Posted on Sep 14, 2004

Jack Howard-Potter '97 is exhibiting
his steel sculptures in the Southern Vermont Arts Center's Sculpture
Garden through Oct. 26, 2004.

The center is on West
Road in Manchester,
Vt. For more information, visit http://www.svac.org/exhibit.html

His works explore the range of motion of the human figure. The
steel, an inherently heavy and rigid material, takes on the form of flesh and
blood, caught in the moment of the body in motion. Seized at the point where gravity
is challenged by the human spirit, nature eventually winning the battle, this
moment captured in his steel sculptures.

“I work to convey a sense of
flowing movement in space,” he says. “I want the viewer to visualize the
actions that led up to the pose and the actions that will follow it.”

[Excerpt from summer 1997 Union College magazine:]

As a student at Union, Howard-Potter was greatly influenced
by studying art history and completing internships in galleries and museums.

When he arrived at Union,
he concentrated on studio art classes, but he then took an art history class
that changed his opinion about the importance of art history.

“That class made me realize
how important it is to have a basis in history when you are making art,”
he said. “I gained great respect for the history of art, and I use that a
lot more in my creations than I did when I first came to Union.”

He learned the advanced techniques
of welding from Marsha Pels, an artist who spent a year at Union
as a visiting professor. The summer after his sophomore year, Howard-Potter
interned with Pels in her studio in Brooklyn and helped
to install `Terranova' at the Sculpture
Center in Manhattan.
`Terranova', which featured a neon umbilical cord connecting two glass babies
resting on marble pillows beneath a sky of translucent Fiberglas umbrellas,
gave Howard-Potter the opportunity to work with new materials. Working with
Pels was “radically different” from anything he had seen, and he made
many contacts in the art world, one of which turned into another internship the
following year.

During his junior year, he spent a
term in New York City on an
internship sponsored by the Great Lakes College Association, working with
Marion Griffiths, director at the Sculpture
Center in Manhattan,
and Heidi Fasnacht, a former professor at Harvard and an artist. Fasnacht
sculpted with polyester rubber, and Howard-Potter loved working with a sculptor
he describes as “really trying to push the bounds.” He helped her
sculpt “amorphous forms that looked biological-like caterpillars and green
peas.” With Griffiths, he was
able to see the business side of art, which he says he enjoyed and “had a
knack for.”

In the spring of 1996, he began an
internship at the Hyde Collection with Randall Suffolk, the curator. He had a
chance to help Rebecca Smith, an artist and daughter of his idol, sculptor
David Smith, with the installation of a piece she donated to the Hyde.
“But I can't wait until it's my pickup truck and I put my sculpture in the
gallery,” he said at the time.

“The things that I'm making
are like nothing I've ever done,” he said at graduation. “And they're coming
out great. I couldn't be happier.”

Posted on Sep 12, 2004

Troy -Nearly 25 years have passed since a group of area businessmen and academics got together in Troy to see how Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute could be put to use as a driver of the regional economy.
   The group, which included former RPI president George Low, industrialists Ken Lally, Harry Apkarian and others, had witnessed a decades-long decline in manufacturing in the area and a corresponding decrease in population. They knew that reversing the trend would require radical change. And they knew it would have to begin soon.
   The idea they came up with – to join the intellectual and physical assets of RPI with the community around it in such a way that students could expect to find good local jobs after graduation and the region could slowly build a technology economy – was simple in theory but would be tough to pull off.
   Yet after a week of festivities in which RPI showcased not only its own new technology assets but those of the entire region, the early thinking of that group appears to have been prescient. The regional economy is today more than ever centered around its universities. And the shift didn't happen by chance.
   “Tech Valley didn't happen yesterday,” Mike Wacholder, the director of the Rensselaer Technology Park and a member of that early group said. “This has been going on for 25 years.”

Theory put to the test


   The first concrete step toward realizing the plan, Wacholder said, was the establishment of RPI's business incubator. RPI officials and trustees were willing to consider the new plan, but wanted to test out the theory first. If the incubator worked, they would consider funding a technology park.
   It did. Less than one year after the incubator opened, Wacholder recalled, the trustees had all the proof they needed to begin development of the Rensselaer Technology Park off Route 4 in North Greenbush, the area's first university-backed campus devoted solely to the growth of technology firms. “The incubator was a very quick success,” Wacholder recalled. “It was clear to us very quickly in terms of the response we got that it would nurture new enterprise and the trustees, seeing that, didn't hesitate to make the investment in the tech park.”
   The new technology park was not without its critics. U.S. Rep. Michael McNulty, D-Green Island, an early supporter of the plan, said in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C., last week that after he helped secure state funds to build a highway exit leading to the park in the early '80s, one local newspaper referred to the project in a headline as “the road to nowhere.”
   “I remember very clear one of the local newspapers ran some article on pork-barrel projects and they cited this exit as the lead example,” McNulty said. “It said '[State Senator] Bruno and McNulty fund road to nowhere,' which was pretty catchy. And accurate, because there was nothing there. It was an act of faith on our part based on the belief that George Low could pull it off.”
   McNulty, who was one of several speakers featured at a two-day conference on innovation at RPI last week that included prominent U.S. business leaders and government officials, said recent area investments in technology at Albany NanoTech, University Heights, the University at Albany's East Campus and RPI, could all be traced to the technology park.
   “The granddaddy of them all was George Low's vision for the tech park,” he said.
   At the RPI conference last week, local officials spoke repeatedly about collaboration among government, industry and academia as the key to the region's technology growth. They said such collaborations have been successful here because of the proximity of state government, a number of colleges and universities, and a long tradition of technological innovation here.
   Why did it take so long to recognize the potential of the area's educational institutions? Kelly Lovell, president of the Center for Economic Growth, said economic developers in the region had always viewed colleges and universities as a strong asset, but only began to notice their full potential fairly recently.
   “We've always known that having these institutions in the region is very important economically,” Lovell said. “But as far as viewing them as an economic engine, we hadn't exploited them as a resource in any meaningful way.”
   That began to change, Lovell said, when the University at Albany was named the headquarters of Focus NY, a consortium of universities in New York that, along with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Georgia Tech University, were asked in 1998 to conduct advanced research for the Semiconductor Industry Association.
   It was that project that led to a cascade of more recent investments from IBM, International Sematech, Tokyo Electron, and other industry players at the University at Albany and which helped cement in the minds of local residents and business leaders the idea that a technology economy was not only possible here but well under way.
   “[Before the Focus Center] we had always thought of the universities as serving the student population, but this was an example of a university serving the region,” Lovell said. “People looked at the size of that investment and thought, 'Maybe there is more here to pay attention to.' ”
   Industry leaders have played a key role. John E. Kelly III, an Albany native and alumnus of Union College and RPI who is now in charge of global technology research at IBM, is a major force behind that company's investments at the University at Albany, RPI and Union College.
   In a speech at the RPI conference on innovation last week, Kelly recounted IBM's own realization of the need to collaborate with government and industry partners on research in an increasingly competitive marketplace. After the talk, he said New York state and the Capital Region have come to play increasingly important role in the downstate company's own strategic plans.
   “It [the Capital Region] is very critical to us now and it's of growing importance,” Kelly said. “Over the last decade we've been increasing our investment here because we think there's a tremendous amount of brainpower here.
   “At Albany, we are focused on semiconductors, nanotechnology and materials. At Rensselaer, we're focused on high-speed communications technology, and at Union College we're looking at the interaction of all these technologies with the social sciences and liberal arts. We feel very fortunate to have these three great institutions nearby.”
   Bill Schwarz, director of corporate and government relations at Union College, said collaborating with companies such as IBM and with other colleges and universities in the area has become increasingly important to Union. He said the internships and jobs that come from such partnerships not only make recruiting easier, but also help build the area as a destination.
   “We sell location much more now than we used to,” Schwarz said. “[For] too long we told people Boston was nearby or New York City was nearby, that you only have to spend a couple hours and you're not here anymore. And when students come here and have great opportunities for a career we can overcome some of the traditional reasons for why people don't stay.” Colleges and universities have become economic engines, but they've also spent heavily to improve the neighborhoods surrounding their campuses. Above, Union College renovated a row of houses on Seward Place adjacent to the campus in Schenectady.

Karthik Bala, chief executive officer of Vicarious Visions, addresses a conference on innovation at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Bala's company was launched at the RPI incubator and has expanded locally. University officials hope to hold onto campus entrepreneurs and help their companies remain in the Capital Region.

Posted on Sep 12, 2004

Those of us with teenagers approaching their junior year in high school are wading through immense mounds of diverse college marketing materials, while our young adults ponder the vast educational options and agonize over the possibilities and choices, which once made, will dramatically affect their future. How to get into the college of choice has become a national obsession that colors the conversations of some adults before their offspring are even conceived! While it may seem like a daunting task, take heart! There are a number of ways a student can get a leg up on what Admissions Directors are really looking for.

Here's the lowdown straight from the source; on the top five things Admissions personnel are looking for in potential students, and some of the most important “to-do's” for all incoming students, to maximize the chances for admission to the college of your choice.

Dominican College's Admissions spokesperson, Shannon Sullivan, says while academics are important, it is just a part of the mix. “We look for students who are willing to contribute their varying experiences, ideas and backgrounds,” says Sullivan. The “Top Five” things that DC Admissions counselors consider for incoming students are:

Does the student respect themselves and others, and take pride in their performance?

Is he/she someone who desires to be involved in our community, and the community at large?

Can the student articulate his/her thoughts in conversation and argumentation?

Are they aware of their talents and weaknesses, striving to better themselves?

Are they looking for a college environment where they can develop relationships with their peers, as well as faculty?

Doris Davis, Associate Provost at Cornell, in Ithaca, NY, has seen many classes of freshmen head through her doors and she reports that the top five things the college looks for in applicants are:

1)      Demonstrated academic ability; we look for students who have taken a challenging curriculum and who have performed well.

2)      Involvement in activities outside of the classroom, whether they be in school or in the community.

3)      Motivation, diligence, integrity, and a passion for learning

4)      Potential to make contributions to the learning/living community at Cornell

Diversity of backgrounds and experiences According to Dan Lundquist, the Dean of Admissions at Union College, an independent, liberal arts college located in Schenectady, NY, it's important for students to think critically and be realistic in order to get down to a short list of colleges. He strongly advises that students assess their own interests, values, skills and aspirations, noting that they should feel buoyed by the fine range of options to choose from. “Never assume there are any universal policies, strengths or preferences. Or that what is right for someone else will fit for you,” says Lundquist. His simple “Top Five” suggestions:

1)      Applicants should redefine “best college” to “right college for me.” Concentrate on finding the right accessible college first, so you can say, “If this is the only college that accepts me, I'll be delighted to attend.”

2)      Even the “super candidates” should apply to less-selective schools. The most competitive colleges turn away thousands of stellar candidates every year… because they do not have room to admit them all. Fair? no; reality, yes. (“If you are smart enough to go to MIT, then you are – or better be – smart enough to apply somewhere else too!”)

3)      Don't be overwhelmed by all that you have to do senior year. The “worst case” scenario of getting organized and staying ahead of deadlines is that you will find you have more room to maneuver and you may feel a bit saner.

4)      Remember that the goal of the admissions officer is to get an understanding of what makes an individual candidate tick. An application presented in one's natural voice and style – be it serious, sober, wry, or humorous –helps accomplish that goal much better than an application that has been tailored to fit the perceived confines of an application form. Use the form as your forum!

5)      Don't forget the “heart factor” when choosing your college. Objective criteria such as academic programs, size, location, and cost are important, but your choice also needs to make you feel, “This is home.”

Tracey Howard-Ubelhoer, Director of Admissions at STAC, St. Thomas Aquinas College in Orangeburg, NY, Karen Pellegrino, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Fairfield University, in Fairfield, CT and Dolan Evanovich, Vice Provost for Enrollment at UCONN (University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT) all shared a common take on evaluating new students. The top elements these schools consider include:

High school or college prep academic record, which may include the overall GPA and class rank, if the school provides one. These directors look for strong, consistent academic performance, giving a special nod to students that have applied themselves with Honors or AP (Advanced Placement) courses. Red flags that don't bode well are students who opt for an easy senior year, or poor grades that reflect that the student did not apply themselves in more challenging courses.

Not surprisingly SAT and ACT standardized test scores are also weighed, although Pellegrino says that Fairfield University views theses scores in light of the student's entire academic record, not in a vacuum. According to Evanovich, UCONN's mean SAT scores averages around 1176, with top consideration given to candidates that fall in the top 18% of their high school class.

Subjective information that is reviewed includes a student's resume of extra-curricular activities, which may derive from church, civic, school or sports-related experiences, as well as recommendations and the personal essay. “We like students to get recommendations from someone who they have had an established relationship with, typically teachers, guidance counselors or a contact at a community group that they've been involved with, ” says Howard-Ubelhoer at STAC. Howard-Ubelhoer cautions students to “really read what the essay topics are” adding that special attention be given to following directions on the allowed word count, as well as the obvious –staying on the topic. She further advises potential students to use a typically typed format, without funky typestyles, so that the end product is easily legible. Students should also get outside help with proofreading from parents and friends, and that the final version should be read out loud to find out if it really imparts the right information, in the right tone of voice.

“There is no one “right” combination of activities – we look for students who have rounded out their academic experience with involvement outside the classroom,” says Pellegrino from Fairfield.

Not surprisingly Sarah Lawrence, known for it's unique approach to independent learning, agrees with some criteria set forth by other institutions (like students seeking out challenging curriculum), but takes additional elements into consideration when they evaluate a potential applicant. “We are looking for students who are comfortable expressing themselves in writing, and hope to improve this skill,” says Thyra Briggs, Dean of Admissions at this small coeducational liberal arts college, located in Bronxville, NY. Because of this approach, the Sarah Lawrence application contains several essays, including a graded academic paper that a student has written for a high school class. According to Briggs, the essays play a very large role in the decision-making process at Sarah Lawrence. “We spend a great deal of time reading them.” Briggs also stressed that the successful Sarah Lawrence candidate thrives in an independent environment, and should be comfortable working closely with their teachers and show an interest in designing their own independent project (known as conference work).

The Admissions officials also offered some savvy advice, for the kinds of prep work that all students can benefit from:

Challenge yourself, within your own abilities.

Be committed to a depth & breadth of activities that you feel passionate about, taking on a leadership role when possible.

Take the time to visit the colleges you think you're interested in, before applying to them.

Go online and see what the college is all about.

3 Be your own advocate. Try to make a connection with the Admissions personnel of the college you decide on, through phone, email and snail mail.

Last but not least – be prepared! According to Shannon Sullivan from Dominican College, in Orangeburg, NY, this is the most important thing a potential student can do prior to applying for admission. “A student who is well organized, takes the time to schedule a tour of the school, and arranges an interview, will stand out. Those individuals who are capable of anticipating, initiating, and adapting to change will fare very well at any institution, since the college experience is often exciting and unpredictable.”

Posted on Sep 12, 2004

God may not carry the same weight on college campuses in 2004 as he did when Harvard opened its doors in 1636, but to some associated with schools of higher learning, the spirit realm is as important today as it has ever been.
   College chaplains, whose functions vary from that of surrogate parent to spiritual counselor, are as busy as ever helping young adults deal with the many issues facing them in 21 st century America.
   “This is a time of incredible transformation for young people 18 to 22, and they're going through all kinds of personal issues of identity trying to figure out who they really are,” said the Rev. Stephen Butler Murray, a Presbyterian minister and college chaplain at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. “A college chaplain is essential to help a young person handle those issues.”
   “Most people recognize college as a challenging and growing time for young people,” said the Rev. Bob Longobucco, Catholic campus minister at Albany Chapel, which serves the University at Albany. “I think faith always has something to offer during a time of change and challenge. There's a lot going on out there in the world, and society can sometimes confuse young people.”
   Most of the early colleges and universities in America were created as seminaries. In a 1643 brochure, Harvard officials stated that the purpose of their university was “to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity, dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches.”
   Many of the early graduates of Harvard and other schools such as William & Mary (1693) and Yale (1701) became ministers. It wasn't until 1708 when John Leverett, who was not a clergyman, became president of Harvard that the school slowly began marking its intellectual independence from Puritanism.
   Nearly two and a half centuries later, during the turbulent decade of the 1960s, “God is Dead” was chanted on college campuses throughout the country. The divine being, however, seems to have survived.
   “I'm a product of the '60s, and I remember those times,” said Union College president Roger Hull, “and I also remember the quote that's ascribed to Thomas Jefferson, and that is that religion is between a man or a woman and his God.
   “Having said that, I think college chaplains are probably more important today than ever simply because young people have so many more issues they're dealing with,” Hull said. “At Union, and other college campuses I've been on, I've recog- nized that the counseling needs of students can often be best served by chaplains.”
   In many non-Catholic institutions today, college chaplains are only partially funded by the school and receive much of their pay from local church groups.
   At Union, Viki Brooks-McDonald is the campus Protestant minister and interfaith chaplain. It is a part-time position, but it is a job Brooks-McDonald felt she was called for.
   “I had this real sense that God was pushing me into campus ministry, and it's been an absolutely delightful match for me,” said Brooks-McDonald. “This campus is where my heart is. I love my job.”
   The job, however, can get pretty intense, according to Brooks-McDonald, who is in her seventh year at Union.
   “Students come in with problems ranging from suicidal tendencies to rape,” said Brooks-McDonald. “They have some kind of family worry, maybe a parent's illness or some other trauma. It's usually a pretty serious difficulty.”
   At Skidmore, Murray keeps a particularly close eye on the freshmen.
   “At home, these kids have had their identity defined for them, and now as they move out of the home they're trying to find their own identity,” said Murray. “A lot of the problems come from inner personal relationships, and it involves all sorts of things.”
   Along with the personal problems they're presented with, chaplains must deal with an expanded 21 st-century outlook on God.
   “The perspective of spirituality has changed and broadened,” said Sandy Damhof, a minister in the Reformed Church of America and the Protestant campus chaplain at the University at Albany. “Things aren't so centered in any particular organized religion and worshipping on Sundays. People are exploring their spirituality, and they're open to different experiences.”
   Like most of her colleagues, Damhof feels that the college campus is the perfect place for her to minister.
   “I love the energy that the students have and the way they look at the future and the world,” said Damhof. “It's really challenging for me, but I also love it. I tell people it's like going to college, but I don't have to worry about going to class or writing a term paper.”
   University at Albany chaplains do hold services on Sunday in the campus center, and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute the religious component is even more pronounced. Not only are there Jewish, Islamic and Protestant chaplains, but the Catholic community has its own church on campus, the University Parish of Christ Sun of Justice.
   The Rev. Ed Kacerguis is the coordinator of religious affairs at RPI and the resident Catholic chaplain.
   “Our primary goal is to affirm the students in their quest for learning,” said Kacerguis. “I believe that a good faith life is an integral part of the overall intellectual development of the student in the classroom. It's a wonderful challenge to work with them in times of crisis, and it's a privilege to celebrate with them in times of joy and happiness.”
   For campus Protestant chaplain Beth Illingworth, a Presbyterian minister, the dynamics of working at a college campus such as RPI are too good to pass up.
   “I believe that interfaith dialogue is really important, and college campuses are the best place for that kind of thing to happen,” said Illingworth, who also serves as chaplain at Russell Sage College. “It's a place where meetings of different faith traditions can be held, and I think that certainly in this time that is extremely important.”
   Along with the group meetings that Illingworth so enjoys, she also cherishes the one-on-one contact with students.
   “It's so meaningful to help guide these students through their four years in school,” she said. “For me, college campuses provide a wonderful opportunity for a more personal worship.”
   The 1960s and the chants of “God is dead” ringing through college campuses are only a memory.
   “I think there was the perception that when kids go to college it's the time to rebel, and they want nothing to do with the church,” said Brooks-McDonald. “But that perception comes out of another generation. Today, college kids are interested in the spiritual life.”
   “At that college age, many students are asking for the first time questions about their spirituality,” said Rev. Kevin Mackin, president at Siena College, a Catholic institution operated by Franciscan friars. “Obviously, we think chaplains are critical here at Siena. Students, as they have been for years, are searching for ultimate meanings in their life, and I don't think that's ever going to change.”

Posted on Sep 12, 2004

SCHENECTADY – Had Jeffrey Nebolini followed his head rather than his heart a few years back, he'd probably be working as an environmental consultant or teaching geology right now.
   Instead, the 29-year-old Schenectady native is on his way to Iceland to design new clothing and study the country's fashion trends and history. His living expenses will be covered by a Fulbright scholarship.
   Geology. Fashion. Iceland. Say what?
   “I've been infatuated with Iceland for a long time,” said Nebolini, who earned a bachelor's in geology from Union College and a master's in fine arts from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.
   His diverse interests were woven together seamlessly in his thesis project at Cranbrook this past spring.

Combining materials


   For a fashion show he staged with professional models, he sewed dresses, skirts and tops that blend some of the traditional fabrics of high fashion, such as silk, with the more durable synthetic materials associated with rugged outdoor gear, including as ripstop nylon or Tyvek (which is used in construction).
   “I'm using industrial materials out of context,” said Nebolini, who was the only young male in the sewing classes he took in the Detroit area to expand his artistic skills beyond what he could teach himself in his art school studio. “When you start to re-contextual materials, when you use them for what they weren't intended for, it starts to get interesting.”

   He has made textile patterns using geographical information, creating abstract shapes from the spaces between rock and mud cracked by geothermal heat, map grids or even the aerial view of bird tracks in the snow.
   “This is me creating my own empire,” he said, using his laptop to show off some photographic art that has the professional look and slick presentation of ads in glossy fashion magazines. “The focus is not commerce. I'm doing this out of genuine interest.”
   Focused on traditional graphic arts when he entered art school, Nebolini found his bliss in fabric and fashioning garments by hand. In the summer of 2003, he went to Philadelphia for The Fabric Workshop & Museum's apprentice training program.

Icelandic influences


   He plans to study how the terrain of Iceland – an island in the North Atlantic known for its climatic extremes – has influenced clothing materials, design and style over the ages.
   “It hasn't been looked at in an academic sense,” said Nebolini, who will work on the Fulbright project for 10 months.
   Nebolini found out he was one of the 2,000 scholarship winners in the United States for 2004-05 earlier this summer. The grant program – named for the late Arkansas Sen. J. William Fulbright – was created in 1946 to promote cultural exchange.
   In addition to exploring historical trends, Nebolini will be making his own clothes and meeting regularly with Icelandic fashion designer Steinunn Sigurd. He'll also be working with Halldor Gislason, the dean of the Department of Icelandic Design and Architecture at the Icelandic Academy of Arts.
   He'll post images, writings and conceptual sketches on a Web site dedicated to the project. Check out www.nebolini.com, for updates on when that will be launched.

Early promise


   This is all a dream come true for Nebolini, though not something he'd ever have imagined as a kid growing up in Schenectady. He first dreamed of becoming an astronaut and later chose geology as his major in college.
   But he always loved the graphic arts and showed early aptitude. In elementary school, he won his family a free trip to Disney World for his entry in a Father's Day drawing contest sponsored by a local mall.
   “He drew four pictures of me in different hats and told a story of me,” said his father, Chet Nebolini, a retired Schenectady firefighter. “When it was completed, he called it 'Hats off to Dad.' ”
   As a high school student at Albany Academy, the young Nebolini was heavily involved in athletics – participating in soccer, lacrosse, wrestling and ski racing. During the summers, he was into mountain bike racing, hiking and leading wilderness trips as a camp counselor at YMCA Camp Chingachgook.
   He loved the outdoors and the sciences, so geology seemed a practical course of study in college. The numerous arts electives he took at Union, including photography, sculpture, bookmaking and traditional Chinese painting (during a semester abroad in Nanjing, China), fed his creative impulses.
   “I kind of wanted to do art at Union,” he said while in Schenectady recently. “At the time, I was too concerned about career options.”

Changing goals


   His mother still believes her son's true passion when entering Union was geology, though now she recognizes that his interest in the arts may not have been nurtured in the same way as his interest in the sciences.
   “When he entered Union, he was focusing on something that he could build a career in. Students are a little fearful of art as a career. It was more of a hobby thing,” said Diane Nebolini, who is the office manager for the Graduate College of Union University. “We knew he was creative. He had done neat things at Albany Academy for different art projects.”
   The moment of truth in Nebolini's career path came after he'd spent several years skiing, mountain climbing and working odd jobs in Colorado, including building a Web site and doing network administration for a small record company. He was set to start graduate school in geology, having accepted a full scholarship to a university in Alaska.
   But before classes started, he walked away.
   After learning Web design on his own, he became part of the dot.com boom by going to work for a technology company in Boston. He did back-end database work.
   One day, the girlfriend of one his friends noticed the elaborate hand-made envelopes and typography of one of his handwritten letters.
   “She said, 'You should be a graphic designer.' I said, 'Oh, what's that?' Then, it all clicked,” Nebolini recalled.

Graphic design


   He eventually put together a portfolio of artwork that won him entry into some of the top schools in the country, including Yale University's School of Art. He studied a year at Rochester Institute of Technology – where his dad studied printmaking – before deciding that Michigan's Cranbrook Academy of Art was where he belonged.
   “I'm still a little dazed, even after he has his degree,” his father said of his son's change of course. “I'm still a little flabbergasted how he made the transition. But I'm glad that he followed his passion.”
   Elliott Earls, a graphic designer and performance artist on the faculty at Cranbrook, said Nebolini was an “excellent” graduate student whose interests evolved from the classical graphical arts (posters, logos, magazine covers, etc.) into textiles and fashion.
   “The design department here has a physical and conceptual proximity to other artistic disciplines, which is unusual,” Earls said of Cranbrook, a studiobased art school that has no classes, assignments or grades. “After being exposed to sculpture, painting, photography, ceramics, fiber and textile, he rethought his goals for his life and work.”
   Nebolini's skill in designing clothing has so impressed his mother and sister, Amber, that they have urged him to do the dresses for his own December wedding. He will wed fellow art school student Jana Stockwell, a sculptor now finishing up her own Fulbright project in Buenos Aires.
   So what does Nebolini's sister tell people about her brother when they ask? “I just say he's an artist,” said Amber Nebolini, who hopes that his interest in clothing design isn't just a phase. “He does a little bit of everything.”