Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design

Download the latest version of Flash player

Westphal College News & Events

Season’s Greetings!

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and joyous holiday season. The year’s end gives us a moment to pause and think about the state of the world. While hardships abound, may our holiday wishes for peace on earth and for those less fortunate than ourselves bring hope and progress in the New Year.

It has been a busy and successful fall term. We welcomed filmmaker Lance Hammer who screened his Sundance award-winner Ballast. Violinist and composer Daniel Bernard Roumain gave a fantastic performance and worked with dozens of student musicians in his two day residency. We learned about shoes and sex, and fretted about security for the wonderful Manolo Blanik and Roger Vivier shoes and the chairs from Phillippe Starck and George Nakishima in our Rest Your Feet exhibition. Five recent college graduates screened their first full-length feature Happy Birthday Harris Malden. MAD Dragon released new albums from Andrew Lipke and Matt Duke and The Drexel Fusion Band released an album as well. Our students and programs continue to earn major awards: Last Designer Standing at the Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) Conference, at KlingStubbins Design Competition, at the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture, and MAD Dragon Records was nominated for three Independent Music Awards.

We’ll enliven the cold winter days with residencies that feature Raiders of the Lost Ark costume designer Deborah Landis and Japanese master-calligrapher Chukin Takagi. University 101, our student-produced drama series, will premiere on DUTV in February, the same month we’ll feature Red Herring, the latest stage productions from the Drexel Players, the 19th annual Madrigal Dinner and the MAD Dragon concert at Mandell. Our newly-acquired Polish poster collection will be on display in the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery in January, and we’ll present the premiere of Andrea Marks’ film Freedom on the Fence, about the political and cultural significance of this poster art.

Again, best wishes to you and yours for a wonderful holiday season.

Assistant Dean Jeannette Elliott Brown to Retire

With some sadness and much gratitude, we are announcing the retirement of Jeannette Elliott Brown, Assistant Dean and Director of Student Services. Jeannette joined Drexel University in 1978. Eight years later she joined our College, then the Nesbitt College of Design Arts (CODA), as the Administrative Services Coordinator, and ultimately rose to the position of Assistant Dean and Director of Student Services. Throughout her career, Jeannette has been a tireless and devoted advocate for the students of our College. She has overseen the growth of the Office of Students Services from two staff members to the current staff of six. She went from being responsible for the advising of several hundred students to overseeing the advising of over two thousand students today. We wish we had kept track of the thousands of problems and issues she has solved over the years. Jeannette has earned our trust and become our friend and we will miss seeing her on a daily basis. We wish her well in her future endeavors and we’ll be determined to keep Jeannette a trusted and important member of our community.

David Feldman who joined our college in 2003 and has been the college’s Senior Academic Advisor will become the College’s Assistant Dean and Director of Student Services. Dawn Gibian will be promoted to Senior Academic Advisor. Please join me in extending our best wishes and thanks to Jeannette and congratulations to David and Dawn on their promotions.

Graphic Design Awards

Graphic Design students again are the recipients of prestigious awards at recent major competitions. Kyle Cook (’08) won the Gold Award at the international Graphis New Talent Annual 2009 competition for his motion graphic ‘Chromesthesia.’ Kyle’s work will be included in the hard-cover Graphis publication. At the University & College Designers Association (UCDA) competition, Stephen Nunes (’08), won the Electronic Media Award of Excellence for his ‘John Cage Poem and Music.’ Andrew Wright (’08), who previously won the Gold Award in Print Media, received ‘Judges’ Choice Best of Show’ for the entire conference for his American Psycho book jacket.

Avant-Garde Theater Icon Robert Wilson

Robert Wilson, the acclaimed theater and opera director, is indisputably one of the world’s greatest artistic visionaries. Mr. Wilson will speak about his life’s work in the lecture/performance entitled “1. HAVE YOU BEEN HERE BEFORE 2. NO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME” on December 4th at 7:30 PM in the Mandell Theater in a special Drexel event that’s free to the Drexel and Philadelphia communities. Seats are limited so to reserve a ticket, please email Westphal@drexel.eduPhilip Glass and Wilson created the landmark opera Einstein on the Beach in 1976, and Wilson has collaborated with artists such as William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Tom Waits, Lou Reed and David Byrne.

Over the course of his career, Robert Wilson has demonstrated a towering passion for words and language, an innovative and signature reinvention of theatrical production design, stage directions featuring simple movements, and talents as a visual artist in a variety of media. The New York Times described Wilson as “a towering figure in the world of experimental theater and an explorer in the uses of time and space onstage. Transcending theatrical convention, he draws in other performance and graphic arts which coalesce into an integrated tapestry of images and sounds.”

Robert Wilson has received numerous awards and honors including a Pulitzer Prize nomination in Drama, two Guggenheim Fellowship awards, the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Golden Lion for sculpture from the Venice Biennale and an Obie award. He was named the ‘Commandeur des arts et des letters’ by the French Minister of Culture. His original drawings, furniture designs and installations have been exhibited in such museums as the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao.

This event has been made possible with the support of Drexel alumnus, Ambassador Earle Mack, benefactor of the Earle Mack School of Law.

DETAILS:

Robert Wilson lecture/performance
Thursday, December 4, 7:30 PM
Mandell Theater (33rd & Chestnut Sts.)
Free and open to the public; to reserve your tickets please e-mail westphal@drexel.edu
For more information, call 215-895-1029

Chris Matthews and Presidential Speechwriters

“How Would You Address America?,” an event featuring US News & World Report opinion editor Robert Schlesinger, MSNBC talk show host Chris Matthews, Mary Kate Cary and J. Terry Edmonds who was the first African American speechwriter to serve a president, will take place at the National Constitution Center (NCC) on December 8th. The all-star line-up of presidential speechwriters will be captured for broadcast by DUTV and its student crew. The panel will discuss the ideas, themes and values President-Elect Barack Obama will explore in his Inaugural Address. This event is mad possible through the support of the Kal and Lucille Rudman Institute for Entertainment Industry Studies and is part of our ongoing collaboration with NCC which kicked off last year with our telecast of Tom Brokaw’s BOOM! Voices of the Sixties.

We only have a few free tickets remaining for students who want to attend the event which we’ll distribute on a first-come, first-serve basis. E-mail westphal@drexel.edu for a ticket or watch the event on DUTV in January. Drexel’s 24-hour television station can be found on Comcast Cable Channels 54 or 62 and also on their Online Media Center.

DETAILS:

How Would You Address America?
Monday, December 8, 6:30 PM
National Constitution Center (525 Arch St.)
DUTV broadcast, January 9 at 8 PM, January 17 & 18, 2 PM & 8 PM
For more information, call 215-895-1029
For more information on NCC, click here

Fall Music Festival

Drexel’s Fall Music Festival features performances by student musicians in several ensembles. Dr. George Starks will direct the Jazz Orchestra and Jazztet as they perform pieces by Tadd Dameron, Oliver Lake, Bobby Watson and Lionel Hampton on Thursday, December 4th at 8 PM in the elegant AJ Drexel Picture Gallery, home to19th century paintings by artists of the Barbizon School and Dusseldorf Academy.

The Percussion, Mediterranean and Rock Ensembles will come together for a concert on Wednesday, December 3rd at 8 PM. Director Bruce Kaminsky will lead the Percussion Ensemble through a musical tour of the Orient and Europe. Special guests include Meesha and Rena of the Belly Dance All Stars, as well as members of the Seven Animal Martial Arts School.

Wanda Canfield’s Keyboard Ensemble will perform Red River Valley, Habanera from Carmen and selections from the Polovetzian Dances from Prince Igor on Friday, December 5th at 7:30 PM.

‘Naturally Sharp,’ Drexel’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble directed by Dr. Steven Powell, will perform the 1947 big band hit Time After Time, the New York Voices’ arrangement of Sing, Sing, Sing, and Duke Ellington’s classic Hit Me With a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce, along with many other jazz standards, at their concert on Saturday, December 6th at 3 PM.

Singing from the Psalms will be the theme of the Gospel Choir concert on Saturday, December 6th at 7:30 PM. Reverend Gregory Ross will direct works by Calvin Rhone, Kevin Davidson, Norris Garner, Joseph Pace and more.

The University Chorus and Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Steven Powell, will perform In Windsor Forest by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Festival Te Deum by Benjamin Britten and various spirituals and madrigals on Sunday, December 7th at 3 PM. This concert will take place in the Main Auditorium in the Main Building.

Drexel’s Concert Band will close the festival on Sunday, December 7th at 7 PM with a program of American music. Dr. Mike Moss will conduct the musicians as they present Simple Gifts, a selection of songs by George Gershwin, A Movement for Rosa, a tribute to Rosa Parks and Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait.

All concerts are free and open to the public at the Mandell Theater or Main Auditorium. The Jazz Orchestra will perform in the AJ Drexel Picture Gallery. For more information call 215-895-ARTS.

DETAILS:

Fall Music Festival
Percussion, Mediterranean and Rock Ensembles, Wednesday, December 3, 8 PM, Mandell Theater
Jazz Orchestra, Thursday, December 4, 8 PM, AJ Drexel Picture Gallery, 3rd Floor, Main Building
Keyboard Ensemble, Friday, December 5, 7:30 PM, Mandell Theater
Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Saturday, December 6, 3 PM, Mandell Theater
Gospel Choir, Saturday, December 6, 7:30 PM, Mandell Theater
University Chorus and Chamber Singers, Sunday, December 7, 3 PM, Main Building Auditorium
Concert Band, Sunday, December 7, 7:30 PM, Mandell Theater
FREE and open to the public
For more information, call 215-895-ARTS

D&M Journal

Five Design & Merchandising students are now published authors. Students in ‘Design Directions’ were instructed in how to write traditional academic papers, synthesizing visual art ideas into a scholarly format for peer-reviewed publication. Their final assignment was to write a paper on any aspect of menswear. D&M Professor Joe Hancock and librarian Ann Keith Kennedy served as editors and chose five out of the twelve papers written to be published in the premiere issue of the Journal of Culture and Retail Image.

This is an official undergraduate journal publication that is permanently archived in the Drexel library. The next issue—out in 2009—will be about the great Philadelphia retailer Wanamakers. The Journal of Culture and Retail Image is a joint effort of the Design & Merchandising program and Drexel Libraries, with help from the University's Writing Center.

Directors Lab 5

Five short hilarious comedies from All in the Timing, by contemporary American playwright David Ives, will be directed and performed by Drexel students in “Directors Lab 5.” David Ives is known for his verbal dexterity, theatrical invention and quirky humor. He has adapted 22 American musicals for City Center’s acclaimed Encores series, as well as South Pacific with Reba McEntire, and Jubilee for concert versions at Carnegie Hall; and My Fair Lady for the New York Philharmonic. Free performances are on December 5th at 7 PM and December 6th at 7 and 9 PM in the Main Auditorium, Main Building. For more information, please contact Nick Anselmo at nick.anselmo@drexel.edu.

DETAILS:

Directors Lab 5: All in the Timing performance
December 5, 7 PM & December 6, 7 and 9 PM
Main Auditorium, Main Building (3141 Chestnut St.)
For more information, please email nick.anselmo@drexel.edu

Dred Violinist

Composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) will perform his critically-acclaimed etudes4violin&electric, a work that fuses classical music with electronica and hip-hop as part of his two day residency at Drexel. The Boston Globe reports, "One minute you'll think he's a classical musician, the next a jazz improviser. Then you'll think he's into electronica or ambient noise. Truth is, all of these descriptions apply over the course of his brilliant new nine-track album, etudes4violin&electronix." The Haitian-American musician, fresh off recent performances at Carnegie Hall and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, will take the stage in the Bossone Auditorium with Elan Vytal (aka DJ Scientific) and keyboardist Wynne Bennett. The free concert, supported by the Kal and Lucille Rudman Institute for Entertainment Industry Studies, is on Thursday, November 20th at 8 PM.

Daniel’s residency will include lectures and master classes for students who participate in Drexel’s music ensembles. He will rehearse with students and faculty, teaching about his style that sculpts unique sounds into ground-breaking arrangements. For more information about Daniel’s residency, please contact Music Program Director Mike Moss at mdm79@drexel.edu.

Early in his career DBR composed orchestral pieces for chamber ensembles, but he soon branched out adding parts for electronic instruments and turntables. Some of DBR’s latest work contains video and spoken-word elements to create extended-length compositions such as Darwin's Meditation for the People of Lincoln, a grandly conceived work that employs SymphoNYC, a 20-piece chamber ensemble.

DETAILS:

Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) featuring Elan Vytal aka DJ Scientific and Wynne Bennett
etudes4violin&electronix
Bossone Auditorium, (3128 Market St.)
Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 8 PM
FREE and open to the public
For more information, call 215-895-1029 or visit www.drexel.edu/westphal

MAD Awards

MAD Dragon Records has been nominated for three 2008 Independent Music Awards (IMAs). The label has two entries in the “College Label of the Year” category: The Swimmers’ album Home and The Redwalls, a self-titled release. The final nomination, “Best Rock/Pop Song,” for The Redwalls’ “Modern Diet” is a ground-breaking achievement. All independent labels, not just college labels, will compete for this award. Peter Gabriel, Roger Daltry, Anthony Decurtis from Rolling Stone and MTV’s Joe Cuello are among this year’s judges.

Hoots & Hellmouth won the IMA’s 2007 “Best College Label,” competing against fellow MAD Dragon artist Andrew Lipke. Earlier this month, Andrew released Motherpearl & Dynamite, his second MAD Dragon release, to rave reviews. WXPN 88.5 FM has invited Andrew to perform at “Free @ Noon” from the World Café Live on Friday, November 28th. For information about how to attend Andrew’s performance, visit the WXPN website here.

The IMAs support independent artists and labels through promotion, marketing and distribution and finalists and winners can reach upwards of 15 million new fans by participating. Entries are accepted from all over the world including the United States, Japan, Cuba, Israel, Russia and the United Kingdom.

BLOOD BROTHERS

The Drexel Players’ production of Blood Brothers will stage five performances at the Mandell Theater, November 20th - 23rd. Blood Brothers,the longest running musical in London, follows Mrs. Johnestone as she secretly sells one of her twin babies to her wealthy employer. Over time the boys, privileged Eddie and impoverished Mickey, become unlikely friends and fall in love with the same woman, the gorgeous working-class Linda.

Tickets for Blood Brothers are on sale at the Mandell Theater Box office. To reserve tickets: call 215-895-ARTS or stop by the box office, Monday-Friday, 2-5 PM. Contact Theater Program Director Nick Anselmo for group-rate specials. Student and faculty tickets are $5 with Drexel ID and general admission is $10.
Directed by Theatre Program Director, Nick Anselmo, the performance stars Melinda Glass from the College of Arts & Sciences as ‘Mrs. Johnestone’; Matt Flocco from the Architecture program as ‘Mickey’; Mike Long from the Film & Video program as ‘Eddie’; Michael Colligan from the LeBow College of Business as ‘Sammy’; Emily Kleimo from the Graphic Design program as ‘Linda’; Jennifer Ickovics from the Entertainment & Arts Management program as ‘Mrs. Lyons’; Jeremy Toll from the Music Industry program as ‘Mr. Lyons’; and Steve Pribis from the College of Engineering as the narrator.

DETAILS:

Blood Brothers Performances
November 20-22, 8 PM
November 22-23, 2 PM
Mandell Theater (33rd & Chestnut Sts.)
$5 with Drexel ID / $10 for the general public
Box Office Hours: Monday-Friday 2-5 PM
Box Office: 215-895-ARTS

Khachaturian

The life of prominent Soviet-era composer Aram Khachaturian is the subject of an award-winning documentary by filmmaker Peter Rosen. You’ve probably heard noted 20th century composer Khachaturian’s ‘Sabre Dance’ on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Simpsons or perhaps on The Ed Sullivan Show, even if you don’t know the composer by name. We will be screening Khachaturian followed by a Q&A session with Rosen in the Bossone Auditorium on Wednesday, November 19th at 7 PM.

Peter Rosen has produced 36 films on the arts. His subjects have included Van Cliburn, Garrison Keillor, Enrico Caruso, Artur Rubinstein, Leonard Bernstein, I.M. Pei and Toscanini. In addition to screening his film, Rosen will work with students in our Music, Art & Art History and Film & Video programs as well as the Pennoni Honors College during a two-day residency.

DETAILS:

Khachaturian screening and Q & A with producer Peter Rosen
Wednesday, November 19, 7 PM
Bossone Auditorium (3120 Market St.)
Free and open to the public
For more information, call 215-895-1029
For more information on Peter Rosen, click here

Very Cool Shoes and Chairs

Your time is running out to see magnificent shoes—by Salvatore Ferragamo, Roger Vivier, Prada and Lacroix—alongside breakthrough chairs—including Harry Bertoia’s 1952 asymmetrical chaise lounge and Bill Stumf and Don Chadwick’s 1994 Areon Chair—in our unique Rest Your Feet exhibition in the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery.

Rest Your Feet includes pieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Drexel Historic Costume Collection, and Temple University’s Shoe Museum. Faculty and students from the Fashion and Design & Merchandising department and Interior Design and Graphic Design programs organized the exhibit.

DETAILS:

Rest Your Feet Exhibition
Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, Nesbitt Hall, 3215 Market St.
Exhibit runs through Friday, December 12
Free and open to the public
For more information, call 215-895-1029 or visit www.drexel.edu/westphal

On Co-op in Ireland

This summer Film & Video major Brian Johanson spent his co-op on the set of Neil Jordan’s latest film while it was shooting in Ireland. Neil Jordan, the director and producer of The Crying Game and Interview with a Vampire, recently completed production on Ondine starring Colin Farrell. Any ideas Brian had about seeing the Irish countryside were quickly erased with 6 AM calls and 14 hour days.

Brian told us that he worked with a crew of top film professionals “who had worked on everything from Lawrence of Arabia to the Harry Potter movies. I was the video operator and my responsibility was to record everything the camera sees so that the director and crew could get a sense of how each shot is working.” Brian was first to the set every morning and quickly found his services in demand. He worked at ten different locations and fifty sets in Castletownbere and West Cork Island, shooting in cottages and fields in these small Irish villages. He even shot in the cabin of a fishing boat at sea. “Working in Ireland on a Neil Jordan film gave me the opportunity to work closely with highly instructive people,” said Brian. “In Europe there is an apprenticeship style, so that the next generation learns from the current one.”

Fall Music Festival, December 2nd - December 7th, 2008

Philadelphia- Mark your calendars for the annual Fall Music Festival, a week-long event presented by the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design and the Department of Performing Arts, to be held December 2nd through December 7th. Throughout the week, a variety of music ensembles, comprised of hundred of Drexel University students, will perform a diverse selection of works representing cultures and genres galore. All of these events are free and open to the public. Below is a table with important event details to make listing submission simple for publication.

Ensemble	Date	Time	Location
Fusion Band & Guitar Ensemble	Tues, Dec 2nd, 2008	7:30 PM	Mandell Theater
Percussion & Mediterranean Ensembles	Wed, Dec 3rd, 2008	8:00 PM	Mandell Theater
Jazz Orchestra	Thurs, Dec 4th, 2008	8:00 PM	Mandell Theater
Keyboard Ensemble	Fri, Dec 5th, 2008	7:30 PM	Mandell Theater
Vocal Jazz	Sat, Dec 6th, 2008	3:00 PM	Mandell Theater
Gospel Choir	Sat, Dec 6th, 2008	7:30 PM	Mandell Theater
University Choir	Sun, Dec 7th, 2008	3:00 PM	Main Auditorium
Concert Band	Sun, Dec 7th, 2008	7:30 PM	Mandell Theater

What: The Fall Music Festival
Where: Mandell Theater, 33rd & Chestnut Sts, Drexel University (unless otherwise noted), Main Auditorium, 3141-51 Chestnut St. Drexel University
Cost: FREE
More Information: 215-895-1275

Sex and Shoes

Dr. Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) will give a free lecture, ‘Sex and Shoes,’ in Ruth Auditorium on November 18th at 6 PM as part of the Rest Your Feet exhibition. The Washington Post described Dr. Steele as “fashion’s brainiest woman.” She has authored 17 books including The Black Dress, Paris Fashion and most recently Gothic: Dark Glamour. In 1997, she founded Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture and today serves as editor-in-chief. Dr. Steele has been on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the PBS specials Undressed: The Story of Fashion and The Way We Wear.

Rest Your Feet is on display at the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery through December 12th. The history, evolution and role of shoes and chairs as practical objects and high design are illustrated in shoes by Roger Vivier, Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada and Christian Louboutin and chairs including Bertoia’s 1952 asymmetrical chaise lounge from Knoll International and Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick’s 1994 Aeron Chair from Herman Miller. Rest Your Feet is a collaboration of the Fashion and Design & Merchandising Department and the Interior Design and Graphic Design programs. FOX29’s Good Day recently featured the exhibition.

DETAILS:

Dr. Valerie Steele Lecture and Reception
‘Sex and Shoes’
Tuesday, November 18, 6 PM, Reception, 5 PM
Ruth Auditorium, Nesbitt Hall, 3215 Market St.
FREE and open to the public
Gallery Hours: Monday-Thursday: 11 AM – 7 PM, Friday: 11 AM – 5 PM
For more information, call 215-895-1029 or visit www.drexel.edu/westphal

See the Sundance Winner

A favorite at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Lance Hammer’s film Ballast will be screened exclusively for the Drexel community on November 13th. Winning awards for Dramatic Directing and Excellence in Cinematography, The New York Times calls the film "a startlingly assured, pitch-perfect first feature.” All Drexel students, faculty and staff are invited to this special premiere of Ballast in the Bossone Auditorium at 8 PM on the 13th. After the screening, Lance will discuss the unique ways he made the film and how he is bypassing traditional Hollywood distribution to market his film.

Set in the Mississippi Delta, Ballast is about three people’s efforts to triumph over tragedy and circumstance in an impoverished small town. Hammer made his movie with a cast of ordinary people—not trained actors—and created his superb soundtrack from the sounds and rhythms of life in the rural deep-South. Click these links to read rave reviews from The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and NPR.

The screening and director’s Q&A are free, but a Drexel ID is required for entry. For more information on Ballast visit: www.ballastfilm.com

DETAILS:

Ballast screening and Q & A with Lance Hammer
Thursday, November 13, 8 PM
Bossone Auditorium (3120 Market St.)
Open to the Drexel community only, Drexel ID required
For more information, call 215-895-1029

Faculty Focus: Terry Tompkins

Terry Tompkins, Assistant Professor in the Music Industry Program and President of MAD Dragon Records, discovered and signed Columbia Records artist John Legend long before Legend’s multi-platinum albums and Grammy-award winning successes.

For years Terry played in rock bands while also managing their bookings and promotions. He founded Big Fish Management in 1995 and went on to sign artists to Arista, Blackbird/Atlantic and Sanctuary/BMG Records. Terry served as the Showcase Director of the Philadelphia Music Conference from 1997-2001. Some of the relatively unknown artists he worked with then are hardly unknown now: John Legend, Jill Scott, Convoy, Imogen Heap, and Saliva. Terry’s keen ear and knowledge of the business led to his appointment as an Artist & Repertoire (A&R) rep for Columbia Records.

Vampire Weekend

Mates of State

Gogol Bordello

Hoots & Hellmouth

As President of MAD Dragon Records, Professor Tompkins works with students, artists, fellow faculty and Ryko Records on A&R, marketing, distribution, publicity and international licensing. MAD Dragon Records has released records from Matt Duke, Andrew Lipke, Jules Shear, Hoots & Hellmouth, The Redwalls, and The Swimmers. Each year, Terry’s students identify and secure the bands for our Unleashed compilations series, with four Unleashed albums to date.

Terry is a regular at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music convention in Austin, TX. He’s invited to speak on SXSW panels and has moderated a session for the College Media Journal (CMJ) Conference in New York. Terry continues to present at the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) regional and national conventions and is currently working on a research paper that investigates why some new recording artists are successful.

Cold Duck Sauce

Drexel’s Fusion Band has just released their new album Cold Duck Sauce, The Best of Drexel Fusion Band which was recorded in the Drexel recording studios by Music Industry students. Fusion Band Director Lynn Riley arranged 12 classic jazz, r&b, latin and rock songs including notable hits like ‘Summertime,’ ‘What’s Going On,’ ‘Ran Kan Kan’ and ‘Moondance.’

The album title, Cold Duck Sauce, comes from a recording session of the Eddie Harris jazz standard ‘Cold Duck Time’ which was accidentally labeled as ‘Cold Duck Sauce,’ probably by a hungry engineer. The album can be purchased by contacting Lynn Riley at l.riley@verizon.net or Adriane Adams in the Performing Arts Department at 215 895-2451. Or come to the November 11th release party to hear this great band, eat free pizza, and buy the CD, all at Creese from 7 to 9PM.

MadKo For a Cause

MadKo Concerts, the concert promotion arm of our Music Industry’s MAD Dragon Records, and Drexel Greek Life will host a free concert and charity drive featuring The Absolute Zeros, Creeping Weeds, andMAD Dragon recording artist Andrew Lipke. The bands and special guest stars will hit the stage at the Rotunda on Sunday, November 23rd at 7 PM while the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and other Drexel fraternities hold a Toys for Tots drive to help families in need.

MAD Dragon artist Andrew Lipke will play songs from his just released Motherpearl & Dynamite. The new album, with guest appearances by some of Philadelphia’s hottest musicians, showcases Andrew’s melodic voice and virtuoso guitar playing. The Philadelphia Inquirersays Motherpearl & Dynamite is “rich and moody, with cello, pedal steel, dobro, and a chorus of backing vocals sneaking into songs ranging from weighty rockers to plaintive weepers.” Click here to read a Philadelphia Weekly article about the album and here to listen to his new songs.

DETAILS:

MAD Dragon Showcase
Sunday, November 23, 7 PM
The Rotunda, 4041 Walnut St.
Free and open to the public, but bring a toy for Toys for Tots
For more information, call 215-573-3234

High School Photography Contest '08

The Photography Program is conducting its annual High School Photography Contest. The competition is open to all high school students and the deadline for submissions is December 6, 2008. All photographic processes including black and white, color, silver prints, digital prints and historical processes can be submitted. Students may submit up to three matted photographs using 8x10 or 11x14 mats.

"This is an exciting opportunity for all high school students to have their work reviewed and entered into this contest. Every year we continue to be impressed by the diversity and level of talent represented in this competition" states Paul Runyon, Program Director, Photography.

The Photography Program faculty will judge the competition. Students' work accepted in the competition will be on exhibit in the gallery space at the Photography Program. The exhibition will culminate with an opening reception on January 31, 2009. Light refreshments will be served and the exhibition will run through the month of February. All accepted entries will be notified my mail. For more information and to download a copy of the contest application, click here.

New College Video

The highlight of the Drexel social season is the annual A.J. Drexel Society Gala. Each fall, Drexel thanks its biggest supporters with an elegant evening of dining and dancing. The best part of this year’s gala will be the premiere of the new Westphal College video, featuring impressive work by our students. Click here to watch the video which was masterfully produced and edited by Film & Video student Micah Haun, with Music Industry student Matt Campana’s original score and graphics by Graphic Design student Maggie Ruder.

The College was delighted to assist in many of the preparations for this year’s Gala. Media Arts Department Head Sandy Stewart and Graphic Design Program Director Jody Graff created invitations, banners and menus, and selected the motifs for table decorations. Senior VP for Institutional Advancement Elizabeth Dale will wear a gown designed by Fashion graduate Autumn Kietponglert. Autumn won ‘Best in Show’ at the 2007 Fashion Show and worked with Katya Roelse, winner of the Lilly Pulitzer prize for ‘Most Creative Graduate Collection’, on constructing the dress. All Gala guests will go home with an array of items created by Westphal students including the D&M Magazine, the 2008 Photography Annual, and MAD Dragon Records latest album release, Matt Duke’s Kingdom Underground.

Classical Music Up Close

The Drexel Performance Season’s next concert with The Philadelphia Orchestra's talented musicians features the Wister Quartet; Nancy Bean and Davyd Booth, violins; Pamela Fay, viola; and Lloyd Smith, violoncello. The free concert is Tuesday, November 11th at 8 PM in the AJ Drexel Picture Gallery, Main Building.

The acclaimed Wister Quartet has shared the stage with Yo-Yo Ma, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Alicia de Larrocha. Nancy Bean is Assistant Concertmaster, Lloyd Smith is the Assistant Principal Cellist and Davyd Booth is a Second Violin member of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Pamela Fay performs with the Concerto Soloists chamber orchestra and frequently plays with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Among other pieces, the Wister Quartet will be performing work by local New Jersey composer Frank Staneck. Mr. Staneck will be attending the performance, introduce his work and lead a discussion following the performance.

The College Performance Series, sponsored by the Westphal College and the Pennoni Honor’s College, offers the Drexel community an opportunity to hear remarkable music in informal setting with ample refreshments served prior to all concerts.

DETAILS

College Performance Series: The Wister Quartet
Tuesday, November 11, 8:00 PM
AJ Drexel Picture Gallery, Main Building
FREE and Open to the Public
For More Information call: 215-895-1267

Who Were the Last Designers Standing?

This past summer interior design students embarked on a journey to create the ideal home for senior citizens. Now, students Diana Dougherty and Michelle Prieston have been awarded a $1,000 cash prize and were named Last Designers Standing at the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) Annual Conference which was just held at Philadelphia Convention Center.

The competition assigned our student teams a project to create design solutions that address healthcare, safety and quality of life issues for senior citizens. Working on the floor of the Convention Center, our Interior Design students painted, hammered and sawed their ideas to life. They had 48-hours, a small budget and a union carpenter to transform a nursing-home room into a special home for an AAHSA member while conference attendees watched and then voted on their favorite design.

Congratulations to Amanda Pincin, Christopher Hansen, Megan McGregor, Katelyn Goodman, Ravneet Yerram and Veronica Lawson who also participated.

Go Dragons!

dragons

When the Women’s Basketball team opens its season, WKDU 91.7 FM, the university’s student-run radio station, will be on hand to capture all the action. For the first time ever, WKDU will broadcast a Lady Dragon’s basketball game as they open their season on November 16th at 2 PM at American University. Veteran broadcaster Pat Delsi will call the game and students Brett Fischer and Mike Mazzeo will do commentary and analysis. For more information on WKDU, click here.

DUTV, Drexel’s television station, also has a hand in basketball. The Bruiser Flint Show will premiere its second season on Friday, November 14th at 6 PM. The show features the head coach of the Drexel Men’s Basketball team and we’re introducing a new segment called ‘Fast Break’ which will feature profiles and information on all things Drexel sports. The show is hosted by Dan Baker, play-by-play voice of Drexel men’s basketball, and Brett Fischer, sports editor of The Triangle. The Bruiser Flint Show airs every other week throughout the season and is broadcast via Comcast throughout metropolitan Philadelphia. We’ll shortly be telling you details of DUTV telecasts of upcoming basketball games, and you can watch The Bruiser Flint Show on DUTV’s website.

Pull Up A Chair, Rest Your Feet

Magnificent shoes by Salvatore Ferragamo, Roger Vivier, Prada and Lacroix will be exhibited alongside breakthrough chair designs including Harry Bertoia’s 1952 asymmetrical chaise lounge for Knoll International, and Bill Stumf and Don Chadwick’s 1994 Areon Chair for Herman Miller, in our unique Rest Your Feet exhibit in the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery from November 3rd through December 12th.

As part of Rest Your Feet and the Sibby Merkel Brassler Lecture Series, we’re presenting two important guest speakers: Linda O’Keefe, Creative Director of Metropolitan Home, will speak on November 5th at 6 PM, and Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), will talk on November 18th at 6 PM. Dr. Steele has curated over 20 exhibitions including London Fashion which won the first Richard Martin Award from The Costume Society of America. A cocktail reception will precede each lecture at 5 PM in Nesbitt Hall (33rd & Market St.).

Rest Your Feet will include pieces from the Drexel Historic Costume Collection, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Temple University’s Shoe Museum. Faculty and students from the departments of Fashion and Design & Merchandising and Architecture & Interiors organized the exhibit.

DETAILS:

Rest Your Feet Exhibition & Speaker Series
Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, Nesbitt Hall, 3215 Market St.
Exhibit runs Monday, November through Friday, December 12
Opening Reception, Wednesday November 5, 2008 5:00-7:30 PM

Speaker Series:

Linda O’Keefe, Wednesday, November 5, 6 PM, reception 5 PM
Dr. Valerie Steele, Tuesday, November 18, 6 PM, reception 5 PM

FREE and open to the public
For more information, call 215-895-1029 or visit www.drexel.edu/westphal

Celebrating Music Professor Howard Haines

The life of esteemed Drexel Music Professor, Howard Haines, will be celebrated with a memorial concert by the University’s Chambers Singers featuring requiems by Mozart, Brahms and Fauré. The concert will also feature 23 choral program alumni and former students of the beloved Haines.

Haines was a music professor and director of the chorus from 1971-1988. He passed away in February 2008. The memorial concert, free and open to the public, will be held at the Trinity Center (22nd & Spruce Sts.) on Saturday, November 1st at 4 PM.

DETAILS:

Howard Haines Memorial Choral Concert
Saturday, November 1, 4 PM
Trinity Center, 22nd & Spruce Streets
Free and open to the public

Recent Grads Direct, Star and Write their First Feature Film

Talented and funny Westphal alums Nick Gregorio, Eric Levy, Juan Cardarelli and Matthew Sanchez ignored immediate opportunities in corporate America, choosing instead to write, produce and star in their first full-length feature film, Happy Birthday Harris Malden. Nick, Eric, Juan and Mathew, now the principals of Sweaty Robot Productions, needed several years to find financing, locations and produce their original comedy, but now it’s ready to be shown to the world. On October 23rd, the free Philadelphia premiere of Happy Birthday Harris Malden will be held in the Bossone Auditorium.

Happy Birthday Harris Malden, produced entirely in Philadelphia, is a charming comedy about a young man who breaks down when a personal secret is revealed to his friends and neighbors. Our Sweaty Robot alums handled the key creative and production roles for the film and they also play many of the starring roles. After the screening, the filmmakers will hold a Q&A. Happy Birthday Harris Malden has recently screened at the CineVegas Film Festival, the Austin Film Festival and the Woodstock Film Festival. For more information on the film and to view the trailer, click here, and to hear a National Public Radio review of the film, click here. To read more about Sweaty Robot, click here.

DETAILS:

Happy Birthday Harris Malden Screening
Thursday, October 23, 7:30 PM
Mitchell Auditorium, Bossone, 3128 Market St.
Free and open to the public

Drexel Football?

Still undefeated, still hilarious. The Drexel Football Team, the university’s comedy improv group, kicks off their new season on Friday, October 17th at 8 PM in Stein Auditorium (33rd & Market St.). Since 2005, the Drexel Football Team has been playing to standing-room-only crowds.

Screenwriting and Playwriting student Luke Giordano has been the moving force in Drexel’s growing comedy scene. To keep you laughing, Luke’s also put together a monthly comedy showcase featuring rising Philly comics, entitled Stand-up at the Bully Pulpit which premieres on October 24th at 8 PM in Stein Auditorium.

The line-up for the first Bully Pulpit show includes Conrad Roth, Drexel alumni and host of the Center City Comedy Show; Doogie Horner, a regular at Helium Comedy Club and host of Ministry of Secret Jokes; Dave Walk, writer of the Philly comedy blog and host of a stand-up show in the Shubin Theater; and Kent Haines, the 2008 winner of Helium’s Philly’s Phunniest Contest and host of a talk show ‘Why Am I Not Famous?!’ at the Shubin Theater.

For further information, please contact Luke Giordano: lucas.m.giordano@drexel.edu.

DETAILS:

THE DREXEL FOOTBALL TEAM IMPROV COMEDY SHOW
Friday, October 17, 8 PM
Stein Auditorium, Nesbitt Hall (33rd & Market St.)
Free and open to the public
THE STAND-UP AT THE BULLY PULPIT COMEDY SHOW
Friday, October 24, 8 PM
Stein Auditorium, Nesbitt Hall (33rd & Market St.)
Free and open to the public

I’m Going to Disney Land

If you’re a creative, forward-thinking student designer, then make sure you enter the 2009 Walt Disney ImagiNations Design Competition. This year’s competition offers students from across all Drexel’s schools and colleges an opportunity to develop creative and technical concepts relating to theme parks, attractions, hotels and entertainment venues. On Wednesday, October 22nd, former Imagineer and competition finalist, and now Digital Media faculty member Kristy Pron will hold an information session for students studying Architecture, Digital Media, Interior Design, Theater, Construction Management, Engineering, Project Management, Creative Writing, Fine Arts and Media Arts and Production in the large screening room in University Crossings, Room 028, at 6:30 PM. Pizza will be served.

If you’re selected as a finalist, Disney will fly you and your team members all-expenses paid to Disneyland in Glendale, California for ten days where you’ll present your project to a panel of Disney professionals and compete for “Best in Show Honors.”

DETAILS:

Walt Disney ImagiNations Design Competition information meeting
Wednesday, October 22, 6:30 PM
University Crossings, 15 N. 32nd St., Room 028
Pizza will be served
For more information, email Kristy Pron at klp29@drexel.edu

Co-op Profile: Sabryna Gancarz

Drexel co-ops send students out to work the world over. This summer, Interior Design student Sabryna Gancarz worked for an architectural firm on the Greek island of Crete where she assisted architects and interior designers on small scale commercial project including a local fitness center. However, Sabryna did much more than work while in Crete.

Sabryna reveled in Crete’s Venetian and Isalmic-influenced architecture. Her co-op was a world away from our Philadelphia campus and her upbringing in suburban Maryland. Naturally, she spent weekends camping on beaches, rumbling in the ruins at Knossos, and exploring Greece’s incredibly beautiful Mediterranean islands. “It was the best thing I have done with my life so far,” she said. “You really have to be flexible and creative. In Crete, there are no standard sizes for things like doorways, windows and stairs.” Other Westphal students have had incredible co-op experiences in Scotland, Ireland, India, Germany and Japan.

Economic Dé jà Vu?

Dr. Gray Brechin, co-founder of the ‘Living New Deal Project,’ is the first speaker of this year’s Farajollah & Maryam Badie ARFAA lecture series in architecture. Dr. Brechin will address the important engineering and architectural achievements of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and their relevance today. Under the aegis of the WPA, such public buildings and roads as LaGuardia Airport, Camp David and the Golden Gate Bridge were built. Founded in 2003, the ‘Living New Deal Project’ is a collaborative effort attempting to document the engineering and architectural achievements of Depression era-relief agencies. Dr. Brechin’s presentation, Another World Was Possible: The Indispensible New Deal Today, will be at the Mandell Theater on October 21st at 6:30 PM.

DETAILS:

AARFA lecture series in architecture: Dr. Gray Brechin
Tuesday, October 21, 6:30 PM
Mandell Theater (MacAlister Hall, 33rd and Chestnut St.)
Free and open to the public

Photographing Dance

Prima Philadelphia dance photographers JJ Tiziou, Bill Herbert, Bob Emmott, Gabriel Bienczycki and Deborah Boardman will review their kinetic work in Capturing Movement: The Art of Dance Photography on October 16th at the Mandell Theater. Bill Herber has shot photos of dance companies FloMotion, Illadelph Legends of Hip Hop, BalletX and the Koresh Dance Company. Bob Emmott has collaborated with Jeanne Ruddy Dance on Breathless, which incorporated his images into the production design. JJ Tiziou has been photographing the Philadelphia Fringe Festival since 2003. Gabriel Bienczycki recently worked with Seattle Dance Project on Project Orpheus and Project One, and Deborah Boardman has been photographing the dancers of the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Metropolitan Dance Academy for 24 years.

DETAILS:

Capturing Movement: The Art of Dance Photography
Thursday, October 16, 7 PM
Mandell Theater (33rd and Chestnut St.)
Free and open to the public
For more information click here or email Miriam Giguere at mgg22@drexel.edu.

Women in Film

The Women in Film and Television is a worldwide organization devoted to promoting and assisting women in ‘the business.’ Now, Women in Film and Television is launching its Philadelphia chapter with an event hosted by the Westphal College. Executive Director of the Philadelphia Film Office, Sharon Pinkenson; QVC’s ‘Mom’s on the Go’ producer and host Linda Swain; WPVI broadcaster, Lisa Thomas Laurie; actresses Jill Whelan (Love Boat) and Dawn Wolfrom; Comcast Senior Vice-President for Programming Jennifer Gaiski; and local casting and talent agent, Mike Lemmon will be with us for a panel discussion and reception at 6 PM on Wednesday, October 29th in the atrium of the Bossone Research Center. This free event is a terrific learning and networking opportunity for students and staff.

DETAILS:

‘How I Scared Up My Career in Film & Video’
Women in Film and Television, Philadelphia Launch
Wednesday, October 29, 6-9 PM
Bossone Atrium, 3rd Floor, Bossone Research Center, 3128 Market St.
Free and open to the public

Philadelphia Orchestra Back on Campus

The Westphal College and Pennoni Honor’s College launch this season’s College Performance Concert Series featuring musicians from The Philadelphia Orchestra with a concert this Thursday. Our second season of concerts once again offers students and the Drexel community the chance to hear incredible chamber music in an informal campus settings. Each concert is structured to allow interaction with the musicians, free food and, by the way, the concerts are always free. Our opening concert will feature The Philadelphia Orchestra’s violinists Daniel Han and Yayoi Numazawa and pianist Natalie Zhu on Thursday, October 9 at 8 PM in Van Rensselaer Ballroom. The concert series will continue with a November concert and two additional concerts in the New Year.

Han, Numazawa and Zhu began studying and performing as young children. When they are not playing with the Philadelphia Orchestra, they travel the world performing concerts as soloists and with chamber ensembles. Mr. Han begins his third year with the Philadelphia Orchestra and is the recipient of numerous awards and performance residencies. Ms. Zhu has performed worldwide since 1994 and enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15. She recently completed a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music. Ms. Numazawa joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1995 while still a student at the Curtis Institute. She took up the violin at age five, winning her first competition at age twelve, and she has taught many talented students in her private studio.

DETAILS

College Performance Series: Daniel Han, Yayoi Numazawa, and Natalie Zhu
Thursday, October 9, 8:00 PM
Van Rensselaer Ballroom (3320 Powelton Avenue)
FREE and Open to the Public
For More Information call: 215-895-1267

Graphic Design Student Work to Aid Rwandan Villagers

The small Rugerero Survivors village in western Rwanda is home to many survivors of that country’s violent past. The villagers hand press sunflower oil, that they then sell, to support themselves. Now, a grant awarded to Graphic Design Program Director Jody Graff and the Westphal College by Sappi Fine Paper’s Ideas that Matter program will enable our students to work with the villagers to create product packaging and brand identity so that their sunflower oil can be sold throughout their country and beyond.

Sappi’s Ideas that Matter program is the only grant giving program for the graphic design profession and has funded over 225 projects with over eight million dollars since 1999. Jody Graff explained, “Our students will use their training and design skills for a humanitarian effort that will affect many lives.” Click here to read more about the Sappi grants on Techpedia.org.

See Our New Dance Studio

We’re unveiling the newly constructed dance studio located next to the Mandell Theater with a reception and performance on October 3rd at 7 PM. The studio was created to support our new Dance major and has been named in honor of Ellen Forman, a Philadelphia dance pioneer. An original dance choreographed by the late Ms. Forman will be performed by the Drexel Dance ensemble and a video on Ms. Forman’s contribution to the Philadelphia dance scene will be shown.

Ellen Forman was the co-founder and director of South Street Dance Company and was a scholar on the work of Isadora Duncan. Each year she produced five concerts at the Painted Bride Art Center entitled Body/Language which brought together artists to explore the integration of text and dance. An innovative choreographer and a charismatic performer, Ms. Forman worked extensively as a teaching artist in residence for Philadelphia area schools. The new studio was made possible in part because of a grant from the Ellen Forman Memorial Fund, a donor advised fund of the Philadelphia Foundation.

DETAILS:

The Ellen Forman Memorial Dance Studio Grand Opening
Friday, October 3, 7 PM
Mandell Theater and Dance Studio, MacAlister Hall (33rd and Chestnut St.)
Free and open to the public, reservation requested at 215-895-ALUM
For more information visit www.drexel.edu/westphal/dance

Student Filmmakers with a Cause

For the third year in a row, Westphal Film & Video students will participate in The Tripod Initiative, a program of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office that funds students to produce videos for nonprofit organizations. These student films highlight important non-profit organizations and tell their stories in compelling ways. This year, our students’ video was for the Open Arms Adoption Network, an organization that offers a progressive approach to building healthy families through adoption. Produced by Film & Video students Josh Sgarlata, Eric Stalzer, Angelina Zak, Megan Ramsey, Alexandra Hanes and Noelle Kandigan, you can see their film here. Last year, our students’ spot was for Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse in Fairmount Park. The Smith Playground and Playhouse has provided an extraordinary play space for over 10 million visitors in the past 100 years. Our students’ video for the Playhouse can be seen here.

The Tripod Initiative provides students with an ample budget to support their production and matches them with film making professionals who serve as mentors. To learn more about the Tripod Initiative, click here.

Thinking Pink in October

The Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design is named for the late Antoinette Passo Westphal, a 1959 graduate of the College who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996. Shortly after her diagnosis, Antoinette, using her own experience and her wonderful abilities to get things done and work with people,
became a founding board member of Breastcancer.org, where she served until her passing in 2005. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it’s a good time to remind our community that Breastcancer.org is the world’s leading resource for credible, medically vetted information and the home for a vibrant peer community providing unparalleled support for all of those affected by breast cancer.

Knowledge is essential to preventing and finding a cure for breast cancer. We encourage you to learn more and to get involved by visiting www.breastcancer.org where you will find information, upcoming events, ways to volunteer, and more.Click here for a full schedule of upcoming events, including College Night on the Lanes: ‘Bowling for Boobs.’

Breastcancer.org has recently launched a prevention initiative for young women inspired by Taking Care of Your “Girls”, a groundbreaking book written by Dr. Weissand her daughter Isabel. The book addresses the many questions young women have about breast development and breast cancer, and offers easy lifestyle tips that promote breast health and can help reduce the risk of breast cancer. Dr. Weiss and Isabel have honored their connection to our own dear Antoinette by dedicating their book to her. You can get a copy of Taking Care of Your “Girls” through the site or on loan by emailing comad@drexel.edu.

A child of Italian immigrants, Antoinette viewed her education at Drexel as a springboard to a rich life of selfless service to her family, her careers, and her University—which she never forgot. Antoinette, along with fellow founding Breastcancer.org founding board member Dr. Marisa Weiss, shared a vision to demystify the complex medical information about breast cancer, making it available to everyone at no cost. The reality now matches the vision: Breastcancer.org, a beacon of care until the care, is nearly ten years young.

Christine Fortune, Class of 1938, Creates Major Scholarship Fund

In the 1930’s, opportunities for women in higher education were limited, but Christine Fortune saw Drexel’s College of Home Economics as a conduit to a career. After graduation in 1938, Ms. Fortune taught middle school in Trenton, NJ and worked for Westinghouse Electric before returning to Philadelphia to become the assistant to the dean of Admissions at Drexel. She lived in Allentown with her husband Robert who worked at Pennsylvania Power and Light Company for 35 years before becoming President and CEO of Aegis Insurance Society. The couple traveled extensively prior to Robert’s passing in 2006.

“Robert and I wanted to help undergraduate female students get the kind of great education that prepared me for so much in my life,” said Ms. Fortune. Her generous gift by Ms. Fortune creates an endowed scholarship in honor of Dean Ardenia Chapman that will fund 75% of one noteworthy female student’s education each and every year. “Dean Chapman was an expert in textiles and fashion who had an extraordinary influence on all of us young girls.”

If you would like to make a difference for our students, please contact David J. Toll at 215-895-4982 or dtoll@drexel.edu to learn more about how you can support scholarships and Westphal College programs.

Architecture Student Show

Graduating architecture students complete their studio sequence by choosing an independent thesis project on a design challenge. Their impressive drawings, models and digital images, resulting from these year-long projects, are on display at the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery through October 24th. This is your chance to see the finalists in the Izenour and the Stewardson competitions and the medal winners in the Michael Pearson Thesis Prize.

DETAILS:

Annual Exhibit of Architecture Student Work
Now through October 24
Leonard Pearlstein Gallery (Nesbitt Hall, 33rd & Market St.)
Gallery Hours, Monday through Thursday 11 AM–7 PM and Friday 11 AM–5 PM
Free and Open to the Public
For more information, call 215.895.2409 or email gallery@drexel.edu

Faculty Focus: Jen Blazina

Jen Blazina, Assistant Professor in the Art & Art History Department, is a mixed media artist who focuses on screen printing and large-scale installations. Beyond an extensive schedule of solo and group exhibitions, Jen conducts workshops & master classes, and she lectures in the States and abroad. The Cranbook Art Museum in Bloomfield, Michigan, the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, California, and The Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio are three of eight institutions that house permanent collections of Jen’s work.

Since 1997, Jen has been featured in 27 solo exhibitions and 64 group exhibitions. Her large scale exhibit, Recollection, was shown in Philadelphia, Miami and Chicago. She has also exhibited in solo exhibitions in Belgium, Germany, New York, New Mexico and Florida. Jen’s recent group and two-person exhibits include Multiplicity, an exhibit at the American University Museum in Washington, D.C., Time Capsules at Gallery Imperato in Baltimore and Historia, Jen Blazina and Michael Markwick in Dordrecht, Netherlands.

Jen is represented by galleries in Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Palm Springs. “I will continue to exhibit, lecture and conduct workshops,” Jen said. “It is important for me to experiment with my work technically, educate myself further in a variety of media and challenge myself conceptually to broaden the themes and content in my work.”

In the summer of 2008, Jen was a resident artist at the Frans Masereel Centrium in Belgium for a four week printmaking workshop. She was awarded residencies at Scuola di Grafica in Venice, Italy and the Kala Institute of Art. In 2009, she will be the resident artist at the Toos Neger Studio in the Netherlands. The National Endowment for the Arts recently awarded Jen an artist residency grant at the Woman’s Studio Workshop in Rosendale, New York. She has also received the Maryland State Art Council Individual Artist Grant, and locally, the Windows of Opportunity Grant from the Leeway Foundation, and the Independence Foundation Artist Fellowship Grant.

Jen describes working with multiple pieces of art in large-scale exhibits as a “conglomeration of one experience,” where she can create a space and organize her pieces into a specific vision.

Matt Duke Releases New Album

MAD Dragon recording artist Matt Duke has just released his new CD Kingdom Underground through Rykodisc Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music. A fantastic self-taught guitarist and a great singer, Matt combines elements of jazz, folk, pop and even grunge and progressive rock into his songs. Matt’s release is the first under our recently negotiated and expanded deal with Rykodisc. Kingdom Underground is featured on the i-Tunes home page as well as on Matt’s MySpace page. Click here to listen to new songs or better yet come to Matt’s performance at World Café Live on October 5th at 7 PM.

Student Business Concept Competition

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week this November, the Westphal College is co-sponsoring a business concept competition in which students are asked to submit business ideas to assist senior citizens to live independently and safely in their own homes. Submissions are due by Monday, November 10th, and will be presented before a panel of judges on Monday, November 17th. Cash prizes will be given to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. For more information on the competition and a submission form, click here. For the week-long schedule of events, which includes keynote speaker Dr. Majd Alwan, East Coast Director for the Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST), click here.

DETAILS:

Global Entrepreneurship Week Student Business Concept Competition
November 17, 2008
Submissions due to Dr. Jean S. MacFadyen at jsm43@drexel.edu by November 10
Click here for more information and a submission form
Click here for the Global Entrepreneurship Week schedule of events
If you have any questions, please email Dr. Jean S. MacFadyen at jsm43@drexel.edu

DSMR and Fashion Alumni Workshop

Beth Phillips of the Design & Merchandising program and the principal of Phillips International Career Development and Transition Services will conduct the workshop ‘Managing Your Own Career’ for alumni interested in taking the next step in their Fashion or Design & Merchandising career. This career workshop is on October 25th from 9 AM to 3 PM. The registration fee is $50 and includes a copy of the 4th edition of Fashion Careers: The Complete Job Search Workbook as well as breakfast and lunch. Click here to register or call 1-888-DU-GRADS.

DETAILS:

‘Managing Your Own Career,’ Fashion and Design & Merchandising Workshop
Saturday, October 25, 9 AM-3 PM
Nesbitt Hall (33rd & Market St.)
Registration is $50
Click here to register or call 1-888-DU-GRADS

Calling All Actors:

play

All Drexel students are invited to audition for the inaugural season of the Director’s Lab theater production of the short comedies All in the Timing by well-known playwright David Ives. Auditions are Thursday, October 9th at 7:00 pm in Main Auditorium and Sunday October 12th at 7:00 pm in the Mandell Theater. One play in the All in the Timing plays is entitled "The Philadelphia." It’s about a man who thinks he is just having a bad day, only to be told that he has fallen into a metaphysical hole called Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, everything goes wrong: the taxis don't take you where you want to go, and no matter what you order at a restaurant, you'll only get a cheesesteak. All in the Timing will be staged at the end of fall term. If you’re looking for your big break, stop by the performing arts office, 2018 MacAlister and pick up a copy of the script. If you want more information about auditioning, please contact Nick Anselmo at nick.anselmo@drexel.edu

DETAILS:

Auditions for All in the Timing by David Ives
Thursday, October 9, 7-10 PM, Main Auditorium
Sunday, October 12, 6-10 PM, Mandell Theater
Audition scripts: 2018 MacAlister
More information: nick.anselmo@drexel.edu

The Shirt Off Our Back!

Last year Music Industry student and Westphal’s USGA representative Dylan Steinberg led a college-wide contest to design a Westphal T-shirt which has now been produced for all incoming freshmen and transfer students. Graphic Design student Sasha McCune’s design was chosen as the winner and we’ve created her t-shirt in women’s and men’s sizes. To get yours, please stop by the Dean’s office in Nesbitt Hall (Room 130) no later than October 17th and remember to bring your Drexel ID.

Zipped Up At Fashion Week

Fashion Design alumna Autumn Kietponglert’s ‘Zipper Dress’ was prominently featured during Spring Fashion week in NYC and was purchased by YKK Corporation of America. Autumn’s design was shown in the main rotunda on Fashion Week’s opening day, at the same location for the shows of designers Marc Jacobs, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and more. YKK is the world’s largest zipper company and click here to read a write-up about the dress.

New Fashion Show Home

It took us thirty years, but first we outgrew the Mandell Theater and now we’ve outgrown the Crystal Tea Room where nearly 1,500 people saw our most recent Fashion Show. We’re very excited that the 30th Annual Fashion Show will be presented at the incredible Urban Outfitters headquarters at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Mark your calendars for a very special Saturday June 6th, where our students’ designs and the historic venue are likely to make for our greatest Fashion Show ever.

Cinema Costume Classics

Deborah Nadoolman Landis, costume designer for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Animal House and The Blues Brothers, will be on campus for several days to work with students in the Fashion and Design & Merchandising Department as a Rankin-Scholar-In-Residence. Dr. Landis, whose costume designs for Raiders of the Lost Ark are included in the collections of the Smithsonian Institute, will give a talk open to all those in the University community with an interest in costume design and the movies.

Major Dance

Our Dance program and its director, Dr. Miriam Giguere, are seeing years of work come to fruition. Our first class of dance majors begins this fall and construction is complete on our new dance studio, located right next to the Mandell Theater. On October 3rd, we’ll host a reception to show off the studio which has been named in honor of Ellen Forman, a pioneer in the Philadelphia dance scene. Later in the month, Philadelphia photographers JJ Tiziou, Bob Emmott and Bill Herbert will present a lecture on the art of capturing dance as a still image. The Drexel Dance Ensemble has three concerts in the works: Arrivals and Departures, ‘A Celebration of Bach,’ a collaboration with our Music program, and a spring concert that includes new work by guest choreographer Meredith Rainey of the Pennsylvania Ballet. Also in the Spring we’ll be hosting an exhibit of dance photography from the Smithsonian Institute entitled The Dancer Within , featuring the work of Rose Eichenbaum.

World-changing Graphics

We recently acquired a remarkable collection of Polish poster art assembled as a lifetime passion by collector Frank Fox. Now we’ll showcase some of the collection’s finest pieces in the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery along with a screening of filmmakers Andrea Marks and Glenn Holsten’s Freedom on the Fence, their documentary exploring the political, social and artistic import of poster art in Poland. Marks and Holsten, as Rankin-Scholars-In-Residence, will give a lecture open to the public and work with Graphic Design and Film & Video students.

On the Boards

The Theater Program and the Drexel Players’ ambitious season includes Blood Brothers, a rags-to-riches musical drama about a woman whose twins are separated at birth, and Red Herring, a very funny satire of love and murder entangled up with nuclear espionage and I Love Lucy. The Late Night Series is back and and will feature the Combustible Radio Theater with a September 26th WKDU radio broadcast of live drama, and the music of student Jonah Delso, who, when we last checked, was opening for Coldplay this summer at the Wachovia Center.

Family Photos

Since the late 1990’s, Photography Professor Andrea Modica has been spending time with the Baker family in Fountain, Colorado. This spring, we’ll present Andrea’s large-scale studies of their professional and personal lives in an exhibition entitled Fountain, Colorado in the Pearlstein Gallery

University 101

Life on Mars and True Blood aren’t the only new shows hitting TV this fall. University 101, our new student produced drama series, will premiere on DUTV. University 101 follows the lives of six college students, their parents and faculty at fictitious Dexter University. Screenwriting students wrote the scripts, Film & Video students handled the production, Fashion and Interior Design students did costumes and sets, and Music Industry students are doing the scoring for the series which features a cast of professional actors.

Shoes and Chairs

Rest Your Feet, exploring the history and evolution of shoes and chairs, will be our November exhibition at the Pearlstein Gallery. The exhibit will include the work of such notable designers as Roger Vivier, Salvatore Ferragamo, Herman Miller, Knoll International and Prada. The exhibition will feature a lecture series that will present Linda O’Keeffe, creative director of Metropolitan Home, and Valerie Steele, author and director of the museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Master Calligrapher

Chukin Takagi, a master calligrapher from Japan, will exhibit her work in the Pearlstein Gallery as a Graphic Design Rankin Scholar. Chukin’s latest work includes expressive typography and a visual translation of a 7th century Buddhist chanted teaching,
Hannyashingyou. In addition to showing her work, Ms. Takagi will lecture and work with students on this ancient art form that once created, cannot be altered.

Bluebird

After three successful seasons featuring residencies with Pig Iron Theater, the Commonwealth Theater Company and New Paradise Labs, the Mandell Professionals in Residence Project (MPiRP) recently received its first ever Barrymore Nomination for PROM. This year MPiRP welcomes award winning theater company EgoPo Productions and the acclaimed contemporary music group Orchestra 2001 for a year-long residency that welcomes students to learn and perform alongside professionals. The residency will culminate with the world premiere production of Bluebird.

Designed and Built

This year’s ARFAA architectural lecture series kicks off with Dr. Gray Brechin, co-founder of the ‘Living New Deal Project.’ His lecture, ‘Another World Was Possible: The Indispensible New Deal Today,’ will address the important engineering and architectural achievements of the W.P.A. and other Depression-era relief efforts and their relevance to today. Also, the student design solutions created for the recent Architecture for Humanity charrette will be on display at the new AIA Design Center as part of 2008 Design Philadelphia.

20th Century Art

Last year, Antony Penrose gave a spell-binding lecture about the art and lives of his parents: surrealist English painter Roland Penrose, and fashion and war photographer Lee Miller. We were so impressed with Antony, the director of the Lee Miller Archive and the Roland Penrose Estate, that we invited him back to spend several days as a Rankin Scholar lecturing on 20th Century Art.

Chartbusters

MAD Dragon Records recording artist Matt Duke’s new CD Kingdom Underground is due out Sept. 23rd on Rykodisc Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music, the first release under a recently negotiated and expanded deal between MAD Dragon and Rykodisc. The coming months will see a new release from Andrew Lipke and we’re looking to present Matt, Andrew, The Swimmers and and all the MAD Dragon artists at the 3rd Annual MAD Dragon Concert this February at the Mandell Theater.

Music to our Ears

Our Music Program will perform over thirty concerts by twelve different ensembles. We’ll be playing at venues all over campus including the Mandell Theater, the Main Building’s Great Court and on the Quad. The Chamber Singers will hold their 19th annual Madrigal Dinner and our 10th Annual Jazz Extravaganza will feature the Spelman College Jazz Ensemble performing alongside our Jazz Orchestra in a night dedicated to the Jazz Masters. A complete list of this year’s Performing Arts event can be found here.

National Science Foundation funds 3-D Colonial Philadelphia Project

Digital Media Professor Glen Muschio is part of a team of Drexel College of Engineering faculty who have just received a National Science Foundation grant of over $700,000 for work on 3- D Colonial Philadelphia. The grant is to fund research that seeks to develop an algorithm that could automate the virtual reconstruction of manufactured ceramic shards recovered from archaeological sites. A virtual process could reduce the need for time consuming physical reconstruction, and would have implications for cataloging and retrieving information of archaeological importance. The team is working in collaboration with the National Park Service which is supplying a sample of ceramic shards recovered from the grounds upon which the National Constitution Center now stands. If successful, the research will prove invaluable to archeologists working throughout the world.

3-D Colonial Philadelphia is an ongoing research project of the Digital Media Program. Among its goals is the creation of a repository for virtual artifacts and digital assets associated with colonial life so as to provide searchable databases for scholars, researchers, educators and the general public. The project’s objective is to create a digital environment appropriate for teaching colonial American history in the classroom and at historic sites. Digital Media faculty and students have a number of projects underway. Professor Chris Redmann has guided students in building 3D models of 18th century historic homes and structures in and around Philadelphia including Franklin Court, the home of Ben Franklin, and a brick house which once stood in the vicinity of Fifth and Arch Streets. The house was rented to James Oronoko Dexter, a prominent and free African American. Other 18th century structures include the Mill at Anselma in Chester Springs, PA and the Whitall House, home of wealthy Quaker entrepreneurs that still stands in Red Bank Battlefield Park, Woodbury, NJ.

Nomination for PROM

PROM, the original theater project that featured the collaboration of Drexel students and the New Paradise Laboratories, has been nominated for a Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre, Philadelphia’s awards for theater excellence and originality. PROM was presented as part of our Mandell Professionals in Residence Project (MPiRP) which brings professional performing arts companies to campus to work with students and to stage productions. The shoe was nominated for Outstanding Choreography/Movement recognizing the work of director Whit MacLaughlin and co-director and choreographer Lee Ann Etzold. This recognition is especially gratifying as PROM featured ten Drexel students who spent months learning and developing the choreography for this inventive production. The PROM nomination represents the first MPiRP production nominated for the prestigious Barrymore Award; over 100 professional theater productions were considered for this year’s awards.

At the Barrymore Awards presentation on October 6th at the Crystal Tea Room, many of the nominated actors and actresses will be attired in evening wear designed by our Fashion Design students. Our Design & Merchandising students will document the evening by photographing and covering the event for inclusion in next year’s D&M, the student produced magazine that accompanies our Annual Fashion Show.

Philadelphia Fringe Fest Comes to Drexel

Indigenous Pitch, a collective of Philadelphia-based dance companies, will take the Mandell Theater by storm in their performances of ‘Manic Swell, ’a Philadelphia Live Arts Fringe Festival presentation, sponsored in part by the Westphal College. The show will feature hip-hop theater, motion capture animation, multi-media dance and aerial stuntwork performed by Philly Fringe dance favorites Binc, Illadelphlave, Stephen Welsh/SWERVE, Underground Dance Works, Surge, and recent Westphal Digital Media graduate, Lauren Mandilian.

Alumnus Lauren Mandilian will present Information Overload: A Collaborative Multimedia Performance. The modern dance, which incorporates animation, projections, real time video and motion capture, explores how society relates to technology. Back for its second showing at the Mandell Theater, this outstanding piece brings together several programs at Drexel including Performing Arts, Digital Media, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Music Industry.

Looking at insanity and memory through different stylistic lenses, the creators of ‘Manic Swell’ transport the audience into the eye of the storm with original live music, video/still projections and comic prop use. The City Paper called Indigenous Pitch ‘muscular, acrobatic, witty’ and The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that they are ‘hilarious, quirky and always inventive.’

Do not miss this electrifying line-up of contemporary dance and multi-media. Performances of ‘Manic Swell’ are Friday, September 5th at 7 PM, Saturday, September 6th at 2 PM and 7 PM and Sunday, September 7th at 7 PM. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased through the Fringe Box Office by clicking here, or by calling 610-853-9656.

DETAILS:

‘Manic Swell’
September 5, 7 PM; September 6, 2 PM & 7 PM; September 7, 7 PM
Mandell Theater, MacAlister Hall, 33rd and Chestnuts St.
Tickets can be purchased at the Fringe Box Office here, or by calling 610-853-9656

Senior Design

As America’s elderly population grows, we need solutions to senior citizens’ special needs to make their lives healthier, more enjoyable and productive. Our Interior Design Program is in the middle of an extensive project exploring these seniors’ special needs. On September 4th we’ll announce the two teams of student finalists chosen after a term-length investigation of design challenges at senior care facilities. The winning teams’ designs will be constructed at the Philadelphia Convention Center this October as part of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) annual conference. Also, on the evening of September 4th, Daniel J. Cinelli and Joseph Hassell, principals of the prestigious Chicago design firm Perkins Eastman, with a strong interest in senior living communities, will present a lecture entitled ‘Trends for the New Consumer, Future Senior Living’ at 6 PM in Ruth Auditorium, Nesbitt Hall.

‘Alternate Environments,’ an Interior Design course taught by Henry Vega from the Ballinger firm, provided students with site visits and consultations with industry professionals to help them with their room designs. Perkins Eastman has been instrumental in our participation in this project and in addition to Mr. Cinelli and Mr. Hassell’s lecture, the firm is providing additional industry professionals to judge our students’ design concepts The winning designs will be constructed at the AAHSA conference, October 13-15, and Film & Video students will be on hand to capture all the action for a live webcast, distributed on AAHSA’s web site. At the end of the conference, one room will be selected by conference attendees and a cash prize of $1000 cash prize will be awarded.

Perkins Eastman is an award-winning design firm with 10 domestic and international offices. The lecture, which is sponsored by our Interior Design Program, will be in Ruth Auditorium at 6 PM on Thursday, September 4. A reception will precede the lecture at 5 PM in Nesbitt Hall.

DETAILS:

Interior Design lecture ‘Trends for the New Consumer, Future Senior Living’
Daniel J. Cinelli & Joseph Hassel, Perkins Eastman
Thursday, September, 4 PM
Ruth Auditorium, Nesbitt Hall (3215 Market St)
FREE
More information call 215-895-2071

Congrats Graphic Design!

Graphic Design students continue their impressive run by winning numerous awards from two major competitions, The University & College Designers Association (UCDA) Annual Competition and the Creativity Awards Annual 38 International Competition. In the UCDA competition, judge’s evaluated nearly 1,600 entries from both students and professionals and awarded just 27 student project winners total—Drexel received eight! Andrew Wright won the Gold Award for his American Psycho book jacket and received two awards of excellence for his book jacket designs. The winning projects will be featured in an exhibition at the Annual UCDA Design Conference and Awards Ceremony October 4th-7th in Savannah, Georgia.

At the Creativity Awards Annual 38 Competition, Steve Nunes won awards for his Spoke Revolutions Bicycle Wheel packaging and his John Cage Poem & Music motion graphic, Ruslan Khaydarov won for his Don Quixote and Invisible Man book jackets, and Julia Dobbins won for her Leviathan book jacket and as part of a group Environmental Graphics Project. The winning entries will be printed in the Creativity 38 Annual, published spring 2009 by HarperCollins. How impressive is it that this publication features primarily professional work, with only about 1% student work? Click here to see a complete list of our winners.

The University & College Designers Association Winners

Gold Award Winner:

Andrew Wright, American Psycho book jacket, Senior Book Design Project

Awards of Excellence:

Olga Filipava, Origins packaging, Senior Packaging Project
Michele Kopec, 80 Years of the Volkswagen Beetle, Senior Thesis Project
Andrew Wright, The Jazzy 8: Modern Masters book design, Senior Thesis Project
Andrew Wright, Animal Farm book jacket, Senior Book Design Project
Ruslan Khaydarov, Invisible Man book jacket, Senior Book Design Project
John Villani, The Jungle book jacket, Senior Book Design Project
Kyle Cook, Animal Farm book jacket, Senior Book Design Project

Creativity Awards Annual 38 International Competition Winners

Steve Nunes, Spoke Revolutions Bicycle Wheel packaging, Senior Packaging project

Steve Nunes, John Cage Poem & Music motion graphic, Senior Thesis project

Olga Filipava, Origins packaging, Senior Packaging project

Trissie Harding, Split Pea Restaurant Identity, Restaurant Identity project

Ruslan Khaydarov, Don Quixote book jacket, Senior Book Design Project

Ruslan Khaydarov, Invisible Man book jacket, Senior Book Design Project

Julia Dobbins, Leviathan book jacket, Senior Book Design project

Julia Dobbins, Michele Kopec and Dan Steinberg, Rodchenko Exhibit/Environmental Graphics Exhibit/Environmental Graphics project

New Dance Studio for New Major

Drexel’s new Dance major is ready to unveil its brand new Ellen Forman Memorial Dance Studio. There will be a reception on October 3rd at 7 PM which will include a live performance of the late Mrs. Forman’s work performed by the Drexel Dance ensemble. A video that details Mrs. Forman’s contribution to the Philadelphia dance scene will also be shown.

A Philadelphia dance pioneer, Ellen Forman was the co-founder and director of South Street Dance Company and was a scholar on the work of Isadora Duncan. Each year she produced five concerts at the Painted Bride Art Center entitled Body/Language which brought together artists to explore the integration of text and dance. An innovative choreographer and a charismatic performer, Ms. Forman worked extensively as a teaching artist in residence for Philadelphia area schools.

Westphal now offers students a Bachelor’s degree in dance which can lead to a Master of Arts degree in dance/movement therapy in partnership with the College of Nursing and Health Professions or a Master of Science degree in elementary education with the School of Education. The new studio, constructed in what was previously the Living Arts Lounge, was named in honor of Mrs. Forman following a grant from the Ellen Forman Memorial Fund, a donor advised fund of the Philadelphia Foundation.

DETAILS:

The Ellen Forman Memorial Dance Studio Grand Opening
Friday, October 3, 7 PM
Mandell Theater and Dance Studio, MacAlister Hall (33rd and Chestnut St.)
Free and open to the public, reservation requested at 215-895-ALUM
For more information visit www.drexel.edu/westphal/dance

Meet This Year’s MPiRP Artists

Performing Arts is hosting a reception showcasing this year’s Mandell Professionals in Residence Project (MPiRP), BLUE, from award-winning companies EgoPo Productions and Orchestra 2001. MPiRP will afford Drexel students the opportunity to work alongside theater and musical artists during this year-long residency that will culminate with the world premiere of BLUE in the spring 2009.

Based loosely on Maurice Maeterlink’s The Bluebird, BLUE is a modern fairytale of two children sent on a journey through fantastical worlds in search of the ‘Blue Bird of Happiness.’ This will be the first time students participating in MPiRP will collaborate with musicians as well as with a theatrical company.

EgoPo will teach students choreography highlighting their expertise in movement-based versions of classic theater. Representing EgoPo at the reception will be Lane Savadove, Artist Director. Also attending will be Orchestra 2001’s Executive Director Ron Vigue and Artistic Director James Freeman, and Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winning classical composer George Crumb. Mr. Crumb will compose music for BLUE to be played by members of Orchestra 2001, and he'll attend music rehearsals and guest-lecture. Molly Rice, a playwright and composer who is adapting BLUE will also be in attendance. Please join us for the free reception on September 25th at 5 PM in the Mandell Theater (33rd & Chestnut St.).

Originally from New Orleans, EgoPo is a repertory theater company devoted to a vocal and physical style of acting. Nationally, they have staged over two-dozen shows in New York, New Orleans, Chicago and Washington, D.C. and internationally in Indonesia and Croatia. Founded in 1988, Orchestra 2001 is dedicated to contemporary American music.

DETAILS:

MPiRP BLUE Kick-off reception
Mandell Theater (33rd and Chestnut St.)
Thursday, September 25, 5 PM
Free and open to the public
For more information, please visit www.drexel.edu/westphal.

Architecture Student Work in Pearlstein Gallery

The impressive work of our Architecture students will be on display in the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery for their annual exhibit beginning September 22nd and running through October 24th. Architecture students complete their studio sequence by undertaking a year-long independent comprehensive thesis project on a design challenge of their choice. The show will feature drawings, models and digital images of 2007-2008 thesis projects. The projects on display will also include the medal winners and the finalists of the Michael Pearson Thesis Prize. An opening reception for the exhibit is October 1st from 5-7 PM.

DETAILS:

Annual Exhibit of Architecture Student Work
September 26 through October 29
Leonard Pearlstein Gallery (Nesbitt Hall 33rd & Market St.)
Opening Reception, Wednesday, October 1, 5-7 PM
Gallery Hours, Monday through Thursday 11 AM–7 PM and Friday 11 AM–5 PM
Free and Open to the Public
For more information, call 215.895.2409 or email gallery@drexel.edu

Music Industry Leaders

Over the past six years, our Music Industry Program and its MAD Dragon enterprise have grown exponentially. Hundreds of students apply for only 54 class seats in a program that is among the University’s most selective. Music Industry’s enterprise now includes the only student run record label with national distribution through Rykodisc, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and a host of related activities related to music publishing, promotion and video productions.

The extraordinary growth of the program requires an expansion of faculty leadership. Consequently, Professor Jim Klein will succeed Program Director Marcy Rauer Wagman as Music Industry Program Director while Professor Wagman continues as CEO of the expanding MAD Dragon UNLTD.

Jim Klein is a music industry veteran with two musical composition Emmys to his credit and thirty years of engineering, producing and composing experience. Since 2000, Jim has been a composer for ABC’s All My Children, writing underscores and songs for the longstanding daytime series.

In addition to her leadership and teaching in Music Industry’s business and law track, Marcy Rauer Wagman will oversee student-run MAD Dragon Records, DraKo Booking Agency, MAD Dragon Publishing, MADKo Concert Promotions and MADFire Music Video Productions. Marcy’s extensive career in the music business began as a performer, opening for the likes of Elton John, and then as a producer and songwriter before she moved on to becoming an entertainment industry attorney. We are confident that under Marcy and Jim’s leadership our Music Industry program will remain one the most successful in the country.

Fall Workshops in Media Arts

The day is divided into two sessions with lunch at the D.U. cafeteria. We will provide documentation of participation for your High School. To register call 215.895.1834. To experience the full range of our student work, click here to visit our student portfolio.

Workshops in Media Arts: Graphic Design or Photography
Drexel Univer

Student Portfolio

New Creativity Sampler

Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design

Westphal College News & Events

Season’s Greetings!

Assistant Dean Jeannette Elliott Brown to Retire

Graphic Design Awards

Avant-Garde Theater Icon Robert Wilson

Chris Matthews and Presidential Speechwriters

Fall Music Festival

D&M Journal

Directors Lab 5

Dred Violinist

MAD Awards

BLOOD BROTHERS

Khachaturian

Very Cool Shoes and Chairs

On Co-op in Ireland

Fall Music Festival, December 2nd - December 7th, 2008

Sex and Shoes

See the Sundance Winner

Faculty Focus: Terry Tompkins

Cold Duck Sauce

MadKo For a Cause

High School Photography Contest '08

New College Video

Classical Music Up Close

Who Were the Last Designers Standing?

Go Dragons!

Pull Up A Chair, Rest Your Feet

Celebrating Music Professor Howard Haines

Recent Grads Direct, Star and Write their First Feature Film

Drexel Football?

I’m Going to Disney Land

Co-op Profile: Sabryna Gancarz

Economic Dé jà Vu?

Photographing Dance

Women in Film

Philadelphia Orchestra Back on Campus

Graphic Design Student Work to Aid Rwandan Villagers

See Our New Dance Studio

Student Filmmakers with a Cause

Thinking Pink in October

Christine Fortune, Class of 1938, Creates Major Scholarship Fund

Architecture Student Show

Faculty Focus: Jen Blazina

Matt Duke Releases New Album

Student Business Concept Competition

DSMR and Fashion Alumni Workshop

Calling All Actors:

The Shirt Off Our Back!

Zipped Up At Fashion Week

New Fashion Show Home

Cinema Costume Classics

Major Dance

World-changing Graphics

On the Boards

Family Photos

University 101

Shoes and Chairs

Master Calligrapher

Bluebird

Designed and Built

20th Century Art

Chartbusters

Music to our Ears

National Science Foundation funds 3-D Colonial Philadelphia Project

Nomination for PROM

Philadelphia Fringe Fest Comes to Drexel

Senior Design

Congrats Graphic Design!

New Dance Studio for New Major

Meet This Year’s MPiRP Artists

Architecture Student Work in Pearlstein Gallery

Music Industry Leaders

Fall Workshops in Media Arts