COLLEGE OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
ARTS IN A GLOBAL CENTURY CONTENTS PG 2-3 UMArts
PG 4-5 UM CVPA in China
Photo: Terry J. Cyr
PG 6-7 Programs
PG 8-9 Giving Back / Alumni PG 10 Accomplishments
PG 11 New Faculty / Retirements FRONT COVER UM Media Arts Emmy for the documentary Valley Uprising (2016) BACK COVER A Pick for the Gather, ceramics and oil pastels, 2016, 11”x10”x36”, Sarah Justice
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Sharon Snavely, President Gary Bowman, Cathy Capps, Janet Haines, Mary Head, Mark Heyka, Bob Homer, Caryl Klein, Linda Lussy, Charlotte Oliver, Debra Pollard, M.J. Schutte, Marie Seidl, John Shaffner, Sandy Sheppard, Tim Shonkwiler, Sue Stanaway, Geoff Sutton, Paige Williams, Twila Wolfe
WE REMEMBER Lela Autio Dan Lange Dick Nagle Mary Beth Percival
As our students and faculty are actively engaging in learning, creating, and collaborating, I feel that the arts, and the qualities and processes that they compel, have never been so critical in informing our humanity. Our journalistic and social-mediadriven culture finds few ways for us to comprehensively explore relationships, political and ethical choices, and connections beyond the superficial. The arts provide a portal into deeper and focused listening, seeing, and feeling that better connect us to each other and to our world. We are proud that we hone these values as we train and encourage artists and educators. You will read how we have made exciting inroads with exhilarating connections in art, music, and theatre in China. We continue to be leaders for arts integration and creativity in the classroom in Montana and the Pacific Northwest. Our many successful alumni continue to inspire audiences, mentor students and faculty, and foster pride in UMArts. Last year, we brought nearly $2.5 million in philanthropic support for scholarships, faculty research, and programs. Through your support of the arts as patrons, audience members, and advocates, you have affirmed that the arts matter. Best wishes,  Stephen Kalm, Dean College of Visual and Performing Arts
EMMY UM Associate Professor Greg Twigg and Alumni Sari Jones, Barry Thompson, Eric Bucy, and Wesley Meeks pose with the Emmy they won for outstanding graphic design and art direction in the documentary Valley Uprising. Read more about this accomplishment on page 10. Photo: Todd Goodrich
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ODYSSEY OF THE STARS 2017
LANCE BOYD
UM’s College of Visual and Performing Arts is proud to honor Lance Boyd–music educator, trombonist, and jazz ambassador–during its seventeenth annual scholarship event, Odyssey of the Stars—A Celebration of Artistic Journeys. The 2017 performance begins at 7:30pm, Saturday, March 4, in the George and Jane Dennison Theatre. Odyssey of the Stars pays tribute to UM performing and visual arts alumni and tells the story of their artistic journeys. While honoring Lance Boyd, the event also showcases UM students and faculty members from the Schools of Art, Media Arts, Music, and Theatre & Dance.
these students. The Festival brings nationally prominent clinicians to campus to work with high school jazz bands from around the region. Over the years, Boyd toured his jazz ensembles throughout Montana and the Northwest, bringing UM outreach to schools and communities A great faculty citizen, Lance served ably on a variety of University and department committees. He was highly regarded by administrators, faculty, staff, and within the Missoula community. In 1998, he was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Member award from UM’s School of Fine Arts. In 2007, he was recognized with a Cultural Achievement Award from the Missoula Cultural Council for “outstanding contributions to the quality of life in Missoula,” and in 2009 was named to the Missoula Blues and Jazz Society’s Hall of Fame. Lance inspired countless students throughout his service to the University of Montana. His low brass and jazz students have gone on to receive scholarships and teaching appointments at the most prestigious graduate programs and conservatories in the country; and hundreds of his students have professional careers as both performers and music educators. His legacy as a teacher and mentor will live on for generations, as his former students are teaching in universities, colleges and public schools around the United States. Photos: Matt Hamon
Lance Boyd, UM Professor Emeritus and former Professor of Music at the University of Montana for 43 years, is an accomplished music educator, trombonist, and jazz ambassador. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, he received his Bachelor of Music Education degree, as well as his Master of Fine Arts degree, in trombone performance. While attending the University of Minnesota, Lance studied with Larry Weinman and Steven Zellmer, who were the bass trombonist and principal trombonist respectively of the Minneapolis Symphony. Boyd is largely responsible for putting jazz on the map in western Montana. In 1970, Lance took over the nascent jazz band at the University of Montana and laid the groundwork for the Jazz Program which currently consists of four big bands, seven combos, and a jazz degree with courses in improvisation, arranging, pedagogy, and history. His creation, the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival, brings some of the greatest jazz musicians in the world to UM, and provides tremendous entertainment to the fans in Missoula, Montana and beyond. In addition, top UM Jazz Band students are given the chance to perform with these musicians—truly the opportunity of a lifetime for UM CVPA Magazine 16/17
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UM CVPA IN CHINA
CHINA WELCOMES UMARTS
KEVIN BELL
JIM SMART
With the support of University of Montana grants, Kevin Bell travelled twice to the Da Wang Culture Highlands artist residency in Shenzhen, China. He was in two exhibitions at The Cat Street Gallery, one of Hong Kong’s most well-known galleries, and was included in the yearlong exhibition, Feng Lin Shan Shui, in Shenzhen.
Professor Jim Smart was invited on a faculty exchange to Beijing Guangqumen Middle School (ages 11-18), from March 1-June 30, 2017. His sabbatical project will aid him in recruiting and developing connections with the middleschool students as they decide which college to attend after high school. While on assignment, Jim will:
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, PAINTING
“Even though a wildly different culture than ours, I was excited by unexpected parallels between China’s rapid development and our own settling of the western United States. The scale and history are different, but the shaping of the physical landscape seemed oddly familiar, and resonated strongly with my current way of working.”
TREY HILL
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, CERAMICS
Trey Hill has worked at three different artists residencies throughout China during his tenure at UM. Most recently, Hill spent three months working at the Fule International Ceramic Art Museum in Fuping. During this time, he built a series of large-scale ceramic sculptures that were featured in his solo exhibition, “The Seen and The Unseen” at Dao Art Space in Xian, China. Hill’s work was also placed in two museum collections: The Taoxichuan Art Museum in Jingdezhen and the Fule Ceramic Art Museum in Fuping. “China has an incredibly rich cultural history especially when it comes to ceramics. I have been able to work and exchange ideas with artists from around the world, all of whom came to China to create art. Travel has always been an important part of my practice and a trip like this can fuel your research for years to come.”
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PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF MUSIC
• Conduct the “Golden Sail” Symphonic Band, teach trumpet, conducting, and music appreciation • Be a guest clinician in Wuhan, China and Korea • Conduct a regional orchestra • Establish a connection with one of the highest- quality middle schools (middle and high school ages) for potential recruitment • Establish countrywide connections for future engagements as a conductor, clinician, and adjudicator Established in 2006, the Guangqumen Middle School Symphonic Band won the most honored title of “Golden Sail” in 2011. All the members are students from Guangqumen Middle School and regularly receive instruction from professional groups such as the People’s Liberation Army Band, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Central Conservatory of Music, and Duanshan Symphonic Band, working with guest conductors like Andy Schneider (Swiss), chief conductor of China Duanshan Symphonic Band in Beijing, and conductors and teachers from the China Conservatory of Music. Ms. Zhu Xiuhua is the current director. The Artistic Director, Dr. Xun Sun, is also a conducting professor at Southern Utah University. The composer in residence and guest conductor of the Band is the famous musician Mr. Gan Lin. Photo: The Forbin City, Stephen Kalm
MONTANA REPERTORY THEATRE TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
As Montana Repertory Theatre celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is also breaking new ground. Over the years, the Rep has become one of the oldest, most respected touring companies in the US. In 2017, the Rep will add to its impressive portfolio of national and educational regional tours with its first international touring engagement. The company has been invited to present its acclaimed production of To Kill a Mockingbird during the 2017 Meet in Beijing Festival. The festival promotes cultural exchanges, presenting Chinese culture and international arts with events throughout Beijing and its suburbs, including the Chinese National Centre for the Performing Arts and Tsinghua University. To accept and enhance this invitation, MRT has partnered with the China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG). As the first large-scale state-level arts and entertainment association in China, CAEG has developed cooperation with worldrenowned cultural institutions and artists. With our partners at CAEG and the Confucius Institute, UMArts is creating the Montana Repertory Theatre China Tour–collaboration among UM and Chinese universities, middle schools, and audiences in Beijing and Chonqing. The tour will include free or low-cost performances of the play (performed in English with projected subtitles), lectures, and workshops. Chinese universities and secondary schools will host performances. Chinese students will travel to Montana to train for roles in the production. UM faculty will travel to Beijing to work with additional student performers, venue managers, and scenic builders constructing the set on site. The UM/ MRT tour group comprises UM students and professional performers, technical and stage managers, and, with additional funding, a documentation team from UM’s Schools of Media Arts and Journalism. Theatre stimulates public discussion and informs public policy by transcending literacy, appealing to the senses, and cultivating empathy. To Kill a Mockingbird is rich source material. Based on Harper Lee’s classic novel, the play investigates issues of race, inequality, justice and family; set in the American South, it remains relevant worldwide. MRT’s 2009 tour of To Kill a Mockingbird met packed houses and rave reviews across the US. This highquality production will now reach China, co-created for the tour by a team of US and Chinese collaborators. Support for the Montana Repertory Theatre China tour comes from our partners the CAEG, Confucius Institute, and the Sidney E. Frank Foundation. To make a charitable gift to support students on the tour, please contact the College of Visual and Performing Arts, 406-243-4990 Top Photo: ?????? Center Photo: ?????? Bottom Photo: Trey Hill, ????????
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PROGRAMS
CHANGING BALANCE/BALANCING CHANGE CoMotion Dance Project Tackles Climate Change. The newest production from CoMotion Dance Project in the School of Theatre & Dance, Changing Balance/ Balancing Change, is an interactive dance performance highlighting climate science and climate-change impacts in northwest Montana. This timely and important dance piece fulfills the mission of CoMotion while bringing professional experiences to many CVPA faculty, alumni, and students. CoMotion was commissioned by the Glacier National Park Conservancy to create this hour-long interactive performance that examines current and predicted changes impacting our planet. Using visible changes in Glacier as a fulcrum, the piece communicates basic understandings about climate change in the Northern Rockies and provides a framework for dialogue.
in late July 2016 and boasted contributions from over 50 campus, local, and regional artists. The piece was written by UM Professor of Dance Karen Kaufmann and UM instructor Steve Kalling. It was choreographed by Karen Kaufmann and the dancers, with guest choreographers Nicole Bradley Browning (Professor of Dance), Heidi Eggert (Associate Professor of Dance), Joy French (Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dance), and Allison McKinney (BFA ’13). The original music was composed and produced by Steve Kalling with over 20 Montana musicians, and was mixed and mastered by Jason Hicks. Jack Gladstone and Lily Gladstone (BFA ’08) narrate the soundscore. Members of the company are Jordan Dehline Burt (BFA ’08), Ashley Griffith (BFA ’10), Kaitlin Kinsley (BA ’13), and current dance majors Logan Prichard and Charlie Wiseman.
The piece weaves artistic dance, original music, choreographed narration, video projection, and live interactions with the audience into an immersive arts experience designed to engage audiences with the ideas and emotions at the heart of climate change. Developed for all ages, Changing Balance/Balancing Change includes content such as rate of temperature change, greenhouse gases, and positive actions we can take in response to the realities facing our planet.
Changing Balance/Balancing Change will offer performances for middle-school students and the general public in the Flathead Valley and Missoula with future tours in the works. The program was made possible by the following sponsors: Glacier National Park Conservancy, National Park Service, Montana Cultural Trust, University of Montana, UM Grant Program, Cadeau Foundation, U.S. Forest Service—Rocky Mountain Research Station, and the CoMotion Dance Project.
Changing Balance/Balancing Change premiered at GNP’s Lake McDonald Lodge and in the town of West Glacier
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NEO/GEO
SITE-SPECIFIC ART UMArts is developing a vibrant collaboration with the Tippet Rise Art Center. The Center is Montana’s newest arts destination located just north of Yellowstone in Fishtail, MT. Tippet Rise is anchored in the belief that art, music, architecture and nature are inextricably linked in the human experience. Each makes the others more powerful. One of the missions of the art center is to connect visitors with classical music and outdoor artwork in a more personal way. Hidden in the rolling hills of Tippet Rise are a number of large-scale sculptures and other works by some of the world’s foremost artists and architects. Many are site-specific compositions, whose goal is to erase the traditional boundaries between art, nature and architecture. During Tippet Rise’s inaugural season, in summer of 2016, the School of Art piloted Neo/Geo: Site-Specific Art, in partnership with the Center. 15 undergraduate and graduate students conducted research on-site at the Center, spending a total of two weeks on site. They were invited to immerse themselves in the place through group and individual activities, including an afternoon of silent, solo exploration of the grounds. To provide context to their experience, participants researched the nature and history of site specificity in Art. During their time on the UM campus, Professor Maryann Bonjorni presented the history of land art and assigned readings by writers whose works investigated a sense of place. To generate a lively dialogue, a two-day symposium was presented on site at Tippet Rise, featuring notable regional and national speakers Lucy Lippard, Dan Flores, and Patrick Zentz who presented research and dialogued about site-specificity and land art in the West. During their time on-site, students engaged with Tippet Rise Art Center staff and the Tippet Rise-featured Ensamble Studio. To conclude their coursework, students presented their expressions and creative research based on synthesizing fundamental dialogues from their study and received feedback from UM faculty and Tippet Rise Art Center staff and founders. Students reported that it was “the best course [they’d] ever taken” and cited the small class size, fostered collaboration, critical exchange, and time on-site at the Tippet Rise Art Center as instrumental in their learning experience. Students lauded the interactions with presenters, and the paraprofessional experience gained by making their own presentations. We look forward to ongoing collaboration with Tippet Rise. To learn more about the Tippet Rise Art Center, visit tippetrise.org.
SHAKESPEARE
CELEBRATING THE BOOK THAT GAVE US
May 2016 saw the incredible result of years of planning with the arrival of “First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, on national tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library,” sponsored by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library and the Montana Museum of Art & Culture (MMAC). The Library and MMAC teamed up with the School of Theatre & Dance and several other organizations to create an exciting week of activities that kicked off the First Folio’s month-long residency in the Meloy Gallery in the PARTV Center on campus. The School of Theatre & Dance produced one of Shakespeare’s most famous works, Romeo and Juliet, to complement the residency. The production, directed by Associate Professor Bernadette Sweeney, ran the last two weeks of Spring Term for Missoula audiences and extended its run to coincide with the arrival of the First Folio at the start of Finals Week. During Finals Week, over 500 seventh graders from Missoula were brought to the PARTV Center to visit the First Folio and related exhibit, watch the first act of Romeo and Juliet, and participate in workshops. Theatre students in Elizabethan hats and carrying brightly colored banners led the students to and from workshops around PARTV. Two of the three workshops were developed and run by the students, faculty, and staff from Theatre & Dance: one featured an interactive game teaching students Shakespearean insults, while the other brought costumes and theatre technology from the Elizabethan period to life, including special visual and audio effects and half-scale period costumes constructed by the Costume Shop. In addition to those events, Theatre & Dance invited high-school students from across the state to visit Missoula to see the First Folio and attend a matinee production of Romeo and Juliet. Over 600 students and teachers made the trip, coming from as far away as Lavina. By the final performance, over 2,400 people had attended Romeo and Juliet; during its residency, 3,327 people had visited the First Folio. Both the production and the exhibit were enthusiastically received and demonstrated the power of the arts, especially when disciplines work together. UM CVPA Magazine 16/17
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GIVING BACK / ALUMNI
TELLING STORIES IN A
Candle-Lit Room
UM ALUM GIVES BACK AFTER ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER COMPOSING Reneé Michele sits in a candle-lit room when she plays the piano. All distractions are cut out, her dog is by her feet, and she composes as she plays. “I’m in a different world when I’m at the piano,” she says. “It’s a sacred space to me.” As a music student at the University of Montana, Reneé worked hard to balance her educational pursuits with affording life in Missoula. She began teaching piano at the age of 20, and has often taken on the students that others wouldn’t have. “I had one student whom another teacher had told, ‘You’ll never learn to play the piano,’” Reneé says. “I had her play something for me … technically she wasn’t very good, but she had such heart when she played, and that’s what’s important.” Reneé began composing after several decades as a music teacher, during a time when she was dealing with several life changes. Composing became a “solace,” she says. It has become her way of telling the stories she has experienced as a teacher and occupational therapist. Stories of people who struggle, some of them winning and some of them
JAMES DEW BENEFIT ART SALE
This October, Missoula’s Radius Gallery hosted a pop-up show featuring artwork from the estate of esteemed UM art professor James Dew, who taught from 1947-1977. After his death in 2012, Professor Dew left hundreds of pieces of his artwork to UM, many of those pieces are now in the permanent collection of UM’s Montana Museum of Art and Culture. Hundreds of works remain to be sold, per Dew’s wishes, to benefit the School of Art and the Visiting Artist Fund named for Jim and his wife Jane Dew, which was created by Nancy (Carroll) O’Connor (BA, ‘51). The pieces in this collection vary from intimate sketches that were part of his teaching to large-scale framed works in a variety of media. The pieces will continue to be sold to benefit the School of Art, in partnership with the Bookstore at UM. To learn more about James Dew, the visiting artist program, or to purchase a piece of artwork to benefit this cause, visit umt.edu/art/visiting-artist-fund.
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losing. The result has been five albums under the stage name Reneé Michelle. Reneé decided to give back to UM in the fall of 2015 to support others who love music as much as she does. Through her estate, she provided that a portion of the royalties from her beautiful and inspirational albums will flow to UM. Perhaps most exciting for UM music students, she will also donate her Bosendorfer grand, the very piano that has provided her so much comfort. “Going through school was financially hard for me,” she says. “And I wonder, ‘What could I have done with support?’ Maybe I would have started composing earlier. I want to be that support for someone to help them in their career early on.” In the early months of 2017, Reneé Michele will sit back in that candle-lit room, with her dog at her feet, with all distractions blocked out, and will tell more stories with her composition as she begins her sixth album. And thanks to her generosity, other music students will be able to keep creating stories and nurturing their creative spirits for years to come.
IT’S EASY TO DO
Remembering UMArts in your will or living trust can provide powerful support for years to come. A few sentences in your will or living trust is all that is needed to make a gift from your estate. You can also designate the University of Montana Foundation as the beneficiary of financial accounts such as IRAs, bank accounts or life insurance policies. The UM Foundation can work with you and your advisors to draft gift language to ensure your gift can be used as you intend. Contact Christian Gold Stagg at 406-243-4990 or christian. goldstagg@mso.umt.edu with any questions about making a gift to benefit UMArts. She is happy to help! The University of Montana Foundation provides information about the benefits of planned gifts and does not provide any legal, financial or tax advice. We encourage you to talk with your advisors who are familiar with your specific situation to determine the benefits to you.
MARILYN COLE
Marilyn Cole (BM/BME ’06) an oboist, pianist, and art educator, tells her story. A Billings native, she has reached levels of success in many different areas. An accomplished musician, teacher, and musical consultant, she is proof that with a positive work ethic, an engaging personality, and incomparable ambition, success is ensured. Marilyn answered questions about her experience at UM and to provide words of wisdom to UM students and musicians. Her story is awe-inspiring.
MARILYN SHARED WHAT INSPIRED HER TO SEEK BOTH BACHELOR OF MUSIC AND BACHELOR OF MUSIC EDUCATION DEGREES, AND SPECIFICALLY WHY UM
Since fifth grade band, Marilyn was inspired to be a music educator. She expressed her love of being in band and wanted to pursue a career as a band teacher. By the end of high school, she was performing in the Billings Symphony and discovered her passion for performance. Like many recent high-school graduates, Marilyn wanted to leave Montana to continue her education. However, after careful analysis of her options and the offer of a scholarship she couldn’t refuse, she chose the University of Montana. The week before school began, Marilyn traveled with the Grizzly Marching Band to attend camp in Idaho. She immediately bonded with the students and faculty. She loved the group and atmosphere from day one, and she remains friends with her cohort and her teachers a decade later. Listening to Marilyn discuss her time at UM, you can sense the enthusiasm and pride she has for her alma mater. She describes how her teachers, fellow students and performers, and the classroom experience all contributed to a wonderful overall education. While attending a conservatory was initially top of her list, she believes that her UM education gave her a competitive advantage over her peers. Her career supports that belief.
HOW MARILYN TURNED PASSION INTO VOCATION
By the time the multi-talented young musician and educator graduated from UM, she knew she wanted to be on Broadway in the orchestra pit. She attended Eastman School of Music, earning her master’s in oboe performance. She then moved to New York and started her first job: selling yoga clothes. Ambition and knowledge helped Marilyn realize that she needed to be proactive to meet her career and personal goals. She reached out to a friend and started making connections. Within a month she received a call to perform in a small opera orchestra. Marilyn continued to network and build relationships. Her hard work and determination paid off. She got her big break when she was invited to substitute perform the Broadway show Wicked. This led to other Broadway opportunities, including Les Misérables. She also plays in regional orchestras and is a member of the trio, Reeds Amis, who were featured artists at the International Double Reed Society conference in Tokyo last year and will
release their first recording soon. Marilyn continued to pursue one of her initial goals–that of a music educator. She teaches students of all grades oboe and recorder, provides private lessons, and is an orchestra assistant. The list goes on. Marilyn is an oboe coach and musical consultant for the Amazon television show Mozart in the Jungle, she is starring in her own Broadway show as principal oboe in Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 with star Josh Groban, and was offered a job to teach at the Music Festival, USDAN.
A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE: MARILYN DISCUSSES FAVORITE MEMORIES AND PROFESSORS WHO INFLUENCED HER
When asked about a favorite memory, she again references Grizzly Marching Band. Even though there were days when it seemed difficult–marching in heat, snow, rain … the craziest of weather–she loved it. Maybe some of those days are better in hindsight, but she reflects fondly on those experiences and the friendships formed. Regarding which UM professors influenced her most, without hesitation Marilyn credited Roger McDonald. She played oboe in high school, but fell in love with the beauty of the instrument under Professor McDonald’s tutelage. He was a mentor and an inspiration. Another shout-out went to Professor Steven Hesla, who she met when he visited her high school in Billings. She knew right away that Professor Hesla had a passion for his students and for teaching. His love of piano transferred to her and she honed her keyboarding skills. Steve Bolstad also significantly influenced Marilyn during her time at UM. He became one of her role models starting with their first rehearsal together and she still compares him to every conductor she meets. Professor Bolstad and the wind ensemble experience tops her list of favorite and memorable times at UM. Marilyn also points out that getting her music-education degree enhanced her performance degree. That combination of skills and flexibility provide a competitive advantage over her peers who studied at conservatories in New York.
ADVICE FROM MARILYN TO STUDENTS CONSIDERING AN ARTS DEGREE, AND STUDENTS GRADUATING AND EMBARKING ON THEIR CAREERS
“Listen to your advisors. Realize the importance of musiceducation methods classes. They are vital.” Marilyn credits her methods classes for her ability to retain information. She goes on to say, “many people want to perform, but cross-learning instruments, conducting, band and choir directing, etc., is critical to success. Remember that the arts are a labor of love and require serious stubbornness, patience, time, hard work, and the ability to learn from disappointments.” Marilyn emphasized that UM helped shape her and ensure her success as a performer, musician, consultant, educator, and new mom! We are proud to call her one of ours. To read more about Marilyn and her list of accomplishments, visit her website at marilyncoleoboe.com.
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS EMMY
Media Arts alumni, students, and Associate Professor of Media Arts Greg Twigg won the Emmy in Outstanding Graphic Design and Art Direction during the 37th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony for their work on the film Valley Uprising. Congratulations go to lead motion graphic artist, Barry Thompson, with assistance from Marty Blumen, Eric Bucy, Sari Jones, and Wesley Meeks, all University of Montana graduates, for their work on this documentary film. In addition to the Missoula members, Mark Palkoski of New York and Marty Blumen of New Zealand assisted in the motion design. Others nominated in the category included, David Attenborough’s Rise of Animals, Smithsonian Channel; Living with Lincoln, HBO; NOVA’s Inside Einstein’s Mind, PBS; and POV’s Point and Shoot, PBS. Valley Uprising, directed by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rose, is a documentary about rock climbing in Yosemite Park, focusing on the rock climber’s lifestyles, traditions and clashing with the National Park Service. Starring Yosemite climbing legends Dean Potter, Alex Honnold, Lynn Hill, Jim Bridwell, Royal Robbins, Warren Harding, Yvon Chouinard, and John Bachar, the film was picked up and distributed by the Discovery Channel and can be viewed on Netflix. Congratulations to the team.
PAVING TUNDRA
Tom Attwater and Lane Brown, Media Arts graduates, joined James Martin, Jayme Dittmar and Kristin Gates to produce, photograph, write and create the documentary Paving Tundra. Paving Tundra tells the story of the Alaska Department of Transportation’s 225-mile industrial access road through the Brooks Range to facilitate the construction of an openpit copper mine near the village of Ambler. The crew of experienced storytellers and Alaskan explorers completed a 300-mile packraft/hike through the southern half of the Brooks Range while spending time in each of the six villages to film and interview its residents, to offer a lens into the complex realities of this region. With a focus on capturing the authentic voice and accurate concerns of local communities, the team visited the villages of Allakaket/Alatna, Bettles/Evansville, Shungnak, Kobuk, and Ambler. These cultural and personal perspectives are critically necessary in the decision-making process of road construction. Ambler was chosen for extraction because it “is one of the richest and most prospective known copperdominant districts located in one of the safest geopolitical jurisdictions in the world.” NovaCooper Inc., oversees the assets in Ambler. The resource extraction company’s core values include protecting the environment, caring for individuals, and the cultural integrity of communities.
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Currently, the Brooks Range is one of the largest roadless areas in the world. Industrial entities claim this will provide needed jobs and accessibility to the interior of Alaska. As with many initiatives involving the juxtaposition of nature versus industry, some local residents agree that the proposed road will bring great economic opportunity. However, others say that this development will end a Northern cultural livelihood and destroy one of the last remaining wild places in North America. According to the filmmakers, “Appropriate media efforts to bring awareness to the proposed mining district and road development are currently absent. We seek to change this in an expedition across the Brooks Range, to capture what will be lost if the bridges are built and tundra is paved to Ambler.” Find out more information on their website at pavingtundra.com.
EMILIE LEBEL
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) will be performing Emilie LeBel’s work Monograph of Bird’s Eye Views in January 2017 as part of their concert season. The VSO is a Canadian orchestra based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and performs at the Orpheum, which has been the orchestra’s permanent home since 1977. It is the third largest symphony orchestra in Canada and the largest performing arts organization in western Canada, performing 140 concerts per season. The VSO broadcasts annually on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
SARAH JUSTICE
MFA graduate student and adjunct professor Sarah Justice was awarded the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Scholarship. The Foundation is a private Canadian foundation that was created by Mr. Charles Glass Greenshields. It provides financial grants of C$15,000 (first grants) and C$18,000 (second and third grants) to students and artists in the early or developmental stage of their career. The Foundation focuses solely on those who work in a representational style of painting, drawing, sculpture, or printmaking. Grants are intended to assist applicants in the study or practice of their art, associated costs, such as tuition, studio rental, model fees, and travel, and living expenses. Sarah’s works are found in commercial spaces and residences throughout the Southeast. Sarah’s main sculptural medium is clay. The visceral and tactile qualities of clay are the perfect match for her figurative sculptures. She has shown her work in several fine art galleries La Loba, ceramic and underglaze, in the US. 2016, 16”x9”x18”, Sarah Justice
NEW FACULTY
Welcome to MICHAEL MUSICK, new tenure-track Assistant Professor of Media Arts. Michael is a media artist, creative technologist, composer, performer and improviser. His current practice and research is collected under The Sonic Spaces Project which creates, explores, and defines sonic space ecosystems; a type of eco-art and interactive music system. This project explores the principles of complex systems, natural ecosystems, cybernetics, and emergence, through interactive music systems. Michael researches installation art, soundscape, and creative improvisation. As a performer, he uses his computer as an instrument to understand, process, and amplify any sounds occurring within the performance space. At UM, Michael teaches courses within Digital Arts and Technology. Prior to coming to UM, Michael was at New York University, working towards a Ph.D. in Music Technology. He earned an MA in Media Arts from the University of Michigan, where he began his work with performance systems while continuing his studies in creative improvisation and multi-media performance. Michael also has a background in tuba performance and recording arts; holding performance degrees from the University of Southern California (MM ’09) and the University of Colorado (BM ’07). For more information, visit michaelmusick.com. Welcome to PAM STIEHL, new tenure-track Assistant Professor of Theatre. After a fruitful acting, directing, and teaching career that included professional stints in the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountain region, the Midwest, and Canada, Pam is thrilled to join the Performance & Practice faculty of the School of Theatre & Dance. Idaho native, Pam received her undergraduate theatre degree from University of Idaho and quickly entered the professional sphere, earning her Actors’ Equity Association membership as a professional actor/ singer/dancer in regional theatres. She trained with prestigious dancer/choreographer/directors such as Ann Reinking, Paula Abdul, and Debbie Allen. Pam earned her MA (‘02) and Ph.D. (‘08) in Theatre at University of Colorado - Boulder, specializing in musical theatre, directing, acting, theatre history, and dance/movement for actors. Pam is a recognized theatre scholar and author, with articles published in peer-reviewed journals such as Theatre Journal, Studies in Musical Theatre, and Journal of American Drama and Theatre. She is the co-author of Backstage Pass: A Survey of American Musical Theatre (Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2014) and contributed a chapter to iBroadway: Musical Theatre in the Digital Age (Palgrave Macmillan, prospective publish date 2017). Pam choreographed Legally Blonde The Musical, a coproduction of the Schools of Music and Theatre & Dance; she will also direct the Spring 2017 Theatre & Dance production of Noises Off.
RETIREMENTS
JERE HODGIN, THEATRE & DANCE Jere Hodgin retired in May from his position as an associate professor in the Performance & Practice Program of the School of Theatre & Dance. During his tenure, he taught acting, directing, and professional skills to both undergraduates and graduates. An MFA graduate in Acting and Directing from the University of Georgia, Jere brought over 30 years’ experience in professional theatre and 15 years’ experience in academic theatre. Jere produced over 200 productions, and his directing career includes more than 190 plays, operas, and musicals. Scripts he has written and adapted include Castlewalk (NY Musical Theatre Festival), A Christmas Carol (musical and non-musical), The Shiniest Rock of All, and The Christmas Cup. While at UM, Jere directed seven mainstage productions for the School of Theatre & Dance and mentored graduate students as they directed 12 other titles.
BETH LO, ART Beth was born in Lafayette, IN, to parents who had recently emigrated from China. Beth’s ceramic and mixedmedia artwork draws from themes of childhood, family, Asian culture and language. She received a Bachelor of General Studies from the University of Michigan (’71), and studied Ceramics with Rudy Autio at UM, receiving her MFA (’74). She became Professor of Ceramics in 1985, and was twice honored with the UM Provost’s Distinguished Lecturer Award (2006 and 2010). Beth exhibited her work throughout the Unites States and internationally. In 2016, her work was included in the exhibition: 50 Women: A Celebration of Women’s Contribution to Ceramics, National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, Kansas City. In 2013, she was invited to make a new work for the Main Exhibition of the seventh Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale in Korea. She has received numerous honors including the $50,000 United States Artists Hoi Fellowship in 2009, a $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts Visual Artist Fellowship Grant in 1994, a Montana Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship in 1989, and an American Craft Museum Design Award in 1986. Beth and her sister, author Ginnie Lo, collaborated on two children’s picture books: Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic (2012) and Mahjong All Day Long (2005), which won the Marion Vannett Ridgeway Award. She also collaborated with her mother, Chinese brush painter Kiahsuang Shen Lo. Beth is active as a bass player and vocalist for several musical ensembles including The Big Sky Mudflaps, Canta Brasil, Western Union, and Salsa Loca. The Big Sky Mudflaps is a swing and jazz ensemble that has played on NBC’s “Today Show” and the Kool Jazz Festival, among other national venues.
UM CVPA Magazine 16/17
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