CONNECTIONS
from the College of Fine Arts Fall 2017 Edition
NEW HOME FOR COMMUNICATION
Strong Hall Opens
OUR VISION To be a 21st century destination college where teaching, making, production and research W O R K T O G E T H E R as key components of creative practice where the world and the college meet in the S Y N E R G I E S of liberal arts and conservatory-style arts programs
Strong Hall, the new state-of-the-art home of the Department of Communication, opened for classes this fall. For the first time, both the Communication Studies and Mass Communication programs share the same facility. Strong Hall features a studio for video production with HD capability, production labs for video and audio production, new teaching labs and master classrooms, a student commons area and department offices. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Sept. 6.
and where faculty think in new ways as models of the CREATIVE THINKERS and problem solvers our students will become.
CANDIDLY SPEAKING — FROM THE DEAN’S DESK Welcome to Fall 2017 in the College of Fine Arts (COFA) at the University of Montevallo. It’s a new academic year and I am really excited about this first-ever print edition of Connections, our semi-annual COFA magazine. Truly amazing things are happening every day in the College of Fine Arts. I am so grateful for our future-oriented administration, loyal alumni and the philanthropy of our donors, all of which are vital to advancing the COFA. It is great to affirm that the fine arts are literally on the move at UM. The Department of Communication has just opened the doors of its new home, Strong Hall. The facility, a long-held dream of the faculty, is a unified, state-of-the-art home for students in the Mass Communication and Communication Studies programs. Mass Communication students will learn by using the very latest technologies in digital journalism, HD broadcasting, social media, video and audio engineering and digital editing. Falcon Weekly will have a new HD studio home as well. Communication Studies majors will learn from our expert faculty in two 21st century, flexibleuse classrooms designed especially for that program. We want our students to become leaders in their fields. Over the summer months, as Strong Hall construction and renovations were underway, I led COFA faculty representatives in programming and design meetings with Davis Architects of Birmingham to plan a multimillion dollar “collaboratory,” a Center for the Arts at UM that will be a long-awaited new home for the Department of Theatre. The Center will also serve as a one-of-a-kind arts complex that is technologically connected to Strong Hall and to Davis Hall, home of the Music Department. With design-thinking
approaches to creating a collaboratory, we will bring together a new art gallery, dance studio, sound recording facilities, digital fabrication and design labs, a scene shop and two immersive performance venues. The Center will welcome new students, faculty members, the campus community, Shelby County residents and beyond in extraordinary new ways. This fall’s edition also features some of the less widely visible summer activities of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. It invites you to see what we do through the lens of 21st century teaching, learning and research. The COFA’s 2017-2018 season of events and performances is our opportunity to invite you and others into the creative process first-hand as audiences and participants. On the back inside cover of this edition, you will find a season calendar-at-a-glance of the fall semester’s public performances, along with information about UM’s convenient new online ticketing system. You may also want to check out our new web page for the COFA that features the 2017-2018 season in greater detail. As you skim through the following pages, whether you are an alumnus of a program or a friend of the UM family, I hope you will enjoy this glimpse into the creative research practices of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. I bet you will also catch a little glimpse of yourself in our amazing stories along the way. Better yet, come see our students becoming the best artists they can be and become part of our thriving community!
Dr. Steven Peters COFA Dean
Center for the Arts We are pleased to announce that Davis Architects, Inc. of Birmingham has been selected as the architect firm for the new Center for the Arts. The Center is currently in the design phase. The groundbreaking ceremony to is planned for spring 2018. The new Center, located on the site of the former Jeter Hall, will serve all four departments of the College of Fine Arts and will feature two performance venues, a recording studio, a gallery, a dance studio, a digital fabrication
studio, production shops, a digital design studio and other support and faculty offices. The Center is scheduled to open in time for classes in fall 2019. The Center will embody the College’s core values with facilities serving Art, Communication Music and a home for Theatre. The Center will feature a new type of teaching and learning environment for the COFA, one that encourages students and faculty from all four departments to work together across
traditional disciplinary boundaries. That’s why we think of the Center as a 21st century “collaboratory” — a place where people who typically work in separate buildings can bump into each other, see each other at work and engage in spontaneous conversations that may lead to team teaching and interdisciplinary projects. In fact, the Center has the potential to become a creative engine for discovery and innovation that will impact the entire University and the community of Montevallo.
Standing Ovation EUN-HEE PARK
New Head of Piano Program
The Department of Music welcomes Dr. Eun-Hee Park, assistant professor of music, to the University of Montevallo as head of the Piano concentration. Dr. Park was previously on the faculty of the University of Southern Mississippi. She holds degrees from Florida State University (D.M.), Oklahoma City University (M.M.) and Colorado Mesa University (B.A.). Dr. Park has also served as principal pianist with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and as staff pianist at The Hartt School, Interlochen Arts Camp and Oklahoma City University. As a soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Park has been the recipient of numerous prizes, scholarships, grants and awards. She is also a dedicated church organist/pianist, having served churches both in South Korea and the U.S. As a devoted educator, Dr. Park has held educational residencies at Escape2Create at Seaside Institute Florida, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the Tallahassee Youth Orchestras and the Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center. She has given masterclasses at numerous universities in the U.S., Brazil, Costa Rica and South Korea.
Closeup
TIM LUPINACCI
New UM Board of Trustee Tim Lupinacci was confirmed by the Alabama Legislature as a new University of Montevallo Board of Trustees member on March 9. Lupinacci is a 1988 graduate of UM, where he majored in mass communication. He went on to earn his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1991. Lupinacci, shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Birmingham office, is chair of the firm’s financial services department. He concentrates his practice in the areas of bankruptcy and restructuring, financial services and transactions and health law. He has extensive experience with workouts and bankruptcies involving defaulted commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) loans.
LANE AWARDED COLLEGE NIGHT HONOR
Marcus Lane, associate professor of theatre, was this year’s recipient of the College Night dedication. He was also the recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award from the College of Fine Arts, an award that recognizes faculty for their excellence, creativity and innovation in the classroom. Lane was presented with a plaque and check from Dr. Steve Peters at the final COFA meeting in April.
Solo Performances FACULTY/STAFF NEWS Art
Karen Graffeo, professor of art, was recently interviewed by The BLOG at Terrain regarding her photography project documenting Europe’s Roma community. The article may be found online at www.shopterrain.com/ article/wild-wise-karen-graffeo. Tanner Young, assistant professor of art, directed the team from UM that competed in the Student Cupola Contest at the 2017 Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art + Practices (NCCCIAP) at Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham. They competed against nine other schools and brought home the award for Best Production Furnace. The competition required each team to build a fully functional furnace for casting iron. This involved constructing the furnace itself, but also all of the accompanying hardware and tools required for pouring hot iron. On-site at the conference, students demonstrated the functionality of their furnace by pouring hot iron into the required competition molds. Participating universities included: Alfred University, Carmarthen School of Art (Wales, UK), Colorado Mesa University, Georgia State University, University of Kentucky, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, University of Memphis, University of Montevallo, University of North Florida and University of Southern Mississippi.
Communication
Olivia Folmar Ard ’12, communication department administrative assistant, published an article about her experiences with infertility, “Willing to Wait for It,” with the online magazine Christ and Pop Culture. Dr. Jay Cofield, professor of mass communication, and Brook Pruitt, assistant professor of mass communication, supervised a group of mass communication students at the XTERRA Oak Mountain Trail Runs in May. Together, they filmed, edited and produced video highlighting the event. Dr. Bruce Finklea ’07, associate professor of mass communication, won two first place awards from the National Electronic Media Association’s
Professional and Alumni Production Competition for his commercial and a special open video for Falcon Weekly. The 2017 Chi Omega Favorite Professor Dinner in March honored Dr. Bruce Finklea, associate professor of mass communication, and Brook Pruitt, assistant professor of mass communication. Brook Pruitt, assistant professor of mass communication, recently became one of only two Adobe Certified Expert in Premiere Pro ACEs in the state of Alabama. Dr. Sherry Greenwood Ford, Dr. Sally Bennett Hardig and Dr. Raymond Ozley, professors of communication studies, and Dr. Tiffany Wang, assistant professor of communication studies, published an article titled “COMS Day as a Communication Senior Capstone Team Project” in Communication Teacher. In April, along with alum and collaborator Rebecca Leach ’15 they were awarded the “Top Paper” award by the Instructional Development Division of the Southern States Communication Association (SSCA). Gheni Platenburg, instructor of mass communication, co-authored an article titled “From Black-ish to Blackness: An Analysis of Black Information Sources’ Influence on Black Identity Development” in the Journal of Black Studies.
Music
On March 14, Dr. Ted Hoffman, associate professor of music education and faculty advisor to UM’s chapter of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), was recognized as one of two 2017 UM Advisors of the Year during the annual Student Life Presidents and Advisors Banquet. Dr. Hoffman tied for the honor with Mr. Doug Ford, the volunteer chapter advisor to Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
Theatre
Dr. David Callaghan, professor of theatre, recently became the co-editor of the peer reviewed section of the magazine of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the national union for professional directors and choreographers. Michael Walker, assistant professor of theatre, directed professional productions of “The God of Carnage” and “Hairspray” for the Thingamajig Theatre Company in Colorado.
STUDENT NEWS Communication
Morgan Evans (MC junior) was a featured speaker at the Sports and Entertainment Industry Symposium (SES) held in Birmingham in April. The event was sponsored by DarknessToLightFilms. The SES brings students, film producers, music producers and others together to share insights into the behind the scenes, inner workings of the sports and entertainment industry. Evans produced and directed “Predestination,” a 25-minute short film about a man who is given the power of time travel. Christie Johnson and Jessica Ledford (COMS seniors) had their undergraduate paper “‘But I Love You!’: Understanding Young Adult Reader’s Chosen Conflict Styles and Management Within Romantic Relationships” accepted to the Alabama Communication Association Convention, which was held in July in Birmingham. Mollie Boynton, Christie Johnson and Paris Nelson (COMS seniors) had their undergraduate research papers accepted to the National Communication Association Convention that will take place in Dallas, in November. Paper titles were “To Grump or Not to Grump: The Rising Popularity of Let’s Play on YouTube” (Boynton), “Promoting Communication Within a Learning Environment Among Toddlers and Preschoolers” (Johnson) and “Understanding the Adversities that Affect First-Generation Students and Their Transition to Higher Education” (Nelson). The Lambda Nu chapter of Lambda Pi Eta hosted its second annual etiquette dinner on April 12. Xavier Scruggs (senior COMS minor) spent the summer at the Michigan State University Summer Research Opportunity Program. He attended Stats Camp, composed a paper, made a research presentation and began statistical research. Paris Nelson (COMS) completed an internship with Ellesse Edu in Rome, Italy, this summer. Mary Light (COMS and Political Science junior) spent the summer interning for U.S. Representative Martha Roby in Washington, D.C. Her duties included special projects
with Communication Director Todd Stacy and Press Secretary Emily Taylor. Dom DeVille (COMS senior) spent the summer interning with the Warriors Baseball & First Base Foundation in Mill Valley, California. Elizabeth Rhinehart (MC senior) studied abroad at la Universidad Menéndez-Pelayo in Barcelona, Spain, to complete her Spanish minor. Chase Johnston (MC senior) spent the summer interning with Lambda Chi Alpha’s Communications Department in Indianapolis. Shelbie Tunnell (MC senior) spent the summer interning with Time Inc. Studios in Birmingham. Christie Johnson (COMS) spent the summer interning at Renaissance Marion Inc. Alex Lerdo de Tejada (MC senior) spent the summer interning with WBRC in Birmingham. Kirsty Neely (COMS senior) spent the summer interning at Cummings Research Park at the Huntsville/ Madison County Chamber of Commerce. Savannah Willard and Jonathan Mendoza (COMS seniors) will serve as Montevallo Masters for the 20172018 academic year. Jalen Thompson (MC senior) spent part of the summer working with Dr. Tanya González from Kansas State University on her research into representations of immigrants on contemporary television. Christie Johnson, Paris Nelson and Mollie Boynton (COMS majors) and communication studies alumna Brinkley Jones ’17, presented at UM’s 2017 Undergraduate Research Day. Nelson won first place in the Undergraduate Research Day XX Oral Presentations Session 2. Ana Klinger (COMS sophomore) and Jamie Haas (COMS junior) represented the University at the Alabama Women Student Leaders Conference at Samford University in March.
Music
William Daniel Yates (senior) was one of five music education students in the nation to receive the Professional Achievement Award by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). The award
recognizes students who display a committed dedication to music education and NAfMe.
Theatre
The Department of Theatre submitted its self-study for membership in the National Association for Schools of Theatre (NAST) in January. The NAST site visit is in October. New York City director/actor and Education Director of the Broadway Dreams Organization Craig D’Amico was on campus recently to work with five students on the BFA Musical Senior Showcase performed in April. Tauhany Cleghorn and Ashley Woodson (seniors) performed in the Birmingham Children’s Theatre production of “The Frog Prince” in July as part of the WeeFolks Musical series. The BCT auditions were held on campus this past April. Approximately 15 theatre majors worked professionally around the U.S. this summer in acting and technical positions.
The Gallery ALUMNI NEWS Communication
Amelia Bennett ’14 (MC) accepted a position as social media assistant with Strong Automotive Merchandising. Heather Buckner ’14 (MC) won first place for Public Service from the Alabama Associated Press Media Editors. Mikia Carter ’12 (PR minor) co-authored and published the book, “Careers in Student Affairs: A Holistic Guide to Professional Development in Higher Education.” Carter is a special initiatives coordinator at the University of West Florida. Giselle Casadaban ’17 (COMS) spent the summer interning with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama before beginning her graduate studies at The University of Alabama this fall. She will be pursuing a Master of Arts in Public Relations and Advertising. Kim Chance ’07 (MC) will have her young adult novel “Keeper” published by North Star Editions with a release date in early 2018. Lillie Childers ’17 (COMS) accepted a yearlong position with Impact
America’s SpeakFirst Debate Program’s coaching staff in Birmingham. Brinkley Jones ’17 (COMS) accepted a full-time position as YMCA Camp Chandler Program director in Wetumpka, Alabama, upon her graduation in May. Carly Laing ’14 (MC) accepted a morning anchor position with WVLA in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Roosevelt Mendez ’16 (COMS) has been accepted to Northeastern University’s M.Ed. program in Higher Education Administration. Mendez and Crystal Roskam ’16 (COMS) presented at the first Jefferson State Community College SGA Leadership Summit in April. Adam Pettway ’17 (MC) accepted a position of news content specialist with WSFA. Pettway also completed an internship with Alabama Public Television before graduating in May. Brianna Rose ’17 (MC) spent the summer interning with WIAT. Leah Miller Simpson ’07 (MC/ COMS double major) received her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Tennessee Tech University. Haley Brooke Smith ’16 (COMS) was promoted to admissions counselor at UM. Jessica Spradlin ’16 (COMS) accepted a position as director of operations for Alabama Sweet Tea Co. Clarke Stackhouse ’15 (MC) will begin graduate studies at The University of Alabama, where he will pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Management. Lynsey Weatherspoon ’06 (COMS) received the International Women’s Day 2017 Outstanding Partner Award for furthering gender diversity and inclusion in technology at Women Who Code Atlanta. Robin White ’17 (MC) completed an internship with Strong Automotive before graduating in May. He was a national finalist in the PSA Category of the 54th Annual National Undergraduate Student Electronic Media Competition for his video “Take Back the Tap” during his final semester at UM. Sabrina Zizo ’16 (COMS) served as co-chair for the Alabama Rivers Alliance Junior Board.
Music
Richie Lisenby ’11 recently starred in his second off-Broadway musical, “The Little Mermaid,” playing the role of the Prince at the Literally Alive Theatre in Manhattan. Tucker Ratcliff ’17 was appointed choir director for Grissom High School in Huntsville, Alabama, for the 2017-2018 school year. Matt Suddarth ’17 has been named elementary band director for Barrett and Henry J. Oliver Elementary Schools in Birmingham, for the 2017-2018 school year. Michael Harrison ’16 is the newly appointed choir director at Barrett Elementary School in Birmingham. Lindsey Folsom Underwood ’10 has been named band director at Montevallo High School and Middle School beginning in fall 2017. Amber Breanne Yates ’17 was appointed choir director for Calera Middle School for the 2017-2018 school year.
Theatre
Katy Beddingfeld ’16 started a new production position (wig and makeup focus) at the Sight and Sounds Theatre in Branson, Missouri. Grant Bowen ’11, who resides in New York City, recently joined the actors union, AEA, while appearing in a production of “Godspell” at the Infinity Theatre in Annapolis, Maryland. Lindsey Bristol ’12 recently made her off-Broadway debut in New York City and was also the casting associate on Garth Dabrinsky’s Broadway Bound musical “Sousatzka,” which premiered this spring in Toronto. Bristol works for Arnold Mungioli Casting. She met Arnold Mungioli when he came to UM as a guest artist. Hunter Brown ’15 performed in a new musical, “Monster Beautiful,” at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in Los Angeles, where he resides. Michael Cleary ’16 returned to the Thunder Bay Theatre in Michigan and also performed in “Fiddler on the Roof ” and “Newsies” at Red Mountain Theatre Company. Stephen Elkins ’08 and Rebecca Aparicio’s ’07 musical “Pedro Pan” returned to New York City via the prestigious New York Musical Festival. Casting director Jason Styres
’06 cast the show, which included Tony Award winning actor Wilson Jermaine Heredia from the original cast of “Rent.” Hannah-Jean Farris ’12 recently teamed up with Adjunct Instructor Jen Lane as the equity production stage manager and stage manager for “Mary Poppins” at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Farris is also the resident stage manager at the Playmakers Repertory Theatre in North Carolina. Melissa Lawler ’15 continues to perform in various professional musical revues at Dollywood in Tennessee. James Powers ’16 performed leading roles in “Peter and the Starcatcher” and “Young Frankenstein” at the Black Hills Playhouse in South Dakota. New York City-based actor Katie Raulerson ’15 returned to Birmingham to play the role of Gypsy Rose Lee in the classic musical “Gypsy” at the Virginia Samford Theatre. The production also featured recent graduate Shelley McMoy ’16 in the role of Dainty June, with choreography by Carl Dean ’96. Jade Rice ’12 spent the summer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, working as a production assistant and personal assistant to actress Sela Ward on the TV show “Graves” for the Epix Channel. Jeff Speetjens ’04 has been working in production design for Kevin Hart’s entertainment company in Los Angeles, while continuing to work as an independent director and puppeteer at the Bootsy Bellows nightclub in Beverly Hills. Danielle Warren ’07 was the props master for the professional summer season at Red Mountain Theatre Company. Jared Wright ’17 returned for his third season at Red Mountain Theatre Company where he was a dancer in the ensemble of “Newsies.” Wright was previously seen at RMTC in “The Little Mermaid” and “Mary Poppins.”
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Davis Hall, Station 6663 Montevallo, AL 35115 205-665-6663 www.montevallo.edu/cfa
Season at a Glance (Fall Semester) — Free and ticketed events For latest details and performance times, go to www.montevallo.edu/cfa. SEPTEMBER 19 20 25 26 9/28-10/19
OCTOBER
Laurie Middaugh, piano; Joe Ortiguera, violin LeBaron Recital Hall Alabama Symphony Orchestra Explorers Concert Palmer Auditorium Festival of Voices Concert Palmer Auditorium Joseph Ardovino, trumpet; Laurie Middaugh, piano LeBaron Recital Hall Gaby Wolodarski: Pigurative Faintings The Gallery at Bloch Hall
5-9 “The Wolves”* Chichester Black Box Theatre 16 LeBaron Trio LeBaron Recital Hall 17 Guest artist Amit Weiner, pianist and composer* LeBaron Recital Hall 19 Wind Ensemble Concert Palmer Auditorium 20 National Association of Composers, USA* LeBaron Recital Hall 26 COMS Day Strong Hall Concert Choir and University Chorus LeBaron Recital Hall 27 Guest artist Lily Afshar, guitar* LeBaron Recital Hall Scare My Shorts Off! horror film festival Strong Hall 10/29-11/2 Senior Capstone Art Exhibition The Gallery at Bloch Hall 30 Brass and Percussion Ensembles Concert LeBaron Recital Hall
NOVEMBER
4 Keith Lemmons, clarinet; Joseph Lulloff, saxophone LeBaron Recital Hall 5 Single Reed Symposium Concert LeBaron Recital Hall 5-9 Senior Capstone Art Exhibition The Gallery at Bloch Hall 10-11 Opera Scenes LeBaron Recital Hall 12-16 Senior Capstone Art Exhibition The Gallery at Bloch Hall 13 Woodwind Chamber Ensembles Concert LeBaron Recital Hall 14 Jazz Ensemble Concert Palmer Auditorium 16 Katherine Decker, cello; Eun-Hee Park, piano LeBaron Recital Hall 16-20 “Hair, The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical”* Reynolds Studio Theatre 26-30 Senior Capstone Art Exhibition The Gallery at Bloch Hall 28 A Montevallo Choral Christmas Lucille Ryals Colonial Chapel at the American Village 30 Wind Ensemble Concert Palmer Auditorium
If you would like to receive our monthly email COFA Calendar of Performances, contact us at cfa@montevallo.edu or call 205-665-6663.
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Department of Art Bloch Hall 205-665-6400 Department of Communication Strong Hall 205-665-6625 Department of Music Davis Hall 205-665-6670 Department of Theatre Reynolds Hall 205-665-6210
DECEMBER
1 Community School of Music Honors Recital LeBaron Recital Hall 2 Fall One Act (Short Play) Festival* Chichester Black Box Theatre 3 Community School of Music Recital LeBaron Recital Hall 3-7 Senior Capstone Art Exhibition The Gallery at Bloch Hall
*Post-performance Talkback
Performance and event details and information: www.montevallo.edu/cfa