College of the Arts Viewbook by Tracy Ngo

CO L L E G E of_theA R T S CENTER FOR ARTS LEADERSHIP BLAFFER ART MUSEUM CYNTHIA WOODS MITCHELL CENTER FOR THE ARTS MA IN ARTS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM SCHOOL OF ART MOORES SCHOOL OF MUSIC SCHOOL OF THEATRE & DANCE

CO L L E G E of_theA R T S

22 1/NOTE FROM THE DEAN 6/THE COLLEGE

8/CENTER FOR ARTS LEADERSHIP 12/BLAFFER ART MUSEUM 16/CYNTHIA WOODS MITCHELL CENTER FOR THE ARTS

22/MA IN ARTS LEADERSHIP

26/SCHOOL OF ART 32/MOORES SCHOOL OF MUSIC 38/SCHOOL OF THEATRE & DANCE

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/ N OT E F ROM T H E D E A N

NOTE

from the/DEAN It’s a privilege to serve as the director of Houston’s chief laboratory in the visual arts—the University of Houston School of Art. I write to you today to share some of the school’s successes and our vision for the future. Our students, alumni and faculty are central to the cultural and intellectual life in this region and are an important part of what has led to the university’s Tier One ranking among America’s research universities. We are proud of our accomplishments thus far, but are eager to show the country and the world what many Houstonians already know: a key motor of the burgeoning creative scene in the country’s fourth largest city is found at UH, in the School of Art. Faculty excellence is paramount to that effort. Open any important national art publication or stroll through Texas’ finest galleries and you will see our faculty’s work in print and on view. A commitment to teaching and mentoring by our accomplished faculty forms the foundation of our MFA program. Our MFA students form a graduate community that continues to be the locus of sophisticated art making in the region. Our MA in Art History attracts emerging scholars who desire an excellent grounding in art history coupled with significant opportunities in the city’s museums and galleries.

While an excellent faculty is essential to our students’ artistic development, so are other experiences that encourage them to challenge and expand their creative boundaries. Our emerging artists have the resources of a significant urban research institution at their disposal, where experts in fields as disparate as computer science, theater, optics, history, music, engineering, and many other fields can be brought into the student’s creative process. We also know that having a taste of working in the “real world” can give students an important perspective on their own work. The School of Art is increasingly using the city as its classroom. Partnerships with museums and other arts organizations give students great professional development opportunities and support the work of the community. Our students are working as interns and staff at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Menil Collection, the Museum of Printing History, the Blaffer Museum, and others. They are also helping with major public projects, such as the awardwinning redesign of Japhet Creek Park. With more than 750 art students—larger than many freestanding fine art colleges—it’s challenging to encapsulate all that we do in a single letter, and this one merely scratches the surface. The vision for the UH School of Art is to harness and focus the resources necessary to make us a national destination for art students and scholars and one that sustains and grows Houston’s vibrant visual arts scene. I invite you to be a part of it! Sincerely, Andrew Davis, Dean

DRIVEN BY CURIOSITY THE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS IS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY, MULTITALENTED, EXPERIMENTAL PUZZLE OF STUDENTS.

W E A R E A MU LT I P L E X P U Z Z L E

COLLEGE OF THE ARTS Curiosity_ opens the space of the world so wide as to demand more than a single discipline. It knows no one method but relies on creative research; it is not confined to one space but engages with the greater community. As essential as mastering craft and understanding tradition are, it can be equally important to reimagine the possibilities of creative practices. The College of the Arts creates a space for artistic encounters that value difference, collaboration, participation and experimentation.

/ T H E CO L L E G E

In addition to an extensive collection of public art, campus landmarks include the Moores School of Music, the Science and Engineering Research and Classroom Complex, and LeRoy and Lucile Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting, which houses KUHT-TV/Houston PBS (the nation’s first educational television station), KUHF-FM, the Center for Public Policy polling center, three theaters and performing arts venues, and much more.

H O U S TO N A CO L L E G E O F T H E A R T S FO R A CITY OF THE ARTS The city of Houston is one of America’s great arts destinations, and one of only five U.S. cities with permanent professional resident companies in symphony, opera, ballet and theater. Houston’s creative economy is a $26 billion industry employing nearly 180,000 highly skilled people. The College of the Arts will provide a flagship school that attracts young, innovative artistic minds to the city, educates them in the city, and keeps them as thinkers and creators for the future.

THE UNIVERSITY The University of Houston, founded in 1927, is the most ethnically diverse research university in the nation, and the leading urban teaching and research institution in Texas. UH is home to over forty research centers and institutes, and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic, and governmental entities. Located just a few miles from downtown Houston, UH offers well equipped classrooms, high-tech laboratories, generous study facilities, and rich and varied cultural resources, affording students an optimum environment for study and research. Outstanding facilities include six campus libraries with total collective holdings of more than 2.4 million volumes, 4 million microform units, 20,000 research journal subscriptions, and networked workstations accessing numerous electronic databases, journals and books.

Houston (our extended campus) is the fourth largest city in the country and third-largest visual arts center outside of New York City and Los Angeles. It is a city with world-class cultural institutions including: The Menil Collection, with exquisite concentrations in Antiquity, Medieval, Tribal, and Twentieth-Century Art, as well as annexes with permanent installations of work by Cy Twombly and Dan Flavin. The Contemporary Arts Museum, with recent major exhibitions of Pipilotti Rist, Kiki Smith, and Glen Ligon, to name a few. The encyclopedic Museum of Fine Arts Houston, boasting a total of 300,000 square feet of space dedicated to a collection of more than 55,000 artworks dating from antiquity to the present.

In addition, Houston has an established and thriving commercial gallery structure, dynamic alternative spaces, and a large and generous community of practicing artists. Houston is also home to the largest number of performing arts seats in a metropolitan district outside of New York, with internationally recognized organizations including the Houston Ballet, the Houston Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera, and the Alley Theater. The benefits of a School of Art located within an established, international visual arts center cannot be underestimated.

ARTS UNITS CENTER FOR ARTS LEADERSHIP BLAFFER ART MUSEUM CYNTHIA WOODS MITCHELL CENTER FOR THE ARTS MA IN ARTS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM MOORES SCHOOL OF MUSIC SCHOOL OF THEATRE & DANCE

CONVENE. RESEARCH. PRACTICE. LEAD THE ARTS.

CENTER FO R A R T S LEADERSHIP

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/C E N T E R FO R A R T S LEADERSHIP

/C E N T E R F O R A R T S LEADERSHIP

Building_ on the wealth of experience in the local arts community, the research and best practices of national organizations, the resources of the University of Houston and the larger Houston community, The Center for Arts Leadership at the University of Houston brings together artists, community, faculty and professionals around policy, research and best practices in the arts. Through annual symposia and strategic partnerships between university and community entities, The Center will investigate, create and test leadership practices in the arts.

The Center for Arts Leadership is poised shape the conversation around leadership in the arts and the future of arts audiences. Who is prepared to address the audiences of the second half of the 21st Century? What are the structures for leadership and community interaction that will best prepare artists, organizations and for the future? The arts field must actively address the changes in technology, philanthropy, demographics and the hybridity of current arts practice. Convene. Create opportunities for exchange among leaders from diverse sectors in the arts to discuss and test ideas on the changing reality of the arts, artists and audiences Research. Encourage and invest in cross-sector research and evaluation methods; create opportunities for dissemination and discussion. Practice. Investigate leadership models that bring arts and diverse communities together; Analyze impact and strategize methods for creating multi-local models; collectively implement field-wide best practices on campus

A CATALYST FOR CREATIVE INNOVATION, EXPERIMENTATION, BLAFFER ART MUSEUM

AND SCHOLARSHIP.

/BLAFFER ART MU S E U M

Gateway_ for innovation Blaffer Art Musuem furthers the understanding of contemporary art through exhibitions, publications, and public programs of merit and distinction. As the gateway between the University of Houston and the City of Houston, Blaffer Art Museum is a catalyst for creative innovation, experimentation, and scholarship. Its exhibitions and programs are free and open to the public, create community through dialogue and participation and inspire an appreciation for the visual arts as a vital force in shaping contemporary culture.

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/ B L A F F E R A R T MU S E U M

H I S TO RY Blaffer Art Museum was named in honor of the late Sarah Campbell Blaffer, a noted Houston art patron and collector. On the occasion of the building of a new $5.3 million Fine Arts Center at the University of Houston, Blaffer, the daughter of William Thomas Campbell, founder of Texaco, and wife of Robert E. Lee Blaffer, founder of Humble Oil (later Exxon), promised major works of art in her collection toward the building of a teaching collection housed at the University. Dedicated on March 13, 1973, the new museum immediately became a vital force in the presentation and promotion of the visual arts in Houston.

U N I V E R S I T Y O F H O U S TO N P U B L I C A R T CO L L E C T I O N On September 6, 1966, the University of Houston Board of Regents and then President Philip Hoffman established a policy which dedicated 1% of the construction costs of all future building projects to the acquisition of works of art. The University of Houston was undergoing an unprecedented building boom, and they believed a public art program would greatly enhance the campus as well as the prestige of the University. The University was the first state institution to establish a percent-for-art program.

AN ALLIANCE DEDICATED TO INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION ACROSS THE PERFORMING, VISUAL, AND LITERARY ARTS.

CYNTHIA WO O D S M I TC H E L L C E N T E R FO R THE ARTS

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/C Y N T H I A WO O D S M I TC H E L L C E N T E R FO R T H E A R T S

/C Y N T H I A WO O D S M I TC H E L L C E N T E R FOR THE ARTS Dedication_ for the interdisciplinary

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration across the performing, visual, and literary arts. Based at the University of Houston, the Mitchell Center commissions and produces new works, presents public performances and exhibitions, offers curriculum and scholarships, and hosts residencies with renowned visiting artists from throughout the world. The Center is home to the Mitchell Artist Lecture, an annual event featuring a pioneer in contemporary art-making, as well as CounterCurrent, an annual spring festival of new performance. The Mitchell Center forms an alliance among five departments at UH: the School of Art, Moores School of Music, School of Theatre & Dance, Creative Writing Program, and Blaffer Art Museum.

"anything that brings disparate minds together is inherently valuable because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re breaking some boundaries." Rex Koontz, Director of School of Art

WE ARE. HOUSTONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HOME FOR INNOVATIVE PERFORMANCES, PROGRAMMING AND ARTS EDUCATION.

WE DEVELOP AND CULTIVATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF INFLUENTIAL LEADERS IN THE FIELDS OF ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT.

MA IN ARTS LEADERSHIP P R O G R AM

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/MA I N A R T S LEADERSHIP P RO G R AM

/M A I N A R T S L E A D E R S H I P P RO G R A M

Prepare_ for the next generation of leaders The newly established Master of Arts program in Arts Leadership in the College of the Arts at the University of Houston takes an entrepreneurial approach to preparing creative professionals to launch, administer and maintain arts organizations of all sizes. The degree program provides advanced study in the management and promotions of arts organizations across artistic disciplines.

NEVER PRODUCTS OF THE ASSIMILATION OF A BODY OF KNOWLEDGE, BUT RATHER THE RESULT OF RISK-TAKING WITHIN A SCHOOL OF ART

FIELD OF DISCOVERY.

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/S C H O O L O F A R T

/S C H O O L O F ART

Art_ design and r i s k- t a k i n g Art and design are never products of the assimilation of a body of knowledge, but rather the result of risk-taking within a field of “not knowing.” We prepare young artists and designers by providing them with a secure environment in which to risk failure, as well as the technical, conceptual and contextual tools to inform that risk.

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A beneficial academic environment will provide those “languages” while encouraging the uniqueness of speech. To create these nurturing environments, we have to maintain both an institutional agility—an ability to respond appropriately and meaningfully to change—and a clear, collective sense of the primacy of each student. At the School of Art, we provide the student profound expertise in the art disciplines coupled with the room to play and risk at combining, deconstructing, and re-constructing one or several of those disciplines. Programs expand or contract based on individual need and interest. We have that flexibility because we are large enough (775+ majors) to sustain the insularity of an atelier environment that is also embedded within and has access to the vast resources of a premier research institution. It is the best of both worlds.

/DEGREES B A C H E LO R S P R O G R A M S Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) | STUDIO AREAS Graphic Design Painting Photography/Digital Media Sculpture Bachelor of Arts (BA) Art History Art ( leads to all-level teaching certification )

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree emphasizes the development of the student as a working artist or designer, with the critical thinking, technical skills and creativity required for professional practice. No portfolio is required of incoming freshmen. In addition to the University-wide core curriculum, the degree requirements follow this progression: four studio fundamentals courses, various studio courses at the â&#x20AC;&#x153;related artsâ&#x20AC;? level, followed by a competitive portfolio review. Students who are selected based on this portfolio review advance to the final semesters of major concentration at the junior and senior level. Bachelor of Fine Arts students are also required to take twelve semester hours of art history. Information on specific course selection is available for each studio major. The Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History offers students the opportunity to study art historical trends from ancient times to the present, in both Western and non-Western cultures. This degree requires 36 hours of art history, in addition to the University and College requirements. Students also study other fields in the college such as history and anthropology to complement their art history research. The Bachelor of Arts degree in Art is the curriculum for students who wish to become art teachers in grades Kindergarten through 12. These students enroll in a broad range of studio courses at the fundamentals and related arts levels, complete twelve hours of art history and also must fulfill teacher education courses and requirements through the College of Education.

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MASTERS PROGRAMS Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) | STUDIO AREAS Graphic Design Painting Photography/Digital Media Sculpture Interdisciplinary Practice and Emerging Forms (IPEF) Masters of Arts (MA) Art History Graduate programs at the University of Houston are focused on deploying our considerable talents and resources to help you achieve your goals. Our nationally recognized faculty help you recognize and cultivate your path. Houston’s art world provides the testing ground and a wealth of experiences. Whether you will be showing at one of the galleries on campus or in the city, or you will be working with one of Houston’s many significant art collections in the city, our graduate programs provide the grounding and experience necessary to enter today’s competitive art world. Flexibility, innovative programs, and access to the vast resources of a premier research institution in a world-class cultural center, make the University of Houston School of Art Graduate Programs a dynamic choice for the study of art, design, art history, theory, criticism, and curatorial practice.

Master of Arts in Art History The M.A. in Art History at the University of Houston provides the graduate student with a firm grounding in the discipline of art history coupled with the riches of major art institutions in a dynamic urban art world. Through its uniquely wide-ranging and diverse options for coursework and internships, the UH program enables students to pursue a large number of career options. Graduates of the UH Master’s program in art history will be well-prepared to go on to seek the Ph.D. in art history, or, alternatively, to pursue careers not requiring the Ph.D. in art museums, collections, or galleries; in art criticism and writing; in community college teaching; or to combine additional credentials for a career in arts librarianship, arts management or art education. Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art The graduate program leading to the M.F.A. degree is a 60 semester-hour degree program comprised of 18 hours in the concentration 12 hours in art history, 24 hours of related arts, and six hours of graduate seminar. Candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree are encouraged to complete all course work for the degree within three years to ensure the sustained concentration requisite to the achievement of quality work at the graduate level. Students must complete the degree program within five years. Additionally, students are required to complete one academic year in residence during the course of their degree program. This residency is defined as 18 semester hours comprising a minimum of nine semester hours taken in two consecutive semesters. Throughout the program of study, students are evaluated on a regular basis. A progress review is required during each of the first two semesters of enrollment in the graduate program. The student selects a committee at the beginning of the second

year and works closely with the committee members until the degree is completed. The committee will hold a formal review of the student’s work annually, beginning the second year. Upon completion of all course work for the degree, all graduate students present their work in a thesis exhibition at the Blaffer Museum, with accompanying photographic documentation. The creative work and supporting documentation will represent the visual thesis. In addition, students must produce a written thesis, normally in the first semester of the final year of work for the degree, and pass a comprehensive oral examination conducted at the time of the Thesis Exhibition. The examination will cover students’ knowledge of their major discipline, of art history, and of related areas of art. Scholarships and Fellowships Teaching Fellowships are available on a selective basis after 18 hours have been completed at the graduate level. Incoming graduate students are eligible for paid positions as Instructional Assistants and Teaching Assistants, positions in studio maintenance and grading in Art History, which support studio operations, undergraduate instruction and the School of Art in various ways. Scholarships and Tuition Fellowships are also available through the School of Art and the University.

WITNESS CULTURAL AMBITION IN ACTION WITH AN INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION FOR QUALITY AND ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT.

MOORES SCHOOL OF MUSIC

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/MO O R E S S C H O O L O F MU S I C

/M O O R E S S C H O O L O F MU S I C Revolutionizing_ the arts and shaping the cultural landscape

The Moores School of Musicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to academic excellence and the highest performance standards has made the institution a vital resource in the educational and cultural life of this city. With its 80-member faculty and more than 600 music majors, the Moores School of Musicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thriving programs place it in the forefront of music schools today. With the addition of its beautiful, new, state-of-the-art Moores School of Music building, the school is uniquely poised to be a vanguard institution for the twenty-first century. The Moores School boasts an extraordinary faculty of internationally recognized artist/teachers, composers, music educators, and musicologists and theorists. We offer a variety of strong programs leading to the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, as well as the Doctor of Musical Arts and a non-degree postbaccalaureate Certificate in Music Performance.

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/MO O R E S S C H O O L O F MU S I C

WE DEVELOP ARTS PROFESSIONALS GROUNDED IN CREATIVITY, COLLABORATION, CRITICAL THINKING SCHOOL OF T H E AT R E & DANCE

AND CRAFTSMANSHIP.

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/S C H O O L O F T H E AT R E & DA N C E

/S C H O O L O F T H E AT R E & D A N C E Unspoken etiquete_ in an experiential art form

The UH School of Theatre & Dance produces plays, dance concerts, studio productions, a new play festival, and school shows through the Theatre for Young Audiences program. The school performs in the Wortham Theatre and the Quintero Theatre. The Houston Shakespeare Festival is a professional project of the school, which is produced each summer at Miller Outdoor Theatre. The UH School of Theatre & Dance offers bachelors and masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees in theater and teacher certifications in dance. Its graduate program offers a Master of Arts in Theatre and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre with specializations in Acting, Design & Technology, and Costume Technology. Faculty includes Tony-nominated designer Kevin Rigdon, Karen Stokes (Artistic/ Executive Director of Karen Stokes Dance), SAFD Fight Directors Adam Noble and Jack Young, Sara Becker (Voice & Text Coach for Oregon Shakespeare Festival and American Players Theatre), and Broadway veteran Dr. Keith Byron Kirk.

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/S C H O O L O F T H E AT R E & DA N C E

A COLLEGE OF THE ARTS

FOR A CITY OF THE ARTS.

/C R E D I T S

COVER AND BOOK DESIGN Tracy Ngo

PHOTOGRAPHY page 2_Photo / Nash Baker ”Miguel Amat: Dark Pool Knight Vision,” 2014 page 6_Photo / Yoko Kristiansen, 2015 page 10_Photo / Jessica Villareal, 2015 page 11_Photo / Unknown ”Antena @ Blaffer,” 2014 page 14_Photo / Nash Baker ”Francesca DiMattio: Housewares,” 2014 page 19_Photo / Unknown ”Anton Ginzburg: Terra Corpus,” 2014 page 46_Photo / Nash Baker ”Buildering: Misbehaving the City,” 2014

Remaining photography not credited above / Tracy Ngo, 2016

DONATE Highly motivated—promising talent—uniquely creative—all apt descriptions of the approximately 1,000 undergraduate and 45 graduate students of the University of Houston School of Art. They come from all backgrounds, from Texas and around the world. A large percentage of these students need and receive financial aid, and by necessity work part- or full-time. One year of resident tuition, plus books, supplies and fees, averages about $7,500. While this is a remarkable value for a top notch arts education, it can also be a daunting sum for a student with limited resources. We invite you to fund at the source, through a gift for direct scholarship assistance. Your support will allow students to focus more intently on their practice, with fewer impediments to their studies. Your gift will enable them to reach further and with greater clarity as they learn, create, and give form to our cultural future.

Curiosity_ opens the space of the world

N AM E ADDRESS CITY S TAT E PHONE

PLEASE RETURN TO Taylor Harrell Director of Special Events UH Moores School of Music 3333 Cullen Blvd. Room 120 Houston, Texas 77204-4017 taharrel@central.uh.edu

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