7 minute read
2020-21 Highlights
Animal House
HPU INTERIOR DESIGN FACULTY AND ALUMNI REDESIGN HUMANE SOCIETY LOBBY
Dr. Jane Nichols, chair and associate professor of interior design and director of High Point Design Institute, and Victoria Valentinas, HPU Class of 2012, recently volunteered to redesign and refurbish the lobby reception area for the Humane Society of the Piedmont.
The design centers on the idea that new pet owners coming to the facility are providing a ‘forever home’ for their new animals. The concept of the faux brick wall and ‘row-house’ door designs were developed by Nichols and Valentinas, owner of VLV Designs, who executed the custom painting.
“Being asked to collaborate on the Humane Society of the Piedmont project with Dr. Nichols and High Point University was such an honor,” said Valentinas. “It was so rewarding to be able to use the skills I honed at HPU and to help bring joy and beauty to such a great cause, right in the middle of a pandemic. I am so grateful now, not only for the experiences HPU provided me with while I was a student, but also for the opportunities that they have referred to my business as an alumna.”
The space looks like an urban park that welcomes both owners and pets and provides the sense of coming home. A graphic across the wall states, “Maybe we were born to roam, but Baby, there’s no place like home!”
“We wanted to create a welcoming and whimsical place that demonstrates the mission of the Humane Society,” said Nichols. “And we wanted to spread the word about the great pet care the Humane Society provides to the community.”
Victoria Valentinas, HPU Class of 2012; Erin Stratford Owens, executive director of the Humane Society of the Piedmont; and Dr. Jane Nichols, chair and associate professor of interior design at HPU
“it was so rewarding
“it was so rewarding
—VICTORIA VALENTINAS, CLASS OF 2012
Wicked Cool
HPU ALUM MAKES PROFESSIONAL OPERA DEBUT
Laura Hutchins, a 2017 HPU graduate and current HPU adjunct music instructor, made her professional operatic debut in Piedmont Opera’s production of Pauline Viardot’s “Cinderella” on March 19 and 21. She played Maguelonne, one of Cinderella’s stepsisters. Dr. Scott MacLeod, associate professor of music, played the wicked stepfather Baron de Pictordu. The performance was delivered virtually and marked the first time the company produced an opera composed by a woman. It was written in an operetta style that combines musical numbers and dialogue in this re-telling of the wellknown fairy tale.
“I was incredibly grateful to be a part of this production and to work with a company that is displaying such courage and creativity in these artistically challenging times,” said Hutchins. “I know that the training and skills I received at HPU prepared me well. The show was made more significant because Scott MacLeod, one of my most influential mentors at HPU, was also cast in the production. I encourage students to invest in their friends and mentors during school, as these relationships continue far after graduation.”
Laura Hutchins, left, and Dr. Scott MacLeod, below
By Design
STUDENTS AND FACULTY BRING HOME THE AWARDS
Six 2021 HPU graduates and one faculty member were selected to be featured in Creative Quarterly 64, an international publication that features work from the best in graphic design, illustration, photography, and fine art. Winners were Nina Rizzo for graphic design and Will Hoffman for photography. Gabrielle Bryce, Adem Hasanaj, Katherine Minchala, and Sydney Stallings were runners-up for graphic design. Carrie A. Dyer, associate professor of graphic design, was also recognized as a winner in the professional design category.
Nina Rizzo
Will Hoffman
Carrie A. Dyer
Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud
PROFESSOR MARK BROWN PRESENTS ARTWORK IN SOLO EXHIBITION
Mark Brown, associate professor of visual arts, held a solo exhibition titled “Lullaby” at the McGlothlin Center for the Arts at Emory and Henry College. He displayed 30 pieces of his artwork that were imagined and created during the ongoing global pandemic.
Brown titled the exhibition after a quote from Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story, “The Man from Archangel,” that reads, “By that time the sounds of the tempest had become a lullaby to me.”
“An artist creates most of their work in seclusion, so it is always exciting and quite apprehensive when we get to share it with the world,” says Brown. “An artist’s work reflects their worldview and becomes their voice and instrument. I am so appreciative to the McGlothlin Center for the Arts at Emory and Henry College for affording me the opportunity to share my voice and vision with them.”
“king weeble,” oak, butyl rubber, bronze, copper
“sisyphus,” ink & graphite
“deluge,” ink & graphite
“cain,” sugar, ash, resin, butyl rubber
Stars Aligned
INNOVATION IN THE ARTS IN A NON-TRADITIONAL SPACE
Professor Jay Putnam had the great opportunity to create a new work of theater for HPU’s Culp Planetarium over this past year. It’s a play about personal and planetary time and space, featuring original music and dance. The play takes the form of a grand wedding celebration. When the bride doesn’t show up, we follow her story into the past, using the magic and majesty of the Planetarium to guide our journey.
Our Department of Theater & Dance workshopped this new script at the start of the spring semester 2020. A cast and production team of 30 students, staff, and faculty created new work in this non-traditional space, working as dancers, performers, designers, and stage crew. Following a live-streamed production in February, the creative team rewrote, revised, and rehearsed, installing an immersive wedding themed preshow and reception. The company performed to a limited, and delighted, audience in April. Further revisions are underway for a final full production to celebrate Valentine’s Day 2022.
Pictured: Nicholas Carrano as the young groom, Sophia Sharpe as the young bride, Trinity Shayne Maggard as the professor, and Courtney Ceccarini as the young maid of honor.
Photos above from projection designer Sydney Wyatt ’21
Other Selected Faculty Achievements
Robin Driscoll (Oboe) partnered with fellow oboist, Danna Sundet, to create the YouTube channel “The Oboe Doctors”, a pedagogical resource for all things oboe.
Mark Mazzatenta (Guitar), member of The Mazz Brothers Duo, released an album entitled Twin Imagination.
Scott MacLeod (Associate Professor of Music) was a guest artist and masterclass clinician/technician at the University of South Carolina and University of Delaware. He also participated as a panelist with Duke Voice Care Center medical team in a virtual seminar “Ask the Experts: Singing Voice Health During COVID and Beyond.” Finally, he presented Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke University.
Brian Meixner (Director of HPU Community Orchestra) partnered with the city of High Point and High Point Theater on performances in fall and spring for the university and greater High Point community. As Director of the North Carolina Brass Band, he conducted two online concerts in the fall, and as a member of the NC Tuba/Euphonium Consortium, performed at the 5th annual Music for Women International Festival.
Scott Raynor (Associate Professor of Art) had work accepted in four different shows sponsored by Maryland Federation of Art, Alexandria Museum of Art, Blue Mountain Gallery in NYC, and the 40th International Mini Print Exhibition (a touring exhibition in Spain, France, UK).
Bruce Shores (Instructor of Art) exhibited five paintings at Greenhill Center for NC Art’s Winter Show and “Oldenburg Fragment” for Small Wonders at the Maryland Federation of Art.
Rusty Smith (Trumpet) presented at the 6th annual Indiana University William Adam Trumpet Festival.
Chris Thompson (Director of Drumline) released his first single “Masterplan (feat. Xavier ware)” of a planned visual album entitled “Life’s Blueprint” that combines a motivational message with a unique blend of contemporary percussion, jazz, classical, hip-hop, and rap.
J.W. Turner (Associate Professor of Music) performed Charles Wuorinen’s “Cello Variations II” on Charlotte New Music’s streaming concert series “The Current”.
Benita VanWinkle (Associate Professor of Art) exhibited six works at the Outdoor Artwalk in Downtown Durham, NC and the South X Southeast Gallery, Molena, GA.
