Alumni in the News

"Artifact", an exhibition at Tiny Park Gallery (1101 Navasota Street, Austin, TX) opened on April 13 and continues through May 11. All three exhibiting artists, Jonathan Dankenbring, Scott Proctor and Beili Liu are Austin residents. Liu is currently an associate professor of art at The University of Texas at Austin, while Proctor received an MFA and is a lecturer at UT. Tiny Park's Associate Director Thao Votang (B.A. in Art History,'08) is the current coordinator of undergraduate admissions for the College of Fine Arts. Check out a great show put on by thriving UT alums. 

Kathy Creutzburg, sculptor and watercolorist, graduated from UT with a B.F.A. in 1988. Creutzburg is celebrating her first solo exhibition at the Michael Mut Gallery (97 Ave C, NY, NY 10009) opening April 4. 

Bruce Ludwick, Jr. (M.M., Organ Performance with Emphasis in Sacred Music, 2008) was appointed Director of Music and Organist at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, AL as of January 1, 2013. Erin Montalto Ludwick (M.M., Vocal Performance, 2008) is from Birmingham and happy to be back home where she is setting up a private voice studio. Their wedding was at the Cathedral of St. Paul in June 2009 and was played by the late Dr. Gerre Hancock (former Professor of Organ and Sacred Music at UT-Austin). Bruce looks forward to building upon the foundation of the cathedral’s choirs to include comprehensive choirs for youth and children as well as an organ recital series.

Gwynn Thayer (M.A. Art History, '97) is now the Associate Head and Curator of North Carolina State University Libraries Special Collections. Thayer earned her Ph.D. in Public History in 2010. Her book "Going to the Dogs: Greyhound Racing, Animal Advocacy, and American Popular Culture" is coming out soon. 

The University of Exeter's Drama Department is performing their original show, More than the Sum, as part of the Cohen New Works Festival. UT alum, Avital Stolar (B.A.T.D. 2011), is now working on her Masters in Theater at Exeter and traveled from England to her alma mater to perform. Stolar explained, “Through connecting the two universities, we have engaged in a cultural exchange in which masters theater students from UT and Exeter share ideas from across the world and explore them in rehearsals. Meeting together in Austin will enable our collaborators from UT to see the final product they helped to create. As applied theater students, we all have an interest in developing artwork with the community and are excited to learn from each other about different ways of working with young people."

Constance Cortez (B.A. '81, M.A. '86) has been elected to the Board of Directors for the College Art Association. She is currently a professor in the School of Art at Texas Tech University. 

Margaret Crisp (B.F.A. 1991) authored and illustrated, with linocuts and lithographs, a book on the Texas Colorado River. Entitled River of Contrasts: The Texas Colorado, her book was published by Texas A&M University Press in 2012 and was awarded the 2012 Ron Tyler Award for Best Illustrated Book on Texas History or Culture by the Texas State Historical Association. Margaret was also a selected Author at the Texas Book Festival, as well as the 2012 poster artist.
 

David Viscoli, Professor of Piano, (B.M. 1987) was selected as a recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Fadi Skeiker (Ph.D., Theatre, 2009) is currently assistant dean for student affairs in the College of Arts and Design and assistant professor at the University of Jordan. In addition to his work in academia, he has continued to lead practice-based research projects in the field of applied theatre in Jordan, using theatre as a tool to address issues related to women, youth and social change.

Alan E. Hicks (DMA, 2009) authored a book entitled Singer and Actor: Acting Technique for the Operatic Performer. The book was published by Amadeus Press in paperback in 2011 and ebook formats in 2012 and contains contributions from Professor Franchelle S. Dorn.