6 minute read
January Spotlights
Cristina de Gennaro
January’s Adjunct of the Month
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Department of Art
Tell us about your Artist Fellowship residency that will take place at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico in the summer of 2021.
Sage Drawing VI. 2015. Acrylic ink on mylar. 12 panels, 48X48 inches overall. I’m really excited to return to Taos because that’s where the “seeds” of the Sage Drawing series began during my residency in 2012. I will be in residence from June through August, and I intend to spend half of my time wandering through the high desert photographing scenes for future work and the other half will be spent in my studio drawing. What a luxury!
Your work is expansive: performance, painting, drawing and installation. What area do you enjoy the most?
I’ve enjoyed all of them and feel that they’re all related in terms of my approach and the subjects chosen over time. At the moment, though, my favorite is drawing and it’s a good thing too since that’s what I find myself mostly doing.
What has been your favorite work of art that you’ve created?
My favorite artwork is always the one I’m working on at the time.
Davontae Leak
You appeared on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Tell us about this experience.
Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I aspire to become a latenight talk show host like Jimmy Fallon, who is an idol of mine. This past September, The Tonight Show tweeted, “We’re looking for participants for an upcoming segment. Fill out this form if you’re interested.” With no hesitation, I immediately completed the form. Two hours later, I received a call from a producer letting me know that I’d been selected to be featured on a segment where I would have to guess how President Trump would mispronounce words. I remember, while preparing for the segment, I told my girlfriend, “if I can make Jimmy and The Roots laugh, then I’ll be satisfied.” Sure enough, my impression had everyone laughing. It was truly a surreal experience.
What do you enjoy about working at Brave New Radio?
In the past year and a half, I’ve met an amazing group of people who are just as passionate and driven about their crafts as I am. I love creating and being surrounded by like-minded people makes me invigorated to continue to work on my craft while learning new things. Having a platform like Brave New Radio, the nation’s #1 college radio station, let’s us all know that our voices are being heard and motivates me to continue thriving.
How has attending William Paterson University impacted you?
WP has taught me the importance of hard work and networking. With opportunities all around us, I think it’s important to be pushed to take chances. The number of opportunities that I’ve taken, while here, have led me to great things. I can’t wait to continue to grow and prosper and make this university proud - as I continue my education and eventually my career.
To watch Davontae’s Student of the Month interview, click the link: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=_92QPYx6C88.
Tell us about your work as a Video Director for The New York Giants.
This is my 30th season with the NY Giants. I started out as an intern in 1991. I’m responsible for the video department, which includes managing staff, training interns, filming and editing, among other duties. I was elected by my peers to sit on the video director’s committee, which governs and regulates the filming, editing, acquisitions and distribution of video departments throughout the NFL.
What career advice would you provide to our Department of Communication students?
The advice I would give to the Communication students is the same advice my father, Anthony “Doc” Maltese, gave me on my first day of college: you have to do well in the classroom for your general requirements; however, to succeed in this field, the biggest thing a student can do is “Get Involved.” Get involved with all that William Paterson has to offer!
How has attending William Paterson University impacted your career?
WP impacted my life in many ways. I made lifelong friends through my fraternity and working on campus. Attending WP, also gave me the tools to open up doors in the real world after graduation. I gained so much experience by getting involved, which afforded me the opportunity to intern at the NY Giants, which turned into a successful career.
Former NFL players, Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks, pose with Dave Maltese at MetLife Stadium.
“GET INVOLVED
With all that WP has to OFFER!”
January’s Faculty of the Month
Department of Music
What instrument(s) do you play and what got you into music?
My principal instruments are the French horn and voice. My mother had been a music teacher before she was married, and she used to make up songs when I was very young to teach me things. She tells me that I sang my first solo at the age of 3 in my grandparents’ church! I started formal music lessons in 4th grade on the violin, and then on the horn in 9th grade (so I could join the marching band). When I graduated from college, I first wanted to be an orchestral performer but decided that teaching music was more interesting and gave me more creative options.
What advice would you offer to our Music students?
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t make a living making music. There are so many ways - but at the same time, don’t insist that the music you know, or the way you learned music is the only way! Most of us got into music for two reasons: it made us feel good and we were good at it. Remember that when you face tough times (and you will - that’s part of life).
Tell us about the Music After School Project and your work with Paterson Public Schools.
I moved to New Jersey from Corning, New York - a small town upstate - so I was not at all familiar with inner city schools. The first time I observed a student teacher at a Paterson school, I realized that I had a lot to learn about teaching in the city! Fortunately, several opportunities presented themselves - I was in the right place at the right time. First, our College of Education received a grant to create partnerships with schools from inner-city districts, and wanted music involved. So, I approached the Paterson Public Schools (as well as Passaic and Garfield) about setting up professional development workshops for their music teachers. Then the Muna and Basem Hishmeh Foundation approached the Music Department about creating an outreach program for children in Paterson. The Music After School program started in 2008, providing stipends for outstanding WP music students to provide music enrichment for Paterson children in partner schools. Most recently, the Paterson Music Project started, and Music After School was merged with their project because they were in more schools and could offer the children more resources.
