre, often performing in local amateur productions. The Lipkin Chair is a competitive award to a faculty member in the fine or performing arts, for a period of three years. The purpose of the award is to effect significant improvement or enhancement in academic programs or faculty members.
