Cornish College of the Arts Insight Magazine by Cornish College of the Arts

INSIGHT

photo by Winifred Westergard

THE CORNISH MAGAZINE

2 011

MESSAGE FROM THE

PRESIDENT Cornish College of the Arts nurtures creativity and bold thinking. It has a seminal place in the culture of Seattle, nationally and in the world. Our name stands for quality, innovation and experimenta tion. Our future will be defined by many auspicious events yet to come. Each one of you will be part of the legacy of Cornish College of the Arts. There is a great foundation for original thinking here. In 2012— just around the corner—the world will celebrate the 100th anniversary of John Cage’s birth. Cage is an artist who spent his formative years at Cornish. He lauded the philosophy of teaching all the arts together in one school. He said “The Cornish School was extraordinary because of Nellie Cornish’s insistence that each person not specialize but study all of the things that were offered.”

Welcome, students, faculty, staff and guests. I am thrilled to be here to open the academic year for the Cornish community. Today we celebrate the arrival of the newest community members, the class of 2015. You have come here from more than 40 states and 13 countries from around the world. At Cornish you will work with fellow students who will form your artistic peer group. To have both the visual and performing arts in one school provides a rich palette of opportunities for each and every one of you. College is about all kinds of learning—and part of that experience will be collaborating with each other. You are the only class with whom I will ever enter Cornish as President. I, too, will get lost once in a while and I, too, will be a little anxious about some of the unfamiliar aspects of the experience—as we know, all of this is part of starting a new chapter of life. I am eager to get to know each of you and I am pleased to be learning the Cornish culture and way of life with you. I’ll soon be organizing breakfasts and other events with students—I look forward to this!

While you do come to focus on a particular discipline in today’s Cornish College of the Arts, the influence of all the arts will help you view your work with new understanding and insight. I believe the reason that John Cage is important to Cornish and to the world is that he created ideas that were quite a bit ahead of his time. This is intriguing—because what I have witnessed in recent years is that his voice seems to have even more resonance now than ever. I urge you to hang on to your ideas and champion them—even if others don’t seem to “get it” right away. Remember that you too may be ahead of your time and that is very exciting! Students—I have no doubt your Cornish years will be rich with inspiration, meaningful work, and, hopefully, many good and fun experiences. Our faculty is outstanding. We at Cornish are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that all of you succeed and flourish in your time here. To both new and con tinuing students: please think of Cornish not only as home, but also as fertile ground to grow and challenge yourself, to revel in your art practice, to celebrate your successes and feel safe with your failures, and to have a truly wonderful and enjoyable college experience. Dr. Nancy J. Uscher President From Convocation, September 6, 2011

TABLE OF

CONTENTS Feature Stories

Cornish Community

Playing the Inner Voice, Dr. Nancy J. Uscher, President

19 Community Gatherings

Social Networking 1.0, Brian Schilling-George, PP ‘91

20 Alumni Newswire

Change Starts Right Here, Integrated Studies Published ‘Art Reigns’

22 Faculty Newswire

Muse, Coach & Courageous Woman, Marta Woodhull, MU ‘81

10 Colonizing New York Amelia Zirin-Brown, TH ‘99, Joshua Conkel, TH ‘02 , Megan Hill, TH ‘02, & Nicole Beerman, TH ‘02

Cornish in Pictures 24 Cornish Celebrates An Evening of the Arts President Sergei P. Tschernisch, Honoring 17 Years of Cornish 25 Commencement 2011

12 Blacktop Ballet Ezra Dickinson, DA ‘07 14 The Process, Erik Rostad, AR ‘11, On Becoming a Professional Self-Supporting Artist

26 Summer at Cornish 2011 27 Inaugural Events 2011

IMPACT—Report to the Community 15 Opportunity Josh Neumann, MU ‘04

30 Endowed Scholarships 32 Mainstage Events 2010 –11

People To Watch 33 Annual Fund 16 Leah Matthes, PP ‘04 34 Donor Profiles 17 Lanise Shelley, TH ‘04, and Kelsey Lee Offield, AR ‘09 37 Pursuing a Future Where Creativity Blooms 18 Maya Soto, DA ‘03, and Jeffry Underwood, DE ‘08 37 Board of Trustees 39 Nellie Cornish Legacy Society

In Memoriam 41 Jon Gierlich, 1941–2011

photos by Winnifred Westergard

FEATURE

PLAYING THE INNER VOICE DR. NANCY J. USCHER, PRESIDENT – MAXIMILIAN BOCEK

Broad-minded, heavily credentialed and calmly receptive, Dr. Nancy J. Uscher brings a distinguished career in music and arts administration to the presidency of Cornish. A violist with a great love of chamber music, Dr. Uscher revels in playing the “inner voice,” the melodic line that supports and enriches the greater composition. Dr. Uscher is a professional musician whose instrument is the viola. That’s actually a pretty good start towards understanding what Dr. Uscher will bring to Cornish as its next president. The popular imagination, that great smithy where clichés are forged, views musicians as single-minded, super-sensitive, unworldly, obsessed creatures. Think of the times you’ve seen them portrayed on TV: almost invariably they are portrayed with flying hair and volcanic tempers and a tenuous grip on reality.

Dr. Uscher utterly gives the lie to this cliché, and her choice of the viola as her instrument is truly emblematic of this. Unlike its sister instruments, the violin and the cello, the viola is built in an astonishing variety of forms. Often, it looks like a large violin with varying dimensions, sometimes it appears with unusual cutaways in its body or even in versions meant to be played upright between the knees like a cello. Its rich, tenor-to-alto tone often provides the “inner voice” in chamber music, the voice that subtly supports the star turns of the violin and cello, the “outer voices.” But some inventive composers have brought the viola out from its usual role as an inner voice and given it a starring role. Brahms, one of Dr. Uscher’s favorites, is such an innovator. To sum up, the viola is not the instrument of a stick-in-the-mud. To hear Nancy Uscher tell it, the viola is, in fact, “a means of experimentation.”

The taste for experimentation and free thinking is readily apparent in Dr. Uscher’s extensive resume. To be sure, there are the plum degrees you’d expect of a top-notch musical academician, a bachelor of music from the Eastman School of Music, a doctorate from NYU, and in between, an M.M. from SUNY Stonybrook, an A.R.C.M from the Royal Academy of Music and advanced study at Juilliard. She was department head at University of New Mexico and provost and faculty member at California Institute of the Arts. But read a bit more carefully and you’ll find “icebergs” in her resume, items that seem small on the surface, but are the markers of wider and deeper interests. Nancy Uscher has done work in arts management and mediation. She has ventured outside the comfort zone with the National Science Foundation and on Internet projects. She is the author of multiple articles. Interested in expanding the connections of art in society, Dr. Uscher was the creator of the think tank, Center for the Arts in Society. “I wanted to break new ground,” Uscher said of the center, created with UNM’s Institute for Public Law. “I felt that if I had the expertise of people who did not come from an arts background, I would learn more and I would actually be able to help artists more. I guess you could make the analogy back to the size of the viola … some times the heights are different and the curves and the contours are different. I wanted to change the contour of the way the arts was considered by society.”

Board President John Gordon Hill believes that Dr. Uscher begins her presidency at a crucial and exciting point for the expanding college. “Nancy will bring a fresh energy and her own style to the presidency,” says Hill. “Though they are very different people, Sergei and Nancy share a great personal warmth and infectious enthusiasm. Sergei left us on a trajectory to complete the campus, build the endowment, and grow Cornish’s reputation. Nancy Uscher has the drive and ability necessary to achieve that vision and help Cornish assume its place among the great arts colleges in the world.” Uscher believes strongly that completing that vision and charting the future of Cornish is a community activity. “I do have a lot of ideas for the future that I’m really excited about,” she says, “I don’t want anyone to think I don’t. But I think that this, too, has to be in balance. What are the deepest held dreams of people who know Cornish best? I should be listening to that just as much as I should be saying what my vision is. … what will describe its next era? What are the ways of knowing the world? What are students hungry for? What are they craving? … I was hired to do something wonderful, and I’m planning to do it with the community, with their approval and their consent and their blessing.” So Nancy Uscher savors the chance to support the dreams of the Cornish community, to play its “inner voice.” But as a violist who loves Brahms, she’s always at the ready to play the outer voice, too. She does not yet know what changes are in store for Cornish, but she knows what size they should be.

Nancy Uscher follows the dynamic Sergei P. Tschernich in the office of president, who, one has to say, is very much an “outside voice” in the polyphonic work that is the development of Cornish. “Every era has its own way of building on what has “One thing (that) I will say as president is that I will not rest until happened before,” she says. “It is my honor to build on what we have done spectacular things, and we are well on our way to Sergei has done on behalf of the community, and I’m sure it was achieving this goal!” his honor to build on what Nellie and those who succeeded her have built.”

Dr. Uscher performs with the ensemble at Benaroya Hall during the Inaugural Ceremony. Photo by Winifred Westergard.

Dr. Uscher and student Anna Kasabyan (TH ‘13) at the Inaugural Colloquium. Photo by Winifred Westergard.

photos by Winnifred Westergard

FEATURE

SOCIAL NETWORKING 1.0 BRIAN SCHILLING-GEORGE, PP ‘91 – Maximilian Bocek

Brian Schilling-George works for the leading software company in the world. You’d think the secret to his success would trace back to the newest, most glorious technology. It’s not. Just as it was for him during his years at Cornish, his work at Microsoft is about the people: it’s social networking old-school style, it’s social networking 1.0. Imagine your anxiety level: you are responsible for five or six major presentations this month in different locations around the country. You must organize your own considerable staff, plus coordinate an army of contractors and vendors. On top of this, you must scout venues, assess technical needs, study corporate needs, work with several departments, prep presenters, and on and on. Next month: the same thing. The month after that: the same thing. Sixty or more presentations per year, every year, each a customized one-off with two distinct audiences, the audi

ence at the show, who often number in the thousands, and an audience watching online, who can reach 10 times that number. If you’re a normal person with a well developed fight-or-flight re sponse, your heart is pounding at the thought of it. Well, you’re not Brian Schilling-George. Microsoft’s Director, Executive Productions, is to be found this late afternoon at a sunny window table in a well known Fremont hostelry, very laid back and in extraordinarily good humor. His laptop is open on the tabletop. He’s just finishing a meeting with a staffer. It’s the close of the business day, and he has a small glass of red wine near (but not too near!) his keyboard. A waitress glides over, smiles, and tops up his glass, and glides off without a word. Twice a week, this table is his office-from-office, a chance to work in Fremont near several important vendors of his department at

Microsoft, such as TPN (The Production Network). The scene might be disorientating to the cubicle-bound, but when your job takes you all over the country to venue after venue, working like this is par for the course. What’s the secret of Brian’s cool? Doesn’t he fret about being able to manage the whole mess? Nope. He has people he trusts in place. He has a team. “The teamwork mentality is key to it all. … I have a team of about a hundred people that work for me on everything. Vendors, mostly. We have an audio company. We have a rigging company. We have a lighting design firm. We have a scenic designer. We’ve got all the crew I travel with. They’re all prepping stuff back in their shops. Then they all come to show site and install this thing in anywhere from three days to a week. Then we may get our rehearsal in, and then we have a show.”

in and of itself in Schilling-George’s hands: “I’m there at the curtain, I say, ‘John.’ He goes ‘Uh … Brian, right?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He says, “What are you doing here?’ I said, ‘I’m working for you. You said to call you, and here I am.’ He says, ‘Wow. That’s great!’” By the summer of Schilling-George’s junior year, he was working as an intern for John Vadino, helping run the Goodwill Arts Festival, which brought top-level international acts to Seattle Center. After graduation, Brian went right to work for the company Vadino formed from that job, TPN. TPN did—and still does—a lot of work with Microsoft doing executive productions and product rollouts, and, to make a 20-year long story short, Brian Schilling-George is now running the whole show at Microsoft.

With that back story, it’s no wonder Schilling-George believes in meeting people and building trust. “It took some time,” he says, “but we built this trust between everybody. I feel that we have a But teamwork doesn’t pop into existence because someone sends community doing this stuff and everybody can lean on each other. out a memo, it’s got to be nurtured by someone who is a believer. It’s not what I see in a lot of other models in my industry where “What do I bring to the job?” Shilling-George asks, rhetorically. “I people come in and they feel very much protective of themselves, think I have an infectious enthusiasm. I love what I do. … Let’s be ‘I’m here to do this job and I’ll do that job and make sure that no clear, I’m getting paid to do my hobby.” on else gets in my way.’” The enthusiasm started early for Brian. When he was a young In a world in which Facebook and Twitter are redefining social man in high school, his aunt and uncle ran a dance studio on the networking, the system that works for Brian Schilling-George Eastside. He worked backstage, and loved it at once. Also from seems terribly old fashioned. Where Facebook’s social system is the start, he learned the value of making contacts and building exponential, Schilling-George’s is a slow-but-steady one at a teams. Once a year, the studio would put on a recital, coordinat time. Once he’s made a connection, he doesn’t let go easily: five ing with an organization run by a guy named John Vadino. His people he went to school with at Cornish now work with him on uncle introduced them. Brian said, “I really think that this is a lot Microsoft Events. of fun, I want to get involved in this more, what do I do?” It turned out that Vadino knew the young man’s high school tech “The thing I tell people about Cornish is, there’s a network there. nical theater teacher well: “Just listen to him like I did,” he told At Microsoft, a person’s network is the largest contributor to a Brian, “And when you get out of school, give me a call.” career. If you don’t have a network, your career will die. … And that’s what Cornish did for me. Early on, I met Jeff Bickford, who Schilling-George was by this time in his life fully hooked on dance hired me to work with him and there’s John. The people who Story Continued on Page 39 production. Coming out of high school, he turned down a full ride at the UW to play soccer and instead accepted a one-year scholarship at Cornish to study performance production. There were no classes in stage management and production manage ment at the college per se, so Brian studied the disciplines of the experts he would later manage: stage design, lighting design, costume design, and more. One of his professors there was Jeff Bickford, who specialized in Brian’s area of interest, running dance shows. Soon he was hiring his student for jobs outside school. One of those jobs was working for—wait for it—John Vadino. Backstage one night at the Allegro Dance Festival, Brian found himself standing right next to Vadino, a moment which becomes a little performance

Brian Schilling-George at Microsoft’s Company Meeting load-in at Safeco Field, talks about the importance of giving to scholarships at Cornish. Photo by Winifred Westergard

CHANGE STARTS RIGHT HERE INTEGRATED STUDIES CLASS PUBLISHES “ART REIGNS” – Christine Sumption

Around a table in the 7th-floor faculty lounge, students are gathered—pencils in hand and Post-Its at the ready—quietly scrutinizing papers and passing them around, page by page, stopping from time to time to scribble a comment or read a passage aloud. Brows are furrowed, but the mood is light. A few people have laptops out, the screens rapidly filling with text, while an intense-looking trio huddles around a series of photos, arguing their relative merit. One pair sits hunched over a markedup text, trying to come up with a hook. A young man is stretched out on the floor, his head resting on a guitar case as he reads from a typed sheet, his pal looking on nervously, awaiting a response. Another student sits alone, sketching the faces of local hip hop musicians. There is laughter and conversation and good-natured ribbing, the joyful noise of people focused on the task, the energy flowing.

It’s Spring 2011, and these students are writing a book. Art Reigns is the fruit of fifteen weeks that Cornish students devoted to building first-hand knowledge of the arts in Seattle through their Integrated Studies course, The Artist in Place. The book began as a research assignment and quickly blossomed into a labor of love. Students selected an art form—their own or another that sparked their interest—and got to know its commu nity in Seattle by visiting arts organizations, talking to artists, and exploring the ins and outs of the local scene. Then they zeroed in on an individual artist, group, or phenomenon and undertook personal interviews, research, and writing . . . lots of writing. Along the way the students pushed each other, held each other accountable, edited each other’s writing, and contributed photos and other artwork to illustrate each other’s chapters.

Photo by Jessica Muljadi

FEATURE

Published through Blurb.com and available for purchase online, Art Reigns is “a collection of written portraits, sketches, and scenes all about Seattle’s artists in the field, present and future giants upon whose shoulders we will stand,” writes Josh Thorsen in the introduction. “Through our conversations and connections with each of these people, we’ve taken our first steps toward joining them.” A quick scan of the table of contents reveals a wide range of topics. Glorious young jazz vocalists Johnaye Kendrick and Lucy Horton are featured, as are progressive jazz pianist Josh Rawlings and legendary jazz trombonist Julian Priester (with a brief guide to musical greats he has played with over the years). Visual artist Rick Araluce and Joshua Kohl of the Degenerate Art Ensemble share their approaches to art, while Macklemore and the Blue Scholars give a snapshot of the local hip hop scene. Dan Shafer and Conor Kelly talk about their lives and work in the design world. Chameleon-like actress Anne Allgood makes an appearance, as do theatrical music director Mark Rabe and classically trained actress Julie Briskman (who also shares tips on making a successful life in the theatre). One chapter introduces the indie rock band Us On Roofs, while another investigates local street art, “the language of the ignored.” At the beginning of the project, most students were comfortable with online and library research, but blanched at the prospect of interviewing artists whose work they admired. It’s one thing to read a newspaper article about an artist, another to meet that person face-to-face.

first-hand observations gleaned from Briskman’s years in the Guthrie acting company—the kind of background you won’t find in a newspaper review or online article. Music student Josh Thorsen set out to interview Joshua Kohl of the Degenerate Art Ensemble, and was pleasantly surprised to be invited to visit the workspace where DAE was preparing an upcoming exhibit for the Frye Art Museum. “When Kohl and I first arrive at the West Seattle warehouse,” writes Thorsen, “I step into a cavern of bizarre, half-finished curiosities: a gigantic Victorian dress built over metal pipe, an ice cream truck embla zoned ‘Limbs and Cream,’ mannequins missing extremities, and what looks like a giant root vegetable hanging by a chain from the ceiling. I imagine I’m backstage with the set crew of someone else’s fever dreams.” Students discovered how generous artists can be with their time, energy, and good will. “What was supposed to be one official interview turned into an official interview and several unofficial chats,” says music student Jeremy Evans, who made use of the opportunity to build a closer relationship with Johnaye Kendrick and pursue his genuine curiosity about her life and career. Kevin Lavitt relished the opportunity to sit down for an extended talk with Julian Priester and find out about his exploits in the jazz world. And Taurean Johnson reported that his exchange with jazz pianist Josh Rawlings “wasn’t an interview, it was more like a conver sation with a friend.” He walked away with several hours of their conversation on tape. Story Continued on Page 38

“It was an eye-opening experience that really pushed me out of my comfort zone. In a good way!” says design student Chelsea Snowden-Smith who wrote the chapter on indie rock band Us On Roofs. “I wouldn’t have thought of so many aspects of putting together a musical group had we not had so many in-class discussions and brainstorming sessions.” By the time Snowden-Smith met the band members and asked them about their professional journey, she was armed with a battery of smart interview questions she’d composed with the help of fellow students. “Tenacity can open many doors if you are eloquent, polite, and want to talk with someone about something they have a personal interest in,” says theater student Amie Christensen. “My first interview over the phone was with the artistic director of one of the largest, most successful theaters in the country [Joe Dowling, Artistic Director of the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis]. I was nervous as hell, but luckily for me, the man simply breathes quotable material.” Dowling provided Christensen with extensive background on Seattle actress Julie Briskman, anecdotes and

Macklemore by Will Story

Photo courtesy of the artist

FEATURE

MUSE, COACH & COURAGEOUS WOMAN MARTA WOODHULL, MU ‘81 – Diane Fraser

MARTA WOODHULL was driving a Metro bus for a living when she answered a Seattle Times ad offering private conducting lessons. The teacher turned out to be Melvin Strauss, then president of Cornish. Woodhull already had a degree in music, cultural history and economics from The Evergreen State College and had studied at Julliard and the Aspen Music Festival, but was still figuring out where to take her musical career. Conducting seemed like something worth exploring. “Mel taught me the essen tial mechanics and advised that I learn to sight read orchestra scores. But my strength, he said, lay in vocal and theater perfor mance,” Woodhull recounts. Coincidentally, Cornish was thinking about starting a Graduate Division and Woodhull enrolled. While the Graduate Division never materialized, it was an opportune time for Woodhull to be at Cornish. John Duykers and Janice Giteck were transforming

the classical music department into the Worlds of Music Department. “Unlike a conservatory, where I would have spent two years singing German lieder, I got to dive right into what I love, opera and 20th century music,” she says. It was in The New Performance Workshop, led by Roger Nelson and featuring guest faculty like George Coates and Linda Montana, that Woodhull felt for the first that she was heard “for who I am. My sound was useful to the composers. Instead of a senior recital, I sang two years of brilliant new works such as Kent Devereaux’s Dream Sequence, René Fabre’s The Engimatic Dream of Ernie Swedenborg II. Dell Wade’s Mass for Gamelan and Soprano, and Mark Vigil’s Songs for Harp and Lyric Soprano. I loved being their muse and their mouthpiece.” After Cornish, Woodhull left for New York City, where the heat, humidity and air pollution exacerbated her asthma and prompted her to trade the

New York stage for the Los Angeles recording studio. Four years later, this led to Woodhull’s 1985 Grammy nomination for her role as vocal arranger and choir director for “We Are the World,” performed by Children of the World, and written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. This “Best Recording for Children” version was produced by jazz legend George Duke for USA for Africa and sold to raise funds for famine relief. That is also when she trained 14-year-old Lea Salonga, who went on to sing in Les Misérables and in 1990, to win a Tony award for her performance in Miss Saigon. “Lea wanted a pop career, but I kept telling her that she had a Julie Andrews voice and to stay true to her sound,” Woodhull says. The two worked together again in 2006 and 2007, and Salonga continues to practice to vocal workouts Woodhull created just for her. COACHING OTHERS TO FIND THEIR OWN VOICES Woodhull comes from a family she describes as “scientists and people who use their hands for a living.” Cornish gave her the courage to be the only working artist in her family. “Being immersed in a community of world-class visual and performing artists, nurturing innovative thought and excellence simulta neously, and knowing we were the future, gave me the conviction that art is worth it, art is needed, and I would find my way,” she states. “That’s why I wrote my book, Singing for a Living, to help others unravel all of the possibilities in the music industry.”

hits my body. Does it give me chills or make me weep? I don’t seek perfection, I seek transcendence. The raw, true intensity of the human voice trumps technique.” Woodhull’s skill at coaxing bigger voices from others has drawn some “interesting challenges,” she says. “My students are sur prised when we spend hours on the body before going to the voice.” Working with Brian McKnight, for example she focused on the need for the piano and voice to reconcile conflicting phrasing. With Paula Abdul, she noted that it’s important to under stand how the breath support for dance movements and the voice go together. Woodhull has worked with vocalists whose styles range from Broadway to hip-hop. “Sometimes, I work with damaged voices, but the best thing I do is help singers become more fully who they are.” She also has worked with Anthony Keidis (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Antonia Bennett (daughter of Tony), and Alexa Ray Joel (daughter of Billy) among others. Stretching New Artistic Muscles These days, Woodhull’s career is moving in several directions at once. She continues to coach “extraordinary vocalists” like Joelle James, whose first single with Chris Brown dropped in August 2011. She also proofreads 20th-century classical orchestra scores arranged by John Philip Shenale, most recently, Night of Hunters by Tori Amos on the Deutsche Grammophon label.

Her 26-year career has ranged from singer to vocal coach to producer, sustained in part by her fascination with “the soul of the voice and the physics of sound,” a curiosity that took root at Cornish. “Singers couldn’t take courses in the acting department at that time, so Julian Schembri came to us. He taught me that music is in my body; that acting is in my chakras. He had us rolling around on mats, somersaulting and leaping around. My voice exploded open, thanks to Julian. When I record a singer or prepare an artist for a concert, my final gauge is how their sound vibration

But, after so many years with “too many voices” in her head, in 2008, Woodhull cleared the slate by hibernating in her loft and dedicating her recording studio to her own work. There, she plays the piano and composes. Digital technology means she doesn’t have to think or work in a linear fashion. Instead, Woodhull can record, edit and mix, “the way you would make a collage, moving phrases around until it sounds the way I hear it in my heart.”

Rehearsing for a show with Joe Cocker

Backstage with Tori Amos, photos courtesy of the artist.

Story Continued on Page 38

COLONIZING NEW YORK AMELIA ZIRIN-BROWN, TH ‘99 JOSHUA CONKEL, TH ‘02 , MEGAN HILL, TH ‘02, & NICOLE BEERMAN, TH ‘02 – Maximilian Bocek When Joshua Conkel arrived in New York eight years ago, representation, which has garnered him jobs writing a graphic novel fellow Cornish grads were not much in evidence. But no matter, and for T.V. It’s been 10 years of hard work to get to this point, Conkel didn’t need the kindness of friends to get things going; and Joshua credits Cornish with giving him the tools to succeed. he’d tumbled into the sterling opportunity to work with nationally known, Tony-award-winning playwright Craig Lucas. Lucas was, “Cornish sort of imbues the artist with sense of DIY,” says Conkel. at the time they met, the associate artistic director at Intiman “Speaking personally, the kids from other schools just don’t have Theatre in Seattle. Conkel’s academic director, Richard E.T. White, the same amount of elbow grease as the kids from our college and his playwriting teacher, Mame Hunt, introduced Joshua have. Their actors are essentially models who also talk. They’re to him. He ended up as Lucas’ assistant. “I moved to New York not artists in the way that Cornish actors are artists.” because I was assistant directing The Light in the Piazza, which was going to Broadway,” says Conkel. “I spent my last year at It didn’t happen all at once, but Joshua started to find himself surCornish flying to and from New York. Very exciting.” rounded by good company. “It took a while, actually,” he says. “There weren’t a lot of Cornish students around at that time, there Today Joshua Conkel is an up-and-coming playwright. His most really weren’t at all. It’s absolutely changed. There’s a really strong, recent plays, The Chalk Boy and MilkMilkLemonade are getting really vibrant community here entrenched in all of the most produced around the country, including upcoming Seattle produc important theaters.” tions, The Chalk Boy playing at Cornish. He now has literary 10

Amelia Zirin–Brown (TH ‘99). Photo by Kevin Kauer

FEATURE

“New Burlesque”—it’s not your grandfather’s burlesque of drooling sailors, slack-jawed truckers and pop-eyed junior clerks, but it is your great-great-grandfather’s! New Burlesque is a revival of the American theatrical burlesque that existed before the art form devolved into the nudie shows of the 40s and 50s. Just as with the circus arts two decades before, the art form was rediscovered and re-imagined, exploding in New York and around the country just as the party of 1999 was fading to the afterglow of 2000. Sure, on a given night you can find a woman teasing off her dress to a thumping back beat just like old times, but stick around long enough, and you’ll find a guy teasing off his dress, too. Then there are comedy routines, naughty gags, ribald songs, suggestive dances, novelty acts, outrageous costumes, overthe-top makeup, masks, puppets—a potpourri of posing, exposing, proposing, red-nosing and whatever else might get a rise out of the audience—all rolled into one head-exploding, inhibition-smashing evening of divine theatrical excess. In New York, a major ringleader and star of this movement has been Lady Rizo. The Lady is a wise-cracking burlesque emcee and sassy, blond chanteuse who can belt a tune with the best of them. She has been right there at the rise of this neo-burlesque movement and sees it as a form of liberation, especially for the women at the shows. “When they watch another woman own her sensuality in a complete way they feel very emancipated,” she says. “I’ve had so many women come up to me laughing, crying— thrilled to see another living confidently onstage, owning imperfections that the media would airbrush out.” And who is this mysterious, pseudonymous whirlwind of feminine power? “Lady Rizo” is the nom de spectacle of Cornish grad

Amelia Zirin-Brown. In fact, it was at Cornish that her journey from trained stage actress to New York burlesque queen bee began. Zirin-Brown cut her teeth as the host of a student variety show and cabaret. “I got my first taste of emceeing there, for sure,” says Zirin-Brown. “An upperclassman, Ethan Savaglio, another Cornish theater alum, he started it, then he passed the crown to me to start hosting it.” After graduation, she was successfully grabbing roles around Seattle, but she was eager to branch out and try making it in New York. The opportunity to change her world came in what might seem to some an unlikely shape: Amelia was hired by Princess Cruises as a lounge singer. “I went to Alaska, and I was a lounge singer for a season,” she says. “It was there I made enough money to move to New York … and I met my future husband.” Confronted with the enormity of New York, Zirin-Brown had to choose a course. “I came here, and all of a sudden, the idea of going the traditional theater route, resumes, passing out—passing out?” she laughs, “I meant passing out resumes! You know, the New York game. Starting from the bottom was not appealing to me” So when others zigged, Zirin-Brown zagged. She enlisted the help of her sister, a Julliard-trained dancer. “We decided to put together a project that had dancing and singing and where maybe I could make people laugh,” she recalls. “We started going to burlesque shows around town. There were some really incredible artists who were taking this idea of burlesque and pushing it forward. We were really inspired and thought ‘We can do it, too.’ Even our first show brought a really special crowd. Sold out. And continued to be sold out every time we did a show.” Story Continued on Page 39

Early on in his New York City experience, Joshua Conkel had made a rare stage appearance as an actor in a play by Naomi Iizuka, Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls. It was produced by a company called The Management. Like many small theaters with high artistic goals but low levels of monetary support, The Management sud denly had defections from its artistic staff. When the dust had settled, Joshua was the company’s artistic director. To restock the artistic brain trust of The Management, Conkel turned to people he knew were up to the task. He asked Cornish friends Megan Hill and Nichole Beerman to come on board, together with long-time New York resident Meg Sturiano. Although Megan Hill was in the class ahead of Josh Conkel at Cornish, she had taken a very different route after graduating from Cornish. For a while her career was totally centered in Seattle, working extensively in the Seattle theater scene. She applied Story Continued on Page 38

Lonesome Winter, Josh Conkel and Megan Hill, Photo courtesy of the artists

Photo by Ron Hammond

FEATURE

EZRA DICKINSON, DA ‘07, GRADUATED IN DANCE, BUT HE USED HIS TIME AT CORNISH TO GOOD ADVANTAGE. IN SATING A THIRST FOR STUDIO ART, STREET HAPPENING AND PERFORMANCE CONCEPT HE’S MAKING A CAREER OUT BREAKING MOLDS. EZRA IS AS UNLIKELY AS A …

BLACKTOP BALLET – Maximilian Bocek

Ezra Dickinson and two friends are walking very slowly up till their walk seemed near normal speed, but, of course everything the middle of a street. Literally up the middle, right up the double that had been at normal speed became super fast. “Slow walking,” yellow lines. It’s in a YouTube video. Around them, a street fair is as Dickinson calls the technique, requires massive concentration. going on, but everything is strangely out of synch. The gaits of The effect is mesmerizing. the three walkers are halting and surreal, the people around them zip by at hyper speed, their pixels smeared across the screen, “A lot of people ask me, ‘Do you get bored in that place?’ relates making a vaguely musical chattering sound like a giant anthill. Dickinson of the movement experience. “And I think, being a Sometimes groups of people will light on the pavement to in movement artist, I am anything but bored in that place. You’re in spect the three walkers, freezing into a slower time signature, then the most intense way mapping out the process of doing one of suddenly they flit away once more like hummingbirds into the the most basic things we do, taking a step. You’re feeling every blur of activity. last moment of that step. There’s a really amazing sensation that comes out of doing that.” The piece is called “Children.” It’s secret is that the three were not walking just slowly, they were walking excruciatingly slowly. This “Children” is the work of an iconoclastic artist whose work is was filmed in normal time with them nearly motionless and people garnering increasing notice. His career is itself a work of art he is moving very normally around them. Then the film was sped up creating on his own terms. It was not always that way. The road

with the double yellow lines leads, figuratively speaking, back deep into Ezra Dickinson’s childhood. Far from the free-wheeling fun of “Children,” for 12 years, as a boy, he studied ballet on full scholarship at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. It’s hard to think of a more bounded art form than ballet, and when you look at his portfolio as a dancer and visual artist, it’s hard to think of an artist more interested in smashing boundaries. “I can do all that stuff,” Dickinson says of ballet. “But it began to change inside of me when I was about 13 or 14. I just started to feel a little bit bored with what I was doing. From that point forward, my teachers at PNB started steering me more towards contemporary and modern choreography. They could see the amount of passion that I put into my modern classes as opposed to my ballet classes.” For one thing, Ezra was fascinated both with painting and drawing, which he has done since he was a little kid. Not surprisingly given the controlled environment of the ballet school, he was equally fascinated with interacting with the outside world. Put the two together and you have a young visual artist eager to move his art into the public space. Ezra’s non-official public art ventures ran into resistance—which translates as the kid having a few brushes with law officers who had little appreciation for the needs of a burgeoning artistic career. And his career painting, drawing and creating concepts has burgeoned. “I’m almost more widely known for my visual art, even though that’s under an alias,” says Dickinson. He sees his work in visual arts and his work in dance as a continuum. “Space matters,” he says. “It’s one of the biggest things to me. I think being a dancer, a visual artist, I am always thinking about space, and I always want to design space.” His experience with street art has given him a love for seeing his dance and his visual art in non-traditional environments.

CHIN MAYO, photo by Ezra Dickinson

Ezra has danced for a long list of choreographers familiar to the dance world: Maureen Whiting, Dayna Hanson, Zoe Scofield, Wade Madsen, Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, Bruce Wells, Zan Yamashita, Jason Ohlberg, Kabby Mitchell, Mary Sheldon Scott, Amy O’Neal, Pat Hon, and Deborah Wolf. As a choreo grapher and creator of movement installations, Ezra’s work has been seen at Seattle Channel’s Art Zone, 12minute Max, Northwest New Works Festival, Next Fest Northwest, Live at The Film Forum, Ten Tiny Dances, The Moore, Gallery 1412, Chop Suey, ACT Theatre, Gallery 154, Move, and Heathrow Airport. Through all his teenage years, he had been dancing with PNB, Ezra is also co-artistic director with Rainbow Fletcher (DA ‘04) finally in the professional division. But he saw the opportunity of The Offshore Project. that Cornish could provide to complete his education, providing more training in modern and contemporary dance, of course, after image: Ezra with Zoe Scofield performing one of her pieces. but also providing him with the credentials he might someday Hyper, bone-cracking, angular movement, no music but for want to become a teacher. But Cornish was also a unique oppor Zoe’s sharp intakes of breath and the smack of the dancers’ feet tunity to grow and burst the bonds once more, to meet and work and the rolling of their bodies on the marley. It is ragged, intense. with fellow students in music and visual arts. “As much as I On the floor, she suddenly and tenderly lays her head on his possibly could,” says Dickinson, “I was trying to get out of the shoulder and the frenetic pace eases to a more flowing, touching dance department and take classes in other departments. … I met pas de deux. You can see it all there, the raw movement and all of the artists at Cornish that I work with now, that I’m making emotion of dance freed from almost everything, attacking the work with, making connections and friends who are working space—but haunting the piece like a fleeting memory, breaking artists, who inspire me and vice-versa.” the surface like words of untranslatable foreign jargon in a stream of conversation, are elegant bits and pieces of ballet. 13

FEATURE After his sophomore year, Erik decided to take a couple of years off. His first two years at Cornish had provided him the neces sary tools to sharpen his talent, but he wasn’t sure what more he wanted to accomplish. The next two years he worked as a deckhand and carpenter on several yachts that traveled to Alaska and Mexico. He said, “...along the way I found new ways of interpreting my visual language while embracing a fresh, mindful perspective. It was time for me to listen to my inner dialogue and find new ways of applying it to my creative process.”

THE PROCESS

ERIK ROSTAD, AR ‘11, ON BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL, SELF-SUPPORTING ARTIST

– Chris Stollery

A native of Seattle, Erik has always been surrounded and enthralled by the arts. However, growing up he imagined that his career path would lead towards medicine and follow in the footsteps of his family. It wasn’t until his junior year of high school that he decided to pursue a different path, thanks to encouragement from his art teachers. He enrolled at Cornish College of the Arts intent on enrich ing his undergraduate studies and pursuing a career as a professional artist. He is well on his way. A 2011 graduate of the Art Department, Erik’s path at Cornish was unique. “I think most art students come in with a pre-conceived notion of what art is supposed to be. At first, I wasn’t always sure what my work meant to me much less anyone else, but I did understand the significance that creativity held in all walks of life. I felt that was the best place for me to begin building something.”

Time by Erik Rostad

This time away from Cornish provided him with the opportunity to cultivate new inspiration for his final two years in the Art Department. At the opening of the 2011 BFA Art+Design Show last May, Erik’s paintings sold out and many of his drawings were also snatched up. His work attracted the notice of John Braseth, Director of Woodside / Braseth Gallery, est. 1961. “As a longtime gallery owner and director, I view hundreds of visual art portfolios, online presentations and art exhibitions a year. I attended the Cornish BFA exhibition early this summer, which is always a “not to miss” art event. I’m always impressed with the quality of the art and artists that have come out of Cornish. We’ve enjoyed successfully exhibiting a number of legendary Cornish teachers: Mark Tobey, William Cumming and Charles Stokes. “Woodside/Braseth will be making a bold statement for the future by exhibiting new mixed media paintings this fall by 2011 graduate Erik Rostad. They are hauntingly beautiful and contemplative new paintings.” Erik is really excited to be working with John Braseth—with good reason, since he is the first Cornish graduate to snag an exhibition in the prestigious gallery directly after graduation. As he continues on his path as a professional artist, Erik keeps in mind one of Professor Preston Wadley’s many admonitions: “If you’re not waking up in the morning with a burning desire to create, this isn’t the path for you.”

Josh Neumann with Brandy Carlisle and band

OPPORTUNITY JOSH NEUMANN, MU ‘04

– Nichole Rathburn, AR ‘10

Josh Neumann at Bonaroo

Inevitably surrounded by music as the son of a conductor, Josh Neumann asked his parents for cello lessons at the age of eight, after being inspired at a summer music camp. Today, Josh is the cellist for Brandi Carlisle and counts numerous other achievements in his musical career. He has played with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, members of Supertramp, and Joanna Newsom and performed on “Conan O’Brien” and “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno and at the White House for the Fourth of July in 2010. Josh began studying at Cornish after two years at San Diego State University on scholarship. Despite playing first chair in the school’s orchestra, Josh sought out other options. After a visit to Seattle, he decided to transfer. “I realized I wanted more personal interaction and instruction between me and my professors. I instantly fell in love with the small classes and the vibe from both the students and the faculty,” Josh says of Cornish. “I never would have thought that I would be working so closely with dancers, composers, film scorers when I was going to school, but each opportunity that challenges you to push your boundaries will create more opportunities for you later in your career.” And opportunities were created indeed. It has been a busy summer; Josh and his band are finishing up a nationwide headlining tour, as well as a tour opening for singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne. A new 18-track album is to be released within the next year, as well as a solo cello album that Josh hopes to record when the band has some time off. To hear some of Josh’s work and stay updated on performances and events, visit www.facebook.com/joshneumanncelloman.

Josh Neumann at Red Rocks, photos courtesy of artist

PEOPLE TO WATCH Halfway through her senior year, she realized that stage management was not her top career choice and that she wanted to change direction. She took time off after graduation, stage managing for Cornish contacts while researching graduate programs. “I requested brochures from all over the world that had any connection to musical theater. At random I picked up a brochure from London’s Goldsmiths College and they had a course called ‘Musical Theatre’. It seemed a good way to put my managerial and musical theater experience to good use, so I applied. After one phone interview at 5:30 am, I received my acceptance letter, and I knew I had to go. How could I pass something like that up?”

FROM THE MAJESTIC THEATRE IN CORVALLIS TO LONDON’S AMBASSADOR THEATER GROUP – Chris Stollery

Leah Mathes (PP ‘04) discovered Cornish through the Majestic Theatre’s technical director while in high school working in the local community theater. She was looking for a college that was dedicated to the arts, small (so she could get more one-on-one attention), and a city with a wealth of entertainment to absorb. She realized Cornish would be a perfect fit for her—that she would be getting good knowledge in costumes, sets, lighting and stage management.

She packed up, moved to London, having never been out of the country before. While at Goldsmiths, she took a part-time job as an usher at the Phoenix Theater, which led to ushering at all the theaters within the Ambassador Theater Group. ATG is one of England’s foremost theatre producers and has led some of the most successful & innovative productions in Britain and beyond. They own and operate 39 venues in the United Kingdom, including 12 theatres in the West End. After Goldsmiths, she continued her connections with ATG, working as receptionist, then office assistant, and now as Personal Assistant to Howard Panter, the Joint CEO/Creative Director of ATG. She works closely with the Casting, Production, Producing and Marketing departments, and is responsible for Panter’s correspondence, scheduling, travel, office organization, and upon occasion, will call upon the skills she learned at Cornish to lend a hand to the Production Department. Ah, the producing life!

Lanise Shelley (TH ‘04) has always been interested in the arts. She began her education at Vancouver School of the Arts and Academics. While investigating theater programs, she came upon Cornish College of the Arts. “The theater program has one of the strongest voice and speech curricula for undergraduates in the country.” Cornish introduced Lanise to the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre where she spent five years as a resident actor. She has also worked at legendary Chicago theaters including the Lookingglass Theater Company. Reflecting on her time here she says, “Cornish gave me the tools to build a strong artistic foundation that I could not only leap from, but truly reconfigure, repurpose, and apply to my own personal vision.” She remains close to Theater Department Chair Richard E.T. White, whom directed Lanise in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Santa Cruz Shakespeare Theatre Festival. She is currently in her final year of completing her MFA at the prestigious ART/MXAT Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University. As she gears up for the production of Tough Titty by Oni Faida Lampley, she will also have a busy spring as the Assistant Director of the American Repertory Theater’s Snow Queen, and acting in As You Like It. Along with building a successful career in theater, Lanise is also a painter and dancer. She spent the month of June studying dance in Senegal. Her portraits incorporate found text as well as her own poetry. The acrylics represent her childhood in Haiti where she spent time in a Port au Prince orphanage run by The Foundation for the Children of Haiti. Lanise is a force with a fervor to grow as a multi-faceted artist. It has already taken her on an incredible journey. She can only continue to create, dream, and entertain in the years to come.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from University of Puget Sound, Kelsey Lee Offield (AR ‘09) knew she wanted to learn more about contemporary art, so she signed on to earn a second degree at Cornish College of the Arts. “When I started in the Art Department, I wanted to be a painter. I was really nervous about working in the sculpture studio. And then I fell in love with sculpture. The whole Cornish experience broadened my horizon.” Kelsey pursued three areas of study here—Sculpture, Photo graphy and Painting. She values her time at Cornish. She learned to work with a variety of contemporary and traditional materials and processes including wood, metals, ice, installation, light, plexiglass and also glass—after receiving the Pilchuck Scholarship to study at the renowned Pilchuck Glass School. “I loved all my professors, and Bonnie Biggs always encouraged me to push my ideas, experiment more, and as a young artist, to be confident and trust my instincts. Working with peers, and doing critiques—the whole process helped me become an artist.” One particular class, Jen Graves’ class on contemporary art, opened her eyes to Europe’s contemporary art scene, resulting in her pursuit of another advanced degree, this time at Sotheby’s Institute in London. She completed her Master of Arts in Contemporary Arts last June. “London is a huge hub for contemporary art and a great jumping off point to see shows and exhibits in Europe—it’s easy to go see an exhibition in Paris (or Italy, Finland, etc) over a weekend. Today’s artist needs to be well-informed, and living in London provides a great base for me to gain that knowledge.” Kelsey is immersed in preparing work for a new show. She’s using spun and blown glass to create a series of portraits. And she’s staying informed. – Chris Stollery

– Lindsay Hastings 17

“Collage Pink” Photo Courtesy of the Artist.

Photo byCathan Bordyn

PEOPLE TO WATCH

Born into an artistic family in Oregon, Maya Soto (DA ‘03) started dancing from the get-go, following her mother around as she pursued her own studies and teaching in dance. Over time, Maya’s journey included intensive periods devoted to the study of ballet, jazz and modern/contemporary dance. The latter genre, sticking with her, and guiding her to—and through— her studies at Cornish. Maya is now the ultimate dance hyphenate, dancerchoreographer-teacher. As a dancer and choreographer, she is co-founder of NorthWest Dance Syndrome, alongside fellow alumni Teresa Hanawalt (DA ’03) and Anne Motl (DA ’02). NWDS has been creating and performing actively and successfully in the Seattle area for many years. As a teacher, Maya has established the dance program at the Arts and Academics Academy in south Seattle. This academy gives public school students, many of whom are new to the country, an opportunity to explore their creativity in the visual, performing and literary arts. This work has been profound for Maya, exposing her to different cultures, languages and expressions of dance. Inspired by her work at the Academy, Maya has embarked on a solo project, “Soto Style”. Her work blends different dance styles and attempts to deconstruct some of the restrictive boundaries of the more established classical dance realms. Soto Style recently presented an evening-length work, “Collage Pink”, in Seattle. So, what can we expect from Maya moving forward? More collaborating, creating, dancing, teaching… and perhaps even touring.

Last year, Cornish’s advancement team had the opportunity to create new print materials to help tell the story about the Campaign for Cornish (see page 37) and inspire prospective donors. Who better to play a role than one of Cornish’s stellar Design alumni? In partnership with fellow alum Imelda Loei (DE ‘01) and Pyramid Communications, Jeffrey Underwood (DE ‘08) created a stunning brochure and support materials that truly capture the Cornish spirit and vision. Jeffrey is currently working at EMP Museum as a Graphic Designer supporting marketing, promotion and educational outreach efforts. In addition to the varied projects (museum signage, print and online promotional materials for current exhibitions, Founders Award event, museum membership package) for these departments, he’s working on implementing a collateral system for the museum’s new brand and identity. “My education at Cornish provided me with essential tools for effectively communicating my design concepts. The ability to sell an idea to a client is key to a project’s success along with strong design,” says Jeffrey. “I also feel that Cornish faculty instilled in me a desire to always push my skills further, take chances, experiment, and be confident about my expertise in graphic design.” Jeffrey also continues to do freelance design for select clients like Cornish College of the Arts, including a series of historical banners for the Inaugural Weekend in October (above), and Pratt Fine Arts Center, when the right opportunity/project presents itself. – Karen L. Bystrom, ABC

– Mari London

CORNISH COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY GATHERINGS Cornish Community Gatherings Now in Five Cities—Los Angeles Added! Another city has been added to the growing list of places where Cornish alumni are making an impact and gathering to celebrate. Washington alumni have now been reconnecting for seven years at the Annual Seattle Alumni Reception, and New York and Chicago alums have met occasionally over the past few years. Last summer alumni and parents in the Bay Area held their first reception. February 2011 saw the first-ever alumni and parent gathering in Los Angeles at the spacious home of Karen (Davis) Parkhouse (AR ‘99.) Alumni of all disciplines and eras enjoyed reconnecting and socializing. Parents (of current students and alumni) came to show their continued appreciation for the role Cornish has played in their children’s lives. Also in attendence were Dave TostiLane, Performance Production Chair, and Marya Sea Kaminski, adjunct instructor in the Theater Department, who were in LA for the National Unified Theater Auditions.

Patrick with Mia Wiggins and her sister, in front of one of his pieces.

Chris Stollery with Sergei Tschernisch, host Patrick Haskett and incoming theater student Josh Palmer.

Dave found the evening inspiring—“I was especially happy to see several theater and performance production alums from years ago—it is thrilling to see how far these artists have come and hear about their amazing projects. It was also exciting to see how quickly the old friendships rekindled, and to imagine what future collaborations in LA might grow out of the connections made that evening.” Patrick Haskett (AR ’73) generously opened his Fremont art studio to a crowd of fellow alumni at the Annual Seattle Alumni Reception in May 2011. With alumni represented from Patrick’s class up through the newly graduated class of 2011, the generations had the opportunity to mingle. As part of the evening’s program, guests were given a backstage tour of the fantastic Fremont Studios, with an enormous soundstage and state-of-the-art video recording and broadcasting facilities. Thanks again to Patrick and his associates at Fremont Studios for showing Seattle alumni such a great time.

The group shared individual introductions, descriptions of their careers post-Cornish, and fond memories.

Want to help organize a Cornish gathering in your community? Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 206.726.5052 to get involved!

CORNISH CUMMUNITY – ALUMNI NEWSWIRE

2011 Ryan Aragon (AR ‘11) was awarded the 2011 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award by the International Sculpture Center.

2008 Nick Beach (TH ‘08) appeared as Hermes in Taproot Theater’s production of The Odyssey and this spring as an apostle in Village Theatre’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Catherine Harris-White (MU ‘08) and Stasia Irons were signed to Sub Pop earlier this year as “lo-fi rebel hiphop” duo, THEESatisfaction and are working on a new album scheduled for release early 2012. THEESatisfaction has been mentioned in The Atlantic, the Seattle, LA and NY Times, Paper Magazine, the Fader and many other publications.

Ryan Aragon (AR ‘11), photo by Cameron Nagashima (AR ‘10)

2010 Lavinia Vago (DA ‘10) participated in Springboard Danse Montréal, the Northwest Dance Project and has joined Sidra Bell Dance New York.

Since its foundation in 2008 by Caleb Penn (TH ‘08) and Scott Rixe (MU ‘08), hiphop collective, FICTITIOUS, has grown to include other alumni including Shawn Booker (TH ‘07), Kay Nahm (TH ‘09), Soladoye Oyelowo (AR ‘11), and Nic Robbins (TH ‘07). In July 2011, FICTITIOUS released their newest album, FICTITIOUS Anthologies Vol. 1.

Allyce Wood (AR ‘10) had work featured in a variety of group exhibitions this past year, including MadArt’s MadHomes, the SAM gallery, Catherine Pearson Gallery, X17, SOIL Gallery and the Cornish Main Gallery’s Legacies in Print exhibit. 2009 Brian Cordoba (PP ‘09) served as Assistant Stage Manager for shows at the 5th Avenue and Moore Theatres and coproduced a cabaret, Previously Performed Privately, at the Rendezvous Christine Bell (MU ‘09) and Dylan Sladky (TH ‘09). Brian also stage managed New Voices 11 at ACT Theatre and Exit Pursued By a Bear at ArtsWest in West Seattle. Rhett Frei (PP ‘09) has been working full time as the Chief Information Officer at Otto Frei. He has recently launched the company’s new website, finished $150K in upgrades to their warehouse, and was able to lower their costs by two thirds while increasing productivity by 50 percent. Sean Glenn (MU ‘09) is a Masters of Music student at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in New York, and has been invited to study sacred music at Boston University’s School of Theology. John Ruszel (AR ‘09) exhibited 6 new sculptural works in a group show, Deep Structure: Complex Ordering Systems of Three Bay Area Artists at the MarinMOCA in Novato, CA. Alicia Stamps (TH ‘09) played the role of Trinculo and reprised her role as Sebastian in San Francisco Shakespeare’s 2010–2011 tour of The Tempest.

Paula Peters (DA ‘07) completed her MFA in Dance at the University of Washington and is now teaching ballet, modern and jazz technique at UW Seattle and Bothell, Cornish Preparatory Dance and Dance Fremont. 2006 Gia Enriquez (DA ‘06) is completing pre-med courses with plans to become an orthopedic surgeon. Jamie Karlovich (DA ‘06) performed in and was an assistant producer for Evoke Productions’ Full Tilt 2011 and is now working on Full Tilt 2012. Damon Buxton (DE ‘05) is a user experience designer at Microsoft. He addresses all aspects of a user’s interaction with a product including visual design, workflow, information architecture, physical interactions, user interface, usability, and documentation to create products that are satisfying and joyful to use. 2005 Kevin Spellman (DE ‘05) received his Ph.D. in Design at Goldsmiths, University of London in September 2010 and in January 2011 began work at the design consultancy, Reading Room, as an Information Architect. 2004 Aaron Bagley (AR ‘04) created cover art and illustrations for Kurt Reighley’s book, United States of Americana: Backyard Chickens, Burlesque Beauties, and Handmade Bitters: A Field Guide to the New American Roots Movement.

FICITIOUS, photo by Rod Tipton

Sierra Stinson (AR ‘08) was featured in the August 2011 issue of Seattle’s CityArts for her bi-weekly labors to transform her small, Capitol Hill apartment into a gallery space in which she curates shows. 2007 Zac Eckstein (PP ‘07) is the Marketing Director for Strawberry Theatre Workshop and a staff member at Seattle’s Teatro ZinZanni. Pinky Estell (PP ‘07) has completed his MFA in Technical Direction at University of North Carolina’s School of Acting. Brynne Geiszler (TH ‘07) was cast as Jo in Little Women (The Musical) at Tacoma Musical Playhouse. Harlan Glotzer (MU ‘07) keeps a unique musical calendar dominated by tuning and maintaining pianos, harpsichords, and clavichords as well as composing and performing. Harlan’s music can be heard as the theme to an eBook of Treasure Island and around Seattle with his ensemble Toy-Box Trio.

Courtney Harris (DA ‘04) completed her MFA in Dance at the Ohio State University, while Brian Devine (DA ‘05) and Paige Phillips (DA ‘02–‘05) are still hard at work on theirs. 2003 Emilia (Emily White) Javanica (TH ‘03) is attending the School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan, where she is experimenting with crossovers between performance and visual art. The Performance Laboratory at the Contemporary Art Institute Detroit (CAID). Benjamin Maestas (DA ‘03) is working on his Masters of Architecture at the University of Washington. Justin Simcik (AR ‘03) exhibited a collection of his work at the Shasta County Arts Council Gallery in the 2 person show, FOCUS: Inward/Outward. 2002 Diem Chau (AR ‘02) has continued to show work nationally and internationally. She has also been published in the books, Juxtapoz Handmade, and Indie Craft and others.

Johanna Kunin (MU ‘02) AKA “Bright Archer” has been busy this year with the release of her new album, Hidden Systems, and numerous shows all over the West Coast. 2001 Rik Deskin (TH ‘01) can be seen as the host of The Comedy Workshop, a weekly comedy open mic at Odd Duck Studio, and is co-starring in the new webseries Look Up In The Sky. 2000 Sculptor David Herbert (AR ‘00) was invited by the Henry Art Gallery for a 2 week open studio followed by a 3 month exhibition, where he created a piece, Holy Mountain that showed Mt. Rainier atop a Close Encounters-esque spaceship. Another piece, Charlotte’s Web was shown in Como, Italy.

1996 Pamela Mortensen (MU ‘96) has been helping to bring awareness of the didgeridoo to the West Coast through performances and workshops. She has been invited to do the same in Europe. 1994 Mohammed Karim Ghonima (AR ‘94) develops and installs multimedia installations for museums across the US and Middle East. Angela (Busick) Hudson (DE ‘94) is the Museum Educator at Tacoma Art Museum in charge of teacher, school, and family programs. Artist Noah Nakell (AR ‘94) launched the website artsmarter.com, the goal of which is to help working artists advance their careers by making it easy to find and organize opportunities online. Peter Dylan O’Connor (TH ‘94) and MJ Sieber (TH ‘01) performed in New Century Theater Company’s Gregory Award nominated production of O Lovely Glowworm or Scenes of Great Beauty with technical direction from Ray Gonzalez (TH ‘97) and artistic direction from Hans Altweis (TH ‘96).

Charlette’s Web, photo by David Herbert (AR ‘00)

Gérard Théorêt (DA ‘94) plays The Baron in the international tour of Cirque de Soleil’s Saltimbanco. His dance, Crash, was presented at Seattle’s Men in Dance Festival.

1999 Corrie Befort’s (DA ‘99) company, Salt Horse, presented excerpts from their work-in-progress, Titan Arum, at Velocity’s NextFest with performances by Jessica Jobaris (DA ‘97) and Alia Swersky (DA ‘98).

Megan Knotz (DA ‘99) performed as Irene Goodnight with the Broken Clock Cabaret in San Francisco. 1998 Taura McMeekin (MU ‘98) is co-founder and director of Grounded Knowledge, an organization whose broader mission is to create systemic change in how our children and ourselves are educated. 1997 Alethea Adsitt (DA ‘97) is pursuing a Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Long Island University. Recently, she traveled to Haiti as part of a volunteer medical team providing physical therapy services to earthquake survivors.

Brett Baker and John Voight

1988 Brad Shepik (MU ‘88) released a new jazz album, Across the Way: The Brad Shepik Quartet. Aidan Thompson (DA ‘88) is working on a PhD in Literature at State University of New York at Albany, teaching classes in writing and literature. 1987 Rhonda Copeland (DA ‘87) opened In Step Dance Studio in Walla Walla, WA. 1983 Rose E. Cano (TH ‘83) directed eSe Teatro’s presentation of Luis Alfaro’s Electricidad, a Chicano take on the Greek tragedy, Electra, with Winston Rocha (TH ‘89), Ryan Dominguez (TH ‘12) and Natalie Garcia (TH ‘09–‘11).

Daniel Corr (MU ‘99), classical guitarist, was the featured performer in Mediterranean Masterworks, a part of the Auburn Symphony’s Chamber Series. Alianna Jaqua (DA ‘99) choreographer/writer/ performer/producer of ArtsyFartsyTheatre presented 34 Candles, a new autobiographical comedy last winter combining story, dance, rock ‘n’ roll and video.

1989 Brett Baker (TH ‘89) stars opposite Jon Voight in the psychological thriller, Beyond, as Voight’s partner, Detective Gavin. Filming took place December 2010 and the film is scheduled for release in 2011.

Benet Fleck (MU ‘83) is recording a CD of piano trio rock covers, while remounting his new musical comedy, Eve And Eddie.

The Baron, photo by Gerard DjoPiette

1993 Erik Geschke (AR ‘93) received a Career Opportunity Grant from the Oregon Arts Commission and a Professional Development Grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council, both of which were to support Erik’s Seattle show at the Pratt Fine Arts Center.

1980 David George (MU ‘80) plays regular gigs with his quartet and trio at North City Bistro, as well as special engagements. David also teaches private lessons in trumpet, piano and arranging from his home studio.

Laura Horton (PP ‘93) was awarded Outstanding Costume Design at both the state and regional level at the American Association of Community Theaters’ Actfest 2011. At Actfest nationals, Laura placed second in costume design and first place for the exhibited costume design competition.

David George, photo by Stan Froehner

CORNISH CUMMUNITY– FACULTY NEWSWIRE

PAUL TAUB Music Professor Paul Taub is busy working on his second solo CD, with support from the City of Seattle and Cornish’s Faculty Development Fund. In September, Paul toured with the Seattle Chamber Players to Copenhagen and the prestigious Gaudeamus Festival in the Netherlands. September also marked the debut of IWO, Paul’s new flute quartet, including the inaugural concert at Cornish’s PONCHO Theater.

Iyun Harrison Iyun Harrison premiered his choreography, Rite, with Sonia Dawkins/ Prism Dance Theater at the Seattle Repertory Theater in June and was an Artist in Residence at The Ailey School in NYC, premiering, Toward the Light. He will be the Artist in Residence at Henderson State University in October 2011 and his company, ASHANI DANCES, will debut in Seattle in 2012.

Michele Miller Michele has been teaching modern technique, Pilates, Sil Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi at her new space, SH/FT Movement and Healing Arts in the Fremont/Wallingford neighborhood. Here she created and taught her first Teacher’s Training seminar for Pilates Instructors and Advanced practitioners. This fall she will attend Pilates On Tour, a national conference for Pilates Instructors in Seattle. Deborah Wolf Deborah Wolf was recently granted a 4Culture 2011 Individual Artist Projects award. She will also be re-setting a work for Bellingham Repertory Dance Company’s fall season.

Iyun Harrison Paul Taub

Wade Madsen Wade spent the summer working with Evoke and Full Tilt on a new work for a performance at Velocity, and traveling to Puebla, Mexico to set his work, Earth on CODACO. Wade will also be a guest teacher at the Boulder Jazz Dance Festival, where he will premiere a new work and perform Going, a solo title. This fall, Wade will be at Seattle Children’s Theater developing a new production.

Kathleen Rabel This spring, Professor Kathleen Rabel attended the opening of her solo exhibition, Kathleen Rabel Painting and Sculpture, at Gremillion Fine Art in Houston. She also continued her 13-year artist-in-residency at the Abbey of San Vincenzo in southern Italy. Kathleen has also been invited to exhibit her work in Bejiing, China in 2012.

Adam Stern Adam recently had an assignment that allowed him to indulge his affection for both music and movies: he guest-conducted the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall in performances of the scores to the classic films Casablanca and The Wizard of Oz while the films were screened for the audience. Barbara Noah Art faculty Barbara Noah was awarded Artist Trust’s 2011 Irving and Yvonne Twining Humber Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. The award, created in 2001, recognizes creative excellence, professional accomplishment and dedication to the visual arts. Bob Macdougall Bob has been busy working as a Fight Director locally and around the world. Bob’s fight direction included Lieutenant of Inishmore at ACT Theatre, Of Mice And Men at Seattle Rep, and Jennerwein at Theater An Der Rott in Germany, to name a few. Coming up this year, Bob will travel to southeast Asia as part of a continuing research project for script development, set during the time of the Vietnam War.

Junichi Tsuneoka Junichi’s four-page step-by-step design tutorial was features in Computer Arts Magazine August 2011 issue along with her bio and line of work. The issue is about character design, and her tutorial shows how to apply character into various graphic design projects. It reveals everything about her creative process and is a must see. Bridget Nowlin Bridget Nowlin co-curated the exhibition Cunningham in the Northwest for the Cornish Main Gallery, which featured a performance by Stuart Dempster. She also presented a lecture/workshop for the Shadows of a Fleeting World exhibition at the Henry Art Gallery. She attended the Online Northwest conference in Oregon, and continues to teach the History of Photography for Photo Center NW.

Kathleen Rabel

Hal Ryder During his sabbatical Hal Ryder formed the not-for-profit corporation World Arts Access, which was awarded a 1.3 million dollar contract. He also spent most of the year in Sana’a, Yemen working with youth radio.

A photo of Merce Cunningham at Cornish that appeared in Cunningham in the Northwest

Natalia Ilyin Natalia Ilyin spoke about the joys and irritations inherent in cross-disciplinary projects at Vermont College of Fine Arts’ first Interdisciplinary Conference in Montpelier, VT. The conference is designed to address crossing the boundaries between various disciplines among artists. She used video interviews with Cornish alumnae Lindell Serrin and Robert Bennett to speak about their experiences as designers working with musicians as a part of her project. Natalia Ilyin, story left

Lisa Norman Lisa Norman (former Adjunct, Theater) will join the core faculty of the Theater Department this fall as Associate Professor of Theater. She teaches sophomore Acting. Craig Snyder Craig Snyder recently produced a self-guided urban bicycle tour of select public artworks in downtown Seattle, titled Loop. He collaborated with Ruthie Tomlinson, Jessica Bender and Tania Kupczak in an installation titled Wait, Where Am I? in the Woolworth’s windows in Tacoma. Also, his essay Fear and Loathing on Brokeback Mountain was published in Jump Cut, #53 this summer.

Loop by Craig Snyder

Jarrad Powell Non Sequitur will present a concert of Jarrad’s work at the Chapel Performance Space in October. In addition, on September 29 his work Goro-goro was performed in Jakarta, Indonesia to help commemorate the 70th birthday of renowned Indonesian poet Goenawan Mohamad. Jarrad was awarded a sabbatical leave in spring 2012.

Byron Au Yong Byron Au Yong created music for The Mother of Us All (Spectrum Dance Theater/Moore Theatre) and reSet (Whim W’Him/Intiman Theatre). He was composer-inresidence for two Sundance Institute Theatre Labs, plus he presented Kidnapping Water as Post-Catastrophic Performance (Staging Sustainability Conference/York University) and Seven Ways to Develop Material (Taiko Conference/Stanford University). Keira McDonald In the spring, Keira co-wrote and directed Turning Parlor Tricks for SPF at Theatre Off Jackson. This summer she performed her new one woman show CockTails with Astronauts at Hyde Park Theatre in Austin, TX and The Sunset Theatre in Wells, B.C.. She is currently working on her new one-woman show Blonde with the Wind with Canadian writer Jayson McDonald.

Eric Banks Eric Banks and his ensemble, The Esoterics, spent the summer in Argentina composing a choral ballet that will premiere in Seattle next May. Eric and The Esoterics performed in March at the national convention of the American Choral Directors Association, whose Washington chapter awarded Eric ‘Choral Director of the Year.’ The Esoterics released two CDs in October.

Tiffany DeMott This spring Tiffany Laine De Mott worked as cinematographer, graphic designer and co-editor with author Isaac Marion to create an international theatrical trailer for his book Warm Bodies. The book has been optioned by Summit Entertainment and the film, starring Nicholas Hoult and directed by Jonathan Levine, will begin production this summer.

Greg Carter Greg Carter directed Inherit the Wind this September at Strawberry Theatre Workshop, a company he created in 2004. Carter was nominated as Outstanding Director at the TPS Gregory Awards in 2010 for The Laramie Project, and Strawshop is the only company in the region nominated two consecutive years for Outstanding Production. Carol Roscoe Carol performed the role of Sue Baylis in All My Sons at Intiman Theater, and she also originated the role of Sheri in the world premiere of Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in the New World at ACT Theatre This fall she will be directing faculty member Alyssa Keene in a production of Reckless at Theater Schmeater. Gayle Clemans In June, Gayle Clemans completed her Ph.D. in art history at the University of Washington. Her dissertation was titled “Parental Points of View: Photographic and Filmic Acts in Contemporary Art.” She is thrilled to be finally finished.

Jarrad Powell

Elizabeth Darrow Dr. Darrow was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Story Mansion in Bozeman, MT. This non profit group has worked for years to save a beloved historic mansion as a public asset for the city and state, and has received more than $1.7 million in grants. Her article “Montana Medici: The Copper Kings of Butte” will be published this winter.

Tiffany DeMott

Erica Howard Erica partners with Seward Park Environmental & Audubon Center, providing environmental education to students and the community. She co-produced Seward Park’s centennial events and is helping develop a book about the park. Her creative recycling proposal was a finalist for a Ford Community Green Grant, and she is launching a campus Sustainability Steering Committee this fall.

Jeff Brice Jeff Brice will be presenting his paper “Beyond the Threshold, The Role of Presence in Healing Games” at the annual International Symposium on Electronic Art held in Istanbul this fall. The paper highlights four immersive games created in Jeff’s Interactive Narrative Environments course in collaboration with Ari Hollander from FIrsthand Technology VR lab, with the purpose of reducing pain in burn patients.

Erica Howard with Seward Park Environment and Audubon Center

CORNISH IN PICTURES

CORNISH CELEBRATES AN EVENING OF THE ARTS The 2010 gala raised nearly $400,00 for student scholarships.

PRESIDENT SERGEI P. TSCHERNISCH HONORING 17 YEARS OF CORNISH Cornish College of the Arts honored the retirement of President Sergei P. Tschernisch on Sunday, April 10 at ACT Theatre, establishing the Sergei P. Tschernisch Endowed Scholarship Fund by raising $181,500.

AN EVENING OF THE ARTS: TOP LEFT: Attendees “raise the paddle” to support scholarships. MIDDLE LEFT: Students Mark Tyler Miller and Jacob Pressley perform a selection from [title of show]. PRESIDENT SERGEI P. TSCHERNISCH: TOP RIGHT: Chap and Eve Alvord with Sergei P. Tsernisch. BOTTOM RIGHT: Theater students perform Steven Sondheim’s “Our Time” BOTTOM RIGHT: Sergei P. Tschernisch and Liz Calloway

COMMENCEMENT MAY 14, 2011 BENAROYA HALL

TOP LEFT: Honorary degree recipients Julian Priester, Mark Morris and Gary Hill with Provost Lois Hill, President Sergei P. Tschernisch and Cornish Board Chair John Gordon Hill. MIDDLE LEFT: Processional music by the Gamelan Ensemble is a Cornish tradition. ALL OTHER PHOTOS: The Processional and happy graduates. Photos by Michelle Smith-Lewis.

CORNISH IN PICTURES

SUMMER AT CORNISH 2011

More than 440 students from around the country explored their passion for the arts with classes in Art + Design, Theater, Music and Dance in July and August. Information about Summer at Cornish 2012 will be available at the beginning of 2012 at www.cornish.edu/summer. Photos by Winifred Westergard.

INAUGURAL EVENTS 2011 We celebrated our new president, Dr. Nancy J. Uscher, with a weekend of celebratory events. The Inaugural Ceremony was held October 14 at Benaroya Hall. More than 100 people attended the Inaugural Colloquium at the Main Campus on October 15. The weekend culminated in with the annual gala fundraiser, Cornish Celebrates an Evening of the Arts, on October 16, raising $390,000 for student scholarships.

TOP LEFT: Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, Dr. Uscher and Cornish Board Chair John Gordon Hill at the reception following the Inaugural Ceremony. MIDDLE LEFT: John Gordon Hill, Chair, Board of Trustees; Dr. Nancy J. Uscher, President; Jenisa Ubben, Chair, Cornish Student Leadership Council; Carlie DeBuysscher, Chair, Staff Council; John Overton, Chair, Faculty Senate; Michael Killoren, National Endowment for the Arts, keynote speaker. MIDDLE RIGHT: Front: Sally Behnke and Dr. Nancy J. Uscher, Back: members of the Cunningham family. BOTTOM LEFT: Kathleen Collins, Cornish Theater faculty, leads the story-telling workshop. BOTTOM RIGHT: Eve and Chap Alvord with Dr. Nancy J. Uscher. Photos by Winifred Westergard.

FEATURES; Continued

CHANGE STARTS RIGHT HERE

Muse, Coach & Courageous Woman

Integrated Studies Class Publishes “Art Reigns”

Marta Woodhull, MU ‘81

continued from page 7

continued from page 9

Inspired by the recent Banksy film Exit Through the Gift Shop, Performance Production student Robert Lucy walked the streets of Seattle with camera in hand, documenting the local street art scene, from adhesive stickers to large-scale wall paintings. He got to know the paint store favored by local graffiti artists, learned what’s involved in developing a tag, and found out about the unspoken ethics of the street art world.

Woodhull also has returned to an early love—acting. In 2006, she studied at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. There, she worked with West End directors, who praised her acting style and advised her to learn the technical aspects of acting on camera, to understand camera angles, do multiple takes and hit her marks. She has been honing all of those skills in roles on Criminal Minds, Big Love, Bones and Cougar Town. She also has performed as a singer/songwriter on All My Children, The Young and Restless and Melrose Place. Inspired by a life Woodhull laughingly calls, “stranger than fiction,” she is turning her hand to writing screenplays and stand-up comedy.

Design student Will Story devoted his efforts to a study of popular music in Seattle and the evolution from grunge to hip hop. “Grunge has died, the grime and the grit washed away by years of rain, and the sloppy, distorted solos coming out of duct-taped 1980s Japanese guitars have gone too,” he writes, “but between the sips of coffee lie the same frustrations, the same desire for something better. The Seattle hip hop artists are doing something about it instead of bitching and moaning.” He quotes the lyrics to Macklemore’s recent “City Don’t Sleep”: “If you wanna see change, put your ones in the air, Then point to yourself, ‘cause change starts right there.” The same could be said of these Cornish students, who are channeling their passion and curiosity, saying what they have to say, not waiting to for someone else to do it for them.

And when she gets stuck, she thinks about who she was at Cornish, “that courageous woman, ready to try anything, to have a symbiotic experience of the human condition. Whenever I recall that fresh artist in my bones, I know I am going to create something great. Cornish gave me that.”

COLONIZING NEW YORK Joshua Conkel, TH ‘02, Megan Hill, TH ‘02, & Nicole Beerman TH ‘02 continued from page 11

and was accepted to the American Repertory Theatre/Moscow What do students hope readers will take away from the book? Art Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard “There are many amazing artists and designers around us, as University, where she received her MFA. After receiving her our instructors, friends, neighbors, or just that stranger you see degree, she moved to New York where her first year was tough. passing by,” says design student Jessica Muljadi. “They may not all be famous, but they have a lot of valuable experience “I’d been going non-stop, to working in Seattle, to doing grad and advice.” school and then going straight from grad school into the show at Intiman. So when I got back to New York, it was kind “I hope people will gain an understanding of the depth and variation of that crash of ‘What’s next?’ It was the first time in years of art in Seattle,” says Thorsen. “Most of all I hope that people where I didn’t have anything to do.” who read Art Reigns will see that we are a group of young artists who are curious and excited about the world of art in Seattle Joshua helped his friend solve her “what next” problem with the and the artists who populate it.” invitation to join The Management’s artistic staff. She learned that what she liked best was being involved in creating new work. Art Reigns is available in the Cornish Library, or you can buy your own copy online at Blurb.com. Christine Sumption is a Seattle-based director/dramaturg who teaches in the Humanities & Sciences Department at Cornish College of the Arts. 28

“When Josh asked me to join, he gave me an artistic home,” says HIll, “It’s a place where there’s fun collaborating with artists you have a history with, where you have the power to pick the work you want to see done and the creativity to help develop it. I

really enjoy the relationship of actors and playwrights. I really enjoy the development process.” Graduating in the same class as her best friend Hill, Nicole Beerman (she was Nicole Boote at the time) also worked extensively in Seattle for a number of years, including roles at the Seattle Rep, Village Theater and the 5th Avenue. As she approached the end of her 20s, she and then-fiancee, now husband Josh Beerman decided that if they were going to try New York, it would have to be that very moment. They sold everything including the car and bought two one-way tickets to New York. In the same berserker vein as the decision to leave Seattle, Nicole staged a full frontal assault on New York theater. “Back in Seattle there are about 12 auditions a year,” she says. “Now in New York, there are 12 auditions in a week. I was overwhelmed. I was like ‘Sign me up for everything!’ I went a little crazy.” Once she had calmed down a bit, Beerman settled into a routine of auditioning and, since she is also a dancer, work as a choreographer. She scored some plumbs, including the role of Lucille Ball in a show that started back home at the Village Theatre, Bartley and Whitman’s The Cuban and The Redhead. It’s currently being pitched for Broadway producers. Among a host of other shows, she’s done Caberet, a co-production of companies in St. Paul and San Jose with Seattle’s own 5th Avenue Theatre. Her latest co-production, however, is with her husband, Josh: they’re expecting a baby Beerman in the next few months. Her artistic involvement with Conkel, Hill and Sturiano is already paying big dividends. “The Management is now run by the four of us,” she says. “So far, we have produced two shows together, Lonesome Winter and Crystal Skillman’s Cut, which got a really wonderful review in The New York Times.” The Times piece on Cut featured a full color picture of the show; for those in the know, that’s a big deal for an up-and-coming theater. The Management now has a laudable balance in, well, it’s management, with Meg Sturiano pretty much the resident director, Joshua writing and sometimes acting, Megan acting and sometimes writing, and Nicole acting, singing and choreographing. They try to find projects that play into those strengths. Like her friends, Nicole Beerman is excited about the progress of Cornish students in The City. “There are lots of Cornish grads here in New York,” she says. “It’s safe to move here, knowing that you have a community.”

COLONIZING NEW YORK Amelia Zirin-Brown, TH ‘99

continued from page 11 As Lady Rizo, Zirin-Brown grew her career over the decade with her performance group, the Assettes, ’til they became resident performers at Joe’s Pub, the cabaret space of the prestigious New York Public Theatre. For some time, however, Lady Rizo has also been embarking on a solo career as a cabaret singer as well as continuing as the emcee of the Assettes. She fretted about the move at first. “It’s kind of a big ego-ish jump to say ‘I can hold an audience and be worthwhile listening to for an hour plus,’” she says. “You know what I mean? But it’s also fear that holds you back. So, I’m finally over it. … I still do both, but mainly the solo shows.” Lady Rizo does her own material and an amazingly ecletic collection of covers, everything from David Bowie to Prince to Edith Piaf to “Over the Rainbow.” At the risk of giving away a trade secret, Lady R. is open about how she works her magic. “I always try to incorporate a song that kind of feels sensual early in the show, just to get people in that space of getting a little turned on,” she says. “Being charming, soothing, seductive, it’s my way of entering their bodies and their minds—then I can take them on a journey wherever. I’ve seduced them.” As a solo artist, Lady Rizo has done her own recordings, and worked on others with the likes of Moby. There’s no doubt she has become a New York icon. As a testament to this, Lady Rizo—Cornish grad Amelia Zirin-Brown—has just been awarded a major grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to create a new work as part of the Public’s New York Voices series.

SOCIAL NETWORKING 1.0 Brian Schilling-George, PP ‘91

continued from page 5 were teaching me were also hiring me. Creating that network is a really big deal throughout your entire life.” Brian Schilling-George keeps spreading that network. Brian, who was himself on scholarship at Cornish, is a major mover on a new scholarship at Cornish. The new Dave DeMoss Endowed Scholarship will be announced later this month.

All photos by Winifred Westergard

IMPACT—REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

IMPACT

REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY 2010 –2011 We are proud to thank the donors who support the mission of Cornish College of the Arts. Our Report to Our Community is meant to demonstrate the lasting power of this support and inspire others to join the Cornish community in the future.

Endowment Funds Are Critical to Student Success An endowment is a permanent fund established to support a specific purpose. A portion of the return generated each year is used to support current year programs. The Cornish Endowed Scholarship Program is an essential com ponent of our financial aid program. Endowed scholarships permanently honor and recognize the alumni, faculty, and friends of Cornish for whom they are named. In the past decade, the number of endowed scholarships offered by Cornish has doubled, which means that many more students are receiving essential financial assistance for their education. Each fall, student recipients gather at the annual endowed scholarship luncheon to meet and thank donors, and celebrate the gifts of donors who are no longer living or those unable to attend. Parents are also invited, along with department chairs and college leaders. The story of Viola Stevens Barron’s life and connection to Cornish is just one example of the power of endowed scholarships to link

future artists with the legacy of the past. A Seattle native, Viola studied violin and ensemble music at the Cornish School from 1931 to 1934. She continued playing music throughout her life, teaching hundreds of students and performing with the Beaverton Symphony and then the Santa Barbara City College Orchestra until the age of 89. After her death, her children and family members gave generously to establish an endowed scholarship in her memory. Melissa Achten, the 2010–2011 Viola Stevens Barron Endowed Scholar, expressed her appreciation to Viola’s children: “I think about your family often and about the amazing contribution you have made, not only to my art, but to the school and the community I work in. It has made such a difference in my life and the lives of my fellow artists. It is with your support that I proudly work at Cornish and take advantage of every possible opportunity. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.” Thank you to all of our donors who support endowed scholarships!

2010 ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON

Sara Ann Davidson (AR’11) with scholarship donor Zel Brook, (AR ‘96). Zel and her husband Brad Whiting have made significant gifts to establish and enhance the Zel Brook Endowed Scholarship.

Melissa Achten (2010–2011), the Viola Stevens Barron Endowed Scholar, with Viola’s son, Ray Pardo.

Kathleen McCormick, Director of the Cornish Preparatory Dance Program, with Colleen Douville and her daughter Tong Yuan, and John and Marilyn Klepper. Tong Yuan is the Jeanne-Marie Endowed Scholar recipient in the Preparatory Dance Program.

Sergei Tschernisch thanking Maureen and Joe Brotherton, donors to the Brotherton Scholarship for Law, Business, Public Service and the Arts. Longtime trustee Joe Brotherton established this innovative fund in 2006.

Design Department Chair Grant Donesky with Dan Asher, President, Foundation Management Group. Dan is associated with the Kreielsheimer Foundation, which has supported Cornish since 1985.

Performance Production Chair Dave Tosti-Lane with scholar Josh Tillman and Lori Tillman, proud mother. Josh was the 2010–2011 Thomas S. Torrance Endowed Scholar in the Performance Production Department.

IMPACT—REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

MAINSTAGE EVENTS 2010–2011

TOP LEFT: Summertime, Fall 2010, Theater and Performance Production, Photo: Chris Bennion. TOP RIGHT: 2011 BFA Art + Design Show, Photo: Winifred Westergard. MIDDLE LEFT: Cornish Dance Theater, Spring 2011. Crash of Days by Deborah Wolf, Photo: Chris Bennion. MIDDLE RIGHT: The Old Maid and the Thief, Spring 2011, Music and Performance Production. Photo: Michelle Smith-Lewis. BOTTOM LEFT AND RIGHT: 2011 BFA Art + Design Show. Photos by Winifred Westergard.

IMPACT—REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

THE CORNISH ANNUAL FUND June 1, 2010–May 31, 2011 Thank you to the many alumni, parents, faculty, staff, trustees, and friends who made gifts to the Cornish Annual Fund, Campaign for Cornish, and Nellie Cornish Legacy Society. We are especially delighted to acknowledge first-time donors and those donors who have increased their giving. Your contributions sustain the outstanding educational and artistic environment essential to the development of our students. For information on how you can support Cornish and the future of the arts, please call the Office of Institutional Advancement at 206.726.5064. + deceased *Alumnus/Alumna

$25,000 & above Eve & Chap Alvord Clise Properties, Inc. Edmund Littlefield Jr. & Laura Littlefield PONCHO $10,000–$24,999 Elias & Karyl Alvord The Boeing Company Dale Chihuly & Leslie Jackson Chihuly John Gordon Hill & Ellen Hill Janet Frohnmayer & David Marques Camille McCray Joan & Paul Poliak National Endowment for the Arts $5,000–$9,999 The Apex Foundation The ASCAP Foundation Joseph & Maureen Brotherton Marguerite Casey Foundation C. Kent & Sandra Carlson Charles & Marion+ Chadwick L. Robin Du Brin & Douglas Howe Katharyn Alvord Gerlich

Bob & Eileen Gilman Family Foundation Lawrence & Hylton Hard Harold & Mary Frances Hill KeyBank Lane Powell PC William & Jane Lewis LM Charitable Gift Trust Bruce & Jolene McCaw The Rainier Group Sherry* & James Raisbeck Carlo & Eulalie Scandiuzzi Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts & Sciences David & Catherine Skinner Toby Whitney $2,500–$4,999 Robin & Dana Amrine Virginia Anderson Roger Bass & Richard Nelson Sanjaa Bayar Gloria & John Burgess Heidi Charleson & Louis Woodworth Michael & Katharine Gibson Cathy Beth & Steven Hooper Heather Howard & Roderick Cameron

Olive Kerry Trust Lawrence & Karen Matsuda Carol & William Munro Sean J. Owen* & Tricia McKay Robert & Annette Parks Riley & Nancy Pleas Family Foundation The Presser Foundation Ellen* & Joe Rutledge Julie Speidel* & Joseph Henke Severt W. Thurston Larry True & Linda Brown Sergei P. Tschernisch & Kate Purwin $1,000–$2,499 Alex Alben & Kim Fuqua Kenneth & Marleen Alhadeff Michael & Marjorie Alhadeff Altria Group, Inc Ameriprise Financial Employee Gift Matching Program Howard & Robbie Anderson Richard & Emily Arons Irena & Doug Baker Joan Baldwin & James Walsh Sally Behnke Herbert Blau & Kathleen Woodward Boeing Gift Matching Program Herbert Bridge Robert Budihas Paul Butzi Jody Cunningham & Mark Mennella D’Addario Music Foundation Peter Danelo Allan & Nora Davis Jane & David Davis Kent Devereaux* Lindsey & Carolyn Echelbarger Cary & Quynh Falk Gary & Kristin Fluhrer C. Douglas Francis & Marianne Sorich Francis Sharon Friel Dorothy Fuller David & Patricia Gelles Ken & Sandy Glass Mark & Deborah Hamby Lois Harris & Debra Crespin Wendy Hsu & Alex Hsi Phen Huang Randall & Jane Hummer John Jordan & Laura Welland KeyBank Foundation

Clark Kokich & Lisa Strain Angela & Ted Leja Alexander Lindsey & Lynn Manley Dianne & Steve Loeb David McAuley & Eileen Casler-McAuley Mary Kay McCaw Joe McDonnell & Maryann Jordan George & Gloria Northcroft Mariette & Jim O’Donnell Nancy & Mark Pellegrino The Petunia Foundation Jerry Raine Ann Ramsay-Jenkins Jamie & Michael Rawding Lonnie Rosenwald Brina Sanft & Richard Rynes Jon & Mary Shirley Mary Stevens & John Akin Bryan Syrdal & Kristen Cosselman Bing & Sandia Tang Anne & James Thomson Judy Tobin & Michael Baker Dave & LindaTosti-Lane Irwin & Betty Lou Treiger Douglas & Janet True Stephen Walker & Deborah Weasea Jane Wells & Jeff Bair Virginia Wilcox Robert Zawalich* & Diane Moss $500–$999 Anonymous (3) Nancy & Craig Abramson Joanne & Steve Adams Edith & Ray Aspiri Karrie Baas* & Margaret Smith Adam Ballout & Taila Ayay David & Corry Barr Richard & Edwina Baxter Susan Beller Janice & Kenneth Block Rebecca Bogard Nick & Kami Bohlinger Terry & John Bursett Karen & Craig Bystrom Diana & Chuck Carey Michael & Cathy Casteel Ken & Sharon Coleman William & Jan Corriston Gary & Athene Craig Jill Cunningham & Michael Gallanar Tim Cunningham

WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM

WHERE THE MONEY GOES

Tuition 84.3 %

Students 45 %

Fees and Other Income 8.1 %

Endowed Scholarships 15 %

Gifts and Grants 7.6 %

Institutional Support 15 % Building 9 % Depreciation/Interest 9 % Auxiliary Services 7 %

IMPACT—REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY Mark & Kim Dales Margaret & Luino Dell’Osso Randy & Ty Evans Jane & J.J. Ewing Laura Finn Kelly Fox & Seth Wolpin Jean Gardner Robert & Joan Gruber Christopher Harris & Christine Crandall Gail Heilbron & Edgar Steinitz Barbara Himmelman* Susan & Andy Hutchison Donna & Mike James Christine Kellett & Jay Kuhn Leroy & Anne Kilcup Patricia Kuhl & Andrew Meltzoff Frank Laden Jim & Lisa Lovsted Lynn & Cynthia Martin Cynthia Mennella* Susan Mersereau & Phil White Pacific Northwest Viols Gary Plano John & Anne Marie Polich Alan & Andrea Rabinowitz Gail & Larry Ransom Constance & Norm Rice Jeffrey & Suzanne Riddell Jill Scheuermann & Russel Paquette The Seattle Foundation Sally & Scott Shafer John Siegler & Alexandra Read Tom Skerritt & Julie Tokashiki Tracy Steen Bobbie* & Michel Stern Lyn Tangen & Richard Barbieri Andrew Taper Alan Veigel & Laura Parma Veigel Jenifer Ward Scott Warrender & John Bianchi

Washington Composers Forum Nancy Weintraub Richard E.T. White & Christine Sumption Sarah & Alexander Wiener Stacey Winston Levitan & Dan Levitan Philip & Christina Wohlstetter Mariann & Kirk Zylstra $250–$499 Anonymous Glenn Amster & Shelly Shapiro Donna Benaroya Sandy & Barbara Bernbaum Bonnie Biggs John & Diahann Braseth Teresa Brentnall David & Elaine Brown Gus & Cynthia Cleveland Bruce & Lynn Coffey Linda Davidson Carlie DeBuysscher & Klayton Johanson Christopher Delaurenti Joan & Paul Delay Grant Donesky & Rossitza Skortcheva Donesky Donna & Robert Dughi Mary Dunnam Carol & Dave Eckert Mark & Virginia Feldman Kathy & Alan Grainger Robin Groth Roy Harsh Olimpia Hernandez Michael & Martha Hesch Sally Hurst Winifred & Peter Hussey Joe Iano & Lesley Bain Tiffany Koenig & John Ostolaza Timothy Manring Samuel & Betsy Martin

Linda & Charles Mauzy Raymond Maxwell Doug & Judy McBroom Margaret McCartney William & Janet McInerney Laura McKee Holly McKinley John Merner* Susan Moseley Hollis Near & Anna Seaberg Sharon Nelson Lee & Deborah Oatey Richard & Karla Obernesser Beverly Page & Michael Verchot Linda & Arthur Pederson Deborah Person Bruce Ritzen Jeffrey Robbins & Marci Wing Frank & Regina Routman Daniel & Alicia Shafer Janet Smith Margaret Sorich Dean Speer* & Francis Timlin Otto Spoerl & Lyne Erving Sharron & Stephen Starling Stephanie Stebich Chris Stollery Lynn Thorburn Susan Trapnell & Erik Muller J L Viniko Eileen Whalen & Bob Heilig Jan & Bob Whitsitt Robert Wilkus Jeffrey & Melisa Williams Sally Ann Williams Deborah Wolf Virginia Wyman & Joe McDonnal+

Up to $249 Anonymous (7) Diane Adachi* Samuel Alamillo Judith Allen Jame & Karen Almon Sherilyn Anderson Tan & David Tan Sharon Archer & Don Eklund Alliance Bernstein Thomas Andersen Jeffrey & Brenda Atkin Mari & Scott Ayers Malinda Bailey & Mike Foster Martha Baird Dylan Baker Pranom Baltzo Marjorie Bardan Clark Battle John Bauersfeld Doug & Mary Bayley Kurt Beattie & Marianne Owen Jacquelyn Beatty & Warren Wilkins Pamela Bendich Mary* & Walter Berdan William Blum & Kay Smith Blum Gerald & Margy Bresslour Jon & Felicia Brooks David & Kristi Buck Gloria & William Burch Gerald & Anne Butler Alan & Renee Bryce Donald Byrd Sharon & Craig Campbell Whitfield & Mary Carhart Seeley Chandler Royce & Agdalee Church Toni Clayton & Pam Lindgren Vicki & Jessica Clayton Tamera Clifford Denna Cline

When former Theater Department Chair Bob Sandberg learned that theater faculty member Bonnie Cohen was retiring after 30 years, and that Cornish was establishing an endowed scholarship in Bonnie’s name, he was pleased to make a gift to help establish the fund. “For years, I’ve been thinking about a way that I might help future generations of Cornish students be able to focus less on financial survival and more on their work. Now the opportunity has come.”

BOB SANDBERG

LECTURER IN THEATER, LEWIS CENTER FOR THE ARTS PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

In his letter to former students detailing why he was giving now, Bob wrote “some of you have continued to do theater or work in the arts; but many others have gone in different directions. Regardless of what you’re doing, I suspect that the resilience, the internal resources and strength that Bonnie’s class and Cornish as a whole let you discover about yourself have served you well over the years. I’m hoping that now, like me, you’ll be able to say thank you to Cornish.”

Deborah Cochelin & Paul Dorvel Leon Cohen Jason Connelly* Rachael Contorer* Steve Coulter Katherine & Jonathan Crossley Kitty Daniels Jennifer Davis* Josh DeSilvey Kimberly & Duane Eastman Theodore & Carole Engelmann Pinky Estell* Emily Evans & Kevin Wilson Jean Falls Ryan Feddersen* Deborah & Keith Ferguson Joseph & Carol Fielding Kristie & Doug Forbes Corrie Franz Cowart* Morgan & Marney Freeland Susan Frohnmayer Helen Gamble* Margaret Gaskill Julie Gaskill & Richard Carter Carmen & Carver Gayton Christine & David Gedye Carrie George & Ditman Johnson David George* Karen Gjelsteen Joseph Green Serge Gregory Lee Guice Justin Hamacher* Scott & Patricia Harbers Alan Hart Elizabeth Heffron Jerry Hekkel & Garrison Kurtz Joshua Hickman* Edith Hilliard Catherine Hillenbr& & Joseph Hudson

Erica Howard Rock Hushka Edward Intravartolo Laura Jaffe* Pam & Ned Johnson Barbara Johnston Christine & Armando Juarez Richard & Elizabeth Kaufman Luke Kehrwald* Bradford King King County Employee Charitable Campaign James & Joan Knapp Sati & John Kohn Linda & Joe Krutenat James Kubu Henry Kuharic Karen & Hugh Lee Matso Limtiaco Imelda Loei* Tonya Lockyer Liz Longsworth & Tom Kreyche Dominick Lucia Susan Lynette Donald Mabbott Maria Mackey Gunn Wade Madsen Dorothy Mann Kevin Manring Maika Manring Drew Markham & Steve Mashuda Mary Anne & Chuck Martin Fernando Mastrangelo* Janet McAlpin William* & V L McAlpine Kathleen McCormick Don McKenzie & Elizabeth Buzzell-McKenzie Mary McNeill Robert & Jeanne McPherson Bob Mendelson

John Mettler & Anne Shinoda-Mettler Polly Meyer & Joel Reiter Microsoft Giving Campaign Dorothy & Sterling Miller Henry & Jill Mills Mirabella Seattle Residents’ Association Craig & Stefania Mitchell Sandra & Takashi Miyanaga Benjamin Moore James Moran* Irene Myers Julie Myers Lori Naig Wilwerding* & Geoff Wilwerding Noah* & Lorna* Nakell Janice & Richard Nestler Simone Nolan* Nancy Nye Christine O’Connell Josh Oakley* Heather Dew Oaksen & Gregory Oaksen Ross & Ava Ohashi Norman Ose* Thomas & Carol Ozanich Julie Parmentier* & George Selfridge Emma Petersky Vivian Phillips Timothy Pigee Paul Pineda & Jody Ehrlichman Pineda Dan Poliak Anne Pryde Mark Rabe Branda & John Radford Teresa Rae* Dennis Raines* Razor Fish Wendy Ready* Reader’s Digest Foundation Shelagh & Terrence Regan Bernice Rind* David & Colleen Roberts

Frances Rogers Nichole & Martin Rose Mark Rudis* Ginny Ruffner Paul Ryan Lena & Maher Saba Ruth Saecker Christopher Reuel Sande Carol & Gary Schaefer Gaetano Settineri Donald Sirkin Carey Smith Eileen Smith & John Stewart J. Richard Smith Philip Smith & Mimi Katano Donna Sparks Charles Spitzack & Christine Vice Alicia Stamps* Linda Stoner Samuel Sutanto* Kristina Sutherland Christian Swenson Neal Thompson Kristen Tsiatsios* & Nicolaas Warmenhoven Todd Van Horne Janna Wachter* Graham & Anne Walker Brock Walker* Katherine Walker* Juliet Waller Pruzan Washington State Combined Fund Drive Debby Watt* Peggy Weiss Norma & Steve Wengelewski Margaret Wesselhoeft James Wilke & Judy Cites Dianna* & Richard Winterbauer Jeffrey Wyborny Brien Wygle Connor Zaft

Since his graduation from Cornish five years ago, Casey Curran has continued to make art full time while juggling multiple jobs simultaneously to cover his living expenses and pay down his student loans. Both of these efforts are really working out– he’s making payments on the student loans, managing the bills and his work has been featured locally at Gallery IMA, Woodside/ Braseth Gallery and Winston Wachter Fine Art; and his collaboration with Implied Violence/ St. Genet has brought him to New York and beyond. How is Casey able to give to Cornish? And, more importantly, why? “It’s easy enough to give $10 a month–that’s only $120 a year. I don’t see how that’s a burden on anyone.

CASEY CURRAN AR ‘06

“I give to the Alumni Challenge Endowed Scholarship for two reasons. First, I was asked to give. And because I received two scholarships when I attended; one of them made a real difference in my ability to remain here, at a really critical point in my education. I’m happy to help make that possible for students who follow me.” 35

IMPACT—REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY Every gift is important to us and we strive to keep accurate records. We apologize if we have inadvertently omitted or incorrectly listed any names. Please call us at 206.726.5064 to advise us of any errors so that we can correct our records. Thank you.

+ deceased *Alumnus/Alumna

Gifts in Honor Eve Alvord Bobbie* & Michel Stern John & Ellen Hill Anonymous Tani Ohashi Ross & Ava Ohashi Paul Taub Dylan Baker Woodside/Braseth Gallery Jeffrey & Brenda Atkin Gifts In-Kind Anonymous Eve & Chap Alvord Byron Au Yong Zel Brook* & Brad Whiting Chateau Ste Michelle Dena Chavez

Roberta Diesner Barry Eben Freehold Studio/Theatre Lab Gigantic Planet Inc. Tom Goetzl Susan Grover & Richard Thurston Christopher Harris & Christine Crandall Janette Hubert Barbara Koziol Judy Leblanc Joseph & Elaine Monsen Museum of History & Industry Lauren Nemroff Michael Nicolella Pyramid Communications Jeffrey Robbins & Marci Wing Hank Sanford Donald Vass

The newest addition to the Cornish campus is a stunning sculpture honoring Cornish alum, and dance legend, Merce Cunningham, who passed away in 2009. Members of the Cunningham family commissioned Cornish alum Steve Jensen (AR ’82) to create the sculpture as a tribute to Merce’s legacy as one of the most celebrated dance artists of the 20th century.

A TRIBUTE TO MERCE CUNNINGHAM

The installation and unveiling of the sculpture on the Cornish campus coincided with the final, historic, tour of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. The Merce Cunningham Dance Company Legacy Tour made their final appearance on a Seattle stage in October 2011. Located on the corner of Denny and Lenora Streets, the “Merce” sculpture will be seen by thousands of people daily and is sure to become an iconic and beloved treasure in Seattle.

A gift from Jack, Peg, Jill, Jody, Grady Cunningham and their families.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Officers John Gordon Hill, Chair Virginia Anderson, Vice Chair Roger J. Bass, Vice Chair Heather Howard, Secretary Robin Amrine, Treasurer Alex Alben Glenn J. Amster Joseph Brotherton C. Kent Carlson

Jody Cunningham Robin Du Brin C. Douglas Francis Janet Frohnmayer Michael K. Gibson Lawrence E. Hard Donna James John W. Jordan Ed Littlefield, Jr. Dianne Loeb

Lawrence Matsuda Carol Munro Sean Owen PhD, MU ‘97 Joan Poliak Sherry Raisbeck, AR ‘88 Ellen Rutledge, AR ‘96 Carlo Scandiuzzi Marc Schwartz Marianne Sorich Francis AR ‘96 Julie Speidel, AR ’67–‘68

Dr. Nancy J. Uscher, President (Ex Officio) Stephen P. Walker Emeriti Trustees Eve Alvord Kenneth Alhadeff

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A growing and robust endowment secures our legacy of innovation through academic excellence. It ensures that future generations of Cornish students will receive the distinctive, holistic and personalized arts education that has defined us for a century.

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Arts education has never been more important. It provokes creativity. It kindles innovative thinking. It equips young people to take risks and tackle the challenges of an uncertain future. An arts education asks every student to peel back, dig deep and find his or her voice in the world.

This Campaign propels Cornish to the center of art, culture and innovation—where students become engaged citizens who feed the creative heartbeat of our workforce, schools and civic life. Current Projects ∙∙ Performing Arts Center: A new home for Dance and Music ∙∙ Visual Arts Complex: A new home for the Sculpture Program and Senior Art Studios ∙∙ Main Campus Center: An expanded Main Gallery ∙∙ Notion Building: Additional classrooms and new media arts space

Cornish began as a small music school nestled on the north end of Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Nearly 100 years later, we’re building

Generous Support Cornish recently received generous gifts of support to the Campaign from individuals and organizations that have a vested interest in the future of the arts in our region. We are delighted to announce the following gifts: ∙∙ The Jon and Mary Shirley Foundation: $2 million to support the development of the new Visual Arts Complex. ∙∙ Building for the Arts: $350,000 to support the development of the new Visual Arts Complex. ∙∙ James and Sherry Raisbeck: $100,000 to establish a new endowed scholarship fund in the Art Department. The name of the new fund will be The Sherry Raisbeck Endowed Scholarship Fund.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR CORNISH

Gifts & pledges from the following donors have been recognized cumulatively from January 1, 2002 through May 31, 2011.

The Campaign for Cornish is a campaign for every student who comes to study and create at one of the country’s finest arts colleges. The Campaign ushers Cornish into the next century by focusing on two strategic priorities: ∙∙ Developing an Urban Campus ∙∙ Growing Our Endowment

A special thank you to all of the donors who have made a gift to The Campaign for Cornish. These gifts are a significant investment in creating and building an educational environment that stimulates and nurtures artistic and academic excellence. The impact of your gifts will be felt for many years and generations to come. For information on how you can support The Campaign for Cornish, please call the Office of Institutional Advancement at 206.726.5064.

+ deceased *Alumnus/Alumna

Campus Development $1,000,000 & above Eve & Chap Alvord Building for the Arts John Gordon Hill & Ellen Hill John W. Jordan & Laura Welland* Sherry* & James Raisbeck $500,000—$999,999 Anonymous Kenneth & Marleen Alhadeff & the Kenneth & Marleen Alhadeff Charitable Foundation Elias & Karyl Alvord Paul G. Allen Family Foundation David & Isabel Welland

$100,000—$499,999 Anonymous 4Culture Michael & Marjorie Alhadeff Dr.+ & Mrs. Ellsworth C. Alvord, Jr. Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Gladmar Trust The Boeing Company Joshua Green Foundation Edmund W. Littlefield, Jr. & The Sage Foundation The Norcliffe Foundation PONCHO James & Kalpana Rhodes Kayla Skinner+ $10,000 —$99,999 Rick & Nancy Alvord Virginia Anderson The Bravo Fund Joseph & Maureen Brotherton

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IMPACT—REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY Campaign For Cornish Continued

Endowment & Special Projects

C. Kent & Sandra Carlson Sturges & Pam Dorrance Foushee & Associates Co., Inc. Janet Frohnmayer & David Marques Michael & Katharine Gibson Heather Howard & Roderick Cameron William & Ruth Ingham Pam* & Ned Johnson Richard Kaalaas Dianne & Steve Loeb Michael & Barbara McKernan Joan & Paul Poliak Jean Rhodes Elizabeth & Stephen Rummage Julie Speidel* & Joseph Henke Stephen Walker & Deborah Weasea

$100,000 & above Kenneth & Marleen Alhadeff & the Kenneth & Marleen Alhadeff Charitable Foundation Hearst Foundation Kreielsheimer Foundation Edmund W. Littlefield, Jr. & The Sage Foundation The Jon & Mary Shirley Foundation David Skinner & Catherine Eaton Skinner

$5,000—$9,999 Glenn Amster & Shelly Shapiro Roger Bass & Richard Nelson Boeing Gift Matching Program Jane & J.J. Ewing Marianne Sorich Francis* & C. Douglas Francis Judith Kindler & Kyle Johnson Richard & Rachel Klausner Wanda & W.A. Lynch Dorothy & Sterling Miller Carol & William Munro Linda & Arthur Pederson Margaret Perthou-Taylor+ Ellen* & Joe Rutledge Carlo & Eulalie Scandiuzzi Sellen Construction Dean Speer* Richard+ & Ellie Sprague Bobbie* & Michel Stern Sergei P. Tschernisch & Kate Purwin John+ & Marcy Walsh $1,000—$4,999 Shary & Michael Frankfurter Wanda Gregory Lois Harris & Debra Crespin Hasbro IBM Corporation Laura Kaminsky Gilbert Leiendecker, Jr. & Sally Leiendecker Microsoft Giving Campaign Gail & Larry Ransom Jamie & Michael Rawding Toby Whitney Up to $999 Anonymous Shawn Bachtler Jane Buckman Vicki Clayton Tanner Hawkins* John Merner* Robert & Catherine Morrow Jeffrey & Suzanne Riddell Philip Talmadge Allyson Vanstone & Peter Pendl Richard E.T. White & Christine Sumption

$25,000—$99,999 Eve & Chap Alvord Estate of Peter Vinikow John Goodlad Carol & Brian Gregory Judith Kindler & Kyle Johnson Thelma Lehmann+ Douglas & Kimberly McKenna Sherry* & James Raisbeck Stanley & Fumiko Sparks Irving Williams & Susan Barash Williams $10,000—$24,999 Estate of Gwenn Barker Harsh Boeing Gift Matching Program Sally Behnke Zel Brook* & Brad Whiting John Gordon Hill & Ellen Hill Jon Howe & Tyler Howe Steve Jensen* Janet Penna Crane & Tom Crane Ann Ramsay-Jenkins Brian Schilling-George* & Susan Tucker Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts & Sciences Mark & Susan Torrance Wells Fargo Community Support Programs $5,000—$9,999 Elias & Karyl Alvord Gwenn Barker Harsh+ & Roy Harsh C. Kent & Sandra Carlson Marguerite Casey Foundation David & Judy DeMoss L. Robin Du Brin & Douglas Howe Janet Frohnmayer & David Marques Natascha Greenwalt-Murphy* & Ryan Murphy William & Ruth Ingham George Kropinski Cynthia & John McGrath Microsoft Giving Campaign Candy & Monte Midkiff Oliver & Yolanda Pardo Robert & Elizabeth Pardo Joan & Paul Poliak Robert Sandberg Gloria & Donald Swisher Douglas & Janet True The Wachovia Foundation David Williams Virginia Wyman & Joe McDonnal+ $2,500—$4,999 Anonymous Sophia & Marc Boroditsky The Bullitt Foundation Cornish Players Lawrence & Hylton Hard

Spencer Curtis & Kristen Hoehler Marilyn & John Klepper Amber* & Sam Knox Edward & Katherine Marinaro Sean V. Owen* & Tricia McKay PONCHO Soros Fund Charitable Foundation Matching Gifts Program Laurel Tanner Dave & Linda Tosti-Lane Gary & Karla Waterman $1,000—$2,499 Michael & Marjorie Alhadeff Dr. + & Mrs. Ellsworth C. Alvord, Jr. Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Ameriprise Financial Employee Gift Matching Program Robin & Dana Amrine Glenn Amster & Shelly Shapiro Virginia Anderson Francesca & Bruce Berger John & Diahann Braseth Joseph & Maureen Brotherton Bruce & Kathleen Bryant Peter Cairo & Kathy DeJardin Ellen & Al Carlin Bonnie Cohen & Mel Baer Gene Colin & Susan Janus Computer Associates International, Inc. Judy & William Courshon Jody Cunningham & Mark Mennella Michael & Katharine Gibson Joanna* & Gary Goodman Richard & Betty Hedreen Heather Howard & Roderick Cameron Julie & Gordon+ Hungar Intel Corporation Saleh & Lucy Joudeh Richard & Rachel Klausner Nina Ferrari LaSalle Walter & Conny Lindley Vincent Lipe Ellen & Mark Lipson Dianne & Steve Loeb Kaaren & Richard Marquez Lawrence & Karen Matsuda Kirby & Diane McDonald Tim & Paula McMannon John Merner* Michael & Phyllis Mines Carol & William Munro Robert & Annette Parks Riley & Nancy Pleas Family Foundation Carl & Marian Pruzan Ann Reinking Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. David & Stacya Silverman Tom Skerritt & Julie Tokashiki Benjamin Smith & Elizabeth Torrance Jane & Roger Soder Julie Speidel* & Joseph Henke Bobbie* & Michel Stern Betsy+ & Kirby+ Torrance Kirby & Heidi Torrance Maurice & Rhoda Tritschler Sergei P. Tschernisch & Kate Purwin Stephen Walker & Deborah Weasea Carolyn & Glenn White Deborah Winchester

Marylin & Cliff Winkler Wyman Youth Trust Up to $999 Anonymous (10) Don+ & Jane Abel Alex Alben & Kim Fuqua Jennifer Albright James & Karen Almon Leah Alexander Tina+ & Robert Alexander Phyllis Allport Altria Group Adele & Grover Anderson Angela Anderson* Eliza Anderson* Lloyd Anderson Dollie & Hubert Armstrong Sarah Armstrong Sally & Herbert Arnstein Joselito & Faye Asence John Aylward & Mary Fields Karrie Baas* & Margaret Smith Muriel Bach Diamond & Josef Diamond+ Donald & Janet Backman Irena & Doug Baker Stewart Ballinger Wade Ballinger & Paul Skinner Joslyn Balzarini* & Kash Wimer Jeffrey Baron & Janet Skeels Cynthia Barrientos Cynthia Bartels Margaret Barto Patricia Bauch Steven & Cathleen Baugh Kurt Beattie & Marianne Owens Jaquelyn Beatty & Warren Wilkins Paula Becker & Barron Brown Bonnie & Moses Beerman Max & Teresa Beery Morgen Bell* & William Love Edmund Belsheim & Lisa Ravenholt Ralph Berkowitz Lois Berry Kevin & Sarah Beshlian Bonnie Biggs Amy Bingaman Marcia & David Binney Brandon Bird Bruce & Ann Blume William Bolcom & Joan Morris Rebecca & David Bolin Dorothy Bollman Penelope & Vernon Bolton Adrienne Bolyard & Gene Thorkildsen Leonard* & Margaret Bonifaci Elisabeth & Edgar Bottler Frank & Dorothy Brancato Jane* & Ernest+ Brazas William & Barbara Brink James Brinkley & Mary Jane Burns Jodi Briscoe* Sigrid Brorson Gary & Kathleen Brose David Brown* Michael Brown Nate Brown* Barbara Buford Margaret Bullitt* & Andrew Schmechel Donne Burgess & Jose Jimenez

Dr. Gloria & John Burgess John Burrow* & Meike Kaan Terry & John Bursett Eugene Burt Paul Butzi Vania Bynum* Donald Byrd Karen & Craig Bystrom Timothy Cahill Ann Callaway Liz Callaway & Dan Foster Diana & Chuck Carey Heidi Carpine Danielle & John Carr Omar* & Rachael Carrasco Sara Carter Texanna Casey-Thompson Steve Casteel* Kristin Ceresola Aleah Chapin* Royce & Aggie Church Zoe Chow Phillippe & Rosa Claringbould Richard & Rosemary Clark Margit Clifford Susan Clifford Timothy Clifford David & Margaret Coats April Cody Ida Cole Donna Cole-Dolbeer Kathleen Collins & Andrew Elston William & Marilyn Conner Beth Cooper* Carol Corbus & Patrick Howe Derald & Helen Cornelius William & Jan Corriston Raymond Cox* & Jerald Olsen Gary & Athene Craig John & Diane Crim Elcena+ & William Croyle Sean Cryan & Laurel Rech Casey Curran* Charlie Curtis & Jane Harvey Arthur & Nancy Dammkoehler Kitty Daniels Lloyd David & Michelle Marshall Linda Davidson Bob & Kathryn Davis Don & Ann Davis Michael Dederer Daphne Dejanikus & Julian Simon Jacqueline Delecki & Howard Uman Emilio & Carol Delgado Laura DeLuca Renko & Stuart Dempster Sue Derry* Rik* & Kim Deskin Benjamin Dietzen* Colleen Dishy Wes & Colin Wes Jade Dodd William & Virginia Donley Charles Douglas & Donna Handly Jonathan & Paula Drachman Donna & Robert Dughi S. Wayne Duncan & Pamela Van Dalfsen Phyllis Dunn David & Donna Dunning Vasiliki Dwyer Phyllis & Eldon Edmundson

Anna Edwards John Eicher Ellis, Li & McKinstry PLLC Tamsin & Jim Erickson David Esbjornson Heinz & Edith Ettner Jane & J.J. Ewing Jean Falls Federated Department Stores Foundation Gary Fenstermacher & Virginia Richardson Deborah & Keith Ferguson Gerald & Mae+ Florence John & Janet Fogle Leone Fogle-Hechler Daniel & Rosemary Folan Cristin Ford* Ann Foster C. Douglas Francis & Marianne Sorich Francis* Shary & Michael Frankfurter Jason Franklin* Am&a & Geoff Froh Theodore Galaday* Helen Gamble* S&ra Garriott-Antonacci Brian & Lisa Gary Julie Gaskill & Richard Carter Richelle Gay* Carmen & Carver Gayton Christine & David Gedye Karen Gjelsteen Carl Glickman Peggy & Raftis Golberg David & Jane Gorbet Dale Gossett & Kay Kukowski Anne Gould Hauberg Ron & Anke Greer Tony Grob Arthur & Leah Grossman J. Guich Max+ & Helen Gurvich Michael Gustavson & Joan Knutson-Gustavson Ilana Guttmann Richard Haag & Cheryl Trivison Judith Hamilton Mark & Susan Hardy Sylvia Harelik Courtney Harris* Kiana Harris* Lois Harris & Debra Crespin David & Sharron Hartman Patrick* & Debbie Haskett Paul Heckman & L. Montera A.J. & Martha Rose Hedgcock Mary Hedlin Stephanie Helm* Miriam Hess* Andrew Highlands Amanda Hill Henry & Mary Hill Catherine Hillenbrand & Joseph Hudson Dennis Hoffman Kristine Holland Penny Holland & Wallace Hume Pat Hon Chirlee House William House Shawn Hove* Margaret Huchting & Eric Brown

Greg & Linda Hughes Wallace Hume Mary Ellen & William Hundley Robert & Charlotte Hutton Mattie Iverson Vadon* & Mark Vadon J.C. Wright Sales Company Bruce & Gretchen Jacobsen Charla Jaffee Aliana Jaqua* Anchor Dewitt Jensen Alton Jennings Elizabeth Jennings* Ellen Jeronimo Elizabeth & Roger+ Johnson Pam* & Ned Johnson Rolf & Sarah Johnson Barbara Johnston Lois Jones Christine & Armando Juarez Glen & Lisbeth Juel Laura Kaminsky Joy & Dmitry Kaplan

Kathy Kimball Karen King Freda Klein William Klein Anna Klepper Natalie Kotar Zsolt Kovacs & Iulia Metzner Toby Kronengold Kathryn Lahey Costello James & Susanna Lane Frank* & JoAnna Lau Madelyn Lawson Stephen Le Neveu & Lorraine Ketch Gerard Letterie & Jan Chow Brian Leverson Mark Levine & John Keppeler Heartha Levinson Steve & Suzanne Lewis Shirley Lincoln Jeff & Kathy Lindenbaum Ann Lindsay Frank & Lynn Lindsay

David Kappler Jack & Evelyn Kappler Christine Kellett & Jay Kuhn Thorpe & Lucinda Kelly James & Marjorie Kesl Leroy & Anne Kilcup

Alexander Lindsey & Lynn Manley Barbara Lippert Vivian Little & Jeffrey Bower Dorothy Lloyd

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NELLIE CORNISH LEGACY SOCIETY The Nellie Cornish Legacy Society recognizes those individuals who have included a bequest or other planned gift arrangement for Cornish College of the Arts in their long-range financial plans. By including a charitable gift to Cornish in your financial planning, you help perpetuate the legacy of founder Nellie Cornish and her vision for arts education. Your gift will help Cornish provide an educational program of the highest possible quality, in an environment that nurtures creativity and intellectual curiosity, while preparing students to contribute to society as artists, citizens and innovators. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS: Anonymous Glenn Amster Gwenn Barker Harsh + Roger Bass Kitty Daniels John Goodlad Carol & Brian Gregory Karen Guzak* Carol Hobart*

Steve Jensen* Pam Johnson* Thelma Lehmann+ Mark Levine Dorothy & Sterling Miller Sean Owen* & Tricia McKay Oliver and Yolanda Pardo Joan Pearson Linda & Arthur Pederson Sherry Raisbeck* Donna Shannon* Bobbie Stern* Robert Wilkus Irving Williams & Susan Barash Williams

+ deceased *Alumnus/Alumna

IMPACT—REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY Campaign For Cornish Continued

Brenda Loew Clarice Lolich Betsy & Brian Losh Sally & Kenneth Luplow Wanda & W.A.+ Lynch Justin Lytle* & Nicole Fierstein Ursula & Dwight Mamlok Dorothy Mann Drew Markham & Steve Mashuda Dorothy Marking Timmie Marsden* & Jonathan Mitten* Kristin Martin Jane Martin Mary Anne & Chuck Martin David McCallum Stanley & Janet McCammon John & Janet McCann Lodi & Regan McClellan Kathleen McCormick James & Carole McCotter Kathleen McDonald Stanley & Barb McDonald Laurie McDonald Jonsson & Lars Jonsson Carl & Judy McEvoy John McHale & Marcie Campbell McHale Paul D. McKee* & Michael Lane Don McKenzie & Elizabeth Buzzell-McKenzie Patricia McNamara Cynthia Mennella* Bob Merrill & Melanie Williams Dorothy & Sterling Miller Kathy Miller Michael Minney* Craig & Stefania Mitchell Erin Mitchell* Kabby Mitchell Gary & Mary Molyneaux Dennis Moss* Mary & Richard Moss Anne* & Jeffrey Motl Phyllis Mullins Hollis Near & Anna Seaberg Carla Negrete Martinez Herbert & Marilyn Nelson Marywilde Nelson William & Barbara Nelson Hans & Ann Neumaier Ann New Akiko & Jonathan Newcomb David & Shirley Newell Wilma Nichols Dick Jack & Lollie Norman Victoria North & Alan Caplan Stella Novit Josh Oakley* Heather Dew Oaksen & Gregory Oaksen Arthur Olsen Sara Orr-Smith Beverly Page & Michael Verchot Richard Page L. Rosario Parker Scott Parker Kasia Pawluskiewicz* Cornelius+ & Gloria Peck Linda & Arthur Pederson Helen Pelton Charles & Angelica Pepka

Performance Sound Marlene Perrigo Kennedy* & Bob Kennedy Mimi Petkoff James & Muriel Phillips Julie Pickering Margaret Pickering Jennifer & Manuel Pineda Kevin Pitman* Steve & Cait Platz Johanna Polit* Martha & Seymour Pomerantz Jarrad Powell* & Molly Scott Elin Pratt Geoffrey Prentiss Bob Priest & Claire Sykes Frank Pritchard Howard & Inga Pruzan Steve Pruzan & Janet Abrams Daniel Purdom Sherrie Quinton Debra Raab Kathleen Rabel & Stephen Hazel Reshard Radford* Dennis Raines* Hugh Ramsey* Schelleen & Charles Rathkopf Lois Rathvon* Dave Rawlyk & Launi Skinner Douglas & Brenda Redfern Ginny Redpath Pattilou Reeves* & Chris Davidson Shelagh & Terrence Regan Vija & Karlis Rekevics Ernest Rhoads* Richard & Pamela Rhodes Constance & Norm Rice Jeff & Suzanne Riddell Christine & John Riley Jean & Alex Ritzen Burton & Norita Robbins Jeff Robbins & Marcy Wing Carol Robinson Bob & Laura Rookstool Nichole & Martin Rose Donald K. Routh Gregory Ruby* John Ruszel* Ellen* & Joe Rutledge Lena & Maher Saba Ruth Saeker Toru & Kiyo Sakahara Monica Salazar* June Sale Albert & Frances Salopek Irwin & Thelma Samegh Werner & Joan Samson Carol Sanders Murl Allen Sanders & Janet Hesslein Polly Sanford* James & Lisa Sargeant Peggy Scales Pauline Schairer+ Karen Scherwood Jill Scheuermann J. Randolph & Lynn Sealey Seattle Golf Club Jack Seifert & Cynthia Burrell Qadriyyah Shabazz* Lora & Omar Shahine Christopher Shainin* & Hope Wechkin

Kristina Shellie-Cahn & Timothy Cahn Jianping Shen Kelly Sheridan* & Brent Giese Kay Shirley-Nilsen & Wendy Santamaria Harro & Sandra Siebert Robert & Robin Simpson Shirley & Maurice Skeith Max & Jane Slade Dylan Sladky* Douglas Smith & Stephanie Ellis-Smith Erminia Smith Harriette Smith Wilma & John Smith Stuart & Patty Spencer Howard & Patricia Stambor Sharron & Stephen Starling Bonnie & Alan Steele Anne Stevenson Marvel & Philip Stewart Chris Stollery Leslie* & Jeffrey Stoner William & Barbara Street Althea Stroum Justine Su Harald Sund Peggy & Michael Swistak Ann Tagland* Rose Tamburri* & Kristof Iverson* Laura & Michael Targett Joshua Taylor Joel Tepp Howard Tharp Ricky Tharpe Thomas & Marilyn Thies John & Barbara Thomas Diane Thome James Thompson Anne & James Thomson The Threshold Group, LLC Severt Thurston & the Thurston Charitable Foundation Margriet Tindemans Janice Tipp Ian Toms* Alexandra Torrance & Paul Okner Andrew & Diane Torrance John & Marie Torrance William+ & Joanne Torrance William & Pam Torrance Liz Tran* Susan Trapnell & Erik Muller Ann Tritschler Charles & Dale Tritschler Donald & Polly Tritschler Catherine Tsai & Jason Young Susan Valencia Delia & Norman Van Brunt Josef Vascovitz* Van Vinikow Henry & Gloria Wachs Joan Waiss & Steve Wells Mildred Walsh Jenifer Ward Hazel Warlaumont Christine Weh* Scott & Michele Weller Amy Wells Kelly Wergeland Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Margaret Wesselhoeft

Stephen West & Pamela Yorks Peter & Suzanna Westhagen Richard E.T. White & Christine Sumption William Whitener Thomas Whitlock Edith Wieland Michele & Richard Williams Jean & Craig Wilson Howard Wilson Thomas Wilson Roan & Tara Winchester Linda & Holden Withington Philip & Christina Wohlstetter Deborah Wolf Janet Wolverton Alan & Wei-ping Wood Carol Wright Mary & Frank Wyckoff Lisa & Jack Young Jake Ynzunza Andrew & Borbala Zaborski Gifts in Memory/Honor Over the years, gifts to the endowment have been made in memory or honor of some very special people who continue to have a lasting imprint on Cornish, and the community we serve. We join donors in honoring and celebrating the individuals listed below. Gifts in Memory Merce Cunningham (DA ’37–’38) Viola Stevens Barron (MU ‘31–34) Jane Francis Schultz Joan Franks Williams Lynn Goodlad Gwenn Barker Harsh Lawrence Halpern Chris Holland Christine Howe Jeanne-Marie Klepper Thelma Lehmann Deborah Ann Penna (AR ’00) Betsy Torrance Kirby Torrance Thomas Stone Torrance Peter Vinikow Eva Wilcox Gifts in Honor Zel Brook (AR ’96) Bonnie Cohen David DeMoss Jeff Holland & Kate Zylstra Steve Jensen (AR ’82) Judith Kindler Todd & Char Rawlings Terry Sparks Paul Taub Sergei P. Tschernisch Every gift is important to us and we strive to keep accurate records. We apologize if we have inadvertently omitted or incorrectly listed any names. Please call us at 206.726.5064 to advise us of any errors so that we can correct our records. Thank you.

Photo: Winifred Westergard

In MemoriAm—Jon Gierlich, 1941–2011

Jon Gierlich embodied Cornish in a way few have. As a young man, he was drawn to the emerging work of Beat artists and folk doing cool and odd and wonderful things at places such as Black Mountain College, people such as Merce Cunningham and John Cage. He moved to Seattle from the Midwest, mindful of the impact Cornish was having on culture, needing to be a part of it. To our great, manifold benefit, Jon was to teaching born. Generations of Cornish students locate Jon at the very heart of their experience here. – Grant Donesky

Cornish College of the Arts has established the Jon Gierlich Endowed Scholarship Fund to honor Jon’s years of teaching and help future students attend Cornish. To make a gift, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 206.726.5064.

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CREDITS

InSight is published annually by the Office of Institutional Advancement Karen L. Bystrom, ABC Director of Communications 206.726.5169 kbystrom@cornish.edu Contributors Maximilian Bocek, Cathan Bordyn, Diane Fraser, Lindsay Hastings, Mari London, Nichole Rathburn (AR ‘10), Chris Sande, Chris Stollery, Christine Sumption, Lindsay Walter, Winifred Westerfard Design Emily Hooper ©2012 Cornish College of the Arts. All rights reserved.