Alum displays artwork at UWM’s Student Union
Alum Jennifer Bastian is the first artist featured at UWM’s Student Union Gallery for the 2026–27 school year.
In Brief
Alum is August artist-in-residence for Cedarburg Cultural Center
Alum Paula Hare (BFA 1981, Art Education) has been named the Cedarburg Cultural Center artist-in-residence for August.
UWM alum appears on WUWM 89.7’s Lake Effect to discuss new documentary
UWM alum David Busse (BFA 2011, Film) appeared on WUWM’s Lake Effect’s Chirp Chat to discuss his new film “Beyond Our Senses: Bank Swallows,” a documentary about how the bluffs of Lake Michigan have been shaped by bank swallows.
Alum to open dance studio, honoring legacy of previous studio in the same location
Alum Kristina Saldarelli (MFA 2023, Dance) is planning to open Saldarelli Arts Dance where Movement & Sound Dance was located. Saldarelli was a faculty member at the Buffalo Grove-based studio for seven years and will honor the space by picking up where the previous owners left off.
PSOA alum and faculty member to participate in 2026 North of the 45th art exhibition
Alum Joy DeNicola (BFA 1987, Fiber-Arts) and faculty member Shane Walsh are set to participate in the 2026 “North of the 45th” art exhibition, a juried showcase featuring work from artists across Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota.
Alum presents experimental film at European Media Arts Festival
Magdalena Bermudez (MFA 2023, Cinematic Arts) is set to screen her 16mm film Hiding Places at the European Media Arts Festival in Osnabrück, Germany, on April 25. In her experimental narrative, female artists from New York and Philadelphia recount their experiences creating the patterns used in military camouflage suits.
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.
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 …
MOWA Wisconsin Artist Biennial features several UWM faculty, students and alumni
Peck School of the Arts is well represented at the Museum of Wisconsin Art’s (MOWA) 2026 Biennial. Artists with ties to PSOA include First Year Program lecturer and Studio Art MFA graduate Tanner MacArthur, Painting & Drawing faculty and alum Cynthia Hayes, Art & Design graduate candidate Aaron Boyd, and Painting & Drawing associate professor and co-chair Angela Piehl. Several alumni are also exhibiting.
Film alum’s senior film to be featured in Door County Film Festival
Alum Kiersten Hoff’s (BFA 2024, Film) senior film, Mindframe, is to be featured in the Door County Film Festival. Hoff’s film will screen in the Student Films category and will be showing February 12 at Fish Creek’s Northern Sky Gould Theatre. To read the full announcement, visit Door County Pulse.
UWM talent spotlighted on Bandcamp’s Best of 2025
Assistant Professor Alex Wier and Associate Professor Jennifer Clippert (BFA 1999, Music Performance) are performers on “Voiceless Mass,” an album that made it onto Bandcamp’s Best of 2025 list in the Best of Contemporary Classical Music category.
Film MFA alum receives 2026 Creative Capital Award
Gillian Waldo (MFA, 2024) has been named a recipient of a 2026 Creative Capital Award. This year’s awardees were selected from a pool of 4,546 applications from all 50 states and regions in the United States via a democratic, national open call.
Vocal Performance alum Brian Manternach publishes first book
Vocal Performance alum Brian Manternach (MM 1999, Music) celebrates the publication of his first book, “Voices of Influence: The Journey of a Teacher and Student in the Voice Studio,” with Bloomsbury Publishing.
Great Lakes Listening Series issues call for submissions
Peck School of the Arts Department of Film, Video, Animation & New Genres is a partner on a new experimental film series called “The Great Lakes Listening Series,” which will be held at UWM’s Union Cinema.
Theatre lecturer featured on Arts Educators Save the World podcast
Jeffery Mosser and his mentee, Mizha Lee Overn, were featured on Arts Educators Save the World, a podcast that highlights the experiences and achievements behind art educators and their mentees. On the podcast, Mosser and Overn discuss the mentorship process, the business side …