The University of the Arts from the Archives Om the Fr PRESIDENT

SUMR M E 2012

the magazine edgof e the university of the arts fRoM thE aRchivES om THE fR PRESIDENT

The craft disciplines satisfy the human change increases, the possibilities for need to work with our hands, creating continued shifts, expansions and daring objects both beautiful and useful. Craft amalgamations seem almost limitless. is a vibrant and diverse field – from jewelry to wood to fibers and much Craft holds an eminent and historic place c o N T E N T S more – and today’s craft artists are at the University of the Arts, tracing its bringing together the traditional and lineage back to the 1876 founding of one the innovative in exciting ways. These of the institution’s earliest predecessor artists are exploring questions of schools – one of the nation’s first schools materiality and making and, in the of art – the Pennsylvania Museum and process, are redefining the discipline. School of Industrial Art. It counts among its luminaries Wharton Esherick, known Some craft artists challenge and decon- as “the dean of American craftsmen,” mod- struct the intrinsic, intimate relationship ernist jewelry pioneer Olaf Skoogfors BFA ’53

JaSoN cHEN of jewelry to the body. Jewelry/Metals (Metals) and Dan Dailey BFA ’69 (Glass), major Chi Yan Tse BFA ’12 (Crafts), one of America’s premier glass artists. for example, made earrings (see page 7) in the form of hypodermic needles, In this issue of Edge magazine, we focus linking the mortification of the body on craft, including pieces on the University’s through piercing to the healing – or new Glass major; a generous donation narcotizing – of the body through that will help to create a dedicated center injection. for Glass Arts; an evolving relationship with Steneby, a craft school in Sweden; Fiber artists are going beyond traditional and a recent alumna who’s forging a path (this page, clockwise) textiles and wearable art, using conventional for herself by launching a gallery and Written on the back of this photo from the early 1950s: and unconventional materials in often- studio space for her fellow craft artists. “anatomy tests” surprising ways. Samantha Anderson Written on the back of this photo: “fdeP.R. BFA ’12 (Crafts), a senior Fibers student, I hope you enjoy this issue of Edge. [Fred deP. Rothermel, faculty]; final anatomy project, 1952” wove clothing into wall coverings and had As always, we welcome your thoughts student collaborators wear – or be worn and suggestions. Philadelphia Museum School of art student John fulton Short by – the walls, forcing us to ask questions graduated in 1954, moved to Spain, and became a successful bullfighter known as “El Yankee.” Joe took this shot of John while about figure and ground, about clothing both were still students, circa 1950. and structure (see page 8). one of the photos from the article “Left Bank at Broad and Pine” by Warm regards, As these examples suggest, with the Nancy Love, with photos by Joseph Nettis. the article appeared in Greater Philadelphia: The Magazine for Executives, 55.12 (December introduction of new technologies, 1964), p. [44]. caption: “instructor Sol Mednick briefs pensive sophs on materials and approaches, the boundaries basic photography.” of the craft disciplines have become increasingly fluid, as has their relationship to what has been defined traditionally as Sean T. Buffington ALL PHOTOS BY JOSEPH NETTIS. fine art. And as the speed of technological President, The University of the Arts Please send any corrections to Sara MacDonald at [email protected].

EDGE WINTER 2012 SUMMER 2012 EDGE 61 Z T WI O K L EVE BE T S 4 THE ALCHEMIST’S ART Gift opens new era in Glass Arts

10 Re-Inventing the Core Creating a new core for College of Art, Media and Design c o n t e n t S 14 20 24 WEAVING THE MAKING LEGACY GLOBAL NETWORK CONNECTIONS Celebrated Dance alumnus Global exchanges Designing with people made change through art expand UArts’ reach with disabilities

26 RETIRING DEAN LOOKS BACK Poetry and perspective NEWS 26 Alumni notes 44 from Peter Stambler faculty/STAFF notes 38 in memoriam 58

ALUMNI ACTIVITIES 40 FROM THE ARCHIVES 60

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 1 Sean T. Buffington President

Paul F. Healy EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Vice President of University Communications

Carise Mitch Managing Editor

Mac Branscom DESIGNER

James Maurer PRODUCTION MANAGER

Dana Rodriguez CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Contributing Photographers Contributing Writers Gabriela Barrantes ’13 Laura Beitman-Hoover Steve Belkowitz Cassandra Gardner Jason Chen BFA ’08 Paul F. Healy Kristine Eng BFA ’12 Sara MacDonald Nicole Giusti BFA ’12 Carise Mitch Dave Jackson Dana Rodriguez Julie Lemberger Juliana Rossetti Akiko Miyake Kristen Scatton Christy Pessagno Joanna Sung Tara Robertson BFA ’12 Lauren Villanueva Ken Yanoviak

CoVER IMAGE Samantha Schechter ’13 The Haunted Hallway, 2012

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Edge c/o University Communications, The University of the Arts, 320 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19102

Edge, Volume 1, Number 7 Edge is the magazine of the University of the Arts. Readers are encouraged to submit ideas for original articles about University students, faculty and alumni; advancements in arts and arts education; and visual, performing and media arts. The submission of artwork for reproduction is also encouraged. Please include contact information when submitting art. Unless requested, artwork will not be returned.

Please send all comments, kudos and criticisms to Edge c/o The Office of University Communications, Letters to the Editor, 320 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102; or e-mail [email protected].

(foreground) Kristin Banks ’13 (Multidisciplinary Fine Arts) in painting studios, Anderson Hall

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(foreground) Kristin Banks ’13 (Multidisciplinary Fine Arts) in painting studios, Anderson Hall

WINTER 2012 EDGE URE AT E F

THE ALCHEMIST’S

ART A New Era for Glass Arts at UArts Like water, glass both flows and “freezes,” although the chemical process by which it changes from a molten liquid to a cold, hard solid is so different from the way water freezes that even today scientists don’t entirely understand it. In nature, it can be created by the flow of lava from volcanoes and lightning striking sand. It has been made and worked by humans since the Stone Age and can be as technologically advanced as an iPhone screen or the mirror in the Hubble Space Telescope. For nearly five centuries, its secrets were closely guarded on a Venetian island by a guild of artisans forbidden to leave the country.

“Working with glass is a kind of alchemy,” says Alexander Rosenberg, assistant professor of Crafts at the University of the Arts and new head of the University’s Glass program. “It is amazing as a sculptural medium. It has the ability to be transparent or opaque, colorless or vibrant. It can mimic the textures of stone or wood. There’s something about the medium that I think makes the transmission of ideas very accessible.”

4 EDGE SUMMER 2012 FEATURE Z T WI O K L EVE BE T THE ALCHEMIST’S S

Glass has been an integral part of UArts’ Crafts department “The physicality of the glass-working process can be deeply at- since Roland Jahn, a member of the Crafts faculty and a cerami- tractive,” he adds. “It tends to be loud, visually dazzling and hot.” cist, established the Glass program in the late 1960s. A student of Harvey Littleton, known as the father of the American studio Chi Yan Tse BFA ’12 (Crafts) is representative of the students drawn glass movement, Jahn was one of the first glass instructors in to glass. A jewelry maker and Metals major, she took an elective higher education. Today, the Glass program is entering a new class in Glass and became entranced by the medium. “I got into stage with the creation of the Borowsky Center for Glass Arts, the torch,” she says, describing her fascination with flame-working a new director and the establishment of the Borowsky Prize in in this remarkable medium. Glass-working allowed her to Glass Arts at the University of the Arts (see story on page 7). create her own gemstones of any color or as clear as water.

Rosenberg, a glass artist with an undergraduate degree from Tse says she was attracted to glass’s fragile quality and also its RISD and a master’s degree in Visual Studies from MIT, is an sense of danger. “Glass can cut you,” she points out. “Glass evangelist for the excitement of glass. Students describe it as has these elements of both function and non-function,” adds “getting hooked on glass,” he says. Rosenberg. “It can be used for functional objects but then also has these material qualities that push against that.”

(above) Jacqui Powell ’14 (Illustration) Melissa Rothman ’14 (Illustration)

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 5 Feature

“[glass-working] tends to be loud, visually dazzling and hot.” Z Z T T WI WI

O — Alexander Rosenberg, O K K L Assistant Professor, Crafts L EVE BE EVE BE T T S S

Glass is one of the younger crafts disciplines to be adopted 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the development of by conceptual artists. “It really has only 50 years as a fine the American Studio Glass movement. In 1962, the emer- art medium,” says Rosenberg. “It gives you opportunities to gence of independent glass artists working outside of large work in a way that hasn’t been done before.” factories was made possible by the artist Harvey Littleton and scientist Dominick Labino’s development of a small Rosenberg’s own work encompasses both objects and in- furnace and easy-to-melt glass. In 1963, Littleton taught stallation, often creating videos and photographs that docu- the first glass-blowing class in an American college at ment the “performance” of creating work in glass. One of the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where Roland Jahn his pieces, “Drawing,” is a video of the animated line created was a student. when he used motion-tracking software to map the movement of hot glass at the end of a blowpipe he was using to create The history of glass as art is intertwined with the history a piece of glasswork. “Glass has this performative element,” of glass as an industrial process. From the 12th to the 16th he says. “Contemporary glasswork often acknowledges this.” centuries, the artisans of the island of Murano, Italy, closely guarded the secret to making and forming the glass used in For students who don’t want to be the traditional artist alone both functional objects and the adornments of noblewomen in the studio, glass has an additional benefit. “Glass is in- and cathedrals. In the post-Industrial Revolution world, the nately teamwork based,” says Rosenberg. “In the hot studio, artist and the craftsperson were separated to create a more you never work alone. You need more than one person.” streamlined mass-production process. A designer would cre- In general, he says, craft often has a strong community ate a design for an object that would be executed by a fac- element. “The work is not necessarily collaborative, but the tory craftsperson trained through a rigorous apprenticeship environment is.” to manage the hot, dangerous glassmaking process.

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Littleton and Labino’s innovations in the 1960s made these se- cretive processes available to artists who simply wanted to use glass as a medium, creating small-batch works in their own studios. Littleton traveled the country demonstrating the techniques, often at colleges and universities with existing ceramics studios that could provide the heat needed for glasswork.

“Many of the techniques we use today were available in 17th century Italy,” says Rosenberg. “It’s only very recently that we have come up with new things. But the technical information has only become widely available in the last 30 years.”

Today’s students have access to everything – and the ability to both design and execute in this challenging medium. “Our students are primarily interested in glass as yet another medium they can harness to creativity,” Rosenberg says. Borowsky GIFT ENDOWS With the cornerstone gift from the Borowskys, the Crafts faculty is beginning to envision the future of the UArts’ CENTER FOR GLASS ARTS Glass program. They anticipate being able to provide more and better facilities and space, as well as more scholarships, University Trustee Irvin J. Borowsky and his wife Laurie Wagman visiting artists and artist-in-residency programs. have made a generous cornerstone gift in support of the expansion of the University’s Glass Arts program. This major gift will estab- Rosenberg is thinking beyond physical space to new ways that lish the Irvin Borowsky Center for Glass Arts at the University the Glass program can partner with other programs at UArts, of the Arts. It will also create the Irvin Borowsky Prize in Glass making use of its unique performative element and its status Arts, which will be given annually to a distinguished glass artist at an arts university that also encompasses the performing whose vision and skills are advancing contemporary glass art. arts. “I can envision a collaboration using the hot shop as performance space, with dance, theater or music,” he says. An innovator and leader in the publishing industry and a generous patron of the arts, Mr. Borowsky has been a member of the University’s Board of Trustees since 1981. His philanthropy in Philadelphia is legendary. Through the Borowsky Gallery at the Gershman Y, he has presented works of contemporary painters, sculptors and bookmakers whose vision enhances our world. He is also the founder and chairman of the National Liberty Museum, which explores freedom, peace and conflict resolution, and celebrates the diverse heritage and tradition that gives the nation strength and purpose.

The list of Mr. Borowsky’s achievements is endless. He has written, edited and published 19 books relating to issues of interfaith research, dialogue and the history of liberty. He is the founder of the American Interfaith Institute and is a member of both the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature. He has lectured worldwide on issues of diversity, faith and cooperation.

Mr. Borowsky and his wife have traveled to more than 61 countries and have acquired a well-respected personal contemporary art collection, which focuses on Marc Chagall paintings, bronzes by renowned 20th century artists and masters of studio glass art.

The University of the Arts is proud to dedicate its glass facility to Mr. Borowsky, who has served the University admirably for so many years. Indeed, the University – and especially its Glass (opposite) Arts program – is humbled by his support and is honored to be Alexander Rosenberg in the hot studio counted among the beneficiaries of his generosity and goodwill. (above) My Offer by Chi Yan Tse

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 7 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Samantha Anderson BFA ’12 (Crafts) Belie k a vi ano Y n e K PE O P L E

Carolyn Rogers BFA ’09 (Crafts) isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. Having arrived at UArts with a background in painting, she chose Crafts and the Jewelry major within it precisely because both fields were new to her, and also tried her hand at glassblowing. S T

Braving hot furnaces and a physically de- BER O

manding process, she discovered that glass R A was her real passion and soon lobbied for R A I a Glass major within the Crafts program, C which will launch in the fall of 2012. As co- director and shop technician of the Rocky Mount Center for the Arts at the Grainery in TURNING UP THE HEAT Rocky Mount, Va., she now shares her love of glass with her community as part of an- CAROLYN ROGERS BFA ’09 other bold effort: that of starting a business.

“We wanted to create something that would bring together a community of artists,” says Rogers. The endeavor began when her mother, watercolor and pastel artist Joan Rogers, now director of the center, noticed an abandoned than a year after the center opened in De- Taffy Glass, is open for public viewing so local grain mill for sale. After a year and a half cember of 2010, the future looks promising. that visitors and school groups can watch of renovations, the formerly broken-down “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback, and her and three apprentices wield balls of mol- building holds a gallery, a glassblowing studio if things continue to curve upwards the way ten glass on metal blowpipes to produce (or “hot shop”), and studios where eight art- they are, we really hope everything will pay plates, vases, goblets, ornaments, chande- ists rent space and where classes are taught by off,” Rogers says. liers and art pieces. “It’s so elemental. It’s local artists in an array of media, including like Zeus and his thunderbolts,” Rogers says ceramics, loom weaving and stained glass. She points to a number of mentors from her of the process. UArts days, in particular Crafts Professor Rogers admits that launching an arts non- Sharon Church and Adjunct Crafts Professor The sometimes perilous process of working profit in the current economy was a real risk. Judith Schaechter, who taught her not only with glass might very well appeal to the same “We’re just your middle class family,” she to view crafts as an art form in its own right, kind of risk-takers that also make successful says. “It’s been a stretch.” but also to understand “the power behind entrepreneurs, seeing opportunity where oth- making a piece of glass and then the state- ers might only see danger. “It’s hot enough A challenge grant from the Virginia Com- ment of having that beautiful piece of sculp- that it can burn straight through your hand; mission for the Arts, matched by the town ture or functional ware in your home, having straight through your whole arm if you let of Rocky Mount, paid for the center’s new beauty in your everyday life.” it,” Rogers says of her medium. “And yet electrical system. Support has also come in with the proper training, we can master this the form of “sweat equity” and encourage- It’s that tradition that Rogers aims to promote to make the finest goblets or the thickest, ment from local residents and friends. More in her community. Her hot shop, named Hot most visceral sculptures.”

Glassblower and Entrepreneur ROCKY MOUNT CENTER FOR THE ARTS

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 9 URE AT E F Z T WI O K L EVE BE T S Re-Inventing the Core IN THE College of Art, Media and Design

> This is part of an ongoing series of stories on the “The focused student can begin to specialize early while University’s ambitious new academic plan and its also receiving a broad-based training,” says Kirk Pil- implementation. low, UArts’ provost. “And the student who wants to explore and discover new things before choosing an The University of the Arts’ College of Art, Media and area of focus will also be able to do so.” With the many Design (CAMD) introduces an innovative and exciting options students will have in choosing among College new Core Studies program in the fall semester of 2012, Core courses, each will have a hand in devising his or designed to support a wide range of student interests her own arts-education base, with the help and guidance and paths to fulfill their education. of expert advising.

The successor to the University’s longstanding Foundation “The program is divided into themes, into broad catego- program, the new Core Studies program offers students ries,” says Kristine Marx, assistant professor and chair the opportunity to create a more flexible, self-designed of the committee that devised the new Core. “They are educational experience. Students will learn technical art- Image, Time, Object and Environment. Image focuses making skills within a broader context – a studio practice on 2-D work, Time on duration (sound, video, kinetics, in a more conceptual framework. etc.), Object on 3-D and Environment on context – art in the broader world.”

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In the first semester, students from the Art, Design and Film schools focus on studio art fundamentals common ‘Chronicle of Higher to all programs across the College. After that, they are able to choose from a wide range of courses. Education’ Highlights

“The idea is to help students gain an understanding of University’s Leadership how things fit together, to begin to see the cohesive- ness of all their education and that their learning ex- in Re-Imagining Arts periences are not fragmentary,” says Marx. “It will be exciting to see how the significant flexibility students Education have in choosing courses opens them up to innovation and collaboration.” The University of the Arts was featured in the October 21, 2011, edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education, the publication According to Pillow, collaboration and cross-disciplin- of record for the higher education community. The front-page ary exploration are critically important components of story, “Art Schools Build New ‘Foundation’ Across Disciplines,” the Core Studies program. highlighted the University’s new vision of educating 21st century artists and designers. “Students from any of the three CAMD Schools – Art, Design or Film – will be able to take courses from Like many other art institutions across the country, UArts is any of each school’s own Core offerings, reflecting rethinking its first-year curriculum in the College of Art, Media the cross-disciplinary emphasis of the University’s aca- and Design (CAMD), a set of courses required by all new demic plan. As students progress through the CAMD students in the College regardless of major. According to The Core, it becomes increasingly flexible and allows stu- Chronicle, this traditional approach to training aspiring artists dents to chart their own paths under the guidance of has remained virtually unchanged for more than 50 years, with their advisors.” the exception of the addition of technology, a reality most schools have had no choice but to embrace. Marx, who will co-direct the new program, says that such “fluidity” creates room for exciting collaborations. The article points out that changes in the art world are driving the debate, with the biggest factor being that artists are less tied “You might have Writing for Film and Television, to their disciplines than they used to be. The students themselves Graphic Design, and Crafts students all working togeth- are also fueling the need for change as they become more inter- er on a project, sharing different perspectives and learn- ested in working across disciplines and want to focus on their ing from one another,” she says. “The synthesis could craft earlier in their college careers. end up being a project that integrates components of all three schools. The University is reconceiving its curriculum in terms of themes rather than traditional disciplinary categories, says Christopher “This creates a blurring of boundaries and a crossing of Sharrock, dean of CAMD. “Instead of saying, ‘Here’s printmak- lines – it’s progressive, and it’s very exciting.” ing and sculpture,’ we’re saying, ‘Let’s look at time and motion, or people and space,’” he told The Chronicle.

In her “Two-Dimensional Design” class, Assistant Professor Kristine Marx teaches her students such skills as the responsive- ness of a pencil and the placement of points and lines in space, “the significant flexibility the principles of which will most certainly still be found in UArts’ students have in choosing new CAMD Core curriculum in fall 2012.

courses opens them up “The act of creating a work of art relies on principles that are to innovation and shared across disciplines,” said Marx. “It doesn’t really change if the student is a photographer, illustrator or filmmaker.” collaboration.”

— Kristine Marx, Assistant Professor, Core Studies

EDGE WINTER 2012 SUMMER 2012 EDGE 11 MASTER CLASS SPOTLIGHT Actor/singer/dancer Ben Vereen, pictured here with Erin Fleming ’13 (Musical Theater) conducting a master class for Musical Theater students Z T WI O K L EVE BE T S PE O P L E

Three-Dimensional Thinker VINCENT ROSSI BFA ’98

Your mission: create a replica of a Thomas Jefferson Until recently, Rossi’s career focused on hands-on meth- statue without touching the original; enable long-term ods of creating models for museum exhibits, as well as scientific study of a prehistoric whale fossil site in the props for film, television, opera and theater. Such work Chilean desert; and imagine how researchers and the gen- had its roots in his studies at UArts, where his interests eral public alike could use an online database to examine progressed from metalsmithing, jewelry and furniture the 137 million pieces in a priceless museum collection. to sculpture, a subject he later studied at Goldsmiths College, University of London. This mission could appear in an adventure tale, maybe of a young Indiana Jones, dedicated to collecting precious data Yet it was in the metal shop of UArts Crafts Professor from other countries rather than stealing cultural treasures – Rod McCormick that he first experienced 3D technology. or in the job description of Vincent Rossi BFA ’98 (Crafts). “He was pretty cutting edge,” Rossi says of McCormick, As a 3D digitization coordinator at the Smithsonian Insti- who in the 1990s offered computer-aided design (CAD) tution, Rossi is determining how 3D technology can best programs for, in Rossi’s words, “virtually sculpting” enhance the world’s largest museum and research complex. jewelry onscreen.

“We call ourselves 3D evangelists,” says Rossi of himself Though the technology he uses now at the Smithsonian and fellow coordinator Adam Metallo. In addition to is for scanning rather than sculpting, it similarly places scanning objects such as the Jefferson statue and a whale Rossi on the cutting edge. Originally hired to make ex- fossil site to capture their geometry in three dimensions, hibit models using traditional methods such as molding the two explain the exciting potential of 3D technology and casting, he and Metallo obtained a grant for a 3D to internal and external audiences. scanner to aid their work. By experimenting and consulting other departments, they soon discovered broad uses 3D technology is already having an impact on Smithson- for 3D and gained new digital job titles. “Now we’re ian researchers and visitors. Once Rossi and his colleague developing a new department within the Smithsonian,” have scanned an object, they can use the data to create Rossi says. digital 3D models for onscreen study, as they did in the case of the whale fossil site, preserving the original posi- Despite the striking results of 3D printing, Rossi believes tioning of the fossils for researchers before it was moved it is the digital 3D models that may truly revolution- from its desert home to be reconstructed in China. ize the experiences of researchers and museum visitors. He envisions an online database that would provide They also use the data to “print” a replica, which is how public access to models of items in the Smithsonian they reproduced a Jefferson statue on permanent display collection, allowing people to measure, spin and other- elsewhere, giving Smithsonian curators the visual they wise examine objects from home in ways that are not needed for an exhibit. Built by a 3D printing machine in possible in person. thin layers of thermoplastic, the duplicate is the world’s “largest 3D printed museum-quality historical replica,” “The most exciting thing about 3D models, I think, is according to the Smithsonian. actually getting an object out there virtually, so people can manipulate it all around the world,” he says. 3D ‘Evangelist’ Smithsonian Institution SUMMER 2012 EDGE 13 URE AT E F H C HUR C

ON R A SH OF

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weaving the CO global network

In her distinguished career as a jeweler and teacher, University of the Arts Crafts Professor Sharon Church has worked with many materials. But in a studio at the Steneby School in Dals Långed, Sweden, she watched as Eva Alfredson, the head of the fur and leather program, rolled out a sheet of beautiful shiny, supple material that Church had never seen before. It was cured salmon skin, a Scandinavian leather drawn from the bounty of the country’s northern rivers. “I’d never seen anything quite like it,” said Church.

Exposure to new materials, different ideas and techniques both traditional and cutting edge – these are just the beginning of the benefits of global travel and exchanges for today’s artists.

Church’s trip to Steneby and other Scandinavian design colleges was part of an ongoing initiative by the University of the Arts to expand the school’s international reach and deepen its global connections. “The world is so linked now,” she said.

Her own exploratory journey included visits to Finland’s Aalto University School of Art and Design in Helsinki and Lahti University of Applied Sciences in Lahti, as well as Sweden’s Steneby, the University of Gothenburg and Konstfack in Stockholm.

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The University of the Arts is in the process Church’s travels gave her insight into the of growing and strengthening its bonds with state of crafts in the Scandinavian societ- academic institutions around the world ies, where craft programs were likely to be through faculty connections and student combined with design programs oriented exchanges. Animation Assistant Professor towards the marketplace. “For example, Chris Magee has formed connections with in Finland, art programs are encouraged EESI (École européenne supérieure de l’image) to feed directly into GDP,” said Church. in Poitiers, France, and the long-standing con- “In Lahti, I saw students working on proj- nections formed by the School of Music’s Evan ects for American businesses. In some cases, Solot and the Ira Brind School of Musical art schools have actually joined with techni- Theater’s Johnnie Hobbes, Jr. with the cal schools.” Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (the school founded by Beatle Paul Mc- State support for the arts in the Scandina- Cartney) led to a mutual student exchange. vian societies meant that artists’ studios and facilities were intensely modern and clean. Associate Provost Jim Savoie reels off a list “Their studios were spectacular. But being of examples of the extensive international in Sweden and Finland where the state pro- connections formed by faculty: “Carol vides so much to its citizens, I had to think Moore in the College of Art, Media and De- about the pros and cons of our more com- sign has formed strong connections in Siena, petitive life here in the United States. In some Italy, while the School of Music is working ways, a lack of competition might take the with an organization called ProJazz in Santi- edge out of making art.” ago, Chile. Camille Paglia is well established in Brazil, traveling frequently to Salvador de The city of Philadelphia proved a draw for Bahia. Susan Viguers from the Book Arts/ the young artists overseas. “They associate Printmaking faculty traveled to Beijing last the city with jazz,” she said. “This has quite (opposite) summer and James Makins of the Ceramics a strong appeal for young European artists.” Sharon Church and Eva Alfredson at the faculty lives a good part of the year outside Steneby School, Sweden Tokyo. Fibers faculty members Mi-Kyoung Church found that her travels abroad made Lee and Warren Seelig took a group of stu- her more appreciative of the American ap- (above and next page) dents to South Korea, where their work proach to the arts in the academy. Paper, Brass, Scissors by Sharon Church was exhibited and they gave lectures at two and Soren Hellquist major Korean universities.”

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“The U.S. is zanier and crazier,” she said. faculty exchanges. In order to offer alterna- “Schools in America are actually quite strong tives to long-term study that can still expose in supporting the pure arts. I think we are students to the global environment, the Uni- more linked to theory and to the larger versity is developing short travel courses led ideas that drive creativity. The work I saw by faculty that can run over the winter recess in Sweden and Finland was more directed and at the end of the academic year in May. to the marketplace. In hindsight, their work seemed an excellent complement to what “These experiences are vitally important for we do here.” faculty and students,” said Savoie. “It puts their work as an artist in a global context.” As a result of Church’s visit, the University of the Arts was able to arrange a faculty ex- “Students need to see themselves as global change with Steneby, bringing noted furni- citizens,” added Church. “They need to see ture designer Franz James to Philadelphia. how they fit into the larger picture.” Franz, who has designed products for IKEA and focuses on woodwork and design, At Steneby, Church met with faculty mem- taught a special workshop at UArts that ber Soren Hellquist, who teaches jewelry drew together students from both Crafts and and metalwork. She created a project with Industrial Design to create “human-centered him called “Paper, Brass, Silver,” which she but design-oriented” products in wood. brought back to her students. “Through our work, our friendship and our students, we The differences in the structure of universities are connected now,” she said. “Ultimately overseas, especially in the arts, can present the making of a global network is an indi- significant barriers to the traditional semester- vidual human endeavor.” based experience abroad for students and for

“Students need to see themselves as global citizens.”

— Sharon Church, Professor, Crafts

(above) Swedish furniture designer Franz James

16 EDGE SUMMER 2012 Z T WI O K L EVE BE T S Z T WI O K L ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Alex Eckman-Lawn BFA ’07 (Illustration), Underpass EVE BE T S

WINTER 2012 EDGE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Chelsea Rominski BFA ’12 (Photography) Within 2 PE O ZIE N P KE C L E VE M A D OF

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Y ES AN ‘Ungovernable’ ARTIST T UR

Dave McKenzie BFA ’00 CO

Jamaican-born Dave McKenzie BFA ’00 (Printmaking) never saw During a recent teaching assignment at Northwestern University, the need to limit himself to the book-making he specialized in at he found a book in his office, a nondescript space shared by visit- UArts. Although he majored in Printmaking, after graduation ing faculty and containing a few leftover items. They included art he followed his penchant for sculpture, video performance and supplies and the book 1999 Facts About Blacks: A Sourcebook installation art to success and recognition in the art world with a of African-American Achievement, which he incorporated into residency at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in “The Past Into the Future Infinitely.” Maine, another at the P.S.1 National Studio Program in Lower Manhattan and a fellowship at the American Academy for art- “[The book] had nothing to do with me, but it’s difficult not ists in Berlin. He was awarded the William H. Johnson prize for to think about myself in it somehow. It’s not a very interesting outstanding early career African-American artists in 2005. book,” he said. “It was strange that I found it my office, as if a second character had placed it there.” Yet his work “The Past Into the Future Infinitely,” featured this year in the cutting-edge New Museum Triennial show called “The He feels fortunate his work has garnered so much attention. His Ungovernables,” brought the Brooklyn artist back to books or at notable performance art often features images of himself – in least to reconsidering books as a physical structure, “(which is) a “While Supplies Last” (2003), he wore a giant paper-mache structure on the way out in some ways,” he says. mask of himself and handed out tiny “Dave” dolls to passers- by, while in “Self-Portrait Pinata” (2002), a “Dave” piñata is “On the whole, the work is really open ended, but there is this smashed enthusiastically. In 2004, he created a celebrated piece sense of a book, the things that make up a book, and all the of performance art called “We Shall Overcome,” strolling 125th things that could be placed into and onto a book,” says McK- Street in Harlem in a suit and a giant mask in the likeness of enzie, who was chosen for the exhibit from a diverse group of former president Bill Clinton. 34 artists and artist collectives born between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s. “I always want to understand things from as many McKenzie advises today’s “digital natives” to make sure they see vantage points as possible.” real works of art in museums and installations and not just online. “It’s something so trivial and trite, but it’s really important A New York Times review described the outlook of the young, to see as much work in the flesh as possible, whether it’s film international artists featured in “The Ungovernables” as “…dis- prints or visiting a museum. As much as you look at things on- obedient, mutinous enfants terribles.” McKenzie, who likes to line, there’s no substitute. When you see slides, many are of the explore identity, race and public space, usually with a sense of same artworks. If you’re in a museum, you see the other paint- humor, doesn’t think of himself that way, but enjoyed how the ings and can say, ‘This one is superior.’ You can make that deci- work in the show could be considered from different angles. sion for yourself.”

“The positivity or negativity of the term ‘ungovernable’ is depen- dent upon one’s vantage point and always open to shifting,” he said. “My work, too, is about these slippages and how the body is the primary tool for negotiating these slippages.”

Sculptor and Performance/Installation/Video Artist

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 19 ER T IS CALL M L E A H C MI URE AT E F

MAKING CONNECTIONS UARTS DesignS with People with Disabilities

Flipping a light switch. Snapping a photo. Turning on a stove.

These everyday activities will never again be taken for granted by five recent University of the Arts grads: Christine Zapata BS ’11 (Industrial Design), Chia Ying Yu BS ’11 (Industrial Design), Ben Jewett BFA ’11 (Multimedia), Joe Cohen BFA ’12 (Multimedia) and Kevin Greenland BFA ’12 (Multimedia), who took part in a design research project organized by Industrial Design Chair Michael McAllister called “Arduino for Disabilities.” The project, funded by a grant from UArts’ Corzo Center for the Creative Economy, partnered the alums with five physically disabled Philadelphians to use open-source microcontrollers called “Arduinos” to create design solutions for daily living challenges.

Before this project, “I thought of technology as artistic expression and, you know, gadget envy, like having the newest iPhone,” said Jewett. “It makes for a very different perspective to see it being put to a place of need.”

The Arduino is a small single-board microprocessor designed to make the process of using electronics in multidisciplinary projects more accessible. Its open-source design makes it a very flexible tool for artists, designers and hobbyists. The programming is very simple and free coding resources are available online.

The learning outcomes of the project encompassed far more than learning how to use the Arduino or produc- ing diagrams. The class was developed through Liberty Resources, a local organization that empowers independent living for people with disabilities. To better understand the scope of the challenges their partners lived with, the UArts grads visited the homes of their project partners and learned about their lives, their passions, their physical environments and their neighborhoods. They learned about the consequences of unresponsive landlords and unhappy tenants.

(above) Chia Ying Yu and Marsha Thrower collaborate

(opposite, left) Kevin Greenland and Branden Franks

(opposite, right) Sketch of floor-activated light switch by Kevin Greenland and Branden Franks

20 EDGE SUMMER 2012 FEATURE

Together the teams designed and tested solutions for Perhaps the most complex design challenge went daily living challenges that used the Arduino’s simple beyond assisting with everyday tasks to helping an electronics. Several of the projects focused on creat- artist achieve a dream. An avid photographer and ing remote controls for light switches, which are of- videographer as well as an activist for the disabled, ten mounted on walls beyond the reach of someone Michael Bencrowsky was planning to attend a rally in a bed or in a wheelchair. for the disabled in Washington, D.C., and wanted to be able to create a documentary video of the event Friendships blossomed over the course of the project. and take still photos. Bencrowsky’s right side is para- Greenland and his partner Branden Franks jokingly lyzed by a stroke and his good left hand was needed described their relationship as a “bromance,” labeling to operate his wheelchair. themselves “The Backwards Scientists” for their idio- syncratic approach to problem solving. They enthusi- Cohen, Bencrowsky and McAllister worked together astically debated the idea of using Franks’ wheelchair to design a wheelchair-mounted camera that could to activate two sensor-powered floor switches, one in be operated by Bencrowsky’s left leg. “This would be the doorway that would play a piece of music when he a full-year project at MIT,” said McAllister. “But we entered – Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” was suggested – are nutty enough to try it in four weeks.” the other controlling a light by the bed where he parks his chair. McAllister and Cohen worked with Bencrowsky to determine the height of the mount and to understand Yu enjoyed customizing the work she did with her how Bencrowsky would interact with it and use it. partner Marsha Thrower to reflect Thrower’s per- They tested their designs by driving a motorized sonal aesthetic. “When I visited (Marsha), I saw a wheelchair with the mounted camera through the lot of artwork,” says Yu. “She has an interest in tex- streets of Center City Philadelphia. The final design tiles and makes jewelry and crochets – I made a cloth included a personal touch – an acrylic shield laser cover customized for her.” The final project – a series cut with a phrase chosen by Bencrowsky that could of small switches – was customized by Thrower and also have been the rallying cry for the project: “Free Yu to be aesthetically attractive as well as functional. Our People.”

The project opened their minds to the idea of disabled You can see more photos of the “Arduino for Dis- individuals as a consumer group of their own. “Some abilities” project and the participants on their blog of these projects could be salable,” said Jewett, who at arduinofordisabilities.wordpress.com. worked with Glenda Speller-Erby to create a clearly visible turn signal for her motorized wheelchair. ER ER T T IS IS CALL CALL M M L L E E A A H H C C MI MI

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 21 URE AT E F Z T WI O K L EVE BE T S

Nourishing Creativity

Students at the University of the Arts have a new place to refuel and relax. With the intro- UrA ts Launches duction of the University’s new Dining Services program, the UArts campus now boasts buffet dining, a pizza and sandwich shop, and several grab-and-go locations serving Campus-Wide breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night meals.

Dining Services The centerpiece of the Dining Services program, which is operated through a partnership with food service management company Parkhurst, is the Terra Dining Hall, an all-you- care-to-eat buffet located in the former Italian Bistro on the ground floor of Terra Hall (211 South Broad Street). The 124-seat facility offers healthy menu options, including cooked-to-order specials, salads, comfort foods, and vegan and vegetarian entrees.

Mangia, a pizza and sandwich shop located in Hamilton Hall, and three “grab-and-go” locations in Hamilton Hall, Terra Hall and Anderson Hall, round out the program’s offerings.

“For some time, we had been hearing from parents of prospective students that they and their kids loved UArts, but felt they couldn’t choose us without a meal program,” said University President Sean T. Buffington. “At the same time, we knew from our current students that places to hang out informally on campus were in very short supply. We felt that a dining program with multiple venues could address both concerns.”

“Our students weren’t always eating the best, and that can have a negative impact on their ability to learn,” said Dr. Greg Nayor, dean of students. “When you’re spending six hours in studio classes or rehearsal, it can be hard to find time to prepare healthy, adequate meals. Dining Services is important to our students’ academic success.”

22 EDGE SUMMER 2012 FEATURE

“With my major, I’m in Terra most of the time, so it’s nice to be able to run downstairs on a short break and be able to get a meal without having to go all the way home or to another building,” said Brad Ogden ’13 (Directing, Playwriting and Production). “It definitely fulfills the need for a place to get a nutritious meal on campus,” said Sarah Burns BFA ’12 (Illustration).

Having a Dining Services program also helps the University keep pace in the competitive higher education world. “Most colleges and universities with a residential population have Dining Services, so we were behind most of our peer institutions in that we weren’t offering it,” said Nayor. Residential students are automatically enrolled in the 19-meal-per- week plan, while other meal plans are available on an optional basis for off-campus students. Z Finding a company that could cater to the diverse dietary needs and desires T WI of UArts’ students was the main goal of the students, faculty and staff O K involved in the vendor selection process. “We wanted a company that was L going to be like the UArts’ population – eclectic and unique,” said Nayor. EVE BE T “We have students who are strict vegans, who have food allergies, who love S meat. Parkhurst was able to cater to all those different needs and tastes. Also, 90 percent of their food is made from scratch on the premises, and they use fresh, organic ingredients as much as possible.”

“I’m a very picky eater, but everything is usually fresh and there’s a good variety,” said freshman Jessica Pesce ’15 (Instrumental Performance). “Usually I’ll Z get made-to-order food, but sometimes I like the grab-and-go section because T WI

they have stuff that’s convenient to take to class.” O K L “I did the two-week summer program here, so I got the experience of living EVE BE T in the dorms with the kitchens,” said Shane Arnold ’15 (Instrumental Perfor- S mance). “That was OK, but I’m happy with this. I like that I can see them cooking the food. I’ll probably move off campus next year, but I would still consider getting a meal plan.”

The University will continue to refine the Dining Services program based on feedback from students. “Students have been offering feedback via the Face- book page, and we’ve learned a lot from that,” Buffington said. “The dining program is much improved since it launched in the fall. And we’re continuing to learn and to improve.”

One way Nayor hopes to grow the program is to make the dining hall more than just a place to grab a quick bite. “We now have a central place for students to interact, which we’ve never had before,” he said. “Having that space on campus also provides us with opportunities to hold programming and events that we couldn’t before. We’re looking at how to use the space to build a greater sense of community on campus.”

But for now, it’s enough knowing the 2,200 student artists at the University of the Arts are far from starving.

“It’s one less thing for our students to worry about,” said Nayor. “They know when they’re hungry, they’re going to be able to get a healthy, satisfying meal, and that’s good for everyone.” Z T WI O K L EVE BE T SUMMER 2012 EDGE 23 S ACY IVE CT E COLL EG E L ANC D AN URB OF

Y ES T UR CO

“He was never afraid to try, and he was always encouraging others by his example. He left his footprints in your soul.”

— Kim Y. Bears-Bailey, Professor, Dance N I emberger | www.julielemberger.com T L R A M A

24 EDGE SUMMER 2012 ©Julie MIS LEGACY niles ford 1959-2012 | Celebrated Dancer and Choregrapher Dedicated His Life to Making Change Through Dance

It’s been over 25 years since Niles Ford BFA ’86 (Dance) – “I asked him to expose his body, to be vulnerable,” Soto said. “It celebrated dancer, choreographer and founder of the Brook- was very difficult and we fought, but he was willing to confront lyn-based Urban Dance Collective – was a student in UArts his fear. He was committed to achieving the vision we had.” Dance Professor Andrew Pap’s ballet class. For Pap, the memories of Ford are as clear as if it were yesterday. Ford’s final work, “Summer of Hate/15 Steps,” which premiered posthumously at Brooklyn’s FLICFest, the Irondale “When he was here, we had a group of very talented dancers, Center’s festival of feature-length independent choreography, but he had a special place among them,” Pap said of Ford, focused on the race issues that emerged around President who passed away in January at the age of 52. Ford’s New Barack Obama during the summer of 2010, and explored York Times obituary on January 17 described his remark- what role the media and the young, technology-oriented able presence: “With a long-boned body seemingly as pliant Facebook generation played in these conversations. as warm taffy, Mr. Ford was a dancer of quiet intelligence, understated sweetness and intense focus.” “He was a very moral person and he felt outrage about the injustices of culture,” said Soto, adding that as an African- “He was capable of making such an impression – without American, Ford experienced racism when traveling around even doing anything, he stood out,” said Pap. “The way he the world and even within the dance community. carried himself inspired respect, and he had dignity in the way he moved.” Bears-Bailey said that Ford’s UArts training had much to do with his confidence as a choreographer. “When he came in to audition, he blew us away,” said choreographer Merian Soto, who cast Ford in her 1992 piece “His- “I do believe the seed was planted then, and once he got his torias,” for which he won a New York Dance and Performance wings to fly, he soared,” she said. “The influence UArts gave Award (Bessie). “He had this spirit that energized every move.” him was to add a more diverse and versatile range of knowledge of movement style and vocabulary, and the freedom to “I loved to partner with him – I could close my eyes and fly,” explore his artistry.” said Kim Y. Bears-Bailey, a classmate of Ford’s and current School of Dance faculty member. “And he had a smile that Besides using his skills to add to the dialogue about culture could light up any room.” and race in today’s society, Ford also worked to educate people about the power of dance and inspire a new generation Although Ford’s style was rooted in modern and African of dancers. dance, he worked hard to achieve proficiency in all forms while studying at UArts. That dedication and focus gave Ford “He was a great spokesman for dance,” said Pap. “He was all a style of dance that was “very modern, very grounded, very about being involved and involving the community. He was spiritual and very athletic,” said Bears-Bailey. “He was so in schools, community centers, nursing homes, everywhere – free-flowing and fearless and very strong.” dancing and talking about dance.”

That strength was evident in many of his best-known pieces. “Niles always wanted to make a difference in people’s lives “Black and White and Blue,” his 1993 collaboration with through dance,” said Bears-Bailey, adding that a large part James Adlesic, found the two dancers exploring race and gen- of his legacy is “his ability and dedication to make a change der issues through athletic and sometimes violent movement. for good through dance. He was never afraid to try, and he In “Historias,” which examined the dark side of Puerto was always encouraging others by his example. He left his Rican history, Ford portrayed various stereotypes of African- footprints in your soul.” American men.

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 25 EWS N N HE C

ON S A J PE TER STAMBLER RETIRING LIBERAL ARTS DEAN LOOKS BACK

Mention Dean of Liberal Arts Peter Stambler, and the first thing that comes to mind is the poem. Each fall at the University’s opening meeting, Stambler – a poet, photographer and avid traveler – recites an original poem with a companion slideshow of photographs from his recent travels.

“Each fall I know that I can count on being amused by Peter’s witty performance,” Liberal Arts Professor Nancy Heller said.

“I seem always to be illustrated by a gargoyle or dour merchant-prince or ghastly children’s toy,” said University President Sean Buffington. “I dread it, but I will miss it too.”

Stambler’s poem will be absent from the 2012-2013 academic year opening meeting. He will be on sabbatical after stepping down as dean at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. He’ll return as a faculty member in 2013, after a year of traveling to Greece and Turkey to research a course and possible book on Greek mythology.

While his witty, whimsical poem may be the first thing colleagues will miss about Stambler, it is far from his most important contribution to the University of the Arts. Thanks to Stambler’s efforts during his 11 years as head of the Liberal Arts department, the University boasts a robust Liberal Arts program that forms an integral part of a UArts education.

“He completely revamped the Liberal Arts curriculum, developed and launched several wildly popular minors, and has designed the Creative Writing major that we hope will be implemented in 2013,” said Buffington. “Those are pretty remarkable achievements.”

“I was able, with the help of the college, to raise the profile of Liberal Arts so that the department merited a dean – before, Liberal Arts had never had anything but a director,” said Stambler. “Now, we are an equal part of this institution and everyone knows it.”

Stambler says that Liberal Arts are as important to a student artist’s education as their studio classes and rehearsals.

26 EDGE SUMMER 2012 news

“Art has a responsibility beyond the self-expression And so, in the most subtle of ways, Peter was guid- of the individual,” he said. “Self-expression is im- ing me, not to be a better employee per se, but to be portant to an artist, but my opinion is it damn well a stronger person, something I suspect he did with better be smart and informed as well, and to do that, all of us in one way or another.” you need to develop some solid understanding of thought and the human experience.” Stambler’s dedication to his students goes beyond decreeing that they learn about history and literature – Stambler is also noted for his history of taking on it includes being an active presence in their education. what some deem the most challenging task of all: reading the names of all graduating students at “At the end of each semester, the students in my Commencement. Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop give a reading. In seven years, I don’t believe Peter has missed a “Like most U.S. universities, ours boasts students single event,” said Liberal Arts Professor Elise Juska. from a broad range of countries, with many ethnic “I am grateful for his support of the hard work of backgrounds and incredibly varied names,” said my students – who, more than once, at the end of a Heller. “It’s no mean feat to pronounce all those reading, have announced triumphantly: ‘I made names correctly, yet every spring Peter does a mar- Peter Stambler laugh.’ ” velous job of formally recognizing all our soon-to- be alumni.”

That sense of loyalty and attention to detail extends Graduation Poem, 2009 to faculty as well, who concur that Stambler created by Peter Stambler an environment that was challenging yet supportive, with his own unique flair. Welcome to your Medieval Hour, “Unofficially, [Peter’s] greatest accomplishment Decked in gowns that warmed Erasmus’ icy bones, was giving the Liberal Arts division a new sense of And mortarboards designed to shower identity,” said Liberal Arts Professor Jack DeWitt. To the floor when you stoop to fetch your new iPhones. “What had been a contentious division learned to work together better and respect each other more.” And sleeves full broad enough to hold your books, And tassels flicking to keep the flies away: “[Peter] always treats me with the utmost respect, listens to my ideas and encourages my studies,” said A Medieval Hour when Erasmus hooks Liberal Arts Professor Christa DiMarco. “He rarely, His arm in yours and takes you for his protégé. however, overtly lets me know, ‘Hey, you’re just swell; great job!’ One day, he told a story that in- For just this hour, you all look just the same, directly relates directly to me, as he often does. The Your genius covered, your ambition slack, gist was that as a parent, it is important that your kids not rely on your praise. They should not seek Your hopes on hold until hear your name approval from others but find it within themselves Resounding through the zodiac. so that they build confidence and follow their voice. Well, this is getting stuffy, don’t you think? The trusted voice says, simply, “Yes, we can.” You can, you will, you ought; you must not shrink From art or life or service. That’s the plan. “Each fall I know that The world is poor enough. Go, make it rich. I can count on being Do something festive, artful, bring us all to tears Once more, as you often do, when you bewitch amused by Peter’s witty Your elders who long to be your peers. performance.” And please, do humor us, and do not feel bemused — Nancy Heller, Professor, Liberal Arts When, parents, friends, and we who’ve grown bold To say it, and will not be refused For saying, “Beneath those medieval gowns, “They’re gold, pure gold.”

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 27 Tara Robertson 28 EDGE SUMMER 2012 NEWS

TARA ROBERTSON

Tara Robertson Nicole Giusti Kristine Eng news

2 012 ArtUnleashed Exhibition and Sal e REO C RD AMOUNT RAISED FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

The fourth annual ArtUnleashed Exhibition and Sale For the first time, ArtUnleashed dedicated a single was a great success, raising over $390,000 for the gallery to a special selection of work from two of Sam S. McKeel Promising Young Artists Scholarship UArts’ most noted alumni and true American origi- Fund, the most ever raised by the event. nals: Arnold Roth BFA ’50 (Illustration) and Adam Wallacavage BFA ’95 (Photography). More than 600 collectors, art enthusiasts, faculty, staff and alumni attended the gala Preview Party Roth is one of America’s most celebrated illustrators where artists mingled with collectors and supporters and cartoonists. For more than 50 years, Roth’s zany and were entertained by performances from students and cheerful illustrations have been appearing in the in the School of Music. Many others visited the exhi- pages of The New Yorker, Playboy, Sports Illustrated bition and purchased artwork during the public sale. and Punch, as well as the covers of jazz CDs and books. Roth works in pen and ink with watercolor Held April 11 – 14, ArtUnleashed offered a unique wash on watercolor paper, an aesthetic he attributes opportunity for collectors and art enthusiasts at all to his association with UArts. levels to connect with the next generation of creators and visionaries. This year, revenues from sales were Self-described “lowbrow-surrealist-skateboard-pop up 70 percent over the prior year and original works, artist,” Wallacavage is an artisan and photogra- from fine jewelry and crafts to paintings, drawings pher renowned for creating intricate glass chande- and prints, were sold. liers shaped like octopuses. His South Philadelphia brownstone, a work of art in itself, was lovingly renovated and designed with each room as a showcase for themes from Jules Verne to taxidermy and has been featured in many magazines and photo shoots.

Sincere thanks to all the artists and to those who attended, purchased art or contributed to the event. Special thanks go to honorary chair Anne F. Ham- ilton; co-chairs Shelli Alford, Deanna S. DeCherney BFA ’66 (Interior Design), Jill Felix Colton, Sherry Effron and Stacey Spector; presenting sponsors Harriet and Larry Weiss; and lead corporate sponsor Blick Art Materials.

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 29 EWS Award-winning author N NEIL GAIMAN Headlines 134TH Commencement

Award-winning author and graphic novelist Neil Gaiman The Silver Star Outstanding Alumni Award went to two alum- (Coraline) delivered the keynote address and received an nae, Hilary Clark BFA ’98 (Modern Dance) and Alina Wheeler Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts (HDFA) at the University of BFA ’70 (Illustration). the Arts’ 134th Commencement, held May 17, 2012, at the Academy of Music on Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. School of Dance Director Donna Faye Burchfield introduced Clark, a dancer and choreographer noted for her work in the In his first-ever university commencement address, Gaiman urged downtown NYC dance scene. Burchfield said of Clark, “Her bold young artists to be fearless. “Write and draw and build and play and fierce commitment to experimental and unknown territories and dance and live as only you can,” he said. “The moment that within performance shakes loose the grasp of a history and you feel that, just possibly, you are walking down the street allows for the necessary emergence of curiosity and openness.” naked…that’s the moment you may be starting to get it right.” Wheeler, a graphic designer and brand identity expert, is the author The perfect spring day began with the joyous sounds of a New of the seminal textbook Designing Brand Identity. Polly McKenna- Orleans-style jazz band from the School of Music, which led Cress, chair of the Museum Studies program, presented Wheeler the class of 2012 up Broad Street to the Academy, where UArts with her award, calling her “a dynamic interdisciplinary woman President Sean T. Buffington presided over the ceremonies. who illustrates first-hand how influential a degree in the arts can be.”

President Buffington also paid tribute to the courage of the Three students received this year’s President’s Award, which rec- young artists. “What I have observed in you and learned from ognizes students who have demonstrated academic and artistic you,” he said, “is that you speak because you believe it is the excellence of the highest order. Emily Howe BFA ’12 (Industrial responsibility of the artist to do so. You have made a choice to Design), Adriana Lopez-Villareal ’12 (Directing, Playwriting and be an artist – and in choosing art, you have chosen to speak, Production) and AJ Luca BM ’11 (Instrumental Performance), to make meaning through creative action, no matter whether MM ’12 (Jazz Studies) were all recognized with this award. anyone’s paying attention or not, whether posterity takes no- tice or ignores you. By speaking, you contribute to the capa- Academic Achievement Awards were given to the highest cious treasure house of meaning that is nothing less than the academically ranked student within each college. Caitlin Kelly guarantor and inheritance of our shared humanity. And that’s BFA ’12 (Photography) represented the College of Art, Media as important and grandiose as it sounds.” and Design, while Victoria Lauren Zajac BFA ’12 (Vocal Per- formance) was the honoree for the College of Performing Arts. The theme of the courage of the artist was echoed in the other commencement addresses. “The class of 2012 are the bravest people I Professors Michael Rossman (Foundation), Ronald Kerber know,” said former Marine Kevin Wright BFA ’12 (Writing for (School of Music), Benjamin Olshin (Liberal Arts) and Barbara Film and Television) in his valedictory address. “Bravery is not Proud (Photography) received distinguished teaching awards. always attributed to the artist,” he said, “but it should be.” Gaiman’s speech, which he called “everything I know about go- Wright, who did four years of duty before coming to UArts, ing out and being an artist,” thrilled the audience with funny and earned a standing ovation with his speech. “Art tells us there is heartfelt advice to the new graduates. “When things get tough, this something in the world we can count on,” he said. “Like courage is what you should do,” he said. “Make good art. I’m serious. Hus- we didn’t know we had, it surfaces in a moment of crisis.” band leaves you for a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on Jeffrey Zarnoch BS ’84 (Architectural Design), delivering the your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art...prob- greeting from the Alumni Council, told the more than 500 ably things will work out somehow, and eventually time will take graduates, “Be brave, tell good stories, count on your friends.” the sting away, but that doesn’t matter. Do what only you do best.

Longtime Philadelphia Inquirer editorial cartoonist Tony Auth “And now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing was also presented with an HDFA. Christian “Patch” Patchell, mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Make the world professor of Illustration, presented the award, noting Auth’s more interesting for you being there. Make good art.” more than 40 years at the Inquirer and his many awards, including the Thomas Nast Prize, the Herblock Prize, “and a (opposite, clockwise) little something called the Pulitzer Prize.” Neil Gaiman, Madelaine Novak BM ’12 (Vocal Performance) and Daishyana Antoinette BM ’12 (Vocal Performance), President Buffington, Alô Brasil, Adriana Lopez-Villareal, Kevin Wright, Peter Stambler 30 EDGE SUMMER 2012 ON ON news KS KS AC AC VE J VE J A A D D

“Write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” ON

— Neil Gaiman KS AC VE J A D ON KS AC VE J A D ON KS AC VE J A D ON KS AC VE J A D es ant rr ON KS la Ba AC brie VE J

A SUMMERWINTER 2012 EDGE 31 Ga D EWS

N Illustration Prof Is ‘Hunger Games’ Artist

Illustration Professor Tim O’Brien, well-known for his portraits of such newsmakers as Osama bin Laden, Steve Jobs and the Pope, ISHER

L has been catapulted into the pop culture stratosphere with his illustration of the “mockingjay” brooch for the best-selling book PUB C I

T series turned blockbuster film, The Hunger Games. The Brooklyn- S based artist’s work, which appears on the books’ covers and as the OLA H movie’s ubiquitous logo, was adapted by the film’s producers in C S order to keep a consistent visual reference to the popular series. OF

Y The mockingjay was animated to create a powerful ending visual ES T for the film’s trailer. In a profile in The Philadelphia Inquirer, UR O’Brien said of the image, “I’ve done postage stamps, covers. CO I’ve never had an illustration that was so universally recognized.”

Illustration Faculty Scoops Up Top AD Awards

Alumnus and University of the Arts Lecturer Jonathan Bartlett BFA ’07 (Illustration) was named one of the 2011 Young Guns winners by the Art Directors Club of New York. ADC juror Nina Boesch said of his work, “Jonathan’s illustrations have a certain timelessness and depth that transport the viewer right into the spaces he creates. His sense for typography is as advanced as his color palettes, which turn his illustrations into a true viewing pleasure.” The Brooklyn-based freelance illustrator was also awarded a 2011 Silver Medal in Advertising from the Society of Illustrators.

‘Artist As A Filmmaker’ Film Series LAUNCHES

The University of the Arts and the Philadelphia Film Society have launched “The Artist As A Filmmaker” series, a monthly film program highlighting world-renowned directors who transitioned their careers from visual artistry to filmmaking. The series, which celebrates the introduction of the University’s new School of Film, also serves to expand (above, top to bottom) the annual Philadelphia Film Festival’s “Masters of Cinema” component, Hunger Games illustration detail by Tim O’Brien educating its audience on the collaboration of multiple art forms. “The Artist As A Filmmaker” debuted in April with the Jim Jarmusch-directed Snake Skin Wing Tips by Jonathan Bartlett film “Stranger Than Paradise,” a benchmark in the progression of inde- (opposite, top to bottom) pendent cinema. Other films screened include “Matinee” by “Gremlins” UArts dancers at Arsenale della Danza director Joe Dante BFA ’68 (Photography), Oscar-winning film “Begin- ners” by Mike Mills and the Alfred Hitchcock classic “Vertigo.” Free2Fly app by Eduardo Calmon

32 EDGE SUMMER 2012 NEWS Dance Students Represent U.S. Illustration Prof at Venice Is ‘Hunger Games’ Biennale Artist KE YA MI O KIK A

Four University of the Arts Dance students were selected to Arsenale della Danza is an intense combination of study participate in the Arsenale della Danza dance workshop at La and performance, a physical learning-by-doing process of Biennale di Venezia (the Venice Biennale), one of the world’s research and exchange. Dancers spend six eight-hour days highest-profile celebrations of the arts. Tunai Jones BFA ’12 each week dancing and studying. In addition to working (Ballet), Richard Villaverde ’13 (Ballet), Arianna Henry ’13 in the studio with top dance masters, the dancers take part (Ballet) and Miles Yeung (Modern Dance) ’14 follow three in a final performance in Venice. other UArts dancers who were chosen last year to be the first American students to attend the dance workshops led The students found the experience changed them as artists by renowned artistic director and choreographer Ismael Ivo. as well as individuals. “I have always taken class with a technical mindset,” said Henry, a native of Warwick, N.Y., Jones, Villaverde, Henry and Yeung were among 30 young “but while dancing in Venice and experiencing such dif- dancers from around the world selected through competitive ferent cultural influences throughout the many workshop international auditions and spent five months in Venice at- processes, I am learning so much about my humanity tending intensive workshops taught by global dance artists. as a dancer.”

The Venice Biennale has for over a century been one of the Donna Faye Burchfield, director of the School of Dance at the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Ever University of the Arts, said, “It is a dream come true to have since its foundation in 1895, it has been in the avant-garde, these four students go to Venice to continue to build on our re- promoting new artistic trends and organizing international lationship with Ismael Ivo and the Dance Biennale in Venice.” events in contemporary arts.

‘Digital Suitcase Solution’ Is a Winning Design

The 2011 Collab Student Design Competition, held in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, created its first ever “Collab Choice Award” for the Free2Fly app designed by University of the Arts student Eduardo Calmon ’13 (Industrial Design). Students were chal- lenged with designing an overnight bag inspired by groundbreaking architect and jetsetter Zaha Hadid, the recipient of the museum’s Design Excellence Award. Instead of a bag, Calmon created Free2Fly, which he calls a “digital suitcase solution.” The app suggests garments based on the weather forecast at a traveler’s destination and then transmits files to a knitting machine near the traveler’s hotel, which produces garments that are available on arrival. Juror and Metropolis magazine editor-in-chief Susan Szenasy was intrigued by the unconventional entry, telling The Philadelphia Inquirer, “It’s an interesting idea for a world that’s becoming dematerialized.”

EDGE WINTER 2012 SUMMER 2012 EDGE 33 NEWS

Student WORK HONORED BY Society of Illustrators

The Society of Illustrators’ Student Scholarship Competition honored Samantha Schechter ’13 (Illustration) with a $4,000 scholarship and selected eight other University of the Arts student illustrators as finalists in its annual nationwide exhibition and competition. A detail from Schechter’s “The Haunted Hallway” is the cover image of this issue of Edge. Work by Schechter and her fellow Illustration majors Elizabeth Bobzin BFA ’12, David Curtis ’13, Sophia Ellen Duda BFA ’12, Andy Hood BFA ’12, Holly Maguire BFA ’12, Kayla Miller ’13, John Thomas BFA ’12 and Gregory Wright ’13 was on display at the Museum of American Illustration in New York from May 9 to June 2. A jury of professional illustrators and art directors chose only 253 works out of over 8,000 entries submitted from nearly 90 colleges.

Ceramics Student Wins Windgate Fellowship

The soaring gothic cathedral in Chartres, France, inspired the senior work of John Souter BFA ’12 (Crafts), but he did not imagine he’d be seeing the real thing so soon. In March, Souter learned that he was one of 10 students nationwide selected for a 2012 Windgate Fellowship, one of the largest gifts to Crafts majors in the country. The $15,000 grant will allow Souter to travel and study in France this summer as well as support his post-graduation work.

Funded by the Windgate Charitable Trust, the award recognizes graduating seniors who have excelled in the world of craft through their work in ceramics, book arts, fiber, glass, metals, mixed media, sculpture, textiles or wood. This year – one of the most competitive in the award’s history – 114 applicants competed for the 10 awards.

Souter will spend a month in France, visiting the cathedral and traveling and exploring the French ceramics industry and tradition. “I plan to do a lot of drawing,” he said. When he returns, he plans to continue working and making art in Philadelphia and is pursuing opportunities to work at Philadelphia’s Clay Studio as part of UArts’ work exchange. “I won’t actually be making ceramics while I am in France,” he said, “so by the time I get home, I will be itching to get back in the studio to make things.”

(above, top to bottom) Midnight in Dostoevsky by David Curtis

Thanks, R&K by John Souter

(opposite) Music students (left to right) Travis Hill, Sean Marks, Francis Carpino 34 EDGE SUMMER 2012 NEWS

Alumnae Music Videos Go Viral

UArts alumnae have gained national attention for two musical viral videos – one planned, one impromptu.

A video of four School of Music grads covering Adele’s “Rumour Has It” using kitchen utensils as instruments went viral, with more than 130,000 hits on YouTube. The video was also featured on AOL, HuffingtonPost.com, Philly.com, CASA.org and on the homepage of “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest’s website.

The alums – AJ Luca BM ’11 (Instrumental Perfor- mance), MM ’12 (Jazz Studies), Megan Wellman BM Music Students Selected ’10 (Vocal Performance), Ariel Kerber BM ’10 (Vocal Performance) and Mary Anne Cleary BM ’09 (Vocal for Top Jazz Orchestra Performance) – are members of the a cappella group the Dolls, which they started in 2008 while at UArts. Instrumental Performance majors Francis Carpino BFA ’12, Travis Hill BFA ’12 and Sean Marks ’13 were selected for the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Jessica Latshaw BFA ’03 (Modern Dance) is the star Collegiate Jazz Orchestra, recognized as the premier orchestra for of a viral video that received over one million hits, the East Coast’s finest college jazz musicians. With three students where she performed her original song “Ain’t My selected, the University of the Arts had the most students of any Friend” on a New York subway car in an impromptu college chosen for this prestigious group. musical collaboration. She performed the song live on “Good Morning New York,” the Fox morning show. “We are very proud of our outstanding young musicians,” said Marc She continues to record and perform in Newark, N.J., Dicciani, director of the School of Music. “The University of the Arts Wilmington, Del., and New York City. continues to be recognized as one of the very best training grounds for top-flight jazz musicians in the country.”

Hill, a trombone player, Marks, a baritone saxophone player, and Carpino, a trumpeter, performed with the orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in January under the direction of renowned composer, arranger and performer Mike Tomaro.

UARTS WELCOMES NEW TRUSTEE

The University of the Arts welcomes Alan Rubin to its Board of Trustees. A native of Philadelphia, Rubin began his professional career in administration and operations management in Los Angeles and New York. In 1980, he purchased his first company, a wholesale distributor based in Hamilton, N.J.

After nearly 30 years of successful business endeavors, Rubin began to focus on his long-term interest in the arts. In addition to his studies in art history and acting, he studied at the Barnes Foundation under the late Violet DeMazia. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State in General Arts and Sciences and a master’s degree in Health Care Administration from George Washington University.

Rubin recently served as the president of Philagrafika, a non-profit organization supporting the art of printmaking in Philadelphia, and continues to explore new opportunities to pursue his interests within the visual, performing and educational arts in Center City Philadelphia, where he resides.

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 35 NO G A PESS TY HRIS C

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT School of Dance and School of Music 2012 Carmina Burana ‘IM Walt D S pe A c GI and boastedtheslogan“RideTomorrow’s Transportation Today.” original PeopleMoverwaspartofthefuturisticTomorrowland called “ThePeopleMover”thathadclosedinthelate1990s.The His winningdesignwasaretrofitforDisneylandattraction annual ImagiNationsDesignCompetitionasasenioratUArts. It was sheer optimism that led him to enter – and win – Disney’s the Walls,” whileatUArts. Eastern State Penitentiary’s famedhauntedhouse,“Terror Behind houses andspecialeffects,spendingthreesummersworkingat the Walt DisneyCompany. Heneverstoppedworkingonhaunted major wouldleadhimtotheonlyplacehehadeverwantedbe– Joseph pursued Industrial Design at UArts with the ideathat says Joseph. Haunted Mansion,andthespecialeffectswereawe-inspiring,” World onatripwithhisfamily. “Irememberveryspecificallythe When Josephwas6yearsold,hehadhisfirstglimpseofDisney dream job,saysJoseph,hemightneverhavegottenthere. challenges. If he had known everything it would take to land his dom” oftheWalt DisneyCompanythroughmanysetbacksand It tookanoptimisttopursuehisdreamjobat“theMagicKing- so manyyears.” so wellwithDisneyandhowithas told thestoryoffuturefor special effectsdesignerforWalt DisneyImagineering.“Thismeshes there willalwaysbesomethingbettercoming,”saysJoseph,a “I havealwaysloveddreamingaboutthefutureandthinking (Industrial Design)an“Americanoptimist.” Like hisheroWalt Disney, youmightcallDanielJosephBS’06 i al Eff N is EERI n e y I N

e COURTESY of WALT DISNEY IMAGINEERING ct

G’ D m AN s a T IE D HE HE gi L

JOSEPH esig n F eeri U T n URE BS ’06 er n g

ideas topeoplewhoaren’t inyourownbrain.” At UArts,hesays,learned“howtotalkpeopleandconvey confidence aboutmycraft.” every day. Infrontofsix,eight,10brilliantpeople–Ispeakwith “It waspainfulalotofthetime,”hesaid.“That’s somethingIuse of acrowdandunderstresswereworththeirweightingold. and wonderful.Theweeklypresentationshehadtogiveinfront Joseph callsthefoundationhereceivedatUArtsbothrigorous PC Magazinearticlecalled“TheBestInventionsof2011–SoFar.” and inanaturalenvironment,suchassnow–wasfeatured signs –afloorsystemthatsimulatesthefeelingofwalkingon designs havebeenpatentedforDisney. Oneof his patentedde effects andillusionsforDisney’s themeparks.Thirteenofhis storming andcreatingmodelsofbuildingsdesigningspecial Today JosephisaDisney“Imagineer”andspendshisdaysbrain- and Illusionsdepartment. achievement ofhislong-helddream–ajobintheSpecialEffects ment atWalt DisneyImagineering.Theinternshipfinallyledtothe landed aninternshipintheResearchandDevelopmentdepart- He workedforcompaniesthatcontractedwithDisney, andthen Prize moneyinhand,heheadedforLosAngelesaftergraduation. go onanattractionatathemepark,”hesays. “It engagedandquestionedtheridertodosomethingbiggerthan the riders,“We needyoutohelpuscreatethefuture.” Joseph sayshewasattractedtotheridebecausefeltitsaid

SUMMER 2012

EDGE

E L P O - PE

37 es not taff s / Photos by Photography Professor Alida Fish delphia Stories 8,” presented by the Philadel- were featured in “The Unseen Eye: Photo- phia Independent Film and Video Associa-

LTY graphs from the W.M. Hunt Collection,” tion’s (PIFVA) Cinema Speakeasy series. an exhibition at the George Eastman House U International Museum of Photography and Photography Professor Harris Fogel, re- Film in Rochester, N.Y. Aperture Founda- cently named a Fulbright Specialists Roster tion has simultaneously released a book. Candidate in U.S. Studies, Fine Arts, had work in the Tom Knight Legacy exhibition

FAC “Connections,” a solo exhibit by Associate at the Humboldt Arts Council in the Morris Professor Diane Pepe held recently at the Graves Museum of Art in California. “Be- Philadelphia Art Alliance, was reviewed in hind the Atom Curtain: Life and Death in the December issue of Sculpture magazine. the Nuclear Age,” an Atomic Photographers Guild exhibition organized and co-curated Greenfield Library staffer Mike Sgier re- by Fogel, was presented at the Foto Freo cently had one of his comics featured in the Photography Festival in Midland, Australia. Philadelphia City Paper’s Comics Issue, which named his monster strip “best in Liberal Arts faculty member Carla P. Wein- show.” Sgier was also featured in a short berg, along with the University of Pennsyl- Q&A on the City Paper’s blog. vania’s E. Ann Manner, translated and wrote the introduction and annotation of the “Og- A video by Core Studies Assistant Profes- doas,” a 15th century Latin text by an Ital- sor Kristine Marx was shown in Novem- ian grammarian. The book, Education, Civil ber 2011 at a DVD release event for flute Virtue and Colonialism in Fifteenth-Century and percussion duo Due East at Galapagos Italy: The Ogdoas of Alberto Alfieri, was Art Space in Brooklyn, N.Y. published in December 2011.

Liberal Arts faculty member Anna Beresin In October 2011, Liberal Arts Professor presented “Painting Motion: A Multimedia Nancy Heller presented a paper about Approach for the Recording of Urban Chil- flamenco dancing in Pedro Almodovar’s dren’s Lore” at the joint meeting for the So- 1995 film, “The Flower of My Secret,” at ciety of Ethnomusicology and the Congress a joint international conference on dance on Research in Dance in November 2011. in film in London. In December, she gave a seven-hour seminar in Washington, D.C., Artist and Illustration faculty member Earl for the Smithsonian Associates titled “Un- B. Lewis was exhibited at Pennswood Art derstanding Contemporary Art.” Gallery, located in Pennswood Village, a continuing care retirement community in Liberal Arts Professor Patricia Stewart ex- Newtown, Pa. Lewis has illustrated more plored the work of Russian “outsider artist” than 30 books for children, winning three Nikolai Lyovochkin in the January 2012 consecutive Coretta Scott King Awards. His issue of Art in America magazine. Novy illustrations were chosen as a Notable Book Zhurnal (The New Review), the major Rus- for the Language Arts and most recently, sian emigrant journal of literature and criti- he earned the Randolph Caldecott Honor cism, published a translation of an article by for the book Coming on Home Soon. Stewart on Valera and Natasha Cherkashin, a husband-and-wife pair of Russian multi- “Mud Architect,” a short documentary media artists and their Global Underground, about clay artist and Professor Emeritus a visionary virtual subway system that will William Daley produced by Electronic Me- unite all of the world’s cites. The Cherkash- dia Professor Tom Porett, was screened as ins did a presentation of their work at UArts part of “5 Filmmakers, 5 Stories from Phila- and created a Philadelphia “station.”

38 EDGE SUMMER 2012 FACULTY/staff NOTES

Liberal Arts Professor Virginia Bower gave an opening lecture on the exhibition “On the Silk Road and the High Seas: Chinese Ceramics, Culture and Commerce” at the University of Mississippi Museum.

University Professor of Humanities and Media Studies Camille Paglia reviewed the The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years written by Greil Marcus in the December 2, 2011, issue of The New York Times Sunday Book Review.

“The Battle of Carnival and Lent,” an epic work by stained glass artist and Adjunct Professor of Crafts Judith Schaechter, is part of an installation of 17 site-specific works for the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadel- phia, which also features work from UArts alum Tyler Held BFA ’11 (Sculpture) through November 30. Schaechter’s work is also included in the following: “Fusion [A New Century of Glass]” at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art; “Glasstress New York: New Art from the Venice Biennale” at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; “Color Ignited: Glass 1962–2012” at the Toledo Museum of Art; and “A Visual Conversation” at the River House Arts of Perrysburg, Ohio. Schaechter also gave the keynote address at the National Glass Centre in England’s International Symposium in Architectural Glass and will conduct a three- day workshop at New Frontiers in Stained Glass at the Pittsburgh Glass Center in July.

The Arthur Ross Gallery of the University of Pennsylvania presented the work of Mi-Kyoung Lee, associate professor of Crafts and head of Fibers at the University of the Arts, in a new exhibition titled “In Material: Fiber 2012. “In Material” was offered in conjunction with FiberPhiladelphia 2012.

“There’s A Place,” an exhibition at the Bucks County Community College’s Hicks Art Center featuring work by Fine Arts Lecturer Daniel Gerwin and Lecturer H. John Thompson MFA ’09 (Studio Art), was reviewed in the February 10, 2012, issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Crafts Professor and nationally renowned studio jeweler Sharon Church was one of the artists featured in the exhibit “Out on a Limb: Contemporary Wood Jewelry” showing at the Racine Art Museum.

“Earth Tones,” the new jazz CD from Music Professor and former College of Performing Arts Dean Rick Lawn’s Power of Ten big band, is gaining coast-to-coast radio play and moving up the jazz charts, peak- ing at No. 75 on the Jazzweek radio play list. It was featured on the “Jazz After Hours Playlist with Jim Wilke,” a Public Radio International syndicated show, and on J. Michael Harrison’s “The Bridge” on Philadelphia’s iconic jazz station, WRTI.

Art and Design Education professors Rande Blank and Barbara Suplee were featured presenters at the National Art Education Association’s 2012 Convention.

Film Professor Peter Rose presented two programs at International House Philadelphia as part of its Directors in Focus series: “Tongue Ties,” a compilation of films, videos and performances on language, and “Sight Songs,” a suite of films and videos about landscape, light and vision.

Assistant Theater Professor Linda Henderson will be presenting a paper at the International Society for the Study of European Ideas in Cyprus in July. The paper, “The Sister Art of Music in the Plays of Bertolt Brecht,” is based on her work with the internationally recognized Brecht scholar, Dr. Heinz-Uwe Haus. Dr. Haus was the guest director of UArts’ recent production of Brecht’s “Good Person of Szechwan” for which Henderson was the music director.

“The Hawk,” a new work for choir and orchestra by UArts Music Professor and alum Evan Solot BM ’67 (Trumpet), MM ’75 (Music Performance), premiered at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City. The work is a setting of a poem by the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Franz Wright, from his 2006 collection (left, top to bottom) Work by: God’s Silence. Mi-Kyoung Lee Judith Schaechter Longtime University of the Arts Liberal Arts Professor Toby Zinman was recognized by American The- Mike Sgier atre magazine as “one of the nation’s most influential theater critics” for her work with The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia City Paper. She is also the regional reviewer for Variety, a regular contributor (above, top to bottom) Work by Harris Fogel to BroadStreetReview.com, and has written for the London Times and The New York Times. She has re- William Daley ceived five grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Her third book, Edward Albee, was Peter Rose published by University of Michigan Press in the spring of 2008, and her newest book on Arthur Miller’s play All My Sons was published in June 2010.

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 39 N HE C

ON S A J IES T IVI

Opening Reception: Philadelphia Steven Alvarez BFA ’09 (Photography) is pictured ACT

I (left) at the opening reception for “Confidence is Not a Four-Letter Word” on January 27. The exhibition

N at Philadelphia’s Paradigm Gallery and Studio, founded by Jason Chen BFA ’08 (Animation) and Sara McCorriston BFA ’09 (Theater Design and

UM Technology), featured the works of 18 UArts alumni. AL

California Connections

As part of its continuing outreach to alumni who now live outside of the Philadelphia area, the UArts Alumni Association spent a week in California in February 2012. The trip began in San Francisco and worked its way down to Southern California, including stops in Los Angeles, Orange County, Pasadena and San Diego. Though a series of events, alumni were able to catch up with classmates, make new connections and learn about the latest news from UArts. In addition, parents of current students joined UArts graduates at several events, so that they could have the opportunity to hear from alumni about their UArts experience and career paths since graduation. Would you like to help the Alumni Association plan events and programs in your region? Contact the Alumni Office at [email protected] to get involved!

(right, top) Charlotte Marsh BS ’72 (Industrial Design) and Doshanna Bell BFA ’08 (Theater) enjoy dinner in Laguna Beach on February 23

Mary Dembo BFA ’85 (Graphic Design) [back row, fourth from left] hosted a brunch for alumni and parents at her home in Pacific Palisades on February 26

40 EDGE SUMMER 2012 Visit the events calendar at uarts.edu/alumni for upcoming alumni events nationwide. ALUMNI ACTIVITIES

Concert Performance: Philadelphia Faculty and students at the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts shared the stage in a concert performance of “Big River” in February. Alumni had a chance to meet the cast members, including Tony Award nominee and Brind School faculty member Forrest McClendon, faculty member Chuck Conwell and alumnus Ben Dibble BFA ’00 (Musical Theater) [pictured top right] at a dessert reception on February 24.

Senior Showcase Reception: New York City Graduating students from the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts traveled to New York City for their Senior Showcase and had the opportunity to meet and mingle with alumni at a reception on March 5. Pictured [right, second from top] are Megan Seaman BFA ’12 (Musical Theater), Nicole Kinzel BFA ’12 (Musical The- ater), Mara Jill Herman BFA ’07 (Musical Theater) and Claudia Newland BFA ’12 (Musical Theater).

Alumni Gallery Opens Alumni and Parent Relations recently renovated its office to include gallery space that celebrates the accomplishments of our alumni. The gallery, which lets students, staff, faculty and fellow alumni who visit the office appreciate the work of UArts graduates, will be curated by a UArts student on a quarterly basis around a theme of his or her choosing.

The first installation took place in fall 2011 and was curated by Paul Winter BFA ’12 (Painting/Drawing) [pictured right, third from top]. Winter titled the exhibition “The Subject of Space” and chose works that spoke about or raised questions about the ideas of intimate space, interior and exterior spaces, our relationships to space, and how space changes over time.

Calls for work will be announced via e-mail and on the alumni website. Alumni of all years, degrees and programs are invited to submit their work. For questions about the gallery, please contact [email protected].

(opposite, bottom) Back row, from left: Katie Adams (Advancement Office); Nectar Redman, mother of Rebecca Redman BFA ’15 (Musical Theater); Mary Dembo BFA ’85 (Graphic Design); Emily Hopkins BFA’08 (Musical Theater); Howard Goldberg BFA ’71 (Photography); Lauren Villanueva (Alumni and Parent Relations); Doshanna Bell BFA ’08 (Theater); Seated, front row, from left: Kathryn Lee BM ’74 (Viola); Jacqueline Kahn-Trauberman BS ’75 (Environmental Design); Jacky Gunter, father of Stephen Gunter BM ’13 (Music Composition); Sean T. Buffington (President); Nima Dabestani BFA ’04 (Theater); John Filizzola BFA ’04 (Theater); and Susan Templeton BFA ’78 (Graphic Design) and her daughter

EDGE WINTER 2012 SUMMER 2012 EDGE 41 The Virginia G. and Harvey Kimmel Scholarships in Crafts

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Caitria Gunter BFA ’12 (Crafts: Fibers) Gathering SCHOLARSHIP SPOTLIGHT

Established in 2003, the Virginia G. and Harvey Kimmel Scholarships in Crafts at the University of the Arts is an annual scholarship that supports five senior students majoring in Crafts, with each of the five awards going to one student in each of the craft disciplines: Ceramics, Fibers, Glass, Metals/Jewelry and Wood.

“It is an amazing opportunity and I feel very lucky to be chosen,” said Paige Fetchen BFA ’12 (Fibers), one of this year’s awardees. The other Crafts students awarded a 2012 Kimmel Scholarship are Karen Krogh BFA ’12 (Wood), John Souter BFA ’12 (Ceramics), Chi Yan Tse BFA ’12 (Jewelry) and Brittany Walker BFA ’12 (Metals).

This is the kind of spark that Mr. and Mrs. Kimmel ignite in the young artists of the city of Philadelphia.

“We are extremely committed to the Crafts program at the University of the Arts and the school’s mission,” said Harvey Kimmel. “It is such an amazingly creative The Virginia G. and field. We feel that it is important to support students so passionate and dedicated to their work.”

Harvey Kimmel The Kimmels moved to Philadelphia 12 years ago. Virginia’s lifetime interest in arts, crafts and jewelry Scholarships led to their immediate engagement in the city’s arts and culture community. After meeting University of the Arts Crafts Professor Sharon Church, Harvey and in Crafts Virginia began supporting the University. Virginia has served on the boards of the Philadelphia Art Alliance and the Arden Theater for a number of years.

Avid supporters of the arts, Mr. and Mrs. Kimmel give generously to arts and cultural programs throughout the city every year. Through the Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Arts Education Fund of the Philadelphia Foun- dation, the Kimmels support organizations such as the (above) Mrs. Kimmel, Paige Fetchen, Wilma Theater, the Arden Theater, the Arts in Schools Brittany Walker, Chi Yan Tse, Mr. Kimmel Collaborative and the Philadelphia Young Playwrights.

Harvey Kimmel is one of the founders of the Arts in Schools Collaborative, whose mission is to bring the arts to inner-city schools. Its primary program is “Dancing Classrooms Philly,” a licensed ballroom dancing program for Philadelphia schoolchildren. In addition, Harvey and Virginia are the founding mem- ValuesCreativityVisionPlanning bers of the Philadelphia Young Playwrights Producer’s Circle, helping the city’s promising young scribes of UArts Legacy Society varying backgrounds to focus on literacy, creativity, There are many creative ways to support UArts and future generations of art academic skills and self-empowerment. They have also students. If you’ve included UArts in your estate plan, please let us know. endowed programs for students at the Wilma Theater When you inform us that you have included UArts in your will, you automatically and at Pennsylvania State University. become a member of our Legacy Society. If you’re considering including UArts in With the Kimmels’ generous support, the University’s your estate plan, but haven’t done so already, feel free to call Crafts program continues to flourish. The Virginia Mira Zergani at 215-717-6050 in the Office of Advancement G. and Harvey Kimmel Scholarships have had a huge or speak with your planning advisor. impact on the University’s ability to attract and retain promising Crafts students.

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 439 44 EDGE SUMMER 2012 alumninotes for 20years. of NEXUS,aPhiladelphiaart gallery, and workedastheexecutivedirector teaching fromColumbiaUniversity 2012. AnarticleinThePhiladelphia Art GalleryinJanuaryandFebruary in Color,” attheVillanova University herma: ADiscoveryofWoodblocks tration) hadasoloexhibition,“Ida- Idaherma Williams BFA ’54(Illus- color Painting.” “Discover ‘TheEndgame’inWater Art CenterinJenkintown,Pa.,called Design) Ed Letven CERT ’54 (Advertising the Woodmere ArtMuseum. Corporation andexhibitedworkat Film Festival,workedwiththeSony work acceptedintotheSundance the U.S.government.Chrishashad for themoonlandingPhilcoand Day Paradeandpromotionalpieces space program,theThanksgiving sets. HealsoworkedontheU.S. affiliate) aftergraduationandbuilt WCAU-TV (localPhiladelphiaNBC together onprojects.Jimworkedfor and sonteam.Theyregularlywork (Illustration) areadynamicfather Design)andChrisFerrantello’79 ing Jim FerrantelloBFA ’51(Advertis 1950 held a workshop at Abington held aworkshopatAbington s her doctorate in ents. Shealsoholds with herfineartstal- enriching theareas dor andArgentina, Burma, Syria,Ecua- Azerbaijan, Egypt, to theembassyin as aculturaladvisor State Department working fortheU.S. cation) iscurrently MA ’72(ArtEdu- ’59 (ArtEducation), Suzanne HorvitzBFA printmakers today.” front-runner among as “anexperienced Inquirer hailedher - -

in herhonor. form, withanewmuralalsocreated from aroundthecitygathered to per poet/activist SoniaSanchez.Singers an acappellachoirpiecewith text by premiering “PeaceIsaHaikuSong,” Documentary ArtinPhiladelphia, First PersonFestivalofMemoirand ’75 (Composition)performedatthe Evan SolotBM’67(Trumpet), MM January 2012. Gallery in Brooklyn, N.Y., through displayed atasoloshowthe440 encountered. Thesepaintingswere light, shapesandcolors”thatshe the timetoreconnect“unique Fellowship in Sculpture. She used ing ayearinItalyonFulbright turned toRome40yearsafterspend- Ellen ChuseBFA ’67(Sculpture)re- March 2012. in Columbia,Md.,Januarythrough Community College’s RouseGallery from 39artistsandranatHoward featured workinmultiplemediums text oftheirpotentideas.Theexhibit intellectually bythepowerandcon- forms andframesofreference; emotionally bythe attraction oftheir tive materialpalettesandprocesses; fer enticements–tactilelyinseduc- porary, handmade objectsthatof- exhibition featuringunique,contem- quisitely CraftedTemptations,” an curated “TheArtofSeduction:Ex- Gail M.BrownBFA ’65(FineArts) Book Icons.” ety titled“AnEveningofChildren’s participated in a lecture at the Soci- ety ofIllustrators’HallFameand 2014. HeisamemberoftheSoci- Philadelphia andAtlantathrough travel to Detroit, Yonkers, Dallas, April 2012.Theexhibitwillthen at theFlintInstituteofArtsthrough by theNormanRockwellMuseum The ArtofJerryPinkney”curated Design) hadhisexhibit“Witness: Jerry Pinkney DIPL ’60 1960 s (Advertising (Advertising -

Glass. and Steuben ton ArtGlass well asFen- France, as lerie Daum, er forCristal- been adesign- of Art,has setts College at Massachu- glass program teaches inthe Chihuly. Dailey, whofoundedand studied withfamousglass artist Dale Dailey createdover40yearssincehe ber 2012.Visitors willsee33works in Brockton, Mass., through Septem- ing Method”atFullerCraftMuseum solo exhibition“DanDailey:Work- Dan Dailey BFA ’69 (Glass) playcare-inc.com. company, Playcare, Inc.Moreinfoat operate playgroundsafetyanddesign ’71 (Environmental Design) own and Design) Sanderson CaesarBFA ’69(Industrial 2011 issueofArtJewelryForum. in theGalleryProfileofDecember Mexico. PatinaGallerywasfeatured the ownerofPatinaGalleryinNew Ivan BarnettBFA ’69(Illustration)is ruary 2012. Ozark MountainPublishinginFeb- Surrender to Success, published by ric Design)authoredSleepMagic, Victoria PendragonBFA ’68(Fab- and Elizabeth H.CaesarBFA

has a has a ALUMNI NOTES

Alan Magee BFA ’69 (Illustration) had have interesting and challenging Stephen C. Midouhas BS ’75 (Environ- an exhibition titled “Underground work to do, clients who need work mental Design) resides on Long Beach Rivers” at the Pacific Northwest done intelligently and with integrity, Island, N.J., where he practices archi- College of Art in Portland. and we can provide work for people tecture and enjoys beachcombing and who need to take care of their fami- fishing. The Rosenblum Residence, lies. We count ourselves fortunate in which he designed and constructed in 1970s these times.” 2009, is featured in 50 U.S. Architects, C. Bangs BFA ’70 (Painting) and Greg published by Design Books. The book Matloff have written a book, Biosphere Lesia Sochor BFA ’74 (Painting) features the work of one architect from Extension: Solar System Resources for writes of attending UArts (Philadel- each state; Midouhas was selected to the Earth. They also created a video phia College of Arts when she gradu- represent New Jersey. that goes along with the book that is ated), “I loved it! I am still painting, available online. The book was also still creating.” Tony Salicandro BM ’75 (Flute) is accepted into the Brooklyn Museum’s the founder and director of Salican- artists’ book collection. Maureen Drdak BFA ’75 (Painting) is dro’s Conservatory of Musical Arts, currently working in Nepal as a Ful- which is moving to a two-story store- C. Wynn Medinger BFA ’72 (Graphic bright Senior Research Scholar. She front on East Kings Highway near Design) served for 25 years as CEO of presented on her work, “The Prakriti Amhurst Road in Audubon, N.J. The Brandlogic, an international brand- Project: A Pioneering Syn- ing firm. Wynn has now moved on thesisi of Repoussé and to creating a new magazine devoted Contemporary Painting” to celebrating the equestrian lifestyle at the Fulbright Com- (equestrianquarterly.com ) as well as a mission in Gyaneshwor, website that brings together America’s Kathmandu, Nepal. She premier equestrian properties. exhibited her Fulbright thesis work at the Sid- Karen Sandler BFA ’72 (Fibers) is dhartha Art Gallery in the facility coordinator and admin- Kathmandu in January istrative assistant at Beth Sholom 2012. Her monumental Congregation, a synagogue designed work, “Flying Nagas” and built by Frank Lloyd Wright in (based on her previous Elkins Park, Pa. She is also a part- study in the collection of time office manager for Tri State Berthe and John Ford), Wellness Center in Abington, Pa., will incorporate ancient which specializes in massage and Newari repoussé and gild- bodywork therapy and FAR infrared ing techniques, and ad- sauna therapy. dresses the issue of global warming through indige- Fred Snitzer BFA ’73 (Sculpture) was nous Asian imagery. She is featured in Art Basel Miami’s 10th currently the Kathmandu anniversary magazine as one of the Contemporary Art Center 10 leaders in the Art Basel Miami artist-in-residence in the community. Many other alumni were Patan Museum, Patan, Nepal. Conservatory now has about 40 teach- (opposite, left) present at the event, including Dotty ers serving students from about 400 Idaherma Williams’ David Goerk BFA ’75 (Painting) families. He is also a UArts faculty Orchids Attie BFA ’59 (Art Education), Dan Walsh BFA ’83 (Painting) and Sean had a solo exhibition in New York member, teaches at Rowan University (opposite, top right) Landers BFA ’84 (Sculpture). City at the Howard Scott Gallery and performs with Minas, a Brazilian Jerry Pinkney in in January and February 2012. He jazz group. his studio Ida-Merci De Blanc BFA ’74 (Jew- spent time in Philadelphia in the (opposite, elry) wrote, “My husband and I band Bunnydrums from 1980 to Bruce Tolman BFA ’75 (Sculpture) had bottom right) moved to North Central Arizona 1986 and moved to New York City, a solo show displayed at the Cheryl Dan Dailey’s (semi-rural) in 2006 and started a where he began pursuing a visual art Hazan Gallery in New York titled Ring Man tech consulting and support servic- career. His work is in many private “Decade Ponds.” For his 10th show and public collections, including the at the gallery, Tolman showed 19 (right) es company in 2008. Our business David Goerk’s is doing well and we have a couple Philadelphia Museum of Art and paintings capturing the nature of his 6.13.2009 of good people working for us. We Rutgers University. upstate New York home on canvas.

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 45 ALUMNI NOTES

Kay Wood BFA Marguerite Rodgers BFA ’77 (Wood) James Rauchman MA ’80 (Art Educa- ’75 (Illustration) had her residence featured in the Au- tion) has spent the past year exhibiting illustrated the cover gust/September 2011 issue of HOME all over New York City, most recently of Fifteen Feet Be- New Zealand. Rodgers is the owner in the Poet’s Den Cultural Center in neath Manhattan, of the world-renowned Marguerite Manhattan. written by Michael Rodgers Interior Design firm. She was Silverstein. The also awarded seven first place Interna- Kindle edition is tional Design Awards in the following now available on categories: Residential Over 10,000 Amazon.com. sq. ft., Residential 5,000 to 10,000 sq. ft., Residential 3,500 to 5,000 sq. Anne Belov BFA ’77 ft., Residential Singular Space, Resi- (Painting) has been dential Bath, Commercial Office and supporting herself Commercial Restaurant. for the last 24 years as a painter. She has Terry Wolfson-Tighe BFA ’78 (Paint- also leapt into the ing) writes, “For the past 30 years, I fray of children’s have been creating fabric collages. I book writing and il- have mastered the ability to create lustrating, working for the last year on very complex painterly images uti- a wordless picture book called Panda- lizing fabric and fiber. At a distance morphosis. In addition, she writes and the images have the illusion of being draws an online cartoon, “Your Brain painted, but when close, you realize on Pandas.” the image is made from a collection of multi-sized, multi-textured pieces of Richard Fanelli BS ’77 (Environmen- fabric. The small swatches are manu- tal Design) writes, “Fanelli McClain is ally cut by hand and pieced together celebrating 27 years in business with like a mosaic, then glued to canvas to the re-branding of our business and form painterly realistic images. I show the launching of our new website. We and sell, mostly by word of mouth. design commercial office space in the I am married and have three grown Charles Long BFA ’81 (Painting) is Washington, D.C., metro area. Some children, and I am currently a cor- the artist of an installation on the of our clients include The Washington porate professional with experience Oval Lawn of Manhattan’s Madison Post, ManTech International, Boeing consulting with clients, developing ed- Square Park. The installation, “Pet and Raytheon, to name a few.” ucational training programs and com- Sounds,” is an interactive, large-scale munications on complex initiatives mixed-media work composed of a net- Sheldon Krevit BFA ’77 (Painting) with concentrations on Medicare Part work of colored pipe railings. When writes, “I’ve been living in Santa Fe, D, Medicaid and healthcare reform.” touched, the railing produces sounds N.M., for over seven years. My work and vibrations coming from within is represented here and in Memphis by Gary Schwartz BFA ’79 (Animation) the sculpture. The installation is on the Jay Etkin Gallery. I was in a show had work displayed in Open Show view May 2 through September 9, in Memphis in May 2011 and one in Detroit at the Detroit Center for Con- 2012. He is currently a full professor Santa Fe the summer of 2011. I was temporary Photography in October and chair of the Art department at the also in a show in Albuquerque at 516 2011. He was also a puppeteer for University of California, Riverside. Arts, curated by Peter Frank, called the Matrix Theatre’s performances His work has been featured in over ‘New Mexico Showcase,’ which was of “Puppet Scrooge” during the 2011 30 solo exhibitions domestically and on view through April 2012.” holiday season. internationally. He is the recipient of (above) a Guggenheim Fellowship, two grants Anne Belov’s Peter Olson BFA ’77 (Photography) from the National Endowment for Sottovoce Lombardia writes, “I was asked to create a series 1980s the Arts (NEA), two grants from the (right) of photographs in Brazil and the U.K. Helmut C. Calabrese BM ’80 (Com- Pollock-Krasner Foundation, a Louis James Rauchman’s for Citi this year. I also created images position) collaborated with Francesco Comfort Tiffany Foundation grant, Sunset for Purina’s new branding library.” Cultreri on scoring the film “Il Gioco and the Award of Merit Medal for È Fatto?” directed by Francesco Rus- Sculpture from the American Acade- so. The film won the special mention my of Arts and Letters. Long is repre- for Best First Work at the 2011 Terra sented by the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery di Siena Film Festival in Italy. in New York.

46 EDGE SUMMER 2012 Blick is a proud sponsor of ArtUnleashed and a generous supporter of scholarships for young artists.

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Edward Spector BS ’82 (Industrial credit songs that have been featured “Sabin Howard - The Classical Art Design) has been fortunate to work in major motion pictures and TV pro- of Sculpture,” was shown through at some outstanding industrial design grams including “All My Children,” March 2012 with a special reception consulting firms, including Bress- “One Life To Live” and “The Young and launch of his new book, The lergroup in Philadelphia. Over the and the Restless.” Art of Life. Howard taught for 20 years, his projects have ranged from years before turning to sculpture invention and concept development to Jill Kraft BFA ’84 (Photography) is full-time. His works are in private manufacturing production. Products currently in private practice as a ho- collections and museums world- Spector has worked on include graph- listic health counselor, guiding and wide, and he has been featured in ics, consumer products, toys, safety supporting people in choosing and more than 50 art shows. equipment, medical equipment and implementing the nutrition and life- industrial machinery. In 2006, he de- style choices that suit them best. Betti Pettinati-Longinotti MA ’87 (Art veloped a company called exambud- Education/Glass) had work in a show dies, LLC, with the goal of softening William Quigley BFA ’84 (Painting) titled “She-roes” at the Salem Fine the interaction between pediatricians, wrote, “I loved PCA, it was the fin- Arts Center of Salem College in North health care workers and their young est education in preparing one to Carolina in March 2012. patients. They use the slogan “Mak- become a critical thinker and ad- ing Health Care Fun for Everyone!” dress the issues surrounding mak- Amy Kitts Lienert BFA ’88 (Acting) Over the past few years, he has also ing serious work.” He has exhibited spent years as a Broadway casting been privileged to contribute his skills in group and solo shows in Dublin, director working on the original by traveling to India with a grassroots New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Broadway production of “The Lion organization called “Helping India all over the world. His first show King” as well as multiple produc- Together (HIT),” which assists local was with Henry S. McNeil when he tions at Lincoln Center Theater. She orphanages, hospitals, women’s shel- was introduced to Andy Warhol in now owns a project management ters and other organizations. 1985. Recently, he appeared in Con- company in NYC, where she lives cord, Mass., for an art signing of his with her husband. Donald Robinson BM ’83 (Flute) is first “Career Series of Etchings and an acclaimed world-class producer Silkscreens.” His art work was also Lois Sellers BFA ’88 (Photography) has and songwriter who has worked with auctioned – along with Andy War- been taking photographs for about 35 artists such as Grover Washington, hol, William Wegman, Yoko Ono years and recently had a photo exhibit Jr., Bob James, Nancy Wilson, Rach- and Cecily Brown – at the Children’s on view at the Springfield Library in elle Ferrell, Phil Perry, Gladys Knight, Museum of the Arts Auction 2011. Pennsylvania. As a member of the Regina Bell, Phyllis Hyman and Miki The proceeds went to CMA’s out- Media Arts Council, Sellers also had a Howard. He secured publishing deals reach program, which brings the arts show of her photographs in the Party with Jobete Music in 1987 and EMI in to underserved children in NYC. Room of Media’s Court Diner as part 1993. After being recruited by promi- More info at quigleyart.com. of Media’s Second Saturday festivities nent music executive Ed Eckstein, he from February through March 2012. helped launch the successful career of Craig Brown BFA ’86 (Illustration) Grammy Award-winning songstress had six pieces in a group show at Susanne Sulby BFA ’88 (Theater) is Vanessa Williams. He also has to his Gowanus Print Lab in Brooklyn spon- in Robert DeNiro’s film, “Silver Lin- sored by the Graphic Artists Guild. ings Playbook.” After graduation, she taught at UArts for 10 years and did Victoria Pember BFA ’86 (Graphic acting and voice-over work before Design) is now a certified nursing as- getting married and starting a fam- sistant at Delaware Hospice. ily. She has been married 22 years and is mom to two school-aged kids. Keith Alan Spaar BFA ’86 (Illustra- She also wrote and starred in her one- tion) is currently working as an art woman play, “Sanctuary.” It was part director for a party goods company. of the Times Square International Theater Festival and is about the im- Sabin Howard BFA ’87 (Sculpture) pact of war on women, using actual had pieces exhibited at the Institute emails from soldiers in Iraq; video; of Classical Architecture and Art poetry from Auden, Owen and Rumi; in Manhattan. The gallery show, and Sulby’s own writings.

48 EDGE SUMMER 2012 ALUMNI NOTES

Regina Barth- companies or individuals, which is Maximos Zachariadis BFA ’93 (Met- maier BFA ’89 both rewarding and challenging in als) moved from Athens to London (Painting/Draw- this economy. He writes, “I utilize in early 2012. In Athens, he has a ing), MA ’03 my illustration skills heavily in my well-established jewelry store that has (Art Education) print and web work and am very many selling points across the world, had artwork in two group shows. The thankful for the level of teaching where he designs and manufactures first was “Warholized” at the DaVinci and guidance I received from PCA. his work. Art Alliance in Philadelphia in Febru- Many of my contemporaries are not ary 2012, where her pieces sold at the as skilled or well-versed in design Chad Attlesey ’94 (Industrial Design) opening and she received a commis- theory, history or practice from what is the founder, president and chief tech- sion to make another one. The second I can see of their work and style. I nology officer of Hardcore Computer, one was “Urban Observations” at the miss PCA and remember fondly my Inc. Attlesey was also the owner of i, In- Plastic Club in Philadelphia in Febru- years living in Philadelphia and wish corporated, an engineering and design ary 2012, where she received an Hon- all the best to the school.” consulting service. He co-founded and orable Mention. served as president and chief technol- Stacey Martino BFA ’91 (Theater) is a ogy officer for MindSet, Incorporated, playwright and acting teacher in Los where he created a variety of body- 1990s Angeles and is married with two chil- worn technologies and delivered proto- Shari (Hiatt) Egan CERT ’90 (Inte- dren. The story of Martino and her types to the U.S. military. Prior to his rior Design) is currently a design ad- husband as Los Angeles newcomers work with MindSet, Attlesey worked ministrator for Arcus Design Group is chronicled in the local public televi- for and with Pemstar, a leading provid- Architects, Inc. Her certificate in Inte- sion series “Arrival Stories.” er of engineering automation and test rior Design from UArts allowed her to equipment services. have a career in Philadelphia in design John Serpentelli BFA ’91 (Animation) and project management for various was featured in an award-winning John Bellomo BFA ’94 (Theater) most companies. documentary, “Animating Autism,” recently starred in a one-man show, where he taught a small group of “Dead Man’s Mambo.” The show Christina Fleury BM ’90 (Piano) autistic kids how to make their own was part of the Maryland Shakespeare writes, “I am looking forward to en- animated films. He also launched Festival and under the direction of tering the Dominican Order very soon 2headedsnake.com, which features the Philadelphia-based OMBELICO as a contemplative nun. The Domini- his recent drawings and collages. Ser- Mask Ensemble. can Order values the performing and pentelli had two short independent visual/creative arts and higher educa- animated films released in early 2012. tion as a means to grow closer in union with God, and also as a way to inspire Jennifer Rife-Ismael BFA ’92 (Metals) others to reach for the heights of such is the mother of an 8-year-old daugh- union. I look forward to having more ter and a 6-year-old son. She has been time to offer my music as a prayer to working full-time running the service the One who is the Divine Artist, He department at Benari Jewelers in Ex- who continually inspires beauty and ton, Pa., for 10 years. She writes, “I greatness in the arts and in the world.” still love jewelry and get to work with it every day. I occasionally make my Georgianna Krieger BFA ’90 (Saxo- own jewelry, but between work and phone) recently had an exhibition in the family, it doesn’t happen often!” Berkeley, Calif., at Fertile Grounds. (opposite, left) The show ran from late November to Ana Marie Radosta BS ’93 (Industrial Betti Pettinati- mid-December 2011. Design) is celebrating her 15th anni- Longinotti‘s Uomini versary of making jewelry. Since 1997, Famosi Archive Matthew McHale BFA ’90 (Illustra- Radosta has been honing her designs Deborah Lopatin BFA ’94 (Photog-

(above) tion) has been living in San Francisco and making one-of-a-kind pieces of raphy) is the communications and Regina Barthmaier’s for the past 18 years. For the first part art jewelry and selling through fairs, public relations manager for IRCAM, MRI Self Portrait of his design career, he worked for museums, galleries and jewelry stores a research and contemporary music large Fortune 500 companies, market- in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Some of center that is part of the Pompidou (right) ing firms and advertising companies. the collections she has created are Center in Paris, France. John Bellomo in Dead Man’s In the last seven years, he has ventured Abisal, Flow, CorozoAu, Fazetá and Mambo out on his own, mainly working with the Eternity Link. non-profits and socially conscious

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 49 ALUMNI NOTES

Tattoo artist Shelley Spector BFA ’94 (Sculpture) Davis in the production. He has sold Shane O’Neill had new works featured in “Dreck more than 50,000 CDs with his band, ’94 (Illustration) Groove,” an exhibit at the EKG Ex- Octane. The band performed and was crowned hibition Space in Philadelphia that toured with Disturbed, Fuel, Three “Ink Master” ran through March 2012. “Dreck Doors Down and Staind. Recently, on the finale of Groove” included a collection of Bortnick toured with “American Idol” the Spike real- embroideries on fabric, repurposed season 6 finalist Chris Sligh. ity competition from shirts, pants and other cloth- show of the ing, and the imagery is based on the Jim McHugh BFA ’96 (Illustration) same name. He extreme environmental events during writes, “I have been a working freelance owns two tat- the summer of 2011. Spector’s work illustrator since I left UArts, creating too parlors, one is part of many public and private caricatures for various magazines and in Middletown, collections that include the Phila- newspapers. I also work as an academ- Del., and the delphia Museum of Art, the Penn- ic teaching associate at the Rock School other in Wil- sylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, for Dance Education in Philadelphia. low Grove, Pa. the Philadelphia Museum of Jewish My wife and I started a program called O’Neill won a Art, Human Rights Campaign in McArt School, where we teach children cash prize of Washington and HBO Incorporated the elements of art in after-school and $100,000 and a in New York. She is represented by Saturday morning programs.” profile in Inked Bridgette Mayer Gallery. magazine. Valentine Aprile BFA ’95 (Painting/ Deborah Pang Davis BFA ’94 (Pho- Drawing), MA ’97 (Art Education) tography/Film) joined the Multimedia worked on a film in NYC titled Photography and Design department “What Maisie Knew” in the summer faculty as assistant professor at the of 2011. She worked as an actress S.I. Newhouse School of Public Com- and also as an on-set coach for her munications at Syracuse University. 6-year-old daughter, Onata Aprile, She recently relocated from Portland, who played the title role of Maisie, as Ore., where she has been running her well as stars Alexander Skarsgard and own interactive design studio, Coco- Julianne Moore. One of her paint- cello, for the last seven years. ings, “Indian Summer,” was also chosen to be used in the film. Marie Sivak BFA ’94 (Sculpture) was awarded career opportunity grants Ezra Alexander Cohen BFA ’95 from the Oregon Arts Commission (Sculpture) has been operating a web and the Ford Family Foundation in design and development firm that support of her upcoming solo exhibi- has satellite offices in Philadelphia, tion “Video Miniatures” in September Olomouc and Prague in the Czech 2012 at A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn, Republic, and Kiev, Ukraine. N.Y. The show will include a series of sculptures that combine carved stone Matthew Suib BFA ’95 (Photogra- with embedded video and will be on phy) and Nadia Hironaka BFA ’97 view during the Dumbo Arts Festival. (Film) have been working together The grant will support exhibition ex- as collaborators since 2008. Most penses and the publication of a cata- recently, the duo exhibited “1967,” a log with an essay by Charlotta Kotik, video installation on display in Janu- curator emerita of Contemporary Art ary and February 2012 at Locks Gal- at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Sivak lery in Philadelphia. was one of 24 artists and artist teams selected for Portland2012: A Biennial Brian Bortnick BM ’96 (Music Per- Susan Moloney BFA ’96 (Painting) is of Contemporary Art, which ran formance) was in the production painting full-time in her studio. She February 26 - May 26, 2012, and was of “Rent” at the Eagle Theatre in has been showing at several galleries curated by Prudence Roberts. Hammonton, N.J., that ran through in Philadelphia and is a new member February 2012. Bortnick is a national of the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers. recording artist and played Roger More info at moloneyart.com.

50 EDGE SUMMER 2012 ALUMNI NOTES

Jeremy Mayhew BFA ’98 (Film) s Daren Herbert BFA ’02 (Musical The- resides in Martha’s Vineyard and has 2000 ater) played the role of Agent Both- ChaoChi Lu MFA ’00 (Museum Ex- done work for the Martha’s Vineyard wick in the movie “This Means War” hibition Planning & Design) is cur- Film Festival, which utilized his talents starring Chris rently working for architecture firm in video animation and graphic de- Pine and Tom Capol International in China, starting sign. He is now creating motion design Hardy, released up an environmental graphic design work for Redken, a sub-division of on February department as the art director. L’Oreal hair care products. Apart from 17, 2012. The his freelance work, Mayhew makes movie is about Daniel Mandel BFA ’00 (Musical time to create film pieces for himself, two CIA opera- Theater) is the creator of the show which are unique compilations of tives battling “Dan VS,” which began airing its different types of art, including music, with each other second season on the Hub Network photography and animation. Check over the af- with a Thanksgiving special on out his films on vimeo.com under fections of the November 19, 2011, followed by a Jeremy Mayhew. same woman. Christmas special on December 17, They assemble 2011. The second season premiered Robert Reinhardt BFA ’98 (Art Edu- teams to spy in January 2012. cation) won a national merit award on one anoth- from B&W + Color magazine in 2011 er and Agent Marlene Large BFA ’01 (Graphic and was featured on the cover of the Bothwick finds Design) is currently employed by World Monuments Fund’s fall issue. himself on one eMoney, creating videos that com- One of his photos was also selected to of the teams. bine web design and motion graphics be included in Laurel Hill Cemetery’s and creating widgets for the iPad. See 175 Years of Reflections 1836 – 2011. Heather Kelley BFA ’02 (Musical her work at financial-truth.com. His recent book, Newington Cem- Theater) writes, “After completing etery, was published in August 2011 my MFA in Acting at the FSU/Asolo James P. McGee BFA ’01 (Illustra- and Living Images was published in Conservatory (in Florida), I returned tion) is an art teacher at Juan Diego November 2011. to New York in 2009 and subse- Catholic High School in Sandy, Utah. quently founded Mad Dog Theatre He spent over a year creating a mural Sara Carano BFA ’99 (Musical The- Company (maddogbarks.com) with that was commissioned by the Saint ater) is a member of the WaitStaff, six friends from graduate school. I Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in a sketch-comedy troupe and their have since appeared in Mad Dog’s Orem, Utah. The mural was installed original and popular skit, “The Real first two productions, ‘All The Way and dedicated in April 2012. Housewives of South Philly.” They From China’ and ‘This Is Not The performed at Philadelphia’s Helium Play,’ and am proud to serve as liter- Craig Holden Feinberg BFA ’02 Club in March. Of her UArts expe- ary manager for the company, which (Graphic Design) has an exhibit fea- rience, Carano said, “One reason I produces exclusively new work.” turing posters and other artworks at wanted to go to UArts was that most Drexel University’s Leonard Pearl- professors were working actors in Jayson Musson BFA ’02 (Photog- stein Gallery from May to June 2012 Philadelphia and in any business, it’s raphy) recently had his show “The in Philadelphia. Feinberg has devel- about who you know. I fell in love Grand Manner” installed at the oped social awareness campaigns for with Philadelphia, even just coming Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine the Red Cross, Doctors Without Bor- here to audition for UArts.” Arts. Musson also created a series of ders and the World Health Organiza- YouTube videos under the alter-ego tion as senior art director at Unison Matthew Grodsky BFA ’99 (Anima- name of Hennesy Youngman, which in Washington. He has also worked (opposite, tion) was recently elected as a member went viral for his contemporary art for the United Colors of Benetton. top to bottom) of Bensalem, Pa.’s Board of Education. criticism. Shelley Spector’s Grodsky works for a plumbing and DG2 David Hanna BS ’02 (Industrial De- HVAC firm, but has also been a civil Sabrina Rehnke BFA ’02 (Musical sign) is a senior line builder/designer Valentine Aprile’s servant working for the Free Library Theater) writes, “I am currently for a footwear company in Wayne, Sing of Philadelphia and worked in chil- working for an organizational effec- N.J. He has designed for Skechers for dren’s programming at Nickelodeon as tiveness consultant firm. I am hap- (right) four years and has products all over an animator on “Little Bill.” He is the pily married and about to have our This Means War the world. with Daren Herbert proud father of two children. first baby.”

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 51 ALUMNI NOTES

Jason Smith BFA ’02 (Multimedia) is At Home Modern, can also assist Lacey Lechner BFA ’05 (Painting/ the co-founder of Livid Instruments, in the de-accession of unwanted Drawing) currently manages archi- which has teamed up with Richie furniture, art and accessories. I tect and interior design accounts for Hawtin, a world renowned musician also enjoy finding small, unique an American furniture design com- and DJ, to create a revolutionary MIDI items that I can sell on Etsy. When pany, DESIRON in NYC. She also re- instrument, the CNTRL:R. It is the lat- I’m not out there hunting, I teach cently co-founded a design company, est addition to Livid Instrument’s line Art History and Museum Studies EatCakeStudios, LLC, also based in of controller instruments and features at a the Art Institute of Philadel- NYC, with a business partner. Servic- design input from Hawtin and the art- phia. I’ve also worked as a gallery es include designing bespoke pieces, ists on his Minus record label. director and program director for specifying, full-service interior design an arts non-profit.” and interior architecture. Lechner Lindsey Wasiuta BFA ’02 (Film) is also maintains a painting studio in the currently working for the Office of Laurin Frierson BM ’04 (Vocal Per- Dumbo area of Brooklyn, N.Y. the Medical Examiner for the State of formance), who goes by Laurin Ta- Delaware as a forensic evidence spe- lese, is currently performing and Megan O’Brien BFA ’05 (Applied The- cialist and forensic photographer. sharing her passion for jazz music in ater Arts) teamed up with her brother, the Philadelphia area. The Chicago Michael O’Brien, to create 11th Hour, a Juan Charvet BFA ’03 (Multimedia) Tribune profiled her as someone who theater company that started with cab- was recently hired as a senior technolo- is trying to stay true to traditional aret series that turned into a season of gist by Frog, a global innovation firm jazz roots, but who breathes new life full musicals. In November 2011, they with over 1,600 employees worldwide, into old music and sparks popular- celebrated the company with a benefit collaborating across 15 locations. ity among a younger crowd. Frierson concert that raised money to continue sang backup on tour for artists such their productions. The company con- Michael Gatto BFA ’03 (Acting) is as Jaguar Wright and Vivian Green tinues to create innovative shows that teaching Stage Combat at Kent State and hopes to establish her own iden- “wow” the Philadelphia community. University at Stark, Ohio. It is the first tity with a recording she will be re- time the course has been offered at leasing next year. Nicole Rae Styer BFA ’05 (Crafts) was Kent State. He is also in rehears- featured in the November 2011 issue als for “The Mysterious Affair at John Benson BFA ’05 (Multimedia) of the Reading Eagle. It tells the story Styles,” a world premiere play adapted was hired as an engineer by tumblr, of how Styer and her brother, Lee, from the Agatha Christie novel by a microblogging and social network- own businesses on the same South Cleveland playwright, actor and di- ing website. Philly street. He owns the restaurant rector David Hansen. More info at Fond and Styer owns N.R.S. Boutique greatlakestheater.org. Nathan DiStefano MFA ’05 (Paint- at 1822 E. Passyunk Avenue. Her ing) was featured in an article in clothing line is available in 40 shops Bobbie Ann Tilkens-Fisher MA ’03 the February 16, 2012, edition and boutiques across the nation. (Museum Education) writes, “I spe- of the Bucks County Herald. His cialize in find- work was displayed in a new gallery Matt Dangler BFA ’06 (Illustration) ing mid-centu- that opened in Doylestown, Pa., in illustrated The Secret History of Mer- ry furnishings April 2012. maids, a children’s book from Templar for clients de- Publishing in 2009. His solo show, siring anything Heather Donahue BFA ’05 (Musi- “Center Flame” was at the CoproGal- from a special cal Theater) was in the 1999 film lery in Santa Monica, Calif., in May. His stand-out piece “Blair Witch Project” and spent a art was included in issues 14, 15, 17 and to a total mid- year cultivating medical marijuana, 18 of the illustration annual Spectrum: century make- which she documents in her book The Best In Contemporary Fantastic Art. over. I also GrowGirl. It was released on Janu- provide design ary 5, 2012. Kati (Lyles) Donovan BFA ’06 (Musical consultations, Theater) is still out in sunny San Diego editing and Taryn (Cagnina) Lane BFA ’05 (Mu- pursuing her MFA in Musical Theater. organizing of sical Theater) is pursuing a master’s In December 2011, she performed as existing decor degree in Expressive Therapies with the featured soloist with Orchestra and stage for a specialization in Mental Health Nova in La Jolla as part of its holiday events or sale. Counseling at Lesley University in pops concert. Donovan will be ap- My company, Cambridge, Mass. plying to college-level education jobs back on the East Coast for fall 2012.

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In celebration of “National Opera Spektor. She will also be playing the Iquail Johnson BFA ’07 (Dance) Week,” October 28 – November 6, lead role of Alice in the new read- wrote, “Dance Iquail began perform- 2011, the Freedom Theater in con- ing of the musical “Honeymooners,” ing regular home season concerts on junction with OperaAmerica had a directed by Jerry Mitchell and star- May 16, 2012, at the Painted Bride one-night performance that featured ring Hank Azaria. Her episode of Arts Center. UArts students, staff and all UArts alumni and upcoming gradu- “A Gifted Man” entitled “In Case of alumni will receive special discounts.” ates, including Christopher Latzke BFA Abnormal Rhythm” aired on Decem- ’06 (Acting), LaTasha Morris BM ’06 ber 2, 2011. Stephanie Meliti BFA ’07 (Jazz Dance) (Voice), Andre Webb BM ’08 (Voice) was featured in New Jersey’s Glouces- and R. Brandon Dennis BM ’09 (Voice). Genevieve Dion MID ’07 (Industrial ter County Times when she returned Design), fashion design program to Philadelphia as a cast member of Jen Mooney BFA ’06 (Dance Educa- director at Drexel University, has the musical “Barney Live in Concert tion) is currently a Philadelphia Ea- focused her research on identifying – Birthday Bash!” The show came to gles cheerleader on her second season production methods that advance the the Liacouras Center at Temple Uni- with the team. She was chosen out field of wearable technology. Follow- versity in November 2011. Meliti ap- of 400 cheerleaders in the league to ing the signing of a groundbreaking peared in the show as a female chorus dance at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii in million dollar agreement with Shima member and occasionally as Riff, a January 2012. She also works at a Seiki USA, Dion will now have a 6-year-old Hadrosaur who loves mu- dance studio in New Jersey teaching state-of-the-art laboratory to conduct sic. Meliti said, “The most fulfilling ballet, tap and jazz. research for the development of new part of the job is the kids. They get smart textiles and wearable technol- so excited. It’s so rewarding to see the Dana Schloss MA ’06 (Museum Exhi- ogies, and to explore new methods kids get excited ... they sing and dance bition Planning & Design) joined the of production that will ultimately throughout the show.” TALUS Science Center to be the lead impact a number of market sectors. developer/designer and prototyper in 2009. The innovative and experimen- Alex Eckman-Lawn BFA ’07 (Il- tal Science Center in Calgary, Alberta, lustration) has worked with many opened in October 2011. Schloss bands, including Architect, Psyopus, has worked in prototyping with the Backstabbers Inc., Yakuza, Hacride Museum of the Moving Image, New and Circle of Dead Children, design- York Hall of Science, American Philo- ing T-shirts and album art. He has sophical Society, Mutter Museum and also done design and artwork for Wil- Franklin Institute, among others. lowtip Records, Black Market Activi- ties, Tribunal Records and Scholastic Mary Scholz BFA ’06 (Musical The- Books. He has just wrapped up work ater) relocated to Los Angeles in May on Awakening, an existential horror 2011 and is loving her new surround- comic book to be published by Ar- ings. Her song “Tennessee” was nomi- chaia Studios Press. (See his work on nated for a 2011 Hollywood Music page 17.) in Media Award in the category of Adult Contemporary. Scholz is play- Matt Frock BFA ’07 (Painting) is ing shows in the L.A. area and work- currently a teacher at the Haver- ing with other songwriters and has ford School teaching art and design, been doing background work on vari- photography, and woodworking. He ous television shows as well as getting published a new book Love2, which her foot in the door as a script super- he wrote in 2007 and has been work- visor for indie and student films. Her ing to illustrate it since. Phoebe Silva BFA ’07 (Musical The- newest music video “Hide” will be re- ater) interned for SITI Company dur- leased sometime this winter as the first Carly Johnson BM ’07 (Voice) is cur- ing its Fall Training Workshop, delv- (opposite) half of a video project with her indie rently taking the Louisville, Ky., mu- ing deeper into Suzuki and Viewpoints Matt Dangler’s label Ringlet Records. sic scene by storm. According to Lou- training. This is her fourth training Feeding the Inner isville magazine, Johnson is working session with the company. She is Sanctum Kelli Barrett ’07 (Musical Theater) is full-time at local music venues and also enrolled in Yoga to the People’s playing the leading role in the read- with a nine-piece band, Liberation Teacher Training program, by the end (right) Nathan DiStefano’s ing “Beauty,” written and directed by Prophecy, a jazz band that has a non- of which she will have earned her 200- Umbrella Tina Landau with music by Regina jazz feel. hour yoga teaching certification!

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 53 ALUMNI NOTES

Anne Wilson BFA ’07 (Modern Jason Chen BFA ’08 (Animation), through the power of his music. What Dance) co-produced a show with Ian Foster BFA ’08 (Animation) and started as a trip to develop his skills two local playwrights at the Paper- Marina Gvozdeva BFA ’08 (Anima- on the piano evolved into a movement mill Theater in Kensington titled tion) were commissioned to produce that inspired people to fulfill their own “Wild Punch: Dance Theater Adven- a music video for Philly/N.Y.-based dreams. His travels are chronicled on tures in Kensington.” “Wild Punch” band Jukebox the Ghost. The video pianoacrossamerica.com. included Wilson’s 30-minute dance was featured as an exclusive premiere solo “graceful frustrated expletive,” on Vevo.com. Lauren Palmeri BFA ’08 (Musical The- which is about her personal evolu- ater) is on the “Beauty and the Beast” tion as a dancer, as well as Josh Sean Elias BFA ’08 (Musical The- national tour through August 2012! Mcllvain’s play “Waiting for the ater) left his schooling to develop She is in the ensemble and understudy- Boss” and John Rosenberg’s “Auto- a new musical comedy written by ing Belle. mated Fault Isolation.” This collabor- John Hoover, based on Hoover’s ative production presented audiences New York Times bestseller How to Nathan Pankratz BFA ’08 (Paint- with three new pieces distinct in Work for an Idiot. This new musical, ing/Drawing) had a solo exhibition theme, approach and discipline within taking the same title as the book, is through March 2012 in the Bridgette one show. slated to open on Broadway during Mayer Gallery in Philadelphia. The the 2013-2014 season. Elias has also exhibition featured his recent ab- Heather Woodward BFA ’07 (Musi- been invited to callbacks for a new stract paintings and works on paper. cal Theater) moved to Los Angeles musical called “Cupcake” opening Pankratz was a founder and mem- after shooting a new pilot called in Boston in 2012. He continues his ber of Philadelphia-based collective “The Prospects,” written and direct- private consultation with corpora- Tiger Strikes Asteroid from 2009 to ed by Kaelan and Christian Kelly- tions such as Apple and Campbell’s 2011 and has shown at a number of Sordelet, and is now taking classes Soup in regard to keynote design and galleries in Philadelphia, Switzerland at the Groundlings. presentation, as well as his work at and Italy. Apple, Inc. as a genius. Doshanna Bell BFA ’08 (Musical Vanessa Rivera BFA ’08 (Graphic Theater) was hired for her first inter- Carly Fuller BFA ’08 (Photography) Design) is a senior interactive designer national commercial in January 2012 did a product shoot for a children’s for a company called Blue Diesel, an for AICO. accessories line called “Lole’s Giggles.” inVentiv Health Company.

Kyra Bromberg BFA ’08 Melissa Andrade Johnson MAT ’08 Eric Welch BS ’08 (Industrial Design) (Musical Theater) finished (Visual Arts) is currently a fine arts was named 2011 Outstanding Alum- up “A Christmas Carol” teacher for William Penn High School nus of the Benchmark School, an el- with Manhattan Children’s and New Castle School in Delaware. ementary and middle school in Media, Theatre and dove into her Pa. Welch was promoted to exhibit next project, which was her James Lincke BFA ’08 (Illustration) designer at the Franklin Institute in second year of performing is a full-time graphic designer/cre- 2010 and is designing an 8,000 sq. ft. with ActorCor on its annual ative production artist at American exhibit called “Your Brain,” which is MLK, Jr. Day concert “Say Process Lettering (AMPRO Sports) set to open in 2013. Yes!” She then went on tour in Secane, Pa. He recently took a through May 2012 with trip to London to be a part of and Genna Baroni BFA ’09 (Ballet) joined American Family Theater’s attend the world premiere of “Su- Company E, a Washington, D.C., “Alice in Wonderland,” perman: Requiem,” a feature-length dance company embarking on a col- where she played Tweedle- independent film in which he creat- laboration with choreographers from dum, the Duchess and the ed concept artwork as well as char- Israel called “Next: Israel.” Presented Mad Hatter. Bromberg con- acter posters for the film. He also by the Washington Performing Arts tinues her work as a com- did freelance work for actor John Society, the Embassy of Israel and pany member with Village Schneider of “Dukes of Hazzard” the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Playback Theater. and “Smallville” fame. “Next: Israel” is the inaugural program by Company E in a series of Nathaniel Butler BFA ’08 (Sculpture) Dotan Negrin BFA ’08 (Musical The- concerts celebrating the work of art- had a solo exhibition at New York ater) is traveling across the United ists nation-by-nation. The company City’s Medailia in February 2012 States with an upright piano in a truck performed in Washington on February titled “Dissonance: Storytelling and and aims to bring people together 25, 2012, and is now on tour. the Story.”

54 EDGE SUMMER 2012 ALUMNI NOTES

Amanda Benton branding and web design firm. Cou- teaching a Mentoring Through the MFA ’09 (Book pling creativity with professional ex- Arts theater class in Reading, Pa., to Arts/Printmaking) perience and expertise, they provide inner-city teens. She has a few other is the designer of a entrepreneurs and their companies projects lining up, including beginning poster that was one with logos and web design, print to develop her own drama therapy of three chosen in works and branding solutions. program with the Yocum Institute a national competi- for Arts Education. When not teach- tion to promote the Liz Panjian BFA ’09 (Theater Man- ing theater, Rowley is still a substitute plan of the Ameri- agement and Production) is currently teacher’s assistant at Delaware Coun- can Jobs Act. She an associate director at YMCA Camp ty schools, working with students received a copy of Mohawk in Litchfield, Conn. Her with special needs. her poster signed by main job functions are development, President Obama. human resources and office manage- Casey Sharpe BFA ’09 (Crafts) is a re- ment. She finds office management cipient of the Gemological Institute of Joey Contreras BFA ’09 (Musical very fulfilling. She also does a little America’s Richard T. Liddicoat 2012 Theater) was recently featured in the photography on the side and just pho- Scholarship. The scholarship awards Broadway in South Africa 4th An- tographed a wedding last summer. each recipient a full scholarship for nual Gala at the Manhattan Center the Graduate Gemologist program. Grand Ballroom, hosted by Lance Nicholas Park BFA ’09 (Musical The- Sharpe, recipient of the distance edu- Bass. He continues work on his new ater) is very proud to announce that his cation scholarship, is currently work- musical “Horizontal Academics” with debut solo cabaret “PJs and Pixy Stix: ing as a jewelry designer and will con- Kate Thomas through NYU’s Gradu- A Cabaret” played to a sold-out house tinue in this role as she pursues her ate Musical Theatre Writing Program, on December 16, 2011, at the Duplex gemological education to enhance her which received its first New York read- Cabaret Theatre. After the success of gemstone knowledge. ing in May 2012. the first show, he did an encore performance on January 30, 2012. It featured Angela Davis MM ’09 (Jazz Studies) the talents of Kelly Brown on piano is a contributing writer for All About and H. Aubrey Grant BFA ’09 (Musi- Jazz and her interview with Joe Lova- cal Theater) on guitar. Park has recently no was published in February 2012. accepted a position on the board of She is an Australian saxophonist, com- directors for Rock & Rawhide, a new poser and writer and joined All About organization dedicated to helping our Jazz in 2008. four-legged friends that are currently in shelters. Park is still all smiles Lindsay Gilbert BFA ’09 (Sculpture) serving tables and hosting HumpDay had a solo exhibition at Paradigm Gal- Karaoke every Wednesday night at lery in Philadelphia in March 2012 XES Lounge (157 W. 24th St) in NYC. titled “The Spaces in Between.” She also won the FIDEM XXXII Congress Meghan Pearson BFA ’09 (Theater exhibition competition. Her glass Design & Technology) writes, “I am Ryan Walker BFA ’09 (Acting) com- medallic sculpture will be exhibited in the costume shop manager for the pleted three productions with the the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow, Weathervane Theater in New Hamp- South Camden Theater Company and Scotland, this summer. shire. I work and live in upstate New also worked as an emcee for the (opposite) York and am moving to NYC in Sep- American Red Cross in 2011. Still image Adrienne Langer BFA ’09 (Illustration) tember 2012.” from video by had a gallery show titled “Born and Ambe Williams BFA ’09 (Musical Jason Chen, Raised” at Barber on 24th in Philadel- Janet Rowley BFA ’09 (Musical The- Theater) is currently in rehearsal for Ian Foster, phia in February 2012. ater) recently finished playing the role the role of Vera Dotson in a produc- Marina Gvozdeva of Sarah Calder in “The Boxcar Chil- tion of August Wilson’s “Seven Gui- (above) Kyung Min BFA ’09 (Illustration) is dren,” a play based on the children’s tars” at the American Stage Theater Poster by currently vice president of TAF JK book of the same name. The play was in St. Petersburg, Fla. She will also Amanda Benton Group Inc. As VP, Min works in directed by Beverly Houck BFA ’94 be getting her EMC card from this (right) graphic design and web development (Musical Theater). Rowley is still a production. Williams just finished Dotan Negrin and manages employees and projects. teaching artist with Theatre Horizon’s the national tour of “Encore” with at Yosemite TAF JK Group, Inc. is a full-service Autism Drama program, and is now Chamber Theater Productions.

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 55 ALUMNI NOTES

s Josh E. Johnson BFA ’10 (Multime- 2010 dia) currently resides in Voorhees, Mike Curcio BS ’10 (Communi- N.J. He founded web design and cations) is currently working as a internet marketing company Big J contract trainer for a variety of Media a few years before graduating healthcare informatics systems. He and has been working full-time since also does video production work in- graduation. He has worked for small dependently and for the Philadelphia businesses building websites as well Phillies. as creating and managing social marketing strategies, which have proven that includes fellow alumnus Joe Cher- Michael Doherty BFA ’10 (Musi- successful in promoting and selling nus BM ’11 (Guitar Performance). cal Theater) hosted and appeared in the clients’ products and services. He Paulsen writes, “I believe the versatile 11th Hour Theater Company’s annual has also started working with some faculty members at UArts are com- “Philly Rocks” at World Cafe Live college students to outsource his pletely to thank! I feel I embraced their on February 27, 2012. He also ap- work, hopefully leading up to being different talents and sought out teach- peared in “Punchkapow” with Team busy enough to hire a programmer ers that prepared me to score films Sunshine Performance Corp. at the and graphic designer to further what and also write, produce and distribute Passage Theater in Trenton, N.J., in the company can provide and hope- an album.” March 2012. Doherty was also seen fully help provide just a few more as Georg in Media Theater’s “Spring jobs to the economic crisis. Jacqueline Real BFA ’10 (Musical Awakening.” He has a busy summer Theater) recently shot a new web se- to look forward to, which includes Greg Nix BFA ’10 (Musical The- ries called “Get Lucky” about dating acting in “Mr. Hart and ater) continued to collaborate with in Brooklyn. Mr. Brown” at People’s 1812 Productions on various proj- Light and Theater Com- ects, including its annual Valentine’s Nancy Gail Ring MFA ’10 (Painting) pany and two Philadel- Day concert at the Tin Angel and a received glittering reviews for her solo phia Fringe Festival pro- monthly “This Is The Week That Is” exhibition entitled “What You Get Is ductions. Along with Alex segment for WHYY’s NewsWorks To Be Changed.” The Star Ledger said, Bechtel BFA ’08 (Musical radio show. He also appeared in “Ring’s powers of observation are Theater) and Greg Nix “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” at acute, but she never lets her technique BFA ’10 (Musical The- the Walnut Street Theatre this spring, become claustrophobic – there’s plenty ater), the guys are pro- followed by an original Fringe piece of white space left for the imagination ducing an original work with Alex Bechtel BFA ’08 (Musical to roam.” She is also the co-founder of entitled “Jeff Coon and Theater) and Michael Doherty BFA the artist blog jellypress.com. Ben Dibble Must Die.” ’10 (Musical Theater), to be directed As a co-founder and co- by Brind School faculty member Amy Dariela (Didi) Sanchez Cortes BFA producer of Round Table Dugas Brown. He also signed with ’10 (Acting) returned to her native Theatre Co. with Dan Bloc NYC for New York representa- Mexico in July 2011. She became the O’Neil BFA ’10 (Musical tion during fall 2011. producer and star of her own TV show Theater), Doherty will for children called DiDiVersiOneS and produce “Speech and De- A score by Sean Paulsen BM ’10 successfully finished the first season bate,” also for the Fringe (Music) for a short film posted on with 20 episodes that she wrote and Festival. FunnyorDie.com went live. It starred directed herself. The show combines tennis legend John McEnroe and re- sketches of dance, handcrafts, inter- Jesse Gerard BS ’10 (Industrial De- ceived over 10,000 views in its first views, education, skills and fun char- sign) currently works at PhillyWorks 10 hours. In January 2012, his group acters to entertain and educate. designing and creating speaker sys- Dapper Cads released its first EP. It tems. The speakers come from many was self-produced under his studio/ J. Michael Stafford BFA ’10 (Theater local materials and are a product publishing group Settlers & Explor- Design & Technology) recently started based on his own ideas on how to ers Music and is now available on a full-time position in the Production make them. He also belongs to Next- iTunes, Spotify and many other music department at the Juilliard School, Fab, a co-working space in University outlets. The release came on the heels working on School of Drama plays City, where he uses many tools to cre- of winning the Untz Challenge II, a and School of Vocal Arts operas. He ate the speakers. popular electro blog’s contest for the is also still freelancing around the best-produced track out of hundreds Greater New York Area for various of submissions. Dapper Cads is a trio companies.

56 EDGE SUMMER 2012 ALUMNI NOTES

Allen F. Weaver BFA ’10 (Musical Nick Costa BM ’10 (Percussion), Tim Passarella BS ’11 (Industrial De- Theater) will appear in “Miss Saigon” MAT ’11 (Music Education) is the sign) is a senior designer at Levelwing, at the Fulton Opera House in Lan- technology associate for B. Reed Hen- a digital marketing agency in NYC caster, Pa., this summer. He is playing derson High School in the West Ches- and Charleston, S.C. Levelwing, re- the role of Thuy, and the show runs ter Area School District. He is also an cently named one of the fastest-grow- through July 8, 2012. independent educator teaching private ing private companies in America by drum lessons at Keswick Music in Inc. magazine, uses real-time best-of- Nicholas Whittaker BM ’10 (Electric Glenside, Pa., a musician performing breed technologies to generate action- Bass) is an electric bass player who with indie rock group Modern Suits able intelligence, which moves you studied under Craig Thomas and and the George Weldon Jazz Trio, and away from “faith-based” advertising Howard Thompson and performed has performed on various recording to measurable “fact-based” results. in the Jimmy Paxson Salsa Ensem- sessions throughout the greater Phila- ble, Justin Binek’s Jazz Singers, Rick delphia area. Hall’s Steely Dan Ensemble and Marc Dicciani’s Rumble Ensemble. Af- Alex Crozier-Jackson BFA ’11 (Ballet ter graduation, Whittaker moved to Performance) performed the lead role South Miami and joined Soundwor- in BalletFleming’s original ballet “The thy Entertainment Corporation, with Myth & Madness of Edgar Allen Poe” which he performs at the Hard Rock in March 2012. Crozier-Jackson has Casino and the Seminole Classic Ca- performed nationally and internation- sino in Ft. Lauderdale every month. ally with Pennsylvania Ballet, Brandy- Whittaker also writes, performs and wine Ballet, D.ID Dance Identity and records his own music under the the Donetsk Ballet of Ukraine. He is a moniker Tombolo. He also teaches founding member and current dancer guitar and bass lessons around the with BalletFleming based in Philadel- South Florida area. He performs with phia. Crozier-Jackson has originated Keandra Cordero BM ’10 (Voice) as the title roles in Christopher Fleming’s an acoustic guitar and vocal cover “Gaspar-A Pirate Fantasy” ballet and duo, the Cordero-Whittaker Duo, at the upcoming “The Myth and Mad- private events and cocktail hours. ness of Edgar Allan Poe” to critical acclaim. Caroline Boyd BFA ’11 (Film) was a video intern at Project Twenty1 and is Nicholas Deacon BM ’11 (Music now developing a web series with fel- Performance) wrote, “I’m working low alumni Robert Curry BFA ’11 as a personal trainer at the YMCA. (Film) and Georgie Keveson BFA I’ve gotten a few certifications as a ’11 (Applied Theater Arts) that has personal trainer and specialist in per- begun shooting. formance nutrition and am hoping to get a few smaller, more specific ones Veronica Bruce MFA ’11 (Studio Art) shortly. I take private clients outside was in the group show “Reality Slips” of the YMCA and I’m also presently Ashlyn Stoner BFA ’11 (Musical at Robert Bills Contemporary in Chi- contemplating returning to school for Theater) performed with L.A.’s pre- cago. The show ran through April physical therapy.” mier caroling group the Goode Time 2012. “Reality Slips” presented new Carolers for the 2011 holiday season. work that included sculpture, paint- Kenya Gayles BFA ’11 (Theater) is The group performed at Disneyland ing, collage, photography and instal- currently a stage management fellow Park and Hotels, as well as many lation. The work explores the unsus- at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia special events throughout Southern tainable linearity of assumptions at and serves as the assistant stage man- California. Stoner also signed with (opposite, top to bottom) multiple levels of dominant systems of ager for its 2011-2012 season. Cydney McCurdy, a commercial Jesse Gerard information. agent with Media Artists Group. Parris Lacey BFA ’11 (Modern Dance) She also plays Lily in the web series Alex Crozier-Jackson writes, “I am currently dancing with “Zombie Kittens,” a post-apoca- two dance companies, one in Philadel- lyptic farce that began shooting in (right) Veronica Bruce’s phia and one in Utah. I am freelancing November 2011. Good Day as well.”

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 57 IN MEMORIAM

in memoriam

Russell Hoban BFA ’41 (Art Education) passed away at the launched a long-running cartoon series called “All in the age of 86 on December 13, 2011. Born in Lansdale, Pa., he Family” and published artwork in magazines including served in the Army infantry after graduation. He worked Colliers and The Saturday Evening Post. The Bears books, as a storyboard artist and television director until 1957, which were inspired by Jan and Stan’s children and grand- when he started working in freelance advertising. He be- children, address all aspects of family life, from getting gan his career as a children’s book writer in the late 1950s, kids to do chores to managing first-day-of-school jitters. eventually completing more than 50 books for children of To date, more than 300 titles have been released in 23 lan- all ages. His best-known works include Bedtime for Fran- guages. With more than 250 million copies sold, the Beren- ces from the beloved Frances series, as well as The Mouse stain Bears series is one of the bestselling children’s book and His Child, which became an animated movie in 1977. series of all time. (See the next issue of Edge for more on He had great critical success with Riddley Wallker, a post- Jan Berenstain’s legacy.) apocalytic fantasy novel noted for its inventive language. In an appreciative essay in The New York Times celebrat- Rosina S. (Sinopoli) Radomile BFA ’46 (Costume Design) ing Hoban’s life and career, writer Laurence Downs noted, passed away at the age of 86 on February 26, 2011. A resi- “Children’s books, like pop songs, are simple things we’ll dent of Drexel Hill, Pa., she was the beloved wife of Dr. never run out of, partly because so many people want to John J. Radomile Sr. for 63 years. write them and think they can. But simplicity is harder than it looks. So are depth and beauty. Mr. Hoban’s ‘Frances’ Mark von Zech Jr. BFA ’50 (Illustration), an accomplished books take us all the way to delight, using an easy-reader artist and advertising executive, passed away at age 87 on vocabulary.” February 17, 2012, in Virginia Beach, Va., where he resided for the past three years. Von Zech served as a sergeant in Harry Kale BFA ’42 (Advertising Design) passed away on the U.S. Marine Corps during WWII. He retired as the art November 7, 2011. After graduation, Kale served overseas director from Reimel / Carter Advertising in 1996 after 35 in WWII as a sergeant. He met his wife, Yvette, after the years. He was an award-winning fine artist, specializing in war and they were happily married for 57 years. The GI water color. Von Zech’s most treasured time was spent with bill allowed Kale to also pursue a degree at the University family. He was the husband of the late Betty von Zech and of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. He worked for the is survived by three children and two grandchildren. Eshbach and Glass Architecture Firm, which grew into a leading firm in the Delaware Valley, designing and creating Robert Milnazik DIPL ’51 (Advertising Design), a graphic for 30 years. He worked on many buildings at institutions designer and artist of Wayne, Pa., passed away at age 81 such as Wordsworth Academy, Glassboro State, Rutgers on January 22, 2012. Milnazik established a design studio South Jersey, Kent and Queen Anne Hospital in Maryland, in 1954 in Center City Philadelphia and serviced accounts Penn State in College Park and the Temple Law Library. for N.W. Ayer & Son and did design work for individual He was recognized as a Fellow of the American Institute of clients such as Publicker Industries and Rohm & Haas Co. Architects in 1970. Family and friends wrote that he was a He designed and illustrated menus for restaurants such “kind, intelligent man who pioneered modern architectural as the Green Tulip Room at the Plaza Hotel in New York design, while living an incredibly full life.” City. After retiring in 1993, Milnazik created paintings in gouache – a medium similar to watercolor, though more Jan Berenstain BFA ’45 (Illustration), co-creator of the Be- opaque – and his work was exhibited at area galleries. In renstain Bears series, passed away on February 24, 2012, at 1997, he and his daughter, Kimmerle, and his wife, Janet, the age of 88. Berenstain wrote and illustrated hundreds of exhibited their paintings together at a show at Immaculata affectionate tales featuring Mama, Papa, Brother and Sister College. Last year, he and his wife exhibited at the Barn Bear together with her husband and fellow alumnus, Stan Studio Gallery in Doylestown. He is survived by his wife of Berenstain BFA ’45 (Illustration), who died in 2005. Jan 59 years and his son. and Stan Berenstain met on their first day of art school in 1941 and married in 1946. Prior to the 1962 publication Donald Wilf DIPL ’52 (Theater Stage Design), an artist who of the first Bears book The Big Honey Hunt, the couple owned Donald Stanley Inc., an interior-design company in

58 EDGE SUMMER 2012 IN MEMORIAM Z T WI O K L EVE BE T S

Ardmore, Pa., from 1959 to 2011, passed away on Janu- of his work was exhibited at the University of the Arts in ary 15, 2012, at age 84. Wilf was resident designer for the 2004. He received commissions by museums and galleries modern-dance department at the University of Pennsylva- to restore precious gold and silver pieces. Inspired by a son nia from 1946 to 1948 and designed catalogs and costumes who is an avid runner, Emmons took up jogging in his early from 1949 to 1953 for the Center City Philadelphia dance- 40s. He worked his way up to running in marathons and wear firm Baum’s while freelancing as a costume designer ultramarathons and continued to run until his early 70s. He for showgirls at the Latin Casino nightclub in Cherry Hill, is survived by his wife, Ellen, as well as two sons and four N.J. He was a producer and designer of summer revues at grandchildren. the Log Tavern in Milford, Pa., from 1953 to 1957. After consulting for a former wallpaper and fabrics firm in Wilmington, Ronald Dove DIPL ’57 (Advertising Design) of Glen Mills, Del., he opened his own firm in 1959. Besides his partner, Pa., was 78 when he passed away on December 9, 2011. Dr. Peter Arger, Wilf is survived by his brother, Jerome. He was an artist who was president of the Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia for 37 years. Dove was an instruc- Joseph Nettis BFA ’53 (Illustration) passed away at the age tor, head of the design department, student coordinator, as- of 83 on November 2, 2011. Shortly after graduation, Na- sistant director and director at Hussian before becoming tional Geographic published photos from his bicycle trip president. After graduation, Dove had a design studio in through Europe in 1955 and he persuaded the magazine to Philadelphia and taught for several years at Rosemont Col- sponsor a round-the-world journey in the spring of 1956. lege and the Philadelphia College of Art as well as at Hus- After completing his work for National Geographic, he sian. He held several offices with the Art Directors Club struck out across Spain, where he shot 10,000 photos for a of Philadelphia, including three terms as president. He re- book he eventually published, A Spanish Summer, and his ceived the club’s President’s Award in 1985 and the Inspira- photographs ran in numerous magazines. In Man and His tion Award in 2002 for being a “beacon of motivation for Religions, published in 1963, Nettis gleaned photos he had the creative community.” taken from around the world of religious ceremonies involving birth, coming of age, marriage and death. In 1964, David Arnold White BS ’73 (Industrial Design) of Landen- he published Philadelphia Discovered, a pictorial tribute to berg, Pa., passed away on January 31, 2012, at age 60. He his hometown. His portrait of Adlai E. Stevenson appeared was the owner of DesignDesign, Inc., a graphic and prod- on the cover of Life magazine and a color photo of a boat in uct design company in Kennett Square, where he worked front of the Fairmount Water Works appeared in The New with his daughter, Erika, and son, Ian. He was a member York Times Magazine in June 1984. Nettis also wrote the of the St. Michael Lutheran Church in Unionville. He en- text for his books and published a novel in 2001, Sergio’s joyed racket ball, golf, vacations to the Caribbean and time Odyssey. (See this issue’s “From the Archives” for a special spent with his family. Survivors include his wife Linda, with remembrance of Joseph Nettis and his work.) whom he shared 38 years of marriage, three children and one grandson. Wesley Emmons BFA ’54 (Jewelry) passed away on May 23, 2011, at age 83. He was a talented craftsman and taught Edward C. Shultz MAT ’96 (Visual Arts) passed away on Crafts and Jewelry at UArts until 1966. Since 1964, Em- December 11, 2011, at the age of 81. After high school mons and his wife operated Emmons Jewelers at 16th and and being honorably discharged from the Army, he spent Spruce Streets in Center City Philadelphia. During his long many years owning his own business of fixing televisions, career, he made jewelry for Eleanor Roosevelt, Buddy Rich starting in 1956. In 1995, he earned a Bible Studies degree and a pectoral cross for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Philadelphia College of Bible then went on to earn his He designed an altar piece for Old Zion Church on Broad master’s degree at UArts in Art Education. From 1997 to Street as well as the silver medallion presented to outstand- 2011, he taught at King’s Academy School. He became an ing graduates from his alma mater. His work has been ex- ordained minister in 2007, serving as a volunteer pastor at hibited at the Philadelphia Art Alliance and the Woodmere Calvary Chapel of Southern Ocean County. He performed Gallery, and he was included in the “Touch of Gold” show the wedding of his son in August 2011 and the baptism of at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1974. A retrospective a cousin just weeks before his passing.

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 59 from the archives

FROM THE ARCHIVES

by Sara MacDonald Public Services Librarian

Joseph Nettis BFA ’53 (ILLUSTRATION) Alumnus, Photographer and Archives Photo Donor

I’d like to take advantage of this installment of “From the Archives” to recognize the late Joseph Nettis BFA ’53 (Illustration), who donated many of the UArts Archives’ most-used photographs (see “In Memoriam” on page 59).

Joe graduated from the Philadelphia Museum School of Art (now the UArts College of Art, Media and Design) with a diploma in Illustration, but began his successful photography career almost immediately. Of particular note just after graduation was a July 1955 photo-essay about bicycling through Europe for National Geographic. He died November 2, 2011.

I met Joe through the Golden Arts alumni luncheons and corresponded with him about his photographs. He, along with other alumni, helped me to identify people and dates for many of the photos already in the archives. Joe graciously allowed us to use his photographs in The University of the Arts (ISBN 073854521X), published in 2006, and was hired by the school numerous times for photo work, including school catalogs in the mid-1960s. Here are a few of Joe’s best shots, in particular from his student days.

(left, top to bottom) Students on the steps of Hamilton Hall, circa 1950

Written on the back: “Drawing, 1950. Joe Camana, teacher, assistant to Fred Rothermel”

Hamilton Hall, early 1950s. The school at that time was called the Philadelphia Museum School of Art

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(this page, clockwise) Written on the back of this photo from the early 1950s: “anatomy tests”

Written on the back of this photo: “fdeP.R. [Fred deP. Rothermel, faculty]; final anatomy project, 1952”

Philadelphia Museum School of art student John fulton Short graduated in 1954, moved to Spain, and became a successful bullfighter known as “El Yankee.” Joe took this shot of John while both were still students, circa 1950.

one of the photos from the article “Left Bank at Broad and Pine” by Nancy Love, with photos by Joseph Nettis. the article appeared in Greater Philadelphia: The Magazine for Executives, 55.12 (December 1964), p. [44]. caption: “instructor Sol Mednick briefs pensive sophs on basic photography.”

ALL PHOTOS BY JOSEPH NETTIS.

Please send any corrections to Sara MacDonald at [email protected].

SUMMER 2012 EDGE 61 The University of the Arts Non Profit Org 320 South Broad Street US Postage Philadelphia, PA 19102 PAID www.uarts.edu Lancaster, PA Permit No. 299