May 2015

Renowned Cartoonist and Author Headlines UArts' 137th Commencement Ceremony

Innovative cartoonist and author Lynda Barry [left] will be the keynote speaker at the University of the Arts' 137th Commencement ceremony, taking place on May 14 at 10:30 a.m. in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. She will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree. Also being honored are Brittanie Michelle Richardson BFA '09 (Acting) [center], founder and executive director of Art & Abolition, an organization fighting child sex slavery in Africa, and award-winning fiber artist Piper Shepard BFA '85 (Fibers) [right]. Richardson and Shepard will each receive the University's Silver Star Alumni Award.

Live streaming of the 137th Commencement Ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 14. Bookmark the link below to view.

137th Commencement webcast >>

Art Unleashed 2015 Sets Public Sale Attendance Records

The University of the Arts celebrated the sixth anniversary of its Art Unleashed exhibition and sale April 9-14 with record-breaking attendance. Close to 1,000 guests came through Hamilton Hall over the course of the event's six-day run, which featured one-of-a-kind artwork by almost 400 alumni, faculty and student artists. The University's largest fundraiser kicked off with a Preview Party on April 9, raising more than $270,000 for the Sam S. McKeel Promising Young Artists Scholarship Fund.

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Photo: Molly Smith '15 (Photography).

Alumni Collaborators Awarded 2015 Guggenheim Fellowships

Collaborating video artists and University of the Arts alumni Nadia Hironaka BFA '97 (Film) and Matthew Suib BFA '95 (Photography) have each been awarded a 2015 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in the Film-Video field of study. Hironaka and Suib were among this year's 175 Guggenheim Fellows chosen from a group of over 3,100 applicants in the Foundation's 91st competition.

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50-Year-Old Student Featured in 'Philadelphia Inquirer'

Ed Graziano '16 (Interdisciplinary Fine Arts) was featured in the April 23 issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer in a story titled "A Second Chance for Art Student Ed Graziano, 50." The article spotlights his sculpture "Revelations," which was inspired by letters from his mother and displayed on acrylic boxes at the University's recent Art Unleashed exhibition and sale.

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Above: Ed Graziano is pictured at Art Unleashed in front of "Revelations." Photo: Charles Fox/Inquirer Staff Photographer.

Alum Named Universal Pictures' Emerging Writers Fellow

Carlos Rios BFA '14 (Writing for Film + Television) has been awarded a Universal Pictures' Emerging Writers Fellowship. Rios, who submitted two full-length screenplays that included a rewrite of his senior thesis script, was awarded the prestigious fellowship after being flown to Los Angeles for a series of interviews at Universal Pictures. Fellows admitted to the program work exclusively with the studio over the course of a year to hone their skills.

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Illustration Faculty Paints Live on ESPN During Baseball Game

Illustration Master Lecturer James Bennett was featured on ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" program during the St. Louis Cardinals/Chicago Cubs opening day game on April 5. Bennett created four oil paintings of baseball players live during the broadcast at Wrigley Field, including one of Cubs great Ernie Banks (left), who died recently and was honored during a pre-game ceremony, and former Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling (right).

Watch a clip of the broadcast >>

'Philadelphia Inquirer,' Others Praise Professor's Play About School Budget Cuts

"School Play," a new play co-written by Ira Brind School of Theater Arts Assistant Professor P. Seth Bauer, recently premiered at the National Constitution Center to sold-out crowds and high praise from The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, NBC10, WHYY and KYW Newsradio. A first-person narrative piece about the budget cuts in education, "School Play" also features Michael Doherty BFA '10 (Musical Theater) and Elaina DiMonaco '13 (Directing, Playwriting + Production). This June, more than 40 readings/presentations of the production will be mounted at theaters, churches, synagogues, community centers and other venues statewide.

Above: "School Play" creators (l-r) Arden Kass, Edward Sobel and Seth Bauer share a laugh at a recent rehearsal. Photo: Alejandro A. Alvarez/Daily News Staff Photographer.

Alumni Association Hosts Student Mentoring Event

The Alumni Association, in collaboration with the Career Services office, hosted a mentoring event for current students to ask questions and gain insight into life after UArts. More than 20 students attended and contributed to a lively discussion that lasted over two hours. A number of alumni from varying disciplines were on hand to answer questions and offer encouragement to the students, including Michele Kishita BFA '92 (Painting), MFA '10 (Painting); Josh Levitas BFA '00 (Animation); Natasha Levitas BFA '00 (Dance Education); TJ Walsh BFA '07 (Graphic Design); Jason Sobin BM '97 (Instrumental Performance); Lauren Smedley BFA '10 (Graphic Design); Jean Plough BFA '70 (Painting); Wesley Bogan BFA '09 (Painting + Drawing); and Julian Primiano BM '14 (Vocal Performance). If you are interested in participating in mentoring events like this in the future, please contact TJ Walsh, manager of Alumni & Parent Relations, at walsht@uarts.edu or 215-717-6149.