Edge - Spring 2015 by The University of the Arts

the magazine of

edge The U ni v er sit y

Sp r i n g 2 0 1 5

of the

A rt s

Scott McMahon BFA ’95 (Photography) & Ahmed Salvador BFA ’95 (Photography) Kirk E. Pillow interim president

Josephine Burri publisher vice president for advancement

Paul F. Healy editor associate vice president of universit y communication s

Benjamin Brotman BFA ’13 art director & designer

James Maurer production manager

Dana Rodriguez contributing editor

contributing photographers

contributing writers

Benjamin Brotman BFA ’13 Jason Chen BFA ’08 Ian Douglas Mark Garvin CJ Harker BFA ’14 Claire Iltis Paola Nogueras B. Proud

Anisa Haidary Paul F. Healy Sara MacDonald Monifa Moore Sima Rabinowitz Dana Rodriguez Liz Saccardi Kristen Scatton TJ Walsh BFA ’07

cover image

Wi n t e r Da n c e Se r i e s , December 2014 Photo: Ian Douglas postmaster: send address changes to: Edge c/o University Communications The University of the Arts 320 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19102 edge, Volume 1, Number 15 Edge is the magazine of the University of the Arts. Readers are encouraged to submit ideas for original articles about University students, faculty and alumni; advancements in arts and arts education; and visual, performing and media arts. The submission of artwork for reproduction is also encouraged. Please include contact information when submitting art. Unless requested, artwork will not be returned. Please send all comments, kudos and criticisms to: Edge c/o University Communications, Letters to the Editor, 320 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102; or email news@uarts.edu.

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Ne w Me xico

Response Time #5 2014

l a nd s c a p e ta k e n w i t h a p inh o l e c a me r a , t he n w r a p p e d in t inf o il

w him s y; ink je t p rin t f r o m c olor neg at i v e

FROM THE PRESIDENT In the other articles in this issue of Edge magazine, you will find a theme that threads its way through each, a theme based on a bold concept: “UArts = Philly Arts.” Bold indeed, but undeniably true, in both qualitative and quantitative ways. Look in any corner of the region’s arts and culture scene and you’ll find University of the Arts alumni or faculty—and often both—in leadership roles, both artistically and administratively.

CJ Harker BFA ‘14

At the University of the Arts, as in all things, change is inevitable and, if approached in the right manner, can bring with it great opportunity. So it is as the end of another exciting and eventful academic year moves nearer.

Heading the list of changes at UArts is the presidential transition now underway. Former President Sean Buffington’s departure in January to take a position with the Henry Luce Foundation in New York City offers us the chance to celebrate the bold changes that occurred over the past seven years under Sean’s leadership; and it provides the opportunity to choose a new leader to move the University into the next stage of its evolution. UArts’ innovative new curricula, our new colleges and schools, and the academic programs we have launched have positioned the University uniquely among our peer institutions and helped to put us on an exciting path forward. That journey will be mapped out in large part by the next UArts president. The process to select that individual is being led by a presidential search committee, with the assistance of a top consulting firm and the input of a wide range of University of the Arts constituencies. You can learn more about the search on page 5.

From larger, established institutions that have set the pace in a myriad of disciplines for many years, to groundbreaking entrepreneurial startups that are reimagining the futures of their fields, members of the UArts community are there with their hands on the wheel. In those stories, we focus on just a small sample of the leaders and innovators who are helping to drive and to form the vibrant creative environment that has inspired publications as diverse as Business Week and The Huffington Post to call Philadelphia one of the top U.S. cities for arts and culture. I hope you enjoy this issue of Edge. We welcome both your feedback and your ideas for future themes and stories.

Warm regards,

Kirk E. Pillow Interim President

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TA BL E O F C O N T E N T S

F E AT U R E D

UARTS = PHILLY ARTS 5 Looking to the Future

From ‘Mad Men’

A Thriving Community

Choreographing

to Twitter… and Beyond

of Artists

the Future of Dance

The Philadelphia Sound…

UArts Sets

The Outsider

Courtesy of UArts

the Stage

Is Now In

25 A Coach in Philly’s ‘Gym for Innovators’

29 UArts News 36 Supporting UArts 41 Alumni Notes 51 In Memoriam 53 From the Archives 4

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE The search for a new president is underway

Jason Chen BFA ’08

After seven-and-a-half years of leading the University of the Arts through a period of significant strategic change, President Sean T. Buffington stepped down at the end of December 2014, and a search for UArts’ next leader is well underway. Buffington was appointed vice president for planning and strategic initiatives by the Henry Luce Foundation in New York City. Provost Kirk E. Pillow is serving as interim president to ensure a seamless transition while a national search is conducted. Dr. Pillow’s appointment began on January 1, 2015. Sean T. Buffington

“I’m proud of what the UArts community has accomplished over the past seven years,” Buffington said. “It has been a privilege to lead this institution, to work each day with such tremendously committed and talented artists and educators, and to do so in the heart of the city of Philadelphia, which boasts one of the country’s most vital arts scenes. I will miss the University and Philadelphia enormously.” Taking the reins at UArts in 2007, Buffington was one of the youngest college presidents in the nation and, at the time, one of the few openly gay ones. Aware of dramatic changes shaping both the near and far futures of the arts, Buffington launched a process to

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define and implement a new approach to teaching the next generation of creative leaders. As a result of that effort, an innovative new curriculum was developed, championing risk-taking, exploration, the crossing of disciplinary lines, collaboration and entrepreneurship. New strategic and master plans were created to define the University’s goals academically and financially, and to envision the physical campus required to make those aspirations a reality. UArts Board of Trustees Chair Jeffrey Lutsky expressed confidence in the University as the search for a new president is ongoing. “We’re in a strong position,” Lutsky said. “UArts is on solid financial ground; we’ve attracted nationally acclaimed talent to our faculty; our curriculum has been transformed to be the first in the country for an independent art and design college to truly deliver interdisciplinary learning; and our faculty and alumni are defining the creative economy in Philadelphia and beyond.” And Lutsky says UArts is in good hands as the search for the next president continues. “Provost Kirk Pillow is an experienced and capable leader. He worked closely with Sean and the leadership team to implement the University’s curricular transformation in recent years. He is continuing to move the University forward in an exciting direction during this time of transition.”

The Presidential Search

CJ Harker BFA ‘14

Kirk E. Pillow

Accomplishments

Academically, many strategic changes have occurred over the past seven years. The College of Media & Communication merged with the College of Art & Design to form the College of Art, Media & Design, and Schools of Art, Design and Film were created. New undergraduate programs were launched in Photo + Film Media, Film + Animation, Film Design + Production, Design, Art + Technology, and Music Business, Entrepreneurship + Technology. The Division of Liberal Arts launched its first degree programs, Creative Writing and Film + Media Studies. And the School of Dance, under the direction of Director Donna Faye Burchfield, developed a groundbreaking, dynamic new curriculum. Buffington also oversaw the launch of new programs on the graduate side, including Master of Design degrees in Design for Social Impact and Product Design; through the Division of Continuing Studies, a Master of Education in Educational Program Design and a Master of Education in Educational Technology; a 5-Year BM/ MAT in Music Education degree and a 5-Year BFA/MAT in Visual Arts/Art Education degree; and an MFA in Devised Performance through a partnership with Pig Iron Theatre Company. The past seven years also saw UArts reaching out to create partnerships with a wide range of institutions in the community, including NextFab, Philadelphia’s cutting-edge, high-tech fabrication workspace, contract fabricator and rapid prototyping center; the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design at Drexel University; and the Curtis Institute of Music, among others. The most recent, and one of the most exciting for UArts students, is the collaboration with neighboring Peirce College, a strategic educational partnership to add greater depth to each school’s educational offerings and to better prepare students for the current job market. Peirce, a leader in career-related education for 148 years—and conveniently located directly across the street from UArts—offers a range of management, marketing and other courses for UArts students.

Photo Courtesy Ron Naples

With an Eye to the Future

A Presidential Search Committee, chaired by Trustee and former Board Chair Ronald Naples, is working with Korn Ferry, one of the nation’s leading executive search firms, to identify the best possible candidates. The Committee members represent a range of University of the Arts stakeholder groups—trustees, faculty, academic and administrative officers, and alumni. Members of the UArts community were offered the opportunity to submit nominations of individuals they believed would be excellent candidates to lead the University into the future. Those stakeholders were also invited to a series of Town Hall Meetings to learn more about the search process, to offer their views on the opportunities and challenges facing UArts, and to provide input on the attributes most desirable in the University’s next president. A section has been created on the University’s website (uarts.edu/presidentsearch) to keep the UArts community updated on the progress of the search process. Naples, the Search Committee chair, says the panel’s goal is “to find a proven and innovative leader to guide the University’s growth and development; to increase its visibility nationally and internationally; to ensure the resources necessary to fulfill its mission; and to serve as an effective and enthusiastic University ambassador and advocate for arts education, the role and power of creativity in our economy, and the impact of technology on these.”

Ronald Naples

According to Naples, the new president will have the opportunity to leverage UArts’ academic and artistic excellence as well as the institution’s points of distinction in raising the profile of the University and forging more connectivity to both the Philadelphia arts community and the broader landscape of arts education. “In doing so,” he says, “the president will draw from the rich and vibrant fabric of the University, made up of its talented students, dedicated, accomplished faculty and celebrated alumni.” In addition to the updates on UArts’ website, information on the search will be communicated on an ongoing basis via the University’s email newsletter, Verge, and on its social media platforms Facebook.com/uarts, Twitter.com/uarts and Instagram.com/universityofthearts.

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il lu s t r at i on b y

John Brickly â&#x20AC;&#x2122;15 (Illustration)

UARTS = PHILLY ARTS University of the Arts faculty, alumni and students lead the way

For almost 140 years, the University of the Arts and the creative life of Philadelphia have been linked intrinsically. From its days as the first institution—in fact, the first building—on what is now South Broad Street, to today, with its legion of visual and performing artists, designers and writers, the stories of University of the Arts alumni, faculty and students are the stories that define Philadelphia’s thriving arts and culture landscape. While William Penn, Quaker that he was, might disapprove of the boldness of that thesis, the truth of it, as later leaders in Philadelphia might put it, is indeed self-evident: the UArts community is a leading driver of the creative economy in Philadelphia and beyond, from stage, screen and studio to entrepreneurial start-ups and administrative leadership. Nationally renowned faculty and alumni are not only shaping the creative leaders of tomorrow, they’re actively shaping the Philadelphia arts scene today. “It’s extraordinary when you realize the depth and breadth of the influence University of the Arts alumni and faculty have in the region’s arts and culture scene,” says UArts Interim President Kirk E. Pillow. “That’s been the case for a very long time, and now as we look ahead to the University’s 140th anniversary in 2016, we will be working to ensure that everyone else knows it.” The list of accomplishments by members of the UArts community is exceptional. The opening show of the Wilma Theater’s 2014/15 season was directed by Ira Brind School of Theater Arts Director Joanna Settle. Brind School alumni and faculty received more than 30 Barrymore Award nominations, with 10 taking home trophies. In addition, alumna Jennifer Childs BFA ’90 (Acting)—founder of 1812 Productions, the region’s iconic comedic company—continued to make Philadelphia theatergoers laugh, as she has since 1997, while 11th Hour Theatre—co-founded by alumna Megan O’Brien BFA ’05 (Applied Theater Arts)—broke new ground with each production.

Many of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival’s most interesting productions were the work of UArts faculty, alumni and students, from performers to directors, choreographers to sound and lighting artists, including alumni Gunnar Montana BFA ’11 (Dance) and Brian Sanders BFA ’92 (Dance), who presented new dance-theater works in the Neighborhood Fringe; “(some) LOVE AND (some) INFORMATION,” a joint production of UArts’ Brind School and Headlong Dance Theater; and Brind School Professor Aaron Cromie’s lauded direction of the unique “Body Lautrec” at the Mütter Museum. In the fall, the Institute of Contemporary Art presented a major exhibition featuring the work of alumni Jayson Musson BFA ’02 (Photography) and Alex Da Corte BFA ’05 (Printmaking). Opera Philadelphia’s 40th anniversary gala was headlined by School of Music grad Stephen Costello BM ’03 (Voice), whom The Wall Street Journal has called “a Philadelphia kid who sings like he’s from Milan.” UArts students swept the prizes in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s 2014 Collab Student Design Competition, with Jude Marks ’16 (Industrial Design) taking first place—the third time in the past six years that a UArts design student has won the top prize in the prestigious competition. And copies of the new book First Comes Love: Portraits of Enduring LGBTQ Relationships by Adjunct Associate Professor of Photography Barbara Proud were sent to each of the U.S. Supreme Court justices as part of an invitation to attend the upcoming exhibition “Speaking Out for Equality: The Constitution, Gay Rights & the Supreme Court,” which will be on display at the National Constitution Center June 5 – September 7. The books were signed by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and other dignitaries. In this issue of Edge, we look at a few extraordinary members of the UArts community who represent the much larger body of visual artists, performers, designers, writers and others who have set the pace for the thriving creative environment in Philadelphia.

Featured Faculty Artist Senior Lecturer, Liberal Arts Anabelle Rodriguez

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Island #7 (Melaza para Puerto Rico) 2014 w a t e r c o l o r s ,

gouache, glit ter, sumi ink on arches aquarelle

FROM ‘MAD MEN’ TO TWITTER… AND BEYOND Philadelphia advertising legend Berny Brownstein’s still at the top

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PHOTO: CJ Harker BFA ’14

FROM ‘MAD MEN’ TO T WIT TER… AND BE YOND

He’s been dubbed the “Dean of Philadelphia Advertising,” even the “King of Broad Street,” but one thing Berny Brownstein BFA ’57 (Advertising Design) has never been called is timid. Sitting in his corner office—the walls of which feature photos of him mingling with luminaries such as Bill Clinton, the halls outside lined with more awards than can be easily counted—the 78-year-old Brownstein looks the part of a modern-day ad man in a stylish bright-yellow and green plaid shirt, sleeves rolled up just so, leaning back in his chair and exuding confidence. Many things have changed since he cut his teeth in the hard-driving “Mad Men” era of advertising—but not others.

“One thing Berny Brownstein has never been called is timid.” “My mantra is ‘create breakthrough work,’” he says with a smile, his eyes lively and sharp. “Always has been. It was my passion when I started my own agency in 1964, and it hasn’t ever changed.”

CJ Harker BFA ’14

Brownstein says that when he graduated in 1957, the country was going through a creative revolution. “The first ad campaign for Volkswagen, which is iconic now, was wildly innovative, the antithesis of traditional car ads, and it was wildly successful. I knew I wanted to get into that. And I had the bug to do it my own way.” So after working as an art director at an agency and then for a department store, he launched Brownstein Group from his home. As the business grew, it moved in 1980, settling in to its current home at 215 South Broad, adjacent to UArts’ Terra Hall. Today, it boasts 75 employees and $12.5 million in annual revenue, and the agency celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014. “When I started out, much of the work being done in Philly…well, it was as if there was an invisible dog fence around the city, and no one realized there was a much, much bigger world out there,” he says. Brownstein was adamant that he was going to bring the quality and creativity of Madison Avenue to the City of Brotherly Love. And he did just that, now calling such giants as IKEA, Microsoft, ESPN, eBay, Comcast and Western Union clients. “Today, some of the best work is being done in smaller agencies outside New York,” he says, “in Denver, Seattle, in Portland, Ore., Richmond, Va., and Boulder, Colo.”

Berny Brownstein

Berny shows off a recent Philadelphia Inquirer feature on Brownstein Group Berny Brownstein early in his career

The advertising industry has undergone significant changes since the days of Don Draper-types and three-martini lunches, including the development of digital marketing and social media. Brownstein says that although it’s more of a challenge to break through the clutter today, the key, as always, is to know where the client’s audience is and how to reach them. And for Brownstein Group, the hits keep on coming: this year, the firm won 15 ADDY Awards, Philadelphia’s highest industry honor. And he has no plans to stop. “Here I am at my age,” he says, “and I’m still here in the office, still in the action.” Another smile spreads across his tan face. “It’s my nature to sell, so I’m going to keep on selling.”

A THRIVING COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS Alumna and faculty member Julianna Foster helps lead a vibrant collective scene 13

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PHOTO: CJ Harker BFA â&#x20AC;&#x2122;14

A THRIVING COMMUNIT Y OF ARTISTS

Vox Populi—Latin for “voice of the people”—is the granddaddy of all artist collectives in Philadelphia. Since 1988, it has been the creative home to some of the city’s most compelling and provocative artists, continuously raising the bar with their thought-provoking, boundary-pushing work. “When I moved to Philadelphia, I was intrigued by the level of work at Vox,” says UArts alumna and Photography Senior Lecturer Julianna Foster MFA ’06 (Book Arts + Printmaking), one of many UArts faculty and alumni who have been members of the influential organization, including current member Alexander Rosenberg, head of UArts’ Glass program. “I was teaching in North Carolina when my husband got a job at the Fabric Workshop here in Philly in 2000,” Foster says. “I had been a member of a small gallery collective in Winston-Salem, so I had already been introduced to co-ops.” Foster was invited to join Vox Populi, whose membership, she says, is typically capped at 20 to 25 artists and rotates, and quickly decided that she wanted to take an active role, especially as the collective was planning a move from its old space on Cherry Street to its new quarters on North 11th Street. “I became chair of the Facilities and Communications/Public Relations committees,” she says. “It was exciting to be involved in the layout and design of the new gallery, and to help get it up and running.”

“So many great people have moved here, and great things are happening.” According to Foster, who stepped down from Vox recently after seven years as a member, the most important aspect of the organization is being around artists who are making challenging and provocative work. “There’s a real sense of community-building,” she says. “Because it’s artist-run with no curators, it creates a space for experimental work and allows for more openness and freedom. It provides opportunities to build your practice and to experiment.” And that approach has gained recognition far beyond the borders of the City of Brotherly Love. In 2010, Vox Populi was invited to take part in a festival at the Tate Modern gallery in London featuring 70 independent non-commercial art spaces from around the world. Foster says that Philadelphia is a vibrant and exciting place to be right now. “So many artists are doing so many wonderful things, in visual arts, dance, theater,” she says. “And there are opportunities for artists when they finish school here. When we first moved here, we thought we’d stay a few years and then see what’s next. We’ve been here for 12 years, and we stay because there are so many opportunities. And I’ve seen the arts scene here grow. Smaller co-op spaces have sprung up—since Vox moved into its new building, five or six smaller galleries have opened.”

Julianna Foster MFA ‘06 (Book Arts + Printmaking) “Orbs II” from Foster’s “Swell” series, 2013 The Vox Populi collective

Although she cites funding as an ongoing issue for artists in Philadelphia, she believes the growth of independent arts spaces will increase, “with people opening up their own spaces, print shops, etc., and collaborating. It’ll continue to get bigger and better.” Foster says the University of the Arts plays a major role in that growth. “UArts is a vibrant environment, exciting, with great people doing really great work. I’ve collaborated with several other alumni, in fact. “I have a very positive outlook on the artists’ community here,” she says. “So many great people have moved here, and great things are happening.”

CHOREOGRAPHING THE FUTURE OF DANCE UArts’ School of Dance touches every corner of the city’s dance scene

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PHOTO: CJ Harker BFA ’14

Ian Douglas

CHOREOGR APHING THE FUTURE OF DANCE

When it comes to the reason why Philadelphia has such a rich and celebrated dance culture, Donald Lunsford BFA ’83 (Modern Dance) believes it’s all in a name.

UArts’ School of Dance has been sharing and nurturing that love since the late 1970s, when the Philadelphia Dance Academy merged with the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts, the predecessor of the current College of Performing Arts. Nearly 40 years later, the School of Dance counts among its alumni and faculty some of the most influential and recognizable names in the Philadelphia dance community—Brian Sanders BFA ’92 (Modern Dance), founder of the dance/physical theater company Brian Sanders’ JUNK; Kim Bears-Bailey BFA ’84 (Ballet), assistant artistic director of Philadanco; Ronen Koresh, founder and artistic director of Koresh Dance Company; and many more. Meanwhile, the rosters of Philadelphia’s top professional dance companies—Philadanco, JUNK, Koresh, BalletX, Sharp Dance Company—are a who’s who of UArts alumni. Empowering dancers to take advantage of the diverse opportunities in Philadelphia and around the world has been School of Dance Director Donna Faye Burchfield’s mission since taking the helm in 2010. “The professional field of dance is incredibly expansive and expanding,” says Burchfield. “Today’s dancers have no problem swinging between the traditional and the experimental. It’s essential that our dancers see the possibilities of ways to be in dance.” And School of Dance students see those possibilities everywhere in Philadelphia, by participating in performances, workshops, master classes and internships, and learning from the city’s most notable professional dancers.

“The city is an extension of our studios and classrooms,” says Burchfield, rattling off the names of organizations and companies with whom the School of Dance has a relationship, including the Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadanco, the Painted Bride Art Center and more. “It’s one thing to talk about something, it’s another thing to go out and see it and experience it. We’re really trying to make this city our laboratory, so being in [Philadelphia] is essential to the dynamic we are trying to create.”

Left to right: Kim Bears-Bailey BFA ’84 (Ballet), Donald Lunsford BFA ’83 (Modern Dance) and Donna Faye Burchfield Winter Dance Series 2014

Burchfield has also overseen significant changes within the School of Dance’s classrooms, restructuring the curriculum to abolish the rigidly structured “silos” that forced dancers to choose a major area of focus and expanding the styles to which students are exposed. “Our freshmen take hip-hop and ballet every day. That’s not a common practice,” she says. “But it’s not okay to train in singular ways anymore. The world is too complex. It’s not just about teaching dancers to be moving bodies, but thinking, reflective young artistic citizens in a world that is in constant transition.” All of which bodes well for the continued healthy presence of UArts alumni in the Philadelphia dance community, says Lunsford. “Dancers come here to train and get the best of what the city has to offer, and then they give it back. They come in with their own prior experience and knowledge, and that enhances the knowledge base for the whole community,” he says. But it’s not just the School of Dance’s innovative curriculum and impressive faculty roster that will keep drawing young dancers to Philadelphia, but the city’s energy as well.

Ian Douglas

“Philadelphia is the city of brotherly and sisterly love, and dance is love,” says Lunsford, a faculty member in the University’s School of Dance, as well as the artistic director of Danco 2, the apprentice company of the groundbreaking professional dance company Philadanco. “That’s what’s shared between dancers and audiences. Philly attracts, supports and feeds dancers with that love.”

“The dancers that come here…we’re all on the same frequency, and it’s intense and vital,” says Lunsford. “That’s what dancers feed on here, the vitality of our community.”

Featured Alumni Artist Ben Dibble BFA â&#x20AC;&#x2122;00 (Musical Theater)

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Barrymore Award-winning role as Leo Frank in Arden Theatre Company’s production of “Parade.” 2014 P h o t o

Mark Garvin

THE PHILADELPHIA SOUND… COURTESY OF UARTS Faculty and alumni drive the region’s music industry

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PHOTO: CJ Harker BFA ’14

THE PHIL ADELPHIA SOUND… COURTESY OF UARTS

To say that the University of the Arts’ School of Music plays an integral leadership role in the Philadelphia music scene is akin to declaring that “Gone With the Wind” was a nice little movie. For decades, UArts faculty, alumni and students have had a seminal impact on every facet of the music industry in Philadelphia. From solo artists to pit musicians, composers to music directors, to the teachers who help develop the next generation of those talented artists, the UArts community continues to serve as the city’s musical vanguard. Performances of the Philadelphia Orchestra? Check. The Philly POPS? Check. Backing up everyone from Patti LaBelle to Ben Folds, Tony Bennett to Idina Menzel, Elvis Costello to Sarah McLachlan? Yup. Pit orchestra for just about every Broadway show that hits Philly? Yes, indeed. “We joke about how many UArts musicians are requested to play in the pit for those shows,” says saxophonist Ron Kerber BM ’80 (Saxophone), associate dean of the College of Performing Arts. Trumpeter and Assistant Professor Matt Gallagher MM ’01 (Jazz Studies) agrees. “I looked down the row during rehearsal for “Motown: The Musical” earlier this year and out of six horns, four were UArts guys.” Gallagher, by the way, was hand picked this past year by the world-renowned Boston Symphony Orchestra to play solo trumpet for a special performance of “West Side Story.” That UArts influence has been the case for a very long time, according to sax player and Assistant Professor Chris Farr BM ’94 (Saxophone), MAT ’95 (Music Education). “We had so many guys recording at the Sound of Philadelphia Studios, with the Spinners, the Stylistics, the O’Jays, you name it,” he says. Professor Evan Solot BM ’67 (Trumpet), BME ’67 (Composition), MM ’75 (Composition) and the late trombonist and faculty member Richard Genovese, who passed away in August, are prime examples, according to Farr, who himself spent last summer on tour with Rihanna and Eminem—the musical director for both of whom happens to be alumnus Adam Blackstone ’04 (Instrumental Performance). “And [Master Lecturer] Larry McKenna’s been the face of jazz saxophone in Philadelphia for 50 years,” adds Kerber.

Concerts by the famous Philly POPS orchestra tend to look like a UArts reunion. Besides Kerber and Gallagher, among the many other UArts representatives is Associate Professor Jeff Kern, conductor of the Voices of the POPS, a 12-voice professional group that sings with the orchestra. He also leads the POPS Festival Chorus, a 125-voice chorus that joins the POPS for their holiday concerts and features some 30 current and former UArts students.

“The UArts community continues to serve as the city’s musical vanguard.” Kerber says UArts’ reach extends to the top players in all the local recording studios, even to what we hear in movies and on our TVs and radios every day. He cites Senior Lecturer Chuck Butler as the top commercial and jingle composer in Philadelphia, whose work is heard worldwide. Butler has scored campaign commercials for presidential candidates, provided music for TV programs including “Oprah!” and “The Today Show,” and has scored several independent films. “The great thing is that the people who’ve graduated from UArts and are out in the professional world make sure they set an example for the students of how to be a professional,” says Gallagher. “We take them out there and get them experience while they’re still in school. Every student I’ve recruited, I’ve taken out on gigs with my band,” he says.

Left to right: Faculty/alumni Ron Kerber, Matt Gallagher and Chris Farr Almost two dozen UArts alumni and students were featured in the Philly POPS’ April concert Some of the UArts faculty who perform with the Philly POPS (l-r): Matt Gallagher, George Rabbai, Mark Allen, Ron Kerber, Marjorie Goldberg, Joseph Nero

According to Kerber, the secret to success—besides exceptional talent—is the flexibility and adaptability of UArts musicians. “Jazz, like classical, is a very specific form,” he says. “But a good jazz musician understands other forms, like blues, R&B, etc.” As a result, in the world of music in Philadelphia, the UArts beat goes on.

UARTS SETS THE STAGE Philadelphia theater takes its cues from Brind School alumni and faculty

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PHOTO: Paola Nogueras

U A R T S S E T S T HE S TA G E

“It seems like you can’t turn around in a theater without seeing someone from the UArts community,” says Jen Childs BFA ’90 (Acting), founder and producing artistic director of Philadelphia’s 1812 Productions. “It’s not just actors—it’s directors, designers, stage managers, choreographers.” It wasn’t always this way. “Philadelphia used to be very different for theater artists,” says Childs. “You came here, studied and left,” and headed to a more established theater city like New York or London. Childs initially followed that path, but when she returned to Philadelphia in the late 1990s, she found an emerging theater scene, thanks to companies like the Arden Theatre Company, the Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays and Pig Iron Theatre Company, with whom UArts recently partnered to create a new MFA in Devised Performance. Childs and friend Pete Pryor BFA ’90 (Theater Arts) joined the revolution, establishing 1812 Productions in 1997. By the time Megan O’Brien BFA ’05 (Applied Theater Arts) graduated, Philadelphia’s theater scene had exploded. But she noticed there was something missing. “Companies like the Walnut [Street Theatre] and the Prince [Music Theatre] were doing large-scale musicals, but no one was doing small, intimate musicals,” says O’Brien. Along with her brother and a friend, O’Brien co-founded 11th Hour Theatre Company, producing their first musical within a month of her graduation. “I don’t think that would have been possible anywhere else,” says O’Brien of founding 11th Hour right out of college. “Somewhere like New York, it would be difficult because of the cost and how competitive it is. But here, we were embraced by the community. They were really supportive of us. Philadelphia is unique in that sense.”

Philadelphia’s reputation for a supportive community and diverse work piqued the interest of Brind School Director Joanna Settle when she was considering a move from New York. “I was looking at the vibrancy of Philadelphia theater—the city has great spaces and audiences who are hungry for theater in all its forms,” says Settle, who joined UArts in January 2014. “So when I got the call from UArts, I was super excited. As I explored the Brind School, I got more excited.” Settle channeled that enthusiasm into establishing relationships with local theaters like the Wilma, where she directed its 2014-15 season opener “Rapture, Blister, Burn” and which now holds a “UArts Day” during productions, as well as launching the Performance Incubator, which brings companies like Headlong Dance Theater, the Berserker Residents, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret and 11th Hour (many of which include UArts’ alums) to campus to develop work with Brind School students. Settle says that opportunities to work with professional theater artists are essential to students’ training. “The idea is to be curious and explore. Students need to come in contact with great artists and all the various shapes and forms in which they come. We’re giving them examples of what a life in the arts should be.”

Brind School production of “Places of Pilgrimage” Jen Childs BFA ’90 (Acting) Brind School production of “Mad Forest” Meghan O’Brien BFA ‘05 (Applied Theater Arts) [left] and her 11th Hour Theatre co-founders Ira Brind School of Theater Arts Director Joanna Settle

Those benefits extend to post-graduate life. “Having that connection is a great entrée into this world of Philly theater,” says Childs. “Other people have done this and have knowledge they can share with you.”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE PHIL ADELPHIA INQUIRER

If you want to know how the University’s Ira Brind School of Theater Arts influences Philadelphia’s theater scene, flip through the program of the next local production you attend and count the names of the Brind School alumni, faculty and students who are involved in the show. Or Google “UArts Barrymore Awards” and scroll through the names of honorees from the UArts family.

Childs shared her knowledge as a faculty member at UArts during the early 2000s. One of her pupils was O’Brien, who is now looking at how she can strengthen and expand the UArts universe in Philadelphia. “I feel like it’s part of my duty, to find opportunities to help keep [UArts students] in Philly,” she says. “I want to continue to make this a place where those students can graduate and work, because I was able to do that.”

THE OUTSIDER IS NOW IN After decades of proselytizing for self-taught art, John Ollman’s voice is heard—loud and clear

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PHOTO: CJ Harker BFA ’14

THE OUTSIDER IS NOW IN

“It took 20 years for self-taught art to catch on.” Ollman’s path into the gallery world was not his initial one. “After I got my BFA [at UArts], I got an MFA at Indiana University in sculpture with a minor in art history,” he says. “I came back to Philly and started teaching. I learned quickly that I was not cut out to be a teacher.” He landed a job as assistant director at what was then the Janet Fleisher Gallery in Philadelphia, becoming the director within a year, and a career was born. “Working in the gallery turned out to be a wonderful collaboration between Janet and myself. I had strong interests in Ethnographic art, particularly Native American, Oceanic, Pre-Columbian and selftaught art, which was then called ‘Outsider Art,’ and she supported those interests.”

John Ollman BFA ‘67 (Sculpture) Exhibit by artist Paul Swenbeck at Fleisher-Ollman Gallery

While still important, what was once a necessity for Ollman’s gallery—going to major art fairs in New York, Chicago and elsewhere to sell his “outside-the-norm” works—has become less of an imperative thanks to technology. “The Internet has changed the game significantly,” he says. “Our biggest client lives in London and has a huge collection.” These days, Ollman’s recognition reaches well beyond the borders of Philadelphia. He was among the luminaries profiled in the 2011 book by private art dealer and author Richard Polsky (I Sold Andy Warhol) titled The Art Prophets—The Artists, Dealers and Tastemakers Who Shook the Art World.

Claire Iltis

But Ollman’s uphill path to success has been worth the climb: today he is one of Philadelphia’s premier gallerists, leading perhaps the world’s top source for self-taught art. “It took 20 years for it to catch on—not until the ’80s in New York,” he says. “Finally, in 2013, the Philadelphia Museum of Art presented a major exhibition of self-taught artists, and Fleisher-Ollman put most of it together.”

But he says it wasn’t easy in the early days. “The early 1970s were a very different time to be an art dealer. Trying to sell self-taught artists was very challenging, even more so because at that time you could count the good galleries in Philly on one hand.” And that meant that those who were serious collectors went to New York to make their purchases. “It was disheartening,” he says. But 10 to 15 years ago, the Philadelphia art market began to change for the better, according to Ollman, and the pace of that process has been increasing over the past five years. “College grads are moving to Philadelphia rather than to New York because it’s much more affordable,” he says, “and the influx of young artists has led to a new energy—new artists’ studios and collaboratives such as Black Floor and 1026 have joined established ones like Vox Populi. There are more opportunities now for young artists. The one negative is that we still have too few independent commercial galleries, and that’s an issue.”

“I came to [UArts] from an unsuccessful attempt at a more traditional university,” says Ollman. “I started out as an education major as a freshman, with teaching as my backup plan, until one of my professors pushed me toward fine arts. It was never anything I had thought of doing, but it was a monumental decision for me. In the end, you have to see what’s important to you and to find the right situation.”

Claire Iltis

Talk about blazing a trail. When John Ollman BFA ’67 (Sculpture), owner of Philadelphia’s pioneering Fleisher-Ollman Gallery, started out in the gallery business in the early 1970s selling work by 20thcentury self-taught artists, he faced one problem: the market for that work didn’t exist. “The material didn’t sell,” he says with a rueful smile.

It seems clear that, through an arduous but exciting four decades, John Ollman has done just that.

A COACH IN PHILLY’S ‘GYM FOR INNOVATORS’ Christine Zapata rides the cutting edge of design and entrepreneurship

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PHOTOS: CJ Harker BFA ’14

A C O A CH IN P HIL LY ’S ‘G Y M F O R INN O VATO R S’

Christine Zapata BS ’11 (Industrial Design) sees a world of opportunity for entrepreneurs—and a rapidly growing cast of industrious innovators willing to reach for their own brass rings. One of the new generation of design industry leaders, Zapata heads up the education and textiles departments at NextFab, Philadelphia’s cutting-edge digital design and fabrication lab/co-working space. Every day, she’s surrounded by and helping to advance the visions of creative entrepreneurs working to move their startups forward. Those entrepreneurs receive a major assist from NextFab’s state-of-the-art facility, home to services such as laser cutting and engraving, HD 3D printing, textile processing, electronics, photography and 2D printing. In addition to all of the top-of-the-line equipment and the expertise to help startups design and prototype products, the “makerspace” has added a business-incubation program to help creatives with an idea to turn their concept into a startup.

Known as “Philadelphia’s Gym for Innovators,” NextFab quickly outgrew its original space at the University City Science Center and in 2012 moved into its current 21,000-square-foot building on Washington Avenue, barely a mile from UArts. The facility has quickly become a tremendous resource for local entrepreneurs, artists and designers alike—including students in UArts’ College of Art, Media & Design, through a partnership that began in the fall.

Christine Zapata BS ‘11 (Industrial Design) at NextFab NextFab studios

“A lot more people are launching startups in Philly…it’s exciting to be a part of that.”

Zapata, a former incubator coordinator at the University’s Corzo Center for the Creative Economy, says that the rapid advance of technology and the rise of digital media have led to a wave of entrepreneurship, in particular here in Philadelphia. “More and more people believe they can start their own companies, and in fact, many people have built successful businesses that way,” she says. “I’m seeing a lot more people launching startups in Philly. Many of them are working at NextFab, and it’s very exciting to be a part of that.” Zapata says that young people with a passion for blazing their own trails have more paths in front of them now than ever before. “They no longer have to stay on the traditional track of ‘go to college, get a job, stay there until you retire,’” she says. “As long as someone has a good idea, there are an increasing number of options to help them transform that idea into a successful business.”

Featured Student Artist Joy Dilworth â&#x20AC;&#x2122;15 (Craft + material Studies)

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UARTS NEWS AROUND CAMPUS UArts Names New VP for Enrollment, Retention & Student Affairs UArts has announced the appointment of Richard M. Longo as vice president for Enrollment, Retention & Student Affairs. Longo, who began in January 2015, joined UArts from Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts, where he was most recently executive vice president, having previously served as dean of Admissions and Enrollment Services there since 2009. He has spent his career in admissions, with a focus on art and design schools. Longo began his career at the Pratt Institute as an admissions counselor and went on to leadership positions at the Swain School of Design at the University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth, the School of Visual Arts in New York, and the Maine College of Art. He is himself an art school graduate, having earned a BFA in Communication Design from Pratt.

UArts Is Center Stage at Fringe Arts Festival More than two dozen members of the UArts community were either front and center or behind the scenes in a wide range of exciting, cutting-edge productions during the 17th annual edition of the Fringe Arts Festival held in Philadelphia last fall. Among them, alumni Felicia Kalani Anderton ’15 (Musical Theater), Dare Harlow BFA ’13 (Dance), Amanda Kmett’Pendry BFA ’13 (Dance), Kelsey Ludwig BFA ’14 (Dance), Erin McDowell BFA ’14 (Dance), Gunnar Montana BFA ’11 (Dance), Kali Page BFA ’14 (Dance), Kate Raines BFA ’08 (Acting), Emily Rea BFA ’07 (Directing, Playwriting + Production), Bayla Rubin BFA ’09 (Directing, Playwriting + Production), Brian Sanders BFA ’92 (Dance), Matteo Jones Scammell BFA ’11 (Acting), Dejha Ti BFA ’08 (Multimedia) and Sam Tower BFA ’10 (Acting); and faculty members Jen Childs BFA ’90 (Acting), Aaron Cromie, Manfred Fischbeck, Meredith Glisson, Rosey Hay and David O’Connor. WHYY’s Newsworks gave a rave review to Fringe Fest production “The Body Lautrec,” which featured Cromie, Rubin and Raines.

Borowsky Prize in Glass Arts Awarded to Bryan McGovern Wilson Glass artist Bryan McGovern Wilson was named the winner of the University’s second annual Irvin J. Borowsky Prize in Glass Arts, given to an artist whose work advances the field of contemporary glass art. The prize carries with it a $5,000 award and a residency and lectureship at UArts. A visual artist who works across disciplines, Wilson holds a BFA in Glass from the Rhode Island School of Design and has also trained at the Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Crafts and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, among other schools. The Borowsky Prize in Glass Arts is made possible by a substantial gift from Emeritus Trustee Irvin J. Borowsky, who recently passed away (see story page 52), and his wife, Laurie Wagman, a current trustee. The gift also enabled UArts to establish the Irvin Borowsky Center for Glass Arts, expanding the University’s Glass facilities and its capacity to promote the study of the historical and contemporary significance of glass art.

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WHAT’S NEW STUDENT NEWS

Students Sweep Philadelphia Museum of Art Design Competition Students from the University’s College of Art, Media & Design were top winners in the 2014 Collab Student Design Competition held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in November. Jude Marks ’16 (Industrial Design) was named the first-place winner, Chun Lin “Eddie” Yeh ’15 (Industrial Design) won second place and Colleen Daniels ’15 (Craft + Material Studies) took home third place. In addition, work by Glasgow School of Art exchange student Sarah Gray (Industrial Design) and juniors Lena Feliciano-Hansen ’16 (Industrial Design) and Tito Williams ’16 (Industrial Design) was included in Collab’s weeklong “People’s Choice Award” exhibition on display at the museum.

Theater Student Wins Top BroadwayWorld Philadelphia Award Ira Brind School of Theater Arts freshman Steven Burke ’18 (Directing, Playwriting + Production) was named Best Director of a Musical for “The Who’s Tommy” in the 2014 BroadwayWorld Philadelphia Awards, announced in January by BroadwayWorld.com. Other winners included Brind School master electrician and double nominee Troy Martin-O’Shia, who took home his second award for Best Lighting Design, and UArts accompanist Christopher Ertelt, who won the Best Music Direction award for multiple-winning production “The Addams Family.” Congratulations also go to junior Jason Armstrong ’16 (Musical Theater), who was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for “The Who’s Tommy.”

2-Week Short Course Takes UArts Students to Spain Eleven students from across the University spent early January in Spain as part of a new two-week short course with Master Lecturer and alumnus Jason Lempieri MID ’04 (Industrial Design). Participating students included Robin Alcantara ’15 (Illustration), Edward Barks ’15 (Graphic Design), Jenna Bittner ’17 (Acting), Hyemin Chung ’16 (Illustration), Han Sol Kim ’15 (Graphic Design), Hee Jung Kim ’15 (Illustration), Jaclyn Kloog ’16 (Illustration), Brittany Meyer ’15 (Graphic Design), Sarah Six ’17 (Photography), Jordyn Staar ’15 (Multidisciplinary Fine Arts) and Jamie Williams ’17 (Illustration). An exhibit of their sketchbooks showcasing their time abroad and reflections from their experience is in the works.

Project by Sculpture Seniors Beautifies Philadelphia Streets This spring, Monica Morris ’15 (Interdisciplinary Fine Arts), Lee Reed ’15 (Interdisciplinary Fine Arts), Corinne Sandkuhler ’15 (Interdisciplinary Fine Arts) and Stephanie Wademan ’15 (Interdisciplinary Fine Arts), all seniors in the Sculpture concentration, installed their original design motifs on Philadelphia’s ubiquitous brown utility boxes in the city’s Washington Square West neighborhood. The project, developed during a special independent study project in coordination with the Washington Square West Civic Association, features concepts in response to specific environmental cues, including architecture, commercial signage, tree and plant life, surface patterns, light, and shadow.

Student Band Tours with King Crimson Drummer Experimental rock band Out of the Beardspace, featuring School of Music students Sam Gutman ’18 (Keyboards), Zach LoPresti ’18 (Guitar) and Jeremy Savo ’18 (Guitar), recently performed on a “mini tour” with Pat Mastelotto, longtime drummer for progressive rock group King Crimson and founding member of 80s pop band Mr. Mister. The tour, which took the student band to Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Dunellen, N.J.; Philadelphia; and New York City, also featured UArts School of Music faculty member Tom Motzer, as well as noted musicians Julie Slick and Marco Machera. Out of the Beardspace was also recently nominated for a Tri State Indie Music Award for Best Indie Jam Band of the Year in the Philadelphia, Central Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and D.C. regions.

UARTS NEWS

Seniors Publish YA Fantasy Book Series

Caitlyn Averett ’15 (Dance) and Meghan Loeb ’15 (Animation) have released the first book in their young adult fantasy series, The Underhill Series. Titled Restitution, book one is available for purchase on Amazon’s CreativeSpace.com, for Kindle and Nook, and at the UArts School Store. The students, now seniors, started writing the series as sophomores after deciding it would be fun to combine the characters from Averett’s novel and Loeb’s short story. The idea took off from there and instead of co-writing the single novel they had planned, an entire YA series was created. The pair also collaborated with alumnus David Romero BFA ’14 (Animation), who illustrated the cover of Restitution. Book two, Divided, is set for release this summer.

Music Students Perform with Top Jazz Orchestra Congratulations to Instrumental Performance majors Jimmy Boyle ’16 (Trumpet) [lead trumpet], Evan Kilgore ’15 (Saxophone) [tenor sax alternate, 2nd year], Nick Lombardelli ’15 (Trombone) [lead trombone, 2nd year], Zack Lutz ’16 (Saxophone) [baritone sax] and Connor Saltzer ’16 (Drums) [drum set alternate], who were selected for the 2015 Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra (MACJO), recognized as the premier orchestra for the East Coast’s finest college jazz musicians. The MACJO Orchestra performed this January at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola as part of the program at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, led by Sean Jones, lead trumpeter for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

FACULTY NEWS Brind School Director Helms Wilma Theater’s Season Opener

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Ira Brind School of Theater Arts Director Joanna Settle made her Philadelphia theater debut as director of Gina Gionfriddo’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated play “Rapture, Blister, Burn,” the opening production for the Wilma Theater’s 2014/2015 season. The show, which enjoyed an extended run due to popular demand, featured original music by Tony Award-winning composer Stew, as well as recent alumna Meaghan O’Hare BFA ’14 (Acting) and Brind School faculty members Krista Apple-Hodge and Larry Fowler. Settle was interviewed about the hit play and her role at UArts in American Theatre magazine and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Illustration Faculty/Alum Wins Prestigious Advertising Award The Society of Illustrators has awarded Illustration Lecturer and alumnus Jonathan Bartlett BFA ’07 (Illustration) a Gold Medal in Advertising for a piece he created for Ralph Lauren’s Denim & Supply flagship store in New York City. The mural was part of Denim & Supply’s Art Wall Project, an initiative that transforms the store’s façade into a large-scale work of art. The award included having his work displayed in the annual “Illustrators 57” exhibit at the Society’s Museum of American Illustration. The Brooklyn-based artist also received the Society of Illustrators’ Silver Medal in Advertising for his poster work with the Bridge Theatre Company and was named a winner of the Art Directors Club Young Guns 9, both in 2011.

Professor’s New Book Questions Who Discovered America Did Marco Polo set foot in Alaska 200 years before Columbus sailed? A recently released book by Liberal Arts Professor Benjamin Olshin titled The Mysteries of the Marco Polo Maps (University of Chicago Press) says the answer may be “yes.” Olshin, a historian of cartography, was interviewed about the book in several publications, including Smithsonian Magazine, The Daily Telegraph of London and Italy’s Corriere della Sera. A review from John Hessler, curator of the Geography and Map Division at the Library of Congress, says that Olshin has produced “not only a careful and serious study, but also a compelling and fascinating story.”

Theater Faculty, Alumni Take Top Honors at 2014 Barrymore Awards Faculty and alumni from the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts were big winners at the 2014 Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre, Philadelphia’s most prestigious theater honors, held October 27 at the University’s Merriam Theater. Adjunct Assistant Professor and alumnus Ben Dibble BFA ’00 (Musical Theater), who earned three nominations out of UArts’ total of more than 30, was named Outstanding Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as Leo Frank in “Parade.” This is the first lead actor Barrymore for the 11-time nominee. Other faculty member winners included Larry Fowler and Tony Giruzzi BFA ’04 (Musical Theater), who took home the Virginia Brown Martin Philadelphia Award for Theatre Horizon’s “I Am My Own Wife.”

WHAT’S NEW American Ballet Theatre Showcases Choreography by Dance Professor

Film Faculty’s Work Gets International Attention

The American Ballet Theatre (ABT) showcased new work by Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dance Jillian Peña as part of its Innovation Initiative, a one-night-only performance that featured works in process choreographed by members of ABT and outside creators. The performance by ABT dancers was held November 16 at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre.

“The Realm of nothingness” by School of Film Master Lecturer Kathy Rose was named the first place winner in the Video/Animation category at the 2014 East/West Art Awards held last October in London. The film was also screened at the Contemporary Venice – It’s LIQUID International Art Show held in Venice, Italy, this winter, along with another of her pieces titled “Rapture of the Petals.” Rose was also interviewed during the show.

Liberal Arts Professor Releases Fifth Book Longtime Liberal Arts Professor and Distinguished Teaching Award recipient Toby Zinman has released her fifth book, Replay: Classic Modern Drama Reimagined (Methuen Publishers), a study of the many reworkings and adaptations of classic plays on the modern stage. Recognized in 2011 by American Theatre magazine as “one of the nation’s most influential theater critics” for her work with The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia City Paper, Zinman was a Fulbright professor at Tel Aviv University, a visiting professor in China and has won five grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. She publishes widely and lectures internationally on American drama.

Professor to Create New Work for Rowan with $10K NEA Grant Interdisciplinary Fine Arts Professor Jeanne Jaffe has been commissioned to create a new sculpture by Rowan University Art Gallery for an exhibition in 2015. The commission is made possible by a $10,000 National Endowment for the Arts “Challenge America” grant awarded to the gallery. The installation focuses on the work of Nikola Tesla, who pioneered modern electrical engineering, and is a collaboration with Rowan’s College of Engineering.

Art + Design Education Celebrates Professor’s Book Release The Art + Design Education department hosted a book signing celebration last October for Adjunct Professor Susan Rodriguez, author of the recently released book The Special Artist’s Handbook (Crystal Productions, second edition). A seasoned professor who specializes in special needs, inclusion, multicultural diversity, and museum and elementary education, Rodriguez and her book were featured in NAEA News (the National Art Education Association’s newsletter), The Midwest Book Review, Desde Cero magazine, and on the-art-of-autism.com and CrystalProductions.com.

Award-Winning Lecturer/Alumnus Releases New Books Award-winning author/illustrator Greg Pizzoli MFA ’09 (Book Arts + Printmaking), senior lecturer in the Interdisciplinary Fine Arts and Illustration programs, has released three new children’s picture books: Just Itzy (Candlewick Press, February 2015), Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower (Viking Children’s Books, March 2015) and Templeton Gets His Wish (Disney-Hyperion, May 2015). UArts hosted an exhibition, lecture, reception and book signing in conjunction with the books’ releases this March. Pizzoli’s debut children’s title, The Watermelon Seed (Disney-Hyperion), won the 2014 Geisel Award for the most distinguished American book for beginning readers.

Work by Illustration Faculty/Alum Featured in Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Work by Illustration faculty member/alumnus Dominick Saponaro BFA ’98 (Illustration) is featured on the website for the future Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a new project by director George Lucas that is currently in the design phase in Chicago. Saponaro’s digital illustration piece titled “Swashbuckle Dom” is included alongside works by Norman Rockwell, Lucasfilm Ltd., Charles Schultz and Pixar Animation.

UARTS NEWS ALUMNI NEWS Faculty/Alumna Opens Solo Exhibit at Philadelphia Museum of Art “Keep the Home Fires Burning,” a solo exhibition of work by faculty member/alumna Shelley Spector BFA ’94 (Sculpture), opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on March 7, 2015, and runs through September 27. The colorful exhibit features a walk-through presentation of wood and textile-based sculpture that reflects on the universal quest for hope, home and connectedness. A master lecturer in the Interdisciplinary Fine Arts and MFA in Studio Art programs at UArts, Spector has been actively engaged in Philadelphia’s arts community for years as a respected artist, innovative gallery owner and champion of emerging talent. Her sculptures, paintings and works on paper have been exhibited in many solo and group shows and are part of several private and public collections, including the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Pediatric Pavilion at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

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Alumna Uses the Arts to Stop Sex Slavery in Africa Alumna Brittanie Richardson BFA ’09 (Acting), who will receive a 2015 Silver Star Alumni Award at this year’s Commencement ceremony, was featured in an October 20, 2014, article by Reuters titled “Kenyan Girls Trading Sex for Food: One Woman’s Battle to Help.” The 23-year-old, who ran a rescue center for children in the Kenyan town of Mtwapa for two years, created the charity Art and Abolition, which aims to help “sex slaves” through the performing arts, therapy and education.

Work by Crafts Alumna Featured at Philly Airport “Connections with Strangers,” a 15,000 pin-back button installation by Mackenzie Pikaart BFA ’11 (Craft + Material Studies), was selected to be shown at Philadelphia International Airport from February through August 2015 as part of its Art at the Airport program. Created from images taken from LIFE, National Geographic, Philadelphia Weekly and many other donated and trash-picked magazines, the buttons represent the brief moments that are the starting point or trigger of a larger picture or memory.

Film Grad Shoots ’Most Tweeted About’ Super Bowl Ad

Alumnus Recognized in International Illustration Book

Award-winning cinematographer Andrew Wheeler BFA ’01 (Film), who recently appeared on Variety magazine’s list of up-and-coming industry stars, worked with comedy duo Tim & Eric on the “oddly appealing” Loctite Super Glue commercial, this year’s most tweeted about Super Bowl ad. His growing collection of achievements and awards also includes winning a Student Oscar and a Student Emmy for his American Film Institute graduate thesis project “Thief.” Other films that Wheeler has lensed include “Cheap Thrills,” an Official Selection of the 2013 Philadelphia Film Festival and winner of the SXSW 2013 Audience Award, and “Here and Now,” which won Canon’s Project Imaginat10n Film Contest, judged by Oscar-winning director Ron Howard.

The late Roger Hane BFA ’61 (Advertising Design), the namesake of the Illustration department’s Roger T. Hane Scholarship Award, is a featured artist in the recently released book 50 Years of Illustration (Laurence King Publishing, London). Hane’s successful and tragically short career included receiving the Artist of the Year Award by the New York Artists Guild in 1974, two weeks before he was murdered in New York’s Central Park for his bicycle.

Voice Alum Headlines Opera Philadelphia Gala Tenor Stephen Costello BM ’03 (Vocal Performance) and his wife, soprano Ailyn Perez, headlined Opera Philadelphia’s 40th Anniversary Gala, held in September at the Academy of Music. The duo performed an intimate recital on the Academy stage, followed by dinner and dancing under the stars in a tented ballroom on the Avenue of the Arts. The dynamic husband and wife pair also released their first CD, Ailyn Perez and Stephen Costello: Love Duets, last summer.

KEEPING IT REAL UArts Students, Alums Take Over Reality TV If it seems as though every time you turn on the TV, you’re hearing a UArts student or alum’s name, it’s because you are. You most recently heard the name—and the incredible voice—of Matt McAndrew BM ’13 (Vocal Performance). The 24-year-old singer/songwriter and music teacher was the first runner-up on Season 7 of NBC’s hit singing competition “The Voice.” McAndrew, a fan favorite who chose Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine as his coach, continually wowed both viewers and all four superstar coaches with his heartfelt performances, each of which landed on the iTunes Top 200 Singles chart. His original song, “Wasted Love,” which he debuted on the live finale, held the No. 1 spot for several days after knocking Taylor Swift’s megahit “Blank Space” from the chart’s top position. A featured vocalist at the University’s 2013 Commencement ceremony, McAndrew is the only “Voice” finalist to ever crack the iTunes Top 10 four times. He was recently signed to Republic Records. Jimi Milligan BM ’01 (Instrumental Performance), who also auditioned for Season 7 of “The Voice” but did not get selected, earned high praise from the coaches and a torrent of support on social media.

In September 2014, the Fox TV reality cooking competition “MasterChef” named alumna Courtney Lapresi BFA ’11 (Ballet) its Season 5 winner, earning her a cookbook deal and $250,000. Lapresi, who competed against 21 other amateur cooks for the top prize, won over the show’s three judges, including TV personality/ restaurateur Gordon Ramsay, chef Graham Elliot and restaurateur/vineyard owner Joe Bastianich. She credits her artistic background with helping her to better handle the competition’s challenges, telling the New York Daily News, “It’s surreal. This time last year, I was cooking in my tiny little electric-stove kitchen with my cat. With a ‘MasterChef’ title, the sky is the limit.”

For a while now, you’ve been hearing the names of UArts dancers on the Fox hit show “So You Think You Can Dance” (SYTYCD), most recently students Rudy Abreu ’18 (Dance), Stanley Glover ’16 (Dance) and Bridget Whitman ’16 (Dance). Chosen from more than 150 contestants, all three made it into the dance competition’s Top 20, with Abreu advancing to the Top 8 and Whitman to the Top 10. Season 11 also featured a return performance by singer/songwriter Christina Perri ’08 (Communication), whose music career skyrocketed on “SYTYCD” five years ago with the debut of her hit song “Jar of Hearts.” In 2009, Russell Ferguson ’12 (Dance Certificate) was named the Season 6 winner of “So You Think You Can Dance.” The Roxbury, Mass., native won the show’s top prize of $250,000 despite suffering an injury during a performance the night before the finale.

Matt McAndrew BM ’13 (Vocal Performance) Courtney Lapresi BFA ’11 (Ballet) Shane O’Neill ’94 (Illustration) Justin Guarini ’01 (Musical Theater)

While DJ Smart BFA ’10 (Ballet) did not advance to the “SYTYCD” competition, he was invited to perform his audition piece during the show’s seventh season, blowing away the audience with his contemporary dance solo that was called “gorgeous,” “amazing” and “eye-popping.” In 2012, Shane O’Neill ’94 (Illustration) was crowned the winner of Spike TV’s “Ink Master” reality show. O’Neill, owner of Infamous Tattoo Company in Delaware, defeated nine other elite tattoo artists to win $100,000 and a profile in Inked magazine. More than 1.5 million people tuned in to watch O’Neill take the title during the first season of the show, which is hosted by Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro. In 2002, Justin Guarini ’01 (Musical Theater) was the runner-up to winner Kelly Clarkson on the first season of “American Idol.” School of Music faculty member/alumna Nicole Tranquillo BM ’08 (Vocal Performance) competed on Season 6 of “American Idol,” making it to the semi-finals and into the Top 24 while still a student at UArts. An active songwriter, performer and teacher in the Philadelphia area, Tranquillo has since worked with and opened for such artists as the Roots, John Legend and Snoop Dogg. In 2013, another singing competition, NBC’s “The Sing Off,” featured alumna Kate Schwarz BFA ’08 (Musical Theater) and her group Element competing against nine other top a cappella groups during the show’s fourth season.

ALUMNI EVENTS Alumni Flock to Miami This Winter for Art Basel Miami Beach Artists from around the world flocked to Miami Beach last December for the annual Art Basel Miami, the world’s premier modern and contemporary art show. Former UArts President Sean T. Buffington and Assistant Professor and Fine Arts Program Director Stuart Elster BFA ’88 (Painting), along with Trustee Brian Effron and his wife, Sherry, warmly welcomed UArts alumni and friends at a breakfast held during the four-day event. In addition to Elster, other exhibiting alumni included Jason Chen BFA ’08 (Animation) and Sara McCorriston BFA ’09 (Theater Design + Technology), owners of Philadelphia’s Paradigm Gallery; Patrick Blake BFA ’07 (Photography); Alex Eckman-Lawn BFA ’07 (Illustration); Matthew Girson BFA ’88 (Painting); Yis Goodwin BFA ’08 (Film); Caitlin T. McCormack BFA ’10 (Illustration); John Ollman BFA ’67 (Sculpture), owner of Fleisher-Ollman Gallery; Emi Ozawa BFA ’89 (Crafts/Wood); Abby Elizabeth Schmidt BFA ’04 (Crafts); Alvin Sher BFA ’64 (Sculpture); and Fred Snitzer BFA ’73 (Sculpture), owner of Fredric Snitzer Gallery.

LA-Area Alumni Mix and Mingle in Culver City The Southern California chapter of the UArts Alumni Association brought together alumni for a happy hour in Culver City, Calif., in February. Alumni were able to mix and mingle with fellow L.A.-area graduates and also met UArts Interim President Kirk E. Pillow, along with College of Performing Arts faculty and leadership, including Marc Dicciani BM ’75 (Percussion), dean of the College of Performing Arts; Micah Jones MM ’99 (Jazz Studies), director of the School of Music; Matt Gallagher MM ’01 (Jazz Studies), Trumpet program chair and director of the UArts “Z” Big Band; Randy Kapralick, Trombone program chair and director of the Kerber Tribute Big Band and the UArts Summer Jazz program; Brian Kremer, Voice coordinator; and Amy Dugas Brown, head of Directing, Playwriting + Production.

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The University of the Arts

Save the Date for Alumni and Family Weekend: October 16-18 Be sure to join us in Philadelphia for Alumni and Family Weekend, October 16-18, 2015. We are planning great opportunities for alumni to connect with one another on and around campus, including the opening of the annual “Making It” alumni exhibition. An alumni and faculty concert with very special guest performers is also being planned and details will be announced soon.

DC-Area Alumni Happy Hour: May 29

Join other D.C.-area alumni for a happy hour on May 29, 2015, at the Sitar Arts Center in Washington, D.C. Come out to mingle with your fellow graduates and also meet UArts Interim President Kirk E. Pillow, along with Lori Spencer MFA ’90 (Printmaking), director of the School of Art.

SUPPORTING UARTS Introducing a New Leader “I am inspired by our students, faculty and alumni, and am honored to be part of the UArts team. I am deeply grateful to UArts donors who are impacting the arts in ways we can only begin to imagine.” —Josephine Burri

UArts welcomes Josephine Burri to the University of the Arts as vice president for Advancement. She comes to UArts from the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia where she was director of Development. Burri is a talented musician (she holds a BM summa cum laude in flute performance from Temple University); an experienced fundraising professional (she implemented a $35 million capital campaign at the Wistar Institute, one of the nation’s premier scientific research institutions); and a passionate arts advocate (she served in development positions at the Portland Opera in Oregon, the Philadelphia Theatre Company and Opera Philadelphia). Over the last 15 years, Burri has raised millions of dollars to support world-leading biomedical research and innovative artistic endeavors. She has dedicated her career to raising funds that will change lives through the means and methods that inspire physical and emotional health and that support the strength of families and communities through artistic engagement. “Josie understands our mission and is clearly committed to helping our students succeed. As an artist herself and an accomplished fundraising professional, she brings a remarkable combination of skills to UArts,” says Kirk E. Pillow, interim president of UArts. Burri oversees Development, Alumni & Parent Relations and University Communications efforts at UArts. She will focus, among other endeavors, on deepening bonds with alumni and promoting UArts in Philadelphia and across the country.

SUPPORTING UARTS Art Unleashed 2015 The University of the Arts celebrated the sixth anniversary of Art Unleashed, the University’s largest fundraiser, with an exhibition and sale April 9–14. Hundreds of pieces of art in all media—jewelry, ceramics, photography, crafts, furniture, painting, sculpture, illustration and more—by student, faculty and alumni artists were on display and for sale, raising more than $270,000 for the Sam S. McKeel Promising Young Artists Scholarship Fund. A gala Preview Party on April 9 kicked off the six-day event, with nearly 600 art collectors and art lovers enjoying a festive evening that featured one-of-a-kind artwork from established and emerging artists, food and drink, and performances by students from the UArts School of Music and School of Dance. Among the attendees was Alumni Spotlight Artist Dan Walsh BFA ’83 (Painting), a renowned painter, printmaker and book artist whose work was recently featured in the prestigious Whitney Biennial in New York City. Exhibiting student, faculty and alumni artists were also on hand to discuss their work.

Art Unleashed 2015 also featured Neighborhood Appreciation Day on Saturday, April 11, with a “street crew” from exclusive radio sponsor 101.1 More FM in front of Hamilton Hall playing music and offering giveaways. Godshall’s Quality Meats was also on site giving out samples of its premium turkey bacon to UArts’ neighbors. Philadelphia’s Fox 29 TV, Art Unleashed’s exclusive television sponsor for the third consecutive year, partnered with UArts to promote the event by broadcasting live from Hamilton Hall on the morning of the Preview Party. The station also promoted the event on its morning news program—including Fox 29 personalities wearing jewelry from the sale on the air. The success of such an enormous and important event as this is due in large part to the dedication and hard work of so many, in particular the 2015 Art Unleashed Committee, led by co-chairs Clara Hollander, Fred Manfred, UArts Trustee Alan Rubin and Aleni Pappas.

CJ Harker BFA ’14

Stay tuned for dates for Art Unleashed 2016.

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The Art of Living…and Giving

“When are you going to get a real job?” his parents asked Wesley W. Emmons, Jr. BFA ’54 (Jewelry), 20 years into his successful career as a jewelry designer in Philadelphia. Emmons, who created original jewelry and religious ornaments for Eleanor Roosevelt, Buddy Rich and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as a beautiful altar for Old Zion Church on Broad Street, excelled not only at the job he loved—making art—but at the art of living.

Art supplies…inspiration There is nothing artists can make without something to make it with. Thanks in part to the generous support of Blick Art Materials, the nation’s leading provider of high-quality art products and a major sponsor of the University’s annual Art Unleashed exhibition and sale, UArts students continue to develop their artistic skills and have unique opportunities to showcase their work. “We’re proud to be a longtime sponsor of UArts,” says Bob Buchsbaum, CEO of Blick. “Support for scholarships is one of the most important things we do as a company. We’re committed to strengthening arts education locally and nationally, and we believe that UArts helps talented emerging artists to make their work available to the public.” Students have the opportunity to show their work at Art Unleashed, which has become one of Philadelphia’s most popular and prominent art exhibitions. Funds generated through ticket sales and sale of artworks support the Sam S. McKeel Promising Young Artists Scholarship Fund. Blick is a highly valued UArts partner. In addition to major sponsorship of Art Unleashed with cash and in-kind donations, Blick offers UArts students regular discounts on materials and supplies, and prizes and incentives through student events and activities—a partnership of artistic vision and material needs. Blick also generously provided a capital contribution in 2009 for facilities. “We’re very grateful to Blick. They have generously supported Art Unleashed from our inaugural event six years ago to this year’s event,” says Josephine Burri, vice president for Advancement.

A selfless teacher and mentor, Wesley’s passion for crafts and his compassion live on through his family’s generous planned gift to UArts. Before his death, he established the Wesley and Ellen Emmons Scholarship Fund for Jewelry and Metalwork, to which his two sons and wife of six decades, Ellen, continue to contribute. A member of the UArts Legacy Society, Ellen has left a portion of her estate to the scholarship fund, increasing the family’s gift, augmented by contributions from UArts alumni who continue to recognize Wesley’s impact through gifts to the scholarship fund.

Wesley W. Emmons, Jr. BFA ’54 (Jewelry)

“My dad worked very hard and we did struggle at times,” says Wesley’s son, Hoyt Emmons, an environmental health professional. “But it was amazing to grow up with someone who had such a spark of wonder and amazement about life. Giving back was very important to him, supporting younger artists, setting an example. He would stay up all night helping a young artist complete a design promised to a client.” Wesley, who taught at UArts and worked with student interns in his store on 16th Street at Spruce, was awarded the UArts Silver Star Alumni Award (a silver medallion he designed), presented to outstanding graduates. Nonetheless, he was less interested in accolades than in his awe for life. “He taught us to appreciate both the influences of nature’s art and the beauty of human-made objects,” says Hoyt. To improve his health in middle age, Wesley, known locally in Philadelphia as “the jogging jeweler,” turned himself into a competitive runner. His longest run: a 267-mile, six-day ultra marathon. Longevity and stamina mattered to Wesley, as evidenced by his persistence to pursue his art and his planned gift to UArts. “My parents were not wealthy,” says Wesley’s son Wes, “but a planned gift of any size is a valuable asset. It helps the school sustain its programs and grow. My dad had a wonderful life and he wanted to make sure that future students of UArts could have a chance for the same joy, pleasure and success.” To learn more about including UArts in your estate plans or other planned giving, please contact Anisa Haidary at ahaidary@uarts.edu.

SUPPORTING UARTS

Imagination As Destination

Philadelphians David and Linda Glickstein have published their informative newsletter The Discerning Traveler since 1987. If you’re traveling on the East Coast, you’ll want to read what they have to say about where to stay and what to see from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Cape Hatteras, N.C. (Subscribers to The Discerning Traveler may access all back issues online. Condé Nast and Gourmet magazine have called the Glicksteins’ contributions to the travel industry “superb.”) Yet, their most important travels happen while they’re sitting still—the journeys they take through theater, opportunities to experience diverse perspectives and unknown or imagined landscapes. The Glicksteins attend hundreds of performances every year in the U.S. and around the world (France, Belgium, Canada, Scotland) and are generous supporters of innovative theater programs, including programs at UArts. “Theater matters,” says Linda. “You’re transported to another world and experience lives you could not know about any other way. Theater is one reason we love living in Philadelphia. Our city is a great incubator for some of the most exciting theatrical work being produced today.”

Theater as the site of new ideas, stories and performance opportunities motivated the Glicksteins’ generous gift to the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts’ Performance Incubator. The project brings accomplished theater artists to UArts to develop new work in collaboration with its students. Newly appointed, nationally acclaimed Brind School Director Joanna Settle staged an astonishing first season of the Performance Incubator featuring collaborations among prominent and innovative choreographers, playwrights and theater companies such as Heather Raffo, Headlong Dance Theater, the Bearded Ladies, 11th Hour Theatre Company and the Berserker Residents, the last two of which are alumni theater companies. “Joanna is amazing,” say the Glicksteins. “We’re particularly pleased that she is using her resources to broaden UArts’ network of artists, exposing students to the many ways of experiencing theater.” Linda and David have been passionate about the theater since they met in their 20s, four decades ago. Now, they’re focused on the decades ahead. “Young people’s work can change the world,” says David. “A play I saw about Anne Frank when I was a teenager has affected me to this day. We must support the students who represent the future of American theater.” “Theater tells the stories of how people live and survive. The arts can help us have a deeper understanding of what is happening in Iraq or Syria or Afghanistan or across our own country,” says Linda. “It’s as important to us as food, shelter and travel.”

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Grateful Students Thank Generous Donors at Scholarship Luncheon On March 25, the University of the Arts hosted the 2015 Scholarship Luncheon, providing scholarship recipients an opportunity to meet and share samples of their artwork with their benefactors and exchange stories about their experiences at UArts. This annual event represents an important opportunity for scholarship donors to interact with these young artists, who so deeply appreciate the opportunities their scholarships have afforded them. Morriah “Peanut” Young ’16 (Directing, Playwriting + Production), a recipient of the Ira Brind Scholarship Funds I & II, acted as the emcee for the afternoon program. Peanut recognized that an endless list of obstacles exists in order for students to complete their college education. “Most of the hardships we encounter as college students, we luckily have the power and the ability to solve and work out with time management, problem solving and simply prioritizing. Unfortunately, when it comes to finances, the bulk of the issue is out of our control.” Guests at the luncheon also heard from student speakers Natalia Jablonski ’16 (Illustration) and Olivia Whelan ’17 (Printmaking + Book Arts). A recipient of the Viola Foulke Scholarship and the Larry Weiss Scholarship, Natalia shared, “For me and many of my peers, scholarships like these not only give a family relief and reassurance financially, but also help us aspire to be outstanding individuals in our unique fields. Giving these scholarships to specific individuals shows they deserve to be here, but mostly that they matter.”

Olivia extended her heartfelt gratitude for the Geraldine and Adolf Paier Scholarship: “You have made my university education a conceivable reality, in spite of my family’s economic disadvantage. I cannot adequately quantify in any clever combination of words or phrases how grateful I am for your help. Thank you, deeply, kindly and sincerely for believing in me.”

Left to right: Natalia Jablonski ’16 (Illustration), Olivia Whelan ’17 (Printmaking + Book Arts) and Morriah “Peanut” Young ’16 (Directing, Playwriting + Production)

Scholarship support is among the most meaningful contributions one can make to the University of the Arts. Approximately 85 percent of all students at UArts receive some form of tuition support, making a private scholarship the single most significant element in a student’s financial aid package. This academic year, UArts awarded over $1 million in named and endowed scholarships to 273 students. We extend our sincerest thanks for the vision and generosity of friends and supporters who established new scholarships this fiscal year, including the Stephen Berg Scholarship Fund; the Wesley and Ellen Emmons Scholarship Fund for Jewelry and Metalwork; Aleanna Luethi-Garrecht Memorial Scholarship; Ron and Suzanne Naples Endowed Scholarship; Evan Solot Scholarship Fund; and the Donald Stanley Wilf and Peter H. Arger Scholarship Fund. To learn more about establishing a private scholarship at UArts, please call Anisa Haidary, director of Major Gifts & Special Projects, at 215-717-6147.

PHOTO: B. Proud

ALUMNI NOTES

1960s

Barbara Glickman BFA ’63 (Fibers/Textiles) exhibited in the Bank of America Festival of Arts, Books and Culture at the Katz JCC in Cherry Hill, N.J., in November 2014. Glickman mixes her weaving skills with pastel, oil pastel and acrylic medium to create her own personal palate.

1950s Children’s book series My Do You... By Helen (Jacobson) Borton Dipl ’51 (Advertising Design), which was originally published from 1959 to 1972, is being republished by Flying Eye Books, a British publisher based in London. My Do You… won recognition from The New York Times and others, including PMCA, which honored Borton in its 1961 “Directors’ Choice” exhibition. The latest publishing deal came about when a designer for Flying Eye Books came across Borton’s illustrations splashed across the Internet by one of her British fans. Richard Yeager BFA ’54 (Advertising Design) exhibited at the Gallery at Westside Presbyterian, along with two other well-known artists, Chuck Hayden and Wes Shaw. The three men first met more than 50 years ago when they worked at large advertising firms and now have revived and enriched their friendships. Yeager called the exhibit “Together Again for the First Time.” Herb Snitzer BFA ’57 (Photography) had 13 of his iconic images of Nina Simone included in the new Netflix/Radical Media documentary film about the late jazz singer. Snitzer has been making photographs for over 55 years and has a gallery in St. Petersburg, Fla. His recent book, Glorious Days and Nights: A Jazz Memoir, can be purchased through Amazon.

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School of Music professor, Composition department head and alumnus Evan Solot BM ’67 (Trumpet), BME ’67 (Composition), MM ’75 (Composition) was one of five composers commissioned by the Mural Arts Program and the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Composers Forum to compose a piece in response to the “Peace Is a Haiku Song” mural honoring poet Sonia Sanchez. “If You Could Hear These Walls” was performed by the Singing City Choir in front of the mural in early October, preceded by a discussion of how the perception of poetry, visual art and music changes when these various art forms intersect in response to one another. William White BFA ’67 (Illustration) was awarded the 2014 Perry F. Kendig Award for his work as an individual artist. The award is given annually to an artist in the greater Roanoke, Va., region whose work and contributions to the arts has been long-standing and significant. White also recently had a solo exhibition titled “Life in the Studio” at the Rider University Art Gallery in Lawrenceville, N.J. The show surveyed White’s work from the figure, still life and interior covering the period since his Pre-College Summer School days at the Philadelphia College of Art (now UArts) in 1962 to work just completed in 2014.

Harry Naar BFA ’68 (Painting) exhibited work this winter in “Line, Color and Surface,” curated by Mel Leipzig at the Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster, N.J. Naar’s work focuses on the still life and the landscape. Victoria Pendragon BFA ’68 (Fabric Design) debuted her one-woman show “Witness: The Psychological and Emotional Ramifications of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Incest” at Locality Arts Gallery in Bedford, Pa., in November. The show also had a two-week run at the Gallery of the Shenandoah Arts Council in Virginia.

Painter and graphic designer Toni SilberDelerive BFA ’69 (Fine Arts/Painting) likes to show the world we live in from an aerial perspective, thus flattening the picture plane and making the landscape more graphic than representational. Her work is represented in private and corporate collections and has been shown in many exhibitions, including solo shows in New York at James Beard House, Rockefeller Gallery, NY Studio Gallery in Chelsea, Interchurch Center, Blue Hill Plaza, National Arts Club and Speakeasy Gallery. A selection of group shows includes Art Connections at the George Segal Gallery at Montclair State University in New Jersey; Kaller Fine Arts in Washington, D.C.; and N.A.W.A. Small Works, National Arts Club, Sylvia Wald and Po Kim Gallery, Jeffrey Leder Gallery, and Blue Mountain Gallery in New York. Additional information and visuals can be seen at tonisart.com.

1970s Anthony Visco BFA ’70 (Sculpture) has been invited to teach in Florence, Italy, and give back the combined lessons that he learned both in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia College of Art (now UArts) and in Florence, where he received a Fulbright Scholarship based on his four years at UArts. Joseph A. Nicholson BS ’71 (Industrial Design) recently led an MFA in Museum Exhibition Planning + Design effort with his new firm studioMUSarx and a diverse team of academics, architects, engineers, curators and film producers to complete their first major museum project “The Birthplace of Country Music Museum” in Bristol, Va. The new museum is a Smithsonian affiliate that tells the story of the 1927 Bristol Sessions and their lasting influence on country music by creating narrative spaces for exhibits enhanced with objects, images, interactive audios, videos and performance theaters designed to immerse visitors in a musical experience of the Bristol Sessions.

David Usner BFA ’71 (Photography) completed producing and co-starring in the narrative feature film “Roxie” (roxiemovie.com). The film played at festivals, winning Best Feature Film at the Bushwick Film Festival, and was an Official Selection at the Sonoma International Film Festival and the AMFM Film Festival. An L.A. theatrical release took place on January 30 and was released on Amazon, iTunes, Hulu, Xbox and other platforms at the same time. Since graduating, Usner has been acting in theater and film. He trained with Gordon Phillips at the Wilma Studio in Philadelphia, going on to act on stage regionally and in New York City, Edinburgh, Berlin and Vienna. In 2004, he moved to San Francisco, where he studied with Jim Jarrett at the Meisner Technique Studio and is now on the faculty there. He now turns his attention to writing, directing, producing and acting in film and is in pre-production for his next feature film. Michael Biello BFA ’73 (Crafts) and life partner, Dan Martin, were profiled in the July 2014 issue of American Theatre magazine. Their work synthesizes soaring contemporary melodies with quirky humor and buoyant fantasy: from “Breathe,” a cycle of fairy tales celebrating the LGBTQ community, to “Marry Harry,” a romantic comedy about a heterosexual couple finding love on their own terms.

Cheryl Goldsleger BFA ’73 (Painting) had her work displayed in the C. Grimaldis Gallery’s annual summer group exhibition “Summer 14.” The exhibit was on view from July 16 to August 23 and featured contemporary sculpture, painting and photography from exhibiting and represented gallery artists.

Rich Bomze BFA ’74 (Graphic Design), who retired almost six years ago from his position as director of Special Services for Graphic Arts & Audiovisual at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, has been exhibiting his fine art photography collections at both Bucks County and Philadelphia venues. Until recently, the exhibits have focused primarily on the canyons of the American Southwest—Arizona, Utah and New Mexico— and beyond. His latest exhibit, “Here and There: Two Worlds Apart” held at the Bucks County Visitors Center in Bensalem, Pa., from September 21 to October 31, 2014, included scenes from Yellowstone National Park and the Canadian Rockies, as well as scenes of China, including Beijing and the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the Yangtze River. “My intent is to contrast images of two unlike environments to show their respective characteristic beauty. Both collections comprise a variety of scenes one encounters when visiting these places. Hopefully this will inspire others to see them firsthand. Every image captured with the camera lens was ‘eye candy’ for the photographer.” Many of the prints are silver-halide quality photographs, but captured digitally. The largest images are ink prints. Wesley Mancini BFA ’74 (Art Education) received the Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Textile Market Association (ITMA). He accepted his award at the association’s 50th Anniversary Gala. The award is voted on by ITMA members from over 200 mills worldwide. His company, Wesley Mancini, Ltd., a textile design firm, has been contracted by the world’s largest decorative fabric mill throughout its existence and has had a dominant influence in American textiles for over three decades. Mancini’s studio has designed over 20,000 textiles, rugs and trimmings since its inception over 32 years ago.

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Judith Barbour Osborne BFA ’74 (Art Education) exhibited her most recent body of work, “Closer Alignments,” at Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vt., in October 2014. Since the 1990s, Osborne’s work has consisted of abstractly written poetry and spiritual texts using small handmade brushes, mops, brooms and other non-traditional tools. Unfinished monotypes and mixed-media works on paper from the last 20-plus years served as the foundation for Osborne’s latest work. It was her intent to embrace an earlier vision and from that platform, build a more mature aesthetic and spiritual expression, which is why she called the body of work “Closer Alignments.” Anne Belov BFA ’77 (Painting) recently published her first wordless picture book titled Pandamorphosis, a love story to pandas and to the belief that magic can happen when you least expect it. It’s about the power of wishing and what can go wrong when you don’t think about how your wishes will be fulfilled. The book is available in print through Amazon and as a Kindle eBook.

John David Simon BM ’82 (Saxophone) released his third CD, Phantasm, in the fall of 2014. The album is available on CD Baby and iTunes. Andrea Krupp BFA ’84 (Printmaking) showed her Iceland-inspired woodcuts and monoprints in the exhibit “North of Here” at Twenty-Two Gallery in Philadelphia, October 10 to November 9, 2014. This bold, graphic collection of 24 works on paper distilled the artist’s experience of a two-month painting residency in Iceland.

1980s “Up Land,” a series of new bronze sculptures and pastel drawings on photographs by 2008 Silver Star Alumni Award recipient Charles Long BFA ’81 (Painting + Drawing), was on display at the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York City from September 11 to October 18, 2014. The series marked Long’s 10th solo exhibition at the gallery. Debra Reilly BM ’81 (Viola) was nominated for a 2015 Grammy Music Educator Award. The Parkland (Pa.) School District teacher was one of 10 finalists chosen from among more than 7,000 nominations submitted from all 50 states. The $10,000 award recognizes educators who have made a significant, lasting contribution and commitment to music education in schools. Reilly is also a professional violist with the Allentown Symphony, Bach and Handel Orchestra, Southside Sinfonietta at Zoellner Arts Center and the Valley String Trio. Ellen Soffer BFA ’81 (Painting) had two paintings displayed in a benefit exhibition at the Bridgette Mayer Gallery in Philadelphia.

Staycee Pearl BFA ’86 (Dance) performed “Octavia” at Cheyney University’s Marian Anderson Music Center on October 20, 2014. Pearl began the Staycee Pearl Dance Project in 2009. Gregg Klein BS ’88 (Industrial Design) was promoted to vice president of Business Operations for major league lacrosse team the Ohio Machine. As part of his new role, Klein oversees the day-to-day running of the team’s front office while also continuing to lead the club’s corporate sponsorship efforts. He joined the Ohio Machine in 2013 as the club’s director of Corporate Sponsorship.

1990s Marjorie L. Reppert MAT ’92 (Art Education) is celebrating the 30th year of her shop and small works gallery called Rosemary Remembrances II in Jim Thorpe, Pa. Rosemary Remembrances II features Reppert’s assemblages, collages, shadow boxes and shrines. U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Dejesse BFA ’93 (Illustration), currently stationed in Kabul, is on his second tour of Afghanistan as a civil affairs officer working to protect the region’s cultural heritage. He is one of the Army’s “new generation of Monuments Men” who help preserve sites and cultural property in combat zones and advise troops on heritage. His work there was profiled in the February 2015 issue of The Art Newspaper. Hiro Sakaguchi BFA ’93 (Painting) had a solo exhibit titled “Avert, Escape, or Cope With” at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts from November 1, 2014, to April 26, 2015. The vibrant and complex paintings, drawings, sculpture and videos reflect issues of environment, ecology, science, world history, peace, conflict and popular culture.

“Response Time,” an exhibition by alumni photographers Scott McMahon BFA ’95 (Photography) and Ahmed Salvador BFA ’95 (Photography) that was on view in the University’s Sol Mednick Gallery from January 9 to February 6, 2015, was reviewed in Philadelphia art news blog “DoNArTNeWs” and on the Knight Arts website. (See image on inside front cover.) Senior Lecturer Christian “Patch” Patchell BFA ’95 (Illustration), who teaches in the University’s Illustration, Creative Writing and Pre-College programs, wrapped up production on “The Brothers Brimm,” his first animated short. The film is an adaptation of a comic that he has been working on for a few years. Collaborating video artists and 2015 Guggenheim Fellows Matthew Suib BFA ’95 (Photography) and Nadia Hironaka BFA ’97 (Film) created “Ghosts of Philadelphia Industry,” the Mural Arts Program’s first long-running moving-image mural, which was screened on the façade of Anderson Hall for three weeks during Mural Arts Month last October. The piece was inspired by Diego Rivera’s “Detroit Industry Murals” and Philadelphia’s history as an industrial hub city.

Kate Garchinsky BFA ’97 (Illustration) was named a Don and Virginia Eckelberry Fellow for 2015. The endowment helps support the efforts of wildlife painters, sculptors, printmakers and other artists to better acquaint themselves with the natural world through both museum and field research. Faculty member/alumna Michele Kishita BFA ’97 (Painting), MFA ’10 (Painting) had two exhibitions shown in Connecticut recently. “Fluent: The Language of Paint,” a group exhibit that featured Kishita’s elegant works on wood panel, ran from November 15, 2014, through January 24, 2015, at the Drawing Room Art Gallery in Cos Cob, Conn. “Essential Impermanence” featured her mixed-media work from January 17 to February 28 at the Windsor Art Center.

The South Philly home of Adam Wallacavage BFA ’95 (Photography), which includes his sought-after octopus-themed chandeliers, was featured in the January 9, 2015, issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer in an article that asked, “Is this Philly’s weirdest home?” Nadine Saylor BFA ’96 (Photography) has recently accepted a position at Southern Illinois University as a lecturer in the Glass department. Work by Todd Keyser BFA ’98 (Photography) and UArts Professor Emeritus David Kettner was on display in the exhibit “Smart Play” at the Gross McCleaf Gallery in Philadelphia February 4-28. With a cut and a tear, a shape and a line, Keyser and Kettner create works that reflect an impulse to play, to imagine and to understand.

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Joshua Marowitz BFA ’98 (Photography) and Jennifer Schick BFA ’02 (Painting/Drawing), co-founders of PHAIR, Philadelphia’s Maker Market, brought their Franklin Square Holiday Market to the Franklin Square Holiday Festival this past holiday season. Produced in collaboration with Historic Philadelphia, Inc., the market featured a select group of artists and makers selling a variety of handmade goods, including photography, clothing, jewelry, food, hand-knit textiles, children’s toys and clothing, and more. Among the featured artists was Morgan Jamison BFA ’09 (Jewelry/Metals) of Old Blood Jewelry & Wears. Christina Papola Day BFA ’99 (Crafts) had a solo show titled “Fifth Wall” this past fall at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. Ryan Hancock BFA ’99 (Theater) was recently hired as of counsel at Willig Williams & Davidson, a Philadelphia labor and employment law firm. He was formerly assistant chief counsel of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. He currently oversees the University of Pennsylvania Law School’s Criminal Record Expungement Project legal clinic, while supervising pro bono legal staff and law student volunteers in helping people clear their criminal and/or arrest bonds. Hancock is also a member of the Young Professional Advisory Board for Philadelphia’s Bethesda Project, which provides shelter, housing and other support to chronically homeless men and women.

Ashley Peel Pinkham BFA ’99 (Photography) opened a jewelry store, Philadelphia Independents, in May 2014 in Old City. The grand opening featured local fave Franklin Fountain giving away free samples of their locally made ice cream. Philadelphia Independents is co-owned by Ashley’s friends, Jennifer Provost and Tiffica Benza, and features items that are all handmade by local artists. Mark Wangberg MFA ’99 (Book Arts + Printmaking) had an exhibit titled “Stumbling Toward Ecstasy: Huge Altered Textiles, Poetry & Book Art” at the Risk Press Gallery in Sebastopol, Calif., last August. In addition to the exhibition, Wangberg hosted a book art panel discussion and presentation with local book artists.

2000s Kevin Mcdevitt BFA ’00 (Painting + Drawing) and his wife welcomed their son in the spring of 2013. Richard Monteleone BFA ’02 (Fine Arts) and Patricia Durante had a staged reading of “The Bonnie Project” sponsored by Mazeppa Productions on July 14, 2014, at Christ Church Neighborhood House. “The Bonnie Project” focuses on Bonnie and her friend, Ree, who go through life together from the late 60s to the year 2000. Over the past year, Monteleone and Durante have been holding readings and workshops to hear their work. Rachelle Lee Smith BFA ’02 (Photography), a current School of Design staff member and former Photography program faculty/staff member, was featured in Philadelphia Magazine’s “G Philly” blog last November. Smith talked about her recently released book, Speaking OUT: Queer Youth in Focus, and the pop-up exhibit of the book’s images that were on display in the windows of the vacant Robinson Luggage store on the corner of Broad and Walnut Streets. Promotion of the book’s release also included a book launch party at the William Way LGBT Community Center in October, where an exhibit of her photos was on display. Smith also brought her book to the Society for Photographic Education Conference in New Orleans this March, attending with Photography Adjunct Associate Professor Barbara Proud, who was also there to promote her book, First Comes Love: Portraits of Enduring LGBTQ Relationships. The pair also participated in book signing/reading events at Ninth Street Book Shop in Wilmington, Del., and Giovanni’s Room in Philadelphia. Other book parties were held at Big Blue Marble Book Store in Mount Airy, Pa., and Bluestockings Book Store in New York City. Jean Burdick MFA ’03 (Painting) exhibited her work this winter at the Pennswood Art Gallery in Newtown, Pa. Burdick’s work shows layers of textures and images that reference the observations she makes about the interconnectedness of systems in the natural world. She uses drawing, painting and silk screen to make patterns, layers of color and texture—magnifying, overlapping and obscuring. Kevin Finn BFA ’03 (Film) and James Rolfe BFA ’04 (Film) premiered “Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie” nationwide in 2014, including to sold-out crowds at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pa., and the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. Other screenings included select theaters in Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, Montreal and Toronto throughout July and August. The comedy, based on the popular web series of the same name, was released on DVD, Blu-ray

and video-on-demand in late 2014. “Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie” is a completely fan-funded film, made possible thanks to an extremely successful Indiegogo campaign that raised more than $325,000. Ben O’Neill BM ’04 (Music Performance) was the featured artist for “Sittin’ In,” the free monthly jam session at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. O’Neill is a Grammy-nominated artist who has played for some of the best-known names in hip-hop, pop and gospel music, including Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Christina Aguilera and Tye Tribbett. Katie O’Neil BFA ’04 (Craft + Material Studies) and her South Street boutique Mushmina were profiled in Philadelphia’s Weekly Press newspaper in August 2014. O’Neil and her sister opened the store in 2012 and sell an international collection of handmade clothing and accessories. “Die Hexe” (German for “The Witch”), a solo exhibition by alumnus Alex Da Corte BFA ’05 (Printmaking), was on display February 26 through April 11 at Luxembourg & Dayan in New York City. This is the Philadelphia-based artist’s largest installation to date and was described by BroadwayWorld.com as “an implausible cross between a dollhouse and a haunted house.” “Die Hexe” precedes Da Corte’s first major museum solo exhibition at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art opening in March 2016.

Jen Devor BS ’06 (Communication) and Brind School staff member Max Vasapoli BFA ’08 (Musical Theater), MEd ’16 (Educational Program Design) were named two of Philly’s 55 “Connectors & Keepers” by Leadership Philadelphia. Selected from almost 1,200 nominations, the alumni have each embarked on a two-year civic engagement process designed to recognize, empower, connect and retain young talent in Philadelphia. Vasapoli was also named an emerging arts leader by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance in October. Work by Photography Senior Lecturer/alumna Julianna Foster MFA ’06 (Book Arts + Printmaking) was featured in the December 14, 2014, issue of Cleaver Magazine, spotlighting her “Swell” series. (See story on page 13.)

Nathan Distefano MFA ’05 (Painting) exhibited his work with fellow Bucks County artist Joseph Barrett at the Doylestown Frame Factory in November 2014. Michele McKeone BS ’05 (Communication) was profiled in the January 13, 2015, issue of the Philadelphia Business Journal after moving full-time into her growing business, Autism Expressed, a digital literacy program for autistic teens. A $10,000 incubator grant from the University’s Corzo Center for the Creative Economy helped get the company off the ground in 2012. In 2013, Autism Expressed also received a $20,000 grant from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education and the Milken Family Foundation’s Education Business Plan Competition. In addition to landing a recurring role opposite Jeffrey Tambor on Amazon’s new Golden Globe-winning series “Transparent,” Daniel Robaire BFA ’05 (Acting) also recently booked a job acting alongside the very funny Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen and Steve Zahn in an episode of ABC’s hit TV show “Modern Family.” Robaire is repped by JLA Talent and Full Circle Management.

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“Bridges We Burn,” a song by Mary Scholz BFA ’06 (Musical Theater) from her newest album titled The Girl You Thought You Knew, was nominated for a 2014 Hollywood Music Media Award. Sara Bakken BFA ’07 (Crafts) had one of her sculptures displayed in an exhibit for the 9th International Shibori Symposium at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, China. James Dessicino BFA ’07 (Sculpture) had his sculpture “The Edward Snowden Statue” on display at “Art in Odd Places” in New York City’s Union Square. The statue was also exhibited at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts from November 2014 through January 2015.

Jessica Hoffman MFA ’10 (Printmaking + Book Arts) had a show at Osprey Letterpress in Seattle this fall titled “Slow Communication,” a body of work that investigates collective memory, communication and interpersonal relationships through found objects and printmaking. For the exhibition, Hoffman drew a range of ephemera for her source material—family letters, a stack of library calling cards and a broken typewriter—to invoke the impermanent nature of communication. Traci Maturo BFA ’10 (Illustration) has worked as a freelance illustrator for the Garden State Harmonic Club and as a preschool teacher, which inspired her to earn her teaching certificate from Caldwell College. After earning her certificate to teach art, Maturo has become an instructional aide and a teaching consultant with AI Studios. Most recently, she is employed with Pinot’s Palette.

Maggie Schreiter BFA ’07 (Crafts) appeared on “Jeopardy!” this January. Schreiter, who was in the lead throughout most of the game, came in second place. Paradigm Gallery + Studio, a Philadelphia-based artist space founded in 2010 by Jason Chen BFA ’08 (Animation) and Sara McCorriston BFA ’09 (Theater Design + Technology), was named “Best Art Gallery” in the Philly HOT LIST contest sponsored by local TV outlet PHL17. The contest featured more than 6,300 local businesses competing to be named best. Andrew Huot MFA ’09 (Books Arts + Printmaking) recently designed a carousel book that was this year’s Radish Award recipient. Huot does highly specialized work for clients out of his bindery, Big River Bindery, in Davenport, Iowa. At Big River Bindery, Huot offers classes for people who want to learn the art and science of bookbinding, including hands-on workshops in which participants can make prints and learn bookbinding techniques.

Jackie Starker BS ’10 (Industrial Design) has opened Amelie’s Bark Shop, a new dog bakery and boutique on East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia. The shop, named after her almost 8-year-old dog, opened for Small Business Saturday on November 29, 2014. Amelie’s Bark Shop carries Starker’s homemade dog treats made in-house at the shop and handmade and recycled dog and cat products, many of which are made locally in Philadelphia. Starker first started selling dog treats online a few years ago under the name Pupcakes and after outgrowing her kitchen, decided to take her business to the next level.

2010s Angelica Cassimiro BFA ’10 (Dance Education) completed three full contracts as a mainstage performer and dance captain with Disney Cruise Line. Cassimiro was also one of two performers selected to be part of the first U.S. leg of Australia’s Strange Fruit—a Melbourne-based company with a remarkable style of work that fuses theater, dance and circus—using a unique elevated medium. She continues to travel throughout the world with the company.

Gina Delia BFA ’11 (Photography) was awarded one of six solo show opportunities with the Monmouth Museum’s Emerging Artist Series in Lincroft, N.J. Delia’s work was on display at the museum throughout the month of July and into early August 2014, with an opening reception held on July 11 and an artist’s talk on July 23.

Jill Keys BFA ’11 (Theater Design + Technology) created a “fat suit” for Theatre Exile’s recent production of “The Whale,” a play about a morbidly obese man named Charlie who hides away in his apartment eating himself to death. The costume, designed to make a 275-pound actor look like he weighs 600 pounds, took her more than 75 hours to make and was covered by a size 10X grey sweat suit during the entire show. “I’m a crafty person—I do all kinds of weird projects, so this is an everyday build for me. It’s definitely the largest thing I’ve ever worked on, but it’s not daunting,” Keys told PhillyVoice.com. Caitlin Leary BFA ’11 (Modern Dance) recently completed national tours with both “Beauty and the Beast” and “Elf.” Leary has recently joined the cast of “Mama Mia!” and has been made an Equity member. Kelly Meissner BFA ’11 (Illustration), creator of the innovative clothing line Ugly Apparel, launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to help raise funds for producing sleeve wrap prints and tees. The Philadelphia-based company got its start thanks to a Wells Fargo Fellowship Grant from the University’s Corzo Center for the Creative Economy as a part of its annual Creative Incubator program.

Francis Bicker BFA ’12 (Printmaking) participated in an exciting opportunity in Tianjin, China. He taught at Beneath the International, a school for high school- or college-age Chinese students who are applying to western art colleges. He is an art teacher and covers many topics, from color theory to modern art, and helps students create interesting artwork for their portfolios. His emphasis when teaching is on creativity and individuality, which many Chinese schools do not value. Bicker learned a lot about China and appreciates the colorful, vibrant culture and history of the region. He was in Tianjin from November 2014 to May 2015. Adriana Lopez BFA ’12 (Directing, Playwriting + Production) was recently hired as chief advisor of the Arts and community deputy director of Latin American for “Next,” an international think tank. “Intrusive Thoughts,” an exhibition by faculty member/alumna Kristine Strawser MFA ’12 (Studio Art), was on display in the President’s Office Gallery at UArts from July through September 2014. The unruly work in “Intrusive Thoughts” was made to acknowledge Strawser’s world, urban and rural, spliced together in attempts at better work. “Intrusive Thoughts” is unrefined, unedited, unvarnished. Marc Crousillat BFA ’13 (Dance) and Amanda Kmett’Pendry BFA ’13 (Dance) were featured in the November 15, 2014, issue of The New Yorker in a glowing review of Netta Yerushalmy’s new work titled “Helga and the Three Sailors.” Leigha Kato BFA ’13 (Musical Theater) performed as Little Red Riding Hood in Sondheim’s musical classic “Into the Woods” at Norristown’s Theater Horizon this winter. Kato says that she relates to Red’s wanting to be grown up and thinking she knows more than she does. “I always had this independence and I was kind of a know-it-all with my brother and cousins.”

Andrew Cameron Zahn BFA ’11 (Multimedia), MFA ’13 (Studio Art), a lecturer in the Design, Art + Technology program, recently opened CRUXspace, Philadelphia’s only new media art gallery. The opening show, “Mediating Technology,” was curated by former UArts Multimedia faculty member Katherine Bennett and featured her own work as well as the work of other artists. CRUXspace also featured “PeevesPlayHAUS,” the first solo exhibit by Martin Peeves MFA ’13 (Studio Art), and an exhibit by experimental artist G. H. Hovagimyan BFA ’08 (Sculpture).

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Jessi Cosgrove BFA ’13 (Acting) attended the International Stunt School in Seattle and received certification as an apprentice stunt performer through the United Stuntmen’s Association in August 2014. She is currently workshopping her first full-length play, “Dulcimer,” which illustrates the lives of young people in the Appalachians. She intends to have it staged by summer 2015.

Daniel Hartig BM ’13 (Instrumental Performance), Dan Berkery BM ’11 (Instrumental Performance) and Jesse Minikes BM ’13 (Instrumental Performance) performed with their band City Bandits at the Cutting Room in New York City alongside Matt McAndrew BM ’13 (Vocal Performance), first runner-up on Season 7 of “The Voice.” Hartig is a second-year graduate student at Teachers College, Columbia University, pursuing his master’s degree in Music Education. He has been teaching in several different programs in New York and received Columbia’s Zankel Fellowship Award. Work by Olivia Jones BFA ’13 (Craft + Material Studies), Alex Lozier BFA ’10 (Craft + Material Studies), Amy Rope Lyons BFA ’82 (Crafts), Vincent Master BFA ’14 (Craft + Material Studies) and Colin Pezzano BFA ’14 (Craft + Material Studies) was included in the 38th annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show, held November 6-9, 2014, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Bryan Black BFA ’14 (Musical Theater) recently appeared in “Fiddler on the Roof” at the Candlelight Theatre in Wilmington, Del. He has also recently appeared in “Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?” at the Broadway Theatre of Pitman, N.J., “Burt and Me” at the Delaware Theatre Company and “Dogfight: The Musical” at 11th Hour Theatre Company in Philadelphia. Work by Marcus Branch BFA ’14 (Photography), Chelsea Griffith BFA ’14 (Photography) and Jessica Landau BFA ’14 (Photography) was featured in FOTOmania, Bulgaria’s primary photography magazine. After a meeting, Associate Professor Harris Fogel and the magazine’s editor decided to expand the original feature story on the UArts Photography program into alumni photographers being featured individually across several issues. Amy Lyn Brand MFA ’14 (Studio Art) exhibited “The Feed Me Project,” which was funded by a Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grant, at the Upper Perkiomen Community Life Center in March 2015. “The Feed Me Project” is an interactive show of sculpture and text on breastfeeding and contemporary motherhood. Brand is continuing the project with a website devoted to the topic of breastfeeding. Kennedy Dickerson BFA ’14 (Photography) served as an assistant to National Geographic photographer Catherine Karnow, who was shooting a major feature story on Philadelphia artists for National Geographic Traveler magazine.

Cody Freeman BFA ’14 (Musical Theater) was featured in the October 16, 2014, issue of Time magazine in an opinion piece titled “Hook-up Apps Are Destroying Gay Youth Culture.” Alina John BFA ’14 (Musical Theater) was featured in the August 9, 2014, issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer in a story about the summer workshop she attended at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Taught by the Broadway Dreams Foundation, John was given a scholarship from the cast of the national tour of “The Book of Mormon” that allowed her to attend the workshop for the second summer in a row. Kelsey Ludwig BFA ’14 (Modern Dance) was profiled on Philly.com in January about “5x7 Space Showing,” her living room art show that outgrew her Rodman Street house and found a new home at Hy-Lo Labs in Old City. Named for the 5-by-7-foot rug Ludwig originally set up for performances, “5x7” has presented more than 50 artists in the last 16 months and will likely continue, even though Ludwig has moved to Brooklyn. Colin Pezzano BFA ’14 (Craft + Material Studies), a 2014 Windgate Fellow, was featured in the September 2014 issue of American Craft Magazine. The article spotlighted the Wood major’s “anthropomorphized furniture.” David Romero BFA ’14 (Animation) and Annelise Williams BFA ’14 (Animation) were named winners in the 2014 Bucks Fever FilmFest, an annual, juried festival of short films coordinated by the Central Bucks (Pa.) Chamber of Commerce. Romero’s senior thesis piece, “Midnight Snack,” took home the top College Animation prize, while Williams’ senior animation titled “Dust with Flour” earned an honorable mention. “Midnight Snack” was also the Grand Jury Prize winner at the 2014 Community Underground Film Festival (CUFF), hosted by the Community College of Philadelphia last November. Other CUFF winners included “Atelamise” by Tracey Laguerre BFA ’14 (Animation), named Best Film Directed by a College or University Student.

In Memoriam Alumni Genevieve Patricia Holmes

Edward Wismer

Genevieve Patricia Holmes CERT ’38 (Illustration) passed away on January 18, 2015, at the age of 98. Holmes, called Patricia or Pat by family and friends, was an award-winning artist who exhibited widely in the Philadelphia region and lived in Rosemont, Pa. Her artwork featured brilliant splashes of color, whether in her still lifes, landscapes or people disposed in various postures, including crowds at Penn’s Landing. Her use of color brought her subjects into vivid life. Holmes won awards from such prestigious galleries as the Woodmere Art Museum, but her greatest satisfaction might have come from the paintings she donated to the Sunshine Foundation to help the organization, which fulfills the dreams of chronically or terminally ill children. She attended Friends Select School and the University of the Arts. She also studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Holmes was a member of the board of the Wayne Art Center and belonged to several watercolor societies.

Edward Wismer DIPL ’51 (Art Education) of Ocean City, N.J., passed away on January 2, 2015. Born in Reading and raised in Philadelphia, Wismer graduated from Simon Gratz High School with a full scholarship to what is now known as the University of the Arts. He gained a lifelong appreciation for music with a foray into opera, performing with the Philadelphia Opera and the traveling company of the Met. He taught art in the Millville Schools where he met his wife, Joan. After teaching in Millville, Wismer moved with Joan to Ocean City, where he took a position as an art teacher at Central Jr. High in Atlantic City and taught for 32 years. He also taught at the Jewish Community Center, Atlantic City Arts Center and with private students. Wismer was a former president of the Society of New Jersey Artists.

Charles Ober Charles Ober BFA ’49 (Illustration) of Cumberland, Va., passed away on December 12, 2014. Ober was born in Philadelphia and studied at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art (now UArts), graduating in 1949. He entered the U.S. Navy and after four years of service, he settled in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. Ober had a career working as an advertising artist, art director and creative director for several advertising and public relations agencies. He also freelanced for five years as a light-show artist and producer for discotheques, concerts and business presentations from North Carolina to New York and Portugal. In addition, he opened his own visual arts studio, One Point Six, in 1980. He created stained-glass works, paintings and photography under that name for 15 years. In 1988, he began his own company, Word Weavers, Inc., offering creative services and desktop publishing for business clients. Ober’s professional awards include a National Addy Award, a Gold Medal from the New York Film & TV Festival, Best-in-Show awards from advertising and art-related exhibitions, a Desi Award for Graphics from Graphic Design magazine, and various other honors from printing and advertising organizations.

John C. Graham John C. Graham DIPL ’51 (Advertising Design) was a leading figure in science education in Philadelphia for many years as director of the Wagner Free Institute of Science in the 1970s and ’80s, as well as an influential teacher and mentor to thousands of young people. He passed away on December 23, 2014, at the age of 92. As an artist, Graham began by making wood-block prints, then moved on to painting in acrylics, sculpture and mobiles. He also enjoyed creating collages. Graham served five years in the military and after his discharge, attended the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts). He is survived by his wife, Susan, a daughter and a son, and three grandchildren.

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Anne K. Zaslow Anne K. Zaslow DIPL ’57 (Fabric + Textile Design), loving wife of 57 years to Jerry Zaslow, passed away on January 1, 2014. As a fabric designer, Zaslow conceived an upholstery fabric that was used in a 1950s Chevrolet. She is survived by three loving daughters who grew up to marry and become wonderful soul mates to their husbands and children. Although she was a stay-at-home wife, mother and grandmother, she devoted much of her time to various causes and charities.

David P. Milby David P. Milby BFA ’62 (Art Education), formerly of Camden, N.J., and Philadelphia, passed away on January 6, 2015. Milby graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts) in 1962 and also from the University of Pennsylvania in 1964. He was the J.S. Guggenheim Fellow for painting from 1966 to 1967 and was a longtime professor of Integrative Arts at Pennsylvania State University, Abington Campus.

Estelle Schaeffer Estelle Schaeffer BFA ’68 (Art Education), a retired art teacher and sales professional from Fort Washington, Pa., passed away on November 4, 2014. Schaeffer taught elementary school art in Mount Laurel, N.J. She also worked as a window designer for highend retail shops in Chestnut Hill.

Trustees, Faculty & Staff Irvin J. Borowsky

Longtime UArts Trustee Irvin J. Borowsky, a benefactor of the University and an outstanding business leader and philanthropist, passed away on November 25, 2014, at the age of 90. Irvin and his wife, Trustee Laurie Wagman, were instrumental in the creation of the University’s Borowsky Center for Glass Arts and the prestigious Irvin J. Borowsky Prize in Glass Arts, awarded annually to an artist whose work advances the field of contemporary glass art. An innovator and leader in the publishing industry, Borowsky launched the weekly television magazine that would become TV Guide and founded the North American Publishing Company. He was a generous patron of the arts, and through the Borowsky Gallery in the University’s Gershman Hall, he presented the works of painters, sculptors and book artists. He was also the founder and chairman of the National Liberty Museum and founder of the American Interfaith Institute. He was a member of the Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature, and lectured worldwide on diversity, faith and cooperation.

Raymond K. Metzker

City Whispers: Philadelphia, 1983, Ray K. Metzker, gelatin silver print. The J. Paul Getty Museum

Photographer Raymond K. Metzker, a longtime UArts professor called “one of the nation’s greatest photographers” by The Philadelphia Inquirer, died on October 9, 2014, at the age of 83. Metzker served as chair of the Photography/Film program and founded the University’s Sol Mednick Gallery. A master of light and shadow, he captured scenes from gritty city streets, sunlit beaches, the Southwestern desert and idyllic rural landscapes in black and white. His career spanned six decades starting in the 1960s, with his first solo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1967. New York’s Laurence Miller Gallery hosted a retrospective of Metzker’s work titled “One and Only” last fall.

John Klinzing Former longtime Dean of Students John Klinzing passed away in Florida on January 9, 2015, at the age of 75 as the result of a fall. Klinzing served as dean from 1989 until his retirement in May of 2004. Prior to his time at UArts, he taught in public schools on Long Island, N.Y., and held posts at Union County Technical Institute in New Jersey and Pace University and Pratt Institute, both in New York City. A memorial for the Marietta, Ga., resident was held in Atlanta on January 16 and at UArts on April 3.

FROM THE ARCHIVES UArts Always Equaled Philly Arts

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FROM THE ARCHIVES UAr ts Always Equaled Philly Ar ts

In keeping with the theme of UArts’ impact on the Philadelphia arts scene, this installment of “From the Archives” will look at that impact through archival eyes. Space compels us to keep a very long list of possibilities to just a few. We can start with a quintessential Philadelphian, Elizabeth Duane Gillespie (1821-1901), a greatgranddaughter of Benjamin Franklin. Gillespie played key roles in the successes of several 19th-century Philadelphia public endeavors such as the Great Central Sanitary Fair of 1864, a fundraiser for the U.S. Sanitary Commission, which was a forerunner to the Red Cross. The 1876 Centennial Exhibition may not have happened without Gillespie and her national committee of women, who successfully raised a large percentage of the money for the Centennial, and without the Centennial, the Pennsylvania Museum & School of Industrial Art (PMSIA, now the UArts College of Art, Media & Design) would not have been founded. Gillespie served as president of the PMSIA Committee of Women from its founding in 1883 until her death; she attended every commencement ceremony, handed out diplomas and awards, raised money for scholarships, and is very likely the person who shamed the PMSIA founders into admitting women from the beginning by writing a noholds-barred letter to the newspapers protesting the omission of women. Another PMSIA notable with far-flung Philadelphia influence was the school’s first principal, Leslie William Miller (1848-1931), who served in that position from 1880 to 1920. In addition to his national and international lecturing on industrial art education, Miller served in various cultural organizations such as the Art Club of Philadelphia and the American Philosophical Society, and he served as secretary to the Fairmount Park Art Association, which was instrumental in the development of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. When he retired, the University of Pennsylvania awarded him the first honorary doctorate of fine arts, Temple University awarded him an honorary law degree and the Art Club awarded him a gold medal. Good friend Thomas Eakins came often to 320 South Broad Street to paint a portrait of Miller in a classroom; that portrait can be seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Class of 1931 alumnus Raymond A. Ballinger (19071985) was a longtime faculty member in what was then called the Advertising Design department. His book, Layout, originally published in 1956, is still a classic, and he wrote and designed numerous other publications. At the time of Ballinger’s death, Dean Richard Reinhardt said, “The world has lost a real fine designer. Ray was one of the pillars of the program here for three decades. I would guess half the advertising art being done in Philadelphia is currently being done by artists who studied with Ray.” Among the many notables in the UArts School of Music, alumnus and retired faculty member Dr. Donald Chittum BM ’56 (Music Performance), MM ’57 (Music), DM ’63 (Music Theory) is a standout. College of Performing Arts Dean Marc Dicciani BM ’75 (Percussion), when asked about Chittum, replied, “Dr. Chittum is truly a one-of-a-kind icon who has affected the learning and the lives of thousands of students, faculty and colleagues. For more than 60 years, and in so many ways, this great composer, theorist, teacher, administrator, leader, scholar, sage and father figure has been an inspiration to musicians everywhere.” Dr. Chittum earned his degrees from the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music (PCM), a UArts School of Music predecessor.

Layout (1956) by Raymond Ballinger Elizabeth Duane Gillespie Leslie William Miller Olga Samaroff Dr. Donald Chittum

Olga Samaroff (1880-1948), who taught at PCM from 1928 to 1948, had an international career. A noted concert pianist who debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1905, Madame Olga was the first woman to play all of Beethoven’s sonatas in recital, the first American woman to win a scholarship to the Paris Conservatoire, and the first woman music critic for the New York Evening Post. Like her PCM colleague Vincent Persichetti, she also taught at Juilliard. She was married to Leopold Stokowski for a number of years. The 1947 PCM yearbook was dedicated to her “in sincere appreciation of her many years of unselfish devotion to the cause of the aspiring artist and teacher.” If you have questions or comments, please write to Sara MacDonald, UArts Libraries Public Services Librarian, at smacdonald@uarts.edu.

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