Fall 2015 Roski Talks kick off with Rick Griffith, design director of Denver-based studio and type laboratory MATTER. “MATTER is a uniquely strange place, compelled by craft, steeped in history and deeply dedicated to letters and words…obsessed with projects in the public good and design with purpose.”

Griffith's design approach draws from the D.C. punk scene and record stores of his childhood as well as formative design experiences with bigagencies and creative artists in early 1990s New York. In addition to running a successful studio for 25 years, Griffith serves as Denver City and County Commissioner of Arts and Culture, modeling his studio's philosophy: "We have been taught to believe that generosity is an attitude and we continue to seek the opportunity to be educated and inspired by who we work with and what we encounter."

Griffith's lecture is presented by the USC Roski Special Projects Design Course. In spring 2015 students in the course curated and executed the large-scale installation works comprising Shared Otherness (May 29-September 6, 2015 at CAAM). The exhibition is grounded in community-based research exploring the immediate geography shared by USC and CAAM while contributing a collective voice to broader dialogues about otherness.

Shared Otherness includes work by: Ivan Blanco, Schessa Garbutt, Stephanie Guerra, Victoria Horng, Frederick Humphries II, Emma Katz, Tena Kelemen, Grace Mandl, Mayra Moran, Sarah Nakamura, Erin Nogle, Kristine Ortega, Megan Park, Suha Park, Jean Pongsai, Steven Rahbany, Tyler Schuppert, Joanna Sowell

Parking located inside Expo Park off of Figueroa (south of Exposition).
Metro stop off Expo Line: Expo Park/USC

Griffith’s lecture and Roski Talks are free and open to all.