Alumni in the News

With a multimillion-dollar infusion, Austin Opera is expanding its Spanish-language programming. Local philanthropists Sarah and Ernest Butler have given the fine arts company $3.3 million. One of Chapa's (Vocal Performance) responsibilities in her role will be to make sure Hispanic and Latinx programming is represented in all of Austin Opera's platforms, according to the company, which include performances at the Long Center for the Performing Arts and Concerts at the Consulate, a series Chapa currently curates that is produced with the Consulate General of Mexico.

¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now, an exhibition catalogue for the Smithsonian American Art Museum 2021 exhibition of the same name, was organized by E. Carmen Ramos, acting chief curator and curator of Latinx art at the Smithsonian, alongside Claudia Zapata, curatorial assistant for Latinx art and UT Art History alum (B.A., 2005; M.A., 2009). The catalogue includes contributions from E. Carmen Ramos, Tatiana Reinoza (UT Art History MA, 2009; PhD, 2016), Terezita Romo, and Claudia E. Zapata. 

Elizabeth Hudson (Art History, 2016), Jieun Beth (M.F.A, Studio Art, 2013) and Jesus Treviño (M.F.A., Painting/Drawing, 2022) will enjoy a one-week stay on the Desert Door ranch in West Texas. This residency includes an artist stipend of $1,000 for each artist. During their residency, Artists are encouraged to draw inspiration from the raw West Texas landscape and begin creating new work.

For the event, Steve Parker (DMA, Music, 2012), who is the program’s Artistic Director, selected eight local and national artists and musicians to respond to and converse with artworks in the Blanton’s collection. Alumnus Michael J. Love (M.F.A., Theatre, 2020) is among the selected eight artists.

Presented by Centro Studi e Documentazione della Cultura Armena (CSDCA), Angels Listening is conceived as a meditative space to reflect on pressing issues related to identity, knowledge, time, as well as interpersonal experience and relationships. Featuring seven large-scale angels cast in white bronze, who have been ‘silenced’ as Hovnanian (B.F.A., Studio Art) purposefully created the cherubic figures of this installation with two “pieces of tape” sculpted in bronze and covering their mouths, representing the suppression of truth and offering a reflection on the role of art in this unprecedented historical and social conjuncture.

Parkins (M.F.A., Dance, 2012) is a doctoral fellow and program assistant in Teachers College's dance education program, the nation's only doctoral program focused on educational research in dance. Parkins's research explores the experiences of Latinx youth engaged in culturally relevant dance-making practices.

Gaddis (B.F.A., Studio Art, 1977), founder of legendary Austin-based ad agency T3, means business in everything she does—whether she’s founding and leading companies, writing books, or selling out New York City art galleries. Texas CEO Magazine shares her entrepreneurial life so far, with plenty of insights for fellow Texas leaders.