Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design

Westphal College News & Events

Changes at MDU = MIP(e)

The Philadelphia Weekly’s music issue hit the streets earlier this month and we weren’t surprised to read several stories on MAD Dragon recordings artists.  It’s been a busy summer for the Music Industry Program (MIP) and its business entities with a slew of new artist signings and a reorganized management lineup.  The cornerstone of the Music Industry program is  a series of businesses that offer students the chance to learn the business by working in enterprises operated by the program - our record label MAD Dragon Records, MAD Dragon Publishing, MADKO concert promotions, DRAKO booking agency, and the artist services entity Bantic.

 Assistant professor Terry Tompkins is now Managing Director of all MAD Dragon enterprises which we’ve renamed Music Industry Program Entities or MIP(e).   MAD Dragon Records (MDR) will now be run by music industry veteran Andy Hurwitz, who founded Ropeadope records. Under Andy’s leadership, the label continues to expand its diverse roster with the fall release of hip-hop MC Kuf Knotz. Kuf has been performing in Philly with acts like The Burndown All-Stars and The Hustle and his soon to be released new album, Boombox Logic, harkens back to hip-hops’ golden era.   This past spring, MDR released Toy Soldier’s debut record Whisper Down the Lane and the band has been on the road to support it.  They’re just back from their summer tour which stopped at Nashville, Asheville and New Orleans as well as WXPN’s XPoNential Music Fest. To see what Toy Soldiers has been up to, take a look at their new video clips here or check them out at their upcoming gigs at Johnny Brenda’s and World Café Live.

Andy, Terry and the Music Industry students have focused MAD Dragon’s upcoming release schedule on Philadelphia’s vibrant music scene.  New to MAD Dragon are two mainstay Philly acts, Hezekiah Jones and Spinning Leaves who will collaborate on a release featuring a blend of neo-folk psychedelia.  Hezekiah Jones and Spinning Leaves are currently recording at MAD Dragon Studios with studio manager and producer Ryan Schwab and their debut release on MAD Dragon Records is due out in winter 2011. We’ll have a mix tape/compilation CD of all of our Philly artists out this fall that will feature MAD Dragon alumni The Swimmers, Andrew Lipke, Hoots & Hellmouth and Matt Duke as well as tracks from Kuf Knotz, Spinning Leaves and Hezekiah Jones. To keep Music Industry students up to speed on what’s going on at MIP and MIP(e), a Town Hall-style meeting is planned for this October.  You can always get the latest info by following MAD Dragon Records on our Twitter feed twitter@maddragonmusic.

Learn Television from a Top Pro

Karen Curry, former CNN New York Bureau Chief and NBC News London Bureau Chief, will be offering a new class, The TV Magazine Show, which will teach students all the basic building blocks needed to produce a compelling, professional and informative television magazine program.    You will learn what a good story is and how to find one.  You will learn how to research a story to make sure it holds up under scrutiny and how to find the right characters through whom to tell it. You will learn about the studio components of the show - the importance of using compelling teasers and bumpers; the importance of graphics and set elements and the art of creating the right rundown of segments, so that the show has cohesion and flow.  Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, you will learn the critical importance of writing good, crisp and clear copy, both for the field and studio segments.
 
You will meet real life practitioners, who will show you examples of their work and walk you through the steps that led to the finished project.  There will be workshops in camera and editing and by the end of the quarter, you should be able to walk out the door and start the process of producing your first magazine show. TVPR  356 - TV Magazine Show I is open to students from all Westphal and Drexel majors, so be sure to register early before Karen’s exciting class fills.

Faculty Focus:Lisa Hayes

When Lisa Hayes isn’t traveling the world in search of sustainable fashions or spending time with her family, you’ll find her teaching fashion design in Nesbitt Hall. Hayes has been teaching at Drexel for six years and she also advises Fashion Design seniors on their collections for our annual fashion show.  She believes “assessing each student to find out what their unique individual talents are, and building on those strengths,” is the key to a successful education.

A huge fan of what she calls “slow fashion,” Hayes knows that designers play an important role in advocating and implementing the use of sustainable methods and materials in fashion design. With these ideas in mind she is creating a line of coats and dresses called “The Little Green Dress Project” to explore dress design using sustainable materials that work for each season. She uses organic wool, organic cotton, leather tanned with an eco-friendly process and hand stitching. “Sustainable textiles are the wave of the future for the industry,” said Hayes, “It is important that our young designers have an interest in seeking out these sustainable textiles.” Hayes presented her first look in the line at The Korea & China Association of Fashion Industry- Academy, International Fashion Exhibition at the Chengdu Art Museum in Chine in June of 2009.

Hayes was most recently chosen to represent ITAA and the United States at the ASEAN International Conference, “Silk in the Green World,” in Bangkok, Thailand this month after being named the first place winner for design in The Queen Sirikit Institute of Sericulture Peacock Standard of Thai Silk Design Competition. For the conference, Hayes will work with three other U.S. designers to create a design using Peacock Standard Thai Silk.

Hayes, who just found out she was named a Fulbright Specialist Candidate, has designed clothes and home goods for popular lines such as Anthropologie, Motherswork Inc., Liz Claiborne Inc. and Albert Nipon. Hayes said it can be rewarding and exciting seeing her designs in stores or even on her students. A fashion design student came in wearing one of her Liz Claiborne designs from the late eighties. “I recognized the dress immediately and asked her where she found it. Turned out that she said she bought it at a thrift shop,” said Hayes laughing.

She once made the premature announcement that a hostess at a party she was attending was pregnant after noticing she was wearing one of her Motherswork designs. “I asked her when she was due,” said Hayes, “apparently she hadn’t told anyone the news and wondered how I’d guessed because she wasn’t really showing.”

Hayes ranks Miuccia Prada as her favorite designer and as far as dream clients; she would have loved to design for classic beauties like Audrey Hepburn or Jackie O. Speaking of classics, Hayes thinks they are back in a big way. This fall stock your closet with classic pieces like black coats with clean silhouettes. Once more emphasizing the importance of “slow fashion,” Hayes advises buying fewer pieces of clothing so you can spend more on the more meaningful pieces that you will want to wear for years.

Putting Out

Putting-Out! Practices in Cottage Industry and Urban Guilding focuses on the home studio as an early entrepreneurial and artistic engine of the 19th century in our latest exhibition at the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery. This mixed media installation by Philadelphia artist Candy Depew is on view now through September 10th and was curated by Filiz O’Brien, the Pearlstein Gallery Graduate Assistant and a student in our Arts Administration program.  The exhibit, which is outfitted with a functional silk-screen printing set-up, includes silk-screen textiles, prints and decorative home goods created by Candy in her cottage-style home studios, as well as a painted wall mural of a "cottage-like" architectural form, layered prints, delicate framed paper collages and paintings.

According to artist Candy Depew, “Cottage Industry” and the “Putting-Out” system mirrors the decorative art and domestic goods that were produced by women in their own cottage-style home studios. Skills were practiced, honed, and passed down for generations, laying the groundwork for the Industrial Revolution. Although large industry absorbed production of many cottage industries, thousands of people still produce arts and crafts at home and this form of creative production has flourished in recent years.

Big Wins for Graphic Design

The Graphic Design program has had four wins in Crescent Hill Books’ international publication, The Big Book of Packaging. The Big Book of Packaging will feature the best national and international package designs, with a large section devoted to eco-friendly packaging.

Published by HarperCollins/ Rockport, the 384-page hardcover publication will be distributed in over 20 countries in spring 2011. Our students winning designs are particularly significant because The Big Book of Packaging was originally intended to be strictly professional work without any student work included in the judging. With these wins included, the graphic design program has won 45 awards in the past academic year. Congratulations to our winning students Jenna Navitsky, Cariese Bartholomew, Michael Valentine, Joey Krietemeyer and their faculty advisers. 

7-11 Rebranding and Packaging
Student Designer: Jenna Navitsky
Course: Senior Thesis
Instructor: E. June Roberts-Lunn

Chanel Circus packaging
Student Designer: Cariese Bartholomew
Course: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Jody Graff

Learn to Play the Harmonica packaging
Student Designer: Michael Valentine
Course: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Jody Graff

Secrets of Misdirection and Illusion, A Mystical Box for Aspiring Magicians
Student Designer: Joey Krietemeyer
Course: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Sandy Stewart

All College Choir

The new All-College Choir will provide yet another opportunity for Drexel students to participate in the performing arts. The choir, class Music  101, section- 001, is a new, non-auditioned, mixed voice ensemble that sings choral repertoire of many styles, genres and eras, including classical, jazz, spirituals, American Musical Theater, folk and pop.  The ensemble is open to all Drexel University students and may be taken for credit or non credit. The All-College Choir meets fall, winter, and spring terms with rehearsal times on Monday and Wednesday from 3 PM – 4:20 PM.  For additional information, contact Mr. Scott Bacon, director, at sdb33@drexel.edu or (215) 895-4915.

The choir will be led by Scott Bacon, Assistant Teaching Professor in Music. Scott is beginning his 9th year at Drexel after having conducted high school choirs for 10 years in Maryland and Pennsylvania.  His choirs regularly received excellent and superior ratings at festivals throughout the United States and Canada.  In addition to directing the Drexel All-College Choir, Scott teaches courses on Rock Music, American Popular Music and instructs students in Percussion. 

Summer in the City: Arch & Interior Design

The Drexel’s Discovering Architecture and Discovering Interior Design summer programs, now in their 14th and 10th year respectively, inspire and introduce high school seniors to the fields of architecture and interior design.

While living on the Drexel campus for two weeks, participants experienced what it's like to study architecture and interior design in a college setting. 46 students took design studio classes, drawing, computer modeling, and attended lectures on architectural history and sustainable design. Courses were tought by the Drexel Architecture and Interior Design faculty, teaching assistants and distinguished guest speakers. The session culminated in a formal presentation of final design projects to faculty and invited professionals.

Outside of the studio, students took sketch trips to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pearlman Gallery, the Water Works, Christ Church and Reading Terminal. Students also participated in construction site visits, field studies and tours to significant architectural sites including the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts. They discovered historic Philadelphia’s magnificent buildings, squares, parks and museums, as well as traditional houses and neighborhoods.  Additionally, they visited architecture and interior design firm Kling Stubbins and Friday architects, where they met architects and interior designers to see what they were working on, how they go about their daily routine and the environment of a design office.

There was also some fun integrated into these two weeks. Participants attended a show at the Walnut Street Theatre and spent a relaxing day on the beach in Wildwood.  The students also participated in a challenging Sunday afternoon Charrette where teams of students designed and built a life size portable shelter that could be carried around on their bodies and opened up for sleeping, eating and protection when needed. For more information about the programs please click here.

Summer in the City: Fashion and D&M

From July 11-24th, 31 high school students from all over the U.S. studied and explored careers in a summer high school program run by our Fashion and Design & Merchandising programs. The following write-up is from one of the participants, Elly Ayres, from Bradenton, FL.

“I couldn’t wait to come here to Drexel and Philly, because I wanted to see what the fashion industry was like,” Kerry Bresnahan explained to me as she climbed off of the bus outside of Millennium Dorms. “I’m really looking forward to the projects and studio time, and especially meeting people who are interested in the same things as I am.”

The projects Bresnahan referred to cover a wide array of topics in Design and Merchandising. Along with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, students in the Fashion Design program also learned CAD (Computer Aided Design) to construct fashion illustrations on the computer. The Fashion Design students tried their hand at spontaneous draping, a quick course which consisted of constructing clothes out of newspaper for half-scale dress forms. Both the Fashion Design and Design & Merchandising programs were assigned final projects, which they completed throughout the course of their two weeks stay at Drexel.

For Fashion Design, the final project was to design a mini collection, complete with a recurring theme, fashion illustrations and mood board. Design & Merchandising’s assignment was to design and market a perfume brand. They designed the brand logo, bottle, box, shopping bag and store display, all while keeping the target audience in mind. Each group was critiqued by faculty and visiting critics. Catherine Byers, Assistant Teaching Professor for D&M, coordinated the program, and Cynthia Golembuski, Associate Program Director for Fashion Design, managed the FD student experience.

New Majors for New Media

To address the rapidly growing impact of new media on entertainment, education, and industry, the Digital Media Program in the Department of Cinema and Television will be launching three new undergraduate majors - Animation & Visual Effects, Game Art & Production, and Web Development.  The new majors will launch in September 2011.  The curricula for these three majors will provide a comprehensive foundation of design and technology, core courses in all aspects of digital media, a six month coop, and rigorous coursework in the areas of specialization to best prepare students for the demands of careers in these cutting-edge disciplines.

The field of animation and visual effects has expanded to encompass every area of media that is used in entertainment, education, and industry.  The new major in Animation & Visual Effects will give students the technological, story-telling and design skills to succeed as animators and visual effects artists.  Students will learn such software as Maya and Renderman, as well as the use of our motion capture studio.

The gaming industry has grown from primarily a source of entertainment to one that also encompasses the use of “serious gaming,” where gaming technologies are used to address societal needs.  To complement the creative focus of the new Game Art & Production Major, a sister concentration in Game Programming and Development will be offered in Computer Science.  The Princeton Review recently ranked Drexel’s Gaming Program as number three nationally.

The internet’s explosive rise as the dominant communications medium has been accompanied by an ever-increasing level of sophistication in the content and applications used by individuals and businesses. Today, content is fully interactive and dynamic.  The new Web Development Major will help students understand both the aesthetics of content development for online platforms and the server-side technologies that drive the content.

Chris Redman will be the Program Director for all our Digital Media offerings which include these three exciting new majors as well as the Digital Media Masters and Certificate Programs. The faculty for the majors includes Glen Muschio, Ted Artz, Dr. Paul Diefenbach, Jervis Thompson, Troy Finamore and Dave Mauriello.

URBN Center Update

The second major phase of the URBN Center project, Design Development, has just been completed. During this phase, the architects—Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, LTD (MS&R) — met regularly with the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design faculty and administrators to complete final designs for every facility in the URBN Center’s 143,000 square feet of space. The placement and particulars for every studio, classroom and office has been drafted in detail down to the placement of lighting, doors, electrical outlets and such special requirements as ventilation, sound mediation, and temperature and humidity control for Drexel’s Historic Costume Collection. MS&R worked with sub-contractors to develop final specifications for signage, lighting, specialized audio visual needs, landscaping, air conditioning and the configuration of the new black box theater. They also have been meeting with many other Drexel departments including Facilities, Public Safety and Environmental Health & Safety. Next up for MS&R will be the development of contract documents.

Since early June, crews from Drexel’s own Facilities Management department have been doing light demolition within 3501 Market Street, including removing carpeting, partitions, lighting fixtures, and ceiling tiles. As sustainability is one of our major priorities so that the building will have as minimal impact on the environment as possible, great efforts are being made to reuse or recycle as much of the buildings’ existing material as possible.  Even the unsightly, granular fireproofing coating the steel columns, beams, and ceiling deck will be reused to create a new concrete aggregate.  The next phase of demolition will involve cutting the atrium openings and that work is anticipated to commence later this summer.

Guitar Salon for Juarez

Talented classical guitarists William Newman, John Penn, and Tom Emery will be performing at the Ni Una Mas (Not One More) exhibition on Tuesday, July 13th. Here’s a nearly final chance to view the 70 powerful works of art by 20 international artists including Yoko Ono, Kiki Smith, Nancy Spero, Brian Maguire, Arlene Love and Jen Blazina that speak to the ongoing crimes against women in the Mexican border town of Juarez; all while listening to compositions by Manuel Ponce, Federico Mompou, Jacques Ibert, Ignancio Cervantes and Johann Sebastian Bach. The intimate evening will also feature poetry by alumnus Jon Corle and Professor Harriet Levin. The salon, organized by Dr. Eric Zillmer, will be held at the new Leonard Pearlstein Gallery (3401 Filbert St.) starting at 6 PM with a white wine reception. The performance begins at 7 PM. The Ni Una Mas exhibit will be open to the public until July 16th. For more information on Ni Una Mas and ways to get involved please visit: www.drexel.edu/juarez.

Event Details
What: Guitar Salon
When: Tuesday, July 13: 6 PM
Where: The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery (3401 Filbert St.)
More Information: www.drexel.edu/juarez

Performance Exchange

One of the pillars of our dance program is community outreach. This year the dance program had a very successful touring ensemble working with approximately 7,500 elementary school students. Students in the dance program visited a new school every Friday to work with students on choreography and performances. Dance Program Director Miriam Giguere and Professor Olive Prince mentored the dance students in teaching and working with the youths. The collaboration is a win-win situation as our students gain a lot from interacting with numerous Philadelphia communities and seeing the realities of public education.

The culminating event of the outreach program, Youth Performance Exchange, took place on June 4th in the Mandell Theater. Four schools, where our students worked with 7th and 8th graders to develop dance and choreography, were selected to perform. 400 Philadelphia school students filled the theater on June 4th to support their classmates and be a part of the Drexel dance community.  The Drexel dance ensemble also performed, demonstrating the wealth of talented Drexel dancers both within the dance major and the many dancers from other Drexel schools and colleges.

Helping Parkway High

This past winter quarter ten theater students worked with Parkway High School students to help them with their production of August Wilson’s Pulitzer prize winning play Fences. Under the direction of Theater Program Director Nick Anselmo and with the help of Parkway English teacher Joshua Rothstein, theater students worked with 27 Parkway students on all aspects of the production.

Charlie Gregory, Mechanical Engineering, and Vanessa Reddin, Entertainment & Arts Management, helped with the design and construction of the sets. Janelle Kauffman, Film & Video, served as the videographer and documented the entire process. To view Janelle’s documentary about the project please click here.

Chris Deter, Information Technologies, and Mike Long, Film & Video, co-directed the showing. Each handled one half of the play, casting different actors in each of the two acts. Laurel Hostak, Film & Video, coached the students in acting, prepared them for their auditions and cast the show. Toby Pettit, English, worked as the light and sound designer with the additional challenge of turning an empty space into a theater. Mike Ambler, Film & Video, also assisted in the production of the play.

The theater students and Parkway High students worked enthusiastically through workshops and practices, and the play was a huge success with the audience. The high school students that participated in Fences were so excited about their production that they then wrote and performed their own play as a follow-up project. 

MAD Dragon's New CD

MAD Dragon Recording Studios has just released Chronicle of Sound. Produced and engineered by Music Industry majors, this album is unlike any other associated with the program. This one is exclusively made up of Drexel bands recorded by Music Industry sound engineers, mix engineers, and producers at the program’s studios. The album consists of 18 songs and is 80 minutes long. The songs on the album offer a wide range of music genres including Rock, Bluegrass and Hip Hop to Punk, Electro and Folk.

The CD was manufactured with Drexel’s green initiative in mind. The CD booklet is made of recyclable paper and the CD tray is made of potato paper molding which is bio-degradable. You can pick up your free copy of Chronicle of Sound outside of Recording Studio A in the basement of MacAlister Hall or at the Creese Information Desk. Click here for the track listing.  

Graphic Design Senior Show

The Graphic Design Senior Show is an exhibition of outstanding work that represents the diversity of Graphic Design curriculum. Seniors exhibit projects in book design, packaging, publication design, web design, environmental graphic design (exhibition & wayfinding), motion graphics and their own senior thesis projects that showcase their versatility and talent. The show will be held on Wednesday, June 9th from 6 - 9 PM in the Drexel Recreation Center lobby. 

Among the work exhibited will be the “Bizzy Bee” exhibition project by Dorothy Lun, Brielle Weinstein and Sheena Lewoc which won awards from the American Graphic Design and Advertising—2009 and Creativity 39 Annual—2009. Holly Siemon will display her restaurant identity for “Trellis Restaurant,” which was included in both the American Graphic Design and Advertising and Graphic Design: USA –2010 American Packaging Design Awards. Also featured will be the five award-winning motion graphics projects in the Creativity 40 Media and Interactive International Awards, which swept the "Show Openings, IDs and Titles" category with the Platinum, Gold, Silver and two Honorable Mentions. The platinum award went to The Science of Sleep title sequence by Kanya Zillmer; the gold award went to Lars and the Real Girl Movie title sequence by Caitlin Lemaire; the silver award went to Weather Report by Alex Voorhees; and both the Raging Bull title sequence by Alex Voorhees and Weather Report by Kanya Zillmer received honorable mention. The show offers you the opportunity to see all of this stunning work and to meet with the talented designers.

Event Details:
What: Graphic Design Senior Show
When: Wednesday, June 9; 6 PM
Where: Drexel Recreation Center
Cost: Free

Entrepreneurial Rhythm

Linking entrepreneurialism with creativity is a core value of this college. The Baiada Center at the LeBow College of Business bridges education and entrepreneurship through research, coursework, experiential learning and entrepreneurial thinking. As part of the 2010 Business Plan Competition, the Nina Henderson Awards are presented to Westphal students who participate in the business concept and pitch competition and the full business plan competition who are ranked highest by the judges.

Our winners this year are Patrick Hoffman who worked with Kate Lang and Joseph Slavin (LeBow College of Business) and Cody Ray and Eric Eisele (College of Engineering) in first place for Viridom, a business dedicated to improving the environmental and social conditions of urban settings through new products for the built environment and green building industry; Katie Reilly (Music Industry) who worked with Anna Drozdowski (Music Industry alumna) in second place for Artist Development Music Business, a fully integrated music business model that incorporates artist management, record label functions, publishing, and merchandise that creates partnerships to form artist-friendly entities; and Audrey Diestelkamp, Jaime Diehl, Arielle Esdale and Jenna Shiner in third place for CityConnect, an internet service business marketed specifically to 18 to 26 year olds that offers late night shuttle service to specific locations throughout the city. The winners received $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 respectively. Nina Henderson is a trustee of the University and an alumna of our fashion program.

Our second place winners Katie Reilly and Anna Drozdowski also competed in the 2010 Baiada Center Incubator Competition. Katie and Anna competed against six other teams and received private coaching in preparation for their presentation from Steve Bowman, an expert in financial and technical presentations. The presentations were given at the 2010 Entrepreneur Conference on June 2nd at World Café Live.

Photography Show

Our senior photography students produce beautiful work that ranges from antique to contemporary digital processes. They will exhibit their work at the Photography Senior Show that will run until June 11th in the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery.  This year’s students worked in such practices as landscape, portraiture, still life and documentary. Sarah Graves, winner of the Dini Jones Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement, will have her work on display at the exhibition. There will be an opening reception on Friday, June 11th from 5 - 8 PM at the Pearlstein Gallery.

Event Details:
What: Photography Senior Show
When: Opening Reception, Friday, June 11; 5 PM
Where: The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, Nesbitt Hall
Cost: Free

Interior Architecture & Design Graduate Show

The Graduate Interiors Organization is hosting a student show featuring projects from all three years of the Interior Architecture and Design Graduate Program. The show will be held at The Shops at Liberty Place in The Rotunda (level one) from June 21st through June 25th. There will be an opening reception on June 22nd from 7:30 – 9:30 PM with refreshments served by Jack Kramer’s Catering.   

The show will feature examples of First Year Conceptual Studio work, an architectural model of a High End Retail Boutique from Graduate Studio B and the commercial design of the Estee Lauder headquarters from our Second Year students. Among the most impressive work will be the graduating third year students’ thesis projects.  The thesis projects include investigations in a biophilic design (man’s inherent need for nature) of an airport, the promotion of everyday health in middle schools, and the creation of a special African tree house environment for children inflicted with SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder).

Event Details:
What: Interior Architecture & Design Graduate Show
When: June 21 – June 25, Opening Reception June 22; 7:30 PM
Where: The Shops at Liberty Place in The Rotunda
Cost: Free

2010 Senior Send- Off

Our graduating seniors and graduate students have worked long and hard, and the weeks before graduation have undoubtedly been both exhausting and exciting. To celebrate our graduating students' accomplishments, we have just the thing. Our soon-to-be graduates are invited to the 2010 Senior Send-Off Thursday, June 10th from 5 – 8 PM at World Café Live. The Senior Send-Off is a celebration of you and will include dinner, prizes, entertainment and a photo booth. The first 150 seniors will receive a free 2010 Senior Send-Off pint glass.

If you want to see your face on the big screen, send us photos we can include in the annual slideshow. Fun images from parties, events, outings, friends, dedications, artwork, and of course late nights in the labs…we want it all. This event is solely for seniors or graduate students who are completing their degrees from a Westphal College major or minor program.

Event Details:
What: 2010 Senior Send-Off
When: Thursday, June 10; 5 PM
Where: World Café Live
Cost: Free

FASHION on DUTV

We will broadcast this year’s highly anticipated annual fashion show on DUTV this weekend.  If you missed the collections from forty senior and graduate Fashion students gracing the runway last Saturday at the glorious Urban Outfitters Corporate Headquarters, you can catch the show with broadcasts Friday, June 11th at 8:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday at 6 PM.  DUTV is carried on Comcast and Fios in our region.  If you’re a Comcast subscriber you can find DUTV on channel 54 and for Fios subscribers DUTV is channel 37.  Students and faculty from our Cinema & Television department captured and edited the show for broadcast under the direction of DUTV general manager Dave Culver.

The shows were staged by students from the Design & Merchandising Program and featured evening, women’s, men’s, sport, swim and children’s lines as well as  lingerie, designed by Fashion Design students and modeled by Philadelphia’s top professional models.  This year, students found inspiration in everything from vintage carnival settings to World War II aviation to dinosaur bones.  Students won awards from premier professional designers and retailers including Carole Hochman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Lilly Pulitzer, Destination Maternity and Joan Shepp. Both Lilly Pulitzer and Carole Hochman donated fabric for students to use in their creations. A new accessory/jewelry award was presented thanks to the generosity of noted designer John Wind.

Among those students showcased were award-winning Milka Osoro and Ashley Pahler. Milka won the grand prize at the international Arts of Fashion competition that was held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art this past October and was hosted by Drexel. Milka will soon be heading off to Paris for a year’s internship at the coveted Les Ecoles de la Chambre Syndicale de la Mode. Ashley was the first student to win the Charles Evans Scholarship, part of a $1 million donation to the Fashion program from the Charles Evans Foundation.

Judith Bing Retiring

Judith Bing, Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture & Interiors, is retiring after 22 years of faculty service.  Judy has been teaching studio design in the 2 + 4 Option in Architecture since its inception in 1993.  She has given this unique program its basic form in studio design and has successfully launched generations of Drexel students on their architectural careers.  Judy taught lecture and seminar courses on the History of Modern Architecture and Vernacular Architecture and served as Northeast Director & Board member of ACSA (2002-2005).  She was also co-chair of the successful ACSA 2007 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia which Drexel co-sponsored.  

Judy’s research has focused on the traditional architecture of the Balkans. She has published articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, conference presentations and exhibitions, and completed Chardak, Between Heaven and Earth: Tracing Vernacular Space in Balkan Architecture. Upon retirement she will move to coastal Maine where she and her husband built a home.  She will continue her research with the aspiration of having her manuscript published in the near future.  

New Cinema & Television Class

The Cinema & Television department will be offering a new class this summer in the management of news and sports programming. The class, TVMN 680 - Mgmt of News & Sports Programming, will explore management issues in news and sports programming through lectures, case studies and individual and project work. The students will learn about news and sports journalism, sales, marketing, programming, legal and ethical issues, management, research and technology.

The class, open to all students as an elective,  will be instructed by Princell Hair, who will bring an impressive amount of real world experience to the classroom. Princell is a Senior Vice President for Comcast SportsNet and a former head of CNN America. He also serves on the Comcast/NBC/Universal transition team. He works as an adjunct faculty member in the Television Management program.

Biggest Fashion Show Ever

The always highly anticipated annual fashion show will be bigger than ever this year. Collections from forty senior and graduate Fashion students will grace the runway on Saturday, June 5th at the glorious Urban Outfitters Corporate Headquarters. The two spectacular shows, at 4 PM and 8 PM, are staged by students from the Design & Merchandising Program and will feature evening, women’s, men’s, sport, swim and children’s lines as well as  lingerie, designed by Fashion Design students and modeled by Philadelphia’s top professional models.  

This year students found inspiration in everything from vintage carnival settings to World War II aviation to dinosaur bones. These one of a kind designs will play to a sold-out crowd of more than 1,500 people.  Awards from Carole Hochman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Lilly Pulitzer, Destination Maternity and Joan Shepp will be presented in a variety of categories. Both Lilly Pulitzer and Carole Hochman donated fabric for students to use in their creations. A new accessory/jewelry award will be presented thanks to the generosity of noted designer John Wind.

Among those students showcased are award-winning Milka Osoro and Ashley Pahler. Milka won the grand prize at the international Arts of Fashion competition that was held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art this past October and was hosted by Drexel. Milka will soon be heading off to Paris for a year’s internship at the coveted Les Ecoles de la Chambre Syndicale de la Mode. Ashley was the first student to win the Charles Evans Scholarship, part of a $1 million donation to the Fashion program from the Charles Evans Foundation.
 
Tickets for the show are $25 for the 4 PM show and $50 for the 8 PM show. There is free parking at Urban Outfitters. At the conclusion of the 8 PM show there will be a reception for all attendees.

Event Facts:
What:  Annual Fashion Show
Where: Urban Outfitters Corporate Campus, 5000 South Broad Street, Building 543
When: Saturday, June 5; 4 PM & 8 PM
Cost: $25 for 4 PM show, $50 for 8 PM show. Tickets are available at www.drexel.edu/westphal. Free Parking at Urban Outfitters. 
More Information: 215-895-2390 or visit www.drexel.edu/westphal

Unearthed

Impressive student choreography will be paired with work by some of Philadelphia’s finest professional choreographers in our final dance concert of the season. The concert, titled Unearthed, plays three performances from Thursday, June 3rd through Saturday, June 5th at 8 PM in the Mandell Theater.  Unearthed, whose meaning is meant to signify the deeper truths that become visible upon further exploration, will include works by eight student choreographers along with work by former Paul Taylor Dance Company member Ruth Andrien and Drexel dance faculty members Olive Prince and Moncell Durden.

Student works range from an autobiographical solo by Jesse Rathner to Lauren Hotz’s large-scale modern work performed by 24 dancers. Ruth Andrien’s modern dance revolves around the concept of water becoming purified danced to the accompaniment of an original score by Mike Ford. Dance Professor Olive Prince, director of Olive Prince Dance, will present the new work “Inside a House,” exploring movement development and responses to nature and personal connections. Philadelphia-based choreographer, dancer and educator Moncell “ill Kozby” Durden will present “Cifra en El Barrio” (Cypher in the Ghetto). With music by Isolee and George Benson, this work pays homage to nights Mr. Durden spent at a famous night club where the dance floor was blessed by a Yoruba priest.

Tickets to the dance concert are $5 for student and $8 for general admission. They can be purchased at www.danceboxoffice.com.

The Dance Program will also be hosting a show and discussion of works-in-progress by the professional dance companies in residence on Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at 3 PM. in Mandell Theater.The companies in residence this year are Carbon Dance Theatre, Olive Prince Dance and SCRAP Performance Group. This event is free and open to the Drexel community and the public. Reservations are requested. To RSVP, visit http://www.drexelresidance.com.

Event Facts:
What: Spring Dance Concert
Where:  Mandell Theater, 33rd & Chestnut Sts, Drexel University
When:Thursday, June 3rd through Saturday, June 5th; 8 PM
Cost: $8 General Admission; $5 Students
Advance Tickets: www.danceboxoffice.com
More Information:  215-895-ARTS or visit www.drexel.edu/westphal

Sixth Annual Great Court Concert

The halls of the Great Court in the Main Building will be filled with the voices of the University Choir and Chamber Singers performing the glorious music of Brahms, Bach and others. The sixth annual concert on Sunday, June 6th at 3 PM will feature Brahms’Liebeslieder Waltzer, Bach’s Motet No. 6 and works by Dufay, Schutz, Josquin and Tchesnokov. This concert has grown into one of the most anticipated annual choral events at Drexel due in part to the wonderful unique acoustics and natural amplification of the Main Building and our talented student singers. 

This event also marks a significant milestone for Dr. Steven Powell, the college’s Director of Choral Activities, who will celebrate his 20th anniversary at Drexel. Dr. Powell inherited the University Chorus when it had only 20 non-auditioned singers and guided its evolution into the successful ensemble it is today with over 60 singers. Dr. Powell formed Naturally Sharp, Drexel's Jazz Ensemble, and has had a major influence on the Chamber Singers, with both groups under his direction. Dr. Powell is also the founder and host for the annual Madrigal Dinner, an event under his direction since 1991.

Event Details:
What: Sixth Annual Great Court Concert
When: Sunday, June 6; 3 PM
Where: Great Court (Main Buiding)
Cost: Free
For more information email Dr. Steven Powell (powellss@drexel.edu)

Phila. Orchestra On Campus

With warm weather here, some of you may feel it’s too hot to trek to the Kimmel Center to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra. We have an alternative. Join us in Bossone's Mitchell Auditorium for a Philadelphia Orchestra concert cybercast on Tuesday, June 8th at 1:30 PM. This initiative features a full-length Philadelphia Orchestra concert beamed to campus in HD and digital sound. Conductor Charles Dutoit, Violinist Arabella Steinbacher, Violist Choong-Jin Chang and Cellinst Arto Noras will play Strauss’ Don Juan and Don Quixote and Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5. The cybercast affords you all the sights and sounds of the best orchestra seats right here on campus and free of charge.

Youngmoo Kim, Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and students in the MET (Music and Entertainment Technology) Lab will work behind the scenes to ensure top quality sound and picture for broadcast. These broadcasts are also part of an award-winning senior design project using new technologies to facilitate music education and appreciation. Professor Kim will give a brief presentation highlighting the technologies of this project before the concert program begins. For more information, please visit http://music.ece.drexel.edu. The concert is free of charge thanks to sponsorship by the College of Engineering, the Pennoni Honors College, and the Westphal College and is hosted by Music and Entertainment Technology Laboratory.

Event Details:
What: Philadelphia Orchestra Concert Cybercast
When: Tuesday, June 8; 3 PM
Where: Great Court (Main Buiding)
Cost: Free
For more information email Dr. Steven Powell (powellss@drexel.edu)

17th Annual Annex Art Exhibition

The 17th Annual Annex Art Exhibition, our annual showcase of artwork by Drexel students, faculty, staff and alumni will be open daily from 9 AM – 5 PM in the Annex Building at 3220 Cherry Street through May 29th. There will be a wide variety of work on display including fashion and textiles, film and video, photography, performance, motion graphics, graphic design and fine arts. The faculty advisor for the exhibit is Ephraim Russell, Art & Art History.

Social Graffiti

When Matthew Morton began work on his Digital Media Senior Project, he had a vision for a very big and ambitious project. Now he’s made that vision into a reality and it will be unveiled for all of Philadelphia to see starting on Sunday, May 30th when his Social Graffiti project is projected onto the front façade of Nesbitt Hall, a huge wall that measures about 36 feet by 64 feet, making for one of the largest digital projection venues in the city. Morton’s project combines architecture, design and technology to produce a visually stimulating viewer experience through a series of animations designed to complement the architectural components of Nesbitt Hall.

The animations will be intertwined with messages from Twitter, taking the content normally displayed on smart-phone screens and projecting it on the side of a building.  The project will intercept ‘tweets’ directed to Twitter account @digmGraffiti and incorporate those messages into animations. Anyone, anywhere can ‘digitally tag’ a message onto our building. The project’s applications can vary from being a message board for university announcements, student-to-student communication, or Drexel branding. The large-venue projection will take place once the sun sets so “when the sun goes down, your messages go up,” according to Morton. The installation will run from Monday, May 31st through Sunday, June 6th,  as part of the Digital Media Senior Show which is on Saturday, June 5th. Morton hopes that the project will lead to a permanent installation on campus.

Morton worked under the guidance of faculty advisor Theo A. Artz and was supported by team members Chad Porche, second lead and Adobe Flash animator; Kerry Russo, lead programmer; Cara Schroeder, 3D modeler and animator; Kurt Gawinowicz, lead web developer and 3D modeler and animator and Burak Ozmucur, designer and animator.  Click here to learn more about the Social Graffiti project.

Because Social Graffiti required renting an expensive projection system and the installation of additional projectors inside Nesbitt, Matthew solicited and received support from many sources including Dean George Tsetsekos of the LeBow College of Business, Drexel Facilities, Ray Westphal, and the 3M Corporation.

Digital Media Show

The Digital Media Program is leading the way in new media design and production. The Program’s Senior Show on June 5th will feature the students’ innovations in computer games, 3D animation, web design and development and digital installations. Visitors will be able to demo interactive exhibits and speak with the seniors who produced the works from 1 PM to 3 PM in Nesbitt Hall. Senior Teams will then make formal presentations and discuss their work from 3 PM–5 PM.  

This years projects include LexiConquest, a literary tool for middle and high school-aged students to help students experience some of history’s most significant pieces of writing, all under the guise of a fun and strategic trading card computer game; Desda, an entertainment system to help parents with daughters with Rett Syndrome or other severe disabilities that limit the use of phones and computers that dynamically loads video messages from friends and family into a musical animation; Independence Navigator, an iphone app and website developed to enhance the visitor experience at historic Independence National Park in Philadelphia; Eye Venturers Toy Detectives, a 2D Flash game and educational learning tool for children with autism spectrum disorders designed to teach social interaction skills by using eye-tracking technology so that players can initiate conversations with on-screen characters by looking directly at their faces and Social Graffiti.

Event Details:
What: Digital Media Senior Show
When: Saturday, June 5; 1 PM
Where: Nesbitt Hall
Cost: Free

New DNews

The newest edition of DNews, Drexel’s student produced newsmagazine, will air on Friday, May 25th on DUTV at 8 PM. The episode features the first of a two part interview with incoming Drexel President John Fry and Interim President Chuck Pennoni, a story on Ni Una Mas and the ARTMARCH. Other segments include a feature on our spring play Reefer Madness from Eric Colton; a story by Laurel Chadwick on the Spring Health Fair; and two stories by Grace Buttery, one on the Academic Bistro and another on Greek Week, featuring the Greek Week Talent Show. DUTV is Drexel University’s regional cable channel, which is available in over 360,000 homes in our community via Comcast and Fios.

Celebrate Israel

Coming off their performance at this years’ citywide Israel 62: Independence Day event hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the Mediterranean Ensemble continues celebrating the anniversary of the state of Israel by moving the celebration to campus. Led by Director Bruce Kaminsky, the Mediterranean Ensemble consists of 11 Drexel students who will enchant audiences with their concert, Mostly Israel, on Wednesday, June 2nd at 7:30PM in the Main Auditorium.

Playing music from Israel and other Middle Eastern selections, the Mediterranean Ensemble is honored that several notable guest artists will be joining them. These guests include Jack Kessler, an ordained Cantor and leader of Atzilut: Concerts for Peace, Kenny Ulansey, a respected band leader and versatile musician, and Roger Mgrdichian, master of the ‘oud, a Middle Eastern instrument considered the “grandfather of the guitar”.

Sounds of Summer

One of the pleasures of these warmer days is to listen to cool music outdoors. This year, the Guitar and Fusion Ensembles will electrify and add a bit of soul to Buckley Green on Tuesday, June 1st at 6 PM.

Always a crowd favorite, this free performance by the Guitar and Fusion Ensembles will feature such classic songs as “My Cherie Amour” by Stevie Wonder and “Oh Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison, as well as works by Handel and Schuman.

Hope. Act. Change.

We’ve been talking about art as an agent for social change with the Ni Una Mas (Not One More): The Juarez Murders exhibition on campus at the new Leonard Pearlstein Gallery (www.drexel.edu/juarez). So we were delighted to learn that Monica Manklang, a recent Westphal alumna, had already moved forward on her own proiect to promote social change through art. She started an organization, Art To Save the World, which works with all manners of artists in the Philadelphia area and encourages them to use their talents to benefit our local and world communities. Art To Save the World’s next event is Benefit for Baghdad on June 18th at 8 PM at Studio 34 in West Philadelphia. Join the organization for a night of art and music where a variety of art pieces will be available for purchase to benefit The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation, which promotes conflict resolution and reconciliation in the Middle East.  To learn more about Art to Save the World and Benefit for Baghdad click here.

Art for Social Change

Get involved and make your voice heard! Ni Una Mas will kick off with ARTMARCH on Saturday, May 15th at 2 PM at the Drexel Armory (25 N. 33rd St.). ARTMARCH will have hundreds of participants, including 700 young women dressed in pink T-shirts, the color of memorial crosses in Juarez, marching through the streets of University City.  The march features speakers Diana Valdez Washington, the Pulitizer Prize winning author of The Killing Fields: Harvest of Women; Maricela Ortiz, founder of Mothers of Juarez, a community group dedicated to helping families cope with the pain and loss resulting from these crimes; Larry Cox, Executive Director of Amnesty International; and famed forensic sculptor and topic of the book The Girl with the Crooked Nose, Philadelphia's Frank Bender.  In the first three months of 2010, 34 women have disappeared in Juarez according to a recent report by the state attorney general’s office for the northern zone of Juarez. Ni Una Mas has garnered major press attention including an article on the front page of the Magazine section of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Click here to read the story. 

Organized by Drexel University and Amnesty International, ARTMARCH will provide a forum for our community to speak out against the heinous crimes happening along the United States/Mexico border. Although these crimes have been occurring for over a decade, Mexican authorities have brought no one to justice. In addition to ARTMARCH, we will be presenting  numerous events during the two-month Ni Una Mas exhibition including  film screenings, lectures and concerts. If you want to register for ARTMARCH, please click here.

With Ni Una Mas: Not One More opening at the new Leonard Pearlstein Gallery this Saturday, there are numerous events going on to support the exhibit. Diana Washington Valdez, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of The Killing Fields: Harvest of Women, will lead a discussion on Friday, May 14th at 4 PM in Stein Auditorium. Valdez will also be at the Hagerty Library on Friday at 2 PM for a book signing. For more information on Ni Una Mas events, please click here.

Art of the Steal

Dr. Albert C. Barnes started the Barnes Foundation, one of the world’s foremost collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings, as an educational institution. His collections of Van Gogh, Cézanne, Monet and Degas are unrivalled, but due to Mr. Barnes antipathy to Philadelphia, his collection was to be left in perpetuity in suburban Merion per instructions in his will. Over the last decade, a struggle ensued as many powerful Philadelphia enthusiasts wanted the Barnes to move to Philadelphia, arguing that the city can use the collection to reach many more people than would be served by Merion Township.  After years of legal and political battles, ground has been broken and the Barnes is moving to Philadelphia where it will join Philadelphia’s illustrious art museums on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.  The Art of the Steal is a first-rate documentary that tells the story of this controversy. Please join us  for a free screening of the film on Wednesday, May 19th at 7 PM in the Bossone Auditorium.  

Following the screening there will be a discussion with Drexel faculty experts Professor Cecelia Fitzgibbon, Arts Administration Program Director and Department Head of Performing Arts; Professor D. B. Jones, Dean of the Pennoni Honors College and a documentary filmmaker; and Robert Zaller, History and Politics and Barnes Foundation neighbor. The event will be moderated by Professor Charles Morscheck, Art and Art History.

Event Facts:
What: The Art of the Steal film screening and discussion
Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium, 3128 Market Street
When: Wednesday, May 19; 7 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public, Free Popcorn
More information: 215-895-102

Music for Peace: Ni Una Mas

A free concert by Intercultural Journeys, The Dali Quartet and flutist Nicholas Real will be a special musical contribution to our Ni Una Mas exhibition on Tuesday, May 25th at 7 PM in the Pearlstein Gallery (3401 Filbert St). The concert will feature six brilliant, classically trained musicians performing compositions including Metro Chabacano for string quartet by composer Javier Alvarez.  

Led by Philadelphia Orchestra cellist Udi Bar-David, Intercultural Journeys is an organization devoted to breaking barriers between cultures and peoples in conflict through artistic performance.  The Dalí Quartet is an all-Latino chamber ensemble with a unique mix of traditional string quartet repertoire and Latin American chamber music. Nicolas Real is a Venezuelan flutist, conductor, and composer who is currently the principal flutist at the Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra. All will share the stage for a unique and special evening of musical performance.

This Intercultural Journey’s performance initiative has this acclaimed musical group working closely with several community-based Latino organizations including Taller Puertorriqueño, a North Philadelphia community organization that provides cultural opportunities for children and young people.  In addition to Taller Puretorriqueño, Artistas y Músicos Latino Americanos (AMLA), an organization that promotes the development, dissemination and understanding of Latin music and culture in the Philadelphia area will support the performance.  Musicians from the concert will work with students from these community centers in the days leading up to the concert to engage Latino youngsters with the arts and music of Spanish speaking cultures throughout the world. 

Event Facts:
What: Intercultural Journeys Concert
Where: Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, 3401 Filbert St.
When: Tuesday, May 25; 7 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public
More information: 215-895-1029 or www.drexel.edu/juarez

Mandell Up In Smoke

The Drexel Players present Reefer Madness from May 13-16th at the Mandell Theater. Winner of five Ovation awards, seven L.A. Drama Critics Circle awards and seven Garland awards, this stage adaptation of the cult film is sure to send you home thoroughly entertained. This very funny satire, directed by Theater program director Nick Anselmo, features show-stopping Broadway musical numbers as it spins its tale of the drug scares of the 1930s and authority figures who wrap their agendas in the American flag.

Inspired by the original 1936 propaganda film, Reefer Madness parodies the U.S. government’s serious warnings of the time that action must be taken before the country succumbs to the dangers of the demon weed. With a storyline that reads like an anti-drug campaign and features good guy Jimmy, who turns ‘bad’ with his first hit of  marijuana. Lessons abound in Reefer Madness as Jimmy has terrible experiences before he sees the errors of his ways finally promising to go forth and warn other children on the dangers of pot aka reefer.

Event Facts:
What: Reefer Madness
When: May 13-16; Thursday, May 13; 8 PM, Friday, May 14; 8 PM, Saturday, May 15; 2 PM & 8 PM, Sunday, May 16; 2 PM
Where: Mandell Theater, 33rd and Chestnut St.
Cost: $5 for Drexel Students, Faculty & Staff; $15 for General Admission
More information: email Nick Anselmo at nick.anselmo@drexel.edu

A Shure Thing

Shure Microphones challenged university music recording programs to produce the best recording possible in order to discover tomorrow's audio engineering superstars. Students from our Music Industry program won the grand prize at Shure's Fantastic Scholastic Competition, beating teams from Belmont University, Depaul University, Emerson College, USC and Peabody Conservatory of Music.

Team members Chris Pollock, Jeremy Cimino, Monika Arielle Julien, Justin T. Chapman and Lenard Reuben Skolnick, led by faculty advisor Cyrille Taillandier, recorded Music Industry alum Sonni Shine and a band of Music Industry students using microphones supplied by Shure. The winning prize package included Shure microphones (valued at $8,500), plus a donation of $3,000 towards a scholarship for our University. Each student on the team also received a microphone worth more than $1,000. Click here to listen to the winning recording and click here to find out more about Shure.

Best of Interior Design

The Interior Design senior show highlights the best work our graduating seniors have produced. Visitors to the Center for Architecture (12th and Arch Streets) will see an assortment of stellar floor plans for residential and commercial spaces, furniture and housewear prototypes and textiles patterns that may cover a sofa or a table someday soon. The senior show will be Friday, May 21st at 5 PM with a reception for interior design alumni preceding the show at 4 PM. Work from all 26 graduating seniors along with successful work from courses such as senior thesis, commercial and residential studio, hospitality studio and furniture design will be on display along with photography and other 3-D projects.

The Interior Design senior class of 2010 has also started a program with suppliers and their first “Senior Choice Awards” will be presented. Products from manufacturers of textiles, furniture and building products were evaluated by our senior class for their quality and design style as well as the manufacturer's willingness to work with students. The class identified 20 firms to receive “Senior Choice Awards” and those firms will be honored at the show. The senior class will be welcoming friends, family, professionals, alumni, and faculty, so please come out and enjoy our Interior Design students’ impressive work. 

Event Facts:
What: Interior Design Senior Show
Where: The Center for Architecture, 12th and Arch Sts.
When: Friday, May 21; 5 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public
More information: www.drexel.edu/westphal

Best of Film & Video

The Film & Video program will host their senior show on Sunday, May 23rd at 3 PM in Bossone’s Mitchell auditorium. The show will screen 20 projects shot on both 16mm film and High Definition Video. Students have produced documentaries, fictional narratives, commercials and even a musical. We are expecting another sold out house this year as this is always a show not to be missed.

Pray the Devil Back to Hell

Pray the Devil Back to Hell chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country. Join us for a screening of the film chosen Best Documentary of the Tribeca Film Festival on Tuesday, May 18th at 7 PM in the Bossone Auditorium. Producer Abigail Disney will lead a discussion after the film. The screening is in support of the Ni Una Mas exhibition at the Pearlstein gallery running through July 16th.

Disney is co-Founder and co-President of the Daphne Foundation, a progressive, social change foundation that makes grants to grassroots, community-based organizations working with low-income communities in New York City. Abigail has spoken internationally to a wide variety of audiences on the changing face of philanthropy, women’s leadership and the importance of living a life of engaged volunteerism.

Event Facts:
What: Pray the Devil Back to Hell film screening
Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium, 3128 Market Street
When: Tuesday, May 18; 7 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public
More information: 215-895-1029 or www.drexel.edu/juarez

The Art of the Steal

The Barnes foundation is one of the finest collections of nineteenth and twentieth-century French painting in the world. Dr. Albert C. Barnes started the Barnes foundation as an educational institution for students interested in the fine arts. Because of Mr. Barnes strong feelings of distaste towards the city of Philadelphia, the Barnes is currently nestled far away from the hustle and bustle of the city in Merion, Pennsylvania, but that’s all about to change. To find out why join us for a free screening of The Art of the Steal on Wednesday, May 19th at 7 PM in the Bossone Auditorium. The Village Voice review of the film said, “The Art of the Steal's thorough research, bolstered by many fiery talking heads, makes it one of the most successful advocacy docs in recent years and may prompt some firsthand investigating of your own.”

Following the screening there will be a discussion with Drexel Faculty experts Professor Cecelia Fitzgibbon, Arts Administration Program Director and Department Head of Performing Arts; Professor David B. Jones, Dean of the Pennoni Honors College and Documentary Filmmaker and Robert Zaller, Department of History and Politics and Barnes Foundation Neighbor. The event will be moderated by Professor Charles Morscheck, Department of Art and Art History.

Event Facts:
What: The Art of the Steal film screening and discussion
Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium, 3128 Market Street
When: Wednesday, May 19; 7 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public, Free Popcorn
More information: 215-895-1029

Observing Fashion

Harold Koda, curator in charge of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, will present his lecture, Outside In: Observing Fashion, on Monday, May 10th at 6:30 PM in the Bossone Auditorium. There will be a reception immediately following the lecture in the lobby of Bossone.

The Met's Costume Institute houses a collection of more than 35,000 costumes and accessories spanning five continents and as many centuries. It includes world's foremost holdings of American fashion from the late 19th to mid-20th century. The combined collections now constitute the single largest and most comprehensive costume collection in the world, offering an unrivaled timeline of Western fashion history.

Koda, who has curated twelve acclaimed exhibitions and co-authored 19 books, will be here as part of the lecture series Multicultural Appearances, Attitude and Style!. Koda's past exhibitions include Madame Gres (1994), Christian Dior (1996) and Giorgio Armani (2000).

Event Facts:
What: Observing Fashion
Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium, 3128 Market Street
When: Monday, May 10; 6:30 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public
More information: 215-895-1029

Best for Last

As cool as this year's slate of events were, they pale in comparison to the marvelous and creative work of our graduating class.  We’ll offer up seven senior shows and nearly a dozen music concerts at locations both on and off campus.  Our students produce incredible work and we’re enormously proud of their accomplishments. But, don’t take our word for it—rather come and see for yourself.  The annual senior shows demonstrate a culmination of the skills and knowledge our senior class has learned during their time at Drexel and the talent they will bring to the workforce after graduation. 

In years past, projects like Fourmation and Lazy Brains by digital media students went on to win international competitions and garner press attention.  You’ll see a room filled of award-winning graphic design work at their senior show, as graphic design students have won nearly 100 awards this year.  If you missed Milka Osoro garnering top honors at last year’s international fashion competition, Arts of Fashion, you’ll have an opportunity to see her latest looks at the annual fashion show. The film & video show will screen award-winning films in categories like drama, comedy, documentary and many more. They will also screen winners from the Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival. You’ll see innovative furniture, home ware and floor designs for some of the areas hottest locations at interior design’s undergraduate and graduate shows. The photography show will boast an impressive line-up of photojournalism and Fine Arts photography that will be on display for an entire week. Visit our website and keep an eye out for future newsletters with more details on all of the Senior shows.

House Party

Renowned typography gurus and purveyors of many things cool, House Industries, are here. House Industries has designed fonts for the NFL on Fox, Tokyo’s 2016 summer games’ Olympic bid, Shell Oil, The Simpsons Movie, the New York Knicks and countless others.  House also designs furnishings, accessories, clothing and books.

Since last Wednesday, Andy Cruz, the founder of House Industries, has been working with students in our graphic design program on a creative problem that he presented as a challenge.  Cruz has also been working with Music Industry students on packaging and promotion for the upcoming three-track 7” release by acoustic singer/songwriter Dave Hause.  The House Industries residency will conclude on May 5th when they take over the Armory. The party will begin at 6 PM with a House Supermarket and work signing, in which students will be able to browse and buy House products and artwork, followed by a 7 PM lecture on the House design philosophy with Cruz.  The evening will conclude with a Ping-Pong after-party and exhibit featuring a performance by Dave Hause. When you’re not listening to Hause perform or facing off in a ping-pong match with one of your professors, you’ll be able to walk the Armory and see the creative work of the students who participated in the residency on display.

Event Facts:
What: House Party with House Industries
Where: Armory, 33rd and Cuthbert St.
When: Wednesday, May 5; 6 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public
More information: 215-895-1029

New Architecture & Interiors Dept. Head: Jon Coddington

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Jon Coddington, AIA, as the new Department Head of Architecture & Interiors commencing September 1, 2010.  Jon Coddington spent the last three years as the Program Director for the River City Company, a non-profit working on the revitalization of downtown Chattanooga. Previously he served as Chair of the Department of Architecture at Ball State University. While at Ball State, a new Master of Architecture program and a Center for Historic Preservation were created and successfully launched under his leadership.  Prior to Ball State, Jon Coddington was a Professor of Architecture at the University of Tennessee where he also served as the head of the graduate program. His work at River City has included a multi-screen Carmike Cinema, the first LEED movie in the U.S, with Gold LEED certification. He has extensive experience doing master plans for important projects in Tennessee including the master plans, design and implementation for Tennessee’s Capitol Grounds; for Tennessee’s Bicentennial Mall; for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory; as well as for many other public and private institutions. He designed the Unitarian Universalist Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and the James Agee Park in downtown Knoxville. Mr. Coddington has been honored with the Tennessee Society of Architect’s Presidential Award for Distinguished Service, as well as numerous other awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Tennessee Society of Architects.  Mr. Coddington received a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Tennessee.

At this time we would also like to thank Paul Hirshorn who has served as the founding Head of the Department of Architecture & Interiors for the past three years.  Under his leadership the diverse Architecture and Interiors programs have worked to find their common ground and to set the stage for increased inter-disciplinary collaboration in the future.   Although Professor Hirshorn is stepping down as Department Head, we are delighted that he will continue to serve as Program Director for Architecture as he has done for the past twenty four years. We are also grateful that he will be here to assist Jon Coddington in his transition to Drexel and to the Philadelphia design community.    

Sweet Jazz at Sunset

Naturally Sharp, Drexel’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble, will perform jazz standards and classic favorites on Friday, May 7th and Saturday, May 8th at 8:20 PM in the 6th floor dining room of MacAlister Hall (33rd & Chestnut Sts). A talented group of 14 select Drexel students, Naturally Sharp has been providing soothe sounds to rapt audiences for years under the direction of Dr. Steven Powell, who is celebrating his 20th year at Drexel.

This year’s concert will feature selections from the big band era to contemporary jazz, with such favorites as “It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing”, “At Last”, “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” and “The Way You Look Tonight”. Naturally Sharp will be accompanied by a three piece band and coffee, tea and pastries will be served. Tickets are $6 and will be available for purchase at the door. Combine the sounds of Duke Ellington, Cole Porter and “anything that swings” with a hot cup of coffee, a handful of sweet treats and a gorgeous view of Philadelphia at sunset for the perfect way to begin a weekend.

Event Facts:
What: Jazz at the Club, a performance by Naturally Sharp
Where: MacAlister Hall, 6th Floor Dining Room (33rd & Chestnut Sts.)
When: Friday, May 7 and Saturday May 8; 8:20 PM
Cost: $6
More information: email Dr. Steven Powell at powellss@drexel.edu

New USGA Representative

When Fred Knittel isn’t spinning vinyl records or watching foreign films, he is serving as Westphal’s new Undergraduate Student Government Association representative. Fred is a Music Industry major who hopes to strengthen the bond between the students and the College.

“It is vital in the ever-changing and evolving arts majors to maintain a dialogue with the Dean and I hope to serve as an effective liaison. I want to make myself available to hear the concerns of the students of the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design and hopefully help address problems that may arise,” says Knittel.

The Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) represents the students of the University and fosters relations between the students and the University community. The USGA consists of two executives, the President and Vice President, and officers who represent undergraduate students in all schools and colleges at Drexel in terms of academics and student life. Officers serve on one of three assemblies (Student Life, Academic Affairs or Government Operations) and work on initiatives and efforts within the scope of their respective assembly. To learn more about the USGA click here.

Digital Confetti & So Much More

James Tichenor and Joshua Walton of The Rockwell Group LAB will speak on May 4th at 6 PM in the Bossone Auditorium as this year’s Design & Merchandising Program’s 2010 Distinguished Speaker. The LAB, located in New York City, is home to Rockwell Group’s digital interaction design team. The LAB embeds sensing and reactive technologies into things and places to create narratives that give people deeper and more valuable experiences. They work on architectural and interior design projects ranging from museums, exhibits, restaurants, hotels and theaters that combine high-end video technology, handmade objects, special effects and custom fixtures and furniture. They have created a digital ring that directs travelers where to go and can be seen from all three JetBlue concourses at JFK Airport, interactive entrance installations for the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale, Trade Show displays for Coca Cola, an inhabitable jewelry box for New York City jewelry shop Mauboussin and much more. Their work includes in-house design and creation of interactive environments/objects, scripting software, science and technology consultation, and maintaining networks of technology solution providers.  They work with custom hardware and software for RFID, UPC scanning, video processing, sonar, capacitance, shape memory alloy, LED and lighting technologies, wireless communications, and screen based dynamically composited animation.

Tichenor received a Masters in Design and Computation from MIT where his research focused on the intersection of design, electronics and materials. Borrowing from the world of robotics, Tichenor began building interactive prototypes to study his ideas. He continued his technology and electronics research at the Interaction Design Institute of Ivrea in Italy. Walton received his Masters degree from the Cranbook Academy of Art where his work focused on non-linear narrative in new media. He is an interactions designer and educator who works primarily in reactive video, programmatic motion graphics, and interactive architecture. Walton has worked with award winning museums, design firms, and interaction studios in New York and San Francisco. In 2000 he was part of a team that received a presidential teaching award for their work with at-risk youth in San Francisco. Today, both Tichenor and Walton work as New Media Lead Designers at The Rockwell Group LAB.

Event Facts:
What: D&M Distiguished Speaker 2010: Rockwell Group LAB
Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium, 3128 Market Street
When: Tuesday, May 4; 6 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public
More information: 215-895-1029

Research Day 2010

This year 95 Westphal students from eleven of our different majors were among the over 500 Drexel students who participated in Research Day. Our students' work always looks markedly different and in addition to traditional poster presentations, our students presented videos, performances and digital media. All of their hard work and creativity paid off. Graduate Interior Design student, An-Ting Chu, won a University award in the Graduate Creative Arts & Design Category and a Westphal Award of Merit for his project Smell Identity- The Power of Odor Effect in Interior Design which explored companies on the forefront of multisensory branding who extended their corporate identity to not only include logos, colors and music, but also utilize our sense of smell to make their branding more unique and explicit.

The college also presented awards. Matthew Morton, Digital Media student, and his co-creators Chad Porche, Cara Schroeder, Kerry Russo, Burak Ozmucur and Kurt Gawinowicz, won first place for their project Social Graffiti which combined design, architecture, technology and social media to create an abstract that proposes to use animation and breakthrough innovative technologies for a site specific installation to be projected on the exterior of Nesbitt Hall. The project will enable viewers to directly participate via Twitter by sending messages that will be included in the building-size animations. Graphic Design student, Caitlin Guendelsberger, won second place for her project The Library: Preservation, Involvement, Advancement, in which she produced innovative books and mailers that included paper engineering which told the story of how traditional library services combined with new technologies are bringing the library of the past into the future. Caitlin’s designs are to be used as outreach to important donors to garner support for the Free Library’s ambitious building and programming plans in a time of economic decline and decreased support.  Jeffrey Ginsberg, Digital Media student, and his co-creators Dave Roy, Christian Bartos, Alejandro Valdes, Chris Fagan, Bradford Dorman and Scott Landau, won third prize for their project Independence Historic National Park Instant Navigator Mobile Application, a mobile phone application that will serve visitors to the Independence Historic National Park by using GPS navigation and iPhone development resources. Jeffrey is working with the National Park Service and there appears to be a reasonable chance that this project may be adapted by the National Park Service.

Westphal Awards of Merit were given to Rebecca Abboud, Television Management student, and her co-creators Aleetha Clanton and Maxwell Haddad, for their short movie Frank Bender: Forensic Artist and Freedom Fighter, which will be featured in the Ni Una Mas exhibition opening in May; Roberta Harrington, Television Management student, and her co-creators Meredith Spinelli, Yannick Skerritt, Aleetha Clanton, Yiyan He, Ryan Maquire, Colleen McAndrew, Mansour Faye, Joe Terry, Rebecca Abboud and Liz Yankak, for their video Global Media and the Water Crisis; David Myers, Digital Media student, and his co-creator Girish Balakrishnan, for their project Stone Age Meets Digital Age in which he produced 3D Scans of 65 million year old fossilized crocodile bones;and Grace Gamble, Dance student, for her choreography Distorted Reflections. Congratulations to all of the students, faculty and staff that helped make Research Day such a proud day for our college and special thanks to Graphic Design Program Director Jody Graff, Interior Design Associate Program Director Ada Tremonte, Architecture and Interiors Associate Department Head Rena Cumby, and the Graphic & Interior Design students who designed the great floor plans for the DAK and all the signage and print materials for this year’s Research Day.

Whisper Down The Lane

MAD Dragon Records newest recording artists, Toy Soldiers, who recently performed with Miro Dance company as part of the Miro Mash-Up at the Mandell Theater, will release their debut album, Whisper Down the Lane, on May 18th. Toy Soldiers is an Americana roots blues band with a big band mentality, with the talent and drive to breakout in the Philly and national music scenes. The band’s members include Tom Cladek, Vinchelle Woods, Kate Foust, Ron Gallo, Noah Skaroff, Daniel King, Bennett Daniels and Garrett Smith and they  will be going out on a 197 date national tour this summer. You can see Toy Soldiers on Saturday, May 15th at 9 PM at the TLA, 334 South St. at their CD release show with a bill that also features  Drink Up Buttercup, The Extraordinaires, The Great Unknown and The Armchairs with a special guest appearance by Lady. Tickets are available at livenation.com.

Tagging, Bombing & Getting-Up

Henry Chalfant shot the photographs for what became one of the most comprehensive and popular books on graffiti. First published in 1984, Subway Art was a montage of photography capturing the graffiti art that covered the subway trains of New York City for well over a decade beginning in the 1970s.  The Westphal College will celebrate and explore graffiti art and hip-hop style when we host Henry Chalfant and graffiti artist BLADE on Thursday, April 22nd at 7 PM in the Bossone Auditorium (3128 Market St).

We’ll begin with the screening of Chalfant’s 1983 film Style Wars which he co-directed with Tony Silver.  This documentary follows young graffiti writers of the 1970s and 1980s as they stamp their creations in various urban settings. The film also documents then mayor Ed Koch and the Metropolitan Transit Authorities efforts to curb graffiti.  Following the screening, Chalfant and BLADE will provide first hand stories and take audience questions on this important and controversial artistic form. 

The evening will conclude with a book signing by all three guests in the lobby of Bossone.  The 25th Anniversary edition of Subway Art will be available for purchase at the event. This event is sponsored by the Film & Video Program, the Photography Program, the Office of Equality and Diversity, the Office of Multicultural Education and Outreach, The Campus Activity Board, The Philadelphia Photo Arts Center and the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design.  

Event Facts:
What: Film Screening of Style Wars and Q&A
Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium, 3128 Market St.
When: Thursday, April 22; 7:00 PM
Cost: FREE

Ni Una Mas:
ARTMARCH for Juarez

Ni Una Mas, the powerful Drexel University-wide collaboration of academic, student and institutional departments intended to raise awareness about gender violence and crimes against women in the Mexican border town of Juarez will kick off with ARTMARCH, a mass demonstration/performance art piece on the afternoon of Saturday, May 15. ARTMARCH aims for hundreds of participants, including 700 young women from Drexel University dressed in the iconic pink color of the victims’ memorial crosses in Juarez, to march through the streets of Philadelphia.  The students and community marching will arrive at the 33rd street Armory for a rally to raise awareness for the brutal femicides and abductions of young women in Juarez.  In the first three months of 2010, 34 women have disappeared in Juarez according to the just released report by the state attorney general’s office for the northern zone of Juarez.  The concluding ARTMARCH rally will feature concerned political figures and activists including Diana Valdez Washington, author of The Killing Fields: Harvest of Women and famed forensic sculptor Frank Bender.

Organized by Drexel University and Amnesty International, ARTMARCH will provide a forum to speak out against the awful crimes happening along our border for which no justice has been sought. ARTMARCH, along with a variety of other events such as film screenings, lectures and concerts, will demonstrate to students and the Philadelphia region that art can be a force for social change.

Westphal Stops the Presses

Over the past weeks our college has received more than its fair share of major media attention. Our annual design Charrette that focused on urban transportation and street furniture was featured on WCAU, NBC channel 10 and WPHL My 17 as well as in the City Paper’s Loose Cannon column. The Philadelphia Inquirer published three stories on news and happenings at the college in the past week.  Last Friday's weekend section included a story on Howard Rosenman's The Hollywood Sell by film critic Steven Rea; architecture critic Inga Saffron dedicated her entertainment section front page story to the dynamic plans for our new home, the URBN center; and Sunday's gallery review column by Edith Newall included a review of the current Leonard Pearlstein gallery show, O Zhang: The World is Ours/Yours. Finally, the upcoming Underground Art, a film screening and talk on graffiti art, featuring photographer and filmmaker Henry Chalfant and graffiti artist and legend BLADE, was a full-page story in last Thursday's City Paper and was featured in last Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer 7 Days column.  All this press attention is making an impression as the Inquirer’s Inga Saffron noted that we are a college with an "increasingly high-profile."

Building A Brand

Renowned typography gurus and purveyors of many things cool, House Industries,  are coming in May and doing it the only way they know how…big, loud and in style. House Industries has designed fonts for the NFL on Fox, Tokyo’s 2016 summer games’ Olympic bid, Shell Oil, Simpsons Movie, the New York Knicks and countless others.  House also designs furnishings, accessories, clothing and books.

For a week starting on Wednesday, April 28th, Andy Cruz, the founder of House Industries, will be here working with students in many of our design programs on a creative problem that he’ll present as a challenge.  Cruz will also be working with Music Industry students on packaging and promotion for the upcoming three-track 7” release by acoustic singer/songwriter Dave Hause.  The House Industries residency will conclude on May 5th when we take over the Armory. The party will begin at 6 PM with a House Supermarket and work signing, in which students will be able to browse and buy House products and artwork, followed by a 7 PM lecture on the House design philosophy with Cruz.  The evening will conclude with a Ping-Pong after-party and exhibit featuring a performance by Dave Hause. When you’re not listening to Hause perform or facing off in a ping-pong match with one of your professors, you’ll be able to walk the Armory and see the creative work of the students who participated in the residency on display.

Event Facts:
What: House Party with House Industries
Where: Armory, 33rd and Cuthbert St.
When: Wednesday, May 5; 6 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public
More information: 215-895-1029

MAD Dragon Madness

The MAD Dragon Concert on March 6th was once again a sellout. If you missed the concert, DUTV is giving you a second chance to see Good Old War with special guests Liam & Me, and MAD Dragon recording artists Matt Duke, The Swimmers and Andrew Lipke. On April 23rd at 8 PM, DUTV, cable channel 54, will air the concert in its entirety. Here’s your chance to watch the MAD Dragon concert from the best seats in the house.

MAD Dragon Records will also be taking over The Rotunda for a night of local hip-hop music. Madko Concerts, the student run booking arm of MAD Dragon Enterprises, is bringing four talented hip-hop acts and special guest DJ Cliff Moore to The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, on Thursday, May 6th at 7 PM. The concert will include Written House, a Philadelphia-based rap group who steers clear of lyrics promoting violence and has opened for Wu-Tang Clan and De La Soul; Slick Mantra, an experimental hip-hop group inspired by jazz, soul and pop; Scanz, a hip-hop artist, producer, lyricist and businessman who most recently released his sophomore album The Basement Chronicles and has collaborated with artists including KRS-One, Mr. Lif and Akrobatik; and Ground Up, a North Philadelphia hip-hop trio who draw big crowds throughout our region.

Event Facts:
What: Madko Concert at The Rotunda
Where: The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., Philadelphia PA 19104
When: February 5, 2010, 7:00 PM
Cost: $7, all- ages event

Magic of the Mellotron

Mellodrama, a documentary by Dianna Dilworth, explores the rising and falling fortunes of the Chamberlin and its better-known successor the Mellotron—the first musical keyboards to play the pre-recorded sounds of other instruments. The Music Industry program is sponsoring a screening of the film followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Dianna Dilworth, on Friday, April 23rd at 4:30 PM in the Bossone Auditorium.

From a California workshop to Royal Albert Hall, Mellodrama tells the story of an ingenious contraption called the Mellotron. Essentially the first sampling instrument, its haunting sound has changed the production and texture of popular music—from the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” and the Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin” to Radiohead’s OK Computer and Kanye West’s “Gold Digger.” The movie features commentary by members of  The Beach Boys, The Moody Blues, The Zombies, Cheap Trick, Black Sabbath, Maroon 5 and many more.

Event Facts:
What: Mellodrama Film Screening and Q&A
Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium; 3141 Martket St.
When: Friday, April 23; 4:30 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public

Meet MS&R

Jeffrey Scherer, FAIA, Garth Rockcastle, FAIA, and Traci Engel Lesneski, principal architects and interior designers from Architecture and Interior Design firm Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, LTD (MS&R) will give a presentation to Westphal students, faculty and staff on their design plans for The URBN Center, the new home of the Westphal College. MS&R, will present on the processes and plans developed over the last year and will give us an inside look at our future academic home on Thursday, April 22th at 6 PM in Stein Auditorium.  The plans include a complete reworking of the 3501 Market St. building into the new home for the college’s programs in Architecture,  Arts Administration, Design & Merchandising, Digital Media, Entertainment & Arts Management, Fashion Design,  Graphic Design, Interior Design, Music Industry and Product Design, as well as for the college’s administrative offices and Historic Costume Collection. There are also plans for the renovation of 3401 Filbert St., which will include an expanded Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, a black box theater and a state of the art screening facility.

3501 Market Street, designed by famed Philadelphia firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, breaks from the tenets of modernism with its iconic facade and is an important building in the history of architecture in Philadelphia. For more information regarding the URBN Center click here.

Event Facts:
What: MS&R URBN Center Presentation
Where: Stein Auditorium , Nesbitt Hall Room 111, 3215 Market Street
When: Thursday, April 22; 6 PM
Cost: Free
More information: 215-895-1029

We Are Not Jaded

We never get tired of hearing of the latest awards won by our Graphic Design students. And the wins keep coming—they’ve won nearly a hundred awards in the past year—as the Graphic Design Program picked up five wins from the Graphic Design USA American Package Design Awards 2010. Graphic Design USA is a primarily professional publication and it’s quite an achievement for student work to appear in the annual. Each winning design was published in the March 2010 Annual and will also be displayed at gdusa.com.

Also add to the ever growing list a staggering 30 awards from this year’s American Graphic Design & Advertising 26 Awards, including first and second place in the “Best of Category” for packaging. Each winning project will be published in the prestigious American Graphic Design & Advertising 26 Awards 2010 hardcover book out this December. Our winning students were represented in annual reports, book design, illustration, branding, publication design, promotions, packaging, exhibit and motion graphics.

Our congratulations to all of our talented student designers and the Graphic Design program.

Graphic Design USA American Package Design Awards 2010:
Trellis Restaurant packaging
Student Designer: Holly Siemon
Course: Problem Solving
Instructor: Mark Willie

Robert Johnson + The Devil film promotion
Student Designer: Michael Valentine
Course: Senior Thesis
Instructor: E. June Roberts-Lunn

Learn to Play the Harmonica packaging
Student Designer: Michael Valentine
Course: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Jody Graff

Urban Outfitters/Shoe packaging
Student Designer: Joey Krietmeyer
Course: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Sandy Stewart

MAC Cosmetics packaging
Student Designer: Yesenia Perez-Cruz
Course: VSCM 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Sandy Stewart

The American Graphic Design & Advertising 26 Awards:

First Place, Best of Category for Packaging:
Secrets of Misdirection and Illusion, A Mystical Box for Aspiring Magicians
Student Designer: Joey Krietmeyer
Course: VSCM 6: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Sandy Stewart

Second Place, Best of Category for Packaging:
It’s a Dog’s Life packaging
Student Designer: Allison Fegan
Course: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Jody Graff

Student Winning Entries:

A Curious Spectacle: The Coney Island Experiment book
Student Designer: Bryan Howell
Course: Senior Thesis
Instructor: Jody Graff

The Devil + Robert Johnson title sequence | motion graphic
Student Designer: Michael Valentine
Course: Senior Thesis
Instructor: E. June Roberts-Lunn

The Devil + Robert Johnson film promotion
Student Designer: Michael Valentine
Course: Senior Thesis
Instructor: E. June Roberts-Lunn

Urban Outfitters/Shoe Packaging
Student Designer: Joey Krietmeyer
Course: VSCM 6: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Sandy Stewart

Secrets of Misdirection and Illusion, A Mystical Box for Aspiring Magicians
Student Designer: Joey Krietmeyer
Course: VSCM 6: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Sandy Stewart

7-11 Rebranding and Packaging
Student Designer: Jenna Navitsky
Course: Senior Thesis
Instructor: E. June Roberts-Lunn

Trellis restaurant identity
Student Designer: Holly Siemon
Course: Problem Solving
Instructor: Mark Willie

Philadelphia Fire book jacket
Student Designer: Gary Brooks
Course: Senior Book Design
Instructor: E. June Roberts-Lunn

The Bell Jar book jacket
Student Designer: Allison Fegan
Course: Senior Book Design
Instructor: E. June Roberts-Lunn

The Scarlet Letter book jacket
Student Designer: Trissy Harding
Course: Senior Book Design
Instructor: E. June Roberts-Lunn

The Sun Also Rises book jacket
Student Designer: Yesenia Perez-Cruz
Course: Senior Book Design
Instructor: E. June Roberts-Lunn

MAC Cosmetics Packaging
Student Designer: Yesenia Perez-Cruz
Course: VSCM 6: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Sandy Stewart

Smith & Hawken Packaging
Student Designer: Courtney Remm
Course: VSCM 6: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Sandy Stewart

It’s a Dog’s Life packaging
Student Designer: Allison Fegan
Course: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Jody Graff

Learn to Play the Harmonica packaging
Student Designer: Michael Valentine
Course: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Jody Graff

Chanel Circus packaging
Student Designer: Cariese Bartholomew
Course: 3D Design & Packaging
Instructor: Jody Graff

Chipotle Mexican Grill Annual Report
Student Designer: Joey Krietemeyer
Course: Annual Report
Instructor: Jody Graff

Waste Management Annual Report
Student Designer: John Dunn
Course: Annual Report
Instructor: Jody Graff

Bizzy Bee Exhibition
Student Designers: Dorothy Lun, Brielle Weinstein, Sheena Lewoc
Course: Environmental Graphics
Instructor: Alice Dommert

The Art of Typography
Student Designer: Sasha McCune
Course: Senior Thesis
Instructor: Don Haring Jr.

44: The Epic Battle to Take Back the White House
Student Designer: Anne Trencher
Course: Senior Thesis
Instructor: Jody Graff

Robot
Student Designer: Allison Chang
Course: Computer Imaging
Instructor: Bill Rees

Robot
Student Designer: April Moralba
Course: Computer Imaging
Instructor: Bill Rees

Robot
Student Designer: Evan Raisner
Course: Computer Imaging
Instructor: Bill Rees

Robot
Student Designer: Abigail Zug
Course: Computer Imaging
Instructor: Bill Rees

Self-Portrait
Student Designer: Hannah Dillon
Course: Computer Imaging
Instructor: Bill Rees

Self-Portrait
Student Designer: April Moralba
Course: Computer Imaging
Instructor: Bill Rees

Self-Portrait
Student Designer: Allison Chang
Course: Computer Imaging
Instructor: Bill Rees

The Silk Road book
Student Designer: Ruslan Khaydarov
Course: Senior Thesis
Instructor: E. June Roberts-Lunn

Weather Report / Voorhees | motion graphic
Student Designer: Alex Voorhees
Course: Motion Graphics 2

Instructor: Josh Gdovin

Awards Sweep

It was complete domination at this year’s Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival as Drexel students swept the Comedy category and won the top awards in the Drama, Documentary and Animation categories. The 2010 GPSFF was held Friday, April 2nd at the University of the Arts. This year was our best showing ever at the festival and we congratulate our student film makers and animators, and their faculty in the Department of Cinema & Television.

Comedy Category:
1st place- Max Cooke for "Session" (Senior Project) 
2nd Place-Colin George for "Smile" (Senior Project) 
3rd Place - Laura Rachfalski  for "Mom" (Senior Project) 
Honorable Mention - Kristi Servais for "The Clean Sneak" (Narrative Video)

Documentary Category:
Winner - Kevin Martin for "American Dangdut" (Documentary Production)
2nd Place - James Hall & Dan Burns for "Getting Free" (Documentary Production)

Drama Category:
Winner - Brian Crawford for "Jacob" (Senior Project)
3rd Place- Tom Quigley for "The Adventures of Captain Baxley" (Drexel Production Workshop)

Animation Category:
Winner - Evan Boucher for "First Step" (Drexel DIGM Graduate program)

Ni Una Mas:
ARTMARCH for Juarez

Ni Una Mas, the powerful Drexel University-wide collaboration of academic, student and institutional departments intended to raise awareness about gender violence and crimes against women in the Mexican border town of Juarez will kick off with ARTMARCH, a mass demonstration/performance art piece on the afternoon of Saturday, May 15. ARTMARCH aims for hundreds of participants, including 700 young women from Drexel University dressed in the iconic pink color of the victims’ memorial crosses in Juarez, to march through the streets of Philadelphia.  The students and community marching will arrive at the 33rd street Armory for a rally to raise awareness for the brutal femicides and abductions of young women in Juarez.  In the first three months of 2010, 34 women have disappeared in Juarez according to the just released report by the state attorney general’s office for the northern zone of Juarez.  The concluding ARTMARCH rally will feature concerned political figures and activists including Diana Valdez Washington, author of The Killing Fields: Harvest of Women and famed forensic sculptor Frank Bender.

Organized by Drexel University and Amnesty International, ARTMARCH will provide a forum to speak out against the awful crimes happening along our border for which no justice has been sought. ARTMARCH, along with a variety of other events such as film screenings, lectures and concerts, will demonstrate to students and the Philadelphia region that art can be a force for social change. If you want to register for ARTMARCH please click here.

Meet the Architects of Our New Home

Architects from Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, LTD (MS&R) will give an exclusive presentation to Westphal students, faculty and staff on their design plans for The URBN Center, the new home of the Westphal College. MS&R, winner of a 2010 AIA National Honor Award for their Urban Outfitters project at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, will present on the processes and plans developed over the last year and will give us an inside look at their future academic home on Thursday, April 22th at 6 PM in Stein Auditorium.  The plans include a complete reworking of the 3501 Market St. building into the new home for the college’s programs in Architecture,  Arts Administration, Design & Merchandising, Digital Media, Entertainment & Arts Management, Fashion Design,  Graphic Design, Interior Design, Music Industry and Product Design, as well as for the college’s administrative offices and Historic Costume Collection. There are also plans for the renovation of 3401 Filbert St., which will include an expanded Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, a black box theater and a state of the art screening facility.

3501 Market Street, designed by famed Philadelphia firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, breaks from the tenets of modernism with its iconic facade and is an important building in the history of architecture in Philadelphia. For more information regarding the URBN Center click here.

Event Facts:
What: MS&R URBN Center Presentation
Where: Stein Auditorium , Nesbitt Hall Room 111, 3215 Market Street
When: Thursday, April 22; 6 PM
Cost: Free
More information: 215-895-1029

Building A Brand

Renowned typography gurus and purveyors of many things cool are coming in May and doing it the only way they know how…big, loud and in style. House Industries has designed fonts for the NFL on Fox, Tokyo’s 2016 summer games’ Olympic bid, Shell Oil, Simpsons Movie, the New York Knicks and countless others.  House also designs furnishings, accessories, clothing and books.

For a week starting on Wednesday, April 28th, Andy Cruz, the founder of House Industries, will be here working with students in many of our design programs on a creative problem that he’ll present as a challenge.  Cruz will also be working with Music Industry students on packaging and promotion for the upcoming three-track 7” release by acoustic singer/songwriter Dave Hause.  The House Industries residency will conclude on May 5th when we take over the Armory for a fun afternoon that includes an impromptu exhibition of House Industries work, a talk by Andy Cruz on the House design philosophy, a concert by Dave Hause, and ping-pong and other table games to keep you amused.  When you’re not listening to Dave Hause perform or facing off in a ping-pong match with one of your professors, you’ll be able to walk the Armory and see the creative work of the students who participated in the residency on display.

Westphal Archives on Display

The history of the Westphal College will be the subject of the University Archives’ spring exhibition on display from April 14th- May 15th on the first floor of the W.W. Hagerty Library. An opening reception will kick off the exhibition on Wednesday, April 14th at 4 PM. The exhibition will include posters, photographs, floor plans, yearbooks, correspondence and records showcasing our long history of successfully educating designers and artists. Photographs of the recently deceased Arts Administration program founder Edward Arian, Antoinette Westphal’s 1959 yearbook and decades old music programs and memorabilia are just some of the wonderful objects on display.

Anthony J. Drexel envisioned the Drexel Institute as a place for rapid, intensive and practical business and industrial education.  Initially, his idea was to establish an industrial college for women, but later decided that the school would be open to all, declaring, “I know that the world is going to change, and therefore the Institute must change with it.” With that vision in mind, we believe that Mr. Drexel would be quite pleased with the changes and accomplishments from the original 1891 Department of Domestic Economy to today’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, home to 14 majors, 12 minors and 5 graduate programs.  For more information about the University Archives click here.

Festival of the Arts

The Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA) is a month long celebration of the arts with over 100 performances and events throughout the region organized through the inspiration of the Kimmel Center. The Westphal College is proud to participate with a Pearlstein Gallery exhibition featuring fashions from the Drexel Historic Costume Collection focusing on Paris and fashion design from the early 20th century. The 25-day festival will focus on collaboration, innovation and creativity among Philadelphia arts organizations. The $10 million endeavor is funded through a generous grant from The Annenberg Foundation and is the vision of the late Mrs. Leonore Annenberg, who was a long-standing proponent of arts and culture in Philadelphia and around the nation.

The inspiration for PIFA occurred one-hundred years earlier in Paris, a time of unusual creativity in music, art, theater and design. Our exhibition will highlight the emerging freedom and change in fashion that many associate with the roaring 1920s, but that actually began a decade earlier.  It was then that the muted colors and the hourglass silhouettes of the late nineteenth century were abandoned in favor of short skirts, bright “fauvist” colors and a slim uncorseted body.  Curated by Clare Sauro, the curator of the Drexel Historic Costume Collection, the exhibition will feature over a dozen garments and accessories including examples of French couture and garments produced in Philadelphia.

Summer Programs

Each summer the college offers a selection of summer programs for high school students looking to get an early jump on the college experience.  These two-week intensive programs in Music Industry, Fashion, Design & Merchandising, Architecture, Interior Design and now Product Design offer high schoolers an opportunity to develop their skills, work alongside industry professionals and take trips to studios, showrooms and, of course, some of Philadelphia's endless array of cultural institutions. Most programs will have students sketching and developing prototypes of products similar to ‘deliverables’ professional designers create. Music Industry students spend time in our five recording studios learning about music production along with the ins and outs of the touring business and music licensing.

Our summer programs bring in industry specialists to lecture or work alongside students.  Architecture and Interior designers take trips to many of Philadelphia’s iconic buildings, sculptures and spaces.  All students gain valuable hands-on experience working with the latest computer-aided design, prototyping and drawing programs.  And, before leaving, students will work on a final project, whether it’s a product prototype in Product Design, a portable shelter in Architecture and Interiors, or fashion sketches and marketing plans for lifestyle products in Fashion and Design & Merchandising. Each program immerses students in the day to day experience they’ll encounter in college.  The programs are a big hit each year, so make your reservations today by contacting Tia McNair at 215-895-1834 or tjm22@drexel.edu.

For more information on our summer programs click here.

Full Spring Ahead

There were times this winter when I felt that the long and snowy days would never end.  Now, thankfully as the warmer days of spring have finally arrived, we’re entering the busiest time of year for our students and faculty. Beyond usual spring term classes and a slew of always impressive senior shows, we’ll be presenting a robust slate of dance, concerts, lectures, exhibitions and film screenings, the album release of MAD Dragon Records’ latest signing and a series of interdisciplinary and collaborative charrettes. What’s a charrette?  Read on and we’ll tell you.

We’ll host some of the the hippest agents of cool: House Industries, the edgy graphic and product design firm; hip-hop choreographer Clyde Evans; and Henry Chalfant, a chronicler of graffiti art. The Drexel Players will take on the camp 1936 propaganda film Reefer Madness in a Mandell main stage production. Ni Una Mas, Not One More: The Juarez Murders will be our most ambitious art exhibition since Ink Not Ink, and aims to examine art as a force for social change. Hollywood producer Howard Rosenman, fashion designer and Project Runway standout Althea Harper, the Spring Music and Dance festivals  are among the over three dozen events the Westphal College will present prior to June’s Commencement.

Many of this College’s proudest days are in the final weeks of the term when our students’ work in Digital Media, Fashion, Film & Video, Graphic Design, Interior Design and Photography are showcased in their senior shows. These are not to be missed events that are a dazzling testament to what our students have learned and to their talents and hard work. We hope you’ll make the effort to come out and join us.

How to "Make it Work"

Althea Harper finished second on last season’s Project Runway and premiered her 13-piece collection at New York Fashion Week. Althea will be on campus to speak about her emerging success as a designer and her previous experiences as both a fashion student and Project Runway contestant on Monday, April 12th at 6:30 PM in the Bossone Auditorium. Harper will present portions of her collection in an interactive discussion with those who attend. Harper will also participate in a Fashion Design and Design & Merchandising class critique.

Four audience members will also have an opportunity to win a signed fashion sketch made by Harper. Raffle tickets for this contest will be sold in the week prior to the event in the lobby of Nesbitt Hall (3215 Market St.) and winners will be announced at the conclusion of the event. Proceeds will support DART (Drexel Art Organization), the organizer of this event.  DART received support from the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, Drexel Commission for Activities and Programs and the Drexel Fashion and Drexel Design & Merchandising Department. For more information please call 908-872-4463 or contact via email at dsodart@drexel.edu.

Event Facts:
What: Althea Harper Guest Lecture and Q&A session
Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium, 3128 Market St. Philadelphia, PA
When: Monday, April 12; 6:30 PM
Cost: FREE
More Information:  908-872-4462 or dsodart@drexel.edu

Graffiti Art

Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper shot the photographs for what became one of the most comprehensive and popular books on graffiti. First published in 1984, Subway Art was a montage of photography capturing the graffiti art that covered the subway trains of New York City for well over a decade beginning in the 1970s.  In 2009, Subway Art was reissued as a special 25th anniversary edition with over 70 new photos in an expanded version.  The Westphal college will celebrate and explore graffiti art and hip-hop style when we host Henry Chalfant, Martha Cooper and graffiti artist BLADE on Thursday, April 22nd at 7 PM in the Bossone Auditorium (3128 Market St).

We’ll begin with the screening of Chalfant’s 1983 film Style Wars which he c0-directed with Tony Silver.  This documentary follows young graffiti writers of the 1970s and 1980s as they stamp their creations in various urban settings. The film also documents then mayor Ed Koch and the Metropolitan Transit Authorities efforts to curb graffiti.  Following the screening, Chalfant, Cooper and BLADE will provide first hand stories and take audience questions on this important and controversial artistic form. 

The evening will conclude with a book signing by all three guests in the lobby of Bossone.  The 25th Anniversary edition of Subway Art will be available for purchase at the event.This event is sponsored by the Film & Video Program, the Photography Program, the Office of Equality and Diversity, the Office of Multicultural Education and Outreach and the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design.

Event Facts:
What: Film Screening of Style Wars and Q&A
Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium, 3128 Market St.
When: Thursday, April 22; 7:00 PM
Cost: FREE

Ni Una Mas: Not One More

Ni Una Mas(Not One More): The Juarez Murders is a powerful Drexel University-wide collaboration of academic, student and institutional departments intended to raise awareness about gender violence and, in particular, crimes against women in the Mexican bordertown of Juarez.  The two-month long event, beginning May 15th, will be anchored by an exhibition featuring over 20 international artists and 70 pieces of work.  In addition there will be a music concert, film screenings, lectures by experts and artists and rallies to raise awareness of these egregious crimes happening on the United States-Mexican border.

More than 700 women, many poor factory workers, some as young as twelve years old, have been abducted and brutally killed since 1993. Disturbingly none of these crimes have been solved. In Ni Una Mas, artists will bear witness to the many faces of this tragedy to give a voice to its dark social, political and psychological roots.

The exhibition will be at the new site of The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, 3401 Filbert Street and will include works or participation by Yoko Ono, Kiki Smith, Nancy Spero, Miguel Calderon and Tim Rollins & KOS. To kickoff Ni Una Mas, a massive rally and demonstration will take place on the afternoon of May 15th. Entitled ARTMARCH, the rally and march will involve hundreds of students and members of the community demonstrating to bring attention to the plight of the women of Juarez. 

Other events comprising Ni Una Mas will be a concert performance by Intercultural Journeys, a musical ensemble comprised of Udi Bar David of the Philadelphia Orchestra and other noted musicians who bridge cultural divides through music; screenings of  the films Pray the Devil Back to Hell, a Tribeca film festival award-winner and Backyard, the harrowing story of  the disturbing deaths and disappearances of young women in Juarez starring Jimmy Smits; and lectures and seminars addressing these shocking unsolved crimes in the context of politics, history, and the social sciences.  Additional information can be found at www.drexel.edu/juarez.

Miro Mash-Ups

Miro Dance Theatre, creators and performers of original work that explores the collaborative intersections of contemporary dance, video, and visual art, was formed in 2004 by dancer and choreographer Amanda Miller and video and visual artist Tobin Rothlein. The Miro Dance Theatre Mash-Up Series is an ongoing experiment combining live music and dance. Each experiment has Miro in the studio with a rock band and a composer, who emerge from the studio to share the results for a brave audience who will experience a never to be repeated performance.

The next one-of-a-kind event features Miro Dance Theatre partnering with MAD Dragon Records and the Drexel Dance program. This Miro Mash-Up will bring Toy Soldiers, the rising local rock band just signed by MAD Dragon records,and the dancers from Miro Dance Theatre together with Ronald G. Vigue, new music composer and Executive Director of Orchestra 2001. The Miro Mash-Up will take place Thursday, April 8th at 6:30 PM at the Mandell Theater. Following the performance, the audience will have the chance to give feedback and speak to the artists in a talkback session.

The Mash-Ups feature Miro company members Joy Havens, Dana Dlugosz, Scott Lowe, and Paul Struck dancing alongside Miro Artistic Director Amanda Miller. Admission is free, but RSVPs are recommended. For more information or to RSVP email Events@mirodancetheatre.org or go online to www.mirodancetheatre.org.

Event Facts
What: Miro Mash-Up #2
Where: Mandell Theatre
When: Thursday, April 8; 6:30 PM
Cost: Free

What's A Charrette?

This Spring Westphal will host numerous arts professionals who will share their knowledge and work alongside students on a handful of exciting charrettes. Charrettes are workshops that provide an artistic or design challenge, offering students the chance to create exciting interdisciplinary work in collaborative settings. 

Rankin Scholar-in-Residence Tejo Remy, a Dutch artist-designer, will give a lecture on impromolding, a means of creating molds made of and combining existing products and forms, on Thursday, April 1st at 7:30 PM in Stein Auditorium (Nesbitt 111). The lecture will conclude a four-day workshop during which Remy will lead teams of students and faculty who will explore object design using mold making and cement casting of reclaimed objects.  The work students create at the Charrette will be on display in Nesbitt Hall’s Chapman court. To read more about this workshop click here.

Clyde Evans, hip-hop dancer, choreographer and founder of CHOSEN Dance Company will showcase his talents and challenge students during a three-day performance Charrette from April 9th through the 11th. Together, students and Evans, another Rankin Scholar-in-Residence, will explore the use of new media and technology as a means to create and teach hip-hop dance.  The Charrette will culminate in a performance on Sunday, April 11th at 4 PM in the Mandell Theater. To read more about this charrette click here.

The Department of Architecture and Interiors will hold the 3rd annual interdisciplinary design Charrette, Urban Connection, from April 9th -12th. This charrette will begin with a panel presentation on urban transportation and street furniture by prominent civic leaders including Andrew Stober, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities; Rachel Vassar, Outreach Coordinator, Penn Future; Byron Comati, Director of Strategic Planning and Analysis, SEPTA and Paul Curci, Publisher, Philadelphia City Paper on Friday, April 9th at 6 PM in Stein Auditorium. Over the weekend, students from across our University will work in teams to develop design solutions for public transportation shelters in Philadelphia.  Final presentations will be given by the student teams starting at 6:00 PM on Monday, April 12th in the Main Building (4th floor architecture studios).  A dedicated website with additional information is accessible here.

Architecture & Anarchitecture

The final Arfaa Architecture lecture of the year will feature Yale Philosophy Professor Karsten Harries. He will present Architecture and Anarchitecture: The Antinomy of Building on Thursday, April 1st at 6:30 PM in The Mandell Theater. Harries specializes in aesthetics and philosophy and has published several critically-acclaimed books including The Ethical Function of Architecture (1997). Now considered essential reading in architecture schools, the book was awarded the American Institute of Architects 8th Annual International Architecture Book Award for Criticism.

Event Facts:
What: Architecture and Anarchitecture: The Antinomy of Building
Where: The Mandell Theater, 33rd & Chestnut Street
When: Thursday, April 1; 6:30 PM
Cost: Free
More information: 215-895-1029 or www.drexel.edu/westphal

Hollywood How-To

Powerhouse Hollywood producer and screenwriter Howard Rosenman will give an inside look at how the movie industry works including invaluable advice for those looking to produce or direct during his seminar, The Hollywood Sell, on Saturday, April 17th at 10 AM in Stein Auditorium. As a prelude to the seminar, there will be a free screening of one of Rosenman’s most popular films, Father of The Bride, followed by a Q&A with Rosenman moderated by Dean Sabinson on Thursday, April 15th at 7 PM in the Large Screening Room in University Crossing (028 University Crossings). The college has secured forty FREE tickets to the seminar and is offering them on a first come first served basis to students in our Television, Film & Video, EAM, TV Management and Scriptwriting programs.  If you are interested, contact your program director and make a reservation with Sharon Walker in the Cinema & Television Office.

Tickets for the general public are $50 and student tickets are $30 if purchased in advance. To purchase tickets go to www.thehollywoodsell.com. Students who receive complimentary tickets will be asked to pay a $10 holder fee when they sign up and will get their $10 back at the event.

Rosenman’s films have won 2 Peabody Awards, an Academy Award and top honors at the Sundance, Berlin and Cannes Film Festivals. His work ranges from acclaimed documentaries, Celluloid Closet and Common Threads: Tales from the Quilt; to such popular favorites as Father of the Bride with Steve Martin; Stranger Among Us with Melanie Griffith; Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Family Man with Nicolas Cage; and You Kill Me with Sir Ben Kingsley.

Event Facts:
What: Howards Rosenman's The Hollywood Sell
Where: Stein Auditorium, Nesbitt Hall Room 111, 3215 Market Street
When: Saturday, April 17; 10 AM
Cost: $50 for general public, $30 for students if purchased in advance
More information: 215-895-1029 or www.thehollywoodsell.com

Beauty in the Eye of The Beholder

The research of Dr. Gwendolyn O’Neal focuses on the meanings assigned to apparel products and their impact on our preferences and behavior. Her research addresses the cultural and market divides that distinguish traditional Eurocentric perspectives from the aesthetics of the descendants of African peoples whose history, culture and fashion are markedly different. This will be the topic of her lecture, African American Aesthetic of Dress As Cultural Genetics, on Wednesday, April 21st. The lecture is part of the series Multicultural Appearances, Attitudes & Style; celebrating fashion and diversity. The event begins at 6:30 PM in the Stein Auditorium and a reception will follow.

Dr. O’Neal is a Professor and Head of the Department of Consumer, Apparel and Retail Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She served as president of the International Textiles and Apparel Association, a global organization of textile, apparel and merchandising scholars, and two terms as Vice President for Planning. She was recently commissioned as the writer on African American Aesthetic of Dress for the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion.  

Campus Concert Series Concludes

The Campus Concert series, with players from The Philadelphia Orchestra, returns for the last concert of the school year in Van Rensselear Ballroom. This casual concert will take place on Tuesday, April 6th at 7 PM. The concert will feature performances from Daniel Han on violin and Natalie Zhu on Piano. Han joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in September 2006 after having been a member of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Fort Worth Symphony, and guest concertmaster of the Daejeon Philharmonic in Korea. Zhu has appeared as soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony, the Pacific Symphony, the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Astral Chamber Orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic, China Philharmonic and the Colorado Philharmonic National Repertory Orchestra. The Campus Concert Series features great classical music in casual setting so come for free food, a first-rate concert and to talk to Daniel and Natalie after the show.

Event Facts:
What: Philadelphia Orchestra Campus Concert
Where: Van Rensselear Ballroom (3320 Powelton Ave.)
When: Tuesday, April 6th; 7 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public

Media, Technology & Dance

Clyde Evans is a pioneer in fusing new media and technology with dance. Evans, one of this year's Rankin Scholar-in-Residence, is a local hip-hop dancer, choreographer and founder of CHOSEN Dance Company. He will showcase his talents and challenge students during a three-day Performance Charrette April 9th -11th. Together, students and Evans will explore the use of media and technology to learn and teach hip-hop dance through workshops and a lecture, culminating in a performance on April 11th at 4 PM in the Mandell Theater.

The Charrette begins Friday, April 9th at 2 PM with a lecture by Evans and Tony Franklin from Philadelphia’s High School of the Future. They will discuss Evan’s collaboration with the school to audition dancers and teach choreography via the Internet utilizing Microsoft’s Surface computer and 360 degree cameras for a performance proposal to the NFL for the 2011 Super Bowl halftime show. At the conclusion of the lecture, Evans will present participants with a creative problem that he designed with Dance professor Olive Price.  

Students will spend the  weekend  working with artists Manfred Fischbeck of Group Motion Dance Company, Amanda Miller from Miro Dance Theater and Ted Artz from our  Digital Media Program. Participants’ solutions will comprise the material for the April 11th performance. The Performance Charrette is open to all students interested in dance, technology and computer and electrical engineering.

Event Facts:
What: Rankin Scholar Clyde Evans lecture and Performance Charrette
Where:  Mandell Theater, 33rd & Chestnut Sts, Drexel University
When:  Friday, April 9; 2 PM lecture Clyde Evans & Tony Franklin
                Sunday, April 11; 4 PM concluding Charrette Performance
Cost: FREE
More Information: 215-895-ARTS or visit www.drexel.edu/westphal

Impromolding?

Have you ever heard of impromolding?  We hadn’t either, but Rankin Scholar-in-Residence Tejo Remy, a Dutch artist-designer, will tell you everything during a lecture on impromolding and his design philosophy. Impromolding creates unique work that looks like nothing else, yet always takes its form from reclaimed objects.  The lecture is Thursday, April 1st at 7:30 PM in Stein Auditorium (Nesbitt  111) and will conclude a four-day workshop during which Remy will lead teams of students, faculty and professionals to explore object design using mold making and cement casting of reclaimed objects. The workshop’s participants will create their own original designs to be displayed in the lobby of The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery during a reception on Thursday, April 1st at 7 PM.

Remy was one of the first cohorts of famed Dutch design collective, Droog. He has recently joined forces with Rene Veenhuizen to establish Remy/Veenhuizen, a project-based duo pushing the boundaries of product and environment design. Remy’s Rag Chair, Chest of Drawers and Milk Bottle Lamp, all from 1991, opened doors for a new generation of designers to explore the use of reclaimed and everyday materials in new forms and reinvented objects. This Rankin Scholar-In-Residence was organized by Professor Mike Glaser, program director of the new Product Design major.

Event Facts:
What: Liquid Solid
Where: Stein Auditorium, Nesbitt Hall Room 111, 3215 Market Street
When: April 1; 7:30 PM
Cost: Free and open to the public
More information: 215-895-1029

O Zhang at Pearlstein Gallery

An exhibition of photographs by the New York-based artist O Zhang will be featured at the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, March 29th through May 21st. The opening reception for O Zhang: The World is Ours/Yours will be at the gallery on Wednesday, April 7th from 5-7 PM.

O Zhang’s recent photographic work makes use of what is familiar both in journalistic forms and those derived from advertising and other media-driven content. Her photography explores notions of social-economic imbalance both in her home country of China and elsewhere, often illustrating how illusory things can seem when viewed from different cultural vantages.

O Zhang is a graduate of Royal College of Art in London and Central Academy of Art in Beijing and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Artist Fellowship (NY).

Event Facts:
What: ‘O Zhang: The World in Ours/Yours’
Where: Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, Nesbitt Hall, 3215 Market Street
When: March 29 through May 21
Hours: Monday ­ Friday 11 AM – 5 PM second Friday of each month 11 AM – 8 PM
Opening reception: Wednesday, April 7th 2010 from 5 to 7 PM
Cost: FREE and open to the public
More information: 215-895-2548 or gallery@drexel.edu

Hollywood How-To

Powerhouse Hollywood producer and screenwriter Howard Rosenman will give an inside look at how the movie industry works including invaluable advice for those looking to produce or direct during his seminar, The Hollywood Sell, on Saturday, April 17th at 10 AM in Stein Auditorium. As a prelude to the seminar, there will be a free screening of one of Rosenman’s most popular works, Father of The Bride, followed by a Q&A with Rosenman and Dean Allen Sabinson on Thursday, April 15th at 7 PM in the Large Screening Room in University Crossing (028 University Crossings).

Rosenman’s films have won 2 Peabody Awards, an Academy Award and top honors at the Sundance, Berlin and Cannes Film Festivals. His work ranges from acclaimed documentaries, Celluloid Closet and Common Threads: Tales from the Quilt; to such popular favorites as Father of the Bride with Steve Martin; Stranger Among Us with Melanie Griffith; Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Family Man with Nicolas Cage; and You Kill Me with Sir Ben Kingsley.

The college has secured forty FREE tickets to the seminar and is offering them on a first come first served basis to students in our Television, Film & Video, EAM, TV Management and Scriptwriting programs.  If you are interested, contact your program director and make a reservation with Sharon Walker in the Cinema & Television Office.

Tickets for the general public are $50 and student tickets are $30 if purchased in advance. To purchase tickets, which go on sale in the coming weeks, go to www.thehollywoodsell.com. Students who receive complimentary tickets will be asked to pay a $10 holder fee when you sign up and will get their $10 back at the event.

Event Facts:
What: Howards Rosenman’s The Hollywood Sell
Where: Stein Auditorium, Nesbitt Hall Room 111, 3215 Market Street
When: Saturday, April 17; 10 AM
Cost: $50 for general public, $30 for students if purchased in advance
More information: 215-895-1029 or www.thehollywoodsell.com

Architecture & Anarchitecture

The final Arfaa Architecture lecture of the year will feature Yale Philosophy Professor Karsten Harries. He will present Architecture and Anarchitecture: The Antinomy of Building on Thursday, April 1st at 6:30 PM in The Mandell Theater. Harries specializes in aesthetics and philosophy and has published several critically-acclaimed books including The Ethical Function of Architecture (1997). Now considered essential reading in architecture schools, the book was awarded the American Institute of Architects 8th Annual International Architecture Book Award for Criticism.

Event Facts:
What: Architecture and Anarchitecture: The Antinomy of Building
Where: The Mandell Theater, 33rd & Chestnut Street
When: Thursday, April 1; 6:30 PM
Cost: Free
More information: 215-895-1029 or www.drexel.edu/westphal

The Henderson Challenge

The Henderson Challenge offers Westphal students the chance to compete for over $6,000 in prize monies in a competition for the best business plan. The initial phase of the competiton has just been completed, but it’s not too late to compete. Our initial winners, who received $500 each, are Kristan Alekna, Lauren Giarrocca, Holly Allen, and Jordan Shue for “American Fuel Toy Store;” Thomas McCarthy, Grace Hahn, and Kelly Owens for “Kids with Courage;” Robert Pettit for “Online Classical Music Distribution;” and Kim Kelly for “Saturnine Media.”

The just concluded concept phase was only the warm-up. The best business plan is competing for awards of $3000, $2000 and $1000 for those judged the top three. Students who have completed or are currently enrolled in the following courses are automatically qualified: DMSR496, FASH 465/766, MUSC361, EAM211, MIP374, HNRS301, MGMT260, 364, 365 or 652. Other Westphal students who wish to participate must make an appointment to obtain a mentor from the Baiada center who will meet with them regularly to help with the creation of their business plan.

To register, click here. The registration deadline is at noon on April 12th, 2010. The website outlines the format of the business plans and judging criteria. And who knows, you could be on the road to creating the next Google or Urban Outfitters.

Interior's Students Design Drexel Welcome Center

Drexel Senior Vice President for Enrollment Management Joan McDonald challenged Interior Design students to develop design concepts and ideas for the renovations for the Admissions Welcome Center in the Main Building. Eight student teams and interior design faculty participated in a four-week charrette held over recent consecutive weekends. The plans are currently on display in the Welcome Center in the Main Building and the winners will be announced on March 17th. For the competition, team proposals had to meet real world parameters of safety, materials durabilility, attractiveness, costs and constructability. Enrollment Management has graciously funded cash prizes and the winning team will have the pleasure of seeing their design come to life as Drexel’s facilities department will build their projects following further refinements.

The students presented their concepts on March 5th to the Admissions team comprised of Joan McDonald; assistant vice presidents Erin Finn, Casey Turner and David Chezem; director of recruitment Leslie Paulson; visit experience coordinator Maggie Miller; and University facilities representatives Gail Holmes and Jessica Rubin.

Helping Phoenixville Find Its Way

Students in Graphic Design’s branding and wayfinding course will help revitalize the Borough of Phoenixville with wayfinding signage. Ten students spent the winter term creating signage for the Borough with the help of John Luttman, a local artist and adjunct professor, who is interested in improving the quality of life in Phoenixville.

Students exhibited their work in The Phoenixville Wayfinding Exhibition at ARTIFAQT in Phoenixville. The signage will be at all six entrances and throughout the Borough, directing people to places of interest. The Borough’s hope is that the students’ signage will help to make Phoenixville a more walkable and hospitable community.

Israeli Film Festival

This year’s Israeli Film Festival of Philadelphia comes to a close with a screening of Lady Kul el-Arab on Saturday, March 20th at 8:30 PM in Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium. The powerful documentary is a snapshot of the first Druze contestant in a Miss Israel beauty pageant and her teenage life in a fiercely conservative faction of Arab-Israeli society. The film won Best Documentary Award at Sole & Luna International Documentary Film Festival in Palermo, Italy and Best Documentary at Zagreb International Documentary Film Festival in Croatia.

Dalle Abu Ruku, wife of the Deputy Consul General of Israel, will be the guest speaker. Tickets for the general public are $10 and $8 for seniors. The college has twenty tickets available on a first come first served basis in the dean’s office.

Event Facts:
What: Israeli Film Festival screening of Lady Kul el-Arab
Where: Mitchell Auditorium, Bossone Research Center, 3128 Market Street
When: Saturday, March 20; 8:30 PM
Cost: $10 for general public, $8 for seniors
More information: 484-904-5421 or www.IFFPhila.com

Annual Design Charrette

The Department of Architecture and Interiors will hold the 3rd annual interdisciplinary design charrette, Urban Connection, from April 9th -12th. The charrette will begin with a panel presentation on urban transportation and street furniture by prominent civic leaders on Friday, April 9th at 6 PM in Stein Auditorium. The panel includes Andrew Stober, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Mayor’s Office: Transportation & Utilities; Rachel Vassar, Outreach Coordinator, Penn Future; Byron Comati, Director of Strategic Planning and Analysis, SEPTA and Paul Curci, Publisher, Philadelphia City Paper.

The 2010 design charrette will challenge students to rethink public and urban transportation while taking into account differing modes of transport, universal accessibility, sustainable and energy efficient design, hubs for commuter transfers, site and community in the city of Philadelphia. A dedicated website with additional information is accessible here.

Over the weekend, students from all majors will work in teams to develop design solutions for public transportation shelters in Philadelphia.  Final presentations will be given by the student teams starting at 6:00 PM on Monday, April 12th in the Main Building (4th floor architecture studios). 

Schedule of Charrette Events:
Friday, April 9
6:00pm - Public Panel Discussion: “Urban Transportation and Street Furniture”
Stein Auditorium, Nesbitt Hall
3215 Market Street

Saturday, April 10 & Sunday, April 11
All day work session for teams
4th Floor, Main Building

Monday, April 12
6:00 - 9:00pm - Final Presentation of Design Work and Reception
4th Floor, Main Building, 3141 Chestnut Street

URBN Center Preview

Westphal faculty, staff, students and alumni are invited to a presentation of the proposed design for the new URBN Center at 3501 Market Street and 3401 Filbert Street on Friday, March 19th at 2 PM on the 2nd Floor of 3501 Market Street. National architectural and interior design firm Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd., winner of a 2010 AIA National Honor Award for their Urban Outfitters project at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, will present on the design plans developed over the last ten months.

3501 Market Street, designed by famed Philadelphia firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, breaks from the tenets of modernism with its iconic facade and is an important building in the history of architecture in Philadelphia. For more information regarding the URBN Center click here. To attend this presentation, please RSVP to Kimberly Miller at kim.miller@drexel.edu.

Game Design Program Ranked #3

Our Digital Media’s gaming program has been ranked 3rd on the list of the 50 best undergraduate gaming programs in the U.S. and Canada in the just announced The Princeton Review rankings. Drexel’s #3 ranking places it on the list of eight programs that received top honors among 50 programs recognized. The Princeton Review developed its “Top 50 Undergraduate Game Design Programs” list – the first project of its kind – in partnership with GamePro, one of the most respected magazines reporting on the video game industry.

Video game design at Drexel happens at the RePlay lab under the leadership of Digital Media’s Dr. Paul Diefenbach and Dr. Frank Lee of the College of Engineering’s Computer Science Department. Digital Media students learn gaming design, art, 3D modeling and animation, scripting and programming, storytelling and digital audio. Computer Science students learn the logic and organization of game engine programming and asset pipeline integration. Students in both majors take gaming courses together and work on multi-discipline team projects with Music, Scriptwriting, and Engineering majors.

Of the roughly 500 programs where students can study game design in the U.S. and Canada, The Princeton Review selected the top 50 programs based on a survey it conducted in 2009-10.   The survey covered areas from academics and faculty credentials to graduates’ employment and career achievements.   Criteria included the quality of the curriculum, faculty, facilities and infrastructure.  The Princeton Review also looked at data on scholarships, financial aid and career opportunities.

Calling All Creatives

The Department of Architecture and Interiors will hold the 3rd annual interdisciplinary Design Charrette, Urban Connection, from April 9th through April 12th. The Charrette is an opportunity for students from all majors at Drexel to collaborate on design projects of relevance to local and global communities. The 2010 Design Charrette will challenge students to rethink public and urban transportation while taking into account differing modes of transport, universal accessibility, sustainable and energy efficient design, hubs for commuter transfers, site and community in the city of Philadelphia. Participants in Urban Connections will interact with notable participants from city and regional government offices as well as from the design field.

Application for participation is open through March 12th. To register for the event please visit www.drexel.edu/charrette. In addition to inviting students from all majors and colleges to apply, the charette organizing committee welcomes faculty participation from all disciplines. Please contact Lauren Karwoski-Magee (lkm@Drexel.edu) or Debra Ruben (dhruben@drexel.edu) in the Department of Architecture & Interiors if you have questions.

MAD Music at the Mandell

MAD Dragon Records and MadKo Concerts will rock the Mandell Theater on March 6th at 7 PM when they present headliner Good Old War in concert with special guests Liam & Me, and MAD Dragon recording artists Matt Duke, The Swimmers and Andrew Lipke.  Tickets to the annual MAD Dragon concert are free with a Drexel ID or $10 for the public. As always, the concert is being organized and promoted by students in the Music Industry program.

Headliner Good Old War is a Pennsylvania trio that plays country and folk music creating an emotional and lyrical experience devoid of musical gimmicks. Representing the pop/rock genre will be Philly-based rock band Liam & Me, a band that favors songs with great hooks. Singer/songwriter Matt Duke is known for acoustic melodies and his gentle voice. Matt’s albums are released by MAD Dragon’s partner RykoDisc, a subsidiary of Warner Bros Music. Electro-pop band The Swimmers is MAD Dragon Records’ most recent release and their album, People Are Soft, received terrific critical acclaim. Rounding out the bill is the wonderful Andrew Lipke and his distinct brand of guitar-driven acoustic rock.  The concert will likely be a sellout so come early and grab good seats.

DETAILS:

• MAD Dragon/MadKo Concert
• Saturday, March 6; 7 PM
• Mandell Theater (33rd & Chestnut Sts.)
• Free for Drexel Students, Faculty & Staff; $10 for General Admission

For more info, contact Nick Fanelli at nick.fanelli@gmail.com

Time for Submissions:

Drexel’s annual Research Day is coming up quickly and, as usual, our College hopes to be a major participant. Abstracts of your proposed project (a short description of your project) are due no later than Monday, March 8th. They can be electronically submitted via drexel.edu/researchday. 

Research Day is a chance for all Drexel students to showcase their research and creative work in the arts, humanities, sciences and engineering. Still, it’s no surprise that our students’ research often looks different. This year Westphal students will present animations and video games, film and video, dance performances, and a variety of presentations on design in different formats. Research Day is Thursday, April 15th.

We also encourage you to come out to see the Daskalakis Athletic Center overflowing with impressive student work from 11 AM-3 PM on 4/15. For more information, visit drexel.edu/researchday or email researchday@drexel.edu.

Drum Along on Your iPhone

Philadelphia’s active Middle Eastern music scene is steeped in a tradition that crosses ethnic and cultural boundaries. A concert devoted to the music of Greece will feature Drexel’s Mediterranean Ensemble playing with special guests Bill Koutsouros, founder of the Philadelphia-based Eastern Mediterranean World Fusion band, Animus, and the Eastern European women’s vocal ensemble, Svitanya, on Wednesday, March 10th at 7:30 PM at the Mandell Theater.

In the grand Drexel tradition of innovation, those coming to the concert will be able to download a new iPhone drum application allowing concert-goers to play along with the performers in real time.

DETAILS:

• Mediterranean Ensemble (with guest artists, Animus and Svitanya), alongside Drexel’s Percussion and Rock Ensembles
• Wednesday, March 10th at 7:30PM
• Mandell Theater(33rd Street & Chestnut)
• Free and open to the public
• For more information www.drexel.edu/westphal

Jazz Extravaganza

On Thursday, March 11th the Spelman College Jazz Ensemble will join the Drexel Jazz Orchestra and Jazztet for Jazz Extravaganza XI, a free evening concert of great music performed by talented student players.

The Spelman Ensemble, under the direction of Professor Joseph Jennings, has toured the United States extensively sharing stages with Wynton Marsalis, Nancy Wilson and Dee Dee Bridgewater. The Spelman Ensemble’s “Keeping It Real” portion of the concert will feature the music of Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, and Bobby Timmons. Dr. George Starks will lead the Drexel University Jazz Orchestra and Jazztet as they perform the music of Clifford Brown, Oliver Nelson, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins and more. Come and swing with the best jazz players of Spelman and Drexel at this year’s eleventh annual concert.

DETAILS:

• Spelman College Jazz Ensemble and the Drexel Jazz Orchestra and Jazztet
• Thursday, March 11; 7 PM
• Mandell Theater (33rd and Chestnut St.)
• Free and open to the public
• For more information 215-895-ARTS (2787) or visit www.drexel.edu/westphal

Fairmount Ensemble & Drexel Chorus Concert

Guest artists from the Fairmount Chamber Ensemble will join the Drexel Chorus and Chamber Singers for an afternoon concert on Sunday, March 14th at 3 PM in the Main Auditorium.

The Fairmount Chamber Ensemble features Penny Shumate (soprano), Maren Montalbano (mezzo), Perry Brisbon (tenor) and Jim Kirk (bass), world-class musicians who have performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Opera Company of Philadelphia.

These distinguished guest artists will be joining our University Chorus and Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Steven Powell, for a performance of Franz Joseph Haydn’s Theresienmesse and Edward Benjamin Britten’s Cantata Misericordium.

DETAILS:

• University Chorus and Chamber Singers featuring Fairmount Chamber Ensemble
• Sunday, March 14; 3 PM
• Main Auditorium (Chestnut & 32nd St.)
• Free and open to the public
• For more information www.drexel.edu/depts/perform/chorus/university_chorus.htm

Music to Your Ears

From March 5th through March 14th, music rules on the Drexel campus as we proudly present seven concerts that showcase talented Drexel student musicians who play in our wonderful and diverse ensembles under the supervision of the Music Program.

On Friday, March 5th the Drexel String Ensemble presents “Let Us Surprise You,” music from the world of Broadway and movies. Featuring songs from Pirates of the Caribbean and Titanic and Broadway show stoppers like Phantom of the Opera, this is a concert sure to please the ‘pops’ lover in all of us. We move on to Sunday, March 7th when the Drexel Concert Band will take us on a journey around the world with “A Global Rhapsody.” A highlight of the concert will be Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue featuring pianist Mark Kuss. Kuss is a composer and performer with Hesperus, the new music ensemble of the Smithsonian Institute.

Our celebration of music continues on Tuesday, March 9th with a concert by Drexel’s Guitar and Fusion Ensembles that will feature works by Miles Davis, WAR, John Lennon, Mongo Santamaria, and Johann Pachelbel. The next evening, Wednesday, March 10th the Mandell Theater will raucously transform as the Percussion Ensemble and Rock Ensemble turn up the bass with “Red, Red Wine” by UB40, Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll”, the Beatles’ “Help” and a whole lot  more.

We conclude on Friday, March 12th when the Keyboard Ensemble will display their talents performing Franz Schubert’s  “Serenade”, Ludwig van Beethoven’s “German Dance”, Peter Tchaikovsky’s “Song without Words” and J. Thomas’ “Rockin’ Robin”.

This is a good year to come out and support Drexel Music; we’re sure you’ll have a lovely time and the quality of our students’ musicianship will have you leaving most impressed.

DETAILS:

• Celebrating Music
• Schedule:
• March 5-String Ensemble, 7:30 PM Mandell Theater
• March 7-Concert Band, 7:00PM Mandell Theater
• March 9-Guitar & Fusion Ensemble, 7:30PM Mandell Theater
• March 10-Percussion, Mediterranean & Rock Ensembles, 7:30PM, Mandell Theater
• March 11- Jazz Orchestra & Jazztet with the Spelman Jazz Ensemble, 7 PM, Mandell Theater
• March 12-Keyboard Ensemble, 7:30PM Mandell Theater
• March 14- Chorus and Chamber singers with the Fairmount Chamber Ensemble, 3 PM, Main Auditorium

For more information visit www.drexel.edu/westphal

Great Theater for $10

Entertainment & Arts Management and Arts Administration students are continuing their work with the Wilma Theater to  develop new audiences for quality theater on college campuses. This partnership, now in support of the Wilma’s latest production, Language Rooms, offers Drexel students a $10 student rush ticket, a rather fantastic bargain considering the usual $45 price. Your ten buck ticket (and there are no bad seats at the Wilma) includes a reception with food from Center City restaurants and a backstage tour all on Sunday, March 14th, beginning at 6:30 PM in the Wilma lobby.

Language Rooms is a subversive dark comedy about two Arab-American interrogators at an undisclosed American facility somewhere in the world. They strive to prove themselves the best at their jobs in the midst of absurd office politics and management constantly questioning their loyalties and dedication to “the company.” From an exciting new playwright, Yussef El Guindi (Jihad Jones), whose work has been praised as "very funny" by The New York Times, this play will spark debate about family relationships, identity, the War on Terror, and the corruption of the American Dream. Shifting between comedy and political suspense, the play conjures up a surprising twist not to be given away.

Student group rates are available and groups of 10 or more will receive two additional free tickets. Ticket holders are also invited to the Symposium Series at 4:30 PM, entitled Good Vibrations and Stress Positions: The Legacy of “Enhanced Interrogation”.  A distinguished group of writers and thinkers including Petra Bartosiewicz (contributor to The Nation, Mother Jones, and The New York Times), Ian Lustick (author of Trapped in the War on Terror), Fathali M. Moghaddam (author of How Globalization Spurs Terrorism) and Jonathan Moreno (author of Mind Wars: Brain Research), will examine the profound effects of America’s War on Terror.

DETAILS:

• Drexel Night at the Wilma
• Sunday, March 14; 6:30 PM
• Wilma Theater (33rd & Chestnut Sts.)
• $10 for Drexel Students, Faculty & Staff; $45 for General Admission
• For more info, contact The Wilma Theater www.wilmatheater.org or 215-546-7824

Philagrafika: Last Chance

If you haven’t seen our excellent exhibition from The International Print Center of New York: New Prints 2009/Autumn at The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, time is running out! The exhibition is part of Philagrafika 2010, an international festival that celebrates the role of print as a vital force in contemporary art. New Prints 2009/Autumn features an exceptional group of sixty works by thirty-eight emerging and established artists. Showcasing recent traditional and experimental work, the IPCNY New Prints 2009/Autumn show is running through March 12th.

D&M Kiosk Returns

The d&m Kiosk returns to Nesbitt’s Chapman Court for one week of special shopping from March 1st through March 5th. This retail project of the Design & Merchandising program features original products made by Westphal students, faculty and alumni. Students in Heather Osgood’s DSMR 231 Retail Principles class solicited merchandise submissions earlier in the term from the Westphal community.

Submissions were evaluated by a panel of students and faculty to select the best product assortment for the kiosk’s limited engagement. Please stop by to shop their selection of handcrafted jewelry, hair accessories and photos daily from 11am to 2pm. For submission details for the spring term, email dsmrkiosk@drexel.edu for information.

No Budget, No Problem

Kevin James McMullin turned $850 into an award-winning feature film. Exit 117 was produced by Entertainment & Arts Management senior, Christina Papi and written, directed and edited by 21 year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate McMullin, who also starred in the film. Music Industry major, Jonah Delso, created original music for the soundtrack and Drexel English student Matt Strickland appears in the film. Exit 117 has been selected to appear at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California.

This year, 2,000 films were submitted to Cinequest, and over 80,000 will attend the festival, which features only 188 selections. By using borrowed equipment, natural sunlight, a laptop for editing and hometown friends as actors, McMillin was able to create Exit 117 with one of the smallest budgets in Cinequest history. The film will also be heading to the Garden State Film Festival and the Atlanta Film Festival.

Exit 117 is a group portrait of New Jersey youth and the kaleidoscope of dreams, fears and laughs they experience over their last summer together. The film, shot in Monmouth County where it is set, has been compared to The Breakfast Club and Garden State. For more information visit www.exit117movie.com.

In Memoriam: Professor Edward W. Arian

Dr. Edward W. Arian had a distinguished career during his twenty years at Drexel University.  After leaving the Philadelphia Orchestra, where he served as assistant principal bass violinist under Eugene Ormandy (1947-1967), he earned a Ph.D in political science from Bryn Mawr College in 1969.  When Dr. Arian came to Drexel in 1970, he joined the faculty of Drexel's College of Humanities and Social Sciences now known as the College of Arts and Sciences.  While Dr. Arian created many important programs for the University, he is especially known for creating our highly regarded graduate program in Arts Administration.  Founded in 1973, the Arts Administration program was one of the first Arts Administration programs in the nation.  “Dr. Arian was a visionary who understood the need for good management in the cultural community,” said Cecelia Fitzgibbon, Arts Administration Program Director. “His understanding of the public role of the arts and the impact of class on cultural participation influenced a generation of arts leaders,” said Fitzgibbon. “Dr. Arian was an important figure in the development of arts administration as a field of study and he will be missed by many."

At Drexel, Dr. Arian also founded and directed the graduate program in Environmental Planning and Management and the undergraduate program in Public Administration, which utilized student internships through grant funding to aid local governments in technical assistance.  In 1979, Dr. Arian was appointed chairman of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts by Governor Milton J. Shapp.  He is the author of numerous publications, including two books, Bach, Beethoven, and Bureaucracy: the Case of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and The Unfulfilled Promise: Public Subsidy of the Arts in America.

In the Philadelphia Orchestra, Arian served as labor negotiator for Local #77, American Federation of Musicians.  In 1966, he helped lead an eight-week strike that yielded the musicians their first guaranteed 52-week salary. He is also a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music. Dr. Arian is survived by his wife of 67 years Yvette, daughters Anne-Lesley and Carol and his five grandchildren. A memorial is set for 3 PM, April 17th at Rydal Park Retirement Community where Dr. Arian resided since 2001.

Shakespeare in the Year 2020

Get ready to experience William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in an entirely new way. This beloved Shakespearian comedy gets a Gossip Girl prep-school makeover in this new Drexel Player’s production. In our reimagining, texting and Skype are the norm and Lady Gaga and Rihanna rule the airwaves. The play runs from Thursday, February 25th through Sunday, February 28th at the Mandell Theater.

While we remain true to Shakespeare’s storyline with its chaotic love triangles, mischievous Puck’s magic love potion, chaos, love and dreams, we’ll flash forward to 2020 at the Athens Academy, a posh boarding school. Here four teenage lovers are torn away from their high-tech world, stumbling into a dark and mystical forest. The woods—where king of the fairies, Oberon, and his wife Titania reign—are a mysterious place where trees are composed of electrical computer cables and modernistic machinery.  It is ominous and Twilight-esque as suspense and confusion ensue on the road to a comically satisfying denouement.

Directed by Peter Reynolds, with ultramodern sets designed by Dan Soule, this A Midsummer Night’s Dream will not be the Shakespeare you remember from high school. Tickets cost $15 for the general public and $5 for Drexel students, faculty and staff (valid ID required).

DETAILS:

• Drexel Player’s presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Thursday, February 25th-Sunday, February 28th
• Mandell Theater (33rd & Chestnut Sts.)
• $5 for Drexel Students, Faculty & Staff; $15 for General Admission
• Group rate tickets are available for groups of ten or more people, for a discounted price of $10 general public.  For more information regarding group tickets, please contact Nick Anselmo at nick.anselmo@drexel.edu.
• For more info, please call 215-895-ARTS or visit  www.drexel.edu/westphal

20th Madrigal Dinner

One of Drexel University’s most popular traditions returns with the Twentieth Annual Madrigal Dinner on Friday, February 26th and Saturday, February 27th at 7:30 PM in Drexel’s Great Court. An evening of music, entertainment and food, the Madrigal Dinner transforms the Main Building’s Great Court into a nobleman’s palace. Here lords and ladies are entertained by storytellers and jesters while luxuriating with an array of foods that harkens back to the era of King James I and Shakespeare that will be served by student performers in Renaissance attire.

Following the sumptuous feast of roasted chicken, poached salmon, butternut squash, roasted potatoes and warm apple tart, the Chamber Singers will perform popular music from the Elizabethan era.

Fare for this journey back in time is $21.95 per person. Balcony seating (concert only) is available for $3.00, and discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Reservations must be made in advance by calling 215-895-1275 and early registration is advised.

DETAILS:

• The Drexel University Chamber Singers present The Madrigal Dinner
• Friday-Saturday, February 26th & 27th, 2010; 7:30 PM
• The Great Court, Main Building, 3141 Chestnut St.
• $21.95 for dinner and concert; $3.00 for concert only/balcony seating
• 215-895-1275 or visit: http://www.drexel.edu/depts/perform/chorus/chamber_singers.htm

Snowstorm Events Rescheduled

Due to last week’s weather several events have been rescheduled for next week.

Lilly Pulitzer fashion show now February 24th.

Fashion design students have been hard at work creating women’s wear for a fundraiser event at the Lilly Pulitzer store in Ardmore. Last fall, the company donated fabric to our fashion program and challenged our students to create designs in keeping with the Pulitzer style. Our students’ garments will be the centerpiece of a fashion show and cocktail reception at the Ardmore store (49 Saint James Place, Ardmore) on Wednesday, February 24th from 6- 8 PM. Ten-percent of the proceeds from floor sales during the evening will support the fashion program’s scholarship fund. Awards will be given to the evening’s top designers, including one for best dress.

Kevin Killen now February 22nd.

Kevin Killen has spent the last 30 years compiling an impressive list of credentials working with some of pop music’s biggest names. He has worked as a producer, sound engineer and mixer for Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello, Jewel, Bon Jovi and U2. He recently added country music to his work with Sugarlands Love On the Inside album and won five Grammy awards for his work on Shakira’s Oral Fixation album. The Music Industry program is sponsoring a talk with Killen on February 22nd at 6 PM in the Bossone Research Center.  Killen will discuss producing and engineering and also walk us through his approach as he dissects one of his own recording sessions.

One Film: Waltz with Bashir

The Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe winner for best foreign language film Waltz with Bashir has been chosen as this year’s One Film Philadelphia film.  The college continues its partnership with One Film Philadelphia and will host a free screening of the film followed by a discussion on the issues the film raises and the innovative storytelling and animation it employs. Our One Film Philadelphia event is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb 24th at 6:30 PM in the Bossone Auditorium.  An animated film, Waltz with Bashir, explores the consequences of the 1982 Lebanon War and specifically the Sabra and Shatila massacre.  Director Ari Folman plays himself as he struggles to recall some twenty years earlier, when at the age of 19, he served in the Israeli Defense Force during the war.  Folman goes on a journey encountering many of his service comrades and their conversations bring back memories of his role in the war.

Following the screening, Film & Video professor Gregory Wolmart will moderate a talk about the importance of the film with documentary filmmaker Eran Preis and Israeli Deputy Consul General Raslan Abu Rukun. One Film Philadelphia is a citywide initiative of Philadelphia’s Free Library which promotes film literacy and community building by choosing one film to be shown in dozens of screenings throughout the city over several weeks in February and March.

DETAILS:

• Waltz with Bashir, screening and discussion
• Wednesday, Feb 24th, 2010; 6:30 PM
• Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium (3128 Market St.)
• Free and Open to the Public
• More info: www.drexel.edu/westphal or 215-895-1029

DIGM Annual Review

We try to hold back on making bombastic claims, but we can’t resist telling you that you’ll be amazed at the work of our Digital Media students that will be shown at the Digital Media Annual Review on February 22nd at 7 PM in Stein Auditorium. The review will showcase exemplary Digital Media students work from the past calendar year. Works will span all academic levels from freshman through graduate and will include examples of works in gaming, animation and web development with some incorporating all three disciplines.

Highlights of the show will include The Fourmation, a game which recently won the Adobe Achievement Award for ‘Non-Browser-Based Design’ and Franz, an animation currently featured on Side Effects’ Software’s website. To view Franz click here and for more information on the Digital Media Program click here.

DETAILS:

• DIGM Annual Review
• Monday, February 22nd, 2010; 7 PM
• Stein Auditorium, Nesbitt Hall Room 111
• For more information visit http://digm.drexel.edu/2010/

Drexel Lends Garbo to Ferragamo

The Drexel Historic Costume Collection (DHCC) has lent a famous gown, worn by actress Greta Garbo, to the La Triennale Design Museum in Milan for the exhibition Greta Garbo, Legacy as a Fashion Icon.  Clare Sauro, DHCC curator, is heading to Milan at the end of the month to oversee the installation of the garment. This is her first major international exhibition loan since taking over as curator in 2009. Garbo had strong ties to Salvatore Ferragamo, the founder of the high-end fashion house, during the 1920s and 30s.  Ferragamo made shoes for Garbo that she wore to premier Hollywood events, including for the gown the DHCC lent the museum.

The DHCC is home to over 10,000 garments collected by the university over nearly a century.  The Garbo dress being lent for exhibition was designed by Gilbert Adrian for the 1931 MGM film Inspiration.  It was one of three pieces donated by Mrs. Tomas E. Burns Jr. in 1976 and was one of many garments that have been digitized and archived in the DHCC database by fashion professor Kathi Martin. The Ferragamo Museum found the Garbo dress through the college’s DHCC database. 

Architecture Overseas

Three Drexel Architecture students spent a week in Istanbul at the beginning of January researching the Ottoman fountains of the Old City of Jerusalem. Students Anthony Assetto, Cassidy Hobbs and Joshua Lessard and Associate Professor Judith Bing worked at IRCICA (the International Centre for Islamic History Art and Culture), the institution in charge of the Al-Quds/Jerusalem 2015 Program, an initiative for preserving Jerusalem’s  neglected Islamic heritage.

Our students attended presentations on past restoration projects at IRCICA, with speakers from schools in Italy, Austria, the U.S. and Palestine, and the students’ research activities were complemented by visits to Istanbul’s historic sites, Ottoman research archives, and urban planning offices addressing the contemporary city. Students will complete their work on fountains and related water systems as part of a winter term independent study course and are planning a public presentation on their experiences this spring.

Orchestra Cybercast

If you're too busy to make it to the Kimmel Center to hear the world famous Philadelphia Orchestra, then join us in Bossone's Mitchell Auditorium for a Philadelphia Orchestra global concert cybercast. This initiative features a full-length Philadelphia Orchestra concert beamed to campus in HD and digital sound. Conductor Charles Dutoit and Dutch violinist Janine Jansen, one of the most downloaded classical recording artists of all time, will lead the Orchestra in Brahms Violin Concerto and Shostakovich Symphony No. 11 (“The Year 1905”) on Sunday, February 28th at 2 PM. The cybercast affords you all the sights and sounds of the best orchestra seats without having to leave the campus or pay for tickets.

The concert is free of charge thanks to sponsorship by the College of Engineering, the Pennoni Honors College, and the Westphal College and is hosted by Music and Entertainment Technology Laboratory.

Youngmoo Kim, Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the College of Engineering and students in the MET (music, entertainment and technology) Lab will work behind the scenes to ensure top quality sound and picture for broadcast. These broadcasts are also part of an engineering senior design project using new technologies to facilitate music education and appreciation. For more information, including a full list of concert cybercast dates, visit http://music.ece.drexel.edu.

Bid High for the Arts!

The Arts Administration Graduate Association (AAGA) is proud to host the 7th Annual Art Auction. This unique fundraising event helps send Arts Administration graduate students to Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. This years’ Art Auction will be held on Friday, March 5th in the Bossone Lobby and Atrium located at 3128 Market Street. Doors will open at 7 PM and the silent auction will run until 9 PM.

The Bossone Lobby will be transformed into an art auction house where attendees will have the chance to view and bid on artwork by local and national artists. Meg Clifton Mitchell, local jazz vocalist and graduate of the Arts Administration program, will entertain guests as they enjoy refreshments, hors d’oeuvres and bid on art, various ticket packages to exciting cultural events, meals at top local eateries, gift certificates for luxury services and more.

Arts Advocacy Day will be held this year in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2010 and is organized by Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. This national arts action summit is a gathering of arts professionals from around the country on Capitol Hill to urge US representatives to support federal funding of the arts. Drexel’s Arts Administration students will engage in unique networking opportunities on Capitol Hill with their local legislators, and get the chance to see some of America’s most passionate cultural activists and leaders while also meeting other arts management students and advocates.

Tickets at the door cost $20 with a $15 price for students with a current Drexel Student ID. For the first time this year, a special preview for alumni of the Arts Administration Program will be held before doors open to the public. This special preview begins at 6 PM. The AAGA is currently accepting donations of artwork for the auction, and should you wish to donate a piece of art or make a monetary contribution, please contact Elizabeth Gault at elizabeth.gault@drexel.edu or Ying Le at yingleis@gmail.com.

DETAILS:

• 7th Annual Art Auction presented by the Arts Administration Graduate Association
• Friday, March 5th, 2010; 7 PM
• Bossone Lobby and Atrium (3128 Market Street)
• $20 for the General Public and $15 for Drexel Students with valid ID
• Visit the Art Auction 2010 Website at http://www.drexelaaga.com or the Art Administration Graduation Association site at www.drexelaaga.com

Classrooms Without Borders

Paralleling the changing paradigms in business, education is in the midst of a quantum leap forward and Anne Cecil, Design & Merchandising Program Director, wants her students to be prepared. Cecil, along with Anne Pierson-Smith, Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the City University of Hong Kong, is teaching a cross institutional course in Fashion Product Promotion (DMSR 326). Using technologies including webinars, blogs, threaded discussion, Twitter, Facebook, Skype, BBVista and Wimba live classroom, the professors bring students on opposite sides of the globe together in a virtual setting.

Students were divided into teams consisting of two Drexel students and three to four City University of Hong Kong students. Drexel students were assigned a shopping zone in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong students a site in the States. The students were then challenged to create a concept and promotional plan for a fashion product boutique in each city.

The first live classroom was a huge success and even sparked an impromptu conversation about wearing pajamas in public. While there are challenges to overcome such as time zones, term schedules, class size and cultural and language differences, Cecil and Pierson-Smith believe the global classroom, through effective direction and use of technology, will allow industry specialists, educational leaders and students to meet and collaborate no matter where they reside. Stay tuned for updates on this ongoing course and contact Anne Cecil at acc27@drexel.edu for more information.

LILLY PULITZER EVENT CANCELED:

Due to the coming snowstorm on Wed, Feb 10th, this event has been tentatively rescheduled to Wed, Feb 24th. The location, time and all other details are still the same.

Lilly Pulitzer Student Fashions

Fashion design students have been hard at work creating women’s wear for a fundraiser event at the Lilly Pulitzer store in Ardmore. Last fall, the company donated fabric to our fashion program and challenged our students to create designs in keeping with the Pulitzer style. Under the leadership of department head Roberta Gruber, fashion professors Renee Weiss Chase and Lisa Hayes and Pulitzer’s head designer, Jane Schoenboren, students underwent rigorous critiques as part of the process of refining their clothing creations. Our students’ garments will be the centerpiece of a fashion show and cocktail reception at the Ardmore store (49 Saint James Place, Ardmore) on Wednesday, February 10th 6- 8 PM.

Ten-percent of the proceeds from floor sales during the evening will support the fashion program’s scholarship fund. Awards will be given to the evening’s top designers, including one for best dress. Please stop by and see the great Lily Pulitzer line and our students’ terrific work.

FASHION LECTURE with DR. GWENDOLYN O’NEAL CANCELED:

Due to the coming snowstorm on Wed, Feb 10th, this event has been rescheduled to Wed, April 21st. The location is TBD, time and all other details are still the same.

Fashion Lecture

The research of Dr. Gwendolyn O’Neal focuses on the meanings assigned to apparel products and their impact on our preferences and behavior. Her research addresses the cultural and market divides that distinguish traditional Eurocentric perspectives from the aesthetics of the descendants of African peoples whose history, culture and fashion are markedly different. This will be the topic of her lecture, African American Aesthetic of Dress As Cultural Genetics, on Wednesday, February 10th. The lecture is part of the series Multicultural Appearances, Attitudes & Style; celebrating fashion and diversity and is one way the College is celebrating Black History Month. The event begins at 6:30 PM in the Bossone Auditorium and a reception will follow.

Dr. O’Neal is a Professor and Head of the Department of Consumer, Apparel and Retail Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She served as president of the International Textiles and Apparel Association, a global organization of textile, apparel and merchandising scholars, and two terms as Vice President for Planning. She was recently commissioned as the writer on African American Aesthetic of Dress for the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion.

DETAILS:

• What: African American Aesthetic of Dress As Cultural Genetics
• Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium
• When: February 10, 2010, 6:30 PM, reception to follow
• Cost: FREE and open to the public

Madko At The Rotunda

MAD Dragon Records is taking over The Rotunda for a night of local hip-hop music. Madko Concerts, a MAD Dragon Records enterprise, is bringing four talented hip-hop acts and special guest DJ Cliff Moore to The Rotunda on February 5th at 7 PM. The concert was organized and promoted by students in the Madko Concert Promotions class for Music Industry and Entertainment & Arts Management students.

The concert will include Written House, a Philadelphia-based rap group who steers clear of lyrics promoting violence and has opened for Wu-Tang Clan and De La Soul; Slick Mantra, an experimental hip-hop group inspired by jazz, soul and pop; Scanz, a hip-hop artist, producer, lyricist and businessman who most recently released his sophomore album The Basement Chronicles and has collaborated with artists including KRS-One, Mr. Lif and Akrobatik; and Ground Up, a North Philadelphia hip-hop trio who draws big crowds throughout our region.

DETAILS:

• What: Madko Concert at The Rotunda
• Where: The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., Philadelphia PA 19104
• When: February 5, 2010, 7:00 PM
• Cost: $5, all- ages event

CAMPUS CONCERT CANCELED:

Due to the coming snowstorm on Wed, Feb 10th, this event has been cancelled. A new date is TBD.

Campus Concert Series Returns

The Campus Concert series, with players from The Philadelphia Orchestra, returns for the first concert of 2010 in Van Rensselear Ballroom. This casual concert will take place on February 9th at 7:00 PM. The concert will feature performances from Ricardo Morales, Principal Clarinet and Tim Ribchester, Piano Accompanist. They will perform Brahms’s Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 120 and Finzi’s Five Bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 23 a. The ballroom is a unique and intimate setting that allows you to get up close and personal with these world-renowned musicians. Refreshments will be served at the performance, and Ricardo and Tim will stay after the show for a talk with the audience.

The Westphal College, the Pennoni Honors College and the Office of Student Life continue to sponsor the Campus Concert Series. Campus Concerts are open to the public at no charge and qualify as an Honors College event.  Students wishing to receive Honors College credit must sign up at the PHC front desk.

DETAILS:

• Philadelphia Orchestra Campus Concert
• Tuesday, February 9th, 7 PM
• Van Rensselear Ballroom (3320 Powelton Ave.)
• Free and open to the public

Polish Poster Collection

We are delighted to announce that our award-winning Graphic Design program has added 117 new poster designs, donated by Barbara Lewalski, the wife of Kenneth F. Lewalski, to its Polish Poster Collection. The Kenneth F. Lewalski Polish Poster Collection features posters on jazz, theater and film and by artists such as Stasys Eidrigovicius, Roman Cieslewicz and Waldemar Swierzy. These new additions don’t duplicate the over one-thousand posters in the Frank Fox Collection which we acquired in 2008. Professor Lewalski was an authority on Polish history and acquired much of his collection on research trips to Poland. The Kenneth F. Lewalski Polish Poster Collection contains posters from the same time period as the Fox Collection and is an important tool for teaching the artistic, cultural and technical aspects of poster art.

The Graphic Design program is currently creating digital files of each poster with the goal of creating an interactive online database for our entire Polish poster collection. With the addition of this great collection, we will curate future exhibitions for our own gallery and other cultural institutions.

Several years ago the Graphic Design Program secured the remarkable Polish poster collection of Professor Frank Fox. Fox’s collection contains upwards of a thousand print works of art that were created between the 1930's and the 1990's and represents a collection of internationally recognized poster artists that brought Poland to the forefront of modern poster design. The collection includes posters for dozens of American movies, for sports, for tourism, for heavy industry and for consumer products. Some have subtle political undertones resulting from years of communist rule, while others supported the Solidarity movement. Poster art rose to a position of prominence in Poland in the late 19th century and the First International Exhibition of the Poster took place in Cracow in 1898.

PLATINUM SOUND CANCELED:

Platinum Mixing in "The Box": An Evening with Kevin Killen- rescheduled for February 22nd with all other details remaining the same.

Platinum Sound

Kevin Killen has spent the last 30 years compiling an impressive list of credentials working with some of pop music’s biggest names. He has worked as a producer, sound engineer and mixer for Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello, Jewel, Bon Jovi and U2. He recently added country music to his work with Sugarlands Love On the Inside album and won five Grammy awards for his work on Shakira’s Oral Fixation album. The Music Industry program is sponsoring a talk with Killen on February 9th at 6 PM in the Bossone Research Center.  Killen will discuss producing and engineering and also walk us through his approach as he dissects one of his own recording sessions.

A Conversation with King Britt

King Britt likes to live in the now. That’s a bold statement for someone whose past includes remixing songs for the likes of Macy Gray, Tori Amos and Miles Davis, and hit movies and television like Miami Vice and HBO’s True Blood. King has a Grammy under his belt, but this is a DJ and Producer who is just getting started. The Music Industry program will host Britt on February 16th at 6 PM in Ruth Auditorium (Nesbitt 125). He will discuss how he got started in the music business, his work as a record producer, his experiences running his label, and his thoughts on the future of the industry.

Britt, a Pew Fellowship recipient, is owner of music label and production house FiveSix Media. FiveSix Media artists describe themselves as revolutionaries in the new music revolution who use sound as their weapon of choice to fight back against mundane music corporations. Britt’s label roster now includes Ursula Rucker, Power Douglas, Chuck Treece, Sylk 130 and The Nova Dream Sequence. Check out King’s website at www.kingbritt.com.

Sell Your Art & Designs!

The d&m Kiosk will be popping up again soon for its winter season. The Kiosk is a retail learning lab featuring the work of Westphal students, faculty, staff and alumni. Everyone is encouraged to submit their work including jewelry, clothing, fashion accessories, prints, photos—the range of saleable items is limited only by your creativity. The Kiosk launched this past fall with great merchandise and robust sales. The operation was overseen by Design & Merchandising students under the direction of Professor Heather Osgood. A jury of students and faculty will determine which submissions will be selected for the kiosk and artists will receive 60% of the retail price. Submissions can be dropped off in Nesbitt 600 from 9 AM-5 PM weekdays until Friday, February 5, 2010. For further information, email us at dsmrkiosk@drexel.edu.

Professor on Project Runway

Pamela Ptak, adjunct fashion professor, is one of 16 designers, some from as far off as Africa and the Philippines, competing for a grand prize that includes $100,000 and a spread in Marie Claire magazine on the new season of Project Runway. The seventh season premiered Thursday night, January 14th on Lifetime Television.

Pamela told us, “I’d always loved the show from its first season. I saw it as a terrific teaching tool to inspire my students.” And now Pamela is setting an example that will surely inspire our students as they root for her success. “I absolutely love the passion, drive and enthusiasm of Drexel fashion design students,” she said.

Nearly ten years ago Pamela launched her own couture line designing made-to-order clothing for private clientele from Philadelphia, New York, Dallas and all over America. After graduating from Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute, she studied at the French-founded Maison Sapho School of Dressmaking & Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Pamela soon realized that not every woman can afford expensive made-to-order couture dresses and set her sights on designing quality ready-to-wear garments. Her ready to wear pieces got the attention of Runway’s Tim Gunn and ultimately a spot on this season’s show. “My inspiration comes from God and nature,” she said. “I study the beauty of human & animal anatomy, especially the long shapes in bone structure.” Prior to coming to Philadelphia, Pamela worked for top advertising agencies in New York City and then spent years freelancing for designers in New York on collections for the Paris Haute Couture & New York Fashion Weeks.

At Drexel, Pamela has taught graduate courses in couture design since 2004. While the outcome of the show is probably determined, we’ll have to watch to see if Pamela won. If nothing else, being on the show has given Pamela lifelong friends, “I met such a diverse array of designers working on Project Runway,” she said. Whatever the outcome, we congratulate Pam for making it this far, but it would be disingenuous of us not to say we really want her to win.

Print Show at The Pearlstein Gallery

The International Print Center of New York: New Prints 2009/Autumn show is now on display at The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery. The exhibition is part of Philagrafika 2010, running from January through mid-April throughout Philadelphia. Philagrafika is an international festival that celebrates the role of print as a vital force in contemporary art. New Prints 2009/Autumn features an exceptional group of sixty works by thirty-eight emerging and established artists selected from over 2,000 submissions. Techniques range from the traditional to the highly experimental and all of the work has been made within the past twelve months. The IPCNY New Prints 2009/Autumn show is running through March 12th with the opening reception Wednesday, January 27th from 5-7 PM.

New Prints 2009/Autumn features exciting works and inventive processes including three screen printed T-shirts shrink-wrapped in meat packaging, a unique piece screen printed on post-it notes and a work comprised of dust on paper in an aluminum frame. Exhibited works include artists and collectives from America and abroad, including Canada, England, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.

International Print Center New York was established in Chelsea in September 2000 as the first nonprofit institution devoted solely to the exhibition and understanding of fine art prints. Philagrafika 2010, curated by artistic director José Roca, will showcase the work of more than 300 artists and will unite 88 Philadelphia-area art institutions in the inaugural presentation of what will become a recurring event. The festival was initiated by the Philagrafika organization, formerly known as the Philadelphia Print Collaborative. Philagrafika builds upon the region's rich printmaking history and artistic resources to enhance Philadelphia’s presence as an international center for innovative printmaking.

DETAILS:

• What: New Prints 2009/ Autumn
• Where: Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, Nesbitt Building (3215 Market Street)
• When: Exhibit runs January 11th through March 12th 2010
• Hours: Monday ­ Friday 11 AM – 5 PM
• Open Late: Second Fridays of each month 11 AM – 8 PM
• Opening reception: January 27th from 5-7 PM
• Cost: FREE and open to the public
• More information: 215-895-2548 or gallery@drexel.edu
• www.drexel.edu/westphal/gallery

 

Movies & Culture

David Denby is the renowned film critic for The New Yorker and author of the books American Sucker, Great Books and Snark.  He will lead a discussion in Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium on January 20th on the role of movies in American culture. Dr. Paula Marantz Cohen, distinguished professor of English and Mr. Steven Rea, film critic for The Philadelphia Inquirer and adjunct professor in the Department of Cinema & Television, will join Denby in the discussion, which begins at 5:30 PM.

Denby grew up in New York City and received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in 1965 and master’s from its journalism school in 1966. Before arriving at The New Yorker, Denby worked for The Atlantic and New York magazines.

DETAILS:

• What: Movies and Culture; A Discussion with David Denby
• Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium
• When: January 20, 2010, 5:30 PM
• Cost: FREE and open to the public

Dance: Furnishings

The Drexel Dance ensemble takes the stage for its first concert of the year entitled Furnishings. The concert, composed of world premiere works by guest artists Jumatatu Poe, winner of the 2009 Ellen Forman Memorial prize, and SCRAP Performance Group as well as Drexel Dance Program Director Dr. Miriam Giguere and Drexel student choreographers, will play from Thursday, January 28th through Saturday, January 30th at 8 PM in the Mandell Theater.  Also, Dance Day will be held on January 30th. This day-long event will feature technique classes, presentations, workshops and a performance, beginning at 10:00 AM with technique classes, and finishing at 8:00 PM with a performance of Furnishings. For more information on Dance Day or to reserve your tickets to Furnishings, please email danceprogram@drexel.edu.

Jumatatu Poe, Artistic Director of IdiosynCrazy Productions, will present a highly athletic original work, “What Happens Happened,” created especially for our Dance ensemble. It includes spoken words and is about being stuck in one moment without any memory of the past or anticipation for the future. SCRAP Performance Group, led by founder and choreographer Myra Bazell, will present the first draft of their two-year project which focuses on the concept of inspiration. SCRAP Performance Group is one of three 2009-10 Companies in Residence with the Dance program.

Dr. Miriam Giguere will present her new work “Ektrop, Kaarlsbad, Korndaal and Dans.” To any IKEA aficionado those names should sound very familiar. Giguere’s piece, with original music by Philadelphia composer Chris Farell, looks at how our home improvements are a reflection of our lives and includes video shot at the Conshohocken IKEA. Seven student choreographed pieces, all focused on the theme of ‘furnishings,’ will also be performed. To coincide with the theme of furnishings, Interior Design students will exhibit some of their recent work in the lobby of the Mandell Theater.

 DETAILS:

• What: Winter Dance Concert: Furnishings
• Where: Mandell Theater, 33rd & Chestnut Sts.
• When: January 28th- January 30th, 8 PM
• Cost: $8 General Admission, $5 Students
• Advance Tickets: www.danceboxoffice.com
• More Information: 215-895-ARTS or www.drexel.edu/westphal

Taking Over Your TV

Don’t worry if you missed the November premiere of DNEWS. This half-hour news magazine program on all things Drexel will premiere the second episode on both Comcast and Fios on January 29th. The show is entirely student-produced, with students conceiving stories, shooting, editing and finalizing them for broadcast. DUTV General Manager Dave Culver oversees the students who work on the production.

The January 29th broadcast, on DUTV channels 54 or 62 off campus and 33 on campus, will include stories on Drexel’s new Millennium Hall, the University chorus, the Late Night series, women’s basketball ‘phenom’ Gabriela Marginean, the new food court at the dinning terrace connected to Kelley Dorm and more. Don’t miss DNEWS Friday, January 29th at 9:30 PM or anytime on the DUTV website at www.DUTV.org.

As We Don’t Want You to Starve

There’s a big difference between developing the creative and technical skills required to succeed in your field and the life and business skills required to sustain a career in our highly competitive creative fields. To help you develop those skills, the Arts Administration graduate program is hosting an entertaining and informative panel discussion on January 25th that will tell you about resources and strategies that will be invaluable as you start out after graduation. The evening, entitled How Not to Starve as an Artist, will be held in Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium at 7:30 PM.

We’ve put together a panel of artists and experts from the field who will speak to their own experiences and to resources available for emerging artists and designers in our region. Our panel includes Sean Hoots of MAD Dragon Records recording artists Hoots and Hellmouth and Drexel alumna Sarah Stolfa, a gifted photographer and founder of The Philadelphia Photo Arts Center. They’ll address how to network to get your foot in the door and advice on how to make a name for yourself. Tom Kaiden of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and Adam Natale of Fractured Atlas, a nonprofit organization that serves a national community of artists and arts organizations by providing access to funding, healthcare, education and more, will discuss specific services that aid artists in making important connections, starting a website, establishing nonprofit 501 C3 status, gaining access to grant funding and other important skills. A reception with the speakers follows.

DETAILS:

• What: How Not To Starve as an Artist
• Where: Bossone’s Mitchell Auditorium
• When: January 25th, 7:30 PM
• Cost: FREE and open to the public

Celebrating Black History Month

February is Black History Month and there are many ways to celebrate. In continuation of what has now been a Drexel tradition for over ten years, the annual performance in honor of Black History Month “An Evening of African American Music” will take place this year on Sunday, February 7th at 5 PM in the Mandell Theater. Drexel University’s renowned Gospel Choir & Jazztet, in addition to the Drexel String Ensemble, will perform selections by African American artists during this free celebratory concert.  Selections include Motown Forever, a Motown medley played by the Drexel String Ensemble, the spiritual This Train and an homage to the first family of Gospel Music, the Hawkins Family. Drexel’s Gospel Choir will perform a selection of songs recorded by the Hawkins family that include God is Standing By and I’m Going Away,  as well as their hit song Oh Happy Day.

DETAILS:

• An Evening of African American Music
• Sunday, February 7, 5 PM
• Mandell Theater (33rd & Chestnut Sts.)
• FREE and Open to the Public
• For more information, please call 215-895-ARTS

8 Independent Music Awards Nominations for MAD Dragon

MAD Dragon Recording Artists have been nominated for eight 2009 Independent Music Awards (IMAs) in six different categories. The IMAs are the top national awards for college record label is no stranger to the IMAs. Our eight nominations are up from three last year and we have won in the category of "Best College Label" for two consecutive years. Winners are decided by an industry and artist judging panel and your votes. To vote, visit www.independentmusicawards.com/imafinalist.

MAD Dragon Records (MDR) is nominated twice this year in the "Best College Label" category for artists Hoots & Hellmouth and Andrew Lipke. All other nominations are in the non-college category including nominations of "Song Sing Out for Social Action" for Hoots and Hellmouth; "Album Alternative-Country" for Hoots and Hellmouth's The Holy Open Secret; "Indie Label Promo Compilation" for Matt Duke's 180 Grams and Unleashed 5; "Publicity Photography" for Hoots & Hellmouth/Doug Seymour, and "Band Website" for Hoots & Hellmouth.

The winners of the 9th annual IMAs will be announced in January. Winners receive year-long marketing & sales support plus performance opportunities that place winners & nominees in front of millions of music fans. Congratulations to all of our nominees and all of MDR's hard-working student staff. A special thank you goes out to Clark Connor for heading up the submission effort to the IMAs.

NASAD Accreditation

The College has again been re-accredited by National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) for all of its eligible programs for the next five years. The NASAD accreditation is a renewal for our programs in Design & Merchandising, Digital Media, Fashion Design, Film & Video, Graphic Design, Interior Design and Photography, as well as first time accreditations for Television, Television Management, and the Visual Arts Management track of the Entertainment and Arts Management program—majors we've launched since the last accreditation. With 13 of our 18 programs up for NASAD accreditation, we've worked for nearly two years towards re-accreditation and nearly every faculty and staff member contributed to our self-study and to hosting the site visit. Dr. David Raizman organized our efforts and we congratulate him and all our faculty and staff for their support during this process.

NASAD, founded in 1944, is an organization of schools, colleges, and universities comprised of 294 accredited institutional members which represent the country's top art and design schools. It establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials. The accreditation is a nearly all-consuming process of self-examination followed by an intensive visit from a team from the accrediting organization. Every aspect of our 13 programs was evaluated during the self study, which was provided to NASAD during their visit to campus in April, 2009. The self study is a nearly three hundred page report on our strategic plans that includes extensive specifics on our curriculum and faculty. And, as a self study, we included our own assessments of the progress and improvements we've made and those we intend to make in the coming years. Two hundred and eighty seven art and design schools are accredited by NASAD, including many of our peer institutions in the Philadelphia-area and most of the highest-ranked and best known art schools in the country.

Major Student Produced Television Productions on DUTV

At the end of November, DUTV, Drexel's television station that is carried throughout Metropolitan Philadelphia by Comcast, launched DNews, a half-hour news magazine program on all things Drexel. The show is entirely student produced, with students conceiving stories, shooting, editing and finalizing them for broadcast. The first edition included eight stories ranging from a construction update on the new recreation center, a report on the Drexel crew team, to lighter stories about the social constructs of the wingman. It also covered the all men's A Capella group, 8 to the bar, and a student produced play as part of the Director's lab series. DUTV General Manager Dave Culver oversaw the 17 different students who worked on the production.

We also have our newest TV Series show OFF CAMPUS ready for advanced viewing. The show will premiere on DUTV early in the New Year, but it can be viewed on-demand via our website, www.drexel.edu/westphal right now! OFF CAMPUS explores the lives of five recent college graduates living just off campus from their alma mater, as they begin their transition to adulthood. With a cast of professional actors, OFF CAMPUS provides a lighthearted and honest look at the confusing world that America's young people face in today's economic times. Andrew Susskind, Program Director of our Television major, oversaw Screenwriting & Playwriting students who wrote the OFF CAMPUS scripts with production handled by Film & Video students. Interior Design students handled the elaborate production design and Music Industry students composed the music. With OFF CAMPUS and DNews, DUTV takes a major step closer to reaching its goal of a completely student-run television station that includes student produced fiction and nonfiction programming.

Last Updated:May 29^th

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