Alum, 2023 Nohl Fellow, and filmmaker Janelle VanderKelen (MA 2014, MFA 2016) will return to campus on Nov. 7 for “Green Imaginaries,” a free event showcasing some of her recent work. This event, which is presented by Union Cinema and co-sponsored by the Mary L. Nohl Fund Individual Artist Fellowship Program, will feature 45 minutes of short films by VanderKelen followed by a Q&A with students.
A solo exhibition by J. Celeste Contreras Skierski (MFA 2022, Art: Print & Book Arts; Lecturer, Art & Design) is currently on view at Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum in Milwaukee, a culmination of her six-month residency at the cultural landmark in Milwaukee. During her residency, Skierski carved and stamped a rubber stamp daily, called a “reflection,” which she then used to create the pieces now on display in “We Are Reflections.”
The UWM Union Art Gallery presents a new exhibition entitled “Working for the Water, Working for Each Other: Work by Melanie Ariens.” Melanie Ariens (BFA 1993, Painting Drawing and Printmaking) is a multi-media artist and water activist. Ariens’ work focuses on the Great Lakes and freshwater issues. She uses art as a tool to create awareness and capture peoples’ hearts around water issues.
During the summer of 2024, PSOA guitar students took center stage at a variety of festivals throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Everywhere our students went, they found great success and brought accolades back to Milwaukee. Leonela Alejandro (BFA 2020, Music) took first prize at the Guitar Foundation of America, widely considered the biggest international guitar competition. Meanwhile, at Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Mexico, second-year master’s student Alberto Daniel Quintanilla walked away with first prize.
MFA student Mich Dillon has been named a recipient of the International Sculpture Center 2024 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award for the piece Supporting Dreams, 2023. The award recognizes young sculptors as well as their faculty sponsors and institutions. According to Glenn Williams (Associate Professor and Area Head, Sculpture), who served as Dillon’s faculty sponsor, Dillon was one of thirteen recipients out of nearly 200 nominees across 98 schools.
In May, UWM celebrated its latest group of graduates moving on from academia and into their next chapter. For some graduates, it has not taken long to receive recognition that provides a valuable boost to the start of their professional careers. Recent graduate Gisselle Dominguez (BFA 2024, Design & Visual Communication) has since been recognized by the American Advertising Federation with a Silver ADDY Award in Student Packaging at their national competition for her brand campaign entitled Endiablada.
For nearly 50 years, music fans and spectators from around the world benefited from the work of UWM alum Bob Babisch. As Summerfest’s top talent booker from 1976 to 2022, Babisch brought names such as The Rolling Stones, Lady Gaga, and Prince to Milwaukee’s—and perhaps the world’s—biggest music festival. Now in retirement, Babisch (’74 BFA Theatre) is being honored by his former employer, Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., and his alma mater with a named scholarship to support Peck School of the Arts students. Imanol Ruiz is one of those students. As a result, Ruiz graduated debt free, allowing him to explore opportunities in his field.
Following a successful first installment, the biannual Milwaukee Illuminate Film Festival (miff.) returns June 14-15 at The Fitzgerald. Predominantly run and juried by graduates of the film program at the Peck School of the Arts, the festival seeks to illuminate the work of a wide range of marginalized communities. Alum Amber Rose McNeill ’23 started miff. with a desire to do something with her BFA that would be inclusive for artists and filmmakers whose work is often overlooked.
Milwaukee artist and PSOA alum Fred Kaems (BFA 2016, Art) was recently featured in CBS 58’s ongoing “Art in MKE” series that highlights the work of local artists. Kaems has become a recognizable name in the Milwaukee art scene with murals of his being commissioned throughout the city. He describes his pieces as bringing color to what he feels was previously a “pretty gray” place to be.
The next time you reach for a tissue, you might see an uplifting message and cheery artwork on the box thanks to PSOA alum, Sarah McGinnis (BFA 2013, Art: Design & Visual Communication). Work by McGinnis is showcased in Target stores nationwide as a featured artist in an ongoing collaboration between Kleenex and Self Care is for Everyone, a collective working to raise mental health awareness. For McGinnis, it’s a project that not only touches the lives of others but also reflects her own journey with mental health.
Seven Days by filmmaker Corey Kupfer (BFA 2008, Film) has received a major streaming release. A fully self-funded and produced seven-part anthology, Seven Days is Kaufer’s first feature film. A Wisconsin native, Kupfer grew up in Ozaukee County before studying film and creative writing at UWM. “I don’t think there’s a better program in the world for cultivating a young artist’s creative voice than the Peck School of the Arts film program,” said Kupfer.
The PSOA Department of Dance is set to present Springdances: Surfacing, an evening of original choreography by Dance faculty members and guest artist Vershawn Sanders-Ward. Among the choreographers is Dance MFA alum Rich Ashworth ’21 (Lecturer, Dance). Ashworth will be presenting a piece that incorporates tap and body percussion to celebrate the working class, conveying themes of craftsmanship and connection. Ashworth recently took the time to reflect on Surfacing and his time as a PSOA graduate student.
The 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival is underway, and Peck School of the Arts has a lot to be proud of. Nineteen alumni and a current MFA candidate will have their work screened across 15 unique works, including shorts, features, and music videos. The PSOA community of artists is excited to highlight the incredible work screening at this year’s festival. Check out the impressive list of films and filmmakers with strong ties to PSOA.
UWM alum Jeremy Novy was recently featured in a comprehensive piece by CBS 58. Novy is best known as the artist behind the black, white, and orange koi fish that get painted throughout city sidewalks, starting in Milwaukee but now branching all around the world. The idea came to Novy following a study abroad trip to China that he took while studying at Peck School of the Arts.
Two Peck School of the Arts alumni were chosen for the Milwaukee Business Journal’s annual “40 Under 40” awards, which honors Milwaukee’s brightest young leaders and professionals. Both leveraged their arts education to pursue unique careers. Nathan Zimmerman ’13 is the founder and owner of ZimKnives, a business that focuses on making prestige precision knives, swords and other metal tools and implements. Meagan Johnson ’09 is the founder and executive director of Milwaukee Diaper Mission.
