December 2013

So Nice, He Challenged Us Twice

Last year, UArts was the beneficiary of a $50,000 Challenge Grant made by Trustee Sonny Mandell and the Samuel P. Mandell Foundation. Thanks to that generosity and the support of our alumni, parents and friends, over $110,000 in new and increased donations were made to the University's Annual Fund. This year, our longtime trustee has challenged the University once again, offering another $50,000 Challenge Grant to help grow specific groups of donors to the Annual Fund including parents, new Haviland Society members and young alumni.

The Samuel P. Mandell Foundation continues to champion our efforts to expand and strengthen the University's Annual Fund and we remain grateful for Sonny's vision and leadership.

Learn more about the Annual Fund >>

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UArts Students Are Top Winners in Annual Collab Design Competition at Philadelphia Museum of Art

Collab winner 2013

Justin Martin '15 (Industrial Design) took home first place and Kevin Bogan '14 (Craft & Material Studies: Wood) was named the third-place winner in the 2013 Collab Student Design Competition held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA). In addition, work by fellow senior Wood major Marc DiGiaimo and Industrial Design juniors Casey McDonough, Ji Han Kim and Min Soub "Peter" Sim was selected to be included in a week-long student exhibition held at the PMA.

This year's competition, titled "Table It," challenged students to create a table inspired by science, technology, nature or the arts. Martin's winning design offered a social cooking experience by integrating induction technology into the table surface (pictured top and above right).

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Fine Arts Alumni Selected for 2014 Whitney Biennial

Dave McKenzie BFA '00 (Printmaking) and Dan Walsh BFA '83 (Painting) have been selected to exhibit in the 2014 Whitney Biennial, the country's best-known survey of cutting-edge American art. This year's Biennial will take place March 7 through May 25, 2014, at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, and based in New York, McKenzie's work is currently on display in "Radical Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art," the first comprehensive survey of more than five decades of performance art by black visual artists. Walsh is known for paintings that exude a quirky brand of minimalism, employing linear geometry while at the same time subverting it with irregularly drawn shapes, inconstant lines and a pervasive wit.

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Above right: "Facility" by Dan Walsh BFA '83 (Painting).

Film Alum Wins Emmy for 'Boardwalk Empire'

UArts alumnus Jeffrey Stern BFA '75 (Film) has won an Emmy for his work on the hit HBO series "Boardwalk Empire." The award for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series was presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences during the Primetime Creative Arts Awards ceremony, held at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles in September.

Right: Stern (3rd from left) accepts his Emmy.

Music Students Selected to Perform with Top Collegiate Jazz Orchestra

Instrumental Performance majors Kenny Mesmer '14 (Trumpet), Jake Manny '14 (Trumpet), Nick Lombardelli '15 (Trombone) and Sam Greenfield '14 (Saxophone) have been selected for the 2014 Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra (MACJO), recognized as the premier orchestra for the East Coast's finest college jazz musicians. Alternate musicians chosen include Chris Welte '14 (Saxophone), Evan Kilgore '15 (Saxophone) and Frank Rein '16 (Composition).

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Alumni Featured on 2 Consecutive 'Philadelphia' Magazine Covers

Jason Ganski BFA '03 (Graphic Design)

Michele McKeone BS '05 (Communication) and Jason Ganski BFA '03 (Graphic Design) [right] were featured on the cover of Philadelphia magazine's November 2013 and December 2013 issues, respectively. McKeone, who is the founder of Autism Expressed, was part of a story spotlighting entrepreneurs titled "Philly in the Age of the Start-Up." Ganski and fellow alumnus Thomas Foley BFA '03 (Graphic Design), owners of boutique graphic design collective Sedso Design, were included in the publication's "Millennial Revolution" feature story on how the new crop of millennials is shaping Philadelphia's future. Student Morgan Beye '14 (Photography) was also featured in the issue.

Liberal Arts Professor Releases New Book

The Art of Play: Recess and the Practice of Invention by Liberal Arts Associate Professor Anna Beresin has just been released by Temple University Press. The book features interviews with UArts faculty in dance, music, theater, design, fine arts and film. Beresin and Industrial Design Senior Lecturer Alex Gilliam will participate in "The Art of Play," a community conversation about the intersection of art and invention as a means of invigorating the youth of Philadelphia at the Painted Bride Art Center (230 Vine Street) on Sunday, December 15 at 2 p.m. A book signing will follow.

More info >>

Support Alumni-Owned Businesses This Holiday Season

The Office of Alumni & Parent Relations seeks to support the endeavors of our talented alumni. Shop from this listing of alumni-owned businesses this holiday season to support UArts alumni. If you are the owner of a small business and would like to be included in this listing, email your name, your business name, website, address and contact information to alumni@uarts.edu and we would be happy to include you.

Make a gift to the UArts Annual Fund now >>

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