Alumni in the News

Andrew O. Hallock (BM, 2002, Music Composition) and the five other musicians in the ensemble "Sopra il Basso", based out of the Hague, Netherlands, have been invited to become the Resident Ensemble for 2012 at the Academie Ambronay in France.

After graduating from UT Austin in 2002, Hallock moved to Europe to study singing at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague; he graduated in 2009. Hallock also works as a freelance instrument maker, producing a variety of historical woodwind instruments in his workshop in the Hague.

Department of Theatre & Dance alumna Denny Berry (BFA, 1973) was recently announced as the Head of the newly formed Musical Theatre Program at the University of Utah Department of Theatre.

Berry is an esteemed director, choreographer, educator and writer both on Broadway and around the world. She looks forward to bringing together her ongoing relationship with the New York theater world and her students in the Department of Theatre.

Art and Art History alumna Jennifer Chenoweth (MFA, 1999) has been named a 2012 New Philanthropist by GivingCity Austin. Featured in the Summer 2012 issue (available online here), Chenoweth is listed in "The Entrepreneurs" section for her work as the founder of Generous Art, an online gallery dedicated to raising money for nonprofits and artists through the sale of one-of-a-kind original works of art.

Pamela Ribon (BFA, Drama Production, 1997) has just released her latest novel, You Take It From Here. Pamela has written for several television comedies, most notably the Emmy Award-winning Samantha Who?. A national bestselling author, Pamela has adapted her popular novels for both film and television. She was an Oprah.com contributor, where her novel about divorce and roller derby, Going in Circles, was selected as an Oprah.com Book Club pick. She was also a flagship contributor to TelevisionWithoutPity.com. Using her loyal Internet fan base, Ribon sponsors book drives for libraries in need at DeweyDonationSystem.org. Visit her at pamie.com or follow her @pamelaribon.

Skye Ashbrook (BFA, Studio Art, 2012) will exhibit four videos of his work at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar location via co-production with Church of the Friendly Ghost on Sunday, July 22 at 9 pm.

Art and Art History alumnus Don Bacigalupi (Ph.D., Art History, 1993), was named one of AY Magazine's Powerful Men of 2012 in the Art category. Bacigalupi is currently the executive director of the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.

He previously worked at the Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio, the San Diego Museum of Art in San Diego, California, and the San Antonio Museum of Art in San Antonio, Texas.

This Friday, Gallery Black Lagoon will host the opening reception for Blurred Lines, their newest exhibition featuring multiple alumni from the College of Fine Arts. Cliona Gunter (BFA, 1989), David Lujan (BFA, 2008), and Stephen Schwake (Studio Art, 1999) are all participating in the exhibition featuring drawings and mixed media works.

Opening reception is Friday, July 13 from 7pm to 10pm. Exhibition runs through July 28 and is available for viewing Saturdays from 1pm to 5pm or by appointment. You can RSVP to the reception here.

Alumna Elizabeth Hill Boone (MA, Art History, 1974; Ph.D., Art History, 1977) was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and to the Academia Mexicana de la Historia, an affiliate of the Real Academia in Madrid, Spain.

Dr. Boone is currently the Martha and Donald Robertson Chair in Latin American Art at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Alumna Tamara Johnson (BFA, Studio Art, 2007), a graduate of the MFA program at the Rhode Island School of Design, recently curated a group exhibition as part of the NARS Foundation 2012 Emerging Curator Program. "Show Me Your Glands" will be available for viewing June 30 through July 29 in Brooklyn, NY at the NARS Foundation Gallery. Tamara Johnson will host a curator's talk in the gallery on Saturday, July 14 at 4 pm.

Additionally, Johnson is also curating and participating in a group alumni exhibition of RISD's MFA Sculpture department in NYC at the Rooster Gallery, opening July 12 and running until July 29. The opening reception will be Thursday, July 12 from 6 pm to 8 pm. 

Art and Art History Alumna Maxine Price (BFA, 1959) will be showing her work at the Bob Fowler Retrospective Benefit Sale and Silent Auction in Wimberley, Texas. Works will be available for viewing on Friday, July 6th from 5pm to 8pm and Saturday, July 7th from 10am to 3:30pm at the First Baptist Church. Maxine will be in attendance Friday from 5:30pm to 6:30pm signing posters featuring her painting. All proceeds from this sale and silent auction will go to the family of Bob Fowler, a late renowned artist who was killed in a tragic accident. 

Additionally, her work is now being represented in Dallas, Texas at the prestigious Blue Print Store. Started by five leading Dallas interior designers, the Blue Print Store features high-end furniture and original abstract art.