Connections feb 2016

CoFA

CONNECTIONS

Newsletter

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Edition #4 l February 2016

College of Fine Arts Office of the Dean Work by Lee Somers

Davis Hall, Station 6663 Montevallo, AL 35115 205.665.6663

CONTENT

UPCOMING EVENTS

ART....................................................................3 COMMUNICATION.......................................... 4 MUSIC...............................................................4 THEATRE...........................................................5

20th Annual Art Alumni Auction ............2/12-13 Wood-Firing: Old Dog, New Tricks.......2/18-3/6 MIDDLE SCHOOL HONOR BAND..............2/28

Faculty, Student, and Alumni News

in the month of February at CoFA

About CONNECTIONS

CONNECTIONS is a monthly e-publication of the Dean’s Office of the College of Fine Arts (CoFA). The newsletter is designed to feature faculty and staff achievements, student achievements and news from our alumni. This letter is also intended to make information from departments and the dean’s office more accessible and available in an easy format. We encourage all contributions that include photos of the topic or people themselves so we can get to know each other better. Submissions are due before the 15th of each month. Electronic submissions can be sent to Administrative Assistant JULIE MCENTEE at mcenteej@montevallo. edu.

The COFA Office of the Dean is the academic administrative office at the College, and the personnel office of its undergraduate faculty. The dean’s office oversees faculty hiring and mentoring, reappointment, promotion, tenure, the performance and event season and instructional and support staff for academic departments and programs.

Publication designed by: Amy Mathews ‘15, BFA Graphic Design and Printmaking

STAY CONNECTED

CoFA

CONNECTIONS

Alumni, where are you now? Please tell us what you’ve been up to and load your photo.

facebook.com/finearts.montevallo.edu @fineartsUM @UM_fineartsmoments

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN

If you would like to receive a hard copy version of CoFA CONNECTIONS or to unsubscribe to this email list, please send an email to: cfa@montevallo.edu

the College of Fine Arts?

For more information on upcoming events, please visit: montevallo.edu/cfa and click on the link to CoFA’s New Interactive 2015-2016 Perfomances and Events Calendar or use the following web address: http://www.montevallo. edu/fine-arts/college-of-fine-arts/performances-and-events/

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Department of

Art

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS LEE SOMERS

KAREN GRAFFEO A solo exhibition opened on January 2 in Havana, Cuba at the Julio Larramendi Gallery of Photography. Her exhibition included 20 mixed media images and 30 lenticular (3-D images) with a text installation. She has begun a photographic essay “Troika: three visions of Cuba “with Julio Larramendi and Chip Cooper. They traveled throughout Cuba and will show this project at the University of Montevallo at the Bloch Hall Gallery of Art beginning Fall of 2016. She returns to Cuba in March and June of 2016 to continue this essay and project.

A series of ceramic collages exploring landscape and unconventional material combinations was featured last January in a solo exhibition at the Jane Hartsook Gallery, Greenwich House Pottery, New York City.

He recently showed two works from the series in the annual juried exhibit, Art in Craft Media 2015, at the Burchfield Penney Arts Center in Buffalo, NY. This exhibit included over fifty artists from across the nation and was open from October 10, 2015 to January 25, 2016. Visit burchfieldpenney.org for more images and information. Next stop for this work: Positive/Negative 31, a national juried exhibition opening February 8 at the Slocumb Galleries of Eastern Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN.

STUDENT NEWS

Work by Lee Somers

MICHAEL WILLETT

“The Plastic Project” is a sculpture resulting from a community art project created at the end of last semester by adjunct instructor AMY FEGER and the students enrolled in her ART100-001: Art Awareness class. The sculpture is on display at Carmichael Library until March 10.

There will be an exhibition reception from 5:00 to 6:30 on Thursday, February 25.

has two mixed media works on canvas in a group exhibition titled “Poetic Logic: Collage & Assemblage” at the Sweetwater Center for the Arts, outside Pittsburgh, PA. The exhibition runs through February 26.

Art 100 working on “The Plastic Project”

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Department of

Communication

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Exchange of Scholars (CIES). Lori Ardovino also recently published a review of the compact disc, The Muse’s Voice: A Celebration of Women Composers, in the November issue of the International Alliance for Women in Music Journal. The CD features the music of Nadia Boulanger, Jeanne Demessieux, Judith Bingham, and Jennifer Higdon, with Gail Archer performing on the organ.

DR. TIFFANY WANG has a book chapter entitled “Social Perspectives on Student Learning” in the forthcoming edited book Communication and Learning. Dr. Tiffany R. Wang (COMS) starts several new regional and national association leadership positions in 2016. At the regional level, she serves as Central States Communication Association Communication Education Interest Group Chair/Program Planner and serves on the Federation Prize Committee. At the national level, she serve as National Communication Association Basic Course Division Immediate Past Chair/Instructional Development Division Vice-Chair Elect and serves on the Committee on Committees, Nominating Committee, and Legislative Assembly.

STUDENT NEWS

STUDENT NEWS

The students in Dr. Jody Landers’ Composition class (MUS 421) presented a performance of their collaborative composition “A Life in Five Lines” on December 3 in LeBaron Recital Hall. The work, comprised of settings for solo voice and instruments of 18 tanka of the Japanese poet Kyogoku Tamekane, was the final project for the course.

Each student fulfills simultaneous roles of creator and interpreter, and thus learns the important power of this dynamic synergy and syzygy in the compositional process.

EMME LONG (COMS Senior) was elected to one of the three National Student Representative positions for Lambda Pi Eta COMS Honor Society at the 2015 National Communication Association (NCA) Convention held in Las Vegas, NV. As a National Student Representative, she will plan the annual business meeting and awards ceremony at the 2016 NCA Convention held in Philadelphia, PA in conjunction with the National Faculty Advisory Board and national office staff.

Department of

Music

Young Musicians’ Camp BAND • CHOIR • GUITAR • PIANO

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Sunday, June 19 - Friday, June 24 Talent and need-based camp scholarships available

DR. LORI ARDOVINO has been recommended for the Fulbright Specialist Roster by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the Institute of International Education’s Council for International

(205) 665-6670 • ymc@montevallo.edu www.montevallo.edu/ymc • www.facebook.com/umymc

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Department of

Theatre

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

DR. EMILY GILL won the Broadway World Birmingham Best Costume Design of a Local Play or Musical for Peter and the Starcatcher at City Equity Theatre last summer. Program alum and frequent guest artist Carl Dean won Best Choreographer for The Producers at the Virginia Samford Theatre.

DR. DAVID CALLAGHAN theatre faculty and Chair, is directing the Pulitzer Prize winning musical Next to Normal in February for the Red Mountain Theatre Company, playing at their cabaret space in downtown Birmingham (the cast includes local and NYC professional actors). UM Theatre’s staff accompanist Jennifer Hartsell is serving as the show’s Musical Director.

STUDENT NEWS Eight Musical Theatre majors attended the Amy Murphy Studio’s 3 day musical theatre workshop in NYC in January. The students worked with industry pros including casting directors; Broadway choreographer Randy Skinner; and the conductor and actors from the musical Gentlemen’s Guide To Murder on Broadway. The workshop culminated with them presenting one of the songs at the legendary “Don’t tell Mama” cabaret in the Theatre District.

NYC casting director Tina Marie Casamento-Libby will be working with theatre students on campus for an audition workshop in February 2016. Tina Marie is also the librettist for the musical Chasing Rainbows (about Judy Garland) that will run at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut next year before an intended transfer to Broadway.

The Birmingham Broadwayworld.com awards were finalized and senior musical theatre major SHELLEY MCMOY won the Best Actress award in the local College category for her performance as Sally Bowles in Cabaret.

ALUMNI NEWS

Cabaret was also nominated and placed 2nd for Best College Musical.

May 2016 graduates HUNTER BROWN, JALEN BROWN and Senior JAMES POWERS were nominated in the Best Actor in a Musical (college category) for their work in Cabaret and High Fidelity.

Program alum and frequent guest artist CARL DEAN won Best Choreographer for The Producers at the Virginia Samford Theatre.

Theatre alumnus JULIAN ROBINSON recently edited a large portion of the documentary about Marvel comic superheroes that aired on ABC television this week. Julian received his MFA in Film Directing from Columbia and resides in Los Angeles.

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