Student & Alumni Stories
- For Dance MFA alum Molly Lieber, a Guggenheim Fellowship affirms a life in artJust two years after earning her Master of Fine Arts in Dance at UWM, Molly Lieber is a Guggenheim Fellow. She was driving through New York City when she learned that she was selected. Her longtime collaborator Eleanor Smith called with news that they were chosen, together, from a pool of nearly 5,000 applicants. Lieber credits UWM's low-residency graduate program with helping her better articulate the ideas behind her work.
Faculty Stories
In The News
In Brief
- Alum to open dance studio, honoring legacy of previous studio in the same locationAlum 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 …
- PSOA alum and faculty member to participate in 2026 North of the 45th art exhibitionAlum 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.
- Jesse McLean takes first place for experimental short at Athens International Film and Video FestivalJesse McLean (Associate Professor & Chair, FVANG) earned first prize in the Experimental Short category at the Athens International Film and Video Festival for her film Placeholder. The 12-minute work was recognized by the festival jury …
- Alum presents experimental film at European Media Arts FestivalMagdalena 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 …
- UWM alum one of first 10 selections announced for the 2026 Milwaukee Film FestivalA 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 FestivalAlum 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 …
- MOWA Wisconsin Artist Biennial features several UWM faculty, students and alumniPeck 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 …
- Film alum’s senior film to be featured in Door County Film FestivalAlum 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 …
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