Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts and Affiliate Organizations

Home , All Angels, Epicenter (sculpture), Quartet (sculpture)

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS AND AFFILIATE ORGANIZATIONS

Reports and Proposals for the Hixson-Lied Advisory Board

For Presentation and Discussion at the Spring Meeting of the Advisory Board April 24, 2008 2

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Core Values

We value……………..

• The uncompromising pursuit of excellence

• A diversity of ideas and people

• A learning environment that prepares students for success and leadership in their lives and their careers

• Research and creative activity that informs teaching, fosters discovery, and contributes to the economic prosperity and quality of life of Nebraskans

• Engagement with academic, business, and civic communities throughout Nebraska and the world

• An institutional climate that challenges every member of the University community to advance these core values and that celebrates their successes.

Table of Contents

Introduction ...... 5

SECTION ONE: REPORTS

Reports: Programs Lied Center for Performing Arts: Value and Impact Study (Final Report) ...... 9

Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden “Sheldon Survey” ...... 11

Lentz Center for Asian Culture: Installation of New Storage System ...... 13

Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center: “Film and Video Showcase” (Year 1)...... 15

Department of Art and Art History: “Visiting Artist/Scholar Program” (Year 1)...... 17 “Visual Arts Community Service Learning Project” (Year 1) ...... 18

School of Music: Chiara String Quartet Residency (Year 3 Final Report)...... 19

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: 40th Anniversary Celebration (Final Report)...... 24

Digital Arts Initiative: Technology Equipment Match (1st Year Update)...... 26

Reports: Faculty Support Faculty Research/Creative Activity Grants completed since October, 2007...... 27

Faculty Research/Creative Activity Grants Awarded in March, 2008...... 30

Faculty Research Travel Grants Completed since October, 2007 ...... 31

Faculty Research Travel Grants Awarded in February, 2008...... 38

Faculty Development Grants Completed since October, 2007...... 39

Reports: Student Support Student Presentation of Scholarly/Creative Work ...... 41

Hixson-Lied Graduate Fellows: “Reflections” ...... 46

Appendix A ...... 67

Introduction

This academic year marks the sixth year of funding from the Hixson-Lied Endowment. Over the past six years, a variety of successful initiatives have been developed to enhance and celebrate the work of our faculty and students. These initiatives include graduate fellowships, faculty and student support for creative and scholarly projects, funding to support student international study, and travel assistance for faculty and students to present their scholarly and creative work, and for faculty to engage in professional development activities and events. Endowment funding has also made possible a number of noteworthy and outstanding projects that have been highly successful, and that have brought national recognition to the College and its affiliate organizations. A full, three-year report on the impact of Endowment funding will be presented to the Board at its upcoming October meeting.

This coming fall, the College will begin reviewing and reshaping its strategic goals and priorities to set its course for the next five years. This process will include exploring some new directions for Endowment funding that will mirror those goals and priorities and that will be fashioned to bring increased national recognition to the College and to the accomplishments of its faculty and students. Conversations have already begun along these lines this past year, resulting in several new projects for which funding is being requested in this report.

SECTION ONE – REPORTS 8

Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Report on Proposal for Program Enhancement Funding

Affiliate Unit: Lied Center for Performing Arts

Program Supported: Major University Presenters Value and Impact Study - $25,000 over two years (Final report)

The Lied Center and other university performing arts presenters participated in a two-year “Value and Impact Study” commissioned by the Major University Presenters Consortium. The results of this extensive research undertaking were provided to the partners in two parts: “Assessing the Intrinsic Impacts of a Live Performance” (January, 2007), and “A Segmentation Model for Donors to 12 University Presenting Programs” (May, 2007). The completed study was released publically by WolfBrown, a national arts research firm, in January, 2008.

The project was conceived to define and measure how audiences are transformed by a live performance. Increasingly, performing arts centers, traditionally a vital component of university life, grapple with decreasing ticket sales, diminished attendance at live events and overall dwindling interest in the performing arts. Because of the traditional difficulty articulating true impact of the arts on audiences and communities, we hoped to gain greater understanding about how values drive participation and a picture of personal benefits and public value of performing arts centers. The results of the study, collected through face-to-face interviews, and pre/post performance surveys provide specific data for the project partners and other presenters. The results are influencing program selection, audience communication strategies and development and donor/supporter cultivation. We seek to learn not only more about what our audiences wants to see or hear, but also about the values affecting their decision making, how they are personally changed and their perception of true benefit of the performing arts in their community and lives.

Summary of Results

1. Assessing the Intrinsic Impacts of a Live Performance

Part one of this study attempted to define and measure how audiences are transformed by a live performance addressing three hypotheses: 1) that the intrinsic impacts derived from attending a live performance can be measured, 2) that different types of performances create different sets of impacts, and 3) that the audience member’s ‘readiness-to-receive’ the art affects the impacts received. While most findings from this study are intuitive, they have strategic implications for presenters, such as the Lied Center. Specifically:

• The data suggest that presenters should focus more on pre-performance engagement strategies to create higher anticipation levels. • Presenters should consider steps to take, in cooperation with artists, to increase the likelihood that audience members will be drawn into the performance. • Efforts should be expanded to provide audience members with context in advance of the performance. • Marketing is strategic in creating anticipation and effective messaging about the possible impacts of the performance. • Aesthetic growth may be achieved by programming new or challenging works for sophisticated audiences or be attracting new/infrequent attendees to programs of works less familiar. 9

• Audiences choose programs that are relevant to their lives, thus artistic curation not only shapes art but also defines constituency. • Presenters should shift focus from measuring satisfaction to measuring intrinsic impacts.

2. A Segmentation Model for Donors to 12 University Presenting Programs

The second part of the Values study focused on attitudinal information—values, beliefs, preferences and tastes—that relate to attending and supporting performing arts presentations. For the first time, data collected through the survey was matched to purchase and donation behavior. This resulted in evaluation of a wide range of attitudinal variables based on how they predict donor behavior or purchase preference. The vision behind this part of the study is that presenters are creating the next generation customer database allowing for a higher level of customer relationship management. The idea is to create continuously updating customer information linked to ticketing and donor data. Based on analysis, a five- segment donor model was selected:

• Intrinsics—donors who believe in the transformative power of art. • Networkers—socially-oriented donors whose patronage is driven by a desire to gain the esteem of their peers. • Co-Creators—donors who have a desire to commission new work and be part of the evolution of new art forms. • Marquee—donors who want public recognition for their gifts and are most interested in priority seating. • Youth-Focused—donors who are motivated by a desire to expand the arts to children and the disadvantaged.

Conclusion

The essential question that led to this two-year study is this: Is there a fundamentally better way to market and fundraise for the arts? Based on the data gathered and at this early stage of analysis and application, we believe that there is. The Values Study was calculated to move arts presenting organizations toward a new level of competence. We believe that while tried and true practices have yielded success in the past, things cannot remain the same. We maintain our commitment to maximize results with existing tools, resources and insight while simultaneously exploring new and innovative methods toward achieving even greater success.

The Lied Center is using the information from the Values and Impact Study to refresh our approach to programming, marketing and fundraising. We hope and believe that through deeper relationships with patrons and expanded methods of communication, we will gain clearer understanding of the audiences we serve in order to serve them better and strengthen the bond between them and the Lied Center.

HIXON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Report on Grant for Program Enhancement Funding

Affiliate Unit: Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden

Program Supported: Sheldon Survey - $30,000

The following is submitted as a final report on the Sheldon Survey, a dynamic contemporary art exhibition with major support from the Hixson-Lied Endowment. From 9 November 2007 through 6 January 2008, Sheldon presented an examination of the development of American art in our time through the works by 20 contemporary artists. As an art museum with a mission to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret contemporary art as well as historical art, this enriched our mission both during the length of the exhibition and, the acquisitions that resulted from this endeavor enriched Sheldon’s permanent collection. Sheldon Survey provided a multitude of opportunities that engaged community members, students, and the UNL academic departments. This success is evidenced by high numbers of participants in artist talks and exhibition events, tours of the exhibition, and formal and informal responses received by visitors and media. In fact, articles in both the Kansas City magazine, Review, and the Lincoln Journal Star identified this exhibition as one of the Midwest’s most important in 2007. Strong links to UNL students, classes, and the public is evident by the attendance of 7,130 individuals.

Sheldon Survey presented artists in distinct career stages working in painting, sculpture, photography, and installation. It featured the work of established artists Rackstraw Downes, Byron Kim, Vernon Fisher, and James Surls. It also included the work of artists moving into their creative prime such as Gregory Crewdson, Tara Donovan, Jim Hodges, and Jose Bedia. Emerging artists represented include Mike Cloud, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Jason Middlebrook, Ian Davis, and Tomory Dodge. Geographic diversity also marked this invitational. Omaha native Robyn O’Neil works in Houston; New York native Sandra Scolnik works in Rennes, France; and Makota Fujimora lives and works in Tribeca and has played an important role in the area’s recovery and revitalization after 9/11. Other artists included Tom Bamberger, sculptor Lesley Dill, painter Lisa Sanditz, and installation artist Beverly Semmes.

We are pleased to report on a very successful series of artist talks that brought the work to life and energized audiences. Jason Middlebrook visited Sheldon on October 30-31, providing a lecture at Sheldon with 115 in attendance and spending one day speaking with and critiquing the work of graduate and undergraduate students. James Surls met with UNL students and provided a lecture at Sheldon to 168 community members and students on November 12-13. Mr. Surls was very well received by art students in his time with them – his former years as a University Professor were obvious in the ease with which he interacted with students and was able to provide useful critique of their work. Sandra Scolnik visited UNL students and classes and provided a lecture at Sheldon over November 26-27. Her Sheldon lecture on November 27 drew 147 attendees with many students commenting that they were inspired by her honesty and frankness about the life of an artist and her refusal to be limited by others. Podcasts of artist talks by Surls and Scolnik were available – and very popular – on Sheldon’s website.

Sheldon Survey successfully provided a vehicle for engagement with UNL students, faculty, and classes. More than 15 classes visited the gallery including English, Visual Literacy, Theater, Photography, Printmaking, History, Women’s Literature, and Painting. Students in the Art Department responded with particular enthusiasm as stated by Sheldon’s Hixson-Lied fellow Sarah Barnard Blitz, “Students really loved this exhibition above and beyond others. It is good for us all to see art being made currently, and the work was diverse. So many loved the Donovan and the photo students were excited about the Crewdson.” One Theater Movement class engaged with the exhibition through a class project whereby each student 11 selected a work from Survey and developed a creative movement piece in response to it. The gallery was full of laughter, cheers, and excitement as the students performed their pieces. Additionally, Sheldon regularly hosts College Nights and the November 29th College Night provided an opportunity for the 139 in attendance to receive tours by the Sheldon Student Docents.

As an added bonus, Sheldon leveraged the popularity of this exhibition by hosting a successful opening preview fundraiser for the exhibition on November 9, for 100 people. In addition to artist lectures, Sheldon engaged students and the community with a new perspective through a Sheldon Sunday talk by journalist Kent Wolgamott titled, “What Are Contemporary Artists Talking About?” which was attended by 29 people. On their tours of the exhibition, Lincoln Public School students took time to think about what the artworks meant to them and if the level of engagement could be measured by the excited volume of the gallery, then the exhibition was a hit with them indeed.

Sheldon Survey was reviewed favorably in the Omaha City Weekly (Nov. 21-27) “Sheldon Survey: Lincoln Museum extends invitation to area patrons of contemporary art.” The Omaha World-Herald (Nov. 22) “Sheldon Gallery works could end up in permanent collection.” The Lincoln Journal Star (Nov 25) “A Slice of Today’s Art World: Sheldon brings work by nationally recognized artists to Lincoln.” The Lincoln Journal Star, Art (Nov 4) “From Sand to Sheldon: ‘Sheldon Survey’ to open Friday. The most important exhibition of 2007 opens at the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery on Friday. It is “Sheldon Survey: An Invitational” and will feature work by 20 contemporary artists. As well as on unl.edu (Nov 9) “‘Sheldon Survey: An Invitational’ Opens.” Sheldon Survey was favorably reviewed in the Kansas City and Midwest visual arts magazine, Review, in its February 2008 issue, “Sheldon Survey: An Invitational, Contemporary exhibit profits Lincoln museum as well as patrons.”

In keeping with the tradition of invitational exhibitions held by the Nebraska Art Association beginning in 1888 and continuing through 1964, Sheldon acquired several pieces from artists represented in this exhibition. In total, five works were acquired for the collection by artists Surls, Crewdson, Sanditz, and O’Neil, as well as the Davis work that was acquired by private donors as a promised gift to Sheldon.

As a method to engage community members, we encouraged the public to vote on their favorite artwork in the exhibition and 705 people expressed their appreciation for particular works. We are pleased to know that in the top ten most popular were the pieces that Sheldon had independently selected to acquire by Surls, Crewdson, Sanditz, O’Neil, and Davis. As evidence of the deep level of engagement with the exhibition, the comment book provided thoughtful comments such as “Aesthetically and politically challenging” and “Never stop creating and pushing the boundaries so we do not stagnate as a culture.”

The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery is very grateful to the Hixson-Lied Endowment for support of this important and successful exhibition, as well as for your ongoing legacy of support for Sheldon. As an appreciative Sheldon Survey viewer noted, “Not too many Nebraskans have the opportunity to see stuff like this!” Thank you for helping to make it possible. 12

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Report on Grant for Program Enhancement Funding

Affiliate Unit: Lentz Center for Asian Culture

Program Supported: Art Conservation Cabinet System - $5,695 (Matched equally with Lentz Center funds)

I am very pleased to report that the Lentz Center acquired the museum cabinets for which we requested support. We received $5,695 from the Hixson-Lied Advisory Board, matching our contribution of the same amount. This allowed us to purchase four museum-quality cabinets for our fragile objects such as ivories, jades, and some musical instruments. They have now been safely stored but are accessible and easy to find. These cabinets represent a giant step forward in protecting our most fragile items and refining our inventory.

These steps were listed as priorities in our Conservation Survey conducted by Julie A. Reilly, Associate Director and Chief Conservator of the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center in Omaha and released to us in March of 2007. This assessment was funded by the Federal Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through Heritage Preservation. The cabinets were constructed and installed by Midwest Storage Solutions, Omaha, Nebraska.

The cabinets are the first step in a conservation program. The second stage is the installation of a dropped ceiling in the storeroom. This is being supported for by the Lentz Center Endowment Funds and the Chancellor’s Office. The ceiling installation began on February 19, 2008.

We thank the Board and deeply appreciate their support.

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HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Report on Grant for Program Enhancement Funding

Affiliate Unit: Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center

Program Supported: Film and Video Showcase - $20,000 ($10,000/year over two years) Year One

With the assistance of funding from the Hixson-Lied Endowment Fund, the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center’s Film/Video Showcase series brought two visitors to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus during the past fall semester for lectures, screenings, personal appearances, and performances before sizeable and appreciative audiences. Most importantly, all of these visitors met and interacted with students from the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, other colleges and departments from throughout the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the Lincoln Public Schools. (See Appendix A for complete information.)

On September 16, TIE, THE INTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA EXPOSITION founder and curator Christopher May presented two programs comprised of a selection of some of the best contemporary and historically important experimental cinema in the world. Difficult as well as engaging, although experimental cinema does not attract large audiences, its inclusion into a film/video exhibition program such as ours is absolutely fundamental to its mission.

Internationally acclaimed, award-winning director, producer, camerawoman, and educator, Jennifer Fox, who has been involved in countless documentaries over the past 25 years, travelled to Lincoln to present her film FLYING: CONFESSIONS OF A FREE WOMAN on November 9, 10, and 11. Spanning four years and seventeen countries, Jennifer Fox’s FLYING chronicles the lives of women all over the world. In her six hour, six part film, Fox explores the lives of women from New York to India to South Africa, and she isn't afraid to turn the camera on herself. From the biological clock to sex to death, no topic is taboo in this engaging film.

In addition to the programs funded by the endowment, the Film and Video showcase also included the following two events. In October, The Alloy Orchestra travelled directly to Lincoln from the premiere of their original score for Josef von Sternberg’s UNDERWORLD at the New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater. They also performed their score of Rudolph Valentino’s THE EAGLE. Called "the best in the world at accompanying silent films," by Roger Ebert, performing at prestigious film festivals and cultural centers in the US and abroad (The Telluride Film Festival, The Louvre, Lincoln Center, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the National Gallery of Art, among many others), Alloy has helped revive some of the great masterpieces of the silent era.

In November, Native filmmakers Chris Eyre, Sterlin Harjo, Bennie Klain, Leighton Peterson, and J. Carlos Peinado appeared at the VisionMaker Film Festival (scheduled for November 16 through 29) presented by Native American Public Telecommunications in partnership with the Lincoln Indian Center and the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center. The VisionMaker Film Festival featured a rich mix of documentary, narrative, and short films, curated by award-winning director Chris Eyre (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe of Oklahoma,) Sundance Institute's Bird Runningwater (Cheyenne and Mescalero Apache,) MRRMAC Director Danny Lee Ladely, NAPT Executive Director Shirley K. Sneve (Rosebud Sioux,) and NAPT Project Coordinator Penny Costello. The goal of the festival was to present high quality narrative and documentary films made by and about Native Americans and indigenous people, to introduce audiences to filmmakers and their creative process through lectures and screenings, to enhance pride in culture for young Natives living in Lincoln by presenting positive role models, and provide one- on-one opportunities to meet nationally-recognized filmmakers.

Although all of these programs were well attended, in spite of MRRMAC’s staff’s best efforts and considerable help from Johnny Carson School Chair Paul Steger, attendance and interaction by Film and New Media and other Hixson-Lied College students has been disappointing. Many students from other colleges at UNL, as well as the Lincoln Public Schools, did attend these events and interacted with these artists.

Thanks to the efforts of Paul Steger, Film and New Media faculty met with MRRMAC Director Danny Ladely in an effort to coordinate interaction amongst their students and the visiting artists. The faculty said that they preferred not to have the visiting artists attend their classes while in session. Consequently, we agreed to set up times outside of the classes for their students to meet with the visiting artists, but attendance was quite disappointing. It appears that little effort was made to encourage students to attend these specially arranged sessions with the visiting artists. Student attendance from throughout UNL for MRRMAC’s overall programming is generally well attended. Indeed, 13 to 15% of our audience is comprised of UNL students. In 2006-2007, by comparison, the Lied Center reported that 10% of its audience was comprised of UNL students. It is baffling, indeed, why film students, in particular, would not take advantage of these important, visiting artists. It is a great loss to their education.

Finally, due to these and other difficulties encountered in attempting to meet the extra requirements stipulated for this award, it has been difficult to continue the Film/Video Showcase program into the current semester. It is hoped, however, that these challenges can be met and the program will be able to continue successfully into the next fiscal year.

2007-2008 Film/Video Showcase Budget (For Christopher May & Jennifer Fox Visits Only)

Expenses: Honoraria $2,500 Travel $1,153 Film Rental $948 Lodging & Meals $694 Advertising & Printing $300 Projectionists’ Fees $417 Total Expenses $6,012

Revenues: Hixson-Lied Fund $2,050 Dillon Foundation $2,811 Ticket Sales $1,151 Total Revenue $6,012

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Report on Grant for Program Enhancement Funding

Academic Unit: Department of Art and Art History

Program Supported: Hixson-Lied Visiting Artist/Scholar Program: $24,000 ($8,000/year over three years, matching Departmental Funding) – Year One.

The Hixson-Lied Visiting Artists Program is designed to improve and expand education by bringing the very best in the visual arts to the University and community. The program creates an opportunity for performances, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, workshops and individual critiques. This report is being submitted at the beginning of a three-year program. This past fall (2007), we hosted Sandra Scolnik and Jason Middlebrook as our visitors. This spring, we will host Dan Collins and Luis Gonzalez Palma. Palma will be here in conjunction with the exhibit “Metaphors of the Heart” at the Sheldon Memorial Gallery, showcasing approximately twenty of his photographs.

Sandra Scolnik, gave an evening public lecture and an open discussion in the afternoon. She spoke to graduate students individually throughout her stay. In addition, she went out to lunch with graduate students on her second day and volunteered to have lunch with interested undergraduates who were seeking additional time for conversation on day three.

One graduate student wrote unsolicited:

“Thank you so much for bringing Sandra here Aaron. It was empowering to see a young, successful, female artist speak about her work. She was an example of what I could become.”

UNL and the Hixson Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts have outstanding facilities, faculty and resources. With the visual arts, in particular, we are limited by geographical proximity to many important aspects of the contemporary art world. Bringing important figures to our campus folds that geography. In addition to our students getting irreplaceable experiences, we are leaving an impression on the visiting artists themselves. The faculty in the Department are passionate about the program, and we are dedicating a large amount of time and energy to each visitor; whether it is in the form of scheduling, coordinating or hosting. We believe in the program and the student responses such as the one shown above remind us why. A report on the artists who visited in the spring term will be included in the fall 2008 report to the Board.

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Report on Grant for Program Enhancement Funding

Academic Unit: Department of Art and Art History

Program Supported: Visual Arts Community Service Learning Project - $45,000 ($15,000/year over three years, matching Departmental Funding) – Year One.

The first year of this new initiative has been very successful. The following are the major activities that took place.

• This funding has provided support for a graduate teaching assistant each semester. Joshua Johnson and Carla Potter were able to receive funding and gain valuable classroom experience. • Art in the Community had an enrollment of 18 students during the fall semester and 13 students during the spring semester. • During the Fall semester, Art in the Community collaborated with the Arts and Humanities Focus Program, Park Middle School and the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery for El Dia de Los Muertos Family Day Event. The Art in the Community class worked with over 500 Lincoln Public School children. UNL students taking the class designed skeleton sculptures and giant papel picados in addition to delivering 18 lectures and demonstrations about art and culture relevant to the event. Art in the Community students also led creative activities the day of the event. Over 1,300 people attended the event, making it the most attended Sheldon event in recent history. • An Art-o-Mat was purchased and installed in the Mary Riepma Ross Theater. The purpose of the art-o-mat is to have a form of community art constantly available to the public. The Art-o-Mat is a cigarette machine restyled to vend small pieces of art. The Art-o-Mat was installed in November: proceeds will allow us to give our first $500.00 Community Arts Award this March. We also made a donation to the Ross. The Art-o-Mat will travel to the Haydon Art Center this May. Proceeds made from sales while installed at the Haydon will support their community arts work with Community Learning Centers throughout Lincoln. • Visiting Artists that practice in the field of Community Arts have been brought in to work with students in order to enhance student experiences and broaden their knowledge about this specific but fascinating subject. Folk artist Martin Ramirez, Art-o-Mat creator Clark Whittington, and Peggy Diggs, a community artist renowned for her work with survivors of domestic violence and prisoners, have lectured specifically to the Art in the Community class, delivered public lectures and delivered lectures at The Arts and Humanities Focus Program and Bryan Community School • Art in the Community students worked with 20 Bryan Community School students on silkscreen techniques. UNL students and Bryan students made collaborative prints/drawings and t-shirts. The project, titled “American Dreams and Disasters” focused on images from popular culture, counter culture and identity. UNL students also worked with 300 Park Middle School students on two projects “From Pangaea to Present” where they investigate the concept of Pangaea by looking at the similarities in form and technique evidenced in pots of from all cultures and then building their own. “The Red Balloon Project” introduces the students to the concept of public and private space. The park next to Park Middle School is one of the most dangerous parks in the city. Students have to cross this park to go home. Students will write down experiences and memories, both positive and negative, that they associate with the park. A memory or experience will be tied to a weighted red helium balloon, with a balloon representing each child. The project will function as a visual reminder that public spaces are to be shared with others. 18

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Report on Grant for Program Enhancement Funding

Academic Unit: School of Music

Program Supported: Chiara String Quartet Residency - $180,000 over three years matching a similar amount from the Senior Vice Chancellor (Year Three)

The third and final year of the Chiara String Quartet Residency has been extremely successful on many fronts, as explained in the narrative that follows.

Chamber Music Curriculum

• The Chiara Quartet, charged at the start of their time at UNL to develop and implement an intensive curriculum for Chamber Music, continues to change and improve the course:

• Enrollment in Chamber Music Course doubled between spring of 2007 and fall of 2007

• Students perform on one of three ChamberFest recitals per semester, open to the public; exceptional student groups are featured in the Honors ChamberFest recital in the spring

• Students meet together at a monthly or bi-monthly Chamber Music Performance class to hear one another play and give feedback

• All Chamber Music students are required to play an outreach performance at a community venue (outside of the university)

• “Play with the Chiaras” first annual competition (open in 2007 to UNL string players): the first winner, selected in two rounds to play with the Chiara Quartet, performed with the quartet on the Kimball Recital Hall stage in February 2007

Recruitment of String players

The Chiara Quartet is responsible for recruiting fine string players from around the country to audition at UNL. Recruitment is encouraged through summer teaching, recruitment trips and UNL sponsored events.

The impact of the Chiara’s presence on string student recruiting has been remarkable. We have seen student string quartets from the Juilliard School apply to our Chamber Music Institute. We have a student who recently graduated from the Juilliard School in violin performance apply to the UNL School of Music for master’s degree studies. We even have the son of a member of the Juilliard faculty enrolled in the UNL School of Music presently. Last year we recruited a violist who was considering only 4 music schools – the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, the Juilliard School in New York, the New England Conservatory in Boston, and the UNL School of Music.

• Recruiting trips to: Houston, TX; Kansas City, MO; the state of Nebraska; anywhere the Chiara Quartet performs around the country

• Summer teaching residencies at Greenwood Music Camp in Massachusetts, the Red River Chamber Music Festival in North Dakota, and the summer Chamber Music Institute at UNL

• Red Violin Festival at UNL: this festival, developed in 2007 by the Chiara Quartet violinists and violin professor David Neely and hosted at UNL on one day in January, is an opportunity for serious high school student violinists to meet and work with UNL violin professors

• Violin Recruitment update: in 2008 at least seven excellent violinists are auditioning at UNL to study with Chiara Quartet violinists; this number is up dramatically from 2006 and 2007

UNL Faculty Recitals

The Chiara Quartet continues to build an audience for chamber music in Lincoln, NE. Appearing twice a year at UNL’s Kimball Recital Hall and also at the Lied Center and at the Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music series each year, the Chiara Quartet has developed a loyal following. Each concert at UNL has brought in audiences new to chamber music, and the attendance for Chiara Quartet concerts has rivaled attendance at large ensembles such as the UNL Symphony and the UNL choirs. For example, attendance for the Chiara’s faculty concert in September 2007 was 238 people; while attendance for the UNL Orchestra in October 2007 was 238 people; and for UNL Concert & All Collegiate Choir in October 2007 was 271 people. The Chiara Quartet’s concert at the Lied Center in April 2007 hosted almost a full crowd on the stage, and the Chiara Quartet concert for the Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music venue was standing room only.

Chancellor’s Tour

In April of 2007, the Chiara Quartet traveled with UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman and other UNL administrators on a tour of Central and Western Nebraska.

• Locations visited: Minden, Curtis, Kearney, North Platte, Scottsbluff, and the 4-H camp at Halsey State Forest • Performances: for communities, Extension Centers, and public schools around the state of Nebraska.

Chamber Music in Any Chamber

Realizing the importance of not only performing in concert halls and other classical music venues, the quartet devoted much of their concert schedule in 2007 performing in “non-traditional” venues such as bars, clubs, and cafés. These appearances are part of an initiative called Chamber Music in any Chamber.

Selected Chamber Music in Any Chamber Performances

January 9 Rose Live, Brooklyn, NY March 1 The Mucky Duck, Houston, TX March 9 Montague Bookmill, Montague, MA March 15 The Brick, Kansas City, MO March 17 Emma Chase Café, Cottonwood Falls, KS April 13 The Hideout, Chicago, IL April 28 Mick’s Music and Bar, Omaha, NE 20

August 9 Nightclub after 9 at Hodo, Fargo, ND September 1 Box Awesome, Lincoln, NE November 28 Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA

Selected Articles and Reviews on Chamber Music in Any Chamber Appearances

NY Times Review Bar Chatter, Weekend Cheer, Intimate Tables and, Yes, Chamber Music Monday, July 2nd, 2007 By Bernard Holland “The presentation catered to the expectations of a pop-music audience; individual movements were offered piecemeal, the exception being the whole of Shostakovich’s devastating Eighth String Quartet, played here with endearing intensity. Condescension was not on the program, which mixed and matched hard-driving pieces by Jefferson Friedman and Pierre Jalbert with Mozart, Haydn, Brahms and lighthearted Latin American music by Gabriela Lena Frank.”

NY Times Article Music that thinks outside of the Chamber Sunday, June 24th, 2007 By Anne Midgette "A number of performers are breaking out of the established “chambers,” the institutions that have defined them. The Chiara String Quartet is one of several groups playing gigs in bars. “Competitions were forcing us to learn repertory that wasn’t that interesting,” said Greg Beaver, the quartet’s cellist. “We sat down and said, ‘Who do we want to play for?’ ” The answer led the players to engage a second manager specifically to line up club dates in addition to the group’s regular concert gigs. (The Chiara will play Thursday at Caffe Vivaldi in Greenwich Village and Friday at Rose in Brooklyn.)"

Kansas City Star Review Two string quartets show that new life can still be breathed into an old genre Sunday, November 11th, 2007 By Paul Horsley “The best was to come: Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout,” a sensational piece written for the Chiara that uses every imaginable string technique. The Brick was a perfect venue for this raucous ride through the Latin American countryside with its wildly colored evocation of flutes, message runners, funeral mourners, cowboys and festivals. The Chiara embraced it completely, and for me it was the biggest thrill of the night.”

Other Concerts and Projects

Selected performances

January 11: Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center; New York, NY Chiara Quartet, with the help of UNL, presented Mestizaje: Harmony of Differences at Merkin Hall. The program featured works by composers immersed in more than one culture. The performance received a rave review from the NY Times (please see below). The performance was followed by a special reception that was sponsored by the NU Foundation and the Chancellor.

March 3: The International Festival-Institute at Round Top; Round Top, TX

April 10: Lied Center for the Performing Arts; Lincoln, NE Final installation of a 3-concert series Love, Life, and Spirit; Chiara Quartet and Friends Celebrate the Music of Brahms was presented by three major concert venues in Lincoln: UNL-Kimball Recital Hall, Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music and Lied Center for the Performing Arts. For this final concert, a Grammy-winning violist Roger Tapping joined the Chiara Quartet.

April 27: Holland Performing Arts Center; Omaha, NE Premiered a new work by composer Jay Greenberg. The concert was presented by Project Harmony.

July 19: Chappaquiddick Summer Music Festival; Chappaquiddick, MA

July 28, 29: Music Mountain/Gordon Hall; Lakeville, CT

November 3: Grinnell College; Grinnell, IA

November 17: Savannah Concert Association; Savannah, GA

November 27: University of Washington World Series; Seattle, WA (See review below)

Selected Reviews of Projects and Concerts

NY Times Review Bringing Disparate Ethnic and Cultural Worlds Together January 13, 2007 By Allan Kozinn As high-concept programs go, it would be hard to beat the one the Chiara String Quartet brought to Merkin Concert Hall on Thursday evening. Under the title “Mestizaje: Harmony of Differences,” the group offered works in which disparate musical, ethnic and cultural influences mingle (the meaning of the Spanish word in the title, at least as the quartet is using it). The program’s two halves were listed as “acts,” with the stage bathed in red light during the performances and dark between them.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Review Chiara Quartet’s talent is dazzling November 29, 2007 By R.M. Campbell, "The Chiara String Quartet is composed of young American musicians who are vastly talented, vastly resourceful and vastly committed to music of their time. As such its Seattle debut Tuesday night on the UW World Series at Meany Hall was riveting."

Awards

Blodgett Artists in Residence at Harvard University (Fall 2008-Spring 2011) The Chiara will be in residence at Harvard for four one-week periods each academic year beginning in October 2008. The Blodgett Artist-in-Residence program provides for distinguished artists and ensembles to spend time at the Department of Music and also invites artists to lecture and perform in a variety of musical disciplines. Recent Blodgett Distinguished Artists and Chamber Music ensembles have included the Mendelssohn String Quartet, the Ying Quartet, Neba Solo, Greg Osby, Jean Claude Risset, and Sir Harrison Birtwistle.

WNYC's "Best Live Performances of 2007" Chiara Quartet’s live broadcast at New York’s Public Radio Station was selected as one of the best live performances of the year.

Seattle Post Intelligencer "Best of 2007" Chiara Quartet’s presentation of Mestizaje: Harmony of Differences in Meany Hall at University of Washington was selected as one of the best Seattle performances of the year.

Presentations

29th Chamber Music America Conference "Harmonic Convergence" (Jan 13) Presented a session on innovative programming under the title “Programming that pleases.”

Shepherd Careers Forum: Convening Student Perspectives and Creating New Models for the 21st Century (Oct 12-14) Students and faculty from the most highly respected music training institutions in the U.S. attended, including New England Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, Northwestern University and Juilliard.

Recordings

Recording of Brahms c minor String Quartet for SMS Classics Recording Company (Houston, TX, Feb 27-Mar 1)

Recording of Brahms a minor String Quartet for SMS Classics Recording Company (Houston, TX, Oct 29-Nov 1)

Recording of Jefferson Friedman's 2nd and 3rd String Quartets (Houston, TX, Oct 15-17)

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Report on Grant for Program Enhancement Funding

Academic Unit: Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film

Program Supported: 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Nebraska Repertory Theatre - $40,000

Introduction This report on the 40th Anniversary Season of the Nebraska Repertory Theatre (NRT) and the Dedication of the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film includes a brief overview and specifics regarding these two major events during the past year.

Brief Overview The Hixson-Lied Board provided $40,000 to fund these two major events for the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. During the course of the summer and fall, the School matched these funds with over $80,000 to create two memorable and distinctive events that will have lasting effects on the School, the College and the University: the grand opening of the Temple Building/40th Anniversary of the NRT, and the Dedication of the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film.

$25,000 FOR GUEST ARTISTS Our plans included bringing guest artists to Lincoln to work with our students during the 40th Season of the NRT. These guests were a combination of seasoned professionals and included UNL alumni. As the NRT runs during the summer months, we determined that these alumni and artists would be involved in a series of presentations and workshops with ALL of the students during the week of the Dedication of the School in October. Part of the Hixson-Lied funding, $25,000, was used to support the residence of the following guest artists for these two purposes:

• Richard Marlatt and Alan Ball – seasoned actors from Chicago with credits at the Goodman, Steppenwolf and Chicago Shakespeare; • Jennifer Hubbard and Dan Yurgaitas – seasoned directors who have worked at such venues as Actor’s Theatre Louisville and Arizona Shakespeare; • Steve Shelley and Ahna Packard – Broadway and Hollywood designers and alums of the School.

The School also brought in a number of other alumni from Los Angeles, Chicago and New York to conduct workshops during the week of the Dedication of the School. Workshops in design, screenwriting, acting and filmmaking created unprecedented networking opportunities for our students and alumni.

$10,000 FOR REGIONAL AND NATIONAL MARKETING The NRT’s 40th Season also saw an expansion of marketing efforts, using $7500 of the Hixson-Lied funds and $7500 in matching funds provided by the NRT. The marketing campaign focused on major distribution of the Season brochure, print ads placed in local newspapers and ads in national theatre magazines. The combination of the artists and marketing efforts contributed significantly to an increase in attendance. A total of 3,596 patrons attended the NRT productions during the 2007 summer NRT Season, up from 2,889 in 2006, an increase of 707 patrons, or almost 25%.

The additional $2,500 from the Hixson-Lied funds was used to market the Dedication of the School. “Save the Date” cards were created and sent out to our existing alumni mailing list. Many of those who received the card notified other alums and as a result approximately ninety “lost” alums have contacted the School. The School’s academic year season brochure also had a two-page spread about the School’s Dedication and was mailed to 24 more than twice the normal patron database. Total costs on the brochure and program printing came to $9,070. The marketing strategy for the Dedication also saw announcements in local and regional newspapers. Additional ads were placed in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, courtesy of the University of Nebraska Foundation. The combined efforts saw a surge in the number of alumni interested in School activities.

$5,000 FOR PHOTOS AND DISPLAYS IN LOBBY The redesign of the Temple Building lobby saw significant improvements during the recent renovation project. The School’s new digital displays screened highlights of “The Tonight Show” during the Dedication festivities and throughout the weekend. These videos were supplemented with a series of photos of Johnny throughout his life and career with part of the funding supplied from the Hixson-Lied Grant ($3,000). The photos were displayed throughout the Temple Building. Additional display cases ($2,000) were also purchased with Hixson- Lied funds to display two of Johnny’s Emmy Awards, many of his Comedy Awards and a vast array of Johnny Carson memorabilia for the public to see. Hundreds of people took tours of the building during the Homecoming Weekend and alumni from as far back as the 1940’s shared stories of their time in the Temple, their memories of Johnny and recalled past triumphs on the Temple building stages.

Conclusion The Johnny Carson School of Theatre & Film would like to thank the Board for the opportunity to produce two highly successful events. The 40th Anniversary of the Nebraska Repertory Theatre and the Dedication of the School became enriching experiences for our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and patrons. As a result of these events, the School has developed a stronger relationship with the Nebraska Foundation and the Lincoln community. Without the Hixson-Lied funding, these events would not have been nearly as successful.

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Report on Grant for Program Enhancement Funding

Academic Unit: Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts

Program Supported: Matching Funding to Support Digital Arts Initiative - $100,000 ($50,000/year over two years, matching $100,000 for infrastructure, and $200,000 in personnel from the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs) Year One

During the past year, all efforts have been focused on the completion of the following components of the overall program plan, all of which need to be in place before the allocated funding can spent:

• Development and approval of the introductory course for the initiative • Preliminary development of plans for the remaining course inventory • Hiring a new, full time, staff support program (funded by the Senior Vice Chancellor) • Searching for two new, full-time faculty members who will teach in the initiative (funded by the Senior Vice Chancellor; search presently under way) • Planning and design for the renovation of facilities in Woods Building and in Richards Hall (Woods renovation complete; Richards Hall renovations are presently in the design phase)

The Richards Hall renovations are presently underway and should be completed by the fall. Once the two new faculty members are hired, conversations will begin relative to spending the first year’s allocation of Hixson- Lied Funding ($50,000) on equipment that will be necessary to support the new lab that is being created. Further update on progress of this initiative will be provided to the Board at its Fall, 2008 meeting.

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Reports on Funding for Faculty Research/Creative Activity Support

Proposal Supported: The creation of an initial annual fund in the amount of $40,000 to provide partial support for faculty research and creative projects. This report is normally in two parts: a) projects funded for 2007-2008 that have been completed, and b) new grants recently funded for 2008-2009.

a) Projects Completed: 2007-2008

Aaron Holz- $5,000 Department of Art & Art History Painting Hybrids – Exhibition in New York City (Support for Travel, Materials, and Shipping of Artworks)

It is a real pleasure to submit this report following an extremely successful research period. In the original grant application, I wrote, “The primary outcome of this project is the expansion of an audience through national and international exhibitions. That exposure increases the possibility that a painting or paintings would be considered for acquisition in important public collections.” I am happy to report that these goals were successfully met. Through Hixson-Lied Funding, I was able to create work and have that work exhibited in major exhibitions seen by national and international audiences. I would not have produced the same quality or quantity of work had it not been for this critical funding. Perhaps most significantly, my work was exhibited in Basel, Switzerland this past June. One of those works is now in the collection of a board member of the Guggenheim Museum. This past year I also received external funding through an Individual Artists Grant through the Nebraska Arts Council. The work was included in an exhibit at the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and later purchased by the Sheldon for their permanent collection. I list these highlights from this past year because each success has a direct correlation to the funding I received through Hixson-Lied. I am especially grateful for this competitive internal funding and happy to report a list of significant successes over the past year.

Significant Outcomes Include:

• Paintings were included in a prestigious international art exhibition in Basel, Switzerland • Work was selected for the permanent collection of the Sheldon Memorial Gallery. • Work was selected for an exhibition at GE World Headquarters by independent curators in New York • I was awarded an external Award: an Individual Fellowship in the Visual Arts through the Nebraska Arts Council • Article was published on work I created through the grant in the December issue of New York Arts Magazine • Final work completed under this grant was featured in Scope Miami this December

Francisco Souto- $4,280 Department of Art & Art History Painting Hybrids A Digital approach (Support for Materials and Equipment)

With the funds from the Hixson-Lied Faculty Grant program, I was able to purchase the equipment, technology and materials necessary to combine innovative digital technology with traditional printmaking techniques. This new digital technology helped me to create a body of new work that investigates the role of handmade work in today's technological world. The simple idea of combining opposite visual languages allowed me to make a new series of highly complex “hybrid” prints, which raise important issues concerning printmaking as a process for analysis of contemporary visual and conceptual options in my work.

During the last couple of years, I have been examining issues of representational illusion and object physicality throughout the use of this and other techniques. The initial idea for the “hybrid” combination between traditional and digital came naturally with the rapid growth of digital technology in printmaking. I firmly believe that this new technological research enhanced my work tremendously and allowed me to embrace the latest technology in order to re-contextualize my work within my own contemporary reality.

This grant was instrumental in covering the expense of materials and equipment necessary to create a body of new work that was exhibited and is schedule to be exhibited in many national and international venues.

Among the most important accomplishments and outcomes from this project:

SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

• Solo Exhibition “El otro, el mismo” (The self, and the other) Janu Hartmann Center Art Gallery. Bradley University. PEORIA, ILLINOIS. • Solo Exhibition at the Museum of Nebraska Art. Nebraska Now series. KEARNEY, NEBRASKA (Forthcoming) • This new body of prints will be shown in a solo exhibition in France during the next triennial edition of the Mondial de L’Estampe et de la Gravure Originale Triennale de Chamalieres in 2009

INVITATIONAL AND JURIED EXHIBITIONS

• New York International Print Fair. Represented by the Stone and Press Gallery. NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK. • Anderson Ranch Annual Art Auction. Anderson Ranch Art Center. SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLORADO. • Printmaking the Discourse. University of Akron. AKRON OHIO th • 20 century Nebraska Printmakers. Museum of Nebraska Art. KEARNEY, NEBRASKA • Works on paper. The Park Avenue Armory. NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK 28

• Print Compendium. Turman Larison Contemporary. HELENA, MONTANA • Printmaking the discourse. University of Notre Dame. NOTRE DAME, INDIANA • 7th Kochi International Triennials of Prints. Ino-Cho Paper Museum. Kochi, JAPAN. One of the most prestigious and competitive exhibition for contemporary graphic arts in Asia. A well-respected judging panel selects around 200 prints from the total entries of 3,600 prints.

REVIEWS

• Theo Jean Kenyon. “EDUCATED RISK: Bradley featuring artist who pushes limits of mezzotint” PEORIA JOURNAL STAR. Sunday, November 18, 2007.Peoria, Illinois.

NEW WORK ADQUIRED TO PUBLIC COLLECTIONS:

• Lakeview Museum of Art, Peoria, Illinois. • Bradley University Collection, Peoria, Illinois. • Southern Graphics Council • University of Akron Collection • University of Notre Dame Collection

ARTIST RESIDENCIES, WORKSHOPS AND LECTURES

• Anderson Ranch Arts Center. Workshop Faculty. Snowmass Village, Colorado. • Cradle Oak Press. Artist Residency. Peoria, Illinois. • University of Texas at Austin. Guest Artist In Printmaking Program. Austin, Texas. • Bradley University. Visiting Artist. Peoria, Illinois. • LUX Center for the Arts. Guest Lecturer. Art of Fine Craft 2007. Lincoln, Nebraska. • Helsinki Academy of Fine Art. Artist Residency. Helsinki, Finland.

b) Funding Allocated for 2008-2009

The College Executive Committee met on February 22 to consider proposals for Hixson-Lied Faculty Grant funding. Six proposals were reviewed and five were recommended to the College Administrative Council for funding in the amount of $17,500. A listing of the projects that were funded and the amounts awarded follow below.

Michael Hoff - $4,600 Department of Art & Art History Archaeological Research Project in Turkey

Funding for this proposal will enable Professor Hoff to continue with his long range research Rough Cilicia project in Turkey, specifically to support the purchase and rental of equipment needed for his work. This allocation matches internal and external research support funds that have already been allocated to Professor Hoff’s project

Ron Bartels - $5,000 Department of Art & Art History Materials and Equipment for Dimensional Graphic Printing

Funding for this proposal will enable Professor Bartels to purchase specialized materials and equipment needed for his continuing work with the Lenticular Printing process.

Scott Anderson - $5,000 School of Music Commissioning of a New Composition for The Faculty Brass Ensemble and UNL Wind Ensemble

This project builds on the success achieved last year by Professor Anderson and the Faculty Brass Quintet when they presented performances in the Czech Republic and established relationships with musicians and advanced students. The present plan is to premier the new composition both here at UNL and in the Czech Republic.

Dale Bazan - $1,000 School of Music Support for Research on After School Music Ensembles

Funding for this project will be used for materials and travel that will enable Professor Bazan to conduct on-site research on the status of after school music ensembles. A significant portion of his work will be focused on the State of Nebraska.

Stanley Kleppinger - $1,900 School of Music Research on Composer Aaron Copland

Funding for this project will support Professor Kleppinger’s travel to the Library of Congress to study one of a kind documents related to the work of composer Aaron Copland that are otherwise unavailable.

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Reports on Funding for Faculty Research Travel Support

Proposal Supported: The creation of an initial annual fund in the amount of $40,000 to provide partial support for faculty travel associated with invitations to perform, make presentations, or present exhibitions related to their research and/or creative activities at significant regional, national, or international venues and professional meetings.

This report is in two parts: a) presentations that were funded in the November 15 – March 15 period and subsequently completed; and b) a preliminary overview of proposals just recently funded (February 15) for the March 15 – July 15 granting period. In these two cycles, the Hixson-Lied Research Travel committee convened to consider a total of twenty six applications from the School of Music, The Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film and the Department of Art and Art History. The committee determined that twenty-one of the applications were to receive support. The College Administrative Council reviewed those applications and awarded a total of $27,095.

a) Travel Completed Since October 2007

Department of Art & Art History

Alison Stewart: Presentation at the 16th Century Studies Conference, Minneapolis Amount funded: $1,000

My paper entitled “Heated Rooms: Luther, Meinhard, and the Coburg Tiled Stove” was one of four papers in a session I co-organized and co-chaired. I had not attended this inter-disciplinary conference, Sixteenth Century Studies Conference, in several years while finishing up several projects, including articles and a book. I am pleased that the article will be coming out this March in an exhibition catalogue for Wellesley College’s Davis Museum and Cultural Center entitled Grand Scale: Oversize and Composite Prints in the Age of Dürer and Titian (http://www.wellesley.edu/DavisMuseum/exhibitions/ exhibitions_upcoming_exhibitions.html) and that my book entitled Before Bruegel, for which I have received considerable financial support from the College, will be published within the next several months by Ashgate Press in the U.K. The exhibition, which I hope to be able to attend, opens March 19, 2008, with a symposium.

I co-organized the SCSC session on heated rooms as an attempt to encourage new thinking on the idea of heat and tiled stoves in the Renaissance, at a time when room heat was relatively new, and the relation to the display of art. I was very pleased to be back in an interdisciplinary setting where my ideas and research approaches were right at home, and I made many new acquaintances and contacts, and refreshed former business acquaintances as well. Perhaps most importantly I received numerous positive comments on my paper and the session, both from historians and art historians I had known, and from those I was just meeting. My presence at this conference also resulted in discussion of organizing a session at next year’s conference at St. Louis.

The paper I presented was important because it raised new ideas and helped spark new research possibilities. Although the paper itself will not be published at this time, the fact that the collective session papers offered a new avenue for research and sparked new research questions for both art history and cultural history (including the history of comfort and the home) is a substantial contribution and promises possible research by me, or others, in the future.

Wendy Katz: Presentation at the 96th Annual College Art Association Meeting Amount funded: $1,000

The College Art Association is the most important national conference for art historians. My paper was selected for a refereed panel on African-American Art and Globalization. The other speakers included scholars from the University of Indiana, Northwestern University and the University of Alabama. Attendance at the panel consisted of art historians and some artists and numbered 110, which is somewhat larger than the usual.

While I have published on the artist Robert Duncanson before, this paper represents a very different approach to him than I have previously taken, and introduced new evidence about his career. My presentation therefore also made it possible for me to get important feedback before preparing and submitting an article manuscript to reviewers.

My presentation also had an important impact for the department, as it helped raise our profile at a time when recruitment for a M.A. program is increasingly important. I plan to turn this talk into an article.

Michael Hoff: Presentation at the Archaeological Institute of America Conference in Chicago Amount funded: $715

The Annual Meeting of the AIA is considered one of the most prestigious archaeological forums of Old World archaeology in the world today. Scholars from all over the world present papers, although it is still an event that is primarily made up of North American scholars. My presntation was in the form of a poster, designed by one of the students who participated in the Project. The poster session lasted for three hours, during which my student and I answered questions from interested parties for the entire time. There was a not a single down moment which is very good for a poster session. It should be noted that our poster won 2nd place in the student-designed poster competition ($200 which was given to the student).

The presentation was an interim report on our research season’s activities for 2007. Its purpose was to keep the archaeological community apprised of our work as we continue on in this long-term project.

Overall, the outcome of the project will be either a monograph or long article detailing our work on the temple study and eventual restoration. This presentation was just one part in a long series of reports from this research team.

Santiago Cal: Presentation of work at Te Tuhi, Manakau City, New Zealand Amount funded: $2,000

My exhibition titled “Passage” consisted of a sculpture installation (wooden boy with gang tattoos on his face and torso playing marbles), two small videos (boy holding balloons while throwing a rock into the sea and a man wearing a mask holding plastic balls on his head) and a series of photographs of individuals holding a tropical plant on their head.

Te Tuhi is located 20 minutes from downtown Auckland and resides within a neighborhood that is of mostly Pacific Islanders. It is a non-profit gallery that exhibits renowned national and international artists. 32

The gallery has community outreach and education as an essential part of its program. Te Tuhi’s main exhibition space is comprised of three large rooms. A solo exhibition was presented in each room; aside from my exhibition, a collaborative team of New Zealand artists (Brett Graham and Rachael Rakena) presented an installation similar to the one they have in the current Venice Biennial, the third space was occupied by a top young New Zealand artist (Kate Newby), who is at the start of her career but has received great national recognition. It is a gallery that is well respected through out Auckland and the region; the opening was very well attended by artists, art enthusiasts and covered by several local newspapers/ art journals. The curator will be sending me all the press coverage and writings within the month. In conjunction to the exhibition, I was also invited to present a lecture at Manakau School of Visual Arts for a symposium titled “Uncertain Places”. I was one of ten international writers and visual artists presenting on the topics of mass mobility, migration, intercultural exchanges and identity. A publication of the symposium and presenters work will be completed by early next year.

I am incredibly fortunate to be able to attend these presentations. Of all my recent travels, this has been the most significant in terms of experience and development. I was based in downtown Auckland for the ten days, during which time my every waking moment was filled with meeting artists, gallery directors, writers as well as attending art openings and presentations. The individuals I met were tremendously welcoming and curious of my thoughts and work. The information I obtained was amazingly diverse and ranged from Maori culture to current theoretical investigations of space and identity. I did have several moments that were specifically poetic:

• Listening to the poet John Pule read “Clouds and Water,” a personal memoir of his first two-piece suit (stitched with the name “young sir” in the collar) used for his baptism as an eight-year old boy. It entailed his questioning of culture and belief systems as well as one of the few meaningful gifs from his father.

• Listening to Mr. Dashper recounting his childhood during WWII when the Americans came and “saved the country”, bringing along treats for the kids and introducing pantyhose to the women of N.Z. He also discussed at length his architectural career for the government, which included his involvement with the evaluation of nuclear power for New Zealand. He refused to participate and in turn started a small farm of a few steers and goats. New Zealand is still a nuclear free country.

• Among the many other experiences, being able to drive around the north island countryside alone for an entire day (my only free day). The curator of Te Tuhi, lent me her small car for this excursion; driving on the left, being astounded at every turn by the diverse landscape and eating lunch at a small town “dairy” (small country store).

The rewards of traveling to New Zealand are already in progress. The head curator of Te Tuhi (Emma Bugden) is currently working on securing an artist in residence position for me at the Dunedin Art School, Dunedin, New Zealand. In addition, an Australian artist/ educator (Tom Nicholson) is also working on arranging another artist residency at Monash University, in Victoria, Australia. I was also personally introduced to several commercial gallery owners in Auckland who expressed interest in my work. I am following up on these opportunities to be able to exhibit there again.

As a side note, I was also funded by the Hixson – Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts to travel to Washington D.C. and New York this past summer. Upon returning to NY to pick up my works, the galley owner (ZONE) invited me to send her images of works presented in New Zealand. We are currently in negotiation of my representation by her gallery. She also informed me that the gallery is acquiring an industrial space in lower Manhattan specifically for installation (which she wants me to works toward a solo exhibition) and in 2009 is opening a gallery in L.A., that would exhibit artists under her representation. 33

These experiences, as well as the photographs I took, have already been a source of inspiration. Now that I am back in my studio, they have seeped into my current work and am sure will influence my future research. As always, I travel not only as an artist but also as a representative of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts. Through out my introductions I was noted as such. These experiences will certainly enhance my teaching and I can recount to my students the art that I have seen as well as the conversational and cultural information I have gathered. This would not have been possible without the Board’s support of my travel expenses.

School of Music

Kate Butler: Voice Recitals at the University of California and at St. Michael’s and All Angels Church, Riverside, CA Amount funded: $680

The performance at the University of California Riverside was part of the “Dean’s Concert Series,” in which invited artists perform solo concerts for the administration, faculty, students and invited guests. I sang an hour-long solo concert with piano accompaniment, and spoke to the audience about the song compositions and the meaning behind the design of the program.

The concert at St. Michael and All Angels Church in Riverside was the inaugural recital on a concert series designed to bring art and music to the population of Riverside. I chose the theme of “Music and the Spirit: Longing of the Heart.” I sang with cello, flute and piano accompaniment. Audience members from all over the Los Angeles and Inland Empire area attended the performance.

Both performances were important to my continuing work as a performing artist. Making a contact with the University of California was valuable, and increased my visibility, as well as that of and the University of Nebraska. Singing the inaugural concert on a concert series was a prestigious invitation.

As a result of these performances I have received four new invitations/inquiries for future performances, one of which is to sing at an International Conference this summer. I have been invited to return to St. Michael’s Church to sing a second concert, and I have been asked if I would be willing to sing a recital at Chapman University and a benefit concert for a California Arts organization.

Kate Butler: Lecture Recital at Oklahoma State University Amount funded: $850

The performance/presentations were given at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK as part of a Menotti Weekend to honor Mr. Menotti on the one-year anniversary of his death. I presented a 75 minute lecture recital, “Gli amanti impossibili” on the songs of Gian Carlo Menotti along with a 45 minute lecture, “Gian Carlo Menotti: Opera Composer and Stage Director” on Menotti’s operas and career as both composer and stage director. In the audience were University faculty, students and music lovers from Stillwater, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Both performances were important to my continuing work as a performing artist and as a researcher. I have been researching the vocal works of Menotti for over a year now, and was pleased to have the opportunity to share what I have discovered. Presenting and singing at a major state university is valuable, and increases the visibility of both myself and the University of Nebraska.

I have received an inquiry for a future presentation of the lecture recital at another university. Additionally, my manager in New York is interested in exploring possible venues for this presentation of creative work.

Gretchen Foley and Susan Levine: Presentation at the Society of Music Theory Annual Meeting in Baltimore, and the College Music Society Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City Amount funded: $4,800 (for both meetings; includes support for participating students)

The 2007 National Conference of the College Music Society was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. There were several hundred registrants at the conference, includes music educators, performers, music theorists, and musicologists from universities and colleges across the United States and Canada. Our lecture- performance was presented at a special session intended to bridge the gap between music theory and analysis and the other disciplines of music under the umbrella of the College Music Society. This same lecture recital was presented at the Society for Music Theory National Conference in Baltimore.

Our lecture-performance involved the significant contribution of four dance students, (Dulce Boucher, Trina Kopf, Molly McConkey, and Laura Sedivy). The 30-minute lecture-recital was very well received, and we remained after the session to continue discussions with individual members of the audience.

This lecture-performance takes its place in the line of recent scholarship relating analysis and performance of musical works, but propels that research in a new direction: the performer, in this case is a choreographer of contemporary dance, and the dancers, on whom her output is created. In this relationship between the theorist and the choreographer, the theorist becomes a de facto dramaturge. While it is unusual for a choreographer to seek out a theorist for guidance on the structural aspects of a musical composition, we found that, in practice, this relationship between a dance maker and the music analyst is utterly sensible and mutually informative. What emerged was a multi-faceted work of art, whose integrated layers of music and dance may be apprehended both aurally and visually. We believe that this type of collaboration enhances both our research and creative agendas by broadening the scope of those who will experience the work.

Kevin Hanrahan: Presentation at the College Music Society Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City Amount funded: $800

My presentation occurred at the CMS National Conference as a part of a session that focused on enhancing music performance. The paper was presented to an audience consisting of voice teachers, choir directors, sight singing teachers, and other musicians from around the country. The paper was well received, there was a lively and hearty discussion during the question and answer period, and informal comments afterwards were very positive.

This was a great opportunity to share some of the research conducted in my Voice Lab, and to highlight UNL as center for vocal research. It also served as an opportunity for me to enhance and expand my reputation as a researcher and vocal pedagogue.

David Neeley: Presentation at the American String Teachers Association National Meeting Amount funded: $840

My presentation was given at the American String Teacher’s Association (ASTA) National Convention. The organization is comprised of university/college professors, national (as well as some international) artists, teachers, and students throughout the Unites States. It is the one event that happens each year where these great string player “minds” gather to share information, research findings, and teaching ideas, and to attend performances by select guest artists. There are currently over 12,000 ASTA members throughout the United States. This year, about 1,050 string players from across the country attended the national 2008 convention. About 150 people attended my session, which happened at the same time as 6 other sessions just in that one hour block. It was a fantastic turnout for my session, giving excellent exposure to my research and UNL.

This presentation was the culmination of my many years of research combining and organizing eight standard books of etudes by eight famous violin pedagogs directly with the “standard” Kreutzer 42 etudes. I used the etude works of Bloomenstengel, Dont, Fiorillo, Kayser, Mazas, Rode, Sitt, Wohlfahrt, and Kreutzer. This material, though used by most violinists for centuries, had not been organized and integrated in this way before, at least in such a broad scope. My presentation enabled teachers to continue on the same pedagogical teaching path with a student directly from one etude to another etude of greater or lesser difficulty, while also focusing on the study of related technical problems. In essence, it the material offers a total graded system of the most commonly used violin etudes.

I am in the process of preparing a written publication proposal to submit to G. Schirmer Publications in hopes that they might publish my edition of the Kreutzer Etudes with this current research material included.

John Bailey: Presentation at the College Music Society Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City Amount funded: $800

The College Music Society is the national organization for university music teachers (including studio teachers, classroom teachers, general music teachers, etc.). Its annual national convention is an important venue for university performers, and the selection process is highly competitive. I performed on a concert dedicated to new works for various instruments. The audience consisted mostly of professors, but also included performers, composers, and music theorists, and so forth.

I performed three new solo works for flute that have become part of the new American canon—they are now played by university flutists all over the U.S. My goal was to share these pieces with non-flutist colleagues, but also to stress that the works have become standard repertoire very quickly throughout the U.S. One of these pieces I have recently recorded; all three I performed here at a national venue for the first time. I have since received an offer by one of the attendees to perform as a guest artist.

Paul Barnes: Presentation at the College Music Society Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City Amount funded: $800

I performed my new lecture-recital at the 50th Anniversary Conference of the College Music Society held in Salt Lake City. I was greatly pleased with the attendance, as there were several other events booked 36 simultaneously throughout the entire conference. Present for my session were Peter Burkholder, editor of Grout, and distinguished Prof. of History at Indiana University. Also present were Robert Weirich, former CMS president, and Chair of the piano division at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Max Lifchitz from Albany College, Susan Chan from Portland State University, and Tammy Lum from Nyack University. My session was very well received. Peter Burkholder in particular was thrilled to hear of my work with Glass and encouraged me to perform the lecture recital at IU.

The primary importance of this presentation was the promotion of my work with Philip Glass at an important national venue. Also, as my presentation was essentially a retrospective on my work with Philip Glass over the past twelve years, it provided me with an important perspective on the accumulation of work I have completed during my career at UNL and my progress in this particular facet of my creative activity. In addition, the professional affirmation from my field’s top representatives gave me great encouragement not only in reflecting on past accomplishments, but also in forging ahead to new areas of creative activity.

One very concrete outcome is that I was able to perform my Glass Retrospective at Nyack University and will be booked on their regular performing arts series in the 2008-2009 season. I have emailed all of my colleagues who were present during my performance and hope to schedule performances during the 2008- 9 season as well. Additionally, since this was my first CMS National Conference, I was so impressed with its organization, and the incredible networking opportunities available, that I will be submitting a proposal for the 2008 Atlanta conference featuring my work with American composer Joan Tower.

Another important benefit of my performance at national venues such this one, is the opportunity for me to meet other piano teachers with prospective UNL students. In particular, Tammy Lum of Nyack University will be sending her student Hae Yun Baek to audition for the MM degree here at UNL.

Anthony Bushard: Presentation at the College Music Society Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City Amount funded: $800

After reflecting on my time at the National CMS conference in Salt Lake City for the past several weeks, I feel it was a very positive experience in many ways. The particular session at which I presented my paper, “Waging the Peace: Bernard Herrmann and The Day the Earth Stood Still,” was well-attended and the post-paper discussion was stimulating. It was also nice to see several of my School of Music colleagues at the presentation. Numerous conference attendees stopped me in the subsequent days and remarked about how much they enjoyed the presentation. Some inquired further into my film music research, and I had an opportunity to meet with Juan Cattah, a film music scholar at Agnes Scott College in Georgia, who is proposing a film music session for next year’s annual meeting of the American Musicological Society in Nashville, TN and who wants to include me in it.

I was also able to attend sessions that delved into pedagogical issues in music history/theory, as well as efforts to bridge the divide between history and theory disciplines. I had meaningful dialogue with other instructors about their classroom experiences and methods, and after a lengthy discussion with Peter Burkholder (Indiana University), I came away with some new ideas that I have already employed in each of my classes. It was certainly an added bonus to speak with other colleagues about teaching, both in the panel discussion and afterwards during informal conversation.

I left Salt Lake City exhausted, but excited about a wonderful experience. I feel I made important contacts within my research area and left a lasting impression upon a wide range of musicians through my presentation. I look forward to developing the new classroom techniques I encountered in Salt Lake and 37 evaluating their effect on my students. I want to thank the Hixson-Lied Board for their support as the benefit gained through these experiences would not have been possible without it.

b) Overview of Proposals Funded on February 15th

Department of Art & Art History

Professor Karen Kunc: Exhibition and Visiting Artists Residency, Malaspina Printmakers Society. Amount funded: $2,000

Professor Sandra Williams: Exhibition at the Arts and Mission Theatre in Binghamton, NY. Amount funded: $1,500

School of Music

Professor Ann Chang Barnes: Performance at the International Fortepiano Conference in the Netherlands. Amount funded (total for both presentations): $3,120

Professor Paul Barnes: Presentation of a program at the American Liszt Society Annual Meeting, Washington, DC. Amount funded: $600

Professor Dale Bazan: Presentations at the annual meetings of the American Education Research Association (AERA) in New York City, and the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) in Milwaukee. Amount funded (total for both): $2500

Professor Anthony Bushard: Presentation at the College Music Society Regional Meeting in Normal, Illinois. Amount funded: $600

Professor Glenn Nierman: Presentation of a paper at the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) National Meeting in Milwaukee. Amount funded: $540

Professor Robert Woody: Presentation of a paper at the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) National Meeting in Milwaukee. Amount funded: $960

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film

Professor Scott Parker: Presentation at the United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT) Meeting in Houston. Amount funded: $1,170

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Reports on Funding for Faculty In-Service and Professional Development

Proposal Supported: The creation of an initial annual fund in the amount of $20,000 to provide partial support for faculty travel associated faculty in-service and professional development.

Travel Completed Since October, 2007

Christin Mamiya – Department of Art & Art History Attend Annual Meeting of the College Art Association in Dallas Amount funded: $600 Unit Match: $600

This report is being submitted in accordance with the requirements for receipt of a Hixson-Lied Faculty Development Grant. As indicated in my application, this development grant was used to attend the College Art Association annual meeting (February 20 – 24, 2008) in Dallas, TX. This conference contributed significantly to my scholarly activity in the following ways:

1) The sessions provided updated information about directions in Art History, and stimulated my thought about a wide range of art historical subjects. In fact, as a result of this conference, I am now pursuing two entirely new research projects. Many of the sessions were focused on teaching issues, and the ideas presented in many of the papers will be useful in rethinking my courses.

2) I had the opportunity to touch base with my publisher regarding my contemporary art textbook (McGraw-Hill), and to chat with a number of editors at academic presses about two more book ideas that I have.

3) I participated in the business meeting of the Pacific Arts Association board, and am taking a more active role in that organization.

4) I took advantage of the presence of many respected art historians to solicit input on my research, and get feedback on the ideas that I am pursuing, both in my scholarly work and in my teaching.

Aaron Holz – Department of Art & Art History Studio Residency with Robert Duncan in Mexico Amount funded: $800 Unit Match: $200

Faculty Development funding enabled me to travel to Mexico for a month long artist residency in an innovative new studio space designed in 2005 by Jun Kaneko and a young architectural firm from Guadalajara Mexico.

The space provided me the opportunity to work uninterrupted every day for the month. The paintings and drawings created during that time are now a major part of my second solo exhibition in New York at RARE Gallery. (The show runs from March 15 – April 12.) 39

I was hosted by two couples, Marc & Kathy LeBaron and Robert & Karen Duncan. During our stay, the board members of the International Sculpture Center (ISC) stayed at the Duncan and LeBaron residencies and held their annual meeting. I was introduced to the board and they were invited to the studio to see my work. It was fabulous to have the members of an organization such as the ISC see my work first hand and a terrific opportunity to tell them about the strengths of our Department and College. Ultimately, a relatively minor grant of less than $800 had several significant impacts some of which are still to be seen.

On one other note, I met an artist based in Los Angeles through the Artist Residency and I am in communication with him about a visit to UNL this fall. It is very possible that he will be here for approximately three weeks, doing demonstrations, working with students and giving a lecture. His stay would be significantly longer than any previous visitor, more akin to an artist in residence. I mention this briefly (a detailed report will follow Sonsini’s visit) because it is a perfect example of how Hixson-Lied funding can impact an entire program in unexpected and exciting ways.

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Undergraduate/Graduate Creative Research Grant Programs

Proposal Supported: The creation of an initial annual fund in the amount of $20,000 to provide partial support for undergraduate and graduate student research and creative projects.

Marde Monohan - $700 Department of Art & Art History Materials for an Exhibition in the City Campus Rotunda Gallery

I was fortunate to receive the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Undergraduate Student Creative Research Grant that enabled me to create a substantial amount of successful and sophisticated drawings. The Rotunda Gallery Show generated much positive feedback from professors, artists, and fellow students.

I primarily focused my time and energy on the actual drawings themselves. I experimented with different methods, styles, mediums and processes, and as a result, my drawing skills have greatly improved. I am much more confident of my processes, choices and abilities. My drawing series has been very rewarding for me.

Another achievement related to the Rotunda Gallery Show was the postcard design that I was able to create. Zac Thomas and I fabricated and posed in a photograph referencing Jan Van Eyck’s painting from our photography class entitled, The Arnolfini Marriage. We decided to use the photograph as the image for our show postcards. I felt the postcards were very sophisticated and witty.

Our Rotunda Show, A Little Piece of Cheese, would not have been as successful without the funding from the grant. I have learned a lot from the entire process, and I have invested a large amount of my senior year in this project. Since the beginning, I have forced myself to be organized and responsible, and I have had to make logical, professional and strategic decisions. I now have experience writing a resume, an artist statement, designing show postcards, and installing a show. Most importantly, I am even more engaged and excited by the drawing process. Drawing is a discipline I will continue to pursue.

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Presentation of Student Creative and Scholarly Work

Proposal Supported: The creation of an annual fund in the amount of $10,000 to provide partial support for students who are invited to compete, perform, make presentations, or present exhibitions in regional, national, or international venues and programs. Students have to be invited to the event based on their scholarly/creative work. They also have to be sponsored by faculty members. Proposals are critiqued by the College Undergraduate and/or Graduate Student Advisory Boards.

Graduate Students - $1,500 Department of Art & Art History Exhibition at the Hayden Art Gallery

Since Visual Artists in Practice (VAP) has previously exhibited work at the Haydon Art Center, we were excited to use this call for exhibition proposals as an opportunity to offer a more cohesive themed exhibition. All-inclusive graduate student exhibitions are great for providing a venue to share our recent research but usually result in a disjointed total. It was our goal to create a deeper dialogue with our work through a highly interpretive theme. We decided that the exhibition would deal with issues of duality. Amanda Smith and Xanthe Isbister wrote the proposal and gathered images and artist statements from all of the participating artists. After the proposal was awarded an exhibition, Amanda and Xanthe functioned as the exhibition organizers and curators. Amanda wrote a fantastic curatorial statement that provided links to the multiple interpretations and realizations of duality in the exhibited work. Many of the participants took on additional responsibilities that added to the success of the exhibition. Joshua Norton designed the poster and postcard. Jewel Noll organized an event for area high school students. The high school students were able to visit the gallery with the artists and ask questions about the exhibit and more general questions about art and education. After the gallery event, the students were able to tour our studios to gain a greater understanding of our creative processes. The opening reception created a buzz among the artists, our peers and faculty members, Haydon members, and members of the community. Graduate students were able to have discussions about their work with faculty members with whom they might not normally have had much interaction. In the context of duality, students were also able to have new dialogue with their peers as new similarities and differences became apparent. As artists getting ready to emerge into the art world, this experience provided us with our first tastes of planning, organizing, and working together to create a more successful and worthwhile event. Along with professional development, this exhibition continued to cultivate relationships within the art context. VAP greatly appreciates the continued support and enthusiasm that is has received from the Haydon Art Center, the Hixson-Lied Endowment, and art enthusiasts in Lincoln.

Christopher Barrick - $300 School of Music Performance at the US Navy Band Symposium

Though the generous support of the Hixson-Lied Endowment, I was able to attend and perform at the 2008 United States Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium held at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia on January 18-19, 2008. For over thirty years, the Navy Band has held this two-day event featuring performances, lectures and master classes by classical and jazz saxophonists from around the world, as well as top collegiate groups.

The main purpose of the trip was to perform a solo recital at the 31st Annual Symposium. After attending this conference several times during my undergraduate studies, it was an honor to return as a recitalist. My program featured two works that were a part of my studies in the doctorial program. My first selection was Canto, an unaccompanied work by American composer Elliot Del Borgo. Del Borgo’s saxophone music has been the subject of my doctoral document. Jacob Ter Veldhuis, a Dutch composer who specializes in electro-acoustic music featuring samples of the human voice, wrote the second work. This piece, Billie, utilizes the voice of jazz vocalist Billie Holiday. The version I performed at the conference used a video component I created that synchronizes images of Holiday with the music. I first performed this multimedia piece on one of my doctoral recitals at UNL. Although I have performed this version at other conferences, this international event marks the widest exposure it has seen. Both of the pieces I performed were well received by the sizeable audience of saxophonists in attendance at my recital.

In addition to my recital, I was able to attend performances by some of the best saxophonists in the world. The opening concert featured classical soloists accompanied by the U.S. Navy Band. These soloists included Claude Delangle from the Paris Conservatory and Clifford Leaman, Professor of Saxophone at the University of South Carolina. Additionally, I was able to hear Timothy Roberts of the Navy Band premiere John Mackey’s Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble. Another highlight of the conference was the closing concert with the Commodores Jazz Ensemble. In the first half of this concert, the Commodores showcased each member of their saxophone section. In the second half, guest soloist Eddie Daniels was feature on saxophone and clarinet.

My trip to the U.S. Navy Band Saxophone Symposium was integral to my graduate studies in saxophone performance at UNL. My performance at this event was a public display of my work for an audience of peers in my field. Furthermore, the various performances I was able to attend were enjoyable and educational experiences. I would like to thank the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts and the UNL School of Music for making this trip possible.

Jennifer Donelson - $300 School of Music Piano Performances in Rimont and in Paris, France

On Thursday, January 10th, the first full day of my trip to France, I headed to the Bibliothèque nationale de France to find information related to my dissertation research. Before leaving for France, I had obtained a letter stating that I was working on a doctoral document, as well as documentation from the University stating that I was enrolled at the University. Both of these documents were necessary to obtain an identification card granting access for a year to the library, as well as for purchasing a reader’s card for three days of access to the library. After going through the reader orientation process and reserving a spot in the library specific to my discipline, I ordered the books, journals and microfilm relevant to my research, after which I could pick these things up from a back desk for viewing. I was able to obtain multiple reviews of the premiere of Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jésus from Le Figaro, Les Lettres francais, and Images musicales. After reviewing a dissertation by Boswell-Kurc listing the documents specific to a controversy surrounding Messiaen in the mid 1940’s referred to as “Le Cas Messiaen,” I ordered and copied documents specifically related to Messiaen’s commentary and the Vingt Regards from various French newspapers and journals. In total, I obtained 11 sources that I was unable to retrieve in the U.S. that directly relate to my document research on the controversy surrounding Messiaen’s commentary on his Vingt Regards. Even though describing in French to a library how the microfilm machine was not working could have gone more smoothly, the library visit was a success and a great aid to me in my current research.

On Sunday, January 13th, I traveled to Rimont France where I gave a lecture recital entitled “Questions pour le philosophe” to 40-50 philosophy and theology students at the Ecole Saint-Jean. The lecture presented a basic overview of some of the elements of Messiaen’s musical language (modes of limited transposition, use of chant paraphrase, etc.) and discussed the philosophical/theological implications of these musical techniques. I also discussed the premiere of the Vingt Regards where the music was generally well-received (there were certainly a fair number of detractors as well) while the commentary with which Messiaen prefaced each of the pieces in the cycle was not. Messiaen had tried, through commentary, to counter a breakdown in the musical “language” that prevented the audience from perceiving the theological message of his work. He also intended for his commentary to engage the intellect of the audience so that they would be disposed to receive a more direct interaction with the beauty in the piece. This direct experience with beauty is what Messiaen refers to as “éblouissement,” or being dazzled by a piece. I demonstrated that Messiaen’s vision of the human person allows for the interaction of intellect and “éblouissement” to reciprocally complement each other. The evening ended with my performance of three of the pieces from the Vingt Regards. I received questions following the lecture and recital, most of which had to do with a curiosity about other musical techniques and their corresponding philosophical ramifications.

This performance experience was valuable because it allowed me the opportunity to speak to students of a discipline other than my own. With so many important theological and philosophical ramifications of the work of Olivier Messiaen, I believe it is vital for students of these other domains to learn of his work. The work in the area of philosophy of the founder of the Ecole Saint-Jean (Fr. Marie-Dominique Philippe) has already been an immense aid to me in understanding Messiaen and his work. To speak to his students and engage them in an investigation of Messiaen’s work, therefore, was also very exciting. It is my intention to pursue further investigation of Messiaen’s work through the lens of the artistic philosophy of Fr. Philippe. This performance/lecture was one step further in creating a fruitful dialogue with his students of philosophy that will only benefit my future research.

Another important connection that was made through the Ecole Saint-Jean was an opportunity to meet Fr. Jean-Rodolphe Kars, a man who knew Messiaen for almost 30 years and who considers Messiaen to be in many ways his spiritual father. Fr. Kars was the winner of the first international Concours Olivier Messiaen and has been involved in organizing and performing on many festivals featuring Messiaen’s work in France. The morning after my lecture recital at the Ecole Saint-Jean, one of the students drove me to a nearby town (Paray-le-monial) where I was able to meet with Fr. Kars and interview him for an hour. I discussed the central tenets of my dissertation with him and he shared other profound insights into Messiaen’s work that are the fruit of spending decades playing the Vingt Regards. Fr. Kars also connected me with a woman at the parish of La Trinité in Paris (the location of Messiaen’s post as titular organist for 60 years of his life) where there is a large Messiaen festival throughout all of 2008, the centenary of Messiaen’s birth. Through these two people, I obtained programs for Messiaen festivals featuring lengthy essays by people who knew Messiaen, as well as a recording of the January 17th performance by Michel Béroff of Messiaen’s Vingt Regards at La Trinité.

Another important aspect of the trip was visiting numerous places that held immense significance to Messiaen and his compositions. These places included Chartres Cathedral and the Sainte-Chapelle, significant to Messiaen because of their famous stained-glass and because they served as the site of the premiere of several of Messiaen’s works. I visited the Abbey of St. Peter in Solesmes, the epicenter of the renewal of Gregorian chant in the 19th and 20th centuries. The theory of rhythm in chant developed by the monks at Solesmes had a profound impact on Messiaen’s development of rhythm. In my (unsuccessful) search to find a tapestry that Messiaen mentions in the preface of the Vingt Regards, I visited the National Museum of the Middle Ages. Finally, I also visited the church of St. Clotilde, a church where Franck, Tournemire and Langlais had all held the post of titular organist. Visiting all of these places allowed me to better experience the sources of Messiaen’s composition better. 44

I am deeply grateful for the financial support to make this trip possible. It has had a profound impact on my understanding and appreciation for Messiaen and the French culture in which he was a significant figure. It also was an amazing opportunity to present my work in the epicenter of that culture and form connections with people who will greatly benefit my future research in his work. Thank you for helping make this amazing opportunity possible for me.

HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS Hixson-Lied Graduate Fellows Reflections on the Graduate Experience

Three members of the third class of Hixson-Lied Graduate Fellows will be graduating with their Masters or Doctoral degrees this coming May. What follows below are their reflections on their graduate study here at UNL, and in particular, the ways in which the Hixson-Lied Graduate Fellowship enhanced their study and experiences in special and personal ways.

Cecilia Lee DMA Candidate School of Music

My Hixson-Lied Fellowship Experience

First of all, I would like to express sincere gratitude to everyone for making my three years at the Hixson- Lied college of Fine and Performing Arts a great experience, with special thanks to Miss Christina Hixson, the members of the Hixson-Lied Foundation, and Dr. John Richmond who first proposed the idea of coming to Nebraska in summer of 2005. I would also like to thank my DMA committee: Dr. Paul Barnes, Dr. Nicole Narboni and Dr. Randall Snyder. In addition I would like to thank Dr. Ann Chang- Barnes and Dr. John Bailey, who worked extensively with me for last three years.

My time here at University of Nebraska-Lincoln was a truly an enjoyable experience both professionally and personally, and with the wonderful support of the College community, I was able to achieve and experience far beyond my initial expectations.

The past three years have passed by so fast that it is difficult to describe them in a short summary. Academically, course work has been both enjoyable and challenging, especially studies with Dr. Peter Lefferts. Rather than settling into an old, sterile style of learning from books and lecture notes, the academic professors kept challenging and provoking us, which led me to further investigate and explore at a personal level beyond the schedule of classes. I leave the college with more inquisitive interests than answers, and for that, I am truly thankful.

Regarding performance opportunities, with generous support of the School of Music, I was encouraged to explore a great variety of contexts and specializations. As result, I have gained a great range of valuable experiences - within the School of Music as well as at local, national and international contexts. I was fortunate to be involved in many great performance activities including:

• Participation as a official collaborative pianist in Casalmaggiore International Festival, performing extensively in northern Italy in instrumental and vocal programs including collaboration with members of Penderecki String Quartet and violist Roger Chase • Participation in Orford International Music Festival in Jacques Rouvier’s piano class in Orford, Quebec, Canada • Invitation for participation in the International Fortepiano conference in Middelburg, Netherland in July, 2008, to study with Bart van Oort and Malcolm Bilson • Presenting Vox Balanae (by George Crumb) chamber music performance in the Carson Theater • Assisting guest artist performances, especially of Ian Clarke and Maria Harding • Working with the Third Chair Chamber Players of Lincoln, NE for various venues, including a presentation of a contemporary music program at the College Music Society convention 46

• Participation in various ensemble programs, from chamber group to orchestral concerts and master classes

These experiences are very dear to me not only as past memories, but also as starting points for the next projects in my future, which I hope to extend further throughout my lifetime. There is so much more that I could write about in non-musical areas of my personal growth, especially in a social context. As part of a very active international student community in UNL, I was provoked and exposed to great diversity of both academic and non-academic issues through building lifetime friendships with fellow international scholars of University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This was really an unexpected blessing, since if I had stayed in Canada, integration within such diverse international cultures may have been difficult. I was fortunate to participate in many international studies activities as a musician, and I look forward to incorporating such rich exposure from talented and brilliant fellow graduate students for the lifetime.

Without the support of the College of Fine and Performing Arts, and nurturing faculty and staff members of the School of Music, all these would have been just a simple passing thought. I grew so much in past three years that I do not think it would be possible to speculate who I may have been without the UNL experience. The Hixson-Lied graduate fellowship means more than just a financial aid in my eyes. In addition to providing helpful financial aid, more importantly, it signified the commitment and support of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in my personal growth, both professionally and personally. Thank you so much for making the last three years a possibility. As I plan to leave the school to embrace a new project, I take so much more with me than I ever imagined. It was a pleasure to be part of UNL and I look forward to continue to contribute to the community in the future.

Anen Ruehrmund MFA Candidate Department of Art & Art History

The Hixson - Lied Graduate Fellowship has made so many things possible for me, and I will be forever grateful to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for seeing potential in me and helping me to push myself further as a student, an artist and an educator. Because I received financial support from the university, I was able to focus on my work with complete intensity. This fellowship gave me the gift of time, and the work that I have created for my thesis exhibition would not have been possible without your financial support.

During my three years here I had incredible opportunities and experiences that have profoundly enriched my life. In the summer of 2006, I attended a one month residency at Vermont Studio Center, which was also partially funded by both the College and the Art Department. This residency exposed me to national and international artists who were established in their fields. It provided me with a wonderful dialogue that still continues with other artists all over the world. During my month in Vermont I started a new body of work that ended up being the cornerstone for my thesis. Later that summer I also attended a studio workshop at Anderson Ranch Center for the Arts in Aspen, Colorado. These two experiences, made possible by your financial support, were the catalyst for a major change in my artistic research.

In the spring of 2007, I traveled to Helsinki, Finland with a group of UNL professors and students in the printmaking department. During the week we spent in Helsinki, we worked in their print shop on a collaborative installation with Finnish students that culminated in a small exhibition. The Finnish students were a wonderful resource for new ideas and fresh insights into my work. I spent the week with them going to thrift stores and searching for new objects to use in my installations. By the end of the week, students and faculty were bringing me rubber ducks, garden gnomes, and Finnish knick-knacks to include 47 in my work. It proved to be the start of something really exciting. Several of the sculptures in my thesis exhibition are the result of that collaboration, and if you look closely you’ll find some Finnish souvenirs and a rubber ducky or two.

During my time here, I have exhibited work locally at the Haydon Art Center, Rotunda Gallery, Lux Center for the Arts, and the Eisentrager Howard Gallery. I also exhibited nationally and internationally in Kansas City, Ohio, Virginia, France, Finland, and Australia. I recently had a large exhibition at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts. This spring, I also received a Hixson Lied Scholarly and Creative Activity Grant for a show I had at Cornerstone Gallery in Richmond, VA. This show was a part of the Southern Graphics Conference, which is the largest national organization for graphic artists in printmaking. This funding helped me travel to the exhibition reception and attend this major conference.

The most rewarding experience of my time here has been the opportunity to teach. I learned so much from teaching printmaking, drawing and papermaking. I learned technical information and was able to improve my problem solving capabilities in the classroom. I also learned how to be more outgoing, to hold my own, and to inspire. Being involved with advanced students as a mentor helped me to clarify my own goals as an artist. I have had so many wonderful conversations with students about applying to graduate school, trying to get work shown, and the whole experience of living the life of an artist. Being able to help students find their way in this difficult field has been very gratifying, and I will always remember UNL students for their dedication and honesty.

Thank you for giving me the gift of time and experience. I feel that I have an incredibly strong foundation on which to build my professional future. I wrote in my application here that I hoped someday to be a credit to this institution. I have tried to hold myself to that promise, and I will continue to do so in the future.

Xanthe Isbister MFA Candidate Department of Art & Art History

The experience I have had at UNL has changed my life in such a fundamental way it is hard to find the words to express the gratitude I feel. I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada. Ever since I began my undergraduate studies at the University of Manitoba, I knew that I was destined to be on an artistic journey. As my commitment to art grew stronger, I began to look into Master of Fine Arts programs in the United States, realizing how competitive it was to be accepted into a ceramics program like the one here at UNL. The ceramic program at UNL is very well known and highly respected with an average of 60 applicants a year. Gail Kendall, Peter Pinnell and Eddie Dominguez are dedicated artists, professors, and mentors. They have challenged and supported me above and beyond the call of duty, and I feel very privileged to have studied with them.

I have worked very hard to get to this stage in schooling, but it would have not been feasible with out financial support. I feel very lucky to have been chosen for a Hixson Lied Graduate Fellowship, which was based on the potential my graduate application demonstrated. The Fellowship made it possible for me to attend graduate school, and would not have been able to do so if it had not been awarded. Having the financial support of the fellowship allowed more time to focus on my studies, as well as time in the studio creating my work. I am truly indebted to the Board and thankful for their generous financial support.

I feel that it is important to give back as much as you receive. During my time at UNL I have been an active member of the Graduate Student Advisory Board, UNL Clay Club, VAP (Visual Artists in Practice), Lincoln Public Schools, Lincoln Children’s Museum, as well as lending a hand in the Art and 48

Art History Department and to my fellow colleagues. All of these experiences have been fulfilling and rewarding, and have enjoyed working with all of the people who have surrounded me though out these experiences in Lincoln.

On the verge of graduating this May, I have been applying for teaching positions at Universities, as well as national and international artist residencies. I am going to continue to make art, exhibit art, and I am determined to become an influential artist within my field.

Appendix A

Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center Film /Video Showcase 2007-2008 Program Description

TIE, The International Experimental Cinema Exposition - a Retrospective: The 2007 Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center Edition Sunday, September 16th (Program One: 1:30PM; Program Two: 4:00PM) With Christopher May, TIE Director and Curator, In Person

Program 1: Pan of the Landscape (Christopher Becks, 11 min., Canada, 16mm, 2005) Vom Innen; von aussen (Albert Sackl, 20 min., Austria,16mm, 2006) Peng Peng (Dietmar Brehm, 7 min., Austria, 16mm, 2006) The General Returns from One Place to Another (Michael Robinson, 11 min., U.S., 16mm, 2006) Living (Frans Zwartjes, 15 min., Netherlands, 16mm, 1971) Fourth Watch (9 min., Janie Geiser, U.S., 16mm, 2000) Outer Space (10 min., Peter Tscherkassky, Austria, 35mm, 1999)

Program 2: Fuses (Carolee Schneemann, 25 min., U.S., 16mm, 1965) Blow Job (Andy Warhol, 35 min., U.S., 16mm, 1963) New film from Luther Price -Sneek Preview of the upcoming international multi-day TIE Fest in November in Montevideo, Uruguay (Luther Price, U.S., 16mm, 2007) Meat Packing House (Eduardo Darino, 17 min., Uruguay, 16mm, 1981)

TIE, The International Experimental Cinema Exposition was conceived in Telluride, Colorado(2000) by film curator, Christopher May in a vision shared with his colleagues to join the world of experimental avant-garde filmmakers and exhibit a high-caliber, international experimental cinema. In doing so, TIE has had the dual mission to preserve the fundamental qualities of cinema and film exhibition. TIE insists that experimental motion picture films and their makers hold the fundamental key in illuminating the truest form of cinema. Since the festival's inception, it has screened over 600 innovative historic and contemporary films and has joined over 200 of the world's leading avant-gardists.

TIE's traveling showcase remains true to its dedication: celluloid works in their true format, from the latest contemporary works to archival films from the rich history of experimental cinema from around the globe. The varying programs exhibit at a limited number of venues across North America and abroad.

Christopher May is the director and primary curator for TIE, The International Experimental Cinema Exposition. In addition to his work with TIE, May has curated film programs for organizations in areas ranging from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Miami, Florida. Christopher served as a nominator for the Rockefeller Foundation's Media Artist Fellowship and consulted several other foundations' filmmaker grant programs, including the MacArthur Foundation and the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts.

JENNIFER FOX & FLYING… Filmmaker Jennifer Fox will be appearing at screenings of her FLYING: CONFESSIONS OF A FREE WOMAN for Q&A sessions with the audiences on Friday, November 9 and Saturday, November 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 11 at 1 p.m.

Jennifer Fox is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning director, producer, camerawoman and educator who has been involved in countless documentaries over the last 25 years. Her first film, BEIRUT THE LAST HOME MOVIE was broadcast in 20 countries and won seven international awards, including Best Documentary Film and Best Cinematography at the 1988 Sundance Film Festival and Best Documentary of the Year at 1988 Cinema Du Reel Festival. She directed the groundbreaking ten hour 67

PBS television series AN AMERICAN LOVE STORY, which received a Gracie Award for Best Television Series and was named ”One of the Top Ten Television Series of 1999” by The New York Times and five others major American papers. Her current work, the cutting edge six part film, FLYING CONFESSIONS OF A FREE WOMAN was made through a unique Danish American co-production and was funded by the Danish Film Institute, TV-2 Denmark, BBC, ARTE, YLE-1, SBS, SVT, ICON & Humanist Channels Netherlands and HBO -- and was awarded a prestigious Creative Capital Grant. Fox is currently preparing to edit a new feature documentary, filmed over fifteen years, called LEARNING TO SWIM, co-produced with the Dutch Buddhist Television Network (BOS). Fox has Executive Produced many films including the award-winners: LOVE & DIANE; ON THE ROPES; DOUBLE EXPOSURE; PROJECT TEN: REAL STORIES FROM A FREE SOUTH AFRICA; COWBOYS, LAWYERS AND INDIANS; and the soon to be released, "ABSOLUTELY SAFE?". She has consulted on numerous documentaries, including SOUTHERN COMFORT and STONE READER. Fox is one of the subjects of two documentaries on filmmaking, "THE HECK WITH HOLLYWOOD!" by Doug Block, and CINEMA VERITE, DEFINING THE MOMENT by Peter Wintonic.

In this six-hour tour de force, FLYING: CONFESSIONS OF A FREE WOMAN, master storyteller Jennifer Fox lays bare her own turbulent life to penetrate what it means to be a free woman today. As her drama of work and relationships unfolds over four years, our protagonist travels to over seventeen countries to understand how diverse women define their lives when there is no map. Employing an ingenious new camera technique, called “passing the camera”, Fox creates a documentary language that mirrors the special way women communicate. Over intimate conversations around kitchen tables from South Africa to Russia, India and Pakistan, she initiates a groundbreaking dialogue among women, illuminating universal concerns across race, class and nationality. Part delectable soap opera, sociopolitical inquiry, and narrative experiments, FLYING sweeps us up into an addictive international adventure chronicled with sincerity, innovation and elegance.” -- Caroline Libresco, SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL catalogue