Virginia College Interior Design Hosts 'Salvage in the City' With Graduate and HGTV Design Star Contestant, Jason Champion
Tuesday, November 3, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ­ November 3, 2009 ­ To celebrate 30 years of interior design at Virginia College and to showcase new facilities, the Department of Interior Design at Virginia College in Birmingham will host "Salvage in the City," an event featuring graduate and HGTV Design Star contestant, Jason Champion. The event, which is free and open to the public, will include a Fabulous Finds silent auction and student White Wall Challenge, inspired by the HGTV Design Star competition.

WHAT: "Salvage in the City" with Jason Champion
WHERE: Virginia College in Birmingham (488 Palisades Boulevard)
WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
WHY: To celebrate 30 years of interior design and showcase new facilities


The Fabulous Finds student auction will feature "salvaged" furniture and decorative items that have been refurbished by students to benefit the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Student Chapter. The student White Wall Challenge, inspired by the HGTV Design Star competition, will feature vignettes designed by four student teams based on the "Salvage in the City" theme. The vignettes will be juried by a distinguished panel, including Jason Champion and interior design professionals.

Attendees of "Salvage in the City" will include community members, interior design professionals from throughout the state and former Virginia College graduates. Guests will enjoy specially selected wine and hors d¹oeuvres by Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College, and senior student projects will be on display. Students and admissions counselors will also provide tours of the new state-of-the-art interior design space, which more than doubles the space for the design departments.

"Our students have been inspired by the move into our beautiful new space, and we have witnessed a new level of energy and creativity in their work," says Jamie Stone, Interior Design Program Director. "At this event, our students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their talent and learned skills while celebrating a great program that has been in Birmingham for 30 years."

The Virginia College Department of Interior Design was formerly known as the Southern Institute School of Interior Design. Previously located at Virginia College's former Bagby Drive campus, the design programs are now housed in The Palisades shopping center with more than 16,000 square feet dedicated to classrooms, workspace and labs. The space features wireless Internet access, a conference room for student presentations, a large library and materials lab, numerous computer labs, a drafting and sketching lab and a separate print room.

Graduates from Virginia College's interior design programs have been placed with prominent companies and firms including UAB Health Systems, Southern Progress, HealthSouth, CLA Architecture Inc, Alabama Power, Khafra Inc, SRW & Associates, Birchfield Penuel & Associates, and BBVA Compass Bank. Notable alumni include the current president of Alabama's chapter for the American Society of Interior Designers and Frank Lloyd Wright's great granddaughter, who owns her own design firm in Atlanta, Melissa Galt Interiors.

Virginia College offers both an Associate of Fine Arts Advanced Professional Degree and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Design. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design program is one of only four programs in Alabama accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly FIDER).

The interior design curriculum at Virginia College includes: Basic fundamentals of art; Elements, principles and theories of design; History of art, architecture and interiors; Oral and written communication skills; Graphic communication skills; Building construction and support systems; Materials performance and design applications; Building codes and standards; Design for populations with special needs; Ecologically responsible design; and Professional ethics.

For more information about interior design at Virginia College, contact the Admissions Department by visiting www.vc.edu, emailing contact information to Birmingham.info@vc.edu or calling 205.802.1200.

 

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