From left: Juan Medina, Laura Salazar and Pablo Sequero of salazarsequeromedina

School of Architecture faculty member ’s firm, , has been named to the newest cohort of winners in the biennial , one of North America’s most prestigious awards for young practitioners.

“An open call for designers with a story to tell,” the 2025 competition asked entrants to interrogate “Plot,” this year’s theme, by mapping out the throughlines that shape their work and examining how architecture engages with plot, whether as “land, drawing or scheme.”

Like , this year’s theme was developed by the Young Architects + Designers Committee, a rotating group comprising previous winners. For the latest cycle, the committee included Rayshad Dorsey, Liz Gálvez and Miles Gertler. Joining them on the competition jury were Behnaz Assadi, Mario Gooden, Jia Yi Gu and William O’Brien Jr.

In its prompt, the committee asked designers to plot it all out: “Every building has its lore, and plots are known to thicken. Which dramas are shaping architecture’s arc today? The truth may be stranger than fiction. Despite the best-laid plans, design so often deals in circumstance. That is, while architects may endeavor to write their own stories, projects always present twists. … We invite young designers to chronicle that which bookends their practices and to demonstrate plot’s persistent role as main character.”

The Outdoor Room, Pavilion at the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism (2023), Seoul, South Korea (with Frank Barkow)

This year’s League Prize theme programming will be explored through a hybrid onsite and online model. A three-part online lecture series will be held at midday on Wednesdays, starting in June. Each lecture will feature presentations from two of the winners followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A session. Salazar, Sequero and Medina will present on June 11 at 12:30 p.m. ET; is required. Winners will also create installations of their work either onsite in their respective locations or in entirely digital formats, all of which will be presented in an online exhibition on .

“Congratulations to Pablo and his firm on this remarkable accomplishment,” says Michael Speaks, dean of the School of Architecture. “The exceptionally talented designers and educators at salazarsequeromedina are at the forefront of contemporary architecture. Their innovative approach blends civic engagement, sustainability and repurposed materials to create projects that bridge cultural, environmental and social contexts.”

Now in its 44th edition, the portfolio-based competition is open to architects and designers less than 10 years out of a bachelor’s or master’s degree program and has represented an important career milestone for several generations of designers. The program exemplifies the League’s longstanding commitment to identifying and nurturing the development of talented young architects and designers. To learn more about past winners, visit archleague.org/leagueprize.

Greenhouse for plants and humans (2023), El Carmen, Peru

About salazarsequeromedina

is a collaborative architecture practice founded in 2020 and led by Laura Salazar, Pablo Sequero and Juan Medina. Their projects in Peru, Spain, South Korea and the U.S. focus on civic works engaging diverse communities and geographical contexts. The practice addresses the environmental impact of building and aims to establish a sensitive dialogue with what is found. Their work considers the transmutability of building function and the role of open-ended structures as two vectors capable of reconciling building practice with the challenges of our time.

In 2024, the practice was shortlisted for the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (U.S.), as well as named finalists at the XIII Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (Peru), ARQUIA/Próxima Festival for Emerging Practices (Spain) and the COAM Awards (Madrid). The work of salazarsequeromedina has been exhibited at the 4th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism (2023) and the Oslo Triennale (2022), and has been published in The Architectural Review, Arquitectura Viva, Revista PLOT, Revista Casas and Space Magazine, among others.

Laura Salazar holds a master of architecture degree from Princeton University’s School of Architecture. She is an assistant professor of architecture at Pratt Institute and has previously taught at ���ϲ�����’s School of Architecture and Montana State University.

Pablo Sequero holds a master of architecture degree from the Technical University of Madrid (ETSAM) and is a licensed architect in Spain. He is currently a at ���ϲ�����’s School of Architecture and a visiting professor at PUCP Pontificia Universidad Católica de Lima, in Peru. Sequero has previously taught at Cornell AAP and Montana State University.

Juan Medina is a Ph.D. candidate at the Technical University of Madrid (ETSAM). He is currently a professor of practice at Tulane University and has taught previously at the ETSAM.

Students have myriad opportunities to study the history of Chinese art in the course History of Art 300: Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art��taught by , a postdoctoral researcher in the��.

Yifan Li (standing), a postdoctoral researcher of art and music histories, speaks with students in his class, Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art. The group visited the ���ϲ����� Art Museum to view a selection of China-related artworks.

Li’s courses on Chinese art and visual culture emphasize the artworks’ distinctive and intricate nature, influenced by exchanges, relationships and activities across national borders, as well as the innovative use of new image-making technologies.

A popular aspect of the class is the hands-on learning opportunities that allow students to examine objects from the��’s collections. During a visit in the spring semester, the class viewed a selection of woodcuts by the Chinese American artist Seong Moy (1921–2013). Woodcut is a printmaking technique where an image is carved into a block of wood, and the raised areas are inked and pressed onto paper to create a print.

One of the works examined by students was “Love on the Yangtse” (1951), a woodcut print by artist Seong Moy.

continues its 2024/25 season with celebrated actor and playwright Kate Hamill’s whirlwind adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.” Directed by Jason O’Connell, “Sense and Sensibility” will run April 23-May 11 in the Archbold Theatre at ���ϲ����� Stage, located at 820 E. Genesee St. in ���ϲ�����.

“Kate Hamill’s first play, her adaptation of Jane Austin’s ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ has been at the top of our season lists ever since we produced her version of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ a few years ago,” says Artistic Director Robert Hupp. “’Pride and Prejudice’ was a ���ϲ����� Stage fan favorite and now, with Jason O’Connell returning to direct ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ I know audiences are in for a special treat. I’ve loved this adaptation of ‘Sense and Sensibility’ ever since I saw it in New York City over ten years ago. Its over-the-top theatricality and humor, combined with its honest and heartfelt compassion and warmth, make it just the kind of theatrical experience we all need right now.”

“Sense and Sensibility” follows the Dashwood sisters—the pragmatic and practical Elinor, and the younger, romantically-minded Marianne—as they search for stability after the death of their father leaves them financially and socially unmoored in 18th-century England. While navigating the strict and strident niceties of their upper-class circles, the Dashwoods endure heartbreak, experience windfalls of love and fortune and dodge the never-ending gossip of the age.

Hamill, whose zippy adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” played to rave reviews at ���ϲ����� Stage in 2019, transforms “Sense and Sensibility” into an irreverent romp, giving Austen a playful update while preserving the wit and charm that has made the original such a beloved tale for more than 200 years.

“’Sense and Sensibility’ was my first play—written in 2013—and while it’s rare for me to go back to an older play, I simply could not resist joining this re-imagination for ���ϲ����� Stage, one of my favorite places to work, directed by my husband,” says Hamill. “This is an especially important play for me; not only is it an essential part of the beginning of my playwriting career, but Jason and I also fell in love while I was writing and developing this play, and it’s such a treat to bring his version to these audiences.”

O’Connell returns to direct after leading the ���ϲ����� Stage production of Hamill’s “Pride and Prejudice” and performing in last season’s “Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.” He was also seen, with Hamill, in “Talley’s Folly” and “The Play that Goes Wrong,” and as Salieri in “Amadeus,” directed by Robert Hupp. He originated the roles of Edward and Robert Ferrars in the off-Broadway run of “Sense and Sensibility,” alongside Hamill as Marianne.

“I am always thrilled to return to ���ϲ����� Stage, an artistic home away from home if ever I’ve known one,” says O’Connell. “And I’m especially excited to revisit this first play of Kate’s and to show audiences all the things that I felt about her and her work, back when I was first caught up in the whirlwind of her particular brilliance. This production is something of a love letter to the beginnings of our journey together, full of love and laughter—and a touch of madness!”

Hamill, who earned the top spot on American Theatre Magazine’s list of Most-Produced Playwrights of the 2024-25 Season, returns to the Archbold Theatre in the cast of “Sense and Sensibility,” and is joined by Jamie Ann Romero as Elinor and Olivia AbiAssi as Marianne, with Gina Daniels (“Noises Off”), Jeff Gonzalez (“Pride and Prejudice,” “Amadeus”), Angie Janas (“Pride and Prejudice,” “The Play That Goes Wrong”), James Ragen (“A Christmas Carol”) and Blake Segal (“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” “Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express”) in a variety of roles. Rounding out the ensemble and making their ���ϲ����� Stage debuts are Amelia Gallagher, Salma Mahmoud, Keshav Moodliar, Chris Thorn and Maggie Weller.

The design team for “Sense and Sensibility” includes choreography by Steph Paul, sets by Brittany Vasta (“Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill”), costumes by Raven Ong, lighting by Dawn Chiang (“King James,” “Dial M for Murder”) and sound by ���ϲ����� Stage resident sound designer Jacqueline R. Herter, with dialect coaching by Holly Thuma (“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” “Once”) and intimacy coordination by Yvonne Perry (“Dial M for Murder”).

All evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. while all matinee performances begin at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $30 with discounts available for students and groups. Tickets may be purchased online at , by phone at 315.443.3275 or in person at the ���ϲ����� Stage Box Office. Pay-What-You-Will performances for “Sense and Sensibility” are April 23-27 inclusive; prologue conversations, three pre-show discussions that take place one hour before curtain, are on April 27, May 3 and 8; the Post-show Talkback will take place on Sunday, April 27, after the 7:30 p.m. performance.

���ϲ����� Stage has its open-captioned performances scheduled for April 30 and May 11 at 2 p.m. and May 6 and 10 at 7:30 p.m., as well as an audio-described performance on Saturday, May 10, at 2 p.m. and an ASL interpreted performance on May 3 at 2 p.m. The Sensory Friendly/Relaxed performance of “Sense and Sensibility” is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m.

���ϲ����� Stage Trivia Night, a friendly competition hosted by “Jeopardy!” champion Dillon Hupp, will be held on Thursday, April 24, at 6 p.m. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance are required to participate. Pre-registration at ���ϲ�����stage.org is recommended.

Support for the 24/25 season includes season sponsors the Slutzker Family Foundation, the Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation and Advance Media New York. The community partner for “Sense and Sensibility” is Friends of the Central Library (FOCL).

A master’s student in in the , he was the 2024 honorable mention for SNM’s Brian Israel/Sam Pellman Award.

Rolando Gomez

Gómez’s woodwind quintet, , will share the program with two string quartets: Orientalism, by Sami Seif, the 2024 winner of the Israel/Pellman Award, and Bodensee, by Maxim Dybal-Denysenko, the 2024 recipient of SNM’s New York State Federation of Music Clubs/Brian Israel Prize. All three composers will be on hand to introduce their pieces.

Both SNM awards recognize promising New York state composers studying for or embarking on professional music careers.

Tickets are $20 (general admission) and $15 (students and seniors). Students who are 18 years old and younger are free with valid college ID. For tickets and more information, visit SNM’s .

SNM Managing Director Carole Brzozowski ’81 says the concert has grown into a local springtime tradition. “It’s a celebration of emerging talent,” continues the former dean of the (VPA), in which the Setnor School is housed. “The Society for New Music is proud to take a leadership role in identifying and nurturing young, innovative composers.”

Capturing the Spirit��

The Juicy Kandy quintet premiered Sit and Play at the 2023 Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival at The Juilliard School. The performance marked Gómez’s New York City compositional debut.

Collaborating with world-class musicians exposed the Miami, Florida, native to innovative writing techniques. It also inspired him to capture the performers’ personalities in his music.

“Sit and Play is a virtuosic work that reflects my love for jazz, especially bebop,” says Gómez, who graduated from Oberlin Conservatory weeks before the premiere.

Conceived as a theme and variations, Sit and Play evolved into a suite of four contrasting character pieces. The music abounds in shared motives, syncopated grooves and polyphonic textures.

Gómez says the name of the piece is “playful and self-referential,” a nod to the way that jazz and Latine composers use titles to acknowledge the act of music making. “Sit and Play reflects the spirit of the music … and invites musicians to engage with the piece in a direct, intuitive way.”

The 10-minute work has four distinct movements: Jab and Stab, a syncopated exchange between oboe and the rest of the ensemble; Breathe and Sing, a melancholic bassoon solo dedicated to Gómez’s first music teacher—his father; Cut and Paste, a technical tour de force for French horn; and Riff and Run, a vibrant scherzo for flute recalling some of the piece’s earlier themes.

“Working with the Society for New Music is incredibly meaningful,” says Gómez, who recently presented the suite on his master’s recital. “SNM strengthens connections between the University and the professional word, allowing students like me to engage with performers and other composers at the highest level.”

Sit and Play is performed by Kate O’ Leary ’26, flute; Sydney Kincaid ’27, oboe; John Giordano ’26, clarinet; Lily Carpinone ’26, bassoon; and Ryan Hill ’27, French horn.

Expanding His Vocabulary

Gómez was in high school when he began scoring music for video games. A self-taught composer, he enrolled at Oberlin, majoring in composition and minoring in technology in music and related arts.

Working at ���ϲ����� with Natalie Draper—another SNM favorite who is an assistant professor of theory and composition in the Setnor School—has enabled Gómez to expand his musical vocabulary.

“It’s a fusion of traditional and modern styles,” says Brzozowski, noting Gómez’s modernist approach to American and Cuban forms.

Genre-blending is apparent in the program’s other works. Seif’s Orientalism is a meditation on identity and the passage of time, inspired by Edward Said’s landmark book. In turn, Dybal-Denysenko’s Bodensee is named for the lake near his family home in Austria—the same body of water that inspired composer Robert Schumann some 170 years earlier.

Seif is a doctoral fellow at the CUNY Graduate Center; Dybal-Denysenko, a 2024 graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Juilliard student Yuxuan Lin also is a 2024 Israel/Pellman honorable mention. Her entry—Can’t let it go, when it returns for solo cello—is slated for a future SNM program.

Brian Israel taught in the Setnor School from 1975 until his death in 1986. He was a prolific composer, conductor and pianist who befriended SNM co-founder Neva Pilgrim.

Sam Pellman was a Hamilton College music professor who served on the SNM board and chaired SNM’s Israel prize competition until his death in 2017.

Pilgrim was a one-time VPA professor and longtime community partner who died last year. In 1971, she helped found SNM, which has performed and commissioned a formidable body of work by up-and-coming composers. It is the only year-round new music organization in the region and is the oldest nonprofit of its kind in the state, outside of New York City.

This year is the 52nd anniversary of this program, organized by CNY Arts, and faculty and staff are invited to showcase their talents along with other employers and businesses in the region.

All eligible artwork submitted will be displayed on campus at Bird Library in a special exhibition titled “On My Own Time–Celebrating the Artistic Talents of ���ϲ����� Faculty and Staff.” The exhibition will run from May 30-June 12 during library hours.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to support their colleagues by visiting the exhibition and casting a ballot for their favorite piece to win the People’s Choice Award. Also, during the on-campus exhibition, a selection panel of adjudicators—including a CNY Arts representative—will select pieces for an “On My Own Time Grand Finale” exhibition. The finale is a five-week exhibition at the Everson Museum of Art from Oct. 4-Nov. 9 and will include a reception for artists, University colleagues, family and friends on Oct. 9. Tickets to the finale are available starting in September at .

Eligibility for Participation

All active full-time and part-time faculty and staff are eligible to submit artwork for adjudication. Fine arts faculty and professional artists are eligible to submit works outside of their discipline.

Criteria for Submission of Artists’ Work

• All artwork submitted must be��original creations. Copies of published work or craft kits will not be accepted.
• All artwork must have been��completed within three years of entry.
• Artwork must be��finished and display-ready, to include mounting hardware (if applicable). Please submit display instructions or materials as necessary.
• Each faculty or staff member may��submit up to three pieces for the exhibition.

Submission categories include:

• Painting (oil, acrylic, watercolor)
• Metalwork
• Drawing (pen, pencil, ink, charcoal)
• Jewelry
• Collage/assemblage
• Printmaking
• Computer art
• Photography (color or black-and-white)
• Woodwork
• Glasswork
• Sculpture
• Mixed media
• Ceramics
• Fiber art

Registration and Submission Instructions

All artists must register with their intent to participate by��May 9��by completing a��. Artwork submissions must be delivered to Human Resources by May 28 or directly to Bird Library on May 29. Additional details will be shared upon registration. Artists are responsible for delivering and collecting artwork on schedule.

If you have questions or would like to volunteer to assist with the exhibit at Bird Library, email��OMOT@syr.edu.

Ralf Schneider, associate professor of industrial and interaction design, works with a student in virtual reality as part of his Designing In Virtual Reality class.

On the fourth floor of Bird Library sits what Associate Professor of Industrial and Interaction Design hopes will be the interactive classroom of the future.

Walking by the , located in Room 458, this particular classroom has a rather unassuming look, with its mix of chairs, tables and white boards.

But what makes Schneider’s Designing In Virtual Reality class in the truly unique is how it blends technology with innovation and collaboration to create an interdisciplinary learning environment.

Utilizing Meta Quest 3 virtual reality (VR) headsets with Gravity Sketch, a software program that allows users to sketch and draw in virtual reality, students from the fashion, interior design, industrial design and interaction design fields come together to create three-dimensional (3D) models, helping designers and artists express and fine-tune their ideas in a virtual space while encouraging real-time collaboration.

Ralf Schneider

“This class connects the two-dimensional world with the three-dimensional world, allowing students to be creative in an immersive, collaborative, three-dimensional space. It’s an exciting way for students to learn and work with each other,” Schneider says.

By incorporating VR sketching into the design process, Schneider says his students learn to revolutionize the way they conceptualize, iterate, collaborate on and communicate their projects and ideas, streamlining the design process while producing a more immersive and engaging experience for both the designers and their clients.

“This is definitely the classroom of the future. It’s a game-changer to be able to design and work collaboratively in design fields in the same virtual space without needing to physically be in the same location,” says Sofia Hom ’27, an industrial and interaction design major in the School of Design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Students wear their untethered VR headsets while engaging with Gravity Sketch, connecting and transforming their workflow from two dimensions into three dimensions while also streamlining and improving on past design processes.

Sofia Hom

Previously, designers would sketch their ideas in side views, top views, front views, orthographic projections—a way of representing a 3D object using multiple 2D views—and perspective views—creating a realistic representation of a 3D scene on a 2D surface—and, ultimately, translating those projects into a 3D model before bringing their object to life.

But unlike in the physical design space, Gravity Sketch enables students to easily make mistakes, learn from those missteps and then go back, deconstruct their project and fix it thanks to the lessons learned along the way.

Along the way, Schneider says his students learn about spatial visualization, the ability to mentally manipulate and understand the spatial relationships between objects and spaces when looking at a 2D figure and imagining what it would look like in 3D.

This semester, Hom and her classmates familiarized themselves with the possibilities of the software by creating a VR rendition of their cellphone home screens. They then designed an everyday object like a toothbrush or a tea kettle, collaborated with their peers on developing an immersive public space like a carnival, and took an existing portfolio project and used Gravity Sketch to transform it into the VR landscape.

As part of the class, design students collaborated with their peers on developing an immersive public space like a carnival.

“There’s a lot of freedom we’re given to explore and experiment with our designs. You’re able to not just draw something in a flat plane, but you can draw in three dimensions, and then you can hand over your drawing to someone else in the VR space,” Hom says. “This process allows everyone involved to look at the project and make real-time changes.”

This is the first time Schneider’s class has been taught on campus. Schneider credits School of Design Director Emily Stokes-Rees, the DSS and the University’s Information Technology Services—which provides the 22 VR headsets and ensures they are fully charged before class and cleans and charges them up afterwards—for making his class possible. He says the yearly elective will be taught again in the fall and encourages all interested students to enroll.

“This class is a predictor of what students will encounter once they graduate,” Schneider says. “It’s a very powerful skillset for students to present in their portfolio as a designer because it shows you’re curious about future technologies and the modern ways of collaborating creatively.”

Learning didn’t stop during spring break for dozens of Falk College students who took part in immersive travel opportunities. The college offers a wide array of travel programs for students, with and being pillars of the experience.

Three immersion travel programs this spring provided Falk students with unique opportunities for hands-on learning from leading industry professionals, while also discovering and embracing different cultures.

Ireland

Students enrolled in the Sport Culture in Ireland class spent nine days in Ireland over spring break. The group of 13 students, comprised of and majors, traveled to iconic Irish spots such as the Cliffs of Moher, Temple Bar and Kilmainham Gaol to experience the culture of Ireland.

The students visited the Na Fienna Gaelic Athletic Association club, where they participated in Gaelic football, hurling and handball games with classmates while learning about the sports’ history and impact in Ireland. At University College Dublin’s Institute for Sport and Health, experts in the fields of sports medicine and exercise science gave insightful presentations about injury and rehabilitation research. At a visit to the Leinster Rugby Club, students learned from team officials about the role of technology in athlete development and what it takes to manage a winning sport organization.

Visit the to learn more about the students’ experiences in Ireland.

Italy

Falk College students enjoy a cooking lesson in Italy.

In each of the last two springs, students in the Italian Football: Impact and Outcomes class have visited Italy to meet with representatives from Serie A soccer clubs and learn about Italian culture surrounding soccer, or calcio.

The students on this year’s trip met with representatives from Soccerment, an Italy-based artificial intelligence platform seeking to accelerate the adoption of data analytics into soccer; networked with front office officials from Bologna FC; and toured Viola Park, home of ACF Fiorentina. Students experienced exciting Serie A matchups at Stadio G. Sinigaglia, home of the Como 1907 football club, and Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, home of Inter Milan. Aside from soccer, students toured historic locations such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Milan Cathedral. On the final day of the trip, students learned how to make authentic Italian pasta from scratch.

Los Angeles

Falk College students visit SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Students have enjoyed the Falk in Los Angeles Career Exploration trip for more than a decade. Open to all Falk students, the trip offers students the opportunity to connect with industry professionals, explore career paths and visit leading organizations in one of the country’s largest sport markets.

This year’s trip included stops at the NFL Network, FOX Sports, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, the Rose Bowl and more. Students met and networked with Falk’s extensive based in southern California to set themselves up for successful careers in the industry.

is part of the 2025-26 cohort of cultural organizations being considered for accreditation by the (AAM).

The highest national recognition afforded to museums in the U.S., accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, governments, funders, outside agencies and the museum-going public. Just over 1,000 of an estimated 33,000 museums in the U.S. are accredited; of those, only 16% are university museums.

To prepare for the accreditation process, museum staff members, with support from University partners and advisory board members, have spent the last five years closely examining museum operations, activities and policies and creating five “core documents” required for accreditation. This has resulted in strengthened operations, adherence to best practices and strategic future-planning.

Museum staff also completed two Museum Assessment Programs (MAP): one in Collections Stewardship (2021) and the other in Community and Audience Engagement (2024). Offered through a cooperative agreement between AAM and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, MAP is widely considered the first step toward becoming a fully accredited cultural institution.

“Over the past five years, our team has been diligent in our path towards accreditation and already witnessed that this process is both vigorous and complex, yet highly rewarding,” museum director Emily Dittman says. “We could not have arrived at the final step in that process without the hard work of everyone on our talented team, and we are looking forward to the next year as we work towards securing AAM accreditation for the very first time.”

The accreditation process begins immediately with six-to-eight months of self-study, followed by a site visit by a team of peer reviewers in Spring 2026.

Ryan Mitchell, from the series “Thank You, For Your Service?”

Part one of the exhibition runs March 22-28, with an opening reception on Friday, March 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The gallery is located in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., ���ϲ�����.

Over the course of these three exhibitions an unfolding of experiences, investigations and unforeseen connections will arise. As the French composer Pierre Boulez said, “Creation exists only in the unforeseen made necessary.” The exhibition schedule and artists are as follows:

Unforeseen Part I
March 22-28
Opening reception, Friday, March 21, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Exhibiting artists:��,��,��,��,��,��,��,��, Lely Soy,��,��,��.

Unforeseen Part II
April 5-11
Opening reception, Friday, April 4, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Exhibiting artists:��,��,��,��,��,��Olivia Qi, Grace Schamowski,��,��,��.

Unforeseen Part III
April 19-25
Opening reception, Friday, April 18, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Exhibiting artists:��,��,��, Hanyu Shi,��,��,��,��,��,��.

The Warehouse Gallery is the premier exhibition space for VPA students, faculty, alumni and staff. Gallery hours are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, noon to 6 p.m.; Thursdays, noon to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m.; and by appointment. Email warehousegallery@syr.edu��for more information.

Punto de Contacto/Point of Contact is located in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse in downtown ���ϲ�����.

For half a century, (POC) has served the University and local communities as a hub for artistic and literary exploration. Two special programs will be held this year in celebration of the organization’s 50th anniversary.

Poet Diana Marie Delgado will read from her work April 2 as a guest of POC’s Cruel April poetry series.

On Thursday, April 2, a reading by acclaimed Mexican American poet will kick off POC’s Cruel April poetry series, which is held annually in observance of National Poetry Month. The reading will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the , located in Shaffer Art Building on campus.

The event will also feature a pop-up show of five artist books commissioned in honor of POC’s 50th anniversary. The exclusive works—created by POC advisory board members (board president and associate professor of studio arts in the College of Visual and Performing Arts), Pedro Roth, Matías Roth, Joseph Kugielsky and Maritza Bautista—are inspired by Delgado’s poems and by poetry selections from POC’s early literary publications, including Argentine author Julio Cortázar’s “Five Erotic Sonnets.”

The 2025 Cruel April series is dedicated to the memory of poet , associate professor emeritus of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, who died in December. Burkard was a longtime partner of and contributor to POC, and his poetry was published in the POC poetry collection “Corresponding Voices, Vol. 4.”

Guests at the Delgado reading will also be able to view the exhibit “,” curated by , assistant professor of Latinx literature and culture, who will also speak at the event.

POC’s second 50th anniversary event will be a major exhibition of Latin American art from the permanent collection. “50 Sin Cuenta” will open Friday, Sept. 19, at the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Warehouse Gallery in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 West Fayette Street, ���ϲ�����.

Artistic Evolution

Punto de Contacto/Point of Contact was founded by late scholar Pedro Cuperman. It began in 1975 as an independent editorial project at New York University, where Cuperman first taught when he migrated from Argentina in the late 1960s. He brought POC to ���ϲ����� in 1976, and it evolved to include the “Corresponding Voices” book series, poetry editions and, in 2005, an art gallery. Cuperman, who died in 2016, taught Latin American literature and semiotics in the Arts and Sciences’ Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics for more than 40 years.

“I’ve always felt that Point of Contact is sort of a rare, hidden gem—a fiercely creative space where voices correspond across borders, disciplines and cultures,” says ’82, executive director of the Office of Cultural Engagement for the Hispanic Community. “I am incredibly fortunate to have spent 22 of those 50 years working closely with Pedro Cuperman and with so many amazing colleagues, artists, poets and scholars. Point of Contact has also served as a training ground for students, many who now hold top positions as arts administrators, curators and museum professionals across the country, extending the impact of our mission far beyond ���ϲ�����.”

For more information about POC and scheduled events, visit .

“Monumental Concerns 2”—a continuation of the first “Monumental Concerns” symposium held on campus in fall 2023—is scheduled for Friday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at The Museum of Modern Art’s Titus 1 Theatre, 111 West 53 Street, New York City. The event is free and open to the public. .

“As artists we are all profoundly engaged in our mutual practices, yet the water gathers us into a single pool,” Weems says. “I invite you to stand on the bridge as we consider contested sites of memory and monuments.”

The symposium seeks to evoke an examination of the politics of disagreement in order to collectively create a framework for moving towards a sense of belonging for all. Questions to be addressed include: How might we understand the stakes of the dialogue and debate around monuments and the sites they commemorate? How do we negotiate among multiple—and often conflicting—narratives and the way they show up in public space? Is disagreement crucial to transformation?

In addition to Weems, event participants include:

• , art historian and director of research programs, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
• , curator and director, Monument Lab
• , director of transformative art and monuments, City of Boston
• , civil rights lawyer and founder, 14th Amendment Center for Law and Democracy, Howard University
• , composer and pianist
• , assistant professor of English, College of Arts and Sciences, ���ϲ�����
• , founder and principal strategist, Equity Empowerment Consulting
• , artist and associate professor of art, Brooklyn College, City University of New York
• , professor of communication and rhetorical Studies, College of Visual and Performing Arts, and director, Lender Center for Social Justice, ���ϲ�����
• , founder and CEO, Beyond Conflict
• , composer and 2025 Adobe Creative Resident, MoMA
• , poet and playwright
• , historian and director, Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation
• , composer and trumpeter
• , lawyer and founder, Equal Justice Initiative
• , architect and Nancy and George Rupp Professor of Architecture Planning and Preservation, Columbia University
• , assistant professor of art, architecture and design, Lehigh University

The event will conclude with “Defiant Life,” a musical performance by Iyer and Smith, from 6 to 7 p.m.

“Monumental Concerns 2” is co-organized by ���ϲ����� and The Museum of Modern Art, and supported in part by the Mellon Foundation. For more information, contact Kate Schwartz at 315.443.8017 or kschwa03@syr.edu.

Installation view of “Joiri Minaya: Unseeing the Tropics at the Museum”

“We are thrilled to host Joiri Minaya’s work at the museum in conversation with the permanent collection,” says museum Director Emily Dittman. “Her work invites visitors to examine their notions of the ‘tropics’ as well as expand that to thinking more broadly. We hope that this critical examination will provide a platform for conversations at the museum as well as in the community.”

When thinking of the “tropics,” the Caribbeans islands often come to mind. Palm-fringed horizons, sweeping ocean views and pristine beaches have become a visual shorthand for “tropicality” and suggest landscapes that are idyllic, untouched paradises.

The idea of the “tropics” dates to the 15th century, when Spanish and Anglo-European explorers and writers, and later, in the 19th century, photographers represented these regions as virgin paradises or dangerous territories, inhabited by peoples perceived as “primitive.” This framework has reduced the “tropics” to a narrow set of images that have shaped colonial legacies and commercial interests. “Joiri Minaya: Unseeing the Tropics at the Museum” challenges this idea. It encourages reconsideration of the historical and contemporary misrepresentations that shape our perceptions of tropical regions. By juxtaposing Minaya’s work, including video, installation, and photography, with 20th-century artworks from the ���ܲ���ܳ�’s collection, the exhibition invites an “unseeing” of the tropics.

The interpretive text in the exhibition is bilingual, providing both English and Spanish text for visitors. Support for this exhibition is provided by Centro de Estudio Hispánicos; Latino-Latin American Studies; and the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics in the College of Arts and Sciences; and the Program on Latin America and The Caribbean (PLACA) in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

About the Artist

Joiri Minaya (born 1990) is a Dominican-United Statesian multidisciplinary artist whose recent works focus on destabilizing historic and contemporary representations of an imagined tropical identity. Minaya attended the Escuela Nacional de Artes Visuales in Santo Domingo (2009), Altos de Chavón School of Design (2011) and Parsons the New School for Design (2013). She has participated in residencies at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Guttenberg Arts, Smack Mellon, the Bronx Museum’s AIM Program and the NYFA Mentoring Program for Immigrant Artists, Red Bull House of Art, the Lower East Side Printshop, ISCP, Art Omi, Vermont Studio Center, New Wave, Silver Art Projects and Fountainhead.

She has received awards, fellowships and grants from New York State Council on the Arts/New York Foundation for the Arts, Jerome Hill, Artadia, the BRIC’s Colene Brown Art Prize, Socrates Sculpture Park, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Rema Hort Mann Foundation and the Nancy Graves Foundation, among other organizations. Minaya’s work is in the collections of the Santo Domingo Museo de Arte Moderno, the Centro León Jiménes, the Kemper Museum, El Museo del Barrio and several private collections.

Featured Events

On Opacity: Gallery Talk with Artist Joiri Minaya

March 18, 4:30 p.m., reception to follow

���ϲ����� Art Museum

Lines of Flight: Screening + Q&A with Miryam Charles and Joiri Minaya

March 20, 6:30 p.m.

Presented by Light Work

Watson Theater, 316 Waverly Ave.

Community Day

March 29, noon-4 p.m.

���ϲ����� Art Museum

Visit the ���ܲ���ܳ�’s website for more public programs surrounding the exhibition.

Light Work’s Urban Video Project will present the exhibition “Lines of Flight” featuring short films by multimedia artist Joiri Minaya and filmmaker Miryam Charles.

Light Work’s Urban Video Project will present the exhibition “Lines of Flight” featuring short films by multimedia artist Joiri Minaya and filmmaker Miryam Charles. The exhibition explores the tangled trajectories of displacement, immigration, invasion, exploration and escape.

The exhibition will run from Feb. 27-May 24, 2025, as an architectural projection venue on the Everson Museum facade.

Additional work by Joiri Minaya will be on view at the ���ϲ����� Museum in the show “” through May 10, 2025.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Minaya and Charles will be present for a screening and Q&A on��Thursday, March 20, at 6:30 p.m. in Watson Theater across from Light Work’s�� galleries.

“Labadee”
Joiri Minaya

“Labadee” is a short video documenting parts of a Royal Caribbean cruise trip in Labadee, Haiti, and the dynamics that unfold in this privately managed space, which is fenced off and leased to Royal Caribbean cruises until 2050. The subtitles in the video begin with text from the diary of Christopher Columbus when they first saw land, moving into a contemporary recount of the trip we’re seeing.

It meditates on the exploitation, self-exploitation, performance and access control created by the system of tourism in the Caribbean, and, in linking it to Columbus’ Invasion through the first sentences in the subtitles, it traces the lineage of these contemporary spaces to colonization.

“Fly, Fly Sadness”
Miryam Charles��

In this film, a nuclear explosion mysteriously transforms the voices of all the inhabitants of an island. A�� journalist travels to the island to learn more and finds herself transformed.

About the Artists

is a Dominican-U.S. multidisciplinary artist whose recent works focus on destabilizing historic and contemporary representations of an imagined tropical identity. Minaya attended the Escuela Nacional de Artes Visuales in Santo Domingo (2009), Altos de Chavón School of Design (2011) and Parsons the New School for Design (2013). She has participated in esteemed residency programs such as Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Smack Mellon, NYFA Mentoring Program for Immigrant Artists, Vermont Studio Center, and Fountainhead. She has received numerous awards, fellowships and grants, including NYSCA/NYFA, Jerome Hill, Socrates Sculpture Park, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, amongst other organizations.

is a Haitian-Canadian director, producer and cinematographer living in Montreal. She has produced several short and feature films. Her films have been presented in various festivals internationally. Her first feature film, “Cette Maison” (This House), was presented at the Berlinale, the AFI film festival and was included in the TIFF Top 10 of the year. Several of her short films and her feature are available to stream on the Criterion Channel. Her work explores themes related to exile and the legacies of colonization.

Coral Silver

Silver is a second-year graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in art history and works as a graduate student associate in the Special Collections Research Center with ���ϲ����� Libraries. Their research often revolves around sculpture across several periods and locations, including the Ancient Mediterranean, the European Middle Ages and the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Europe and the United States. In addition, they are interested in the relationship between archaeology and art history, an interest which resulted from their summer spent in southern Turkey at the Antiochia ad Cragum Archaeological Research Project.

As the Palitz Art Scholar, Silver will study two works by Italian artist Ferdinando Vichi in the ���ϲ����� Art Museum collection. They will mainly concentrate their research on Vichi’s “Bust of Venus” to investigate the reason for its titling and the point during Vichi’s career when the sculpture was created to situate it within his oeuvre (body of work). This research will be included in their larger capstone research project, advised by Art History Associate Professor Romita Ray, investigating Antonio Canova’s “Funerary Monument to Maria Christina of Austria” from 1805.

Michel incorporates biotechnology into his work to design sustainable, innovative products. By employing natural processes, he is able to exceed the limitations set by artificial technology.

Yves Michel

“Nature is 3.8 billion years of free research and development,” Michel says. “We look at our iPhones, and we think it’s the end all be all. The reality is that when you compare our technology to the ‘technology of biology,’ we have a ways to go.”

In the fall, Michel traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to present his paper, “: Creating A Design Process To Grow Products,” at .��The Symbiosis Project, the research lab branch of Michel’s design practice, Studio Yami Creative, explores potential methods to create products through speculative design as a research method.

Speculative design allows a designer to work outside the bounds of what is currently possible. Speculative designs, for example, may incorporate materials that don’t exist today but could potentially be produced.

Inspired by a conversation about freediving, Michel is currently working on PULMO, a concept mask. Conceived as an extension of the human body, the mask would cycle air from the diver’s initial surface breath, allowing for an extended dive.

The Symbiosis Project breaks down the design process into five phases. PULMO is in the first phase, where Michel creates a concept aimed at solving a problem. At the end of phase one, PULMO would be theoretically feasible.

The next phase explores the steps needed to make PULMO a reality. Collaborating with experts in fields like biology, chemistry and computer science, the lab would work on creating a concept and various models, which it could then show to potential collaborators and investors.

A speculative design can also be presented to the public in an effort to spark conversation and give designers a glimpse into public perceptions.

Michel has been introducing students to the limitless possibilities of speculative creation in Biodesign Workshop. The class brings together students majoring in design and architecture, among others. It offers students from the life sciences an opportunity to engage in biodesign research. Students in this class work in teams to design a product. They have the opportunity to represent the University in the in New York City.

In addition to teaching Biodesign Workshop this semester, Michel hopes to get PULMO to the next phase. In the world of speculative design, each step is a victory.

“The goal here is to explore the potential of biodesign to create new ways of making sustainably, from biomaterials to novel product concepts, and create a symbiosis between the built environment and the natural environment,” Michel says. “As designers, our strength is being creative and pushing the limits. Collaborating and accessing the knowledge of life science and computer science experts, especially in the age of AI, opens up new possibilities to solve salient design problems.”

A&S Professor Cristina Pardo Porto curated the art exhibition titled��Joiri Minaya: Unseeing the Tropics at the Museum, on display at the SU Art Museum through May 10.

Pardo Porto explains that the history of exploitation dates to the 15th and 16th centuries when Europeans began to colonize the Americas. Settlers illustrated the Caribbean as an exotic and fertile land ripe for extraction, reinforcing ideas of ownership and domination.

“These narratives justified the exploitation of the land and its people, laying the groundwork for the contemporary tourism industry,” says Pardo Porto. “Tourism, in turn, relies on similar fantasies, using idyllic images of beaches, palm trees and smiling locals to market the region as an escape for wealthy foreigners. These visual constructs mask the inequalities and labor exploitation that sustain the industry.”

According to Pardo Porto, the growth and expansion of large hotels and resorts has led to environmental degradation and the displacement of local communities who are forced to relocate within their own country.

“Natural resources are privatized for resorts, and local workers are often paid low wages while a privileged group of tourists reaps the benefits,” she says.

During the spring semester, Pardo Porto is presenting an art exhibition in collaboration with the����which invites visitors to critically examine historical and contemporary images of tropical regions. Its aim is to help viewers recognize how these representations impact the lives of those living within these communities.

The exhibition, titled��“”��is on view in the SU Art Museum’s Joe and Emily Lowe Galleries through May 10. The gallery features works by Minaya, a Dominican American artist whose works critique how stereotypical representations, rooted in colonial histories, continue to misrepresent her community and identity. Minaya’s works are exhibited alongside historical photographs and artwork from the SU Art Museum’s collections, reflecting on the impact of colonization, tourism and commercialization on the Caribbean. Each artwork features a wall text, available in both English and Spanish, authored by Pardo Porto, which explains the significance of each work.

Upon entering the gallery, visitors are invited to take a postcard created by Minaya. These postcards, like the one Pardo Porto is holding above, blend images from actual tourism promotions with layers of stereotypical tropical imagery superimposed on women’s bodies. This artistic approach encourages visitors to confront and challenge the tropes of tropicality that reduce women to mere objects of exotic fascination.

Illuminating Visual Culture of the Caribbean

The idea to bring Minaya’s award-winning work to campus stems from Pardo Porto’s longstanding interest in the history of Latin American photography and visual culture. She notes that visual culture encompasses all the images that surround us and shape our daily lives, from archival images, fine art and product advertisements to photos taken with phone cameras and beyond.

While conducting research for her dissertation on artistic photography in and of the Caribbean and Central American regions, she recognized an underrepresentation in the history of photography in Latin America. Since then, much of her scholarship has focused on bringing awareness to this topic.

Pardo Porto is now writing a book manuscript titled “Latent Photographies: A Diasporic Reframing of the History of Photography,” which will present a decolonial history of Latin American photography. She received a ���ϲ����� ��during the Spring 2024 semester to focus on writing her book and other related projects, including the exhibition of Minaya’s works.

What You Will See

Two works on display at the exhibition are from Minaya’s��Containers��(2020) series, where she uses her own body wrapped in fabric with tropical patterns, in stereotypical and unnatural poses. Pardo Porto notes that this embodies the imagery imposed on both women (the pose) and landscape (tropical print, flowers, etc.).

Container #3��(left) and��Container #7��(right) by Joiri Minaya; Pigment print; Courtesy of the artist and Praise Shadows Gallery.

“She draws attention to how tropicality is commercialized and consumed, inviting viewers to reflect on their complicity in perpetuating harmful representations,” says Pardo Porto. “Minaya not only highlights the absurdity of tropical imagery but also prompts viewers to confront and rethink the ingrained stereotypes they might unconsciously accept and reproduce.”

For the installation titled��#dominicanwomengooglesearch (2016),��Minaya conducted a Google Image search for the term “Dominican women.” Based on the results of that search, she digitally isolated individual body parts, enlarged and printed them on Sintra board, and then hand-cut them after covering the backs with tropical-patterned fabrics. This installation invites viewers to reflect on and challenge the recurring, sexualized poses associated with tropicalized identities.

Student Engagement

Students in Pardo Porto’s “Contemporary Latinx Art��(undergraduate) and��Theorizing Central American and Caribbean Diasporas Through Art”��(graduate) classes will take part in assignments tied to the exhibition. Students will write about Joiri Minaya’s work and engage with archival and collection materials from the University’s Art Museum and Special Collections Resource Center. She says this approach will help them explore the historical dialogue between past and present images.

“Many of our students aren’t aware of the resources available in our collections and on campus, and this exhibition offers a unique opportunity to learn directly from an artist whose work is on campus,” she says. “I always include these types of cross-campus collaborations, such as with the Special Collections Research Center.”

Pardo Porto hopes that visitors to the exhibition will develop a deeper understanding of how stereotypical images are created and embedded in visual culture. “My hope is that students, faculty, staff and the local community will gain the tools to see and acknowledge the pervasive tropes of tropicality and then actively ‘unsee’ them—dismantling these limiting frameworks and fostering new ways of seeing.”

Pictured from left to right: JaSheika James, Stacy Ike, JaNeika James and Ta’Rhonda Jones on the set of “Empire.”

JaNeika James G’05 and her twin sister, JaSheika, grew up watching television and “fell in love with TV” and the possibilities it could mean for them.

JaNeika James

Today, the two are accomplished TV writers and producers of several shows, including JaNeika’s role as supervising producer on FOX’s groundbreaking hit show, “Empire,” among others.

“Our story is an example of how dreams can be manifested. A lot of people think that you have to know every single step to get to where you want to be,” JaNeika says. “The truth is, if you’re clear and have a vision for what it is that you want to do with your life, all you have to do is declare it.”

On Feb. 7, JaNeika will bring her message to young scholars as the keynote speaker at the . The ceremony, which is open to the entire University community, honors from the previous year who have successfully transitioned to their second year on campus. Those who would like to attend are encouraged to .

“Allowed Us to Dream”

As youngsters, the James twins lived on an Air Force base in Wiesbaden, Germany, where their mother was stationed. Access to television was limited, and the offerings available were predominantly in German.

Thankfully for the sisters, their grandparents in the U.S. mailed them VHS tapes of popular U.S. TV shows like “A Different World,” “The Cosby Show,” “Cheers,” “The Golden Girls” and “Empty Nest.”

Watching television became “a source of comfort” for the sisters, and JaNeika says it provided hours of entertainment and it “allowed us to dream of what was possible for ourselves,” says JaNeika, who earned a master’s degree in television, radio and film from the .

It was an unlikely way to start their lifelong love affair with television, but today, JaNeika and JaSheika are accomplished TV writers. JaNeika was supervising producer on FOX’s groundbreaking hit show, “Empire,” co-executive producer on Netflix’s limited series, “True Story” and HBO Max’s reboot of “Gossip Girl,” and an executive producer on Peacock’s hit show, “Bel-Air.”

JaNeika and JaSheika co-authored a book, “Living Double,” describing their experiences working in the ultra-competitive TV industry in Hollywood. It outlines how, no matter the obstacles, the sisters were determined to turn their dreams into reality.

Pictured on the set of “Bel-Air” are (from left to right): JaNeika James (writer and executive producer), Jabari Banks (who plays Will Smith) and JaSheika James (writer and executive producer).

James sat down with SU News to discuss ���ϲ�����’s impact on her life, her successful career, the importance of giving back to current students and her message for the WellsLink students during their Transitions Ceremony.

What impact has ���ϲ����� has had on your life and your career?

The Newhouse School instills in those who decide to work in media an understanding of the importance of the media and how it shapes our world and culture. Knowing the responsibility we hold—not just as storytellers in Hollywood, but also those who deliver information through journalistic integrity.

There is a huge responsibility that comes with putting content out into the world for all to see and hear. That responsibility was embedded in me at ���ϲ�����. It’s had an incredible impact on my career.

What show had the greatest influence on you?��

“Living Single.” The stars were Queen Latifah, Erika Alexander, Kim Fields and Kim Coles. When that show first aired, it was the first time I saw a show with Black women of all different shapes and sizes, who were best friends living their best lives as single, independent women. “Living Single” allowed me and my twin sister to see a future version of ourselves, and what was possible for our careers.

When did you realize you had made it as a producer?

That first time I was on set for “Empire.” I was flown out to Chicago to produce my first episode of television. I had been a fan of the show since season one and became a writer during season two. To go from being a fan of the show to walking into the studios and seeing where all the scenes were filmed was pretty incredible for me as a huge television fan.

One of the best feelings I’ve had as a writer is seeing actors I know and love—from Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson to Demi Moore, Forrest Whitaker and Alfre Woodard, among others— say words that literally came from my head. To witness them bring my words to life is when it started to settle in that I was actually living my dream.

JaNeika James poses with the cast of “Bel-Air.”

How can your success inspire future generations?

Representation is extremely important. If it wasn’t for representation, I personally would not be in this business. I was truly inspired by “Living Single,” but what really stood out was when I read an article about Yvette Lee Bowser being the first African American woman to create and run her own TV show. That planted this idea in my head that I could one day be an African American woman who created and ran her own TV show.�� It’s been a goal of mine and my sister’s to be a source of inspiration and an example that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.

Why is it important to give back to our students through the Our Time Has Come Scholarship Program?

I hope I’ve had an impact in helping students who didn’t think going to school was a possibility for them. I know what it’s like to want to go to college but not know if it’s something you can afford. I know what it feels like to have financial burdens when you’re deeply in pursuit of a dream. By supporting , I hope to help students feel free to pursue their dreams without being distracted by financial responsibilities.

What’s your message for WellsLink students during their transitions ceremony?

A lot of people have been disillusioned into thinking we are powerless through our circumstances. What I learned as an artist, writer, producer and African American woman is that there is a lot of power that we hold within that we, unfortunately, have been made to believe is not there. I really want to encourage and remind them of the power they hold to essentially move mountains—in their own lives and in the lives of everyone they encounter.

WellsLink Leadership Program Class of 2027

This year’s ceremony will honor the following students:

• Kaitlyn Arzu (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications)
• Mouctar Barry (Martin J. Whitman School of Management)
• Angelie Serrano Báez (College of Arts and Sciences)
• Umar Bilgrammi (Arts and Sciences)
• Nashaly Bonilla (School of Architecture)
• Sydney Brockington (Arts and Sciences)
• Frances Brown (Whitman School)
• Samantha Chavez (Newhouse School)
• Karrington Clay (Arts and Sciences)
• Eliora Enriquez (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
• Matthew Esquivel (College of Engineering and Computer Science)
• Kiara Reyes Estevez (Whitman School)
• Khalil Foreman (Whitman School)
• Edward Garcia (School of Information Studies)
• Ryann Gholston (Information Studies)
• Samayee Gupte (Arts and Sciences)
• Lindsay Hiraoka (Engineering and Computer Science)
• Monica-Lillie Jacobs (Information Studies)
• AJ (Angie) Jaramillo (Visual and Performing Arts)
• Hayden Jones (Arts and Sciences)
• Amy Kim (Information Studies)
• John Lasso (Whitman School)
• Bryant Lin (Engineering and Computer Science)
• Valarie Lin (Arts and Sciences)
• Kelly Lopez (School of Architecture)
• Nehru Madan (Newhouse School)
• Emely Marte (Visual and Performing Arts)
• Rosmery Martinez (Whitman School)
• Ariana Mithu (Visual and Performing Arts)
• Sophie Navarrete (David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics)
• Dylan Okamoto (Whitman School)
• Kaylin Pagan (Arts and Sciences)
• Jiya Patel (Whitman School)
• Nayeli Perez (Information Studies)
• Simeon Sheldon (Falk College)
• Paris Smith (Arts and Sciences)
• Aramata Trawalley (Engineering and Computer Science)
• Jasmine Trenchfield (Newhouse School)
• Orezimena Ubogu (Arts and Sciences)
• Alexandra Vassel (Visual and Performing Arts)
• Aaron Wang (Whitman School)
• Yuki Zhang (Whitman School)

Opening Friday, Feb. 7, and on view through Monday, March 3, “Overture: 2025 Faculty Survey” features 26 faculty artists and designers who have received both national and international recognition for their thought-provoking work.��An opening reception will be held on Friday, Feb. 7, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The Warehouse Gallery is located on the ground floor of the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., ���ϲ�����. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

The collection of works in “2025 Faculty Survey” highlight the VPA faculty’s creative achievements while emphasizing that their scholarship and pedagogy is grounded in an art-making practice. On view is a range of media and practices that resonate with contemporary inquiries and ruminations, including ceramics, digital, drawing, illustration, installation, jewelry, mixed media, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, set design, textiles and video.

The exhibiting faculty are , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and .

Jaleel Campbell’s digital illustration, “Like it Never Happened,” is part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ new Warehouse Gallery exhibition celebrating the work of ���ϲ����� faculty.

Recently constructed and featuring four exhibition spaces, the Warehouse Gallery is the realization of one of the goals of VPA’s academic strategic plan: to offer a professional college art gallery where faculty and student work is exhibited year-round. Upcoming exhibitions include work by VPA master of fine arts and bachelor of fine arts degree candidates.

The gallery is managed by Lauren Ashley S. Baker, VPA art exhibition operations coordinator, with consultation by a steering committee of VPA faculty. In addition to employing students as attendants and assistants, the gallery will work closely with the graduate program in museum studies, housed at the Nancy Cantor Warehouse and part of VPA’s School of Design.

“This gallery is a permanent place for VPA’s students and faculty to display their work in a professional and public-facing manner,” says Baker. “This space offers opportunities for experiential learning through exhibition planning, production and participation. Meaningful conversations will happen through this platform, enriching our community.”

Gallery hours are Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon-6 p.m.; Thursdays from noon-8 p.m.; and Fridays and Saturdays from noon-4 p.m. To contact the gallery, email warehousegallery@syr.edu.

The award includes a $1,000 cash prize and a publication contract with ���ϲ����� Uni­versity Press. Manuscripts of high merit not selected for the final award may receive honorable mention.

The Veterans Writing Award was established in 2019 to recognize the contributions of veterans to the literary arts, shine a light on the multivalent veteran experience and provide a platform for unrecognized military writers.

Unpublished, full-length manuscripts are accepted for consideration. This biennial contest alternates between fiction and nonfiction each award cycle, with the 2025 award open to novels and short story collections.

The award is open to U.S. veter­ans and active-duty personnel in any branch of the U.S. military and their immediate fam­ily members. This includes spouses, domestic partners, siblings, parents and children. Women veteran writers, veterans of color, Native American veterans, LGBTQ veterans and those who identify as having a disability are encouraged to submit.

Although work submitted for the contest need not be about direct military experience, original voices and fresh perspectives are sought that will expand and challenge readers’ understanding of the lives of veterans and their families. Posthumous submissions are eligible.

Finalists will be read by writer and veteran of the United States Marine Corps Maurice Decaul, and the winning entry will be announced in November of 2025.

Complete rules and submission guidelines can be found on the .

Jana Rosinski, SCRC instruction and education librarian, is looking forward to having the fellows bring attention to areas of unique strength in the SCRC collections as follows:

• Brahmbhatt will rework his course The Art of Devotion in South Asia (REL 300), rooted in the . Smith was the first to hold a position in Hindu studies in the religion
  

  Arun Brahmbhatt

  department at ���ϲ�����, a position Brahmbhatt now holds. The poster archive, comprising over 3,500 specimens of visual and print material Smith collected on his many trips to India, serves as a unique lens into South Asian visual culture from the 1950s through the 1980s, offering snapshots of how devotional iconography functioned within the spaces and activities of daily life. With his students, Brahmbhatt will deeply examine the commonalities in these visuals that transcend the boundaries of genre, religious tradition, time and space, while remaining sensitive to the specificities of historical circumstance, to explore how the language of devotional love is used to both uphold and challenge social norms and communal identity. On the significance of the collection to the focus of the course, Brahmbhatt explains, “When we think about religious images, we often focus on works of ‘high art.’ On the contrary, by exploring the Smith archive, students will train their eyes on images that may seem unremarkable from an artistic perspective, but that nonetheless play an outsize role in Hindu devotional lives.”

• Zeke Leonard is re-envisioning his long-standing course Sustainable Furniture and Lighting (DES
  

  Zeke Leonard

  561), a design and build studio in which students create both a lighting and seating object. By making use of hand diagrammatic drawings from draftspersons, along with original captures of the design process in conceptual sketches and material research of designers, Leonard’s students will fully engage with the process of design as functional art and craft. Making use of the papers of iconic mid-20th century industrial designers such as , and , Leonard and his students will explore function and form critically, contextualizing design in response to aesthetic style, cultural movements or moments historically, and the needs of bodies and spaces. Leonard states, “As a design/build class, this class has always been a making class.  However, at its core it is a design class. By accessing process documents from historic standouts in the field, the students will be contemplating and learning from another type of making, that of making ideation drawings, sketches and technical drawings for production.”

���ϲ����� Libraries’ aims to support innovative curriculum development and foster new ideas about how to transform the role of special collections in University instruction. Each fellow receives a $5,000 payment along with guidance on how to provide students with a unique opportunity to research, analyze and interpret SCRC’s primary source materials in their class, and ongoing course support.

George Bain G’06, a member of the Library Associates, and William F. Gaske ’72, a member of the Libraries Advisory Board, provided generous gift funding towards the SCRC Faculty Fellows Program. Original funding for the program was made possible through the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, which promotes the advancement and perpetuation of humanistic inquiry and artistic creativity by encouraging excellence in scholarship and in the performing arts, and by supporting research libraries and other institutions that transmit our cultural heritage.

To learn more about the Faculty Fellows Program or teaching with SCRC, contact Jana Rosinski, SCRC’s Instruction and Education Librarian at jrosinsk@syr.edu. For more information about how to financially support a Faculty Fellow for the 2026-27 academic year and beyond, contact Ron Thiele at rlthiele@syr.edu or 315.560.9419.

will hold a reading of Mary Chase’s classic comedy “Harvey,” directed by associate artistic director Melissa Crespo and featuring a cast comprised entirely of local actors, including ���ϲ����� Department of Drama faculty members and ���ϲ����� Stage artistic director Robert Hupp.

“Harvey” will be presented in the Archbold Theatre at ���ϲ����� Stage, 820 E. Genesee St., ���ϲ�����, New York, on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free of charge and must be reserved in advance at .

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which tells the story of a good-natured man whose best friend is an invisible six-foot-tall rabbit, served a major inspiration for playwright Eboni Booth’s “Primary Trust,” which will Jan. 22 through Feb. 9 in the Archbold Theatre.

“It’s wild how similar and uniquely different Harvey and Primary Trust are from one another,” Crespo says. “The first won the Pulitzer Prize in 1945, while the second won in 2024. Both plays deal with kindness and the importance of community care. I hope theaters around the country are encouraged to produce both plays in conversation with one another. It’s especially exciting to have a cast of local actors perform in ‘Harvey’ on top of the ‘Primary Trust’ set, which happens to be set in Central New York.”

“Harvey” premiered on Broadway in 1944 and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1945. The playwright adapted her own script into an Oscar-winning film in 1950, starring Jimmy Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd. “Harvey” was last seen on Broadway in 2012, starring Jim Parsons, for which he received a Tony nomination.

About Harvey

Elwood P. Dowd insists on including his friend Harvey in all of his sister Veta’s social gatherings. Trouble is, Harvey is an imaginary six-and-a-half foot-tall rabbit. To avoid future embarrassment for her family—and especially for her daughter, Myrtle Mae—Veta decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium. At the sanitarium, a frantic Veta explains to the staff that her years of living with Elwood’s hallucination have caused her to see Harvey also, and so the doctors mistakenly commit her instead of her mild-mannered brother. The truth comes out, however; Veta is freed, and the search is on for Elwood, who eventually arrives at the sanitarium of his own volition, looking for Harvey. But it seems that Elwood and his invisible companion have had a strange influence on more than one of the doctors. Only at the end does Veta realize that maybe Harvey isn’t so bad after all.

Harvey

• By Mary Chase
• Directed by Melissa Crespo
• Stage managed by Rachel Mondschein

Cast (in alphabetical order)

• Tanner Effinger (Elwood P. Dowd)
• Robert Hupp (Judge Gaffney)
• Lilli Komureck (Veta Simmons, Betty Chumley)
• Alexis Martin (Myrtle Simmons)
• Krystal Osborne (Miss Johnson, Nurse Ruth Kelly)
• Derek Emerson Powell (Dr. Lyman Sanderson)
• Blake Segal (Duane Wilson, E.J. Lofgren)
• Holly Thuma (Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet)
• Karis Wiggins (Dr. William R. Chumley)

Lori Brown

Distinguished Professor Lori Brown and her collaborators, Trish Cafferky and Dr. Yashica Robinson, are included in this year’s Design Triennial with their installation “.

The work is one of 25 site-specific, newly commissioned installations at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, home to the exhibition “.” The exhibition explores design’s role in shaping the physical and emotional realities of home across the U.S., U.S. territories and tribal nations.

The installation, featuring Brown’s work, centers on the efforts of obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Robinson to create a new and expanded network of home health care services and alternatives to hospital births. This work reveals ongoing inequities in the state—resulting from economics, racial injustice, public policy and distance from health care facilities.

“Birthing in Alabama: Design of Reproduction” extends two decades of research, advocacy and activism focusing on reproductive health care by Brown. The installation provides a platform to question where and how architecture contributes to a wide and diverse public and to examine questions of how law and policy shape spaces of birthing access across geographic boundaries and spatial conditions.

For “Birthing in Alabama,” Brown and a team of architectural researchers mapped the legacy of laws and building and zoning codes to contextualize these challenges and present designed alternatives to alleviate their impact.

Lori A. Brown, Trish Cafferky, and Dr. Yashica Robinson’s “Birthing in Alabama: Designing Spaces for Reproduction” exhibition, which delves into a history of birth in Alabama to better understand the various systems that affected the ability of caregivers to provide access to safe and affordable reproductive healthcare. (Photo courtesy of Elliot Goldstein with the Smithsonian Institution)

The installation shows the complicated history of maternity care and access from 1865-2024 and the high rates of maternal mortality for pregnant Black women during this time period. It includes excerpts from Brown’s interviews, bringing the voices of those on the frontline working to expand birthing access across Alabama into the gallery experience.

Brown is an internationally recognized scholar and educator whose research focuses on the relationships between architecture, social justice and gender. She is the co-founder of, a nonprofit dedicated to gender equity in architecture.

Brown’s research has focused on the physical structures of abortion clinics and how the debate has shaped access to reproductive health care. She is the author of “,” and many articles including “” that discusses the call for design ideas for what was the sole remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi.

The exhibition is on view now until the summer of 2025 and is installed throughout the Andrew and Louise Carnegie Museum. Each floor is organized on themes of home: “Going Home,” “Seeking Home” and “Building Home.”

“Going Home” examines how people shape and are shaped by domestic spaces; “Seeking Home” addresses a range of institutional, experimental and utopian contexts that challenge conventional definitions of home; and “Building Home” presents alternatives to the single-family concept of home.

Brown and her co-collaborators are featured in the “Seeking Home” section. Installation of the exhibition was supported by the New York Council on the Arts and additional support from the ���ϲ����� Office of Academic Affairs; Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement and the School of Architecture.

welcomes the new year with playwright Eboni Booth’s “Primary Trust,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about best friends, new beginnings and the undeniable power of everyday kindness. Directed by ���ϲ����� Stage Associate Artistic Director Melissa Crespo (“Once,” “What the Constitution Means to Me,” “Native Gardens”), “Primary Trust” will run Wednesday, Jan. 22, to Sunday, Feb. 9, in the Archbold Theatre at ���ϲ����� Stage, 820 E. Genesee St., ���ϲ�����, New York.

“Stage’s production of ‘Primary Trust’ is brought to life by a superb cast and creative team,” says Artistic Director Robert Hupp. “We’re eager to share this timely play so beautifully directed by our associate artistic director, Melissa Crespo. It’s just the right story at just the right time.”

In Cranberry, New York, a small town just east of Rochester, 38-year-old Kenneth has a good job, a great boss and Bert, the best friend a guy could ask for. But his boss is moving to Florida, the bookstore he works at is closing and Bert? Well, he’s imaginary. As he confronts the traumas that led to his isolated existence, Kenneth must tend to old wounds, forge new friendships and let go of the things he no longer needs.

“Eboni Booth’s beautiful play ‘Primary Trust’ about friendship and the smallest of chances is exactly what we need in our sometimes-lonely world,” says Crespo. “I hope Central New York audiences will particularly appreciate a story that’s set in their backyard.”

Garrett Turner (Kenneth) returns to ���ϲ����� Stage after playing Anger in the world premiere of “Thoughts of Colored Man,” and he is joined by Bjorn DuPaty, making his ���ϲ����� Stage debut as Bert. The actors reunite after sharing a dressing room as understudies for the Broadway production of “Thoughts of Colored Man” in 2022.

Rounding out the cast of “Primary Trust” are Eunice Woods as Corinna, Wally’s Waiters and Bank Customers; Paul DeBoy (“Native Gardens,” “The Christians”) as Clay, Sam and Le Pousselet Bartender; and Armando Gutierrez (“Once”) as musician.

Bringing the fictional Central New York town of Cranberry to life is a design team that includes sets by Ann Beyersdorfer (“What the Constitution Means to Me,” “Yoga Play”), costumes by Carmen Martinez (“Once,” “What the Constitution Means to Me”), lighting by Alejandro Fajardo (who worked with Crespo’s “El Otro Oz,” a NYTimes Critics Pick), sound by ���ϲ����� Stage resident sound designer Jacqueline R Herter (“Once,” “What the Constitution Means to Me,” “Annapurna”) and original music by cast member Armando Gutierrez.

All evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., while all matinee performances begin at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $30, with discounts available for students and groups. Tickets may be purchased online at , by phone at 315.443.3275 or in person at the ���ϲ����� Stage Box Office. Pay-what-you-will performances for “Primary Trust” are Jan. 22–26 inclusive; Prologue conversations, three pre-show discussions that take place one-hour before curtain on Jan. 26, Feb. 1 and Feb. 6; the Wednesday at 1 lecture will take place on Jan. 29 before the 2 p.m. matinee; the post-show talkback will take place on Sunday, Feb. 2, after the 7:30 p.m. performance. ���ϲ����� Stage has its open-captioned performances scheduled for Jan. 29 and Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m., as well as an audio-described performance on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. The sensory friendly/relaxed performance of “Primary Trust” is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m.

���ϲ����� Stage is pleased to announce the addition of trivia night, a new event for the 24/25 season. Free for ticket holders, trivia night invites audiences to go head-to-head for a chance to win exciting ���ϲ����� Stage prizes, in a friendly competition hosted by “Jeopardy!” champion Dillon Hupp with free pizza. Trivia night for “Primary Trust” will be held on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance are required to participate. Pre-registration at is recommended.

In conjunction with “Primary Trust,” ���ϲ����� Stage will present a free reading of “Harvey” by Mary Chase. The play, about a man whose best friend is an invisible 6-foot-tall rabbit, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1945, was made into an Oscar-winning film starring Jimmy Stewart and was a major inspiration for Booth’s “Primary Trust.” The reading will take place in the Archbold Theatre on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m., with free tickets available at ���ϲ�����Stage.org.

Support for the 24/25 season includes season sponsors the Slutzker Family Foundation, the Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation and Advance Media New York. The community partner for “Primary Trust” is ACR Health.

Primary Trust

• By Eboni Booth
• Directed by Melissa Crespo
• Scenic design by Ann Beyersdorfer
• Costume design by Carmen Martinez
• Lighting design by Alejandro Fajardo
• Sound design by Jacquline R Hertetr
• Original music by Armando Guttierez
• Stage management by Kristine Schlachter*
• Casting by Bass/Valle Casting

CAST (in alphabetical order)

• Paul DeBoy* (Clay, Sam, Le Pousselet Bartender)
• Bjorn DuPaty* (Bert)
• Armando Gutierrez* (Musician)
• Garrett Turner* (Kenneth)
• Eunice Woods* (Corinna, Wally’s Waiter, Bank Customer)

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Lake Hancock, Nabil Harb, 2024

“Mater si, magistra no,” (a macaronic phrase that translates as “Mother yes, teacher no”) presents a series of black-and-white photographs that describe and depict moments and scenes within Harb’s hometown of Lakeland in Polk County, Florida. This Central Florida location is both the backdrop and main character of Harb’s visual narrative: a story that emits surreal qualities which twist ideas of the region through photography’s formal language into a conceptual idea—an idea of how to describe the atmosphere of a place without words.

“The landscape is the perfect reflection of our society, our ultimate index—it holds our histories, our secrets, our failures and our hopes for the future,” Harb says.

Harb uses his camera to look rather than gaze at wily scenes and moving bodies; his images disturb the before and after of a photograph by showing a moment extended or an instant flashed with a strobe. The narratives in this work are conflicting and intermingle with one another. The overriding story is one of man versus nature, of beauty and destruction coexisting in an atmosphere that is surreal, seductive and breathtaking. Where the conflicting notions of destruction and rebirth intersect is also the point at which Harb’s formalism and conceptual photographic practice meet, showing us the potential for beauty in destruction and foreboding rebirth.

Harb is a Palestinian American photographer born and raised in Polk County, Florida, where he still lives. Harb received his in�� bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of South Florida and his master of fine arts degree in photography from Yale University. His work has been featured in Aperture, The Atlantic, ArtReview, The Guardian and A24.

2025 B.F.A. Art Photography Annual

Light Work is also presenting the 2025 B.F.A. Art Photography Annual. This exhibition features work
by seniors from the Art Photography program in the Film and Media Arts Department at the
College of Visual and Performing Arts at ���ϲ�����. The exhibiting artists are Maxine
Brackbill, Charles Lavion, Kelsey Quinn Leary, Lili Moreno Martel, Shawn McCauley and Hazel
Wagner.

Each spring, seniors in the art photography program have the opportunity to exhibit a selection
of images from their senior thesis projects at Light Work. The senior thesis is a yearlong,
in-depth photographic exploration of a subject chosen by each student. The subjects of these
projects are wide-ranging, from very personal explorations of family and selfhood to sharp and
humorous experiments playing with the boundaries of fashion and studio photography. Students
choose, edit and print the images in collaboration and with the assistance of Light Work’s
curatorial staff and master printers.

“The B.F.A. Art Photography Annual is not only the first exhibition for many of the students in the Art Photography program, but also an important learning opportunity for them,” says Laura Heyman, associate professor of art photography. “In addition to giving students the space to imagine how the
images they create might exist beyond the walls of the university, the Art Photography Annual
introduces their work to their peers, the local community, and the renowned curators and critics.”
who jury the exhibition.”

Bruno Ceschel, founder of Self Publish Be Happy,�� served as juror and selected Brackbill’s images for Best in Show.

“Maxine Brackbill’s photographs address identity through lenses of gender, race and familial contexts, presenting biographies that are deeply personal yet universally relevant. These narratives emerge at a time when there is a growing visibility for diverse perspectives, but also an environment that feels increasingly hostile,” says Ceschel. “One particularly striking image of Maxine standing in water, confronting the viewer with a gaze that asserts her new body and new life, feels both vulnerable and defiant.”

An opening reception will take place in the Jeffrey J. Hoone Gallery at Light Work on Jan. 23 from 5 to 7 p.m.

“” features the work of 2024-25 ���ϲ����� Art Museum Faculty Fellows , associate professor of communication and rhetorical studies in the , and , assistant teaching professor of management in the Martin J. . Another exhibit, “,” is curated by , assistant professor of Latinx literatures and cultures in the .

The works will be on display in the Joe and Emily Lowe Galleries at the Art Museum from Tuesday, Jan. 21, through Saturday, May 10.

The ���ϲ����� Art Museum Faculty Fellows program supports innovative curriculum development and experiential learning and aims to more fully integrate the ���ܲ���ܳ�’s collection into the University’s academic life, says , museum director.

Gestures Study

Gratch’s exhibition, “Performance, Gesture and Reflection,” mirrors her performance studies course CRS 314, which explores the social, cultural and political dimensions of performance in various forms, including theater, dance, rituals, everyday life and media. The display features 23 objects that examine the social, cultural and political dimensions of performance, including how human gestures shape identity, power, memory and social relations.

This screen print by Robert Rauschenberg is one of the central pieces in Lyndsay Gratch’s exhibition, “Performance, Gesture and Reflection.”

Gratch says the portrayals “show gestures as more than isolated movements in a single time and place. Gestures are dynamic, culturally loaded and ever-changing symbols which have a wide range of social, political and historical meanings based on when, where, how, by whom and why a gesture is made and also interpreted.”��Gratch says the course and the exhibition illustrate how performance “is not necessarily something that’s theatrical or fake or put on, but actions we do as part of everyday life.”

Culture as Economy

Wimer’s exhibition consists of a dozen different artistic works that express key ideas regarding the global economy from an African perspective. These include viewing culture as an economic component; how culture is represented by proverbs and sayings passed from generation to generation; and how climate change and health care infrastructure affect people very differently depending on whether they live in the global south versus the global north.

The exhibition was created to complement Whitman’s required core class for all sophomores, Managing in a Global Setting, to bring a different perspective on key course concepts such as infrastructure, human capital and globalization.

A custom pet portrait by a Kenyan artist involved in Elizabeth Wimer’s immersion course is an example of using artwork to create an economic revenue stream.

As an extension of that course, Wimer and students who have applied for and been accepted to Whitman’s Kenya Immersion Experience undertake a 10-day business immersion trip to Kenya. There, they can see firsthand how creative and artistic works provide paths to financial opportunity for people who live in limited economic situations, while also sometimes meeting the Kenyan artists.

“[They see that] artist creations are not solely artistic expression as a work of art but as works that help them sustain a living. Both have beauty, but the inspiration behind the beauty is very different,” she says.

Tropical Images

Pardo Porto’s exhibition is a collection of work by acclaimed New York City-based Dominican artist in conversation with selected works from the ���ϲ����� Art Museum collection. It examines the visual culture of tropicality through stereotypical depictions of landscapes like pristine beaches and sunny skies, as well as racist portrayals of women as exoticized figures, Pardo Porto says.

A work by Joiri Minaya represents the visual culture of tropicality through combined stereotypes of an exoticized woman who is wearing tropical-themed swimwear.

The exhibition consists of objects including postcards, tourist brochure images, fabric from Hawaiian shirts, posters and photographs, and video and sound performances ranging from the late 19^th century to the present. “This emphasizes part of my research into how the images surrounding us shape our perception, our thinking and our feelings about places like the Caribbean and how we relate to images in our daily lives,” Pardo Porto says.

The exhibit is being incorporated into two of Pardo Porto’s courses. An undergraduate course on contemporary Latinx art, conducted entirely in Spanish, uses the Spanish-language artwork labels and tags in the exhibit as part of class lessons. A graduate seminar focuses on theorizing race and diaspora and how an artist like Minaya, who was born in New York City but has Dominican heritage, examines how diasporic identities are constructed and how being separated from community can complicate identity. Pardo Porto says Minaya will visit campus to give a talk, work with students and share interpretations of her art with the community.

This year, out of 14 student winners nationwide, four are advertising majors. And two of them are from the .

Tori Aragi ’24 and Jordan Leveille ’24, art directors in the Newhouse creative advertising program, won for five advertising campaigns they created in Portfolio 1, the first course for at Newhouse. One campaign by Aragi came from Portfolio III, the final course in the creative advertising track. Aragi and Leveille’s first-ever advertising campaigns were shown in the March/April 2024 print edition of Communication Arts.

“The fun of Portfolio I is that many students come in with no experience,” says , a professor of practice and Aragi and Leveille’s instructor in Portfolio I. “They tell me they’ve never created an advertising campaign before, and I tell them, ‘The work created in this course often goes on to win creative advertising student awards.’ Time and time again, this proves to be true. In my Portfolio I course, I don’t just teach students how to create ad campaigns; I teach them how to create compelling campaigns that are memorable.”

The Award-Winning Campaigns

“Too Tired to Function” for Raycon Wireless Earbuds

Tori Aragi’s campaign with a print ad for Raycon Wireless Earbuds.

Aragi’s “Too Tired to Function” campaign for Raycon Wireless Earbuds includes three print ads and was developed in her Portfolio I course. It is one of her three campaigns featured in this year’s print edition of Communication Arts. This campaign highlights Raycon’s superior battery life by showing Apple AirPods “falling asleep” during inconvenient travel times and uses visual solution advertising to tell this story, altering visuals to communicate the concept of the ad campaign.

“This was my first-ever advertising campaign,” Aragi says. “Professor White taught me how to blend visuals and copy to create this compelling story.”

“Hydroscape” for Hydro Flask

Jordan Leveille’s campaign featured print ads for Hydro Flask.

Leveille’s “Hydroscape” campaign for Hydro Flask, created in Portfolio I, similarly uses a visual solution approach, transforming Hydro Flask bottles into frigid, icy landscapes to represent how well the product keeps liquids cold. This concept visually links Hydro Flasks to glaciers, a recognizable symbol of cold water.

“This is a clever way of visually showing how the water bottle keeps water cold for a very long time,” White says. “Jordan is strikingly adept at using visual solution advertising.”

“Bad Hair Day” for Aveeno

Jordan Leveille’s campaign featured print ads for Aveeno.

Leveille’s “Bad Hair Day” campaign for Aveeno, created in Portfolio I, takes a playful approach with its visual solution. It depicts the torment of dealing with untreated, damaged hair by transforming the hair into a monstrosity. This campaign shows how Aveeno’s Oat Milk Hair Treatment can “tame” unruly hair, thus positioning the product as the solution to achieving hydrated, healthy locks.

“Fries Over Friends” for McDonald’s

Tori Aragi’s campaign featured print ads for McDonald’s.

Aragi’s second featured campaign, “Fries Over Feelings,” created in Portfolio I, captures the universal sting of someone swiping your McDonald’s fries. Aragi turned this everyday betrayal into a memorable ad series, blending serious undertones with exaggerated humor. Her long-form ads amplify the drama of the stolen fries by incorporating clever comedic twists.

“Professor White’s guidance on copy-based advertising was crucial in developing this idea and its comedic touch,” says Aragi.

“I’m Thirsty” for charity: water

For charity: water, a nonprofit dedicated to providing clean drinking water where many do not have access to it, Leveille came up with the idea in Portfolio I to create drinking water cans with no tab on them, making the water inside completely inaccessible. These cans would be placed in vending machines that appear to dispense free cans of water.

The can’s design is meant to give consumers a glimpse of what it’s like for people who lack access to clean drinking water, aiming to generate empathy for the 370 million individuals facing this challenge daily.��The cans lack tabs, so people cannot access the water. This design gives consumers a glimpse into experiencing first-hand, even if it’s just for a few seconds, what it’s like to have no access to clean drinking water.

Each can reads, “By making this can of water impossible to open, we have restricted your access to clean drinking water. Now you can relate to the 10% of our population who lack access to clean water daily. It shouldn’t be this difficult for anyone to quench their thirst.”

Jordan Leveille’s experiential idea for charity: water brings awareness to the fact that one in 10 people globally do not have access to clean water.

This campaign is notable for its innovative use of experiential advertising, creating a powerful and original experience for the consumer.

“The charity: water campaign tangibly recreates water inaccessibility through a completely sealed and visually identifiable can, allowing consumers to experience an issue that many typically don’t in their daily lives,” White says.

“Just Let It Go” for eBay

Aragi’s third campaign, “Just Let It Go” for eBay, was created in Portfolio III. Collaborating with copywriter Kayla Beck ’24, Aragi targeted Generation Z in the United Kingdom with this cheeky campaign.

Tori Aragi’s campaign featuring outdoor posters for eBay.

Through their research, Aragi and Beck said they found that Gen Z struggles to let go of preloved items, even when they have outgrown them. From there, the creative advertising students created a campaign that gives people the snarky shove they need to realize it is finally time to let go.

“Professor White always stressed the importance of simple ideas and cohesive campaigns, which helped me to create this project,” Aragi says.

2024 marks the sixth consecutive year Newhouse creative advertising students have won Communication Arts Students Showcase Awards.

Dana Spiotta

The December Vogue is a special issue guest-edited by fashion icon Marc Jacobs. is a long profile of Kaia Gerber, who in addition to being a well-known model and up-and-coming actress, now has a large following for her online book club, . Spiotta’s article explores Gerber’s experience growing up in the fashion world and the challenges of how the world perceives her vs. how she perceives herself.

Along with penning the Vogue cover story, Spiotta’s book “” is the inspiration for an alternative opera, which will take to the stage Jan. 9-17 as part of the in New York. The prestigious festival is a co-production of , “two trailblazers in the creation and presentation of contemporary, multi-disciplinary opera-theatre and music-theatre works.”

“Eat the Document” follows the intertwined lives of two anti-war activists who come together during the Vietnam era. After a protest they orchestrate goes tragically wrong, they are forced into hiding, adopting new identities to escape their past. The story alternates between the 1970s and the 1990s, delving into themes of identity, memory and the impact of political activism. Spiotta’s “Eat the Document” was a finalist for the National Book Award and the winner of the American Academy’s Rosenthal Foundation Award in 2007.

The new opera has been in development since 2020 by John Glover (composer), Kelley Rourke (librettist), Kristin Marting (director) and Mila Henry (music director).��.”

A faculty member in the since 2009, Spiotta is one of the University’s leading fiction writers. She is the author of five novels. Alongside “Eat the Document,” she has written “Wayward,” which was named a best book of 2021 by Vogue and The New York Times, “Innocents and Others,” winner of the St. Francis College Literary Prize and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, “Stone Arabia,” a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and “Lightning Field,” which was a New York Times Notable Book. Spiotta is currently teaching workshop classes in the undergraduate and graduate Creative Writing Program.

The Whitman School’s “Discover Florence: A Gastronomic and Cultural Odyssey,” runs June 26 to July 4, 2025.

The will host an , “Discover Florence: A Gastronomic and Cultural Odyssey,” during the summer of 2025.��The edu-tourism experience will run from June 26 to July 4, 2025, and is open to interested University students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of ���ϲ�����.

“The Whitman School has long valued the importance of experiential learning outside the classroom for students, and now we are excited to venture into the area of edu-tourism for faculty, alumni and others in our Orange family, too,” says trip leader ,��Whitman’s professor of supply chain practice and director of executive education.

“Not only will participants learn firsthand about food, wine, art and culture, but they’ll also see some of the business concepts behind them as they meet award-winning chefs and restaurateurs, vineyard owners, government officials and alumni in related fields,” Penfield says. “To round out the trip, travelers will get a firsthand look at the historical significance of one of the world’s most iconic cities.”

This nine-day trip kicks off with a welcome reception that includes insights from faculty based at the , as well as a unique opportunity to hear from , the European Union Parliament minister of food and agriculture and former mayor of Florence who delivered the 2024 Commencement address at ���ϲ�����’s graduation ceremonies.

This event will allow travelers to network and get to know one another, as they prepare for a slate of activities* that includes:

• visits to and vineyards;
• culinary adventures through a hands-on Florentine cooking class;
• Stops at iconic landmarks like the Duomo and the Uffizi Gallery;
• first-hand looks at the work of Renaissance masters like Michelangelo and Ghirlandaio;
• premier dining at two Michelin-star restaurants, and ;
• escapes to ancient olive groves, charming local markets, quaint cafés and more; and
• free time to explore, shop, relax and take in the beauty of Florence.

The cost of the trip includes the above adventures and lodging at the four-star in the heart of Florence. Based on the maximum enrollment of 20 people, the cost is $9,600 for single occupancy and $12,600 for double occupancy. Transportation to and from Florence is not included in the price, allowing travelers to make their own plans from anywhere in the world.

The registration deadline is March 20, 2025, and space is limited so to experience Florence with the Whitman School.

*Itinerary subject to change

Madison Manning (Cinderella), right, and Trisha Jeffrey (Fairy Godmother) in “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” (Photos by Michael Davis)

Manning plays Cinderella in the production that runs through Jan. 5 in the Archbold Theatre at ���ϲ����� Stage. All evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. while all matinee performances begin at 2 p.m. Tickets may be , by phone at 315.443.3275 or in person at the ���ϲ����� Stage Box Office.

Manning shares insights into the production and her role.

What can audience members expect from this production?

They can expect a modern twist to it, especially because this is “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella.” It’s not something that’s very complex in language, and it’s more contemporary in its scene work, general dialogue, blocking techniques and the demeanor to which we perform the show.

Besides expecting a contemporary aspect, they can expect a lot of beauty in the staging, projections, lighting and costuming. Regardless of if they’re following the story or listening to the singing, people will come in and enjoy getting to see such beauty and attention to detail in the visual aspect of it. They can expect to see a heartwarming story that visually, emotionally and mindfully has a lot of love, care and warmth put into it.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your performance?

I’m big on finding inspiration in multiple mediums of art. Most of it comes from other theater, a lot of film and TV, and a few years ago I got into reading a lot of young adult fantasy novels. Even though those stories can be different from the ones told in theater, just tapping into different mediums of storytelling has been a big inspiration for how to tell a story to specific audiences with specific material or storylines.

If it had to be a person, I draw a lot of inspiration from Patina Miller and Cynthia Erivo—Black, female artists that are not only talented but driven and know how to collaborate with other artists. I also draw a lot of inspiration from the faculty at ���ϲ����� and my peers. When you’re in class, watching other people perform, whether there’s solo performances, duets and trios, or scene work, you learn from your peers because you’re constantly watching them grow.

What do you want to convey in the character?

Cinderella speaks with animals.

In the original Disney movie, it literally says that Cinderella was abused, humiliated and forced to be a servant in her own home. Despite all of that, she woke up every single day with hope and optimism. She still showed the stepfamily gentleness and reverence in the face of their hatred and unjustified anger.

The biggest thing I want to convey about the character is that she’s not a damsel in distress and that her strength comes from her ability to choose kindness in the face of adversity. It’s much easier to be mean right back to somebody that’s being mean to you. It’s even harder to show them kindness, continuously show them love and make them a part of your life despite what they’ve done.

What’s the best part about becoming this classic character, Cinderella?

“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” co-produced by ���ϲ����� Stage and the Department of Drama in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, runs through Jan. 5.

The best part, besides wearing beautiful costumes and telling such a fun story, is getting to inspire little boys and girls throughout the ���ϲ����� area. When I was a phantom in “A Christmas Carol” [the ���ϲ����� Stage/Department of Drama co-production] last year, I got to crawl up and down the aisles and look into the faces of people. For children’s matinees, there were a lot of Black and brown children in the audience. The first thing I thought when I got cast was, “How great is it going to be for those boys and girls to see themselves represented on stage, not just as a side character or someone in the ensemble but someone who’s playing the main lead.”

Adeera Harris ’25, my cast member who plays Grace, also pointed out that it’s such a blessing to not see the pigeonholed stereotype of the Black girls, the sassy sidekick or the mean girls; rather, you get to see People of Color in our cast play the prince, the princess, one of the step-sisters, ensemble members and the fairy godmother. You get to see so much diversity that I think will impact a lot of children. My hope is that they take away that things are still possible, and it’s possible for them to be a source of inspiration and encouragement for others.

What’s the most challenging part of this role?

The most challenging part is definitely the singing. After doing three previews, I’m still nervous about getting through all 50-plus shows with this score. It’s a very demanding role vocally in a way that I’m not used to. I would consider myself a belter, but this role requires me to use my reinforced mix, which I’m just now developing as an artist.

I didn’t come into college with vocal training. I did choir in high school but never one-on-one training for my vocal instrument, so I always felt a little late to the game in terms of singing. I knew going into this I would need to really prepare and know these songs like the back of my hand, so that even if I was sick or lost my voice and got it back two minutes before curtain, I’d be able to do the show.

To read the full story, visit the .

The ���ϲ����� Art Museum will host a day of free programming on Nov. 9 celebrating prominent photographer, composer, author, poet and film director Gordon Parks.

The community is invited to spend the day learning about Gordon Parks through both the exhibition and the accompanying family guide. Additionally, among the featured programs is an artist talk with contemporary photographer Jarod Lew at 1 p.m., and a screening of the 2021 documentary, “A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks,” at 2:30 p.m.

Throughout the day, the museum will also host a Community Arts Fair featuring local artists, community organizations and vendors in the galleria just outside the museum entrance. Local vendor Black Citizens Brigade will be hosting a pop-up store featuring a selection of books, magazines and records highlighting the work of Gordon Parks and his contemporaries.

Additionally, artist and educator Evan Starling-Davis will host a zine-making workshop where visitors can create their own eight-page zine (or booklet) based on personal photographs and archival and found images and text. Registration is required for the workshop. Interested participants can expect to spend at least 90 minutes creating their zine. .

Jess Myers

As the flagship program of , Exhibit Columbus is an exploration of community, architecture, art and design that activates the modern legacy of Columbus, Indiana. Through a two-year cycle of events, conversations are convened around innovative ideas, and then site-responsive installations are commissioned to create a free, public exhibition.

Now in its fifth cycle, this year’s theme, “,” invites contributors to explore the legacy of Columbus by adding to the multiple and overlapping lives of buildings and spaces. Originating in improv theater, “Yes And” is a technique for affirming and building upon an idea to create a shared narrative.

This year, University Design Research Fellowships were awarded through a national, open-call competition for full-time university and college professors whose work explores community-based urban design and the challenges facing activating historic downtowns. Applicants were asked to respond to the “Yes And” theme and work from existing material to shape positive change. UDR Fellows were then shortlisted and selected, from nearly 50 submissions, by the 2024-25 based on the Request for Qualifications process.

“The high level of research represented by these six University Design Research Fellows is inspiring and we are honored to showcase their work in this cycle of Exhibit Columbus. Together, these professors place emphasis on the curatorial theme, ‘Yes And,’ in their own way, and collectively allow us to build an exhibition that has curatorial depth across the country,” the five curatorial partners said in a joint statement.

Through a cycle of events, the fellows—along with four —will work with community members in Columbus to create installations at various locales, encouraging the public to collaborate in the creation of the ongoing performance of the city. Whether it’s recovering architectural remnants, reflecting on cultural legacy, staging a dramatic spectacle, or reimagining public play, “Yes And” invites everybody to the public spaces of Columbus to expand what forms of togetherness and collaboration are possible. Winning fellows can request a budget of up to $15,000 to support the realization of an installation during the three-month exhibition in downtown Columbus.

The of Myers, César A. Lopez (University of Virginia), Amelyn Ng (Columbia University), and Germán Pallares-Avitia (Rhode Island School of Design) bring a strong interdisciplinary track record in public installation and exhibition, material experimentation, and historical architectural research to the UDR Fellowship and the legacy of Exhibit Columbus.

Jess Myers (second from the left) is one of four faculty members to be named Exhibit Columbus University Design Research Fellows for 2024-25.

“What unites [us] is a commitment to leveraging our unique experiences and expertise to create impactful public installations that resonate with the community,” says the team. “As former architecture students turned educators, we are dedicated to learning about and shaping the built environment while inspiring future architects.”

Building upon Columbus’s exemplary modern architecture in conversation with its community, the team’s proposed project, “Public School Grounds,” aims to extend their admiration for modern architecture to children and the larger Columbus community by fostering an environment that encourages hands-on learning, imaginative exploration, and meaningful interactions for individuals of all ages.

The project installation will draw inspiration from the dynamic rooflines and material patterns found in mid-century modern-designed schools in Columbus. Throughout the fellowship, the team will work with the students, educators, and staff at these schools to scale down and collage these rooflines to create an engaging sensorial platform for children.

“Public School Grounds” will become a tactile experience, potentially constructed from reclaimed local brick or colorful recycled foam, drawing from the vast range of brickwork and bond patterns found across Columbus’ modern architectural landscape. By creating an interesting and interactive space at ground level, the new public space will showcase the influence of educational architecture on the city, highlight the significance of children in the community and prioritizing hands-on play as a learning tool.

Designing and planning for a longer life cycle for the project and its materials is a critical objective of the installation. By finding a reuse after the Exhibit Columbus programming concludes, the mission of exposing a broader community to the wonder and beauty of the built environment will have a longer legacy. Recognizing that not all schools have equal resources, the team aims to design their project in pieces or sections so that it can easily be assembled, disassembled, transported, and distributed to schools needing recreational equipment and/or to communities as public furniture. Alternatively, if the project is donated to a single school or after-care organization, the team hopes its design can be “re-collaged” in various configurations, rather than remaining in its original consolidated form, allowing the project to evolve according to the new client’s needs and contexts.

The built installation will be accompanied by a series of workshops and programs facilitated by the “Public School Grounds” team who will work directly with students, educators, and staff at select local schools through key partnerships with two related organizations—the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC), ��which oversees the public schools in Columbus, and the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation (BCSF), which supports the learning experience of Columbus youth.

Myers, an urbanist whose practice includes work as an editor, writer, podcaster and curator, will bring her expertise in sound to the project and explore the sonic breaks and flows of a young student’s day.

“There is an auditory schedule that schoolchildren keep that vanished from the public soundscape during the COVID-19 lockdowns,” says Myers. “I will be researching the bells that organize quiet and frenzy, the many languages that Columbus students use and the organized bustle of drop-offs and pick-ups to develop a light, soothing soundscape that activates the physical playscape.”

Throughout these events and the Exhibit Columbus programming, the team will observe and document how children and community members engage with their project, with a goal of creating a series of diagrams that can inspire future educational spaces.

By using a collaborative and community-engaged approach, “Public School Grounds” seeks to bring the tactile and sensory elements that have enriched educational environments within schools to the broader public and inspire inquisitive play within the city of Columbus.

As University Design Research Fellows, Myers and her team recently attended the two-day where they were paired with BCSC’s and . Working at these unique sites, they will create an installation that will become a focal point during the 2025 Exhibit Columbus event in August 2025.

Aaron Sorkin

Sorkin, a graduate of the Department of Drama, was among 19 recipients that comprised the 2022 and 2023 cohorts of the National Humanities Medal, which honors an individual or organization whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience, broadened citizens’ engagement with history or literature or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to cultural resources. The manages the nominations process for the medal on behalf of the White House.

“The National Humanities Medal recipients have enriched our world through writing that moves and inspires us; scholarship that enlarges our understanding of the past; and through their dedication to educating, informing and giving voice to communities and histories often overlooked,” says NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo).

Sorkin’s early career began as a playwright. His stage play, “A Few Good Men,” caught the attention of a Hollywood producer, who bought the film rights before the play even premiered. Castle Rock Entertainment then hired Sorkin to adapt to film “A Few Good Men,” which went on to become a box office and critical success in 1992.

Sorkin’s 2010 feature film screenplay, “The Social Network,” earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the film also garnered two additional Oscars and four Golden Globe Awards, including best picture and best screenplay. His other films include “Molly’s Game” (directorial debut), “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Golden Globe Award), “Moneyball,” “Steve Jobs” (Golden Globe Award), “The American President” and “Malice.”

In 1998, Sorkin’s television career began when he created the comedy series “Sports Night” for the ABC network. His next TV series, the political drama “The West Wing,” debuted on the NBC network and would go on to win more than 20 Emmys, a Golden Globe for Best Television Drama Series, two consecutive Peabody Awards for Broadcast and Cable Excellence, and two Humanitas Prizes and Television Critics Awards. His other television series include “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (NBC) and “The Newsroom” (HBO).

Aaron Sorkin (back row, third from left), Drama Department Chair Ralph Zito (back row, fourth from left) and 2024 Sorkin Week students

After more than a decade away from the theater, Sorkin returned to adapt for the stage his screenplay “The Farnsworth Invention” (2007). His stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” debuted on Broadway in 2018 and received nine Tony Award nominations, winning one. He adapted the classic musical “Camelot” in 2023; the Broadway production received five Tony nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical.

In March 2006 Sorkin funded and launched the Sorkin in LA Learning Practicum—also known as “Sorkin Week”—which is a weeklong immersion experience for VPA drama students to meet with professionals working in all facets of the entertainment industry, including actors, writers, talent agents, directors and producers.

Sorkin is a member of the VPA Council and has received the University’s George Arents Pioneer Medal, the highest alumni honor awarded by the University. He delivered the University’s Commencement address in 2012 and received an honorary degree.

More than 60 pieces from the institutional collection are featured in the show, housed at the of the University’s Nancy Cantor Warehouse Building at 350 W. Fayette St. The show runs through Friday, Nov. 22. Admission is free and open to the public.

The exhibition, “Libro de Artista,” features more than 60 artists books from the collection at the Argentine National Museum. (Photo by Matias Roth)

The exhibition is a production of the University’s POC) gallery in partnership with the (MNBA) and the University’s in the .

Sergio Moscona’s “Personajes Diarios,” in ink, acrylic and collage, depicting the intervention of facsimile 1956 edition of “La Prensa,” a daily newspaper that was censored in 1951. (Photo by Matias Roth)

Latin American creators represented in the exhibition include artist books by Diana Dowek, Luis Felipe Noé, Lucrecia Orloff, Jacques Bedel, Daniel García, Miguel Harte, Carolina Antoniadis, Marcos López and Marcia Schvartz. The exhibition also includes the Agentinian ���ܲ���ܳ�’s latest accession to the collection, a piece co-authored by Argentine artists Pedro Roth and the late ���ϲ����� professor and POC founder Pedro Cuperman.

Juan Astica’s acrylic-on-paper piece, “Diversos Conjuros,” consists of 64 paintings. (Photo by Matias Roth)

“It is an honor to partner with MNBA in its first showing of the ‘Libro de Artista’ collection in the United States,” said , executive director of the Office of Cultural Engagement for the Hispanic Community at ���ϲ�����.

“Point of Contact worked in close collaboration with the Roth family of creators and with the National Ministry of Culture of Argentina in exhibitions at the New York Art Book Fair held at MoMA PS1 from 2012 to 2018. ‘Libro de Artista’ culminates such a project with this timely exhibit as we commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month 2024,”she says.

Andrés Duprat, MNBA director, explains the art form. He says, “The artist book or Libro de Artista is generally not considered a work of art in itself, but for us, it holds great interest because it is in artist books where explorations, intentions, sketches, and even doubts and regrets or new searches are revealed.”

This foldable book in ink on paper, and bound in leather, is by artist Leonel Luna. It’s called “Genealogías del Arte Argentino.” (Photo by Matias Roth)

In terms of artist techniques, formats and materials, artist books take many forms on paper, cardboard, celluloid, acrylic, metal and other materials, transforming into boxes, intervened prints, collages and pop-up books.

One of the pieces in the show, “La Dama del Río,” is a collaborative work with original texts by Pedro Cuperman and illustrations by Pedro Roth. Pedro Roth is a recipient of the 2023 National Award for Artistic Trajectory, an honor bestowed by the National Ministry of Culture recognizing the exceptional path and contributions of living Argentine creators inducted to the National Gallery of Visual Arts.

Juan Pablo Ferlat’s digital print is titled “Golem.” (Photo by Matias Roth)

“Point of Contact, soon to commemorate its 50th anniversary, has much to celebrate with the accession of this piece to the MNBA’s permanent collection,” says Matias Roth, curator of the “Libro de Artista” Buenos Aires exhibition and an exhibiting artist in the show. “As a member of the Point of Contact board of directors and longtime collaborator of both POC and the National Museum, I greatly appreciate that this work will be preserved in Argentina’s National Art Collection.”

At Point of Contact’s exhibition opening are, from left, Tere Paniagua, gallery director; Matias Roth, Point of Contact board member and show curator; Museum Studies Professor Andrew Saluti and museum studies graduate students Paola Manzano and Molly Dano.

Carrie Mae Weems H’17 (Photo by Jerry Klineberg)

“Carrie Mae Weems’ commitment to telling the American story has secured her place among the greatest artists of our time,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “This extraordinary honor is a testament to her prolific and powerful work that has profoundly impacted the artistic community, contributed to cultural awareness and inspired change. ���ϲ����� is fortunate and proud to have such an accomplished artist as part of our community.”

The National Medal of Arts��is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government. The medal is awarded by the president of the United States to individuals or groups who “are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.”

“As the first African American female visual artist to receive the National Medal of Arts in recognition for my contributions is profoundly humbling and a great honor,” says Weems.��“I��thank my colleagues, along with the many other great women artists of color who came before me, widened the path and took the heat, but unfortunately were not recognized for their tremendous achievements.”

Weems’ four decades of work, including groundbreaking and distinctive compositions of photography, text, audio, installation, video and performance art, depicts topics of race, gender, social injustice and economic inequity throughout American history to the present day.

She is the first African American woman to have a retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, and she is represented in public and private collections around the world, including the Brooklyn Museum; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Museum of Modern Art; Tate Modern; Whitney Museum of American Art; National Gallery of Canada; and Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

In April, Weems reviewed the work of College of Visual and Performing Arts students in the studio arts program at the University’s Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello ���ϲ����� Program in Florence (Photo by Francesco Guazzelli)

Weems is a 2023��Hasselblad Award��laureate and has received numerous awards, grants and fellowships, including the��, the U.S. Department of State’s Medal of Arts, the Joseph H. Hazen Rome Prize Fellowship, the National Endowment of the Arts fellowship and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Award.

In April, Weems participated in the conference, organized in concert with the , and reviewed the work of College of Visual and Performing Arts students in the studio arts program at the University’s Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello ���ϲ����� Program in Florence.

Her solo exhibition, “The Shape of Things,” is currently running at the in New York City through Nov. 9.

As the University’s artist in residence, Weems engages with ���ϲ����� faculty and students in a number of ways, including working with students in the design, planning and preparation of exhibitions.

Candace Campbell Jackson, senior vice president and chief of staff, who co-created the Artist in Residence program with Academic Affairs leadership, says, “This well-deserved honor recognizes Carrie Mae Weems’ incredible cultural contributions as a groundbreaking and visionary artist. It also reminds us once again how proud we are to call her our artist in residence. Carrie’s longstanding connection with the University has been a source of inspiration to the arts on campus here and abroad and resulted in numerous one-of-a-kind opportunities for our students.”

Weems first came to ���ϲ����� in 1988 to participate in Light Work’s artist-in-residence program. Over the years, she has participated in several programs at Light Work and has a long history of engaging with students and the University community.

Weems taught at ���ϲ����� previously, and out of her two courses Art in Civic Engagement and Art and Social Dialogue came the innovative and popular . She previously was artist-in-residence in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (2005-06) and she was a distinguished guest of the University Lectures in 2014.

Weems also was bestowed an honorary doctorate by the University in 2017 (along with honorary degrees from Bowdoin College, the California College of Art, Colgate University, the New York School of Visual Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art and Smith College).

Emily Dittman

Following 17 years of service to the , Emily Dittman has been named director, effective Oct. 16. The announcement was made today by Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives Elisa Dekaney.

“Emily’s steady, visionary leadership has already guided the ���ϲ����� Art Museum along a successful path and secured its place at the center of campus life,” Dekaney says. “I am excited to continue working with her to further expand and strengthen the museum as a resource for students, faculty, staff and the local community.”

Dittman has served as the ���ܲ���ܳ�’s interim director for two years, leading operations, financial and strategic planning, alumni relations, fundraising and communications and marketing, and managing a staff of six full-time and 14 part-time employees. Additionally, she directs the collections care team, overseeing cataloguing, storage, environmentals and the design and function of the collection database.

“I am thrilled to embark on the next chapter of my leadership journey with the arts at ���ϲ�����,” Dittman says. “The museum’s prestigious permanent collection, engaging exhibitions and dynamic programs inspire me daily with their potential to serve as transformative experiences for our community. I am excited for the opportunity to collaborate more closely with our students, faculty, artists and community members during this exciting period of growth for the museum as an arts destination that is welcoming and open to all.”

Dittman joined the Art Museum in 2007 as a collection and exhibition manager, a role she held for 11 years. In that capacity, she had oversight of the SUArt Traveling Exhibition program, the Campus Loan program, special exhibitions and photography exhibitions at ���ϲ����� Art Galleries. She also handled communications tasks, including gallery publications and media relations. She later served as associate director for four years.

Dittman has curated a number of exhibitions, including “Impact!: The Photo League and its Legacy,” “Wanderlust: Travel Photography,” “Everyday Art: Street Photography in the ���ϲ����� Art Collection” and “Pure Photography: Pictorial and Modern Photographs.” She serves on the board of and teaches museum studies courses in the .

Dittman earned an M.A. in museum studies and an M.S. in library and information science from ���ϲ����� and a B.A. in history from Allegheny College.

A former faculty member who is regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on the science of human happiness will return to ���ϲ����� later this month to outline a pathway by which individuals, communities and the governance of our nation can improve by learning how to live happier lives and committing to the greater well-being of others.

Arthur C. Brooks, a Harvard University professor and co-author of the New York Times bestseller ‘Build the Life You Want’ with Oprah Winfrey, will deliver remarks during an on-campus event on Oct. 30.

Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Harvard University and best-selling author, will present “How to Get Happier in an Unhappy World” on Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the K.G. Tan Auditorium in the National Veterans Resource Center at The Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building.��The event is free and open to the University community and the general public. Advanced .

Brooks is the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School and professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on leadership and happiness. He writes the popular weekly “How to Build a Life” column for The Atlantic, and he is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of 13 books, including “Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier,” co-authored with Oprah Winfrey.

No stranger to ���ϲ�����, Brooks taught courses at Maxwell in policy analysis, microeconomics, public and nonprofit management and social entrepreneurship from 2001 to 2009, and he was the Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy starting in 2007. His work in the classroom earned him the school’s Daniel Patrick Moynihan Award for outstanding teaching, research, and service and the Birkhead-Burkhead Teaching Excellence Award.

“We are delighted to host our friend and former colleague Arthur Brooks for what is sure to be an insightful talk about an important subject for each of us,” says Maxwell Dean David M. Van Slyke. “There are so many ways that we measure success in our society, yet one of the most elusive and hardest to obtain is this notion of happiness. I look forward to hearing Arthur’s thoughts on this, and how to strengthen our lives and the resilience and opportunities of our communities. The effectiveness of our democracy depends on healthy and happy individuals that can work together for the common good. I encourage everyone who can to attend.”

Brooks left Maxwell in 2009 to become the eleventh president of the American Enterprise Institute, a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington, D.C. He joined the faculty of Harvard in July of 2019.

Prior to joining academia, Brooks spent 12 years as a professional musician, holding positions with the Barcelona Symphony and other ensembles. He earned a master of arts degree in economics from Florida Atlantic University in 1994 and a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in public policy analysis from the RAND Graduate School of Policy Studies in 1998.

Brooks’ talk is sponsored by the D’Aniello Family Foundation, the Louis A. Bantle Chair in Business-Government Policy and the Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Leadership.

Susannah Sayler

The $8,000 unrestricted cash grant, administered by the , is open to New York State photography artists living and working anywhere in the following regions of New York State: Western New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Central New York, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Capital District, Hudson Valley and Long Island. The support for this funding is provided by����(JGS), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the photographic arts.

“Edifice II” by Susannah Sayler, 2023. This work is drawn from a series of photographic collages that consider how to represent the Amazonian rainforest. It is part of a larger body of work titled “The Crystal Forest” (2019-2024), that also includes a video essay.

Sayler works with a variety of media including photography, video, writing and installation—often in collaboration with others, to deepen our understanding of ecology and the poetics of relation. Her work has been exhibited in diverse venues from art museums to public spaces and interdisciplinary institutions such as science museums, history museums and anthropology museums, including MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts; The Momentary @ Crystal Bridges, Bentonville, Arkansas; Kunsthal Rotterdam, the Netherlands; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina; and The American Writers Museum and Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. She has been awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship (2023), New York Artist Fellowship (2016), the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship (2014), the Center for Art and Environment Research Fellowship (2013) and the Loeb Fellowship at Harvard Graduate School of Design (2008).

In 2006, with her longtime collaborator, Edward Morris, Sayler co-founded The Canary Project, a collective project to produce art and media that cultivate emotional understanding of the climate crisis. In 2020, she co-founded a new long-term project in Hudson, New York, called Toolshed, which gathers and shares tools that empower individuals and communities to live ecologically. ’ archives are collected by The Center for Art and Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada.

In this fourth edition of the competition, sponsored by , architects, designers and visionaries from around the world were asked to redefine the future of residential architecture by designing a dwelling for the year 2124 that focused on innovation, sustainability and adaptability.

With issues like climate change, urbanization and technological advancements at the forefront, the competition invited participants to think beyond the conventional and explore the uncharted territories of architectural design by pushing the boundaries, challenging preconceptions and creating visionary concepts for homes that will define the 22nd century.

Guided by Marcos Parga, associate professor at the School of Architecture, the ���ϲ����� student team of Yifan (Ivan) Chen ’25 and Yue Zhuo ’25 designed “The Domestic Nomad,” a project that, rather than a housing solution, serves as a statement and provocation that redefines nomadism at a contemporary, domestic scale to address the rigidity of private enclosures promoted by the capitalist market.

“The Domestic Nomad”

Inspired by Gilles Deleuze’s notion of nomadism in “A Thousand Plateaus,” the team proposed a radical rethinking of residential spaces and household activities, prioritizing public, communal living over private ownership—even in cold climates like Chicago, their chosen site. Their project manifests as a versatile framework of four distinct levels, each offering unique combinations of height, light, acoustics and thermal properties designed to foster shared experiences and reduce the requirement for extensive private areas.

The design of “The Domestic Nomad” promotes efficient use of resources and energy, enhancing adaptability by allowing domestic activities to shift between indoor and outdoor settings. Sustainability and thermal consideration drive the formal output of the building. Throughout the project, tested building technologies and passive thermal systems that support dynamic living configurations are deployed on different levels, unified by a 22nd-century “hearth,” as theorized by Semper in his “The Four Elements of Architecture,” 1851, that serves as both a heat chimney and a vertical transport system.

Modular, multi-functional ‘creatures,’ a tribute to Hejduk’s “Victims,” 1984, become the catalysts for domestic mobility and community engagement by carrying practical function (sleeping, dining, etc.) and migrating to different levels through the “hearth.” Moving as shared infrastructure between the indoors and outdoors depending on the time and season, these nomadic apparatuses redefine interaction with the neighborhood and challenge the constructed borders of space, enclosure, program and privacy on a domestic scale.

Overall, “The Domestic Nomad” encapsulates a proactive approach to residential architecture by blurring the boundaries between private versus public living. The project invites residents to rethink their interactions with space and aims to set a precedent for how homes can evolve to foster a communal life in the century ahead.

“We wanted to use the Home2124 competition as an opportunity to present our thoughts on the future of living in a communal way and exhibit how novel spatial relationships and technologies could foster alternative forms of a collective domestic life,” says Shen.

After being critiqued by a jury of leading architects, designers and academicians of international repute, the ���ϲ����� team’s project was selected to receive the competition’s first-place prize. Shen and Zhuo were awarded a certificate of recognition, interviewed by competition organizers, and their project will be included in an upcoming publication.

In addition to winning the Home2124 international award, “The Domestic Nomad” received the overall design prize in the Spring 2024 competition at ���ϲ�����’s School of Architecture competition at ���ϲ�����’s School of Architecture.

“Shen and Zhuo’s project successfully merged creative freedom and real constraints, two critical challenges of my Integrated Design Studio course: it demonstrates an absolute commitment to experimentation and uses constructive imagination to celebrate an unapologetic approach to tectonics,” says Parga. “Their project encourages us to look closely at the dwelling spaces we live in and think deeply about the domestic landscape we would like to see in the future.”

“The Domestic Nomad” was also recently selected for a student design award from the American Institute of Architects Central New York Chapter (AIA CNY), which will be presented to Shen and Zhuo at the event on Friday, Nov. 15.

“We hope “The Domestic Nomad” will be remembered for its legible approach that not only redefines living spaces but also inspires a new generation of architects and students to think critically about the role of design in society’s progression,” says Shen.

“Pippin,” the Tony Award-winning musical, runs Oct. 11-20 in the Storch Theatre at the ���ϲ����� Stage/SU Drama Complex.��

Heir to the Frankish throne, the young prince Pippin is in search of the secret to true happiness and fulfillment. He seeks it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh and the intrigues of political power (after disposing of his father, King Charlemagne the Great). In the end, though, Pippin finds that happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavors, but rather in the unextraordinary moments that happen every day.

“We have assembled an extraordinary artistic team–composed of award-winning creators, distinguished faculty, and accomplished alumni–to help us re-imagine and re-invigorate this timeless story of the search for purpose,” says Ralph Zito, professor and chair of the department of drama. “As always, our students have embraced the task with distinction, and we look forward to sharing the results of their creative work.”

Originally premiering on Broadway in 1972, “P����辱��” takes audiences on a magical and miraculous journey, while encouraging us all to find our own “Corner of the Sky.”

DETAILS

‘P����辱��’

• Book by Roger O. Hirson
• Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
• Directed by Torya Beard
• Choreography and associate direction by Kevin Boseman
• Music direction by Brian Cimmet
• Additional choreography by Adesola Osakalumi
• Scenic design by Ningning Yang
• Costume design by Jessica Crawford
• Lighting design by Andy LiDestri
• Sound design by Kevin O’Connor
• Wig design by Dylinn Andrew
• Dramaturgy by Molly Evert
• Stage managed by Maya Rose Zepeda

Cast

• Pippin: Connor English
• Leading Player: Kendall Stewart and Gwendalyn Rose Díaz
• Fastrada: Lili Williams
• Catherine: Emily Pellecchia
• Charles: Nyobi Boddie
• Bertha: Izzy Scampoli

Ensemble

• Samantha Jade Berman
• Emily Castillo-Langley
• Michael DiLeo
• Malvina Lucchini
• Caroline Marchetti
• Justin Roach
• Tobias Rytting
• Bridgette Sanders (Theo)
• Nicolette Smith
• Gillian Stoltz
• Truman Tinius (Lewis)

Swings

• Mallika Jain Cadin
• Cate Gould
• Evan Leone
• Declan Paul McMahon
• Katie Wood

Additional Credits

• Co-Dance Captains: Mallika Jain Cadin, Nicolette Smith
• Assistant Director: Ella Claudine Femino
• Associate Choreographer: Nicolette Smith
• Assistant Scenic Designer: Luke Daniel Blumencranz
• Assistant Lighting Designer: Harry Mullin, Reyna Sanchez
• Assistant Stage Managers: Katrina Barrett, Fotini Lambridis
• Rehearsal Pianist: Dan Williams

Pop star Dua Lipa (right) holding a copy of George Saunders’ book, “Lincoln in the Bardo.” The book is her October book of the month for her 87.5 million followers on Instagram.

Bestselling author and professor of English G’88 has received numerous accolades in his literary career. His book, “Lincoln in the Bardo,” won the 2017 Man Booker Prize; his most recent work, “Liberation Day,” was chosen as one of President Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2022; and earlier this year, three of his books were included in The New York Times list of .

Now, Saunders’ work is reaching an even broader audience as his “Lincoln in the Bardo” takes center stage as Grammy-winning superstar Dua Lipa’s October book club pick.

Lipa’s monthly book club is part of her global platform, , which provides fans with a curation of lists, stories, perspectives and conversations with the world’s most compelling voices. Club members are invited to read a different book each month and engage with content centered around the author, including discussion guides, author Q&As and further reading lists. She amplifies that content to her millions of social media followers around the world.

“Lincoln in the Bardo” was Saunders’ first novel and debuted at number one on The New York Times Bestseller List. The book is Saunders’ conception of a visit by President Abraham Lincoln to the cemetery where his deceased 11-year-old son, Willie, is buried. The experimental novel explores Abraham Lincoln’s grief for the loss of his son alongside a cast of narrating ghosts who are in the “bardo” — a limbo state between death and the afterlife.

The global acclaim for “Lincoln in the Bardo” demonstrates the profound impact that creative writing can have in uncovering fresh insights on history, while also nurturing readers’ emotional and intellectual growth.

When asked why she loved the book, Dua Lipa said in an article on , “There is no one writing today who can match George Saunders for compassion and empathy. The very last page still replays in my mind. The voices of these spirits — the wretched and the brave, and the dead boy Willie Lincoln —will stay with me forever.”

Throughout October, the Service95 Book Club will offer exclusive insights, interviews and articles from Lipa and Saunders.

Service95 content includes:

The MOST’s giant ear exhibition is visited by the author’s daughter, DuRi Kang, in August 2024.

But its depiction of one organ—the skin—was not as encompassing as it could be.

Now, the has received a much-needed inclusive makeover, thanks to a professor, ., who also is a dual professor in the and an associated professor in the , and his former student, Karyn Meyer-Berthel G’21.

Preserving art

For close to 30 years, Meyer-Berthel has worked as a professional artist, becoming known for her ability to combine paint colors into perfect matches to any skin tone.

This skill came over time, she says. Her start was painting theater sets.

For theater, she painted backdrops and scenery, primarily for opera and musicals. “Musical theater was my favorite to paint because it was usually really dramatic and full of character,” Meyer-Berthel says, who had to stop after an injury. “That kind of work is heavy labor—you’re carrying five-gallon buckets of paint; you’re standing on your feet all day. I loved it, but having that injury, I had to give it up. So that led to a world of figuring out all these different jobs in the arts.”

A slew of roles followed, including working for three different art material manufacturers, as well as a year as a Mellon intern, where she assisted in the conservation department at the National Gallery of Art.

“The work I did there was on painting conservation and understanding what materials last a really long time,” Meyer-Berthel explains. She learned not only how to preserve art for future generations but also how museums can protect pieces from the public, learning which materials work best to seal historic treasures, especially from the oils on little fingers that crave to touch them.

According to her former arts education teacher, this notable professional background combined with her art materials expertise made her a perfect fit to help complete a needed update to the MOST’s human body exhibition.

Rolling—who has taught arts education at ���ϲ����� since 2007 and serves as interim chair of the Department of African American Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences—also runs JHRolling Arts, Education, Leadership Strategies, a DEI consultant entity. In his role as consultant, he was tapped to help the MOST make improvements to its exhibitions, with an eye toward equity and inclusion.

Creative placemaking

MOST staff identified models in the Upstate Medical University Life Sciences exhibition as a key area where improvements in representation could be made.

“Our main objective with this project was to better fulfill our core values by making sure that the models and images in our exhibitions reflect the people who visit them,” says Emily Stewart, Ph.D., senior director of education and curation. “Our community is dynamic and diverse, and our exhibitions should be too.”

This led the MOST to Rolling because his consultancy utilizes the concept of “,” a way of transforming a lived environment so it is accessible, inviting, and representative of the community. “That life sciences exhibition was over 10 years old, and it’s striking that there were no persons of color represented,” Rolling says. “Out of all those body parts—none.”

Karyn Meyer-Berthel G’21 helped transform the MOST body exhibition to make it more inclusive.

The Upstate exhibition explores the science of human anatomy with larger-than-life body parts, including a heart visitors can walk through, a brain that lights up and a giant ear, nose, lips and more.

Rolling immediately thought of his former student, connecting the MOST to Meyer-Berthel, due to her materials and preservation skill, unique background and understanding of inclusivity, .

Perfect balance

Meyer-Berthel and staff settled on the MOST’s giant ear display to receive the upgrade. “Different ethnicities have different shape ears, certainly, but this anatomy is a little more streamlined across the globe, so an adjustment with paint can change the representation,” she says. “The ear was the clearest choice, because changing the shape of something might actually mean completely rebuilding the object, and that part wasn’t quite in my wheelhouse.”

But the skill Meyer-Berthel does excel at is combining colors to match skin tone. “No matter the ethnicity, every skin tone includes blue, red and yellow,” she explains. “You can often tell by looking at a person’s wrist what their undertones are … Finding the perfect blend and balance is the joy.”

Because 28% of ���ϲ�����’s population is African American, the MOST wanted to change the ear to a brown skin tone, but the answer wasn’t as simple as mixing up a batch of paint and applying it.

Other factors Meyer-Berthel had to consider were the ���ܲ���ܳ�’s lighting and how this would impact the hue, and how well the paint would hold up to being touched. “The beauty of this exhibition is being able to touch it,” she says, noting that the paint needed to adhere to the material already coating the ear, the composition of which she and the MOST did not know.

After testing samples under the ���ܲ���ܳ�’s warm lighting, Meyer-Berthel first cleaned the existing model, using a micro sanding product to help her paint layer adhere. She chose acrylic paints, because she finds these to be the most versatile, and utilized Golden Artist Colors, a New Berlin, New York-based manufacturer of professional artist paints best known for its acrylics, where she also worked as a commercial applications specialist for three years.

“While house paint is wonderful for painting a house, it’s not going to be good for a museum because it has too many fillers in it, like chalk,” Meyer-Berthel explains. “For a museum model, a piece that needs to be so brilliantly colored, you don’t want much in it besides pigment and resin.”

Lastly, Meyer-Berthel coated the paint with a sealant because of how much the ear is touched, protecting it from absorbing oils and dirt from hands.

“We are so thrilled with the work she has done,” says Stewart. “Her thoughtful consideration and expertise helped us to identify the right paint colors, finishes and techniques to give our older anatomical model a new life.”

Story by Ashley Kang ’04, G’11

London Ladd

An illustrator of nearly 20 books, School of Art Assistant Teaching Professor����recently celebrated the release of two picture books, “” (Harper Collins) and “” (Philomel Books).

Using acrylic paint, cut paper and tissue paper, Ladd employs a ��for his work. Nurturing the talents of rising illustrators, he became a full-time faculty member this year at the , where he earned a B.F.A. and M.F.A.in illustration and previously taught part time.

Motivated by the “beauty of Black life,” he draws a spotlight on relatable subjects. His picture book “” (Harper Collins), a celebration of Black children, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 2023.

Exploring the beauty of Black hair, Ladd presents people viewers can identify with in “My Hair is a Book.”

“My greatest joy is when somebody says, ‘That looks like my niece’ or ‘That looks like me as a child,’” says Ladd. “I want people to see themselves, or somebody they know, and connect with it.”

Early in his career, Ladd focused heavily on historical subjects, particularly those from the American Civil War and Civil Rights eras. He has since shifted away from these subjects but made an exception for Myrlie Evers-Williams, a civil rights activist.

“I have tremendous respect for her,” Ladd says. After her husband was shot and killed, “instead of regressing back into anonymity, she made her own name. She’s carried on the legacy that started when her and her husband began.”

Ladd has another book release, “”��(Holiday House), on the horizon. He is also working on illustrations for three other books.

With his sights on the future, Ladd has plans to write his own picture book, branching out into a different art form.

“I’m excited about the writing element,” he says. “That’s the last frontier for me in picture books.”

Story by Mikayla Heiss

They were also witnesses to major political events, such as President Richard Nixon stepping down after the Watergate scandal and President Gerald Ford taking office (and being memorably lampooned the next year on new television program “Saturday Night Live”). At ���ϲ�����, a less known yet still consequential development occurred.

That year, the department that became����was born.

On July 1, five College of Arts and Sciences departments came together to become “one new department under the chairmanship of Louis W. Roberts,” according to a press release from the time. The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures unified the former individual departments of classics, German, linguistics, Romance languages and Slavic languages and literatures to create, as then-Dean Kenneth Goodrich noted, “a needed synthesis of the traditional and the progressive in the field of foreign language and literature education.”

Excerpt from the 1974 news release creating LLL’s forerunner (Photo courtesy of the Special Collections Research Center)

The department’s name was changed under Dean Robert Jensen to “Languages, Literatures and Linguistics” in 1995 to recognize the breadth of world languages and cultures being taught and the strength of the linguistics program.

As part of celebrating its 50 years as a multilingual, multicultural department, the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics (LLL) is hosting a film series this semester, including a discussion evening on Oct. 30. “Film is a critical medium through which students can develop cultural and linguistic competencies,” says , professor of Spanish and LLL chair.

The films span genres, cultures and times, reflecting the department’s commitment to global perspectives and the exploration of language through art.

The film series includes the following screenings:

October

• “” (Italy, 1994)—Oct. 9, 5:30 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
• “” (France, 2023)—Oct. 10, 7 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
• “” (France, 2011)—Oct. 17, 7 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
• “” (Lebanon, 2018)—Oct. 18, 2 p.m., 341 Eggers
• “” (Italy, 1975)—Oct. 23, 5:30 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
• “” (France, 2012)—Oct. 24, 7 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
• “” (Taiwan, 2010)—Oct. 28, 7 p.m., 113 Eggers
• —Oct. 30, 5:30-10 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium:
  • “There’s Still Tomorrow” (Italy, 2023)
  • “Perfect Days” (Germany, Japan, 2023)

November

• “” (Germany, 2012)—Nov. 4, 6:45 p.m., Kittridge Auditorium
• “” (Italy, 2023)—Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
• “” (Soviet Union, Japan, 1977)—Nov. 21, 11 a.m., 107 Huntington Hall
• “Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission” (Korea, 2019)—TBD

For more information about the film series, contact��Gail Bulman.

Other events celebrating LLL’s 50th anniversary in 2024 included the annual Wor(l)ds of Love Valentine’s Day poetry festival in February, Women across the World events in March, theater and musical performances, an LLL majors and minors’ celebration and the department’s annual Culture(s) on the Quad in April.

Spring 2025 event dates will be announced at a later time.

Margot Wendice is happily married to Tony, and the couple share a charming life and a modest flat in 1950s London. But not all is as it seems—Margot has been involved with the famous American crime writer Maxine Hadley and is being blackmailed by a mysterious stranger who threatens to expose the affair to her husband. But Tony already knows, and he has just hatched a plot of deadly revenge.

“I’m thrilled to direct our season opening production of ‘Dial M for Murder,’” says Robert Hupp, artistic director. “I am a huge fan of this genre, and we had so much fun creating last season’s ‘Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express’ that I couldn’t wait to kill off more characters on our stage.”

Written by Frederick Knott in 1952, “Dial M for Murder” was adapted into a 1954 Alfred Hitchcock film starring Grace Kelly, and again in 1998 as the loose remake “A Perfect Murder” with Gwenyth Paltrow as the unsuspecting wife. Hatcher’s adaptation, which premiered at San Diego’s Old Globe in 2022, gives Knott’s clever original a fresh coat of paint, notably infusing the script with a touch of light comedy and a swifter pace for modern audiences.

Says Hupp, “‘Dial M’ is less of a murder mystery and more of a psychological thriller. While the setting, 1950s London, remains the same as the Knott play and the Hitchcock film, our playwright, Jeffrey Hatcher, updates the storyline to raise the stakes and create even more tension in this powerful, suspenseful story. I think our audience will love the cast we’ve assembled for ‘Dial M,’ and I can’t wait to share this deliciously dangerous play with everyone in Central New York.”

“Dial M for Murder” features (assistant professor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Department of Drama) as Margot Wendice, Avery Clark as her scheming husband Tony and Krystel Lucas as Maxine Hadley. The ensemble rounds out with J.D. Webster as Inspector Hubbard and John Long as the killer-for-hire Lesgate. The design team includes sets by Stanley Meyer, costumes by Lux Haac, lighting design by Dawn Chiang, sound design by Tony Award nominee John Gromada (“The Trip to Bountiful”) and hair and wigs by Brittany Hartman, with fight choreography by D.C. Wright. Blake Segal serves as the production’s dialect coach and Yvonne Perry as the intimacy coordinator.

Born in China to missionary parents in 1916, Knott studied law at Cambridge University and achieved the rank of major in the British Army before finding fame with 1952’s “Dial ‘M’ for Murder.” The play aired on the BBC before critically acclaimed productions in London’s West End and on Broadway. Called “notoriously unprolific” in a 2002 obituary, Knott only wrote three other plays during his lifetime—“Mr. Fox of Venice” (1959), “Write Me a Murder (1961) and “Wait Until Dark” (1966)—but made enough from his work to live comfortably in Manhattan with his wife, actress Ann Hillary. Knott’s intricately plotted mystery plays continue to entertain audiences throughout the world with revival productions and new adaptations, including American playwright Hatcher’s stylish updates of “Wait Until Dark” and “Dial M for Murder”.

All evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. while all matinee performances begin at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $25 with discounts available for students and groups. Tickets may be purchased online at , by phone at 315.443.3275 or in person at the ���ϲ����� Stage Box Office. Pay-what-you-will performances for “Dial M for Murder” are Oct. 16-20 inclusive; prologue conversations, three pre-show discussions, take place one hour before curtain on Oct. 20, 26 and 31; the post-show Talkback will take place on Sunday, Oct. 20, after the 7:30 p.m. performance. ���ϲ����� Stage has its open-captioned performances scheduled for Oct. 23 and Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. and Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. The performance on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. is an audio described performance with Spanish language open captioning. The sensory friendly/relaxed performance of “Dial M for Murder” is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m.

Support for the 2024/25 season includes season sponsors the Slutzker Family Foundation, the Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation and Advance Media New York. The community partner for “Dial M for Murder” is the ���ϲ����� International Film Festival.

Under the new banner Arts at ���ϲ�����, are top-notch museums and galleries, active maker spaces, robust community centers and a myriad of creative events and programs.

The new name is part of a rebranding and profile-boosting effort to highlight the University’s arts offerings and strengthen and grow awareness of its diverse group of centers and programs, says , assistant provost for arts and community programming.

The initiative includes the , which comprehensively illustrates the range of arts centers and programming available to students, faculty, staff and community members. The site also includes a dedicated that highlights events, ongoing programs and exhibitions.

Spaces and programs include , , , , , , at ���ϲ����� Libraries, , the , ���ϲ����� Artist-in-Residence Program and the in New York City.

Outdoor visual displays are conducted at the Urban Video Project.

New ideas about how academic and community arts programming and experiences are presented to a range of constituencies—students, faculty, staff and the general public—and as part of student experiential learning, teaching activities and individual entertainment and enjoyment resulted from a year-long planning process spearheaded by the , Traudt says.

Miranda Traudt

“This is much more than a name change. It’s a true rethinking of the arts at ���ϲ�����,” she says. “We purposefully considered how all the individual units and centers that are doing such fantastic work on their own could band together to have greater overall impact and visibility and to create wider local, regional, national and international awareness of these exceptional offerings.”

In addition to enhancing the visibility of the separate arts programs and centers, Arts at ���ϲ����� highlights how, grouped together, the units offer distinctive experiential learning opportunities for students that are typically available only at much larger national and international venues, Traudt says.

���ϲ����� Stage puts students and their artistic presentations at the center of downtown ���ϲ����� and hosts theater offerings that are enjoyed by all of Central New York.

“The ���ϲ����� Art Museum has one of the largest university-owned art collections in the country. La Casita, as a vital part of the ���ϲ����� Near West Side community, is the only Latin cultural center in this part of New York state. The Community Folk Art Center is a vibrant seat of community programming for people of all ages. Light Work’s renowned Artist-in-Residence Program has hosted more than 400 artists coming from every U.S. state and 15-plus countries. Urban Video Project is an important international venue for the public presentation of video and electronic arts and one of the few projects in the U.S. dedicated to continuous and ongoing video art projections. Exhibitions of nationally and internationally known artists hosted here mean you don’t have to travel to New York City to see that kind of artistic excellence.”

Elisa Dekaney

Elisa Dekaney, associate provost for strategic initiatives, makes this comparison. “We pride ourselves on the fact that the University’s study-abroad programs utilize their locations as classrooms. We say, ‘Florence is our classroom; London is our classroom’ because of what these cities offer in the arts and cultural experiences. But we can also say ‘���ϲ����� is our classroom’ because of the rich arts programming the University offers right here.”

Other goals defined in the strategic operating plan include serving as an international model of arts and humanities engagement for institutions of higher education; expanding community partnerships; growing reciprocal relationships with local, regional, national and international arts and strategic partners; increasing faculty, alumni and donor engagement with the arts programs and centers.

The is pleased to announce the 2024/25 season, consisting of six productions: “P����辱��” (Oct. 11 – 20), “Twelfth Night” (Nov. 15 – 23), “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” (Nov. 22 – Jan. 5 and co-produced with ���ϲ����� Stage), “A Walrus in the Body of the Crocodile” (Feb. 21 – March 9), “What the Moon Saw, or I Only Appear to Be Dead” (March 28 – April 6) and “Little Women” (May 2 – 10). All productions will run in the Storch Theatre, with the exception of “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” which will be held in the Archbold Theatre. Tickets are available through the by phone at 315.443.3275 or in person at the ���ϲ����� Stage / SU Drama Complex, 820 East Genesee St.

“Each of these plays explores the fundamental question of how we become the person we are meant to become,” says Department of Drama Chair Ralph Zito. “Over the course of the season, an exciting combination of student, faculty and guest artists will bring their considerable talents to bear on a collection of stories both familiar and unfamiliar, examining them in fresh and exciting ways.”

Featuring music and lyrics by Grammy and Oscar-winning composer Stephen Schwartz with a book by Roger O. Hirson, “Pippin” opens the Department of Drama season this fall. Originally premiering on Broadway in 1972, “P����辱��” introduces audiences to a mysterious troupe of actors as they tell the story of a young prince setting off on a magical and miraculous journey to find his own “Corner of the Sky.” Directed by Torya Beard, who describes the production as an examination of “the ways young people interact with the tools they have” to “learn more about themselves,” this Tony Award-winning musical runs Oct. 11 to 20.

Up next is Shakespeare’s delicious comedy “Twelfth Night.” Set on the island paradise of Illyria, the play follows shipwrecked Viola as she befriends a duke, a lady and a parade of rascals while searching for her twin brother Sebastian, who was lost at sea. Disguised as the dashing Cesario, Viola becomes entwined in the island’s drama, discovering the power (and lunacy) of love in its many forms. Directed by Will Pomerantz, “Twelfth Night” runs Nov. 15 to 23.

Celebrate the holidays with this season’s annual co-production with ���ϲ����� Stage, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” with music by Richard Rodgers, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and adapted for the stage by Tom Briggs from the teleplay by Robert L. Freedman. Forced to satisfy the whims of her cruel stepmother and stepsisters while dreaming of a better life, Cinderella is given a chance at happiness when a Fairy Godmother transforms her into a princess and whisks her to the Royal Ball. Featuring additional music from the 1997 television film starring Brandy and Whitney Houston, this “enchanted” production of the classic musical is directed by Melissa Rain Anderson, with music direction by Brian Cimmet and choreography by Jessica Chen, and will run Nov. 22 to Jan. 5.

The spring semester begins with “A Walrus in the Body of a Crocodile,” a zany, constantly evolving exploration of language, gender, and identity by MJ Kaufman. A lonely subway car, a crowded support group, a stifling writers’ workshop and a raucous frat house serve as the ever-changing backdrop in this nesting doll of a play about the identities we choose to share and the ones we’re forced to hide, even from ourselves. Directed by Daniella Caggiano, “A Walrus in the Body of a Crocodile” runs Feb. 21 to Mar. 1.

Next is “What the Moon Saw, or I Only Appear to Be Dead,” a fantastical collage of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales told through a post-9/11 lens, by Stephanie Fleishman. Traveling to Shanghai to celebrate his 200th birthday, Andersen encounters mermaids, a street urchin, a supermodel, teenagers in love, a cabdriver, firemen and husks of humans who appear as ghouls in this “kaleidoscopic meditation on how we move through calamity” inspired by Andersen’s fragile, timeless tales. Directed by Danyon Davis, “What the Moon Saw” runs Mar. 28 to Apr. 6.

The season concludes with “Little Woman,” with a book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music by Jason Howland. Following the adventures of Jo, Meg, Beth, Amy and their beloved mother Marmee, this Tony Award-winning musical tells of the March sisters’ adventures during the American Civil War as they discover their passions, endure heartache, and find the courage to persevere in this ultimate coming of age story. Based on the celebrated novel by Louisa May Alcott and directed by David Lowenstein, “Little Women” runs May 2 to 10.

Five-play subscriptions are or by calling ���ϲ����� Stage Box Office at 315.443.3275. Subscribers have access to discounted tickets for “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” which is not part of 5-play subscription packages. Single tickets for all shows are also available.

DETAILS

“P����辱��”
Based on original story and characters by Damon Runyon
Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Book by Roger O. Hirson
Directed Torya Beard
Oct. 11-20

“Twelfth Night”
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Will Pomerantz
Nov. 15-23

“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Adapted for the stage by Tom Briggs
From the teleplay by Robert L. Freedman
Directed by Melissa Rain Anderson
Co-produced with ���ϲ����� Stage
Nov. 22 through Jan. 5

“A Walrus in the Body of the Crocodile”
By MJ Kaufman
Directed by Daniella Caggiano
Feb. 21 through March 1

“What the Moon Saw, or I Only Appear to Be Dead”
By Stephanie Fleishman
Directed by Danyon Davis
March 28 through April 6

“Little Women”
Book by Allan Knee
Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Music by Jason Howland
Directed by David Lowenstein
May 2-10

This annual celebration provides opportunities for students, faculty and staff to learn about the history, culture and contributions of Americans whose ancestry can be traced to over 20 Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, including Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean, as well as international students who hail directly from these countries and contribute to our rich and diverse campus.

Members of RSO La LUCHA at the 2023 Latine Heritage Month information fair (Photo by Marilyn Hesler)

“We, as the Latine Heritage Month committee, have engaged with countless campus partners, recognized student organizations and Greek life to create a dynamic Latine Heritage Month that encompasses the cultures of the Latine community here at ���ϲ�����,” says Cydavia Patterson, program coordinator at the , department co-chair for this year’s festivities. “Our hope with Latine Heritage Month is to establish a unified network of resources, information and community, highlighting the Latine community at ���ϲ�����.”

The theme of this year’s Latine Heritage Month celebration on campus is “Fronteras Sin Limites: Embracing our Borderless Cultures.” The planning committee and its partners centered events on exploring the experiences of Latine communities who live along and across borders, both physical and cultural, and highlighting the resilience and adaptability of the Latine community who navigate multiple identities and spaces.

Highlights of this year’s celebrations include:

• An , in the Schine Student Center atrium. Kicking off at 2 p.m., there will be tabling by recognized student organizations (RSOs), special performances and more. (Co-sponsored by Student Association)
• The 6th annual (soccer tournament), to be held at the Women’s Building Field on Saturday, Sept. 21; teams can through Sept. 18. (Co-sponsored by the Barnes Center at The Arch, South American and Latine Student Association and Lambda Theta Alpha)
• , a joyful and inclusive student/faculty mixer featuring delicious handcrafted mocktails inspired by diverse Latine cultures, at the Barner-McDuffie House on Thursday, Sept. 26. (Co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Caribbean Students Association)
• Arts and cultural exhibitions, including “WEIRD Barrio” by ���ϲ�����-based Puerto Rican artist Manuel Matías (opening at La Casita Cultural Center) and featuring more than 60 pieces from The Artist Book Collection (opening Oct. 11 at Punto de Contacto-Point of Contact).
• Live DJ sets, panel discussions, roller skating, comedy, paint night and more!

Visit the for the full lineup and links to further information on each event.

Players at the 2023 Torneo de Fútbol (Photo by Julie Herman)

The planning and coordination of Latine Heritage Month is led by BIPOC Student Success, Programs and Services and Student Association. Co-sponsors include , , , , , , , , and .

Additional programming support is offered by University Union, South American and Latine Student Association, Delsol Magazine, National Association of Hispanic Journalists-���ϲ����� Chapter, Latin American Law Student Association, CitrusTV Noticias, Latino-Latin American studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Law, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and several external academic contributors.

The 2023 Latine Heritage Month opening ceremony (Photo by Marilyn Hesler)

Eduardo Kac

, an internationally recognized contemporary artist and poet, will speak on��, at 4:30 p.m. in the Life Sciences Complex atrium. His talk, “Rockets for the Sake of Poetry,” will feature highlights of his 40-year artistic career, his development of bio art and insights about his space artworks. This year’s lecture is hosted by the and its research focus group.

‘Bio Art’ Developer

Kac uses biotechnology and genetics to create and explore scientific techniques. In the early 1980s he created digital, holographic and online works that anticipated today’s global culture of information that is constantly in flux. In 1997, he coined the term “bio art,” which launched a new art form.

“GFP Bunny,” a rabbit bred to glow a fluorescent color under special lights

Among his famous works are the transgenic rabbit , for which he used and a jellyfish protein to create a live rabbit that glows a fluorescent green color under blue light.��In “,” he combined his own��DNA with that of a petunia flower to form a new “plantimal.”

“Natural History of the Enigma,” transgenic flower with artist’s own DNA expressed in the red veins

His pieces have been shown around the world and, in one��instance, out of this world: his , “,” was . Kac’s “” was also realized in outer space with assistance from French astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

His career also spans poetry, performance, drawing, printmaking, photography, artist’s books, early digital and online works, holography, telepresence and space art. He is a professor of art and technology at the and a Ph.D. research fellow at the Centre for Advanced Inquiry in Interactive Arts at the University of Wales in Newport, Wales.

BioInspired Focus

As an institute for material and living systems, BioInspired hosts researchers who examine topics in complex biological systems and develop and design programmable smart materials to address global challenges in health, medicine and materials innovation. They include faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars from life sciences, engineering, physics and chemistry who work in three focus areas: �� and��

Last year, the institute added a fourth focus area, Posthumanities: Arts and Sciences, to push the boundaries of traditional scientific inquiry through activities and collaborations between the arts and humanities and the science-based disciplines.

The Posthumanities’ focus area coleaders, Boryana Rossa, of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and G. Douglas Barrett, of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, spearheaded the proposal to invite Kac as the 2024 Wali Lecture keynote. They worked with BioInspired leaders Jay Henderson, institute director; Heidi Hehnly-Chang, associate director, and Jeremy Steinbacher, operations director.

The Wali Lecture represents a partnership of the Department of and the ���ϲ����� . It is part of the 2024-25 ���ϲ����� Symposium “.”

Kameshwar C. Wali

The lecture was established in 2008 by his daughters to commemorate Wali’s vision and leadership to recognize their parents’ dedication and contributions to the University and the greater community. Wali was the Steele Professor of Physics Emeritus in the College of Arts and Sciences and internationally recognized as a theorist for research on the symmetry properties of fundamental particles and their interactions, as well as for his work as an author. He joined the University in 1969. He previously was at Harvard and Northwestern Universities, the University of Chicago, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in France and the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Italy. As a fellow of the American Physical Society, whose India Chapter named him Scientist of the Year in 2022, he received ���ϲ�����’s Chancellor’s Citation for exceptional academic achievement and was one of the founding members of the .

Selected from submissions made at the foundation’s annual application deadline in February 2024, these projects—exhibitions, publications and other public presentations—expand understanding, methods and platforms of contemporary architecture discourse and feature work by architects, archivists, artists, curators, designers, educators and other professionals working with organizations worldwide in cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Nashville, Athens, New York and Chicago, where the Graham Foundation is based.

‘Ethical Narratives: Essays by Richard Ingersoll (1949–2021)’

Richard Ingersoll

School of Architecture faculty , associate professor (lead editor), and , architecture field studies coordinator at ���ϲ����� Abroad Florence; along with , and have been awarded funding to support their publication, “Ethical Narratives: Essays by Richard Ingersoll (1949–2021).”

The book, under contract with Actar Publishers, assembles key texts, drawings and images by and of Richard Ingersoll, the prominent architectural historian, critic and educator who wrote prolifically for the world’s leading architectural publications from the 1980s until his passing in 2021.

Ingersoll was a rare voice in the field, admired for his global and ethical perspective that relentlessly challenged architects and students to consider the environmental and social impacts of their work. He rigorously contextualized his topics within larger historical and cultural frameworks, tying them to today’s pressing ecological and political imperatives.

“Ingersoll’s writing was characterized by its gentle persistence and foresight, setting him apart in his field. This book seeks not only to capture his nimble intellect but also aims to underscore the creative, playful and generous aspects of his life and personality,” says Davis.

This compilation of more than 30 of Ingersoll’s most impactful texts (selected from over 350 essays and lectures) are organized thematically, centered on Ingersoll’s primary polemics, including social justice and climate change. Observations and recollections offered by his colleagues, friends and students, including Margaret Crawford, Luis Fernandez-Galiano, Liane Lefaivre, Pippo Ciorra and others, offer additional insight into the extraordinary man behind the words.

Richard Ingersoll, “Istanbul,” ca. 1982. Watercolor on paper, 18 x 12 inches (Photo courtesy of the Ingersoll Estate)

“Professor Ingersoll, a long-time faculty member of our Florence program, was an impressive intellectual figure and this collection of essays—which also includes reflections by some of the most important architects and critics in contemporary architecture—will be of great interest to anyone interested in architecture’s ethical and political impact on late 20th and early 21st century culture,” says Michael Speaks, dean of the School of Architecture.

“Congratulations to Associate Professor Lawrence Davis and the entire team of architects and editors on receiving a prestigious Graham Foundation organizational grant to support the publication of this important collection of essays by Richard Ingersoll,” says Speaks.

“Our international editorial team is extremely grateful for this vital funding from the Graham Foundation,” says Davis. “The book editors would also like to thank Caroline Bowling, graduate research and design intern, for her ongoing work and Dean Speaks for his support.

The new grantees join a worldwide network of organizations and individuals that the has supported over the past 68 years. In that time, the Foundation has awarded more than 44 million dollars in direct support to over 5,100 projects by individuals and organizations around the world.

Directed by School of Education Professor , Breedlove Readers encourages girls ages 13 through 17 to celebrate black girl stories through reading, writing and creating in the community.

For the , the club will explore ideas around identity and coming-of-age, two themes that the Art Museum addresses in its latest exhibition, “.”

Book club participants will read a novel that resonates with the life and works of Gordon Parks—a pioneering Black photographer, poet and musician—and then visit the Art Museum to explore connections between the novel and his photographs.

As a photographer, Parks worked in a variety of styles, including fashion photography, celebrity portraiture and social justice subjects. Parks famously called his camera a “tool of social consciousness” and a “weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs.” The exhibition includes photographs from Parks’ full body of work, which spans decades of his career.

About the Breedlove Readers Fall 2024 Program

• Meeting Dates: Saturday, Nov. 2 (���ϲ����� Art Museum) and Saturday, Dec. 7 (���ϲ����� MakerSpace)
• Applications close Tuesday, Oct 1. .
• Space is limited to 10 participants per cohort, ages 13-17.
• All programming is free of charge.
• Transportation is available.
• If accepted, participants must commit to attending all meetings.

“We’re kicking off this season with rollicking comedy,” says Robert Hupp, artistic director for the production. “We thought this was the best possible choice to welcome back audiences to ���ϲ����� Stage. Nobody does comedy better than The Second City because every show is different: From their greatest hits sketches to on-the-spot improv, the audience gets to join in the fun at every performance. We invite folks to take a break from their routine and join us for a good laugh at ���ϲ����� Stage.”

Directed by Marla Cáceres with music direction by Kai Elise, “The Second City 65th Anniversary Show” features songs, sketches and characters written by some of Second City’s illustrious alumni—including Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, Stephen Colbert, Bill Murray, Eugene Levy and many more—and is brought hilariously to life by an all-star ensemble including Tina Arfaee, Cat McDonnell, Zoe McKee, Bill Leitz, Preston Parker and Cassidy Russell.

Rooted in the groundbreaking improvisational games pioneered by Viola Spolin, The Second City opened its doors on a snowy Chicago night in December of 1959, and a comedy revolution began. Today, The Second City is a world-class entertainment company—with a touring company, training programs and live theatres in Chicago, Toronto and New York City—and continues to be at the forefront of improv and sketch comedy while bringing laughs to more than one million audience members a year.

Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. while all matinee performances begin at 2 p.m. Performances on Friday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28 begin at 6:30 p.m. with a second show scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Tickets start at $30 with discounts available for students and groups. Tickets may be purchased online at , by phone at 315.443.3275 or in person at the ���ϲ����� Stage Box Office. Pay-What-You-Will performances for “The Second City 65th Anniversary Show” are Sept. 18-29 inclusive; Trivia Night, hosted by “Jeopardy!” champion Dillon Hupp will take place on Thursday, Sept. 19, before the 7:30 p.m. performance; and a Happy Hour event on Thursday, Sept. 26, prior to the 7:30 p.m. performance. ���ϲ����� Stage has its ASL-interpreted performance scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m.

“The Second City 65th Anniversary Show”

Directed by: Marla Cáceres
Music direction by: Kai Elise
Stage management by: Indigo Coar

Cast (in alphabetical order)

• Tina Arfaee
• Cat McDonnell
• Zoe McKee
• Bill Letz
• Preston Parker
• Cassidy Russell

Understudies

• Zoe Agapinan
• Holly Barras
• Deb Duncan
• Eric Greenbaum
• Dani James
• Maz Lazerine
• Katie Dreher

Sinead Feeney O’Connor performing in her class’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

When enrolling in an English class about Shakespeare, you might imagine that the course will involve reading, writing and discussing the famous playwright and his plays. In professor of English�� class, ENG 411: Doing Shakespeare, which was offered in Spring 2024, this was just the beginning. Shirilan wanted students to explore for themselves how theatrical practice and production generate different modes of inquiry than text study alone. By engaging in hands-on and active learning, the experience aimed to enhance students’ problem-solving abilities, boost their confidence and encourage their creativity—soft skills which are crucial for success after graduation.

“The idea of the course, simply, is that students learn Shakespeare by ‘doing Shakespeare,’” says Shirilan. “I issued an invitation to make of this course what they willed, and what they willed was a full production of a play chosen, as we strove to do with every decision, collectively.”

Learning by Doing

Shirilan’s inspiration for this course draws from the educational technique of “learning by doing,” a teaching methodology where students retain information through active learning and hands-on experience. In “Doing Shakespeare,” students were presented with a full range of options for the scale and scope of production to pursue.

“They chose to mount a full show, or aim towards it, understanding that we would be working collaboratively and distributing the labors across as many hands as were able and willing,” says Shirilan. “Everyone was involved in multiple areas of production. Everyone acted, most students took responsibility for a production element, including props, costume and sound design.”

Together the students conceived of, organized and performed a full theatrical production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The crew, many of whom had little to no prior theater experience, included Tate Abrahmason, Maurissa DEmello, Sinead Feeney O’Connor, Anderson Fuentes, Valerie Goldstein, Eva Greene, Victoria Lafarge, Jenny Lee, Ailis McVearry, Blair Seaman, Alexandra Steward and Cricket Withall.

Before moving into production, students spent the first half of the semester largely devoted to text study, table work, vision work and research. During the second half of the semester, the team went into production mode, blocking, rehearsing and producing the play. The semester concluded with a full theatrical performance at ���ϲ����� Stage.

Professor Stephanie Shirilan reviewing the script during a rehearsal.

Wearing Many Hats

“Doing Shakespeare” offered students a unique opportunity to have a hand in every aspect of the performance, from design to direction.

Valerie Goldstein ’24, who majored in policy studies in the College of Arts and Sciences | Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and minored in applied data analytics in the School of Information Studies, went into the experience thinking it would mostly involve acting, but was delighted to discover the wide range of skills she would ultimately utilize.

“I played Bottom and Oberon and was an assistant director, producer, projections designer and did other odd jobs like creating the daily rehearsal schedule, carpool system and tech to-do lists,” says Goldstein. “There were so many lessons in problem-solving and actually following through and creating something that I never would have learned in a traditional classroom.”

After graduation, Goldstein accepted a position with��. As she embarks on a career in teaching and education policy, she says taking part in a course involving performance-based learning—where students apply their knowledge and skills to execute a task—will inform her own instructional techniques.

Valerie Goldstein (right) playing the role of Bottom during the class’s performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“I think there are better ways to engage students than having them study something abstractly all the time,” says Goldstein. “This class gave me an opportunity to explore a new pedagogy that I may be able to implement in my own profession.”

Blair Seaman ’24, who majored in broadcast and digital journalism in the Newhouse School of Public Communications, was an assistant director and played Titania and Hippolyta in the production. Rounding out her time at ���ϲ����� with an acting role in a Shakespeare play marked a full circle moment for her as she had previously participated in a children’s Shakespeare troupe in her hometown.

“The theater had a huge impact on me deciding to come to ���ϲ����� to study journalism, as I wanted to fuse my love for storytelling with a passion for helping others,” says Seaman. “As much as I loved my degree, I had truly missed performing, and so, I eagerly jumped at the chance to take a class called ‘Doing Shakespeare.’”

She notes that the class was the perfect way to end her four years at ���ϲ�����, and on a more personal level, provided an opportunity to memorialize her mother, who passed away when Seaman was a sophomore at ���ϲ�����.

“[My mother] always sat front row in every production I had previously been a part of, and in a way, it felt like a gift to her to perform in one last show,” Seaman says. “As I said goodbye to my college experience, I was able to return to a passion of mine that was built up through her love.”

Honoring a Classmate

While the performance marked a time to celebrate the culmination of the team’s hard work, it also presented a moment to honor a classmate who gave so much to the production but was unable to participate in the finale due to health reasons. Ailis McVearry ’24 assumed various duties during the semester, from working as an assistant director to head of costuming to starring as Oberon and Theseus.

In support of their classmate, students collected contributions and donated proceeds from the final performance to defray transportation and other costs related to her care.

“Our final production honored her and the beautiful work she poured into this class both on and off the stage,” says Shirilan. “We hope that the money we raised can be used to provide comfort to her during this difficult time, assisting with medical bills and other essentials.”

A Performance for the Ages

According to Shirilan, the culminating performance marked a milestone for the English department and the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), as it was likely the first full theatrical performance put on by an A&S class at ���ϲ����� Stage. A testament to their hard work, shows were nearly sold out before opening night.

“The final performance was truly a triumph,” recalls Shirilan. “I was consistently amazed by the insights and discoveries made through this process, a success that reflects the astonishing commitment, capability and courage of this team.”

With the high level of interest shown by students for this class, Shirilan is exploring possibilities for expanding the course as a 6-credit offering to facilitate running it as another full production experience. She is scheduled to teach it in Spring 2025 as a 3-credit course, for which students will collectively decide the scope and scale of production.

Watch the class’s performance of “.”

“WEIRD Barrio” depicts the Latino barrio experience in intricate detail. At its core, it is a testament to the power of storytelling and visual representation in shaping collective identity and fostering a sense of belonging within marginalized communities. By intricately depicting familiar settings, Westside neighborhood streets, community buildings, home environments and conceptual representations of a unique and distinctive character, Matías invites viewers to immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of life in the barrios, capturing the essence of kinship and cultural pride that define these neighborhoods.

“WEIRD Barrio” (Photo by Daniela Dorado)

This project actively engaged with local youth through a series of summer artmaking workshops facilitated by Matías. Some of these pieces, created by children at La Casita and at the Everson Museum, will also be part of the show.

“The Westside reminds me a lot about the barrios where I grew up, between Mayagüez, Puerto Rico and the Lower East Side in New York City, ” says Matías. “I love working in miniature scale and seeing how something so tiny can have such a huge impact, like our barrios and our children. I want them to know how much they are valued and how unique and beautiful they are.”

This program is part of the 2024-25 ���ϲ����� Symposium on “Community” co-produced with . Support for the WEIRD Barrio youth summer workshops at La Casita comes from the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation.

“WEIRD Barrio” will be on view through April 2025.

Story by Daniela Dorado

“WEIRD Barrio” (Photo by Daniela Dorado)

Nicholas Mueller, “Untitled, Marseille,” 2022. Courtesy of the artist

In this exhibition, Muellner offers up photographs depicting people pantomiming in a verdant landscape made complex with surreal lighting; these images are paired with an issue of Contact Sheet that serves as a guidebook to the exhibition. The text in Contact Sheet is wryly poetic and succinct, and loosely leads us from picture to picture. “Asea” takes us somewhere without making its destination specific, setting a tone and mood that guides our desire for meaning but refuses to precisely locate it.

The exhibition conveys a type of suspended drama via an installation that divides the gallery into two rooms, creating an atmosphere in which viewers float, both in space and time. The majority of the portraits are of people connected to the maritime economy and all of the photographs were made in a landscape or setting that the subjects live in: Marseille, Odesa, Milan, Long Beach. The subjects gesture toward the camera, holding the invisible tools of their respective trades, and suggesting an estrangement from their concrete identities.

With “Asea,” Muellner projects a state of limbo and a search for personal meaning within photography’s inevitable narrative limits. We are asked to ponder alone, in a subjective state that is not fixed but which hovers within the parameters established by the photographs and text. Ultimately, we engage with “Asea” because it is at once thoughtful, beautiful and curious.

Artist Bio

Muellner is an artist and writer whose books include “Lacuna Park: Essays and Other Adventures in Photography,” “The Amnesia Pavilions” and “In Most Tides an Island,” which was shortlisted for the Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Award and named a Best Book of the Year in Artforum. In addition to solo exhibitions in the United States and Europe, his writing has been published by MACK/SPBH, Aperture, Radius, Triple Canopy, Foam, and Routledge, among others. Muellner has performed slide lectures internationally, including at MoMA PS1, Carnegie Museum, The Photographers’ Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Photography. His work has been supported by a 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship in Photography, a John Gutmann Fellowship and residencies at the MacDowell and Yaddo colonies. Muellner received a B.A. in comparative literature from Yale University and an M.F.A. from Temple University. He is the founding co-director of the Image Text MFA and ITI Press at Cornell University.

Erin Cuevas

The has announced that architect Erin Cuevas is the Harry der Boghosian Fellow for 2024-25. Cuevas will succeed current fellow, Christina Chi Zhang.

The Boghosian Fellowship at the School of Architecture—established in early 2015 in memory of Harry der Boghosian ’54 by his sister Paula der Boghosian ’64—is a one-of-a-kind program designed to give emerging independent creatives the opportunity to spend a year developing a body of design research based on an area of interest while teaching at the School of Architecture.

Fellows play a significant role at the school by enhancing student instruction and faculty discourse while supporting both research and the development of research-related curriculum valuable to architectural education and the discipline.

During the 2024-25 school year, Cuevas will teach an architecture studio and two professional electives focusing on her research project, Redefining Performance, which aims to advance independent, progressive and emerging design practice, stretching architecture into adjacent artistic realms and localities, bridging disciplines and communities alike. Students will push boundaries of animated mixed media representation and discover design opportunities within the unique Venn diagrams of their own interests.

‘Redefining Performance is a growing body of scenographic practice at the intersection of performance art, interactive digital media and architectural installation, participating in the evolution of theater into immersive experiences that blur the line between audience and performer,” says Cuevas. “The interdisciplinary and highly collaborative nature of the research embodies collective creativity and thought exchange between diverse participants across phases of researching, designing, capturing and experiencing the work.”

Like the eight previous Boghosian Fellows, Cuevas will work closely not only with faculty and students at the School of Architecture but will also explore interdisciplinary collaborations within the University and its various centers and colleges. Her research will culminate in a participatory public performance, expanding the School of Architecture beyond traditional bounds of the studio environments, activating spaces on campus, and engaging students, faculty and local artists and communities in a collective scenography.

Dismantling the privileged view in lieu of a shared stage, advances the inclusive potential of scenography by employing storytelling of underrepresented voices, site-specific public community events and accessible emerging technology. Often in collaboration with Jana Masset Collatz, as part of their co-founded design practice, CMLA, Cuevas’s work has been showcased in venues such as L.A. Dance Project Studios, the A+D Architecture and Design Museum, ACADIA and Architektur Galerie Berlin. Her practice has also received recognition through residencies, grants and published work spanning disciplines, including the Northwest ByDesign Film Festival, Cultured Magazine’s Young Architects list, Goldsmiths’ motion capture residency program and the World Stage Design conference, where CMLA received the first-place design award in 2022.

Prior to joining ���ϲ����� Architecture, Cuevas was the director of global retail story design at Nike Inc. in Beaverton, Oregon, where she provided design direction of new global retail and seasonal concepts—most recently focusing on the installation for the 2024 Olympic Games. She received a graduate degree with distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California (USC). Cuevas taught architecture and digital media at the USC School of Architecture from 2017-2022.

“Having followed the work of Boghosian Fellows over the past years, I am inspired by the program’s dedication to elevating diverse emerging talent and fostering new perspectives in the field of architecture,” says Cuevas. “The Boghosian Fellowship is an opportunity for me to expand the traditional architectural discipline through a unique and highly personal concert of elements—dance, architecture, storytelling and creative technology.”

The Boghosian Fellowship has helped the School of Architecture attract the best and the brightest emerging professors. Previous fellows include Maya Alam (2016-17), Linda Zhang (2017-18), James Leng (2018-19), Benjamin Vanmuysen (2019-20), Liang Wang (2020-21), Leen Katrib (2021-22), Lily Chishan Wong (2022-23) and Christina Chi Zhang (2023-24).

To learn more about the Harry der Boghosian Fellowship, the .

Gordon Parks, “Mrs. Jefferson,” from the series Fort Scott Revisited (Photo courtesy of The Gordon Parks Foundation)

“Homeward to the Prairie I Come” features more than 75 of Parks’ images, examining his wide-ranging artistic ideas. The exhibition not only includes Parks’ documentary photography such as the series Paris Fashions, Fort Scott Revisited and The Redemption of the Champion��(featuring images of Muhammed Ali), but also his thoughts on photography as a fine art medium and his engagement with celebrated paintings and sculptures.

Most significantly, the photographs instigate cultural change by challenging viewers to imagine a more inclusive culture than the one they know: a world where Black skin represents ideal beauty, where an African American athlete embodies the exemplary hero and where an artist of African heritage has a place within the lineage of excellent artists in Western art history.

“This exhibition leverages the power of art to catalyze dialogue about the wide range of issues that Parks engaged with in his photography, from systemic racism to the labor and ethics of the global fashion industry to ideas of celebrity and home,” says Melissa Yuen, the ���ܲ���ܳ�’s interim chief curator.

Interim director of the museum Emily Dittman says, “Gordon Parks was a visionary interdisciplinary artist whose work had a lasting impact on the world. His dedication to continually tell the stories of individuals that were—and still are—too often hidden and overlooked is clearly evident and inspiring throughout his artistic work.”

In this spirit, the museum is taking steps to creating an accessible, diverse and multilingual space for all communities and families. The interpretive text in the exhibition is bilingual, providing both English and Spanish text for visitors, large-type text will be available and a family guide is provided to help youth and families explore the exhibition. An open access digital exhibition catalog for the exhibition will be available for visitors in the reflection area, as well as reading materials on Gordon Parks and his multifaceted career. The exhibition will be accompanied by a dynamic slate of public programming, all free and open to the public.

Co-curated by Aileen June Wang, Ph.D., curator, and Sarah Price, registrar, at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, Kansas State University, the tour is organized by Art Bridges. The exhibition and related programs have been made possible by generous support from Art Bridges, the Wege Foundation and the Humanities Center (���ϲ����� Symposium).

About the Artist

Parks, one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century, was a humanitarian with a deep commitment to social justice. He left behind an exceptional body of work that documents American life and culture from the early 1940s into the 2000s, with a focus on race relations, poverty, civil rights and urban life. Parks was also a distinguished composer, author and filmmaker who interacted with many of the leading people of his era—from politicians and artists to athletes and celebrities.

Born into poverty and segregation in Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1912, Parks was drawn to photography as a young man when he saw images of migrant workers taken by Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographers in a magazine. After buying a camera at a pawn shop, he taught himself how to use it. Despite his lack of professional training, he won the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1942; this led to a position with the photography section of the FSA in Washington, D.C., and, later, the Office of War Information (OWI). Working for these agencies, which were then chronicling the nation’s social conditions, Parks quickly developed a personal style that would make him among the most celebrated photographers of his era. His extraordinary pictures allowed him to break the color line in professional photography while he created remarkably expressive images that consistently explored the social and economic impact of poverty, racism, and other forms of discrimination.

Featured Events

• Opening Reception and Keynote—Sept. 6, 4-6:30 p.m.; keynote: 4-5 p.m., 160 Link Hall; reception: 5-6:30 p.m., ���ϲ����� Art Museum
• The Duke Ellington Orchestra presented in partnership with the Malmgren Concert Series—Sept. 22, 4 p.m.; Hendricks Chapel, with reception to follow at the ���ϲ����� Art Museum
• Community Screening of “Shaft” (1971), directed by Gordon Parks—Oct. 4, 7 p.m.; The Westcott Theater, 524 Westcott St., ���ϲ�����
• Community Day—Oct. 5, noon-4 p.m.; ���ϲ����� Art Museum
• Art Break: Gordon Parks with Nancy Keefe Rhodes—Oct. 16, noon;�����ϲ����� Art Museum
• Celebrating the Legacy of Gordon Parks—Nov. 9, noon-4 p.m.; ���ϲ����� Art Museum;��1 p.m.: Art Break with contemporary photographer Jarod Lew; 2:30 p.m.: screening of “A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks” (2021)
• Gordon Parks Community Gathering/Showcase—Dec. 7, timing TBD;��Deedee’s Community Room, Salt City Market, 484 S. Salina St., ���ϲ�����

Visit the for event information. Members of the media may contact Emily Dittman, interim director of ���ϲ����� Art Museum, for more information or to schedule a tour.

[Featured image: Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks, “Mrs. Jefferson,” from the series Fort Scott Revisited, 1950, printed in 2017, gelatin silver print, 20 x 16 inches. Kansas State University, Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, gift of Gordon Parks and the Gordon Parks Foundation, 2017.373. Image courtesy of and copyright by The Gordon Parks Foundation]

The album contains George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” and “Rhapsody in Blue,” along with two pieces commissioned in remembrance of those who perished in the bombing, including 35 ���ϲ����� students.

The Wind Ensemble is the University’s premiere concert wind organization. Possessing an extensive history that includes a series of internationally distributed recordings, the ensemble, conducted by Professor and Associate Professor in the ’ Setnor School of Music, has commissioned dozens of works.

The Wind Ensemble performed the recently commissioned pieces, “Energy and Light” by , assistant professor in the Setnor School of Music, and “Angels Rising” by , during its 2023 United Kingdom Remembrance tour, held in observance of the 35th anniversary of the bombing.

“The scale of that disaster is incredibly humbling and haunting for our community,” says composer Draper. “In addition to mourning those who were lost, it is important to remember that each of the students had a vibrant life that should also be celebrated. With that in mind, I decided to write a piece that was about energy and light—two direct components of what it means to be alive.”

Following Draper’s piece, the listener journeys through the four sections of “Angels Rising”—lament, chorale, ascent and prayer. The work ends with the everlasting question of existence, composer Ticheli notes.

The final album piece, “Rhapsody in Blue,” featuring pianist associate professor and director of the Setnor School of Music, takes the listener back in time.

“This recording, celebrating the centennial of its composition, depicts what was likely heard by the audience packing New York City’s Aeolian Hall on Feb. 12, 1924, when ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ had its premiere with Paul Whiteman’s Palais Royal Orchestra and Gershwin himself at the piano,” says Laufer.

The Navona Records release will be available in both stereo and Dolby Atmos immersive audio formats. It will be accessible for streaming on Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music.

Story by Mikayla Heiss

Green Teaching Summit attendees gathered beside the lake at Minnowbrook Conference Center in the Adirondacks.

Can religion, philosophy, history, English and writing help tackle issues of climate change, environment and ecology? Absolutely, says , professor of English and outgoing William P. Tolley Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities. Through his Tolley professorship, a role designed to support enhancement of the pedagogical experience and to boost effectiveness in the classroom, he made it a goal to show how the humanities subjects are vital to helping society understand and respond to today’s complex ecological challenges. Here are just four of many ways humanists are engaged in research relating to climate:

A. More Than Just a Map: While maps depict selected data about a place, humanists play a key role in translating and communicating what maps say about power, representation and climate urgency—crucial insights for leaders making decisions about the allocation of resources and implementation of policies.

B. Losing Languages: Climate change doesn’t just affect the physical world. It affects human culture too. When climate change causes people to leave their homeland, they often also lose their language. Through the study of language endangerment, humanists examine the causes, processes and consequences of languages becoming extinct and work on ways to preserve them.

C. Religion and Ecology: Religion scholars might explore the environmental consequences of festivals and pilgrimages that draw millions of people to a concentrated area. Or, research on sacred texts can delve into how the texts shape environmental consciousness in different faith traditions, highlighting political issues and raising doctrinal concerns.

D. Human-Animal Entanglement: Bestiaries, or works about mythical animals, can spark discussions about human-animal entanglements in different countries and contexts.

A main component of Goode’s professorship was highlighting opportunities for faculty and staff across campus to share resources to help students respond to the implications of the climate crisis and to think ecologically.

Inspired in part by the success of a collaboration with the ���ϲ����� Art Museum where Goode teamed up with staff and students to explore the ways in which objects and artworks in the ���ܲ���ܳ�’s collection could be utilized as , he wanted to see how others at the University could forge partnerships to elevate their own research and teaching around ecology. In May, he convened a team of faculty from numerous humanities disciplines at the Green Teaching Summit at University’s Minnowbrook Conference Center in the Adirondacks. The three-day conference provided a space for scholars to discover shared interests and forge collaborations, set in a location that itself is ecologically vulnerable.

Arts and Sciences Communications (A&S) sat down with Goode to talk about his motivation for the summit and how the humanities play a crucial role in sparking ecological discussions.

Why is now such a critical time for humanists to focus on ecology and climate?

When doing my English Ph.D. in the early 1990s, I remember one of my professors, Homi Bhabha, declaring that whatever our training and expertise in the humanities, every humanities course would soon need to engage in some way with the histories of colonialism and empire. His comment encountered considerable audience skepticism at the time, but it turned out to be prophetically accurate. We’re facing a similar turning point in the humanities. Whatever our training or expertise, we are likely less than a decade removed from a time when every one of our courses will need to engage with ecology, climate and environmental justice in some way. As the Tolley Professor, I focused on trying to help the humanities at ���ϲ����� lean into this coming shift and to increase their visibility on campus for doing so.

In between presentation sessions, faculty mingled with one another to discuss collaborations on the shores of Blue Mountain Lake.

What was the inspiration for the Green Teaching Summit?

Since the Tolley professorship is charged with expanding and improving humanities teaching, I wanted the summit to be a humanities-focused event with faculty from various environmental disciplines. I wanted as many of the most recently hired tenure-track humanities faculty as possible to attend along with staff who could highlight ways to further leverage campus resources, so the next generation of humanities scholars are empowered with the critical perspectives necessary to help raise awareness, inspire action and help shape policies that are socially just and culturally sensitive.

What do you hope that faculty can take away from this experience?

I had three goals:

1. Have people on campus who already teach in these areas connect with one another, describe what they do in the classroom, learn more about how different subjects get taught from different disciplinary vantage points and plant the seeds for future initiatives and collaborations.
2. Highlight campus resources, centers and offices with which to collaborate on experiential learning, student success and professional development related to ecology, climate and environmental justice concerns.
3. Bridge generations, connecting the newest tenure-track hires in the humanities at ���ϲ����� to senior faculty on campus already teaching and researching in these areas, so we could mutually inspire, learn from and collaborate with each other moving forward.

What are the benefits of having a group of scholars (and administrators) come together at a summit like this? Do you think that the setting was/is particularly important?

One bit of feedback I have received repeatedly from attendees is that they did not realize just how many other people on campus were teaching in these areas and were thrilled to meet faculty with shared interests who they might not have met otherwise. The Adirondacks setting, however aesthetically pleasing, also probably contributed to a sense of urgency, since some of the weekend’s talks touched on the region’s ecological vulnerability and its connection to histories of environmental injustice through Native American displacement and dispossession.

Understanding that you are wrapping up the two-year Tolley professorship this summer, what do you hope the legacy or potential of the Green Teaching Summit will be at SU?

I’d love it if a dedicated environmental humanities chair could be created on campus to continue expanding and sustaining this kind of environmental humanities-focused programming, network-building and resource-sharing. We need people and resources to spearhead more humanities-centered working groups and to develop new campus collaborations related to ecology and climate. The Art, Ecology, and Climate Project (that I founded while Tolley Professor) is already being used in many different instructional contexts on campus, and I hope that it can eventually be grown to include holdings at repositories like SCRC and the Belfer Sound Archive. Unfortunately, climate change is the shared future of all of us, and every single faculty member needs to be positioned instructionally to grapple with it. I certainly hope that the newest humanities faculty on campus walked away from the summit energized to lean into that project more in their own teaching moving forward.

For more on the Green Teaching Summit, visit the .

George Saunders

Not one, not two, but three books by bestselling author and professor of English were included in The New York Times list of .

Saunders, who teaches in the creative writing M.F.A. program in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), was joined on the list by three former M.F.A. faculty: Junot Diaz, Mary Gaitskill and Sigrid Nunez. The rankings were compiled based on the votes of 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers.

Books by A&S-affiliated authors and their rankings are listed below.

• #85, “Pastoralia” (2000) by George Saunders
• #68, “The Friend” (2018) by Sigrid Nunez
• #63, “Veronica” (2005) by Mary Gaitskill
• #54, “Tenth of December” (2013) by George Saunders
• #18, “Lincoln in the Bardo” (2017) by George Saunders
• #11, “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” (2007) by Junot Diaz

.

Saunders’ book, “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain” (2021), also came in at #33 on Oprah Daily’s list of .

���ϲ����� Stage, in partnership with 100 Black Men of ���ϲ�����, announced that the company’s 2024/25 season will officially begin with “Citizen James, or the Young Man Without a Country”—a powerful and illuminating live world premiere production from resident playwright Kyle Bass on Aug. 2-3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Archbold Theatre, 820 E. Genesee St., ���ϲ�����.

Directed by Joann Maria Yarrow, the live world premiere of “Citizen James” will be presented as a two-night-only free celebration beginning on Aug. 2 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Baldwin’s birth—coincidentally, it is also the birthday of actor James Alton, who portrays Baldwin in the play.

Originally incubated as part of the Stage’s Backstory program and presented as a streaming-only event in the 2020/2021 season, this one-man show about a young James Baldwin follows the Paris-bound aspiring author and activist as he is seeking refuge from the racist violence of America in the 1940s, on his way to becoming a towering literary figure and a still-relevant voice of the Civil Rights movement.

“In his novels, essays, stage plays, speeches and interviews, James Baldwin was and remains a singular observer and chronicler not only of the Black American experience but of the American experience—a nation in conflict with itself,” says Bass. “Long one of my literary heroes, in ‘Citizen James’ I was interested in creating a portrait of Baldwin as a young, gifted, Black and unknown artist already possessed of the deep feeling, trenchant intellect, urgent concern and piercing insight that would become the hallmarks of his writing, his social activism and his international persona.”

“100 Black Men of ���ϲ����� is thrilled to grow its partnership with ���ϲ����� Stage this summer in celebrating James Baldwin’s Centennial,” says Claude Greene, president, 100 Black Men of ���ϲ�����. “We are grateful to CNY Arts and to New York State for providing the funding that allows us to further our mission to rebuild a sense of community in our backyards, and it is a privilege work alongside Kyle Bass as he shares Baldwin’s still-relevant genius with ���ϲ�����.”

“Kyle Bass’ text is a brilliant homage to the genius of James Baldwin, his conflicts and struggles as an artist, and how they reflect our own contemporary times,” says Yarrow, who also serves as the ���ϲ����� Stage director of community engagement. “It is uncompromising, inspiring and a celebration of 100 years of creative activism and social change.”

���ϲ����� Stage will also host a pre-show event on Aug. 2 beginning at 6 p.m. to celebrate Baldwin’s indelible contribution to American culture. Featuring a showcase of books, fashion, records and art from community partners 100 Black Men of ���ϲ�����, Black Citizens Brigade, Black Cub Productions, Community Folk Art Center and ���ϲ����� Libraries, the event will be catered by Our Vegan Corner and Hope Café with music by DJ Bella J from One the One DJ Center in ���ϲ�����.

The Friday, Aug. 2, performance will conclude with a post-show panel discussion, featuring playwright Kyle Bass, Joan Bryant, associate professor of African American studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Cjala Surratt, owner of Black Citizens Brigade. The panel will be moderated by Community Folk Art Center executive director Tanisha Jackson. The Saturday, Aug. 3, performance will also feature a post-show talkback with Bass, Alton and Yarrow.

“Citizen James” is made possible through the CNY Arts Grants for Regional Arts and Cultural Engagement regrant program thanks to a New York State Senate Initiative supported by the State Legislature, the Office of the Governor and administered by the New York State Council on the Arts.

The Friday, Aug. 2, performance for “Citizen James” is sold-out. Tickets for the Saturday, Aug. 3, performance can be purchased by visiting and following the ticketing link.