College of Fine Arts and Design

April 1, 2011

The University of Central Oklahoma Department of Design will open an exhibit titled "Mechanics and Invention: A Showcase of Rube Goldberg Projects" with a reception from 4-6 p.m., Thursday, April 5 in the Donna Nigh Gallery located on the fourth floor of the UCO Nigh University Center.           

The exhibit will display designs created by Central design students that are inspired by Rube Goldberg (1883 - 1970), a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor and author who was best-known for his cartoons which depicted complex devices concocted to perform ordinary tasks.             

"Goldberg's imaginative devices were just pen and ink illustrations, but they inspired generations of would-be designers, engineers and inventors," said Rukmini Ravikumar, M.F.A., chair of the UCO Department of Design.           

"The UCO Department of Design has fully adopted this spirit as a true test of ingenuity for its design foundations students.  This year the students were challenged to create a machine, which in 10 steps, would blow up a balloon and then pop it, without any human assistance.  The students responded in a resoundingly successful way and we are proud to showcase their work."           

The exhibit will be on display through May 5 and is free and open to the public.           

For further information about the UCO Department of Design, contact Ravikumar at (405) 974-5210.           

For a complete listing of UCO College of Fine Arts and Design events and performances, visit www.uco.edu/cfad/events.