Alumni in the News

Gay Gaddis (B.F.A., Studio Art, 1977) is hosting a series of live leadership webinars between July 15 and Aug. 12. The series, “Eating Risk for Breakfast” includes advice found in Gaddis' book, Cowgirl Power: How to Kick Ass in Business & Life. Gaddis is the founder and CEO of T3, an Austin-based advertising agency.

Sean Meyers (A.D., Woodwinds, 2020) alongside Vanguard Reed Quintet, release a debut album in June. The full-length album, Red Leaf Collection, features six world-premiere recordings of compositions for reed quintet. The ensemble has won Silver Medal at the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Second Prize at the 2017 Briggs Chamber Music Competition and Honorable Mention at the 2019 Plowman Chamber Music Competition. Photo by Curtis Noborikawa III

Constance Cortez (M.A., Art History, 1986) received a 2020 Digital Extension Grant from the American Council of Learned Societies for her work "Generative Rhizomes: Extending Digital Discovery of Mexican American Art,” the first national-level digital portal focusing on Mexican American Art.

Tamara Johnson (B.F.A., Studio Art, 2007) is set to present the Nasher Sculpture Center's Nasher Windows exhibition, a new series sited within the Nasher’s entrance vestibule on Flora Street, from May 22 through May 27. As an homage to the Nasher collection, Johnson created a piece titled "Deviled Egg and Okra Column.” The work is a nod to Brancusi’s "Endless Column,” and features a mirroring tower of stacked deviled eggs and pickled okra, cast in resin and spanning the height of the vestibule space. Photo by Trey Burns

Natalie Svacina (B.A., Art History, 2006) was awarded the National Art Education Association’s 2020 Western Region Museum Education Art Educator Award. She was recognized for her exemplary contributions, service and achievements. She currently serves at the Education + Residency Director at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in Houston, Texas, where she oversees all of HCCC’s educational programming, including hands-on activities, workshops, camps and the artist residency program. Photo by Andrew Buckler

Ruben Balboa (D.M.A., Strings and Harp, 2020) will serve as Instructional Assistant Professor of Viola,  Assistant Director and Master Teacher for the ISU String Project for the 2020-2021 academic school year at Illinois State University.

Roberta Rust’s (B.M., Piano, 1978) latest CD, Direct Contact, was released in May 2019 and has since then been praised by The Piano Magazine. She has also performed recitals and given master classes at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and Stephen F. Austin State University in January 2020. In 2019 she did the same at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory at the National University of Singapore, the Manila International Piano Masterclasses Festival, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Arizona State University, University of Oregon, Auburn University and Reinhardt University. Rust also performed alongside the Fine Arts Quartet at Lynn University and served as faculty for her seventh year at the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival in Tampa. Photo by Richard Blinkoff

Anthony Gatto’s (M.M., Composition, 1991) two newest albums, The Making of Americans and Wise Blood, were commissioned by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and are set for release in July 2020 by New Focus Recordings. The first opera is based on the novel by Gertrude Stein while the second is based on the novel by Flannery O'Connor. Photo by Chris Larso

Andrew Rodriguez (B.F.A., Theatre Studies, 2019) will be a featured member of the 2019-2020 Professional Training Company for the play Are You There? This production depicts how technology has revolutionized the way we communicate with each other and can be streamed from the Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays. Photo by Jonathan Roberts

Kathleen Kohl (M.F.A., Studio Art, 2017) sent her artwork, Memory Chain: A Pas de Deux of Artifact, into low earth orbit for 30 days through MIT Media Lab's Space Exploration Institute and Space-X's Dragon spacecraft. The art is a gold chain from her grandparents' tie clip and a watch that reference their work romance at NASA amid the Space Race. The exhibition was curated by Xin Liu, who arranged for nine projects to be on board the international payload, Sojourner 2020. Additionally, Kohl’s new installation Memory Palace, which composes building plans of her present and former homes, was also set to be part of the Future Visions exhibition during SXSW. Photo by Carlie deBoer