 August 2009
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verge the e-newsletter of the university of the arts
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Continuing Studies Programs Named Best in Philadelphia Region
The Division of Continuing Studies at the University of the Arts has another feather in its cap, named the Philadelphia region's Best Adult Classes in the 2009 Best of Philly® issue of Philadelphia magazine.
The article reads: "The Continuing Education program at UArts isn't exactly a time tunnel back to your carefree college days, but you will feel that old rush of excitement (a world of possibility!) when presented with the chance to see if you might be a poetry genius or a budding Ralph Lauren. And should you realize after a couple of classes that you're not, at least this time you're not blowing through the dough Mom and Dad worked years to save. Choose from any number of courses and weekend workshops-encouraging instructors guide students through everything from screen-printing to torch-fired enamel jewelry design."
Philadelphia magazine annually selects "the best of the best" in a wide range of categories, from restaurants and art galleries to landscaping companies and romantic first-date venues, from TV meteorologists to hotel spas.
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Big Band Sounds Bring Summer Jazz Institute to a Swinging Close
Nearly 60 top high school jazz musicians from across the country recently filled the air with music at the Caplan Center Recital Hall in an exciting finale to the University's two week Pre-College Summer Jazz Institute. Local philanthropist Kal Rudman capped off the event by presenting a check for $20,000 to support the program's scholarship fund. A patron of the Jazz Institute for nearly 15 years, Rudman, the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University, provided nearly half of this year's students with some level of financial support.
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Brind School Announces Fall Main Stage Productions
The Ira Brind School of Theater Arts at the University of the Arts announced its two main stage productions for this fall: "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Major Barbara." Staged in the Arts Bank Theater, the productions feature faculty directors Amy Feinberg (right) and Charles Conwell, respectively.
Based on the novel by Harper Lee and adapted by Christopher Sergel, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a gripping coming-of-age tale set in a virulently prejudicial South. The play shows a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father - a crusading local lawyer - risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a crime. Runs October 9-17, 2009.
Written by George Bernard Shaw, "Major Barbara" follows Barbara Undershaft, an officer in the Salvation Army who deplores the values of her father, a millionaire munitions manufacturer. But what will happen when he offers his tainted riches to support the Salvation Army's work? Can salvation survive a pact with the devil? Father and daughter match wits and wills in a 20th century masterpiece that asks: "What is necessary to make the world better?" Runs November 13-21, 2009.
Tickets for Main Stage productions are $20 for general admission, $10 for senior citizens (65+), and $5 for children (9-14) and University of the Arts alumni. Admission for University of the Arts students is free. For more information, visit Now on Stage!
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Animation Students Create QFest Trail er
University of the Arts Animation rising seniors Adriel Garcia, Rachel Gitlevich, Andrew Gomes and Helen Wallace, under the supervision of Media Arts Chair Karl Staven, had a hand in creating the trailer for the 15th annual QFest, formerly the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, which screened films across the city July 9-20. As part of the event, Emmy Award-winning actress Sharon Gless received the festival's Gay Icon Award.
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CMAC Alumna's Novel Is Finalist for Booksellers Honor 
Same Difference, the second novel by College of Media and Communication graduate Siobhan Vivian '01 (WFTV), has been named a finalist for the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Book Award in the "Children's Literature and Young Adult" category. Loosely based on Vivian's high school experience at the University's Summer Institute, the book has been hailed as "a stunning new novel that goes straight to the heart of a teen girl's search for identity - including the pain and heartache everyone goes through to figure out who they are." Check out a review and synopsis. Vivian was recently contracted for an additional two teen novels with Scholastic, to be released in the next two years.
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New Associate Provost Appointed
James Savoie has been named Associate Provost at the University of the Arts. Previously, Savoie served as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at Philadelphia University  for nine years and was Director of Academic Services at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University for seven years. He brings to the position experience in the supervision of academic support services, responsibility for commencement, coordination of study-abroad programs, and supervision of curricular and other governance processes. Savoie will work with Provost Michael Nash to advance curricular goals and effectiveness, supporting and advancing student success and retention. He begins in his new post on August 10.
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Phillip Van Cleave Named New VP for Facilities Management and Operations
Phillip Van Cleave has been named Vice President for Facilities Management and Operations at the University of the Arts, replacing Joe Garbarino. An accredited Facilities Management Administrator (FMA), Van Cleave joins the University from Wayne, Pa.-based Crothall Services Group, where he was most recently Regional Operations Manager for their Facilities Management division. He began his tenure on July 13.
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Alumnus Berny Brownstein's Paintings at the Wexler Gallery
Paintings by Berny Brownstein '57 (Advertising Design) are on exhibit at the Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia through the end of August. Brownstein is the founder of the Brownstein Group, one of Philadelphia's leading advertising agencies. As an artist, he is a recorder of decisive moments, personal reflections, and experiences gained through years of travel and observation. Excited about "the essence of all things: a figure, landscape, character of an individual," Brownstein is inspired by the possibilities of "form, color, texture, the transient play of light and shadow."
Through August 29
Wexler Gallery
201 N. Third St., Philadelphia
Top left: "Longport Bridge," Oil on canvas, 20 X 24 inches; above: "The Bishop's Balcony," Pen and ink and water color, 11 X 8 inches
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4th Annual UArts Golf Tournament
The 4th Annual UArts Golf Tournament tees off August 24, 2009, at Stonewall in Elverson, Pa., to raise funds for the Promising Young Artists Scholarship fund that benefits talented and deserving students at the University of the Arts. Trustee James P. Vesey is this year's event chair. In its three years, the golf outing has raised more than $600,000. For additional information, please contact Special Events Manager Kate Johnson at 215-717-6145.
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Reunion 2009:
Remember . Reunite . Reconnect
Members of the Alumni Council of the University of the Arts invite alumni of the University and of all of its predecessor institutions back to campus for Reunion 2009, October 16-18. The weekend program is full of engaging presentations, receptions, tours, exhibits, performances and social gatherings aimed at showcasing all that the University is and has become. Events include a lecture and exhibition on the life and art of Illustration alumnus Roger Hane '61; "A Conversation with Hans Allemann," an intimate, revealing talk between influential and recently retired Graphic Design professor Hans Allemann and designer and faculty member Joel Katz; the student production of "To Kill a Mockingbird;" a large ensemble showcase with School of Music students; an alumni town hall meeting and dinner (with a state-of-the-university address by President Sean Buffington); classes and educational sessions; and a "Big Shot" photo on the steps of Hamilton Hall. Contact Alumni Relations for additional information about programming and travel and lodging.
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