Alumni in the News

John Steffa (D.M.A., Composition, 1985) will present a recital of new, original, chamber music for the students in the Department of Music at the University of North Carolina-Asheville on Sept. 30. A repeat program will be presented that evening for a general audience. The recital precedes a program on Oct. 7, in the Music Room of the Strathmore Mansion in Bethesda, Maryland. 

Art Therapy Austin, as SIMS Foundation providers, will host a "Make A Record!" fundraiser for this local organization that supports Austin area musicians, music industry professionals, and their families. During the East Austin Studio Tour, Art Therapy Austin will exhibit vinyl "Art Records" for sale at their studio/gallery space. In addition, Art Therapy Austin founder Deanna Miesch (B.F.A., Studio Art, 1991), and art therapists Deann Acton (B.F.A., Studio Art, 1991), and Shannon Mekuly (B.F.A., Studio Art, 1997) will exhibit and sell their own inspiring works during the tour.

Mary Stengel Bentley (B.F.A., Studio Art, 2007) will present the solo exhibition “The Downtown Series” at Four Barrel in San Francisco, California, through Oct. 27.

James Welsch (D.M.A., Orchestral Conducting, 2016) was recently appointed Music Director/General Manager of the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras and Assistant Conductor of the El Paso Symphony.

Stephanie Chiarello Noppenberg (B.A., Dance, 1998) will direct, produce, write for and host a live political comedy satire show at Austin’s Institution Theater called “Over the Lege” running Sept. 9 through Oct. 1. “Over the Lege” exposes the shenanigans of the Texas Legislature through song, dance, sketch and improv. She also performs in the musical improv troupe "That Racket".

Khristaan Villela (M.A., Art History, 1993; Ph.D., Art History, 2001) was appointed director of the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Prior to this he was professor of art history at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design (2011–2016), and the Eugene V. Thaw Professor of Art History and Director of the Thaw Art History Center at the College of Santa Fe (1998–2009).

Erin Cunningham (M.F.A., Studio Art, 2007) has work featured in a two-person exhibition at ICOSA Collective in Austin. The show, "Figure/heads" features the work of Cunningham and David Bae. In their respective media, the two artists present their own distinct interpretations of the physical/psychological aspects of the figure. The exhibition runs through Sept. 23.

Jonas Criscoe (B.F.A., Studio Art, 2006) has work featured in The 3rd Coast National juried exhibition at K space Contemporary in Corpus Christi. This year’s juror Sharon Kapriva reviewed 611 images submitted by 193 artists and selected 59 works of art by 59 artists for the 2016 exhibition. 

After teaching in The Department of Music at Tumaini University Makumira for two years, Emmanuel Kaghondi (M.M., Music and Human Learning, 2014) received admission to the University of Minnesota for the Ph.D. in Music Education program in fall 2016. His research focus is in multi-cultural music education. Upon graduation, Kaghondi plans to return to Tanzania to continue teaching music.

Eden Lew (B.F.A., Design, 2014) recently completed a year-long thesis report and presentation as part of the M.F.A. products of design program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her thesis, “Masterminds & The Art of Misbehaving,” examines the correlation between designers and criminal masterminds like thieves, con men and bank robbers.