The UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts (PSOA) begins the 2024-2025 academic year with a new leader. Associate Professor Steve Wetzel officially assumed the role of Interim Head of School for PSOA on July 1, 2024. A respected educator and accomplished artist, Wetzel has been an integral part of the Peck School of the Arts community since his arrival to UWM in 1998.
The UWM Symphony Orchestra will conclude its 2023-24 season with a finale concert at Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts. The performance is centered on Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, a musical work that combines solo instruments with a full orchestra. The piece will feature solos from pianist Jean-Louis Haguenauer, cellist Adrien Zitoun, and violinist Bernard Zinck. The orchestra is conducted by Dr. Jun Kim.
As active professionals, Peck School of the Arts faculty thrive in taking their talents off-campus, creating bridges into the community. Among them are theatre faculty members Jason Orlenko (Assistant Professor of Costume Design) and Dana Rochester (Teaching Faculty II, Costumes & Stage Makeup). Collaborators for nearly two decades, Orlenko and Rochester graduated from UWM in 2008 and have stayed involved in the performing arts ever since.
Current students and alums are not the only ones displaying their work at the 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival. Several faculty members are also currently screening films for audiences, just one of many ways PSOA faculty stay engaged in the film community in Milwaukee and beyond.
The National Art Education Association has named Kim Cosier (Professor Emerita, Art Education) as the recipient of the 2024 Western Region Higher Education Art Educator. This prestigious award, determined through a peer review of nominations, recognizes the exemplary contributions, service, and achievements of an outstanding NAEA member.
A proposed bi-partisan bill focused on the establishment of a State Film Office and tax incentives for film and television production in Wisconsin is heavily supported by the Peck School of the Arts. The bill would be game-changing for the PSOA community of artists, creating a wealth of new jobs in the state’s thriving entertainment industry and beyond.
Assistant Professor Marquise Mays (Department of Film, Video, Animation, & New Genres) is currently screening a selection of films at the Oriental Theatre through Milwaukee Film’s Black Lens program. The ongoing series in celebration of Black History Month is open …
Dr. Mair Culbreth, Assistant Professor of Dance, has been competitively selected to represent UWM for the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars (WTFS) program. Starting in May, Culbreth will join professors from a variety of disciplines representing the Universities of Wisconsin. …
The Department of Dance has been working with accomplished dancer, educator, and choreographer Aysha Upchurch throughout 2023. As a guest artist, Upchurch was heavily involved in choreographing a piece for the upcoming Winterdances: Liminal faculty concert.
Kim Cosier, Professor Emerita of Art Education, recently received the great honor of Wisconsin Art Education Association (WAEA) acknowledging her with the award for Higher Ed Art Educator of the Year. She was among only 11 educators, ranging from elementary to college level, to be recognized.
From current graduate students to esteemed alumni and faculty members, the Peck School of the Arts Department of Film, Video, Animation & New Genres was well represented on the international film festival circuit this Fall. We’re excited to showcase the achievements of some of our very own who are currently screening their works across the globe.
Few playwrights encapsulate the wonders of multi-generational experiences better than Associate Professor Alvaro Saar Rios. A lifelong Texican and head of the Theatre Practices (BA) program at Peck School of the Arts, Rios has published six plays and amassed a wide range of accolades taking his plays across America. He has worked with esteemed organizations such as the Kennedy Center, First Stage, and Houston Grand Opera.
Carl Bogner, teaching professor in Film, Video, Animation & New Genres, has been honored by the Universities of Wisconsin with the Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People. The Dr. P.B. Poorman Award is given to …
Professor Nathaniel Stern was prominently featured in Forbes’ recent article, “The Moon is a Trick: AI Flings Greek Mythology All-Stars into Space.” Known for merging art and technology, Professor Stern’s recent project, “Future Mythologies, 2023,” uses AI to imagine how Greek mythological characters might recite at a poetry slam in space.
Two members of the Department of Dance faculty received awards at the 2023 Fall Awards ceremony at the Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts. Daniel Burkholder and Dan Schuchart were both recognized for their teaching.
