UWM students and alumni bring original work to New Dramaworks Short Play Festival

Theater rehearsal with people wearing headsets, arranging chairs and script on stage.

When playwright and theatre professor Alvaro Saar Rios created the New Dramaworks Short Play Festival, he set out to accomplish two goals: showcase new work by UWM students and alumni and provide theatre students with an opportunity to work on something new.

“This is student-directed, student-acted, and student-produced, so it’s an opportunity to work on something that didn’t exist until recently,” Rios said. “That gives them an experience of what it means to work on something where the playwright is still living.”

Many theatre programs produce shows by playwrights who are no longer living, Rios noted. That eliminates the opportunity to connect directly with the playwright.

“There’s something different when a playwright can attend one of the readings—when you can have a conversation with them about the genesis of the play,” Rios added.

That’s exactly the kind of experience the New Dramaworks Short Play Festival makes possible.

From submission to production

A campus-wide call for submissions goes out about a year before the festival. New plays come from students majoring in a variety of disciplines.

This year’s festival includes works by students in creative writing, music, and architecture, alongside a range of theatre majors.

As curator of the festival, Rios leads a committee that ultimately selects the works that best serve its purpose.

“One of the things we look for are short plays that utilize between three and five actors—more, if possible,” Rios said.  “This gives students more performance opportunities.”

Once the lineup is finalized, a reading in December gives playwrights the opportunity and encouragement to continue developing their work as it moves toward rehearsals. That’s also when student directors are paired with both a play and the person who wrote it.

“I always encourage them to get coffee or at least set up a Zoom meeting so they can talk about why they wrote the play,” he added.

From there, directors are mentored by theatre educator Ralph Janes, who ensures that students are prepared and empowered to turn what’s on the page into a fully realized theatrical work on stage.

Performer on stage, framed by a mirror, adjusting suspenders under spotlight.
Sofia Randall rehearses a scene from “How to Tie a Tie” written by Ambrose Schulte | Photo by Sara Stathas

A sampling of what’s on stage

Jackson Vinning, a senior acting major, is the writer behind Dreamland 2: Rise of Evil Beep Boop. His play is a continuation of Dreamland by alum Jerome Klockenkemper (BA 2025, Theatre Education), which debuted at the festival’s 2024 installment.

Vinning acted in Klockenkemper’s play and found himself deeply moved by the piece.

“I played Beep Boop in the first play and playing him was an entirely different experience than I have had as an actor,” Vinning said. “Because of how unique the story was, I wanted to see what I could do with the original universe and carry on its legacy.”

Senior theatre practices major Ambrose Schulte is excited to see his play, Proper Protocol, on the stage. Inspired by political discourse, Schulte’s play follows the struggle of two people fighting to take back their careers and lives after their employer is bought out by a corporate raider.

For Schulte, writing this play was a positive outlet for his frustrations.

“This play was created to explore and exaggerate political outrage in a corporate setting,” Schulte explained. “I wanted to show how far you could push someone before they stop playing by the rules and stand up for themselves.”

Junior acting and ASL student Joy Heatherly explores how art can heal in her play Now: Still, which follows three teens in a psychiatric facility as they prepare to perform Hamlet.

Heatherly incorporates her experience with mental health, sharing how live performance helped her in her healing journey.

“Now: Still comes from my own experience with mental health and my love for performing,” Heatherly said. “It’s going to show how acting and performance art can help in recovery, and I hope that gives someone hope.”

In all, there are ten new plays in this year’s festival, each as unique and meaningful as the students and alumni who wrote them.

“The plays represent what is important to the current student body of UWM, new works about what they want to talk about,” Rios said. “And that’s an important thing.”

The New Dramaworks Short Play Festival opens on May 6 and runs through May 10. For tickets and more information, visit the PSOA Event Calendar.

Story by Payton Murphy ’27 (BFA Film)

UWM playwright inspires the next generation of storytellers

Alvaro Saar Rios smiling and standing in front of a stage.

Growing up Latino in Texas during the 1970s and ’80s, Alvaro Saar Rios, now an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, didn’t experience many stories with characters who looked like him.

“It wasn’t until college that I became aware of writers who were telling stories of what it means to be Latino in the United States,” he said.

Today, Rios shares elements of the Latino experience as a playwright and head of the Theatre Practices program at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts. Rios is one of the most produced Latino playwrights for young audiences, and his works — 33 plays, three musicals and an opera — have been performed in theaters across the country.

Path to the stage

Rios never imagined working in the arts — he always wanted to be a doctor. After serving three years in the U.S. Army, he took his first theater class at Houston Community College, where he wrote his first play about a kid with a magical talking dog. There, he fell in love with the medium.

“I want to tell stories that reflect my experience in hopes it might inspire other kids, no matter their background, that their story is important,” he said. He adds that theater can be a powerful tool for building empathy by helping people understand others’ experiences.

Rios went on to earn a degree in English-creative writing from the University of Houston, but his heart remained on the stage. He received a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Stage & Screen from Northwestern University and has been teaching at UWM since 2010.

Impact at UWM and beyond

Today, Rios passes the storytelling torch through the Theatre Department’s New Dramaworks series. Founded by Rios, New Dramaworks invites students to participate in the development and production of a new full-length play. In 2023, New Dramaworks produced its first play, “Piggsville,” Rios’ retelling of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” set in old Milwaukee.

“I felt it was important for students to be exposed to working on a new play that evolves all the way until production,” he said. “Developing new full-length plays isn’t something that’s done at every university.”

Rios also founded the New Dramaworks Short Play Festival, which allows any undergraduate student — including non-theater majors — to submit plays to be considered for full production by the Theatre Department.

Although UWM doesn’t offer a playwriting major, Rios offers independent study for students who have demonstrated strong writing skills, preparing them to write for the stage post-graduation. One former student, Maria Pretzl, wrote a play in Rios’ class that was recently produced for Milwaukee’s Renaissance Theaterworks New Play Festival.

Rios’ work extends outside of UWM, too. His new stage adaptation of the children’s novel “Esperanza Rising” premiered at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in May 2025, and he’s currently working on a novel based on his award-winning play, “Luchadora!” which has been produced more than 80 times across the U.S.

Whether Rios is writing, teaching or mentoring students, his goal is the same: to equip the next generation to share their stories. “You can apply these skills no matter what you pursue,” he said. “We all have a story to tell.”

Story by Ashley Abramson | Explore more in Make New Waves

Guest artist and alum Karlies Kelley reflects on growth and return in Springdances

Karlies Kelley in black outfit reaching forward in a dynamic pose against textured studio backdrop.

Springdances: We Also Bloom features new works by faculty choreographers Daniel Burkholder, Tiffany Kadani, Dan Schuchart, and Christal Wanger, alongside guest artist Karlies Kelley. Notably, all of this year’s choreographers—faculty and guest alike—are alumni of UWM, bringing a shared lineage of training to the stage.

Exploring themes of growth, resilience, and transformation, the concert reflects on what it means to keep evolving, even in the face of adversity. Ahead of performances, Kelley reflects on returning to her alma mater, collaborating with students, and shaping new work within a community that continues to influence her practice.

You graduated from UWM with a BFA and MFA in dance. What was it like to come back to collaborate with PSOA dance students?

Headshot of Karlies Kelley
Karlies Kelley

Karlies Kelley: It has been very fruitful since day one. We’ve cried, laughed, played, and shared deep conversations that nurture agency and community at its fullest. Coming back as a choreographer and teacher to the same studios where my younger self learned many of the very foundations I share now has been incredibly moving and a true life-circle moment.

I see myself in my students, yearning for more, deeply curious and invested, and wanting to connect to a root, to a community, to a form, to themselves. I take this opportunity and experience with great responsibility, knowing the ripple effect these teachings will carry long after they leave this space—just like they continue to shape me. 

Beyond your studies at UWM, African Diaspora Dance continues to be a focus of your creative practice. How did you bring this into your piece for Springdances? 

The dance department has brilliantly shifted the way students learn performance repertoire. Students are required to learn a “Physical Practice” class that is separate from, yet complementary to, the performance class, taught directly by the choreographer. 

In Physical Practice, we explore foundational elements of African Diaspora forms such as rumba, orishas, congo, salsa, and cumbia, and how these practices live within parades, house parties, ritual spaces, and staged performance contexts.

These teachings center on individuality within community, musicality and rhythm, cultural history, and play and improvisation. Material from Physical Practice is then woven into the creation of our Springdances work, as students become increasingly able to gather and generate phrases that respond to the music, the space, themselves, the theme, and one another. 

Picture of the Springdances cast. They're wearing outfits in different shades of green. They smile towards the camera, with the first most person holding a sunflower in their mouth.
Students during a rehearsal of “Gira + Sol =” by Karlies Kelley. In addition to choreographing, Kelley also designed and fabricated all the costumes in her piece. | Photo courtesy of Karlies Kelley

As you’ve been working with students, they have clearly learned a lot from you. What did you gain from them? 

There were many nights I lay awake, awed by the dancers’ complexity and brilliance. I had never worked with a dancer with arthrogryposis, a condition that limits joint mobility from birth, and this experience profoundly expanded my understanding of movement, presence, and possibility. I set out to create a work in which each dancer could be seen in their individual greatness—through their histories, their training, and their ways of moving and being. To do so, I had to release my preconceptions, remain fully present, and commit to creating with them, and for them. 

As a choreographer, I often find myself shaping narratives of grief or feeling responsible for the joy an audience receives. In this process, I chose to move away from that reliance. If I were asking my dancers to trust their internal impulses, I had to ask the same of myself. This meant practicing movement from the inside out—choosing what feels good, what brings joy, what exists without the need to be explained. Allowing things to live without justification became the core of the work. That was the paradigm of the piece, and it is what my students—directly and indirectly—continued to teach me. 

Springdances also features new works by Dance faculty. What can you tell us about your experience working alongside them? 

It’s really meaningful to be creating alongside my former teachers, who are now friends and colleagues. Our conversations always feel like a “yes, and” exchange. Even though we’re each working simultaneously in different spaces, the moments we come together are always refreshing and uplifting. Each choreographer brings such a distinct approach to creating and facilitating movement. It’s deeply inspiring to be in their presence and to witness their individual magic unfolding across different corners of the dance department. 

What do you hope audiences will take away from Sprindances 2026: We Also Bloom? 

There is so much to be sad and mad about, but there is also so much more to be hopeful and joyful for. This concert is proof of that—transforming the mundane into the extraordinary. It reflects on what it means to be truly inclusive, and on what it takes to nurture seeds of goodness for a better now and a more possible tomorrow. 

Springdances: We Also Bloom will run April 30 – May 3 in the Jan Serr Studio at Kenilworth Square East. For tickets and more information, visit the PSOA Events Calendar.  

Story by Payton Murphy ’27 (Film)

Jesse McLean takes first place for experimental short at Athens International Film and Video Festival

Jesse McLean (Associate Professor & Chair, FVANG) earned first prize in the Experimental Short category at the Athens International Film and Video Festival for her film Placeholder. The 12-minute work was recognized by the festival jury during its 53rd annual program, which highlights innovative moving-image practices from around the world. McLean’s award-winning film screened as part of the festival’s experimental shorts lineup.

Also at the festival, Yinan Wang (Lecturer, Film & BFA 2017, Film) earned juror’s recognition for his experimental short film 甜腻腻 Thick & Sweet.

UWM students earn praise in Skylight collaboration with ‘Rockin’ Midsummer Night’s Dream’

Shades of purple wash the stage during a performance of Rockin' Midsummer Night's Dream.

A review from BroadwayWorld highlights the success of the first-time collaboration between Skylight Music Theatre and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts in A Rockin’ Midsummer Night’s Dream, with particular praise directed at the UWM student performers.

The review calls out the young cast’s strong presence, noting that “the lovers are well cast,” with Serena Vasquez (Hermia), Lucas Drube (Lysander), Logan Grace (Helena), and Nathaniel Contreras (Demetrius) bringing clarity and energy to the central relationships. The mechanicals also stand out, with Mitchell Blohm (Francis Flute), Larissa Beckman (Robin Starveling), and Sanaa Harper (Tom Snout) contributing to what the reviewer describes as a “delightfully comic” ensemble.

Importantly, the review underscores the depth of talent among the students, emphasizing that they “hold their own” within the professional production. Ensemble members Olivia Coleman, Gwendolyn Grace, Samantha Knapp, Alannah Parlich, and Robert Stewart further support the show’s dynamic stage presence, reinforcing the strength of the collaboration and the students’ readiness for professional performance environments.

Read the review on Broadwayworld.com

Several feature films and shorts by Peck School alumni and faculty will screen at 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival

A closeup of Bob Uecker as he leans back and smiles.

As one of the nation’s largest film festivals, cinephiles from all over are flocking to the 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival screenings, panels, and community events. With a long history of talent emerging from the Department of Film, Video, Animation & New Genres, filmmakers with strong ties to the Peck School of the Arts are well represented in this year’s festival lineup.

The connections to the Peck School start on opening night with “Ueck,” a documentary about the late MLB Hall of Famer and sportscaster Bob Uecker, who passed away in January 2025. 

Co-directed by alum Michael T. Vollmann, the film is described as a testament to Uecker’s legacy, giving audiences an intimate look at the star as a person. Festival goers, Milwaukeeans, and baseball fans alike are excited to see this likely sold-out tribute to the sports legend. 

Paulina Lule Bugembe-Kuwahara will present “Sherman Park,” a horror thriller that follows a group of Black teenagers trying to survive a zombie outbreak in the Milwaukee neighborhood that shares the film’s name. 

In a recent interview with CBS 58, Milwaukee-native Bugembe-Kuwahara said it was important to have their film based in the city they call home. At its core, the ten-minute action-packed short is a story about recidivism and its impact.  

Alum Sky Hopinka’s feature-length film “Powwow People” is a verité-style documentary about contemporary Native living. The film focuses on the cultural aspects of powwows and the traditions packed within them. 

In addition to directing and producing, Hopinka also organized the powwow featured in the film, inviting Indigenous performers, vendors, and community members to participate in the creation of the documentary and giving them a space to share their own stories.

And the connections to Peck School alumni and faculty don’t stop there. We’ve pulled together a list of films with PSOA-affiliated directors and producers at the helm.

Roundup of Films

This list is as comprehensive as possible at the time of publication. If we missed a director or producer, please accept our sincere apologies! Contact us and we’ll gladly update the article. 

An Indigenous man wearing regalia dances.
Sky Hopinka’s Powwow People will screen on April 25 and April 28, 2026.

Feature Length Films

  • Now! More! Yes! | Producer Christopher Thompson (BFA 2006, Film) and Producer Andrew Swant (BFA 1999, Film)
  • Intoxicated Rain | Producer Tate Bunker (Teaching Faculty I, FVANG) 
  • The Fisherman | Producer Korey Jackson (BFA 2004, Dance) 
  • Flytrapper | Director, Producer, Screenwriter Drew Britton (MFA 2017, Performing Arts) 
  • Ueck | Director Michael T. Vollmann (BFA 2006, Film)
  • Powwow People | Sky Hopinka (MFA 2016, Performing Arts)
A brown sign with dark yellow letters: "Sherman Park; Milwaukee County Park System."
Paulina Lule Bugembe-Kuwahara’s Sherman Park will screen during Milwaukee Show I on April 21, 2026.

Milwaukee Show I

  • Learning from Learning from Las Vegas | Directors Gillian Waldo (MFA 2024, Cinematic Arts) and Samuel Taffel (MFA 2023, Cinematic Arts)  
  • Las Animas | Director Matthew Feldman (Current MFA candidate) 
  • Sherman Park | Director Paulina Lule Bugembe-Kuwahara (Lecturer, FVANG)
A pale woman eats a chicken dish, sloppily.
Yinan Wang’s 甜腻腻 Thick & Sweet will screen during Milwaukee Show II on April 27, 2026.

Milwaukee Show II

  • Placeholder | Director Jesse McLean (Associate Professor & Chair, FVANG) 
  • 甜腻腻 Thick & Sweet | Director Yinan Wang (Lecturer, Film & BFA 2017, Film) 
Four men in golden submarine suits walk past corals towards a whale's open mouth.
Thomas Simms’ Don’t Go Overboard by Fuzzysurf during the Milwaukee Music Video Show on April 28, 2026.

Milwaukee Music Video Show

  • pangea pt. 3 (hibernation) by oak you | Director Cole Quamme (BFA 2010, Film) 
  • Singing Never by Caley Conway | Director Joshua Evert (BFA 2011, Art) 
  • I Don’t Mind by Hughes Family Band | Director Ryan Thomas Reeve (BFA 2011, Film) 
  • Africa Enough is Enough by Traore | Director Tate Bunker (Teaching Faculty I, FVANG)
  • Don’t Go Overboard by Fuzzysurf | Director Thomas Simms (BFA 2011, Art) 
  • Banjo Song by Health Club | Director Ryan Nels Pontillo (BFA 2021, Film)
  • Little Heart Warrior by Autumn Maria Reed | Producers Wes Tank (BFA 2006, Film) and Jill Anna Ponasik (Adjunct Professor, Music & Theatre)

In addition to directing and producing films, countless artists from UWM are represented behind the scenes and on screen this year. Plus, about two dozen alumni and current students work for Milwaukee Film, the nonprofit organization that runs the two-week festival and operates two historic arthouse cinemas year-round in Milwaukee. 

The 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival opens April 16 and runs through April 30. Screening times and complete details can be found on the Milwaukee Film website. 

Story by Payton Murphy ’27 (BFA Film)

Student designers and technicians help shape Songs for a New World

Group of performers standing on a stage under lights, singing as an ensemble.

The Peck School of the Arts Theatre Department presents Songs for a New World, a musical about life, love, and defining moments. What makes this production stand out is the team behind it: the show is largely designed and executed by students, who are leading work across set design, technical production, and stage management.

Directed by Steve Decker, the production offers students the opportunity to take on professional-level responsibilities and shape the show from the ground up.

“The best part of the show is that it’s completely designed by the students,” Decker said. “I can’t wait to see the show. I think what the students are doing is amazing.”

Beck Mesich, a senior in the Theatre Production program, serves as stage manager, coordinating communication between cast and crew to keep the production running smoothly.

“You’re there so the director doesn’t need to worry about missing any notes, so they can just focus on directing and what their vision is,” Mesich said. “I’m there to make sure that everyone communicates, so that vision [comes together].”

The experience has been both professional and personal. Managing the show, Mesich has watched “Songs for a New World” reach its full potential while building friendships and relationships along the way.

“It’s been really fun getting to collaborate with other students and not just my teachers,” Mesich said. “My peers have become my friends, so in the end, I’m designing the show with my friends.”

Franklin Wahlstrom, also a senior theatre production major, serves as technical director, translating design concepts into physical structures for the stage.

“I’m on the technical side of things, so my classmates and I create a model of what we want and figure out how we’re actually going to rig this,” Wahlstrom said. “It’s the designer’s job to come up with the idea, and it’s my job to figure out how to engineer it.”

Wahlstrom said the role has pushed him to think more broadly about the production process as he works with faculty mentor Christopher Guse.

“When I read the blueprints that came from Chris Guse, I really got a whole new outlook on this whole process,” Wahlstrom said. “Now I’m the one engineering the set pieces and making the big decisions. It feels great.”

“Songs for a New World” runs April 8–12 at Kenilworth Five-0-Eight. Tickets and more information are available on the PSOA Events calendar.

Story by Payton Murphy ’27 (BFA Film)

Two artists with ties to PSOA named 2026 Fellows by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters

Bright flowers in the foreground are in full bloom on campus with Mitchell Hall in the background.

Two artists with ties to UW-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts are among those named 2026 Fellows by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters.

Simone Ferro, professor emerita of dance at UWM, and James DeVita, an alum of UWM’s Peck School of the Arts, are among 16 individuals honored this year. Rebecca Klaper, dean of UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences, was also recognized.

The biennial award honors educators, researchers, artists and leaders across Wisconsin for significant accomplishments in their fields and contributions to the cultural life of the state.

The 2026 class will join more than 100 fellows statewide.

Simone Ferro

Headshot of Simone Ferro
Simon Ferro

Choreographer and dance educator Simone Ferro is a vital voice in the performing arts whose work blends traditional Brazilian influences with contemporary social issues to create deeply moving movement. Ferro is a professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she served as chair of the Department of Dance and director of its nationally recognized MFA program. Throughout her distinguished career, she has been a tireless advocate for the field, serving as president of the Wisconsin Dance Council and championing dance education and access across the state. Her leadership was instrumental in creating the Emerging Artist Program, a statewide initiative providing funding and mentorship to the next generation of Wisconsin choreographers.

Ferro’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in social justice and “embodied research.” Her projects, such as Milwaukee Through Embodied Research, combine dance with oral history to explore resilience in local neighborhoods, resulting in site-specific performances in public spaces and homes. She has also used her choreography to investigate complex social realities like housing insecurity, inspired by works such as Matthew Desmond’s Evicted. Internationally, Ferro is a Fulbright Fellow whose ethnographic research into traditional folk cultures in rural Brazil has led to extensive documentation and a podcast series amplifying the voices of women artists. Her legacy is one of unwavering service to both the academic and artistic communities of the Midwest.

James DeVita

Headshot of James DeVita
James DeVita

James DeVita is an author, actor and theater director. He is a core company member and literary manager at American Players Theatre, a classical repertory theater in Wisconsin. He has worked as an actor in Japan, Germany, Australia, Ireland and throughout the United States. His novel Sanctuary, written under the pen name James Cleary, is being published this year by Penguin Random House in the U.S. and Canada, and also by HarperCollins in the UK. It will be released internationally in Italy, France and Germany as well. His previous novels include A Winsome Murder (WI-University Press), The Silenced (Milkweed Editions), and Blue (HarperCollins).

DeVita has also worked extensively as a playwright for adult and young audiences. A resident playwright at Milwaukee’s First Stage Children’s Theater, his work in the field has been acknowledged twice with the Distinguished Play Award from the American Alliance of Theater and Education; the Intellectual Freedom Award by the Kentucky Council of Teachers of English/Language Arts; and the Shubert Fendrich Memorial Playwrighting Contest. The American Alliance of Theater and Education honored his body of work with the Charlotte B. Chorpenning Award. DeVita is also a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship for Fiction.

Read more about the award and other 2026 honorees on UWM Report.

Kesslers Diamonds continues its support of Jewelry & Metalsmithing students through grants and internships

Sophie Rickert (wearing a black dress and a necklace), Sam Reimer (wearing a dark red dress and a necklace), and Sarah Jack (wearing glasses, a black maxi skirt, and a white sweater) smile while holding their scholarships. The stand before a backdrop that says "Kesslers" in a red, cursive font.

For the past eight years, Kesslers Diamonds has partnered with PSOA’s Jewelry & Metalsmithing program to provide students with opportunities to create industry-grade work.

What began as a collaboration has grown into a sustained investment in student success, offering real-world job experience, internship opportunities, and significant scholarship support.  

The partnership began through a collaboration between Jewelry & Metalsmithing alum and Kesslers employee Cory O’Brien Borkowski (BFA 2017) and the program.

Faculty members Erica A. Meier and Yevgeniya Kaganovich (Area Head, Jewelry & Metalsmithing) were instrumental in establishing the partnership and continue to lead it eight years later, with Meier overseeing the project annually and integrating it into the Jewelry & Metalsmithing community at UWM. 

Over the years, Kesslers has contributed tools and funding to support student work. Each year, the company donates ethically sourced, high-quality diamonds and three ounces of silver for every participating student.  

Each fall, Meier develops the curriculum for the project and integrates it into her course. This year’s project was completed through her course The Multiple, with a focus on casting.  

“For our students, this has become part of their curricular work,” Meier said. “This is stuff they’re already doing in classes, and now they get to compete with each other for scholarships and internships.” 

Kesslers internship participants stand around smiling for a group photo.
Kesslers participants (L-R): Sophie Rickert, Marlena Weghorn, Eli White, Sarah Jack, Grace Barden, Sam Reimer, Dierdre Rodrigues, Bridget St. John, Jada Townes. Bottom: Cat Martin, Nora Imhoff, Erica Meier, Abraham Anderson. | Photo courtesy of Erica Meier

Sam Reimer, a senior Jewelry & Metalsmithing student with a dual focus in Ceramics, earned first place and a $1,500 scholarship. Her piece explored how insects can be preserved in metal. Responding to the theme of repetition and multiples, she created a bangle that casts different bugs into metal. 

“I was like, how can I memorialize these insects forever?” Reimer explained. “I’ve been studying taxidermy, and I wanted to figure out how I could create something precious from something people didn’t see as precious.” 

For Reimer, the gala hosted by Kesslers was the most impactful part of the experience. Friends and family gathered to view the exhibition, enjoy refreshments, and take guided tours behind the scenes at the facility.  

Staff members voted on their favorite pieces, and artists were recognized at the awards ceremony that followed. 

“It’s such a great opportunity to support your peers and meet future employers,” Reimer said. “Being able to see everyone’s work in such a professional setting is really rewarding. It really motivates you to keep working hard.” 

Sophie Rickert, a junior in the program, received the second-place $1,000 scholarship. She first learned about the Kesslers partnership during her first metalsmithing class and devoted weeks to planning her project. 

“My creative flow very much starts with my planning process. I’ll sit for a few weeks working with my notebook and in my head to create my models,” Rickert explained. “I very much did this for my project.” 

Experiences like Rickert’s highlight how the partnership supports both creative exploration and the development of career readiness skills. 

“Over the last eight years, about 150 students have experienced what it’s like to make a living with their creative and technical skills through this partnership,” Meier said. “And the students give back, too, by stimulating the industry with their fresh perspectives and raw talent.” 

Through sustained faculty leadership, material support, and direct engagement with students, Kesslers continues to connect classroom learning with professional outcomes, reinforcing the impact of industry collaborations for years to come.

Sam Reimer's bracelet modeled
Sam Reimer, first place winner | Photos courtesy of Kesslers
A bracelet with a golden band with a silver dragonfly in the middle.
Sam Reimer, first place winner
Close-up of an ear wearing an intricate silver ear cuff inspired by branching antler and spiral shell forms, fitted along the outer ear.
Sophie Rickert, second place winner
Sophie Rickert
Sophie Rickert, second place winner
Sarah Jack's work modeled.
Sarah Jack, third place winner
A silver bracelet with tiny seashells on the chain and a big seashell with a small diamond in the middle.
Sarah Jack, third place winner
Catherine Martin's work modeled.
Catherine Martin, 2025-26 JMCD scholarship recipient, currently interning at Kesslers
Two silver earrings. Both have two rectangles connected by a small chain and a star at the bottom.
Catherine Martin, 2025-26 JMCD scholarship recipient, currently interning at Kesslers
Symmetrical sculptural objects with gold and silver wing forms layered over stacked blue, green, and yellow circular shapes.
Nora Imhoff, 2025-26 JMCD scholarship recipient, currently interning at Jost Jewelers
Symmetrical sculptural object with gold and silver wing forms layered over stacked blue, green, and yellow circular shapes on a white background.
Nora Imhoff, 2025-26 JMCD scholarship recipient, currently interning at Jost Jewelers

Story by Payton Murphy ’27 (BFA Film)

How Steve Teeple’s childhood interests shaped his career as a digital artist 

A photo of Teeps' work. A performer sings on stage in front of a crowded stadium, and a large carousel lit by many string lights spins behind her, between a drummer and a keyboardist

As a child growing up in Wisconsin, Steve Teeple (BFA 2010, Art) was drawn to fantasy worlds. Books, films, and comics filled with mysticism, science fiction, and manga sparked an early fascination that would later shape his creative career. 

On April 1, he will reflect on his creative path during a virtual lecture for the Artists Now! Guest Lecture Series. 

Steve Teeple holds an alien-like figure over his left eye
Steve Teeple

Growing up in a spiritual and superstitious family also shaped his artistic curiosity, drawing him toward supernatural and mystical themes. 

“I grew up around books and movies, and comics about mysticism and fantasy, and I think that really shaped who I am now,” Teeps said. “I was exposed to books like The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and anime and manga when I was really young, and that really shaped what my work would become.” 

That curiosity also led him to explore a wide range of creative disciplines within the field of 3D art. 

“Being so specialized in one thing can be disruptive and cause some issues, but so many people come to me to help with so many different things,” Teeps explained. “I have an overly curious mind that wants to learn things, and outside of the work I get paid for, I get to do this all day.” 

While studying at the Peck School of the Arts, Teeps was a part of the Technical Arts program, now known as the Creative Technologies program. He credits former Senior Lecturer Tim Decker and Dr. Nathaniel Stern for helping him develop as an artist.  

“Stern was definitely a mentor to me, and he definitely helped me with some major projects during my time at UWM,” Teeps said. “He taught me so much about artistic statement and developing my artistic voice outside of what I was learning in class.” 

A cloaked bald man with a white triangle connecting his eyes and mouth stands over a black and white cityscape.
Work by Steve Teeple

In his Artists Now! lecture, Teeps plans to share insights from his career and reflect on the path that led him into the field.  

“I really want students to take away that the path isn’t always straight, and that’s okay,” said Teeps. “I had a crazy trajectory on how I got here, and I want students to know that it’s okay to try things out.” 

More information about Teeps’ Artists Now! lecture is available on the Peck School of the Arts events calendar. To learn more about his work, visit his website. 

Payton Murphy ’27 (BFA Film)

Film professor awarded Milwaukee’s BE Legacy of Excellence Award

Mays sits in a empty theatre and smiles at the camera

Marquise Mays has been awarded the BE Legacy of Excellence Award in the arts category. The award, now in its 41st year, honors Black Milwaukeeans who serve their community.

Award categories include arts, community service, business, culture, religion, health, and more. The public ceremony supports the Louvenia Johnson Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to Black high school seniors pursuing college or trade school.

Mays was nominated by an anonymous community member in recognition of his involvement and impact in Milwaukee’s arts community.

Although he considers himself early in his practice, he said the recognition is meaningful at this stage of his career.

“It means a lot to receive this award at this point in my career. I still feel like I’m an emerging artist and academic,” Mays said. “To have something this large to my name is extremely exciting and humbling and makes me excited for what’s going to happen in the future.”

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Mays said the recognition is especially meaningful in the city where he developed his lifelong interest in film. He never expected that the campus where he spent time in his formative years would later become his professional home.

In addition to its personal significance, Mays said the award reflects the work being done within the Department of Film, Video, Animation & New Genres.

“It is important to students, especially Black students, to see that I have chosen Milwaukee and my place to offer my work to, because I do believe that Black filmmakers and storytellers from this city are the greatest I’ve ever met,” Mays said. “FVANG has always been a place that has championed diversity of thought and opinion, and art, so this is just adding a beautiful notch to the environment that FVANG has already created.”

Receiving the BE Legacy of Excellence Award has also prompted Mays to reflect on the work he has done in recent years and how it will shape his practice going forward.

“I feel like this honor has made me see that I’ve reached a new threshold, and it makes me proud of the work I’ve done in the past five or six years. It speaks towards myself, my city, and my people,” Mays said. “The work that comes after this award is truly going to be from my perspective, my voice, and what I’m interested in. I’m excited that I get to experiment a little more with my practice as opposed to being so strict about my performance.”

To learn more about Marquise Mays and his work, visit his Faculty Directory page.

Story by Payton Murphy ’27 (BFA Film)

UWM alum one of first 10 selections announced for the 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival 

A documentary by PSOA alum Sky Hopinka (MFA 2016, Performing Arts) has been selected as one of the first 10 selections for this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival. Hopinka’s film, Powwow People, explores the traditions and culture of the powwow.  

Film professor and art alum featured in WUWM’s Black Sage series

Headshots of five women

A recent feature from WUWM 89.7 FM highlights the influence of Black women artists and leaders across Milwaukee’s cultural landscape, including figures connected to the Peck School of the Arts. The story, released as part of the Black Sage series, points to the lasting impact of artists like two-time UWM alum Evelyn Patricia Terry and award-winning interdisciplinary artist and professor Portia Cobb, a key figure in advancing visibility and opportunities for Black artists.

“I think [my process], it always comes from a place of documentary, where I want to hold on to memory,” Cobb told WUWM’s Jimmy Gutierrez. “So my way of processing what I experience in my present and how it’s informed by the past. So I’m always kind of considered a documentary artist, for that reason. I love to remember. And I love to reflect so that I can kind of mold myself in a way that honors the past.”

Read and listen on WUWM.

Culmination of multi-year dance research project and Winterdances widely covered by media

David Roussève and Richard “Buda” Brasfield preparing for the performance in a studio.

UWM faculty members Dr. Mair Culbreth, Ishmael Konney, and Dawn Springer presented new works at Winterdances 2026: Resilience. Among the world premiere works, the concert was also the culmination of Care: Illuminating Milwaukee’s Queer and Trans Community, a multi-year, community-based dance research project led by acclaimed choreographer and guest artist David Roussève and Maria Gillespie.  

Roussève presented Care, a dance-theatre piece that pays homage to Milwaukee’s ballroom and vouge scene. The work was developed by Roussève through workshops held in partnership with Diverse & Resilient and three local dancers.   

The research project and Winterdances concert garnered significant media attention. 

Read more about Winterdances 2026: Resilience on the News & Stories page. 

Alum takes home big win at Door County Film Festival 

Alum Kiersten Hoff (BFA 2024, Film) won Best Student Film at the Door County Film Festival last Thursday. Hoff presented their senior thesis film, Mindframe, competing against films from across the Midwest. This success follows a series of wins at the Milwaukee Independent Film Awards and 815HORTS film festival.