In The News

Recent graduate becomes MJSA’s first graduate apprentice jeweler 

Recent Jewelry & Metalsmithing graduate Grace Barden (BFA 2026, Studio Art) is the first apprentice jeweler to receive the Advanced Apprenticeship Graduate certification from Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America’s (MJSA) Mentor & Apprenticeship Program. Recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor, the program is designed to give students a chance to work with professional jewelers and have career-building experiences over the span of fifty weeks. 

UWM alum featured in Metalsmith magazine 

UWM alum Basha Harris (BFA 2016, Jewelry & Metalsmithing) is featured in the latest issue of Metalsmith, a magazine published by the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG). Harris explains to Metalsmith’s Rachel Reichart how the legacy of prolific Milwaukee artist Mary Nohl inspires her own work. 

UWM alum engineers studio for photographers and filmmakers in Madison 

UWM alum Kurt Sensenbrenner (BFA 2011, Film) opens a “turnkey” studio space in Madison, providing a place for creatives to grow their craft. After his experience filming a documentary on the turbulent banks of the Chicago River, he came up with the idea to create an indoor studio space for projects ranging from filmmaking to woodworking. 

PSOA lecturer and alum contribute to critically acclaimed Winter Hymns

Film lecturer Jeffery Kurz and alum Chiké Johnson (BFA 2000, Theatre-Acting) played key roles in filmmaker Nathan Deming’s new feature, Winter Hymns. Kurz served as an executive producer on the film, while Johnson portrays Father Greg, a priest grappling with questions of faith and mortality. The film was positively reviewed by Film Threat.

Music alum receives Tony Award nomination for sound design 

Alum Joshua Schmidt (BFA 1999, Music Composition & Technology) was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Play. He earned this honor for his sound design of The Manhattan Theatre Club’s adaptation of Tracy Lett’s “Bug,” which made its Boradway premiere at the Samuel J. Freidman Theatre last February.