People say they live and breathe art, but three AU master of fine arts alumni and one current student really do—they opened an art exhibit in the living room of their Columbia Heights row house.

Delicious Spectacle is an experimental gallery space where artists can show their work and meet other artists, according to Sam Scharf, MFA ’12 and one of the founding members of the exhibit.  

Scharf said his fellow housemates—who include Victoria Greising MFA ’11, Camden Place MFA ’12, Dan Perkins MFA ’13, and Megan Meuller (a 2008 Virginia Commonwealth University BFA grad)—decided to host a different art show at Delicious Spectacle each month.  

“I thought it might be a nice way to show work that might not be getting shown,” he said. “It’s nice to have a space where artists can feel free to kind of explore, and maybe try something they can’t do in a traditional white-wall space.” 

Since its opening, Delicious Spectacle has hosted more than 20 different artists, some of them AU students or alumni. The founders do not show their own art on principle.  

“You know there’s going to be good work up,” Scharf said. “It’s new, contemporary, and innovative. We try to focus on that to come through.”  

The Washington Post has featured the exhibit space twice, bringing a flood of people into the house for exhibit opening parties. Between 100 and 150 people came to the opening of the first exhibit, but the past couple shows were jammed with 200 to 250 people. There was literally no room to move in the two exhibit rooms.  

“I’m happy that people are there,” Scharf said. “Yeah, some of them are there to get free drinks, but at least they’re surrounded by art.”  

Scharf said house art exhibits are relatively new to the D.C. area.  

“It is a house, and we can still show really good work,” he said. 

The housemates all have their own assignments when it comes to Delicious Spectacle. They divvy up who will curate the different exhibits, as well as who will promote the shows, construct and deconstruct the exhibit space, and buy drinks for the opening and closing parties.  

“There’s a lot of effort and energy being put into it, and we’re not getting paid for it,” Scharf said. “The best thing is that it’s possible.” So what is the spectacle, and why is it delicious? 

“A spectacle is a concept that has to do with the larger system that we live in,” he said. The group originally wanted to do an art critique blog and was talking about spectacles in art late one night.  

“We were talking about how delicious it is, how we just wanted to soak this up,” he said. “It is very tasty in a way.”  

Delicious Spectacle’s next opening is May 24, when the work of artist Matt Rich will be presented.

Congratulations Class of 2013!

The 2013 College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony took place on May 11 at 4:30 p.m. View photos of the ceremony.

Speeches

Renowned medical anthropologist and physician Paul Farmer spoke to graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences and received an honorary doctor of science degree. Known for his work on health, human rights, and the consequences of social inequality, Farmer is chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and also serves as U.N. Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Community-based Medicine and Lessons from Haiti. "Your paths will lead to unexpected engagements," Farmer said. "The connections you made here will last a lifetime." Watch video.

Student Mariam Sameh Aziz also spoke, telling graduates, "Let us not forget our own voices and that they matter. In this age of globalization, do not become lost in the sea of people." A native of Egypt, Mariam completed her baccalaureate degree this past December, with a double major in economics and women’s, gender and sexuality studies. During her time at AU, she spent six months in Ghana working with abandoned children; helped to organize an Egyptian diaspora group in support of the Arab Spring; and participated in an alternative break program in Haiti studying development efforts after the 2010 earthquake. Watch video. 

Awards

• Andrey Verendeev received the University Student Award for Outstanding Scholar at the Doctoral Level.
• Andrew Paul Merluzzi received the University Student Award for Outstanding Scholar at the Undergraduate Level.
  
• Carley Rose DeFranco received the Evelyn Swarthout Hayes Award.
• Mohamed Nazran Baba received the Carlton Savage Award.
  
• Stephen A. Bronskill, who also graduated from the School of Public Affairs, was recognized as the winner of the Stafford H. Cassell Award and the President's Award. The President's Award is the highest honor awarded at commencement. It is given to an undergraduate senior who has displayed a longstanding commitment to building community and promoting AU’s ideals of academic achievement, integrity, selflessness, leadership, and service.

The American University Museum has quite a treat for D.C. art buffs. On the second floor gallery is a collection of master’s thesis work from MFA students in AU’s Department of Art. The exhibit showcases well-refined talent and diversity in subjects and techniques from 11 artists: David de Bol, Angela Esteve, Emily Francisco, Lisa Marie Jakab, Ryan Carr Johnson, Shahdeh Khodavandi, Dan Perkins, Anna Prezioso, Heather Ravenscroft, Jenny Sawle, and Harini Thyagarajan.

Each artist’s processes, inspirations, and final products described in the gallery talks were fascinating. Here is a conversation with three of the artists, starting with Harini Thyagarajan, an artist from Chennai, India. Her piece was an experiential artwork made of 17,500 pounds of salt on which she invited viewers to play.

Steven Dawson: Why salt?  
Harini Thyagarajan: “I have a personal history with salt. My family had our own salt farm back in Chennai, India, on the southern coast by the sea. My hometown is the saltiest place I’ve ever been. You walk outside and you can feel the salt on your tongue; that’s how salty it gets in the summer. The material just started making its own work for me.”

SD: What kind of salt do you use?
HT: “When I started working with salt, I started experimenting with the different origins. Was it rock salt? Was it sea salt? And then experimenting with their functions. Was it ice melting? Used for cooking? And then slowly the origins and history began to vanish because the salt itself was overtaking those aspects. It didn’t matter where it was from; it didn’t matter what history it had. I think the presence of the material itself would speak for itself. That’s when I realized that we would have a sort of play on words with ‘all purpose salt,’ which is what I used.”

SD: Where do you get 17,500 pounds of salt?
HT: “This is actually restaurant-grade salt, so I get it from large wholesalers and depots. I received quite a few suspicious looks.”

SD: Tell me about the experience of creating it and then showing it.
HT: “The experience was very satisfying because I moved every single salt bag individually. So it was 50 pounds at a time, and opening each bag was like opening Christmas presents, it was so satisfying.”

SD: What is next for you?
HT: “I have to move back to India. But I am currently in the process of exploring these works. Initially, I wasn’t interested in gallery exhibitions or anything because I feel like I should wait and just enjoy the experience of making these experiential works. To me, it is all about the experience with the art.”

Next, I talked with Angela Esteve, who works with shredded paper to form themed collages whose ambiguity allows viewers to project their own meaning onto the work.

Steven Dawson: How did you arrive at using shredded paper as your material, and what do you shred?
Angela Esteve: “I tried a lot of different things, using paper; ripping it, tearing it, and eventually shredding it. Then I tried putting together photos of my children, because they’ve all left home, and I wanted to reconstruct the feeling of having them there. But then I realized that you couldn’t have that, so I started using children’s books that I read to them as children. Then I thought I would use my own work, since that is something else from the past. So it’s a combination of children’s books, my work, and new prints. Anything related to my life is in the work. For example, I like reading the Financial Times, so that’s in there.”

SD: What do you want a person to get out of looking at your piece?
AE: “It’s all very representational. I like to start off with something real and recognizable and then make it into an abstract work. It could mean anything to the person looking at it.”

SD: What are your plans after graduating?
AE: “I already have two degrees, and a post-graduate certificate in education, and now a master’s degree. So I am going to get teacher certification. I’d like to teach while still carrying on making work.”

Finally, I had a conversation with Anna Prezioso, who created clothing from denim material that was intentionally meant to constrict the movement of the person wearing it to explore the limitations that trauma survivors experience.

SD: Why did you use denim as your primary material?
Anna Prezioso: “I’m really interested in the material for a couple of reasons. I love how people have tons of different associations with denim, so I’m interested in what the viewer brings to the piece. For me, I always found that jeans can be so comfortable, but if you don’t have your right size, you can’t force yourself to fit in them. It doesn’t stretch like spandex or cotton. So I enjoy pushing the limitations of the material itself, to see where that breaking point is. So I like playing with that duality of the material.”

SD: You mentioned in your Gallery Talk that this is the first time you have introduced performance into your art. What was that like?
AP: “Performance is a new thing for my work, and it was great getting feedback from the live models that I tailored the outfits for. I feel like having people interact with my work, and having someone actually wear my work opened new doors for my work. I will definitely keep creating work with a performance aspect.”

SD: What are your plans after AU?
AP: “I am going to Berlin for six weeks in AU’s MFA summer program out there. There is a wonderful art community over there, so I am interested to see what that’s like over there versus New York or LA or D.C. After that I plan on returning to teach. I get a lot out of working with students, and working with them feeds my own work.

The MFA Thesis Exhibition, Crossing the Bifrost, will be at the American University Museum through May 26. For more information, visit the MFA thesis gallery website.

“We need to communicate more about death. It’s inevitable. So, the more we talk, the less scary it will be.”

So says alumna Linda Daly, CAS/BA ’90, about her book, The Last Pilgrimage: My Mother’s Life and Our Journey to Saying Goodbye, a celebration of the life of her mother, Nancy Daly, who was a prominent children’s advocate, philanthropist, and arts leader in Los Angeles. Their family lived what seemed a perfect life.

Nancy Daly was married to the head of Warner Brothers, Bob Daly, and following their divorce, became the ‘first lady’ of Los Angeles during her marriage to its former mayor, Dick Riordan. Her life seemed ideal until the day in 2006 when she received the diagnosis of stage four pancreatic cancer.

The Last Pilgrimage recounts Nancy’s courageous fight against an incurable illness. After receiving the best medical care, investigating every imaginable treatment option (even a faith healer), the story concludes with Nancy passing away during a cross-country journey home to Los Angeles in a rented RV with her children.

Linda wasn’t planning to write a book about her mother’s struggle with pancreatic cancer. “I originally thought I would just write all the details and save it for my kids so they could read it one day,” she said. “But once my editor at the Los Angeles Times Magazine got wind of me writing about it, she wanted to see it and told me it would be a fantastic book.”

Linda was a special education teacher for 10 years, a contributing editor to the now defunct Los Angeles Times Magazine, and she’s now a Los Angeles County Master Gardener, philanthropist, and founding board member of two charities: Vintage Hollywood and the Global Hunger Foundation.

According to Linda, one of the best parts of writing this book was “reminding ourselves of how strong our family is. We show up for each other when we need support.” On the other hand, Linda states that, “putting words to the emotions I felt” was one of the hardest parts of chronicling her mother’s story. “I was great about discussing which kind of coffee I got for everyone when we stopped at gas stations, but couldn’t put words to the emotions until my editor pushed me to dig deeper.”

When reflecting on her mother’s visits to AU during her freshman year, Linda jokingly says, “I think she was astounded that I actually kept my dorm room clean, since I was not in the habit of doing that at home.” While sharing aspects of her AU experience that have stuck with her since graduation, Linda recounts how grateful she was to her professors. “My favorite memories were when I took classes with Sally Smith and learned how to teach. She was such an inspiration and I think about her classes to this day,” Linda said.

Linda still returns to the AU campus at least once a year to visit friends in the area and a goddaughter who attends AU. She says, “The campus is so much more beautiful than it was when I was there, I would have a college do-over so I could experience it now!”

As Linda begins a book tour this month, she contemplates her mother’s reaction to the book: “Nancy would be thrilled that she was the subject of such a wacky tale. She would laugh at all the good parts and probably throw in some others that she observed and I didn’t. She had a very black sense of humor sometimes, and that got us through the worst of her cancer at times.”

Los Angeles-area alumni: Join Linda for a reception and book signing on May 30 at the Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood.

This fall, game designer Lindsay Grace will join American University’s School of Communication faculty as an associate professor of persuasive gaming. Grace is an internationally exhibited game artist and designer whose Critical Gameplay collection has been exhibited in Asia, Europe, North and South America. He will play a lead role in shaping a new gaming initiative developed by SOC and the College of Arts and Sciences.

SOC Dean Jeff Rutenbeck is thrilled to have Grace join the faculty. He says, "Lindsay Grace is the ideal person to lead our multi-disciplinary game development initiative here at American University. His wide range of experiences and his proven track record of developing cutting-edge applications, courses, programs, relationships and collaborations will prove to be invaluable as he leads AU to the forefront of public-purpose gaming."

Grace comes to AU from a Miami University of Ohio, where he directs the Persuasive Play Lab within the School of Creative Arts and co-directs the Games Center within the Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media. He has taught 81 courses over 9 years in game design, interactive media design, programming, web design, writing narrative scripts and graphic design. At Miami, he taught Game Design, Interaction Design, Digital Prototyping, and the Design of Play.

Grace says, “I’m exceptionally excited to lead American University to a superlative position in persuasive play and public purpose games. I can think of no other institution as well poised to deliver such an innovative program.”

Professor Grace, who will be in the Film and Media Arts Division, received a BA in English and an MS in Computer Information Systems from Northwestern University. He received an MFA in Electronic Visualization at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Art and Design.

His areas of research include human-computer interaction, creative and critical gameplay, and web design and he is an expert in computer graphics, interface development, and middle-tier programming. Professor Grace has written a number of peer-reviewed book chapters, including “Critical Gameplay: Design Techniques and Case Studies” in Designing Games for Ethics: Models, Techniques and Frameworks. He writes regularly about interactive media design and education.

In addition to his impressive record in academia, Grace has been an independent consultant, web designer, software developer, and entrepreneur. Professor Grace utilizes both theory and practice when he creates his own games. Among the software he has developed are “My Child Knows Chinese,” “Mindtoggle,” and Polyglot, an educational game for learning language.

In a community of wonks, it can be hard to stand out, but 14 students have done just that.

In a tradition dating back to 1929 and the first University Honors Convocation, AU recognizes outstanding students at the graduate and undergraduate level each year. Like the recipient of this year’s president’s award, these wonks have distinguished themselves with achievements in the classroom as well as in the community.

Academic Honors

Lauren Barr and Andrey Verendeev have received nods for Outstanding Scholarship at the Graduate Level this year. Verendeev’s psychopharmacology research is the first of its kind to find predictors for opiate use in test subjects, while Barr has compiled a compelling conflict analysis of the situation in post-Arab Spring Morocco.

“I really appreciate all the opportunities and doors that AU has opened for me,” she says. “This is yet another example of the ways in which I’ve really benefited from being a part of the school.”

This year’s undergraduate winners are just as impressive. With an extraordinary 3.96 GPA studying outside his native language of German, honors student Robert Helbig majored in international affairs and minored in applied physics. Psychology student Andrew Merluzzi has received over $10,000 in funds to present his research at eight separate conferences across the country. As he leaves AU, he believes the best part of his studies was working alongside minds like Verendeev.

“The ability to do research alongside graduate students and faculty, just in terms of working together as a team towards a common goal, was really helpful and will be great experience for the future,” he says.

Outstanding Service

AU also recognizes those students who serve on campus, trying to make the university the best institution it can be. The efforts of this year’s Outstanding Service to the University Community Award recipients are both duly noted and duly awarded.

For his service, recent December School of Communication graduate Joseph Corcoran will be honored alongside former Student Government president Sarah McBride. Corcoran, who transferred to AU his sophomore year, advocated for more commuter and transfer student space now found in the library and the East Quad Building – success that has also landed him the Charles W. Van Way Award for building community at AU.

McBride’s policies as SG president established open-gender housing on campus as well as a new LGBT studies minor. As much as she gave to the campus, she believes she received more in return.

“AU has been so wonderful to me. I’ve gained so much. I’ve learned so much," she says. "I’ve been embraced by friends, administrators, and faculty to such a degree that it was really an honor to be able to serve this community."

McBride will also accept the Kinsman-Hurst Award for striving to make the university community as diverse, accepting, and inclusive as possible.

Student Achievement

Through its annual Student Achievement Awards, the university celebrates those undergraduate seniors that best represent the diversity of accomplishments possible at AU.

Described as one of the most talented soloists ever to graduate from AU, vocalist Carley DeFranco will receive the Evelyn Swarthout Hayes Award for using her gifts to support at-risk youth in DC. While AU has a strong reputation for international and public affairs, DeFranco’s recognition shows the university’s maintained emphasis on the arts.

“I feel honored and happy that my practicing and musical achievements have been noticed in a school where music may not necessarily be at the forefront but certainly thriving,” she says. “There are a lot of great musicians and programs here.”

ATV student television general manager Douglas Bell will receive the Bruce Hughes Award for doubling his organization’s membership, where reporters recently secured White House press passes. After establishing the Community Service Coalition, Stephen Bronskill – also selected for the coveted President’s Award – will accept the Stafford H. Cassell Award.

Recent December graduate Nazran Baba used his time at AU to create opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue and understanding through roles in International Student Orientation and the Muslim Student Association, making him the first Sri Lankan in 30 years to win the Carlton Savage Award.

Abdul Aziz Said Phi Epsilon Pi Scholar for Diversity Daniel Leon was selected for the Fletcher Scholar Award based on his academic achievement and commitment to the community through organizations like the William J. Clinton Foundation.

“I feel really honored. I’ve only been here for two years,” he says, “and the fact I would be recognized on any level really shows how focused they are on transfer students.”

School of Public Affairs Leadership Program student and outgoing Student Government president Emily Yu will receive the Cathryn Seckler-Hudson Award, named for SPA’s first dean. Yu advocated for what became AU’s lowest tuition increase in 40 years alongside a new $1.5 million in financial aid for students.

Parting Words

Kogod School of Business student Mercedes Beras-Goico dedicated herself to serving the university community through the 1955 Business Leadership Club before starting the Hispanic Business Association. She will accept the Charles C. Glover Award for combining business leadership and citizenship in service to AU.

Like the other student award recipients, Beras-Goico is more than honored for the recognition, but – above all else – she just wants to carry AU with her wherever she goes.

“I really would like to keep representing the AU legacy as I graduate,” she says. “I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be here.”

Winning this year’s Harold Johnson Award for celebrating Caribbean culture on and off campus, Yanique Campbell has advice for hopeful underclass wonks looking ahead, hoping to stand out as she and her fellow recipients have.

“For me, it wasn’t about getting an award,” she says. “It was about finding a place where I’m comfortable on this campus and making that place available for other students…So, just do what you love, and the awards will come.”





Click here to learn more about the University Awards program and the awards ceremony, which will take place Friday, May 10th at 5:30pm in the Abramson Family Recital Hall in the Katzen Arts Center.

Visit the 2013 commencement ceremonies website for more information about this year's celebration.

Once again, the Emerging Arts Leaders Symposium at American University has proven to be a smashing success. The symposium, known by the acronym EALS, is in its sixth year. The annual meeting of students and young professionals who work in the arts is held at American University. As national partners with Americans for the Arts, EALS is the official kickoff for Arts Advocacy Day and is held the day before that event.

The symposium offers an opportunity to engage in discussions with experienced leaders in the field about issues that affect arts organizations. Past keynote speakers have included Rachel Goslins, Ben Cameron, Bob Lynch, and Adrian Ellis. Karen Brooks Hopkins and Aaron Dworkin provided the keynote addresses this year.

The theme of EALS 2013 was “Looking to the Horizon.” Each speaker and panel discussed new and innovative strategies and ideas in their respective topics: international arts management, marketing, audience engagement, career advancement, innovative organization models, and fundraising.

As the executive chair, I am proud to report that EALS 2013 was by far the largest and most successful symposium ever. Counting the speakers, attendees, staff, and volunteers, 225 people walked through the doors on Sunday, April 7. That proved to be well over double last year’s number, a record growth for the symposium. EALS also extended its reach throughout the country. In previous years attendees came mostly from the surrounding D.C. metro area or from within a few hours’ drive from D.C. EALS 2013, however, drew attendees from the entire East Coast, the Midwest, and as far west as Utah.

What caused so many people from so many locales to flock to American University? We on the EALS Executive Committee, a selected committee of American University arts management students, focused on quality programming. At the beginning of the planning process, we made the decision to host big names from the industry who have valuable knowledge and experience to share. Doing so was a financial gamble, but we on the committee had faith that presenting the highest quality programming would pay for itself by attracting more attendees. We were right.

The morning began with my opening remarks and a welcome and jumped right into the keynote address by Karen Brooks Hopkins, president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Since taking over as president of BAM in 1999, Hopkins has led the organization with stunning success, riding the waves of financial and philanthropic ups and downs. As a result of her leadership, annual attendance at BAM exploded, the budget more than doubled, and the organization’s endowment has almost tripled to over $80 million. Her address connected the day’s topics with her real and successful organization. A perfect start to the day.

The attendees then split off into the morning breakout sessions. Gail Humphries Mardirosian (American University, Department of Performing Arts), Todd Dellinger (Rider University), Stacy White (U.S. Department of State), and Ximena Varela (American University, Department of Performing Arts) discussed the newest research and issues in international arts management, a growing area of the arts.

The other morning panel, Marketing for Today’s Organizations, saw leading marketing specialists expressing multiple points of view on issues such as subscription plans. Panelists included JoAnn LaBrecque-French (the Washington Ballet), Jennifer Buzzell (Strathmore), Khady Kamara (Arena Stage), and Jack Rasmussen (American University Museum director and curator).

One afternoon panel, Audience Engagement, focused on the importance of engaging audiences—not selling to them—and the strategies to do so. Those panelists included engagement experts Margy Waller (Topos Partnership), JR Russ (Dance Place), Alli Houseworth (Method 121), Doug Borwick (ArtsEngaged), and AU’s Varela.

The second afternoon panel featured younger arts leaders who discussed starting and advancing their careers. Panelists included Jojo Ruf (National New Play Network), Christopher K. Morgan (Christopher K. Morgan & Artists and artist in residence at American University), Allison Peck (Freer|Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian), and Anne L’Ecuyer (American University, Department of Performing Arts).

The Innovative Organization Models panel rounded out the afternoon. Rachel Grossman (dog&pony DC), Thaddeus Squire (Culture Works Greater Philadelphia), Margaret Boozer (Red Dirt Studio), and Andrew Taylor (American University, Department of Performing Arts) discussed some of the most cutting-edge organizations.

Attendees came together again to attend a panel on one of the most important parts of arts management, yet one of the most uncomfortable: fundraising. The panel was moderated by Taylor and included Barbara Ciconte (Donor Strategies), Kendall Ladd (Sitar Arts Center), Pete Miller (local arts board member and philanthropist), and Russell Willis Taylor (National Arts Strategies).

The day concluded with Aaron Dworkin’s closing keynote address. Dworkin is the founder and president of the Sphinx Organization, the leading organization focused on cultural diversity in the arts, and President Obama’s first appointee to the National Council for the Arts. His poignant and invigorating address dealt with the issue of racial access to the fine arts and how arts leaders must work to make the arts represent the true diversity of the United States.

For more information on the Emerging Arts Leaders Symposium and to hear audio recordings of the conference, visit the EALS website.

Commencement 2013

Check out the speakers and events for this year's commencement. Learn more

Latest Stories

Your AU: Cheng to Embrace Teaching in China

The senior will move to rural China after graduation to teach English with a program called Teach For China. Read more

Students Win Big in Arts Club Competition

School of Communication photography students snagged two of the top prizes in the 2013 Ann Bartsch Dunne scholarship competition sponsored by the Arts Club of Washington. Read more

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Code

"I went from knowing nothing about coding to creating a website in a couple months," says Peggy Aulino about the Digital Media Certificate program. Read more

In the news

Bringing History to Life in the Digital Age

FMA professor Maggie Stogner co-hosted “Lens on the Past”, an insightful panel about producing historical documentary films. She was joined by Professor Alan Kraut from the College of Arts and Sciences History Department as part of the new interdisciplinary course on producing historical documentary films. Read more

Boston Marathon Bombings: AU Experts Discuss the Suspects

Journalism professors Angie Chuang and Richard Benedetto discussed media myths and media coverage of the Boston bombings. Chuang talked to The New Republic, and Benedetto spoke to McClatchy News Service. More than 30 outlets republished Benedetto’s article, including the Charlotte Observer, Miami Herald and Fresno Bee. Read more

Immigration Issues

Journalism professor Carolyn Brown appeared on China Central Television to discuss immigration reform and the U.S.-Mexican border. Watch video 

Brown's documentary subject in From the Fields, Damian Trujillo, and her are embarking on a nationwide tour of screenings of the film. View slideshow

Walden Appears Safe from Threats of Challenge

PC professor Dotty Lynch spoke to the Associated Press about the backlash felt by Representative Greg Walden after his opposition to proposed cuts in President Obama’s budget plan. The Statesman Journal and Orlando Sun Sentinel republished this article. Read more

Student Success

SOC graduate student Yi Chen was named April Filmmaker of the Month by DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, a recognition for her “outstanding documentary on historic DC neighborhood.”

Two years ago, Chen set out to make a documentary about DC’s Chinatown for her MFA thesis. The recently finished film “Chinatown” premiered at the sixth annual Our City Film Festival in March. Washington City Paper previewed the film in its Housing Complex column, drawing attention to the historic ethnic neighborhood that has become a “typical downtown commercial district.”

Several newspapers, including Public Asian, Examiner.com, Sino Vision, and AsAm News, also wrote about the film. American University’s Asian American Student Union hosted an on-campus screening and panel discussion in April as part of the university’s Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month activities.

WAMU 88.5’s Metro Connection will air a story about DC Chinatown and Chen’s film on its May 3 show.

Upcoming Events

JFK Remembered with Tom Brokaw and Nick Clooney
May 1 - 7:00 p.m., Newseum, Learn more

2013 Visions Film Festival
May 3 - 6:30 p.m., Katzen, Learn more

2013 Public Communication Awards
May 9 - 5:00 p.m., MGC 4, Learn more

Commencement 2013
May 11 - 1:00 p.m., Bender Arena, Learn more

FOLLOW SOC

Please send your suggestions for Dean's Picks to Michael Wargo.

School of Communication photography students snagged two of the top prizes in the 2013 Ann Bartsch Dunne scholarship competition sponsored by the Arts Club of Washington. The annual competition is for 18-to-26 year old students who are studying the arts at a university in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia. The judges for 2013 were photographer Robert Strawn and Lisa Hostetler, McEvoy Family Curator for Photography at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Students James Paul and Natalie Plumb took home scholarships, bringing recognition to AU’s photography program, part of SOC’s Film and Media Arts division. Paul was the overall winner with his photograph titled “Whispers Into Eternity,” receiving $1,500. Professor Jon Malis wrote him a letter of recommendation. He said, “I'm extremely proud of James. In terms of his work, I think he demonstrated great initiative by shooting in a location outside of Washington, DC - returning to his hometown to explore the remnants of a once-booming industry.”

Plumb’s photograph, “A Grad’s Rainy Day” took Second Runner-Up, winning her $750. Journalist-in-Residence Lynne Perri nominated Plumb, saying “[I nominated her because] Natalie has a great eye for composition. She also did very well on deadline during the elections, when she photographed voters at polling places at several precincts in Northern Virginia.” View the winning photos and read more

For Naïma Hachad, one thing often leads to another.

As citizen of both France and Morocco, Hachad has lived in both countries, speaking Moroccan Arabic and French in her multicultural household. Her particular background and her undergraduate studies in English led her to think more academically about difference. “I realized how rewarding multilingualism can be and how as one acquires a new language one also gains different perspectives on the world and the self,” the World Languages and Culture professor said about her interest in teaching French and Francophone cultures.

While an exchange student at Vanderbilt University, Hachad discovered the importance and the extent of Francophone and postcolonial studies, a field that was still marginal in France. She also realized the connections between her research in African American studies and Francophone cultural productions marked by the experience of slavery and colonialism. “W.E.B. Dubois, Zora Neal Hurston, and Langston Hughes’ texts led me to read Francophone literary texts from the Maghreb and the Caribbean and pursue a doctorate in French and Francophone studies after my MA in English and American studies,” said Hachad.

Hachad’s past and current research was inspired by her experience as a student in France and the United States as well as by her readings of major Francophone thinkers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries such as Jacques Derrida, Abdelkébir Khatibi, and Edouard Glissant. “These philosophers and poets have given me the tools to read and analyze artistic and literary forms derived from representations of identity and memory in the Maghreb and the Caribbean.”

Hachad’s interests and research projects in the Caribbean and the Maghreb have resulted in several published articles in which she explores representations of the body, landscape, history, and collective memory in literary texts and visual arts from these regions. For example her article “Victor Anicet,” coauthored with Valérie Loichot, addresses the politics of “restitution” in the works of this contemporary ceramist and painter from Martinique. It investigates his mixed-media piece titled Restitution as a site of memory, restoration, reinvention, and healing.

Another of her articles, published in Revue des sciences humaines, looks at importance of imaginary and actual Francophone landscapes. Hachad explained that this analysis is done though a dialogue she created between Martinican Edouard Glissant and Moroccan Abdelkébir Khatibi around the various meanings of the sea in their works: “They are very close theoretically speaking, but one comes from a culture that is haunted by the memory of slavery and deportation; so the sea is a tomb, a place where the bodies of those who didn’t make it were left behind,” she said. “And for the other, the sea is a place where the characters of his novels venture in order to get rid of all the constraints, cultural or political, and where they reinvent themselves.”

Hachad’s interest in contemporary struggles and transformations in the Maghreb as well as the language they have generated are explored in her article entitled “Dégage! C’est la révolution.” It analyzes slogans and gestures of the Tunisian Revolution and the role of social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and Al-Jazeera in its instigation and propagation.

In her most recent article, forthcoming in June 2013 in Francosphères, Hachad analyzes the depiction of the veil and the Arab and Muslim female body in the works of U.S.-based Moroccan artist Lalla Essaydi.

Hachad has also been conducting research for the past two years on “forms of the embodiment of the past and ideas of filiation, transmission, and disintegration in contemporary Francophone literature and visual arts of Morocco and the Moroccan diaspora in the U.S. and in Europe.” Much of this research will be explored in the book that she is currently writing and which is tentatively entitled: The Body that Manifests: Death, Silence, Violence and Memory in Contemporary Moroccan and Moroccan Diaspora’s Visual Arts and Literature.

Hachad’s research interests go hand in hand with her passion for teaching and sharing her most recent findings with her students. “Thinking of my students and my courses strengthens my inquisitive nature. I ultimately want to make my students aware of how learning French and understanding Francophone cultures can be personally and professionally enriching,” said Hachad.

What do Iron Man, Minority Report, and musical conductors have in common? They’ve all been used to describe the open-source software experiment IRP, short for Infrared Performer, developed by Audio Technology Program senior Ben Mangold. The software allows you to be a DJ, manipulate digital audio, and play software instruments with gestural control simply by moving your hands before a camera affixed to a laptop.

IRP is a musical control surface that uses open-source software developed by audio technology professor William Brent. It communicates with an infrared camera (with an attached infrared light) to track “blobs” of infrared light reflected back at the camera.

By wearing reflector clips on the thumb and forefinger (which are tracked by the camera), the user can pinch and move to “click and drag” across a fully customizable layout of buttons, toggles, sliders, and interactive shapes and instruments.

The buttons and other components of IRP can send MIDI data out of the program, which allows the user to control musical content and interact with digital audio workstations (DAWs), an integral tool for both the recording studio and any musical performance utilizing a computer. In conjunction with Ableton Live, a DAW built specifically for live performance and DJing, Mangold has used the tool he developed to create an innovative audiovisual performance.

The project’s beta was conceived, designed, and completed over the course of two years through classes at AU in digital instrument design, software engineering, and an audio technology capstone under the advice of Brent. In fall 2012, IRP was entered in the Student Design Competition and Exhibition at the 133rd Audio Engineering Society convention in San Francisco. It was selected into the competition through a blind peer review process from a panel of faculty members and professionals from around the world.

View video demonstration of IRP.

When Jack Rasmussen, director and curator of the American University Museum, wants to organize a show featuring artists working outside the United States, it’s critical that he travel to meet the artist and see the work where it was made.

The museum’s specialty is the intersection of the international and the political, and the shows Rasmussen tends to feature represent some friction found at that intersection. Getting a feel for where the art came from is essential, Rasmussen said.

This summer, Rasmussen will have a chance to do that as one of eight Americans awarded Likhachev Foundation Fellowships. The fellows will spend two weeks in Russia exploring the culture, art, and art history of the country.

Rasmussen and Gail Humphries Mardirosian, associate professor in the Department of Performing Arts, are two of four Likhachev Fellows from AU over the past two years. Last year Anton Fedyashin, director of the Initiative for Russian Culture, and Robb Hunter, fight choreographer in residence in the Department of Performing Arts, were chosen to participate in the program.

AU has a growing relationship with Russia. In 2011, the university launched the Initiative for Russian Culture, which seeks to promote greater understanding of Russian culture among AU and Consortium students in the Washington, D.C., area.

The Likhachev fellowship is the first program of its kind organized and funded by the Russian government. When in Russia, participants work on important cultural initiatives, which help attract foreign audiences to Russian history and culture. To that end, Rasmussen will be scouting new Russian artists for shows at the museum during his two weeks in Russia.

"I want to create a dialogue. I want people to get excited," he said.

Rasmussen already has many contacts in the Russian art world, including Grisha Bruskin, a painter and sculptor from Moscow. His work, H-Hour, was on display at the AU Museum this winter along with Russian-born artist Andrei Molodkin’s exhibit CRUDE.

"I need to get on the ground and sort of work my way through the art scene there," Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen also wants to learn the role of commercial art galleries in Russia and to understand how artists are supported there. All of that is in service to the museum so he can bring the most thought-provoking and engaging shows to campus.

Mardirosian, who is trained in the Stanislavski method of acting, has long had a connection with Russia. This fellowship marks her sixth visit to the country. She sees her collaboration with Russian theater troupes as "cultural diplomacy."

"The arts and theater can unite us in ways that are really remarkable," Mardirosian said.

Mardirosian, who was recently named to the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, plans to study Russian cabarets from 1910 to 1931 during her fellowship. She’ll be working with a Russian theater and a director and choreographer to better understand the unique art form.

When she returns to the U.S., Mardirosian plans on mounting a recreation of a Russian cabaret, for which the Russian choreographer will return. Mardirosian envisions hosting a sort of literary café featuring cabaret, song, poetry, and perhaps staged readings from Russian plays.

"Cabaret allows for so much artistic expression and provocation," she said. "Russia has such a remarkably eclectic and fascinating theater work and I’m excited to see the artistic experimentation that can happen."

American University’s Kogod School of Business announced today the release of a new Made in America Automotive Index that evaluates and ranks 253 car models based on country of origin and several factors not addressed by the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA).

Developed by Kogod Professor Frank DuBois, an international business expert in competition and global supply chain management, the new index uses seven different weighted factors to determine the degree to which cars sold in the U.S. really are “American made.”

•  Profit Margin: Where the automaker’s global headquarters is located
•  Labor: Location of assembly
•  Research & Development  
•  Transmission: Location of production
•  Inventory, Capital and Other Expenses: Location of assembly
•  Engine: Location of production
•  The AALA “Domestic Content” Score

Dubois believes these comparisons constitute the most accurate “made in America” index available because American-made can only reflect a percentage of a product’s content when a global supply chain is the operating reality of the automotive industry.

“If you break down a single “American-made” transmission, you’ll find many smaller parts, each stamped with its own country of origin. You may well find 80 percent of the parts inside that transmission didn’t come from the U.S,” said Dubois.

According to Dubois, the AALA is meant to help consumers “buy American,” but the data it provides is limited in several ways. Aside from designating parts manufactured in Canada as “domestic,” some automakers file incomplete reports, omitting various models in any given year. As illustrated in the table below, the differences between the AALA and Dubois’s metrics result in a significant degree of variance when comparing two indices.

DuBois used all publicly available data to develop the index, including from the AALA, automakers’ annual reports, and Form 10-K filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Automakers received up to a total of 100 percentage points based on the level of domestic outcomes.

Dubois argues that his index provides a more accurate assessment of a vehicle’s true country of origin: “All that automakers are required to do is abide by the terms of the AALA, and I would argue the AALA is a flawed measure.”

For a complete listing of the index, visit http://kogodnow.com/autoindex/ (scroll down)

Six exhibitions, including two solo shows by Washington-Baltimore region artists and two shows by MFA students, are showing at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center this spring.

Four of the exhibitions open on Saturday, April 6 and close Sunday, May 26: Lee Haner: Mischief, Painting Borges: Art Interpreting Literature, Timothy App: The Aesthetics of Precision, Forty-Five Years and Saturation Point: Nudashank Presents Jordan Bernier, David Armacost, Jamie Felton, and Alex Da Corte.

Flavor of the Month: 1st Year MFA Exhibition opens Saturday, April 6 and closes Sunday, April 18. Crossing the Bifrost: MFA Thesis Exhibition opens Saturday, April 25 and closes Sunday, May 26.  

Lee Haner: Mischief

Lee Haner, who taught several years at American University, is a reclusive master whose artistic style is hard to define. He refuses to confine himself to one medium as he has tested his skills in photography, painting, and sculpture. The result of Haner’s experimentation is a body of strikingly original, thought-provoking work.  

His exhibition Mischief—comprised of recent mixed-media works that are balanced between representation and abstraction, painting and sculpture—is inspired by the land and first peoples of the American Southwest. The exhibition is accompanied by a beautiful, full-color catalogue.

In 2000, Haner was part of "Remembering the Present," a project exhibited at The Kreeger Museum that challenged Washington, D.C., area artists to paint, sculpt, draw, photograph, or digitally generate new monuments that would be relevant today.

The museum will hold the gallery talk for Lee Haner: Mischief at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 27.

Painting Borges: Art Interpreting Literature

Argentinean Jorge Luis Borges, whose works address the mythical, spiritual, and philosophical, is one of the most prominent and profoundly philosophical literary figures of the twentieth century. His stories explore theoretical puzzles that encourage readers to confront the basic mysteries of human existence: Why are we here? What happens to us after we die? Does God exist?

For this exhibition, curator Jorge J. E. Gracia chose 16 visual artists to interpret 12 stories by Borges, organized according to three topics: identity and memory, freedom and destiny, and faith and divinity.

Painting Borges: Art Interpreting Literature is organized by the University at Buffalo Samuel P. Capen Chair and UB Galleries, Buffalo, New York. The exhibition was curated by Jorge J. E. Gracia, SUNY Distinguished Professor-University at Buffalo Samuel P. Capen Chair.

The book Painting Borges: Philosophy Interpreting Art Interpreting Literature was published by Jorge J. E. Gracia with the State University of New York Press.

The museum will hold the gallery talk for Painting Borges: Art Interpreting Literature at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9. The talk is sponsored by AU’s Department of Philosophy and Religion.

Timothy App: The Aesthetics of Precision, Forty-Five Years

Baltimore artist Timothy App’s signature style of geometric abstraction reveals a concise and considered understanding of the nature of painting, visual tension, and persistence. The exhibition brings together various aspects of the artist's evolution and growth into one of the region’s most important living abstract painters.  

Throughout his career, App’s main inspiration has been geometry. He has observed its presence in everyday experiences throughout his life: in the cyclical ritual of a Catholic Mass; the precision of a baseball diamond; the mathematical organization of a Brahms symphony, and in the contours of nature. 

With his use of striking colors, App credits inspiration for works like his Homage Paintings to Caravagio and Titian, artistic masters of the Renaissance. So while his paintings are minimalist and modern, their roots are deeply traditional.  

App’s use of color has shifted over time. In different moments of his career, his choice of color ranges from subdued to bold, unassuming browns to bright lavenders. Yet, he consistently relies on the infallibility of shapes.  

For all of its apparent simplicity, App’s work is surprisingly spiritual. His latest works focus on portals, barriers between two worlds. A recurring theme, its presence can be felt in the symmetric power of his art. Though the shapes and structures in App’s paintings may seem rigid, he creates them with optimistic fluidity. He claims that he’s never sure how a painting will turn out once he begins. He trusts its ability to transform and transcend.

The museum will hold the gallery talk for Timothy App: The Aesthetics of Precision: Forty-Five Years at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 6.  

Saturation Point: Nudashank Presents Jordan Bernier, David Armacost, Jamie Felton, and Alex Da Corte

Nudashank is an artist-run commercial gallery in downtown Baltimore that features Baltimore artists alongside artists from other cities to broaden the dialog in the Baltimore art community. Curated by Alex Ebstein and Seth Adelsberger and presented in collaboration with the AU Studio Art Program, the exhibition brings together four artists who explore the idea of saturation.

• Jordan Bernier works with printmaking and painted illustrations, but he has also explored video as an artistic medium. Also an avid skateboarder, Bernier combines his two passions by constructing public art structures that skaters can use to hone their skills.  

• David Armacost is an abstract artist with a sense of humor. In his collaborative project Disorderly Conduct Armaocst and another artist traded artwork back and forth. In each exchange, the artists produced a parody of the other’s work, resulting in a collection of pieces that reflect an artistic, energetic, and fun conversation.  

• Jamie Felton is an abstract artist whose paintings use sand, silk, burlap, and other textures. Her sculptures are as likely to be made of yarn and chicken wire as they are wood and glass. Felton’s work was included in Bad Girls 2012, an exhibition featuring strong female artists who do what they want with no apologies.

• Alexa Da Corte re-imagines everyday objects in unexpected ways. Think two-liter soda bottles, plastic lawn chairs, rubber gloves, and anything else you might find in a Dollar Store. His works present commentary on capitalism, suburbia, and pop culture.  

The museum will hold the gallery talk for Saturation Point: Nudashank Presents Jordan Bernier, David Armacost, Jamie Felton, and Alex Da Corte at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 13.

MFA Exhibitions

Two MFA student exhibitions will also show at the museum. The first exhibition, Flavor of the Month: 1st Year MFA Exhibition presents a diverse assortment of work by first-year AU MFA students Meredith R. Greenberg, Joshua Johnson, Randall Lear, Andrew Baritz, Christina Humble, Jody Fang, and David Ross.

The second exhibition, Crossing the Bifrost: MFA Thesis Exhibition, features works by AU’s graduating MFA students David de Bol, Angela Esteve, Emily Francisco, Lisa Marie Jakab, Ryan Carr Johnson, Shahdeh Khodavandi, Dan Perkins, Anna Prezioso, Heather Ravenscroft, Jenny Sawle, and Harini Thyagarajan.

The museum will hold the gallery talk for Crossing the Bifrost: MFA Thesis Exhibition at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 25. An Artists’ Reception will follow at 6 p.m. 

In conceiving Painting Borges: The Exhibition, opening April 6 at the American University Museum in the Katzen Arts Center, curator Jorge J. E. Gracia sought to look at the connections between literature, art, and philosophy.  

He began by selecting a literary figure, which was easy for Gracia, who holds the Samuel P. Capen Chair in the Department of Philosophy and is a professor of comparative literature and Distinguished Professor at SUNY–Buffalo.  

He chose Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges, one of the most prominent and profoundly philosophical writers of the last century. Borges’s stories, says Gracia, are filled with conceptual puzzles that provoke readers to reflect on the central issues of our existence.  

Gracia selected a dozen of those stories and organized them by topic into three groups: identity and memory, freedom and destiny, and faith and divinity. 

The next step was to find artists. While Borges’s work has inspired many from Buenos Aires, Gracia wanted to include artists from other cultures. A culturally diverse group, he felt, would best illustrate the many different creative paths that artists take as visual interpreters of literature. And Gracia was looking for artists who would truly and fully interpret Borges’s stories rather than simply represent a story or a theme.  

He ultimately chose 16 visual artists—Argentines and Cubans and Cuban Americans “who were as American as Cuban”—to interpret the 12 stories. Some of the artists had had experience interpreting Borges; others were undertaking the challenge for the first time for the exhibition.  

The 16 artists are Luis Cruz Azaceta, Alejendro Boim, Miguel Cámpora, Ricardo Celma, Laura Delgado, Héctor Destéfanis, Claudio D’Leo, Carlos Estevez, José Franco, Etienne Gontard, Mirta Kupferminc, Nicolás Menza, Mauricio Nizzero, Estela Pereda, Alberto Rey, and Paul Sierra.

AU’s Audio Technology Program is the leader of the pack. 

The burgeoning program, named by Education Portal as number one among top audio engineering and production schools in the country—and which has close to 100 students, including 15 graduate students—offers students valuable internships at such marquee locales as Quad Recording Studios in New York, the Cutting Room, National Geographic, Capital Audio Post, and other recording studios and radio stations. 

Now, add an exclusive internship at National Public Radio headquarters to the mix. 

Greg Smith, the newly hired professorial lecturer in the performing arts department’s audio tech program, worked with NPR and AU to set up the internship. Smith’s experience includes time at NPR on Morning Edition, Lucasfilm, and Imax. 

“This is completely something that Greg did,” says program director Paul Oehlers. “Greg has been great because he came from that public broadcast background, and because of that experience he was able to make those connections easily. He said he thought we could establish permanent internships at NPR, so he set up one for the School of Communication and journalism and one for our audio technology students. We are the only school in the country that has a permanent internship with NPR, which is pretty exciting.” 

The goal of the audio technology internship is to give students hands-on experience working with audio engineers at NPR, for which they can earn class credit. Interns help run the audio console for NPR morning shows, working the mix levels, recording programs, and making sure everything conforms to formats. 

“I’ve been observing the master control, which is the switching and routing of all the different audio streams,” says spring intern and experienced first-year graduate student Brian Chew. 

“I’ve learned a lot there, talking with the guys about fault tolerance and the delicacy of everything. I have also sat in on the recording of Tell Me More. That was great, because I got to see them run the show and I got to do some pre-production on some audio bits. It was really dynamic and interesting. So I hope to be doing more with that, and possibly fixing up some audio clips for them.” 

Chad Miller, the fall intern, saw the experience as an invaluable asset to his education at AU. “I was constantly presented with opportunities to probe new areas and new ways of doing things,” he says. “I can already say with confidence that simply being there drastically shaped the trajectory of my education. Having been given the means to explore at NPR, I’ve shifted my academic focus and rejuvenated my desire and ability to learn new concepts, new fields, and new ways of thinking.” 

Students apply for the internship through AU. Audio tech faculty interview the applicants and recommend three candidates to NPR for the final selection process. 

Initial feedback from NPR has been positive. 

“It is difficult to get in at NPR,” Oehlers says. “There is a very established hierarchy and process for getting hired there. It’s not conducive to just walking in the door and asking for an internship; you have to lay the groundwork.”

The American University Symphony Orchestra and conductor Yaniv Dinur have found an innovative way to involve college students in AUSO concerts.

This fall, Dinur taught Understanding Music, a general education class designed for non-music majors. Its purpose was to expose students to the richness of the world of classical music. The class’s final project involved creating visual work inspired by the music being performed at the November AUSO concert. Those pieces included Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez, Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber, and Symphony No. 3 by Robert Schumann.

The art works were then presented before the concert in an exhibition held in the Kreeger Lobby outside of the Abramson Family Recital Hall at the Katzen Arts Center.

“This is something that I've been wanting to do for a long time,” says Dinur, “and finally making it happen was kind of making a dream come true. The idea behind this project was my passion to bring college students to the concert halls. I believe that doing this would create a special experience both for the students and for our orchestra that would be performing for a young audience. I realized that the best way to actually bring this young audience to the concerts was to have them be an essential part of the event and the process beforehand.”

The student artwork included paintings, sculptures, and photography. One such work was a series of 10 photographs by AU student Iana Kozelski. She explains, “I sectioned Danzón No. 2 into 10 parts, each with a different distinguishable melody which the dancer, Alessandra Lacson, represents. The photos are in order of the sections in the song.”

Another featured piece was a traditional Mexican dress made with chicken wire, papier mâché, and tablecloths. This was created by Lauree Tu. “The traditional dress that is worn on special occasions in Mexico inspired me to want to design my own dress that would best convey the vision I imagined when listening to the Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Marquez,” she says. “The red and black colors best represented my feel of the sultry tone that Marquez’s Danzón conveyed, and the swooping of the dress was to emphasize the liveliness of the piece.”

The exhibition was a success, and the event brought many university students to the Katzen Arts Center, both to see the exhibits and to hear the AUSO perform the music that inspired these art works. “At the beginning of the process I was quite worried,” Dinur admits, “because I didn't really know the students and had no way to predict how this whole thing would turn out. But it was important to me to go through with it no matter what the result would be. At the end, I was overwhelmed by the works that the students made. It was a special experience for everyone.”

Dinur expects to create similar student engagement activities for future concerts. “I am currently working on new projects and more ways to involve all the students in what we do,” he says. “The most important thing is to open the door to this incredibly rich world of classical music for the students. Most of them are very intrigued by this kind of music that they never heard before and that has new things to offer them that other kinds of music cannot. I discovered that once that door is open, they are not afraid to go through it.”

For more information on Dinur and the American University Symphony Orchestra, visit AU Arts.

March and April 2003 marked a new era for the performing arts at American University, as a brand-new facility came to life with the voices and talents of hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. On March 27-29, the Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre’s grand opening, Curtain Up!, was a montage of performers and performances from the previous 25 years of music and theatre at AU. April 9-13 then featured celebratory performances by the AU Symphony Orchestra and the AU Chorus in Lights Up!. A few short months later, the AU theatre department graced the stage of the beautiful facility with Cabaret.

Fast forward 10 years, and the Greenberg Theatre is now a vibrant part of the arts in Northwest D.C. In addition to hosting the many AU performances, the facility also provides a state-of-the-art performance space for outside organizations.

To celebrate the Greenberg Theatre’s impact, and to honor Harold and Sylvia Greenberg’s gift, the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Greenberg Theatre, "Art at the Heart," is set for April 4, 2013. The celebration will include alumni, faculty, students, and Sylvia Greenberg. As a part of the celebration, AU students will reprise the musical favorite Cabaret.

Cabaret will run for four performances from April 4 to April 6. However, the “Art at the Heart” celebration will be only Thursday, April 4. For more information about Cabaret and the 10th anniversary celebration, or to purchase tickets online, visit the arts calendar.

“This celebration is a way of showing Sylvia Greenberg that AU and the Department of Performing Arts truly appreciate the gift that made this theatre possible,” says Peter Starr, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The Greenberg Theatre is an invaluable resource to the entire community.”

The celebration will be a multifaceted affair. Before the performance that evening, there will be a pre-show on the Greenberg stage. While the details are to be a surprise, the performance will include alumni from past AU casts. Sylvia Greenberg will also be honored.

After the evening’s production of Cabaret, attendees will move to the lobby to enjoy a reception featuring live “mannequins.” These “mannequins” will be actors dressed up in costumes from previous years’ shows. Audience members will also be able to enjoy scenic models and a wall of posters from previous productions.

“We are celebrating the 10 years of shows that we’ve done here at the Greenberg Theatre,” says Greg Anderson, the theatre’s facilities and production manager. A reception will feature food and toasts to Sylvia Greenberg.

The centerpiece of the celebration will be the anniversary run of Cabaret.

“We asked Mrs. Greenberg for a list of her favorite musicals, and Cabaret was one of her choices,” Anderson explains. “It’s the show that opened the Greenberg Theatre 10 years ago, so we decided that it would be a nice circle of starting with Cabaret and then celebrating the 10th year with Cabaret.”

The production, directed by Gail Humphries Mardirosian, will be the Studio 54 version of the famous musical, done in 1998. While darker than previous versions, this version was chosen because it is much more accurate to historical events. Cabaret, featuring memorable songs like “Mein Herr” and “Maybe This Time,” tells the story of cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her romance with American writer Cliff Bradshaw, all set in 1931’s Berlin with the rise of Nazi power.

AU’s Art Colloquia for Critical Inquiry Outside In, which began with “The Fellows Converge: The Obstructions,” an exhibition of current Hamiltonian Artists (D.C.) curated by AU Studio Art professor Tim Doud, continues March 28 with a lecture by Goya curator Amy Raehse.

The colloquia bring together artists, art historians, curators, designers, writers, and other art lovers to experience an exercise in cross-cultural thinking.

Raehse, executive director and curator at Goya Contemporary, in Baltimore, will speak from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday in Katzen Room 246. As with the rest of the series, she will focus on how art programming at AU relates to art in the greater Washington, D.C., region. That discussion will include everything from the role of area institutions, galleries, and other art groups in academia to their place in the community.

Goya Contemporary, considered one of the mid-Atlantic region’s most prestigious galleries, aims to support mid-career artists, according to the gallery. And the gallery’s Goya-Girl Press has worked on hundreds of projects since its establishment in 1996.

“Ms. Raehse’s participation in this semester’s colloquium is significant,” says Zoe Charlton, a professor in AU’s Department of Art. “She has a particular interest in educating emerging artists about professional practices. It’s important for students to be introduced to the business side of art. As part of the first-year MFA curriculum, students visit her gallery and she discusses her role as a gallerist and the relationships she builds with artists.”

The third part of the series, the Nudashank gallery talk, is Saturday, April 13, in the AU Museum. The gallery talk will be in conjunction with the exhibition “Saturation Point: Nudashank Presents Jordan Bernier, David Armacost, Jamie Felton, and Alex Da Corte.”

The exhibition will be at the Katzen through May 26.

Nudashank, a commercial gallery in Baltimore, features artists from Charm City as well as other locales, according to the colloquia organizers. The Katzen exhibition will spotlight four artists exploring the idea of saturation.

“Nudashank has quickly defined itself as a cutting-edge artist-run space,” says Charlton. “Codirectors Alex Ebstein and Seth Adelberger have created an ambitious exhibition program that supports emerging artists. We’re excited that some of our alums have been included in their past exhibitions—it acknowledges the strong artists and work that are coming out of our program.”

The Art Department plans to address the colloquia themes throughout the 2013–2014 academic year.

The colloquia are sponsored by the Studio Art program, but organizers see the program as philosophically supporting the Visiting Artists Series, which brings two visiting artists in residence to AU each semester in an attempt to offer students a wide range of critical perspectives. The colloquia also greatly benefit from the participation of both the Art History and Graphic Design departments, as well as the AU Museum.

The Art Department has two main goals for the colloquia: to stimulate discussion of art at AU and to connect with the D.C.-area arts community. In connection with those goals, the Studio Art program, in partnership with the American University Museum, will present a series of exhibitions during the next year and a half. For more information, visit the Art Colloquia for Critical Inquiry website.

Why are Monet, Picasso, and Dali so popular? What makes their combinations of shapes and colors any better than the combination that a kindergartner creates at school? According to panelists at the Spring Arts Management Colloquium at American University, it’s all about the brain.

The February 22 colloquium, titled “Beauty and the Brain,” explored the growing field of neuroaesthetics, with an emphasis on the visual brain. The event began with a lecture by artist Shahin Shikhaliyev, whose work was recently showcased in the Kreeger Lobby of the Katzen Arts Center.

Shikhaliyev was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, and earned his degree in visual arts from Azerbaijan State Art College. Most noted for his oil paintings, his work includes black-and-white drawings, etchings, and video. He has also collaborated on multiple large-scale public art projects.

Shikhaliyev’s recent work explores the evolutionary development of visual perception and the science of the mind. His paintings represent the reality of what the brain perceives at the earliest moments of sight, before one’s brain forms the image. He is primarily concerned with the transfer of optical energy, as well as the interplay between sight and the other systems of the brain that control concept and meaning. He thinks of his paintings as charged with his own energy, and he believes that they are alive and engaging the people and environments around them.

In his lecture, Shikhaliyev discussed how the brain recognizes and interprets line, shape, perceived motion, and light within a piece of art. “It’s not really what you draw; it is how your drawing is perceived,” he said.

Shikhaliyev’s lecture was followed by a panel discussion. Joining the artist on the panel was Terry Davidson, AU psychology professor and director of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, and Arthur Shapiro, an AU psychology professor who specializes in visual perception and cognitive neuroscience. The panel was moderated by AU Arts Management professor Andrew Taylor.

“What we try to understand is the relationship between the brain function and behavioral function,” Davidson said. “And behavioral function includes things like learning, memory, emotion, and perception.”

Shapiro’s work is similar but focuses more on the visual system of the brain. “I am interested in understanding the relationship between the physical world and the biology of the visual system and how that translates into how we perceive the world,” he stated during the panel.

“I also want to understand the cellular structure of the visual system and what happens when light is changed into something biological. We look at paintings and we think we see lines and shapes, but in reality our brain is responding to signals and reactions from our eyes.”

Also discussed were how certain types of art and stimuli activate particular areas of the brain, how the brain interprets the different stimuli, and how adding or subtracting aspects to a piece of art can completely change how it is perceived.

Another interesting topic was how the brain functions when a person perceives beauty. According to Shapiro, the frontal cortex of the brain increases its activity at these times. “It looks like when you make a beauty judgment, those areas of the brain are particularly important. This area of the brain is very involved in decisions and the value process.”

More information about the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience is available online. For more information and news about the Arts Management Program at AU, visit its website.

Tate Strickland has truly made his mark on the world. The 2010 graphic design graduate and Thirteen23, the company he worked for, were recently awarded the Interaction Design Association’s (IxDA) 2013 Interaction Award for their work on the Obama for America
Campaign mobile app.

IxDA, founded in 2003, works to improve the human condition by advancing the discipline of interaction design. It is involved in initiatives relating to education and mentoring, public relations, outreach, and internationalization.

"IxDA is an international organization for user experience design, so the visual design of digital experiences," says Strickland. "The Connecting category [in which he won] is about bringing people together and getting them to talk to each other in some fashion."

While at AU, Strickland concentrated in interactive design, which includes web and mobile design. After graduation, he moved to Austin, Texas, and joined Thirteen23, an interactive design studio specializing in digital strategy, user interface design, and software development.

The company combines breakthrough design with emerging technology to make innovative brand experiences for clients around the world.

Thirteen23 had just decided to expand and hired Strickland as its first full-time designer.

"It was a really small design development team," Strickland explains. "I was actually their sixth employee, and their first full-time designer. What is interesting about the company is that instead of having designers work on their own and create the visual design and architecture of an app or website and then toss it to developers who do their thing, the designers and developers were working in close coordination with one another at all times, which turned out to be a really effective model. I worked really well there because at AU I had been a graphic design major, but I had also done some coding as well. So I knew enough to understand what the developers were talking about and to work with them effectively."

During his time at Thirteen23, Strickland cultivated an expertise in mobile design, mostly for the iPhone.

Strickland and Thirteen23 became involved with the Obama for America Campaign through their work in 2011 with Livestrong. Strickland worked with a small team on creating a basic mobile app for volunteers to collect donations by using Square, the mobile credit card payment solution that connects with mobile devices.

"So we were in contact with Square throughout this process," he continues, "and throughout a series of connections, Square referred us to Harper Reed, the chief technology officer of Obama for America in Chicago. They approached us and asked us to make a donations app that was similar to the one for Livestrong."

Over the course of several months, the project ballooned. "They wanted their entire mobile strategy designed. I was assigned as the designer on the project. It was my job to build all of the architecture: the screens, the wire frames, and also the visual design for the iPhone app. I was a part of the team of four that went to Chicago and met with the campaign."

IxDA presented Strickland and Thirteen23 the award for their work on January 29. However, Strickland had already left the company. Returning as a professor in the AU Graphic Design Program at the beginning of the 2012–2013 academic year, he now teaches Visual
Communication Design, which is an introduction to image-making principles and concept development, and Digital and Emerging Media Design, a course focused on introductory web skills and design.

But Strickland appreciates his experience and the recognition he received. "It’s a nice footnote on what was a really amazing experience," he reflects. "I worked with great people on this
project at Thirteen23. The entire experience of working with these people on a project that we all really believed in was amazing. It was a lot of work, but it was very rewarding. The project itself was a reward, but having it recognized was exciting."