Professor Scorza’s Art Department legacy

Professor Phil Scorza is the Department Chair of the Art and Design Program and has influenced a wide variety of students and staff here at Northwestern. Scorza has been teaching here since 2004, when he taught as an adjunct. He started full time in 2005, and then began his current position as department head in 2009. 

The Department of Art and Design works closely with the English and Communications Department because of the courses required in the majors, and there are several cross-over classes. Scorza will be retiring at the end of this academic year, and he has left an impact on campus that numerous students and staff feel.  

When Scorza was hired, NW had just started offering a Fine Art major. The Korver family contributed to the creation of the current Korver Visual Arts Center, and this became a physical space for growth. Scorza says that, as part of this growth, “creating a graphic design major seemed like a natural progression to build student numbers within the department. To attract new students to campus. So, in my first year I constructed a new major for the department. It has been part of the college catalog since 2006/2007, with an overhaul or tweak to the curriculum to add more digital experiences for students which was completed just a few years ago.” 

One of the biggest perks of the department, for Scorza is that administrators provide students with a Mac lab, located in the Art building, that contains the Adobe Suite software. This means that professors don’t have to require students to purchase any extra hardware or software. This massive perk adds value to the education that students receive and is uncommon at similar institutions.  

But Scorza is more than just a professor; he is also a designer and an artist. At the end of this last calendar year, he had a solo show at the Pearson Lakes Art Center in Okoboji, where he exhibited his fine art within a large gallery setting. This was a milestone in his artistic journey. 

Currently, he has a 9×4 piece that is part of a group show at the Sioux City Art Center, which was chosen by the exhibition curator out of the more than 300 pieces that had been submitted for consideration. Scorza also does freelance work for nonprofits, providing them with access to professional-looking graphics without charge. 

“I always say that it’s freelance that is heavy on the ‘free,’” said Scorza. He describes it as “very rewarding.” Scorza plans to continue doing this after his retirement from NW. 

One of the things that Scorza loves about NW are the colleagues that he works with both inside and outside the department because they are wonderful human beings. He also appreciates a wonderful working environment and the students that he teaches, who he describes as being a joy. “I share my knowledge with them and they, in turn, reflect the knowledge they absorbed back to me – it’s just a beautiful thing that happens.” 

Professor John Vonder Bruegge, the Dean of Arts and Humanities, shared a few tidbits on what he appreciates about Scorza. He first described him as an artist, as his gallery exhibitions testify. Vonder Bruegge elaborated that “it’s not just the subject matter or the aesthetic; it’s the techniques he uses, some of which he stumbled upon by accident. His graphic design work shines because he is such a great artist.”  

Vonder Bruegge also noted that Scorza has a heavy metal t-shirt collection, and described it as being like a uniform for him. 

Amy Williams, Adjunct Instructor of the Art and Design Department, also shared a couple of thoughts about Scorza. To Williams, Scorza is not just talented at graphic design but also has a vibrant studio practice full of dynamic technique and imagery. She says that Scorza has extensive knowledge about composition and form that translates into his work, and Williams has seen that in his galleries.  

Williams says that “even in just the last two years that I’ve known him, it’s been so clear to me that he is someone who dedicates so much time and energy to helping people in a sacrificial way, whether he’s snow blowing a neighbor’s driveway or creating a logo for a non-profit.” 

Maelin Brick, a senior graphic design major, shared some memories about Scorza – her advisor. According to Brick, Scorza has a unique eye for design. His perspective on art has really opened her eyes to a wide range of art styles and techniques that she would not have thought of previously. When she took his Graphic Design One and Two classes, his feedback helped her grow as an artist as she was going through the process of finding her personal digital style and the skills that she needed as she learned to package, brand and create digital productions in a professional way. 

One funny story that Brick shared was from her sophomore year: “I was serving on O-staff and took my O-group to have root beer floats in Scorza’s front yard because Kali Jo Wacker was going to be my group’s FYS professor. She decided he had a nice yard to use to meet her FYS students.” 

Joey Desir, a junior Graphic Design major, also got to take Graphic Design One and Two from Scorza. 

“He is a master with typography, and I would say he has a talent of being obsessed with fixing any and all errors with typographic color, spacing, and sizing.”  

When asked about his favorite memories, Desir described a critique that he was given in class and reflected that “Scorza has helped me to look at designs with a different eye. After taking classes with him, I can’t go anywhere without admiring or critiquing the lettering that I see in the world around me.”  

Scorza describes working at NW is this: “I have been given the opportunity, or gift, for over 20 years here at Northwestern to just create in the classroom, create in the studio, create in life. My time here at Northwestern was never just a job or just work…it was…it is…a lifestyle.”