Diverse Perspectives, Remarkable Films: PSOA’s Impact at Milwaukee Film Festival
The Milwaukee Film Festival recently concluded, and the UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts has much to celebrate. With a longstanding relationship with the festival, the talented students, faculty, and alumni from the Peck School showcased their passion, organized compelling programs, and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to contribute to the festival’s success. Their outstanding efforts were instrumental in making the Milwaukee Film Festival a memorable and impactful event.
The festival offered a diverse and international selection of stories and perspectives, screening 283 films from 51 different countries at the Oriental Theatre, Times Cinema, and the Avalon Theatre from April 20 through May 4. Among the many exciting programs at Milwaukee Film are Culture and Communities, Black Lens, and Cine Sin Fronteras.
Geraud Blanks, a UWM alum (BA, 2014, MA, 2016) and friend of the Peck School of the Arts, directs the Culture and Communities program, which prioritizes diverse perspectives and representations of marginalized communities through film, conversations, and events.
Marquise Mays, a faculty member in Film, Video, Animation, & New Genres, screened his film “Black Strings” and leads the Black Lens program, which celebrates African American filmmakers and their work, inspiring conversation, celebration, and community. “Black Strings” follows The Black Strings Triage Ensemble, a group of Black and Latinx musicians in Milwaukee, as it performs at crime scenes in the immediate aftermath of tragic events. Ensemble member and UWM alumna Alida LaCosse (BFA 2000, Music Education) is featured in the film.
Adilene Quezada (BFA, 2022) coordinates Cine Sin Fronteras, which showcases films about the Latinx diaspora’s identity, culture, and history, including stories from Cicanx, Latin American, Indigenous, and Afro-Latinx communities.
Associate Professor Mike Gibisser screened, “A Common Sequence,” (co-directed by Mary Helena Clark, and co-produced by Graciela Guerrero-Reyes).
We are proud of the talent and dedication shown by all our students, faculty, and alumni. The Peck School of the Arts is committed to providing a diverse and inclusive environment where creativity and passion can flourish. It was thrilling to see our community represented so strongly at the Milwaukee Film Festival and look forward to the amazing works that will be showcased in the future.
Art & Design student featured in Creating Milwaukee series
Art & Design student Jovanny Hernandez Caballero (BFA 2023, Art: Photography) was featured in an episode of Nō Studios’ documentary series Creating Milwaukee. The series explores and celebrates artists and creatives across Milwaukee, showcasing their work and how it relates to their community.
Caballero’s appearance highlights his photography and its subsequent connection to his family. “My work has always been based around culture and identity,” he explains, detailing how despite being born and raised in Milwaukee, his family’s history is rooted in Oaxaca, Mexico. From a young age, Caballero has found murals throughout Milwaukee that spoke to him as they were able to represent one’s community with just a single image.
In a corresponding piece with UWM Report, Caballero acknowledged his gratitude for the mentorship that he received during his time at PSOA. “I have had great support from teachers and professors.”
Sav Canales’ Mural Inspires Connection and Community
In Bolton Hall, the Cultures and Communities room has undergone a breathtaking metamorphosis, thanks to a captivating mural by Sav Canales. However, this artwork transcends its visual appeal, embodying a profound symbol of community and the power of collective effort.
For Sav, community has always been an integral part of their artistic expression and everyday life. Their dedication and passion are seen through every brushstroke.
“It means a lot to be able to put this into concrete. I’m thrilled that everyone is happy about it and that it’s bringing joy and energy into the space.”
The mural is filled with symbols that carry deep meaning, representing transformation, guidance, and our interconnectedness with our roots, identity, and community. The corn, embodying indigenous communities and ancestral ties, serves as a poignant reminder of life cycles and growth. Monarch butterflies pay homage to Sav’s sister, ancestors, and all who strive to harmonize with nature and one another. Additionally, the inclusion of the BIPOC flag and the people’s flag of Milwaukee unifies the surrounding communities.
Above all, this awe-inspiring artwork serves as a resounding reminder that a brilliant and harmonious future can be forged through our unwavering connection to the past and our collaborative endeavors.
We extend our deepest gratitude to Sav for creating a masterpiece that inspires and uplifts us all, fostering a sense of unity that reverberates far beyond the confines of the mural’s boundaries.
Story by Molly Beacom ’23
PSOA’s “Sweat” Production Integrating ASL Interpreters
Ralph Janes, the Theater Education program director at PSOA, is a strong advocate for the integration of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters in theater productions, as he believes it enhances the experience for all audiences. This inclusive approach aligns with a growing trend in the theater industry, where sign language interpretation is gaining prominence. PSOA’s production of “Sweat,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Lynn Nottage, exemplifies this inclusive approach by featuring ASL interpreters on stage, continuing the partnership between Janes and the American Sign Language Interpreting Program at UWM. This collaboration not only provides a valuable learning platform for student interpreters and actors but also sets an inspiring example for the wider theater community.
Lyndsay Rice, a talented artist and a dedicated educator, recently made a return to her alma mater as the juror of the Makers! 2023 Annual Juried and Sculpture Student Exhibition.
Lyndsay Rice’s Journey in Jewelry and Metals at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts
Lyndsay Rice’s journey in jewelry and metals began during her time as an undergraduate student at UWM, where she was drawn to the dynamic and urban environment of Milwaukee and the Jewelry and Metalsmithing program at Peck School of the Arts due to its focus on wearable art. After graduating with her BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing at UWM in 2006, Rice expanded her knowledge and expertise by working as a goldsmith in New York City, at a jewelry gallery in Chicago, and through various teaching opportunities. Her passion for the craft led her to pursue a graduate degree from the University of Oregon, which she completed in 2012.
Rice’s work is a vibrant reflection of her passion for exploring the ways in which accessories can accentuate the body and convey new forms of communication. With a focus on ornamentation, structure, texture, and color, Rice creates pieces that are both signifiers and ornaments, exploring the intersections of art and visual communication. Beyond her own artistic pursuits, Rice is committed to fostering a strong community within the jewelry and metalsmithing field; during her time at UWM, she co-founded Object, a student organization for jewelry and metalsmithing.
Returning to UWM to jury the exhibition was a deeply meaningful experience for Rice, as she had once been a student of the department head, Yevgeniya Kaganovich. Rice felt honored to have the opportunity to support and encourage emerging artists, and she remains grateful to UWM’s faculty for inspiring and shaping the talents of the school’s students and alumni. Through her dedication to her craft and commitment to fostering a supportive community in the jewelry and metals field, Lyndsay Rice embodies what makes UWM’s Peck School of the Arts community so vibrant and inspiring to artists.
Sculpture Milwaukee is growing with a new exhibition called “Dear Nature,” curated and designed by students and faculty from local colleges, including UWM Peck School of the Arts. This student-led showcase explores the relationship between humans and nature. To learn more, read the full article on Urban Milwaukee.
Empowering Through Dance: Krislyn World Returns to Milwaukee to Inspire and Teach
Krislyn World, a talented dancer who recognized her calling at a young age and performed across the globe, has returned to Milwaukee as an educator and lecturer of dance at the UWM’s Peck School of the Arts.
Discover more about Krislyn’s inspiring journey TMJ4 and learn more about her latest venture, Blue Water Wellness LLC, focused on holistic healing on its website.
Geraud Blanks Recognized as Graduate of the Last Decade
Friend of Peck School of the Arts, Geraud Blanks, has been named the recipient of the 2023 UW-Milwaukee Alumni Association Graduate of the Last Decade award. Geraud, who is chief innovation officer at Milwaukee Film and co-founder of its Black Lens series, discusses his journey and accomplishments in promoting underrepresented filmmakers and fostering community connections.
To learn more about his impactful work, read the full article on UWM Report.
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies Renews Grant for UWM’s ArtsECO Program
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies has renewed its support for UWM’s ArtsECO program with a $850,000 grant, aiming to empower teachers and aspiring teachers to integrate the arts into their curriculum and foster social justice. This partnership between the Peck School of the Arts, the School of Education, and community organizations provides valuable resources, mentorship, and professional development opportunities. Read the full on UWM Report.
The All Night Strut, Presented by PSOA
PSOA presents a captivating production of The All Night Strut, showcasing the brilliant performances and stylish staging that beautifully bring to life the music and dance of the early 20th century. Read the full article on Shepherd Express.
Alumni Spotlight: Artist-in-Residence at Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
Saint Kate -The Arts Hotel is buzzing with artistic energy as Jeff Zimpel (MFA 2017, Studio Arts), Saint Kate’s first ever artist-in-residence, transforms his studio into a collaborative space. Visitors, including hotel guests and those passing by, are invited to engage with Zimpel’s art, whether by sharing ideas or creating their own masterpieces using watercolors. With a focus on inclusivity and community engagement, Zimpel aims to create a vibrant and interactive environment where art flows freely.
Read more about Zimpel’s unique residency and the impact its making at Saint Kate on the UWM Report.
New Dramaworks 2023 Q&A
Inaugural New Dramaworks production marks commitment to developing new plays by Midwestern writers
New Dramaworks is a series dedicated to developing new work by Midwestern playwrights of various stages in their career, from students and alumni to established professionals. Examples of development are readings, short play festivals, master classes, and, when possible, workshop productions. What makes New Dramaworks unique is the workshop production aspect because many universities do not produce new work for the stage, according to acclaimed playwright and UWM associate professor Alvaro Saar Rios. Audiences today are increasingly harder to attract, and mounting a new play without the benefit of name recognition can be seen as a risky investment for college theatre programs. At the Peck School, the deep benefits to students and a commitment to the theatre industry at large far outweigh the risks. Learn more in this interview with Saar-Rios.
Script of Theatre Department’s recent production of Saar-Rios’ play, Piggsville
What inspired the inception of New Dramaworks?
Being a professional playwright, I have been fortunate to have my plays developed at theaters across the country. Part of this process involves actors and a director bringing the play to life with minimal design elements, such as costumes and scenery. I’ve always wanted to figure out a way for students of various disciplines to take part in this unique experience and New Dramaworks makes that possible. When a play is selected for the New Dramaworks series, our goal is to develop a workshop production that involves the playwright, director, actors, designers, stage management, and other critical roles in theatre.
What impact do you anticipate the New Dramaworks Series will have on the industry, both in the Midwest and beyond?
Spaces to develop new plays are very limited in the world of theatre. And yet, this is a necessary process. Many plays or musicals on Broadway had a workshop production as some point. Ideally, New Dramaworks will be recognized as an opportunity to prepare a new play for its professional debut. This in itself is essential for the theatre industry to grow and thrive. New Dramaworks will also introduce the UWM community and the Milwaukee region to new plays.
What about New Dramaworks excites you most as a playwright?
As part of my research, I also write new plays. New Dramaworks gives me an opportunity to create work for university performers and the Milwaukee community. This series is also an opportunity for me to incorporate my research into the curriculum. One example of this is the Theatre Department’s recent production of my play, Piggsville. Students of many disciplines were involved in the production of that play.
What skills do students develop through exposure to and experience with new play development?
The New Dramaworks production of Piggsville provided opportunities for students to design the scenery, lighting and sound for the play. Typically, our faculty fulfills these roles. Any opportunity for a student to take part in the design of a new play gives them a chance to hone their creativity. For performing students, they were given a chance to hone their creativity since they had to bring life to a character that never existed. This is a totally unique experience that students rarely get because typically when a student takes part in a play they are playing a role that has been previously created. By originating a role, the student gets to help shape a character.
How did New Dramaworks and working with students help shape your new play, Piggsville?
I had been working on Piggsville for over three years. Most of my drafts focused on the journey of four of the major character in the play. By having Piggsville produced by New Dramaworks, I was able to see those characters in real life. I was able to see how effective some of the dialogue was. It also allowed me to get a better understanding of the minor characters in the play. Each character in a play has to be necessary to the story. Sometimes it is easier to understand a character’s role when it is being played by a real-life person. This is exactly what happened for me during the rehearsal process for Piggsville. After the production, I rewrote the play and submitted drafts to various theatre professionals and a play licensor. I would not have been comfortable sharing a draft of the play without it having been involved with the New Dramaworks series.
What’s ahead for New Dramaworks? What can audiences expect to see in the series?
In spring 2024, New Dramaworks will produce a short play festival. Performances are slated for April 17-21, 2024.
The Topography of Line: The Power of Leslie Vansen’s Artistry
Discover the captivating artistry of Leslie Vansen in “The Topography of Line” exhibit at the Museum of Wisconsin Art. Through her paintings and drawings, Vansen explores the depth and expressive power of the simple line, challenging traditional perceptions and evoking profound emotions.
Experience the transformative journey of Vansen’s work and learn more about the exhibit on Shepherd Express.
Springdances 2023 Q&A
Faculty member and Springdances artistic director Dan Schuchart and guest artist Alfonso Cervera reflect on the artist-in-residency program and what sets it apart from others
The Department of Dance is gearing up for Springdances: Elemental in May. Work on the concert began well before the spring semester during a one-week intensive with guest artist Alfonso Cervera, a Queer first generation Mexicano/a/x choreographer, performer, educator, curator, and activist. Faculty member and Springdances artistic director Dan Schuchart and Cervera reflect on the artist-in-residency program and what sets it apart from others.
What is unique about the model that Department of Dance has for their guest artist in residence program?
Dan Schuchart: In other programs, guest artist engagement can often be a quick, condensed experience. Our guest artists have an extended interaction with our students that crosses semesters and offers many modes of sharing. The Department of Dance first brings the guest artist in for a one-week teaching residency. During this time their dance research is shared in technique classes, improvisation, composition, and other academic courses. All the Dance majors take classes with the guest artist and the artist really gets to know our students. At the end of the teaching residency there is an audition for the dance that will be made the following semester. The new choreography is created in a one-week intensive before the term begins, rehearsing 7 hours per day. This week is rigorous and rewarding. The dance is then rehearsed over the semester with a faculty rehearsal director who stays in contact with the guest artist. When the work is finally performed the movement vocabulary and group dynamic have settled into the students’ bodies, the dance is known at a deeper level because of the time invested, and the performance is a celebration of that investment.
In what ways do students benefit from their work with a guest artist?
Dan: The students are exposed to new dance techniques, forms, histories, and approaches that expand on what the Department of Dance offers. As a department, we work hard to place dance in the larger context of how movement circulates in the world and has agency in meaning-making, community building, and as a cultural signifier. The guest artist is a key component of this mission, sharing their dance research, pedagogical approach, and embodied practice. In addition, the guest offers networking opportunities to other dance communities and models for a sustainable life as an artist. Making art is a bit of alchemy too! The students involved in the choreographic process get to see how the artist develops movement, engages themes, and thinks compositionally which then offers ways of working for those students to fold into their artistic practice.
You are known for your technique, Poc-Chuc. Can you tell us a little about it?
Alfonso Cervera: Poc-Chuc is a technique that began to cultivate itself during my graduate studies at the University of California, Riverside. It was here that I wanted to pose questions and acknowledge how my lived experience as a Queer Mexican American practitioner of various dance techniques was informing my movement and choreographic choices. Poc-Chuc is an idea, an imaginative platform that allows Mexican Ballet Folklorico, Afro-Latin social dances, and Release Technique (Modern Dance) to weave and create a conversation of work that revels between various politics and socialities of tradition and contemporary dualities. It’s a strategy that allows for movement invention, transformation of the self using Latine Queer Techniques, and my lived experience to bring Mexicanidad into a space that pays homage to family and forms. It’s a form that I have investigated for about seven years now and it has been a tool that has helped to build community, create relationships across demographics and identities, and to create works that fit those communities during that time. It’s a style of work that differs every time something is created as a solo, duet, or ensemble.
How did you approach choreographing and casting Springdances?
Alfonso: Honestly, casting is so hard for me at times because I fall in love with everyone’s heart and spirit as they take on partner work, foot syncopation, and rhythms that call for vulnerability and the making of joy. In this casting, what was important for me was to find a group of movers that were individually distinct, but who could also complement one another. Those you can tell are working through understanding the histories of the zapateado footwork and who are also willing to take risk in learning material at a fast pace. My approach to choreographing this work was very different for me in terms of process, movement invention, and in exchanging internal dialogue with the participants in the space. A huge part of my process was inviting and collaborating with Cody Jensen, who’s an amazing musician and accompanist for my classes at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. I had asked Cody to create a sound score that took on different realms that are non-linear, but re-imagined sounds of Mexican Ballet Folklorico, Cumbia, abstraction, and from my days visiting Merida, Yucatan with my family. This choreographic process was different for me because I stepped into the room without a devised choreographic plan. The only thing planned was to play the sound created by Cody on the first day of us meeting and allowing that to inform the impetus of movement, storytelling, and a response to ideas and iconography. I guess you can say it was a moment of choreographing instinctually and taking into consideration who was in the cast and how to highlight each one as an individual and as an ensemble. This specific process will forever be ingrained in my heart because it was such a heartwarming experience.
What have been some of the highlights of working with UWM students during your residency?
Alfonso: First off, I think it’s important that I give a shout out to all the dancers who stepped inside my process for the week and who supported the vision of bringing different realms to life. I also would like to thank Gina who was my assistant during my time there and who continues to rehearse with them. Love you all. Something that I think is powerful at UW-Milwaukee is the “yes” attitude of the movers and the wanting to do their very best every moment. I’ve had the honor of being at other residencies choreographing on students, but the Milwaukee community has always been open to experimentation, risk taking, and diving into the work by bringing in their whole humble selves. I truly appreciate the week I had with these dancers and the students in the classes I taught as they will be the new art change makers of the next generation.
What excites you most about the Springdances concert in May?
Dan: It will be exciting to showcase the student’s hard work. The focus and dedication to their craft and artistry have been exceptional. I’m also very excited to share all the collaboration that is in this production. There are big set pieces, props that fill the stage, and video projections. Original music was composed for three of the dances and live music will be performed by Andy Miller and Allen Russell (UWM alumni). It’s going to be an amazing show, thematically rich and a feast for the senses!
Alfonso: I think what excites me is being able to see everyone’s work on the main stage. I’m such a fan of everyone in the department and have always appreciated the works created because they are filled with such thought and imagination. However, I’m more than excited to see the dancers perform in May since they have continued to rehearse with Gina since my last departure. There is something that happens when lights and costuming go into the space and work as I want to see it in its full fruition.
A Musical Legacy: Dinorah Márquez Abadiano and the Latino Arts Strings Program
Dinorah Márquez Abadiano (MM 2001, Music), PSOA alumna and founder and director of the Latino Arts Strings Program, shares her personal journey from childhood to becoming an accomplished musician and educator. Influenced by her own experiences with music, Márquez Abadiano established the program to provide music education and instruments to Latinx children in Milwaukee’s south side. With over 20 years of service, Márquez Abadiano celebrates cultural heritage and diversity through music, empowering children to express themselves and pursue their dreams.
Read more about her inspiring story and the impact of the Latino Arts Strings Program on UWM Report.
