Alumni in the News

Don Bacigalupi (M.A., Art History,1985; Ph.D., Art History,1993) has been named president of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. In this newly created position, Don will serve as a member of the board of directors and will advance the Museum’s national and global special initiatives and work closely with the board and staff leadership.

Alumna Sonya Berg (MFA, 2010) opens her one-person exhibition at Tiny Park Gallery in Austin, TX on Friday, March 1, 2013. Running through March 30th, the exhibition will showcase Berg's mixed media works.

The opening reception is on Friday, March 1st from 7pm to 11pm. Tiny Park Gallery is located at 1101 Navasota Street and is open 12pm to 5pm on Saturdays and by appointment.

Congratulations to alum Justin Tucker (BA, Recording Technology, 2011), former Texas Longhorn and current kicker for the Baltimore Ravens. Rookie Tucker hit two crucial field goals in the fourth quarter as the Baltimore Ravens survived a furious second-half rally by the San Francisco 49ers en route to a 34-31 victory and the Super Bowl title on Sunday, February 3rd.

Natalia Anciso, MFA (BA, Studio Art, 2008), will be exhibiting at the Vincent Price Art Museum in Los Angeles as part of the 2013 MexiCali Biennial, titled "Cannibalism in the New World." The Opening Reception will be held on Saturday, January 19 from 6 to 9 p.m., and the exhibition will be open until April 13, 2013.

Elliott Forrest (BA, Drama, 1979) is a familiar voice for fans of classical music in New York City. He can be heard regularly on WQXR, Classical 105.9. Each year he produces an annual radio reading of A Christmas Carol and this year directed Brian Cox as Ebenezer Scrooge. Last summer, he produced an extremely successful large scale concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and a new production will be created for summer 2013. Forrest has also signed a contract to create a production for the Houston Symphony in 2014. Additionally, he recently signed a deal with Simon and Schuster to write a book about classical music with Alec Baldwin.

Mary Dave Blackman (Ph.D., Music Education, 1989) has published a textbook for music appreciation courses. An Introduction to Art Music is an eBook that uses listening materials from the Classical Music Library, an online resource with more than 500 university subscribers. The text is published by Kendall Hunt and approaches material from the point of view of a music educator, not a musicologist.

Alumna Teal Triggs (BFA, Studio Art, 1979 and MA, Art History, 1983), was recently appointed as Associate Dean of the College of Communication at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London, UK. She is also on faculty at the RCA as a professor of graphic design. 

This year's Annual Juried Printmaking Show takes place at Gallery Black Lagoon from January 18 to February 10, 2013. Fifteen students from the UT Department of Art and Art History will feature more than 30 of their printmaking works in the annual show. The opening reception will be held January 18 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at Gallery Black Lagoon, 4301 Guadalupe Street in Austin, TX.

Music Performance alum David Cloyd (BM, 1998) will officially launch Hook & Ladder Records, an imprint on ECR Music Group, on January 22, 2013.

Besides being the owner of Hook & Ladder Records, Cloyd has released two albums (Unhand Me, You Fiend! in 2009 and I Could Disappear in 2010) and is currently ECR Music Group's executive vice president of creative operations.

The label's first release, Caroline Fenn's debut album Fragile Chances, is currently slated for a worldwide release in January.

Maxine Price (MFA, Art, 1959) is featured in three upcoming gallery shows around Texas.

From December 1 through December 22, Price's works will be showcased at  Femme in Austin, TX at The Russell Collection. Featuring eleven of the women artists represented by The Russell Collection, Price will be present at the artist reception on December 1 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

In Houston, Thornwood Gallery's end of the year group show will run December 1 through January 2. The opening reception will be held December 1 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Finally, the Kirchman Gallery's Holiday Extravaganza event in Johnson City, TX will also feature works by Price. Stop by on Sunday, December 9 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm for light finger food, wine and champagne.