college of arts, media, and communication
news
“Small Gifts” by Sherry Short
2013-2014 | mnstate.edu/camc
college of arts, media, and communication
news
Dear Friends: The Spring semester is underway at Minnesota State University Moorhead. We have a new President and are working to implement our new strategic plan, “Fulfilling Our Promise.” In the pages that follow, you’ll read about how the College of Arts, Media and Communication fulfills our promise to our students. ▸ We are working with business partners, such as Forum Communications so that our students receive state-of-the-art and hands-on learning opportunities; ▸ We use the latest technology in our teaching, as exemplified by the iPad initiative in our Music Industry program; ▸ We create interdisciplinary experiences for students, such as our collaboration with the James Sewell Ballet this past spring. We have also realigned our academic departments into a new structure with new names. This alignment will help us achieve greater synergy and efficiency. In the College of Arts, Media and Communication, we now have the following departments: ▸ School of Communication and Journalism, formerly the Communication Studies and Mass Communication Departments; ▸ School of Media Arts and Design, including Film Studies, Graphic Communication and Graphic Design; ▸ School of Performing Arts, formerly the Music and Theatre Arts Departments; ▸ School of Visual Arts, formerly the Department of Art & Design. I hope you are able to connect with us in some way in the coming months. A list of upcoming events is included later in this newsletter. We also continue to hold alumni events around the country and I enjoy visiting with alums at those events. You can also follow me on Twitter to learn about the accomplishments of our students and faculty. I’m proud of the work of our faculty, staff, and students and am pleased to share their work with you in this newsletter. Enjoy! Sincerely,
Dr. Tim Borchers Dean, College of Arts, Media and Communication Email: borchers@mnstate.edu | Twitter: @tborchers
> Cover artwork: MSUM Art Professor Sherry Short, “Small Gifts,” watercolor on paper, 4 3/4" x 6 3/4"
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College of Arts, Media, and Communication News
School of Visual Arts
USING ART
TO HELP AT-RISK YOUTH
m
ART
arissa Van Vleet doesn’t order people around, or bench press 100 pounds. But this young woman is a powerful person. Melissa has a different kind of strength – she can see the potential in other people, including people that mostly go unnoticed, who face more than average challenges in life, who are too young to have much impact on anyone.
“I have met better drawers, better painters, smarter students and more eloquent individuals than myself,” says Marissa about her four years at MSUM and as a volunteer at United Churches for the Homeless. “When I have the chance to teach, it’s not about my drawings, my paintings, or how good I am. My job is to help students develop skills and encourage their efforts to explore the world around them using art.” Marissa will graduate this spring with a degree in art education. Originally from Beech, N. Dak., she graduated from Bismarck High. Just a few years ago, she wasn’t sure how she might pursue art as a career. “In high school, you’re told to pursue your passion,” she says. “Unless, of course, it’s art. Don’t pursue that! A lot of people think an art degree is a silly decision.” Marissa wasn’t deterred. She opted for art therapy, which would require an art education degree with a psychology minor. She wasn’t sure exactly where that would take her, but she plunged in, thinking the blend of psychology, counseling and art would be a good fit.
An art education class with instructor Dave Tack changed everything.
“Dr. Tack’s class opened my eyes to the variety of careers within the field of education, and the incredible impact teachers can make on the lives of their students,” says Marissa. “After that, I realized that my happiest moments occurred as I was teaching art and watching students creatively address the questions they encountered.” She began volunteering last year at Churches United for the Homeless as part of an upperlevel education class. The purpose was to
participate in an educational setting that was not a school. “I love working with students in nontraditional settings,” says Marissa. The challenges of the Churches United program – irregular schedules of participants, a mix of ages and levels and other variables – haven’t discouraged her. A year later, she still volunteers there twice a week, teaching Art Club on Saturdays for students who live in the shelter and to former shelter residents who come back to visit. She’s actually thankful for the particular obstacles she faces teaching art at the shelter. “I must try and learn to be an effective teacher to the kids that show up, no matter who they are.” In addition to her work at the Churches United shelter, she’s also taught art at the West Central Juvenile Detention Center, to students in the Legacy Children’s Foundation (an after school program for at-risk youth), at Kennedy Elementary’ s multi-cultural art night, and with the New Americans Program through Lutheran Social Services. “I want to continue to use art with populations who may not have easy access to visual art, and can benefit from it,” she says. “I think what prompts me to keep going and trying is the hope that I will have a positive impact on a student’s life and that I can encourage the passion and talent I see so often in the people around me.” Marissa hopes someday to live overseas, teaching, but when she returns, she wants to continue what she began at MSUM last year – providing art to at-risk youth. “I try to focus on the students and what they need. I didn’t know it was possible to care so much about so many people.”
ART FACULTY WELCOMES
PRINTMAKER Patrick Vincent joined the faculty as a professor of printmaking in the School of Visual Arts last fall. Originally from Minneapolis, he received a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and a master of fine arts degree from Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz. He has worked for Studio on Fire, a design/ letterpress workspace; at Pyracantha Press at ASU; and taught at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. He also taught at the Lawrence Art Center, Lawrence, Kan. With his foundation in books, printmaking, and design, Patrick creates original works of art and collaborates with individuals through print media. He has shown in solo, duo and juried exhibitions all over the country; contributed articles to art publications; and won awards for a variety of work.
2013-2014 | mnstate.edu/camc
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School of Communication and Journalism
MARCIL CENTER
FOR INNOVATIVE
JOURNALISM Marcil gift provides new tools for future newshounds uring the 20th century, the AP Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style were the handiest and most reliable tools a journalist had. Today, journalists need much more than a spiral-bound set of rules and guidelines to write compelling, accurate and easilyunderstood news stories. “Today’s journalists must be familiar with the wide range of functions within the news organization and be able to work in collaborative teams across print, broadcast, and digital platforms,” explains Tim Borchers, dean of the College of Arts, Media and Communication. A $1 million gift from William C. and Jane B. Marcil to Minnesota State University Moorhead will help prepare journalists for their careers. Working together with the Forum Communications Company, MSUM faculty and staff are implementing the William C. and Jane B. Marcil Center for Innovative Journalism at MSUM. “Innovation is a new constant for our business and The Marcil Center provides a powerful new connection to the university that opens our doors for new and exciting programs,” said Paul Amundson, Vice President of Digital for Forum Communications. “The integrated nature of today’s journalism platforms means that a newspaper article may be accompanied by video when it appears on the newspaper’s website,” says Borchers. “Students today must work in this integrated environment.” The Center will also teach business skills to prepare students to run small-town newspapers. “This Center is one way The Forum can continue to develop future employees,” notes Borchers. “It’s a win-win relationship we are forming with Forum Communications.”
> Hillary Clifton-Sloan, a student in the School of Communication and Journalism, was one of five MSUM students who worked as apprentices at the Forum this fall.
The first major initiative of the Center is the creation of the Entrepreneurial Sports Journalism Collaborative. MSUM students will work with The Forum staff members to launch an enterprising, comprehensive and statewide sports journalism business. “The MSUM students selected to participate in the apprentice program bring excitement, energy and a desire to create and learn, “ said Amundson. ▪
INNOVATION Innovation is a new constant for our business and The Marcil Center provides a powerful new connection to the university that opens our doors for new and exciting programs.” –Paul Amundson, Vice President of Digital for Forum Communications.
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College of Arts, Media, and Communication News
THE INFERNO
AND THE DRAGONS Cities ballet company uses MSUM students in world premiere event
l
INFERNO
School of Performing Arts
ast spring, our own Hansen Theatre hosted the world premiere performance of “Inferno” by James Sewell Ballet. The performance engaged our visual and auditory senses, challenged our ideas of right and wrong, thrilled most in the audience and, not unexpectedly, offended a few. The ballet, created by James Sewell, is based on Dante’s literary masterpiece about hell – The Inferno.
The week leading to the performance contained several related events, and was especially challenging and meaningful for six brave MSUM students – Caleb Reich, Jonathan Reich, Rebecca Paul, Lynea Behnke, Erica Zander and Amber Nagengast – who were chosen through auditions to join the troupe of professional dancers for the premiere. Their performances on stage were the culmination of a two-year relationship with the James Sewell Ballet. During that time, these students worked with James Sewell and his dancers through residencies here in Moorhead and at the JSB studio in Minneapolis.
“The work MSUM theatre and dance students did with James Sewell provided them with a wonderful learning experience,” says Craig Ellingson, director of theatre. “Not only did it complement the training received on campus, it also allowed them to grow in personal confidence.”
Student dancer Jonathan Reich was surprised to find that the professional dancers were fun to be around. “One expects ballet dancers to be perfect and very intense, but they were very friendly and liked to play and have fun.” Reich noted that Sewell approached rehearsals collaboratively. “A lot of times, he would give an overarching concept, experience or emotion, and ask dancers to generate movement for it. He would add, and edit or give specific choreography for things that he wanted more control of. It was a lot like creating preparatory sketches for a final drawing.”
Changes occurred on the spot, especially during the week leading to the performance. “Somehow, our panic levels were very subdued,” Reich says. “I think that we must have trusted the company and James trusted us, and we believed that the show would be good no matter what.”
If he could, he’d do it all over again, Reich says. “It was a very special experience. I was able to get an inside look into the creative process of a ballet, the way dancers, work, and how multiple disciplines, cognitive processes and historical development in dance connect to create a contemporary production.”
The partnership with the James Sewell Ballet Company extended beyond the theatre program. Because Sewell’s ballet was based on The Inferno, other departments and community members got involved. English students in Stephen Hamrick’s English literature course on Dante used the performance to test ideas they developed through the semester and attended a lecture in Fox Recital Hall by John Kerr, a Dante scholar from Saint Mary’s University. Kerr’s lecture was followed by a public performance by guest artist Jihye Chang, who presented a lecture recital using piano music inspired by concepts of heaven and hell. Students in the School of Visual Arts created art works in their classes based on Dante’s work or on their own conceptions of hell; film students from a video production course visited with the sound designer and the production designer on the work they do; a drawing class attended a dance rehearsal for movement drawing exercises; two of Sewell’s dancers met with faculty members in the Faculty Development Center for a discussion on “teaching as performance”; and students from local high schools attended a performance and demonstration conducted by the James Sewell Ballet.
“I was most impressed by the genuine warmth, openness and kindness that every member of the Sewell Ballet Company displayed in all the encounters in which I participated or that I observed,” says English faculty member Laura Fasick. “We all hope that our students will grow into role models in all kinds of ways, both in the quality of their work and in the way they treat others while doing their work. I felt that the Sewell dancers gave our students and us an example of such role models.” MSUM student dancer Erica Zander also appreciated the collaborative spirit between James Sewell Ballet and MSUM, and was impressed with how everyone worked together to involve both professionals and students in every aspect of the production. “Having the opportunity to work with a professional ballet company was amazing to begin with, but to develop a new piece and premiere it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” ▪
2013-2014 | mnstate.edu/camc
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School of Media Arts and Design
THE SCHOOL OF
MEDIA ARTS AND DESIGN
WELCOMES DESIGNER
> Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson, right, talks with film alum Katie Diiro.
FILM STUDIES FROM ZERO TO 135 IN 10 YEARS Students in the Film Studies program see a lot of the world – through the lenses of their cameras and through the eyes of each other. Students come from New York, Nevada, Texas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Columbia, Nepal, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and other farreaching places, as well as more local ones. The department got its start with Ted Larson, who taught Film Studies classes in the 1970s. After his death, Rusty Casselton took over, and soon noticed a strong interest and need for more film production classes, says Kyja KristjanssonNelson, Chair of the School of Media Arts & Design. Growth was slow at first, with a few classes in super-8mm production added. After that, interest took off. “Students needed more course offerings, like 16 mm production, and specialized courses in directing, producing, post-production, animation and more,” says Kristjansson-Nelson. Once the major was established in 2004, the number of students selecting it doubled every year for several years, reaching 135 majors and many minors. Kristjansson-Nelson says the department is always changing to reflect the creative and technological landscape students enter once they graduate.
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“We have been developing ways for film students to collaborate with students in other programs – graphics, music, theatre – because collaboration and the ability to talk and work across disciplines is very important to a career trajectory in film and media,” she says. “We also stress the importance of applying what they learn, through internships, projects and events.” MSUM’s department is the only one in the region that offers a B.A. degree in film production and film studies within the context of a liberal arts education. Graduates of the program find work in many areas and in many parts of the country. “We have alums working in television, news, commercials, features, film festivals, and in other markets as well,” says Kristjansson-Nelson. Film Studies alums live in Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, FargoMoorhead, and many other places, she notes. The School of Media Arts and Design received the 2013 MnSCU award for Excellence in Curriculum Programming, says Tim Borchers, dean of the College of Arts, Media and Communication. “The award has many selection criteria,” he says, “which includes high job placement in the field, collaboration with the local and campus community and excellent educational programming both in and outside the classroom.”
College of Arts, Media, and Communication News
Thomas Anstadt was hired as Assistant Professor of Graphic Design last fall. He joined the faculty in 2003 as an adjunct instructor, and became a full-time instructor in 2008. He is also a graphic designer, motion designer, and mixed-media artist at his firm, Anstadt Creative, which he started in 1998. Anstadt received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Concentration in Graphic Design from MSUM in 1995. He continued his education at the University of North Dakota, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts with a Concentration in Mixed Media Graphic Design. He has won 24 Ad Federation of FargoMoorhead ADDY Awards, District Case VI Gold and Bronze Awards for Excellence In Marketing Communications, and the Microsoft Business Solutions Excellence Quality Services Award.
College of Arts, Media and Communication
STUDENTS WIN
WITH NEW RIVERS PRESS
COVER DESIGNS
NEW ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS
EXPAND AID TO STUDENTS
Three cover designs created by MSUM students for books published by New Rivers Press were selected as winners in the 2014 American Inhouse Design Awards by Graphic Design USA. From more than 4,000 entries, just 15 percent were recognized with Award Certificates of Excellence. Students whose designs won are Rachel Brixius for Star in the Sky, Renae Hansen for Borrowed Horses, and Haley Frost for Rare Earth. The American Inhouse Design Awards is the original and premiere showcase for outstanding work by inhouse designers for more than five decades. The press provides learning opportunities to MSUM students and a Certificate in Publishing for students in partnership with MSUM. In 2012 and 2013, MSUM students and one faculty member also won the awards, according to Suzzanne Kelley, managing editor of the press.
> Each Fall, MSUM hosts a Scholarship Appreciation Luncheon so that scholarship recipients can meet donors and express their thanks. Pictured here are students from Theatre Arts and Film Studies who attended this year's event. Top Row, from left: Jamie Gregor, Caleb Stumpfl, Professor Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson, Danna Galeano Penagos, and Amanda Hunter. Bottom row, from left: Annabelle Peck, Christopher Pitner, Fernanda Badeo, and Erica Zander.
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St a r in the
Face of the
Sky
he College of Arts, Media and Communication is pleased to announce the creation of several new endowed scholarship funds. These funds provide generous scholarships to deserving Dragons while honoring individuals who have made a difference for MSUM.
The Rodney Rothlisberger Endowed Vocal Scholarship was created upon the retirement of Professor Rothlisberger. Scholarships are available for students registered for voice lessons who are members of one of the large choral ensembles. Majors and non-majors are eligible for this scholarship.
The Richard Gompf Memorial Art Scholarship was created from the estate of the former art student who had a long career as an arts educator. An initial $25,000 gift created the fund, which will be used to provide a scholarship to a visual arts student with an emphasis in sculpture or ceramics.
The John and Catherine Tesch Endowed Instrumental Music Scholarship honors the legacy of retired music faculty members John and Catherine Tesch. Recipients are students studying instrumental music.
David Haynes
The Timothy Ray Memorial Endowed Art Scholarship honors the former visual arts faculty member who passed away in 2013. The fund supports scholarships for students from any studio area in visual arts.
The Marv Bossart Endowed Scholarship honors the long-time MSUM faculty member and WDAY news anchor. Funds are used to support students studying broadcast journalism.
You can help increase the impact these funds have for our students. Contributions can be made online at https://donate.mnstate.edu/CAMC.
2013-2014 | mnstate.edu/camc
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ALUMNI NEWS
Conor Holt, ‘13, Film Studies, screened two short films at Twin Cities-based film festivals this October: Storytime at the Minneapolis Underground Film Festival and A Better Life at the Twin Cities Film Fest. Both films were part of Minnesota-made shorts programs. Storytime premiered at the South Dakota Film Festival, and A Better Life premiered at the Fargo Film Festival. Holt is currently living in Los Angeles, Calif., looking for work in the film industry. The Plains Art Museum in Fargo hosted a solo exhibit for artist T.L. Solien, ’73, Art, last fall and winter. The show was Solien’s first in his hometown in 24 years. The show, titled “Toward the Setting Sun,” was inspired by the novels Moby Dick and Ahab’s Wife. Solien teaches art at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His artwork has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions all over the country and around the world.
Thirty-five photos by Sarah Christianson, ’05, Art, were featured in an exhibit at SF Camerawork gallery in San Francisco. The exhibit, titled “When the Landscape is Quiet Again: North Dakota’s Oil Boom” was also part of a large group show – “The Bakken Boom: Artists Respond to the North Dakota Oil Rush” – at Fargo’s Plains Art Museum early this year. Christianson obtained a master’s in art from the University of Minnesota in 2009. She has lived in San Francisco since then.
> Christianson’s photos in SF gallery. Film Studies alum Brent Rockswold, ’06, recently took home a Hollywood Reporter Key Art Award for editing the theatrical trailer for the film Star Trek: Into Darkness. The Key Arts, managed by the Clio Awards team, is the entertainment field’s most recognized competition for advertising and communications. Rockswold works as an editor
for the AV Squad, an LA based company that specializes in creating theatrical and television trailers for major motion pictures. Film Studies graduate Jesse Balzer, ’11, began Ph.D. studies at Indiana University’s Film & Media Studies program this fall. As an associate instructor and fellowship recipient, Balzer’s studies and living expenses are completely funded. IU’s Film & Media Studies program is home to some of the best theorists in the field, including Barbara Klinger, Joan Hawkins, and Joshua Malitsky, among others. Balzer obtained his master’s degree from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, Montreal, Canada. Greg Montreuil, ’82, Art, exhibited work in several shows last year, including one at the Rourke Museum of Art in Moorhead. A solo exhibition opened in July at the Galerie Du Tableau in Marseille, France. The same show opens at Rio Bravo Fine Arts in Truth or Consequences, N. M., next November. One of Montreuil’s paintings has also been accepted into the permanent collection of the Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, N. M. Dan Nisbet, ’07, Graphic Communications, designed the paint scheme for a car that was driven in
MSUM GRAD NABS BOOK CONTRACT WITH MAJOR PUBLISHER Elise Parsley, a 27-year-old piano teacher and 2011 graduate of MSUM’s School of Visual Arts, landed a three-book contract with a major publisher. In an article in Publisher’s Weekly she says: “I took my first formal art classes in college, and my professors started from scratch with me, knowing that I wanted to do children’s books. They really went out of their way to push me in terms of sequential and narrative work, and creating art that would speak to children. I owe a great deal to them.” The picture book, titled If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t!, tells the story of a girl named Magnolia who brings an alligator to school. The book is scheduled for publication by Little Brown in 2015.
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College of Arts, Media, and Communication News
the Daytona 500 last February. Nisbet designed the paint scheme and logo placement for Car #26, pictured below. Since 2005, Nisbet has been working with CM2 Concepts, a firm that does design work for the NASCAR, IndyCar, and NHRA racing series. Working with another designer, he created the paint scheme for the car, which included sponsor logo placement and the colors and graphics that go across the cars. Nisbet lives in Milwaukee, Wis., and owns his own design firm.
A song created by Amanda Nygard, ’13, Music, was featured in the opening credits of the documentary Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life and Times of Katrina Gilbert, which aired last March on HBO. “Bird Flew Hard” was performed by Nygard’s Fargo-based band -- Amanda Standalone and the Pastry Shop Girls – on a 2010 album titled Millions of Blackbirds. Executiveproduced by Maria Shriver, the documentary follows one woman’s struggle with poverty in America.
THEATRE ARTS ALUM NABS MAJOR TV ROLE Tom Musgrave, MSUM Theatre Arts, ‘98, landed the role of Bo Munk, owner of Bo Munk’s Insurance Shop, on the FX channel’s new hit show Fargo. The show premiered in April, and includes actors Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton and Joey King. The experiences he had at MSUM showed him how to get where he wanted to go, he says. “You have to believe that it can come true, and then you need to point yourself in the direction and just go and trust. That’s one of the things MSUM taught me and showed me.”
College of Arts, Media and Communication
Tyler Michaels, ’11, Theatre Arts, played the lead role of the Emcee in Theater Latte Da’s Minneapolis production of Cabaret last February. Michaels has had numerous stage appearances in the Cities and on television since graduation. Jennifer Scheuer, ’09, Art, was recently hired as the print specialist at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. After graduating, Scheuer attended the Tamarind Institute’s professional printer program, and obtained a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2014. She was awarded
the Southern Graphics Council International Graduate Fellowship to support her thesis and exhibit her artwork in San Francisco. Steve Knutson, ’08, Art, had 12 works on display at the North Dakota State Capitol in Bismarck last spring and summer. Knutson’s works will be on display in the Governor’s ground floor and first floor offices, the First Lady’s fourth floor office, and the Attorney General’s first floor office. Knutson teaches art to sixth-grade students at Discovery Middle School in Fargo. Four Film Studies graduates won big at the Wizard World Film Festival in Minneapolis in May. Andrew Neill, Marcus Mann and Eric Carlson, ’10, and their Two Jackets Productions film company, won the “Spirit of Comic Con” award for their short film Meanwhile, at the Citadel of Superheroes…, a comedy about a young woman whose superhero job interview is interrupted by a super-villain’s attack. Meanwhile previously won Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film and Best Heroine at the Z-Fest Film Festival. Two Jacket Productions’ film You Only Die Once! also played at the Wizard World Film Fest. Conor Holt,‘13, won “Best Student Short Film” for his senior thesis film A Better Life, a science-fiction drama
about a woman caring for her comatose husband with a remote control. Neill, Mann and Carlson are living in Minneapolis, working on multiple projects and with several films on the festival circuit. Holt is living in Los Angeles, working freelance film gigs and submitting A Better Life to film festivals, including Sci-Fi London and the Boston Science-Fiction Film Festival.
Marcus Mann, Sam Johnson, and Craig Larson created Keeping Up with the Cloneses, which won awards for Best Film, Best Sound Design, Best Writing, Best Actress and Audience Favorite. The 48HFP took place in June. Neill, Carlson and Mann founded Two Jackets Productions, a narrative video production company in Minneapolis, in 2007. Warren Kessler, ’99, Art, was the 2013 Gold Medal winner in the Red River Watercolor Society’s 20th Annual Watermedia Exhibition in July 2013, held at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead. Kessler also won the 2013 “Vision Award” in the Northwest Watercolor Society’s 73rd Annual Open International Exhibition at Mercer Island, Wash.
> Neill, Mann, and Holt Several alumni from Film Studies swept the competition at the Minneapolis 48 Hour Film Project. Andrew Neill, Eric Carlson,
Update Your Contact Information We’d love to invite you to alumni and other campus events, but we need accurate information from you. Please take a moment to update your contact information with the MSUM Alumni Foundation. You can do so by visiting mnstate.edu/alumni.
> Work by Knutson
DAUGHERTY NAMED OUTSTANDING ALUM, Mass Communications, 1973 David Daugherty is currently the Associate Director of Research at the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University, Phoenix. He oversees and manages ongoing and single-project research studies and projects conducted by the institute. Daugherty’s professional experience includes seven years as vice president for research at Gannett Co. Inc., preceded by 10 years as director of research services at Gannett, the nation’s largest news and information company. Prior to his work at Gannett, he spent seven years working for market research company Frank N. Magid Associates in a variety of capacities, including as vice president for its print division and as director of research. Daugherty has extensive academic experience, serving as communication department chairperson, graduate adviser and as a teaching/research faculty member at North Dakota State University. Daugherty earned his doctoral degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree from North Dakota State University and a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead.
2013-2014 | mnstate.edu/camc
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STUDENT NEWS Positive Reactions, an MSUM student public relations firm, was named “Firm of the Issue” in the most recent issue of FORUM, a publication of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). “Positive Reactions is one of PRSSA’s finest examples of a student-run firm that is producing excellent, professional work,” wrote Helma Von Zadow, PRSSA vice president of professional development. The mission of Positive Reactions is to provide MSUM student members with field experience and clients with quality services. Led by student director Kelly Falk, the firm integrates students of various fields, including public relations, journalism, advertising, film and photography. The student firm offers services such as event planning, marketing research, social media execution, web creation, video services and fundraising strategies. Emily Stengrim, Jaclyn Ellwein, Kelly Falk, Sarah McCartney and Ryan Quinn won an Honorable Mention in the 2014 PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition of The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). The competition is PRSSA’s premier national case study competition for public relations students, and gives students an opportunity to create and implement a full public relations campaign. This is the first time since 2004 that MSUM’s chapter of the PRSSA has received an award in the competition and just the third group of MSUM students to receive a Bateman Competition award in the university’s history.
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Brittany Cossette, a senior Art student, was accepted into an international juried gallery show for her portrait of a co-worker at Johnny Carino’s restaurant in Fargo. Cossette’s portrait, “Something I Need,” was among the 60 selected out of more than 800 submissions for a juried show entitled “Faces” at the Darkroom Gallery in Essex Junction, Vt., last winter.
Each year, a limited number of University ensembles are selected to perform at the conference. Daddy, a short film by MSUM Film Studies student Miah Detjen, was a finalist in the “Overcoming Obstacles” category of the My Hero International Film Festival, a prestigious annual event at the University of Southern California. Winning entries of the festival are put on a DVD for schools and teachers to use as educational tools. Detjen’s film is a partially silent non-fiction piece about her deaf father. The documentary offers a glimpse into Miah’s life growing up with a deaf father, and the two worlds (hearing and deaf ) that collide daily. Miah’s film was also an official selection of this year’s South Dakota Film Festival, and was selected for screening at last year’s Fargo Film Festival.
Courtney Johnson, a senior Art student, recently had two photographs accepted into a national juried exhibition at the Starkweather Arts Center in Romeo, Mich. She also took second place in the competition for her image, “Red Sweep.” Photography student Courtney Krauter was among fifty-eight national and international artists selected for inclusion in Winter Air, a juried show presented by View, a gallery in Old Forge, N.Y. Krauter’s piece, titled “Wintery Mix,” was on display last winter. The exhibition showcased a range of media including graphite, oils, acrylic, watercolor, fiber, photography and mixed. Mass Communications student Scott Eickschen won third place and a $1,000 scholarship in the Freedom of Speech PSA Contest, a national competition for college communications students.
> Cossette with her winning portrait
Chance Cole, a senior Film Studies student, was hired by Pretty Bird, a studio in Los Angeles where he previously interned. He will be a production assistant with the company, which creates music videos and other media. The MSUM Concert Choir, directed by Dr. Dan Mahraun, and the MSUM Percussion Ensemble, directed by Dr. Kenyon Williams, were invited to present a joint concert performance of works for choir and percussion at the North Dakota Music Educators Association (NDMEA) Winter Conference in Bismarck last March as a featured evening performance concert event.
College of Arts, Media, and Communication News
> Film by Miah Detjen named finalist in international festival
College of Arts, Media and Communication
Madeline Murnion, a printmaking student in the Art Department, was accepted into a show titled “From Roots To Leaves; An Exhibition of Tree Inspired Art Work” last spring at the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs, Ark. The exhibit was curated from 277 artworks submitted by 102 artists throughout the United States. Fifty-two artworks were selected.
> “Red Sweep” by Johnson
This year’s contest drew 200 communications students from across the country. Contestants submitted 30-second spots that addressed freedom of speech. Music Education students Brandon Van Den Eykel and Kimberly Jacobson represented MSUM’s newly formed NafME student organization at the National Association for Music Education national conference last year in Nashville. In April, eleven percussionists from the Percussion Studio traveled with faculty member Kenyon Williams, Music, to Duluth, Minn., to perform
Inuksuit, an epic outdoor work composed by Pulitzer Prize-winning Alaskan composer John Luther Adams. While there, they attended a concert featuring works by Adams as well as a world-premiere composition written for the occasion. Students also worked with the composer.
Twenty-six Theatre Arts students and faculty attended the Region V Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in Lincoln, Neb. MSUM theatre arts students received the following awards at last year’s festival: Senior Anne Brown advanced to the Semifinal Round of the Irene Ryan Acting Competition. James Stenger was commended for his achievement in scene design for Mother Courage and Her Children. Sarah Henning was commended for her achievement in stage management for The Laramie Project. Matthew England and Ryan Soukup were commended for their achievement in playwrighting for Swashbuckled! Drew Schnable was commended for his achievement in sound design for Swashbuckled!
Meghann Hlibichuk, a senior Art student, was chosen to show one of her paintings at the North Dakota Museum of Art’s 15th Annual Autumn Art Auction in Grand Forks last fall. The auction celebrates artists from the region. Artwork for the auction is selected by Laurel Reuter, director of the North Dakota Museum of Art. > “From Roots To Leaves” by Murnion
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FACULTY NEWS Brad Bachmeier, Visual Arts, was selected as Artist in Residence for the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. As part of the residency, Bachmeier will provide several programs to the public about his work and study. Bachmeier also displayed work at the Bismarck Arts and Galleries Association in the exhibit “Vast & Grounded” with painter Michael Dunn. The exhibit focused on the artists intersecting themes, colors and subject matter having to do with the Northern Prairie. Bachmeier was also appointed to North Dakota Council on the Arts board by Governor Dalrymple. The NDCA’s board consists of nine members – one from each of the state’s regions, and one member-at-large, each of whom is appointed by the governor for a five-year term.
Carl Oltvedt, Visual Arts, was awarded a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant for 2014. The MN Sate Arts Board Artist Initiative grants “support artistic development, nurture artistic creativity, and recognize the contributions individual artists make to the creative environment of the state of Minnesota.” Faculty members in Visual Arts were featured in an exhibit at the Kaddatz Gallery in Fergus Falls last winter. The exhibit featured work from Brad Bachmeier, Lauren Kinney, Jim Park, Sherry Short, Wil Shynkaruk, Kelli Sinner, Patrick Vincent and Chris Walla. The Ansan Art Center in Seoul, South Korea, featured new work by Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson, Media Arts and Design. KristjanssonNelson was the animator and editor of the experimental short titled soul/soul. Kristjansson-Nelson also had two new shorts (The Fiscal Cliff and Look Out Point) screened at Woodland Pattern in Milwaukee, Wis., last fall. Look Out Point and another film by KristjanssonNelson (Sveit) also screened at the Snowdance Film Festival in Washington. Those two films opened the festival. Look Out Point was also screened at the Milk Bar in the Sunshine Biscuit Factory in Oakland, Calif. The work of Meghan Duda, Media Arts and Design, was exhibited at Instinct Art Gallery on Nicollet Mall in Downtown Minneapolis last winter. Duda had four pieces in the exhibition. Three were photographs captured with her Trailer Obscura, a 5’ x 8’ enclosed trailer converted into a pinhole camera, which she makes exposures with traveling at
> Sculpture by Bachmeier
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College of Arts, Media, and Communication News
> Still shot from Look Out Point
speeds up to 80 mph. The forth piece consisted of 100 folded paper houses resembling suburban neighborhoods.
Germany. The October seminar familiarized U.S. participants with Germany’s higher education system, society, and culture. Participants also had the opportunity to establish networks of U.S. and international colleagues, and interact with university administrators on a similar program in France. Haak has been MSUM’s Director of Study Abroad since 2009.
> Work by Duda
Merrie Sue Holtan, Communication and Journalism, placed first in sports and home writing and third in feature and personality profile writing in the the North Dakota Professional Communicators state competition. The first place award winners advance to the National Federation of Presswomen competition in Greenville, S.C., this September.
Janet Haak, Director of Study Abroad, was awarded a Fulbright Seminar for U.S. Administrators in International Education to
Zhimin Guan, Visual Arts, participated in the Pilot Symposium for the Comparative Study of American and Chinese Art
College of Arts, Media and Communication
Martin Grindeland, Communication and Journalism, was named this year’s winner of the Mitchell V. Charnley Award by the Northwest Broadcast News Association at the organization’s annual convention in the Twin Cities last March. The Charnley Award was established in 1968 and is given each year to an individual working, or with roots, in the sixstate NBNA region who has made outstanding contributions to the field of broadcast journalism.
Education last fall. The symposium was sponsored jointly by the Center for Chinese Art, the Art Department and the College of Arts and Communication of William Paterson University of New Jersey. Guan also collaborated with Brad Bachmeier, Visual Arts, for a Rourke Art Museum exhibit last fall titled “Confluence: New and Collaborative Works.” The exhibit featured pieces inspired by each other, as well as pieces they collaborated to create. Media Arts and Design professor Tom Brandau was elected to the Minnesota Film & Television Board in Minneapolis. The board’s mission is to create jobs and economic growth by promoting and supporting Minnesota’s film and television production industry. Brandau’s latest film, Home Delivery, screened last spring as part of the 2014 Fargo Film Festival. Set in Baltimore (1974) the film tells the story of two newspaper delivery boys (one white, one AfricanAmerican) struggling with the racial divide between their adjacent neighborhoods. Written and directed by Brandau, and produced
> Still shot from Brandau film
by Janet Haak (Director of Study Abroad), the film also includes the talents of over a dozen current and former MSUM Film Studies students including Amber Johnson (director of photography) and Ben Efron (editor). An essay titled “Survivance as Resistance to Authoritative Discourse,” by Rebecca Gardner, Communication and Journalism, was included in the book Feminist Challenges or Feminist Rhetorics? Locations, Scholarship, Discourse, recently published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Theresa Hest, Communication and Journalism, contributed to a book that received the Outstanding Book Award of 2013 for the Family Communication Division of the National Communication Association. Hest was the lead author and principal investigator for the chapter, “Cover Stories as Family Communication Practice” in The Family Communication Sourcebook.
> Martin Grindeland
An exhibit entitled “Unsinkable Stories” featured new works by Kelli Sinner and PatrickVincent, Visual Arts, and Lauren Kinney, director of MSUM’s Art Gallery. The collection told stories through paper, print, ceramic and book forms. The work was exhibited last spring at the Nemeth Art Center in Park Rapids, Minn.
Allen Carter, Music, will compose a piece for Italian trumpet virtuoso Andrea Tofanelli. The composition will be premiered at the International Trumpet Guild conference in May of 2015. This will be Carter’s third composition/arrangement for Mr. Tofanelli, the first two appearing on the trumpeter’s CD entitled Flamingo. Another of Carter’s compositions was commissioned by Nat Dickey, a local trombonist and music instructor at Concordia College, and placed on a CD called Collaborations.
> Haak (far right) awarded Fulbright Seminar
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Thank You
Thanks to Our Supporters We thank the following donors who contributed more than $100 to the College of Arts, Media, and Communication in the 2013-2014. These contributions allow us to offer extraordinary experiences that enrich the community. We welcome your online contributions at donate.mnstate.edu.
Supporters
Julie Adams and Allen Carter Irma and L. Eugene Allen Les Baake Bradley and Susan Bachmeier Kim and Dennis Bair Dale Beling Pamela and James Benedict Gordon Bergman Annie and William Bergquist Steven Bolduc Jerry and Darlene Bontrager Tim Borchers and Susanne Williams Ann Braaten Tom Brandau and Janet Haak Brandau Alan and Barbara Breuer Ken and Lynn Brown David and Marlene Carlson Sheila Carlson Donald and Mary Clark James and Stephanie Clemenson Maura and Christopher Cock Yvonne Condell Ceata D. Cook Timothy Crawford Kathleen and Robert Creighton Ruth Dahlke Ellen and Paul Diederich Katie Diiro Dick and Pat DuBord Meghan Duda Craig Ellingson Connie and Jeffrey Ellwein Audrey and Dennis Emmen Jonathon and Sadie Erickson Paul Estenson Elizabeth Evert Karnes and Darin Karnes Gerald Finken and Kathleen Enz Finken Elizabeth Foster Nancy Froysland-Hoerl and Scott Hoerl Judith and Ren Fuglestad Michael and Amy Garrison Debra and James Garvin
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Peter and Susan Geib Sue Gens Robert Gerke Sandra and Greg Giefer John Gjevre Rebecca Gilbuena Barbara Glasrud Brittney Goodman Ricky Greenwell Virginia Gregg Martin and Svetlana Grindeland Jeffrey and Rosemary Gustafson Doug and Sandy Hamilton Dennis Hamilton and Cheri Diesem C.T. Hanson James Harley Susan Harmon Barbara Hatfield James and Elaine Hatzenbuhler Darrell and Kari Haugen Doris Haukebo Julie Henderson Theresa Hest Dennis Hoffman Barbara Holes-Dickson Shirlee Holland Jill Holsen Charmaine Houk William and Lennarta Hultstrom Ryan and Darcy Jackson Sally Jacobson Jenny and Rick Jensen John Justad Howard Johnson and Billee Kraut Kurt and Deanna Kainz Philip and Christine Kerr Rick and Karen Killion Michael Kloster Michael and Atsumi Kolba Richard Kratzke Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson Wayne and Diane Kuehl Laura LaBine and Michael Chonko Donna Larson Gloria Larson
College of Arts, Media, and Communication News
Lyle and Francine Laske Karen and Gerald Lauer Bonita and Dale Lestina Michelle Malott and Michael Benton Dr. Leslie Masciarelli Susan Matson-Thorsrud Jody and Rich Mattern Robert and Lisa Mikkelson Melva and Gust Moline Erin Moran Ruth Morton Linda and Donald Motzko Juleen Murray Shaw and Mathew Shaw David and Jenell Nilles Mark and Susan Nordli Lee Nordrum Audrey Olson Wendy Olsgard Heather Olson Pru Olson Carl Oltvedt Pam Olson Richard and Madelyn Ortner Robert and Alice Pattengale Mary Paulson Ms. Jane Pederson and Donald Aggerbeck Joe and Norma Peltier David and Theresa Plakos Dewey and Margery Possehl Greg and Jill Post James Powers Aaron and Kristine Quanbeck Karen and Rudy Rathert Dorothy A. Refling Wendy Reiner and Steven Gelinske Linda Rice Katie Rohman Kay Rosengren Marjorie Schlossman Lonald Schnittgrund Faye Schober Roger and Ruth Schultz Lawrence and Cynthia Schwartz Davis Anthony Scott
Deborah Seaburg Scott Seiler MaryClare and Vijay Sethi Jon Solinger and Carol Scott Greer and Larry Stene Craig and Olivia Stephenson Virginia Stewart Lori Stirling and Arthur DeFabio, Jr Thomas J. Strait Rebecca Sundet-Schoenwald and Bruce Schoenwald Geraldine and Wayne Stowman Thomas and Bonnie Swanson Peggy Sweeney Thomas Swenson Wayne and Lois Swenson Karen and P. Richard Szeitz John and Jane Tandberg Linda and Terry Tegtmeier Gin Templeton Bonnie Thompson Joseph and Linda Wallevand Jenni and Chad Walthall Beth Watkins and Jim Bulman John and Christine Weispfenning David and Martha Wheeler Kenyon C. Williams Diane Wolter and Mark Gealy Lauri and Greg Wyum Mary and Andrew Zurn The Arts Partnership Delta Kappa Sorority Drama Section of Fine Arts Forum Communications Company Impact Foundation Microsoft Matching Gifts Program Minnesota State Arts Board North Dakota Council on the Arts Park Place Condo Association Public Radio Capital Richard Gompf Trust
Events at MSUM GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT EVENTS: Many MSUM arts events provide discounts to MSUM alumni, faculty, staff, seniors and students. Starting this year with the installation of new box office software, tickets will be required for all events, including those that are free. Tickets may be obtained at mnstate.edu/tickets or by visiting or calling the MSUM Box Office Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (218) 477-2271. The Box Office is also open 90 minutes before events begin. Hansen Theatre, Gaede Stage, Fox Recital Hall and the Art Gallery are all located in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts. Glasrud Auditorium is located in Weld Hall. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information about the gallery, call Lauren Kinney at (218) 477-2930 or email lauren.kinney@mnstate.edu.
MARCH 30 – APRIL 16
APRIL 15 – 18, 7:30 P.M.
APRIL 20 – MAY 9
FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 7:30 P.M.
Student Juried Exhibition Opening Reception April 9, 4 to 6 p.m.; Awards at 5 p.m.
THE [scream] Dionysus. Agave. Pentheus. This trio collide in a power struggle that pits the divine against the damned, but which is which? This contemporary adaptation of Euripides’ The Bacchae will incorporate live music, video, dance, and much more in this one-of-a-kind, visceral, theatrical experience.
Certificate Student Exhibition Opening Reception April 23, 4 to 6 p.m.
MSUM Wind Ensemble Concert
MSUM Art Gallery
THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 7:30 P.M.
Gaede Stage
An Evening of Dance A dance concert featuring the work of student dancers and choreographers, featuring ballet, hip-hop, modern, lyrical, musical theatre styles and tap.
MSUM Art Gallery TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 7:30 P.M. Commercial Ensemble Concert Hansen Theatre WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 7:30 P.M. Wind Ensemble Chamber Concert Gaede Stage FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 7:30 P.M. MSUM Percussion Theatre Hansen Theatre
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 7:30 P.M. Choir Concert Glasrud Auditorium
TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 7:30 P.M. Guitar Ensemble/Jazz Ensemble Glasrud Auditorium
Glasrud Auditorium
University Orchestra Concert Hansen Theatre SATURDAY, MAY 2, 7:30 P.M.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 7:30 P.M.
Vocal Jazz Concert Glasrud Auditorium
Hansen Theatre
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College of Arts, Media, and Communication 1104 7th Avenue South Moorhead, Minnesota 56563
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid MSUM
College of Arts, Media, and Communication Newsletter 2013-2014 Rebecca Sundet-Schoenwald Writer and Editor Derek Lien Designer
Alumni are invited to send us news and contact information. We’d also like your feedback on the newsletter. Please send your suggestions or comments to sundetre@mnstate.edu. College of Arts, Media, and Communication 1104 7th Avenue South, MSUM, Moorhead, MN 56563 mnstate.edu/camc (218) 477-2764 The College of Arts, Media, and Communication explores the richness of human experiences. We value teaching and learning from creative, critical, historical and multicultural perspectives. We pursue knowledge through reflective and active engagement with ideas. We cultivate ethical and civic responsibility in the individual and community.
Minnesota State University Moorhead is an equal opportunity educator and employer and is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. This information will be made available in alternate format upon request by contacting Disability Services at 218.477.4318 (voice) or 1.800.627.3529 (MRS/TTY).