Back when he was a student at Arrowhead Union High School in Hartland, Devin Grabowski was a drummer and enthusiastic member of the marching band. He enjoyed it so much that he applied and was accepted to study music education at UW-Milwaukee. But months before he arrived on campus, he switched his major. That is, until an interaction with the head of percussion ultimately brought him back to music.
When Thomas Gibson is inaugurated as UW-Milwaukee’s 10th chancellor, part of the ceremony will connect a longstanding tradition with the hands-on work of a new generation of artists. Gibson will receive a Chancellor’s Medallion created through UWM’s Peck School of the Arts. The medallion represents the chancellor’s position as the university’s chief executive and becomes part of the official regalia worn at commencement.
Bay View’s historic Avalon Atmospheric Theatre hosted the Milwaukee International Short Film Festival September 11-12. Created by the Milwaukee Independent Film Society in 1994, the annual festival brought together filmmakers from across Wisconsin and beyond for two days of short films spanning drama, comedy, horror, and more. This year’s roster was chock-full of Peck School of the Arts faculty, alumni, and students who worked with local creatives to bring their short films to the silver screen.
For graduate dance students, choreography begins with research. Upstart, an annual summer concert of original works by MFA students, gives artists from around the country five weeks to investigate a topic, develop new choreographic approaches, and present experimental performances. Led by dance professor and graduate program director Maria Gillespie, the intensive challenges students to frame their work in a new light and test unfamiliar methods.
Creative Technologies students at UW-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts collaborated with FuzzPop Workshop to create Sonic Drifters, an Android app for Radiant Echoes, the interactive art installation featured at Summerfest 2026. Using augmented reality, the app added a digital layer to the 25-foot installation, allowing Festivalgoers to discover virtual sculptures and interactive elements woven throughout the physical artwork.
Peck School of the Arts ends its 2025-2026 school year by hosting Convocation, a commencement ceremony celebrating graduating PSOA students. The event showcased live performances and presentations from every department, displaying the accomplishments of soon-to-be alumni. Seniors walked across the Bader Hall stage at the Zelazo Center in front of an audience filled with faculty, family, friends, and fellow students. Department heads recognized participants for their achievements by awarding them a gold stole that they will wear at UWM’s graduation.
Graduating students from the Department of Film, Video, Animation, and New Genres (FVANG) are preparing to premiere their senior thesis films during Senior Screenings, a showcase of student filmmaking that gives soon-to-be alumni the opportunity to see their work on the big screen. The filmmaking process is highly collaborative, with directors working alongside fellow student filmmakers, FVANG alumni, and members of the community throughout production. Spanning an entire academic year, the process requires students to balance writing, casting, fundraising, filming and editing as they bring their creative visions to life.
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. Many theatre programs produce shows by playwrights who are no longer living, Rios noted. That eliminates the opportunity to connect directly with the playwright.
Skylight Music Theatre collaborates with the UWM Department of Theatre to present A ROCKIN’ Midsummer Night’s Dream, a brand-new perspective on one of Shakespeare’s most beloved works. The side-splitting love story is packed full of PSOA talent, with students building up the show’s cast.
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.
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.
Macy Franti, a senior in PSOA’s Design & Visual Communication BFA program, is the artist behind the design of this year’s Panther Pale Ale can. Created by Pilot Project Brewing and Craft Beverage Warehouse, Panther Pale Ale is an annual collaboration with Milwaukee Athletics and the Peck School of the Arts. This year marks the third consecutive year of the real-world design partnership.
New Dancemakers is a senior capstone project in which eleven graduating students research and choreograph a dance performance representative of what they have learned during their time at the Peck School of the Arts. Students spend months focusing on a research topic of their choosing, often utilizing historical documentation and connecting with community members. We talked with three senior choreographers to learn more about their process.
With bold characters, physical comedy, and a vibrant 1980s setting, the Peck School’s production of “Scapino!” offers a lively reimagining of the classic French farce “Scapin the Schemer” by Molière. The new staging honors commedia dell’arte while exploring what makes its humor resonate today.
In Darkness, Audio Flowers Bloom follows a group of teenagers who meet in secret to learn about music amid a hundred-year government ban. Created by playwright and theatre professor Alvaro Saar Rios, the world premiere production is presented as part of the UWM Department of Theatre’s New Dramaworks series.
