We end this semester and the calendar year during the time when our skies see the least amount of light. But what better moment is there to appreciate the illumination caused by our curiosity, our exploration, and our art? So, as we look forward to the coming semester and the coming year, we are sharing our gratitude for the experiences, learning, and growing that took place over the last several months. Here are just a few examples of what transpired.
College of Fine Arts
• To kick off the new school year, we held our biggest-ever Arts Bash celebration on Library Plaza with live performances, interactive art, free food, and free t-shirts.
• We also refreshed our Distinguished Alumni Awards with an evening celebration and three awardees: Claudia Sisemore (Legacy Award), Rosa Vissers (Horizon Award), and Neil Hendriksen (Arts Educator Award).
• We were thrilled to celebrate with John W. Scheib who was named AVP for the Arts for the University of Utah.
• We launched the Create Success initiative taking the learnings from our successful alumni and sharing them with our current students.
• The CFA also welcomed our new Internship Coordinator, Kate Wolsey!
Department of Art & Art History
• The biennial Art & Art History faculty show at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts “Site Lines: Recent Work by University of Utah Art Faculty”” was a powerful exhibition curated by guest, Felicia Baca, and highlighted more than 40 works.
• Three Art faculty members, Edward Bateman, Beth Krensky, and Kim Martinez, along with the UMFA’s Jorge Rojas, were all recognized by 15Bytes as Utah’s 15 most influential artists!
School of Dance
• The School of Dance had a busy season with its headliner shows Performing Dance Company and Utah Ballet getting rave reviews.
• The student-driven Graduate Thesis Concert and Ballet Student Showcase brought new, interesting dance to the stage of MCD as well as the Modern Student Concert.
• The U’s Screendance program, run by Professor Ellen Bromberg, brought Silvina Szperling to campus for an impactful residency.
Department of Film & Media Arts
• The 8th annual F&MAD Film Festival highlighted 16 short films with the Audience Choice award going to Eduardo Soares for his film “Chasing the Dragon.”
• The U has one of the top ranked Film programs in the country! This year, College Factual ranked The University of Utah’s Film & Media Arts Department #19 out of 136 schools nationwide, placing the school’s program in the Top 15% of all Film programs in the United States. The U’s Film program also earned the title of best in state for the second year in a row.
• Miriam and Sonya Alberto Sabrino, known as the Also Sisters, have been busy this semester (as always) and their film “The Film Machine” (which was shot with help from the students in the Grip & Lighting Course, who also helped light and direct the film) won two Awards at the Curtocircuíto - International Film Festival.
School of Music
• The School of Music’s 18th Annual Camerata Awards Concert and Gala honored Gordon & Connie Hanks and Henry Wolking.
• The School of Music was gifted a new, custom-built practice pipe organ from renowned Dutch organ maker, Plentrop Orgelbouw, by the generous Jim Mitchie.
• We followed the University Chamber Choir, directed by professor Barlow Bradford, to China over the summer for their headlining performance at theChina International Choral Festival in Beijing that was televised nationally on CCTV.
Department of Theatre
• The first half of the Department of Theatre’s season has been a whirlwind from “Chess” to “Julius Caesar” and “Big Love.”
• Theatre professor and former Department Chair, Gage Williams, participated in the 2019 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (PQ) also known as the “Olympics” for performance designers
• Theatre’s Actor Training Program was honored to host Fight Master David Boushey.