Student & Alumni Stories
- Guest artist and alum Karlies Kelley reflects on growth and return in SpringdancesSpringdances: We Also Bloom features new works by faculty choreographers Daniel Burkholder, Tiffany Kadani, Dan Schuchart, and Christal Wanger, alongside guest artist Karlies Kelley. Notably, all of this year’s choreographers—faculty and guest alike—are alumni of UWM, bringing a shared lineage of training to the stage. Ahead of performances, Kelley reflects on returning to her alma mater, collaborating with students, and shaping new work within a community that continues to influence her practice.
Faculty Stories
In The News
In Brief
- 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 …
- 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 …
- UWM talent spotlighted on Bandcamp’s Best of 2025Assistant 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 AwardGillian 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 …
- Vocal Performance alum Brian Manternach publishes first bookVocal 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.
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