Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
Westphal College News & Events
Drama at Drexel
Students from many Westphal programs are hard at work producing University 101, Drexel’s first ever dramatic television series. The initial five episodes recently went into production for this serialized drama which takes place on the campus of fictitious Dexter University. Film & Video students are producing and shooting the series from scripts written by Screenwriting & Playwriting students. Interior Design students are creating sets; Fashion Design students are designing costumes; and Music Industry students will write the musical score. University 101 follows the lives of six Dexter students, their parents and faculty.
Lorraine Broderick, former head writer of All My Children, One Life to Live, As the World Turns, Guiding Light and Days of Our Lives, oversaw the writing of the scripts in a class offered this past winter term. Felicia M. Behr, former Senior Vice President of daytime programming for ABC-TV and the Emmy Award winning producer of All My Children and As the World Turns, oversees production as part of our Film & Video curriculum.
Students produce the entire show, but the cast is comprised of professional actors cast out of Philadelphia and New York. University 101will air on DUTV, the University’s television station which is broadcast throughout the Metropolitan Philadelphia area. It will also be streamed on DUTV’s website.
The Hottest Fashion Designers in Philadelphia
The 29th Annual Fashion Show, featuring the collections of graduating Fashion Design students, is the ‘don’t miss’ event of the season. Evening wear, men’s and women’s sportswear, children’s wear, swim wear and lingerie will grace professional models on the runway of the posh Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia’s famed Wanamaker Building on Wednesday, May 28th at 5 PM and 8 PM. Students from our Design & Merchandising program produce the annual Fashion Show as well as the much anticipated full color d&m Magazine created expressly for the show.
Fashion Design students researched their collections in the fall and spent countless hours creating amazing work to exemplify their visions. Prizes for top collections and single designs are awarded by major designers and retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Lily Pulitzer, Motherswork and Joan Shepp.
DETAILS:
- 29th Annual Fashion Show
- Wednesday, May 28, 5 PM & 8 PM, Reception follows 8 PM show
- Crystal Tea Room, The Wanamaker Building (100 Penn Square East )
- Tickets: 5 PM $25/8PM $50 (includes reception)
- More information, call 215-895-1838
Arts & Cultural Leader: Ben Cameron
The arts and cultural sector is in transition. Many of the current generation of leaders are beginning to step down from their long held posts. These leaders of arts organizations shaped the cultural landscape as we know it, and a new generation is stepping forward to take their place. Ben Cameron, Program Director of the Arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, will address the challenges and opportunities facing these emerging leaders in Engaging the Next Generation of Leaders. Mr. Cameron will discuss strategies and tactics needed to ensure a successful succession of leadership in the field of Arts Administration.
The lecture is co-sponsored by the Westphal College, The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and The Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative, a program of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by The University of the Arts. The Arts Administration Graduate Student Association welcomes Mr. Cameron for a free lecture, on Thursday, May 29th at 6:30 PM in the Bossone Auditorium with a networking reception afterwards.
DETAILS:
- Ben Cameron, Engaging the Next Generation of Leaders
- Thursday, May 29, 6:30 PM
- Bossone Research Enterprise Center (3120 Market St.)
- Free and open to the public
- To register for the event, click here. For more information, call 215-895-6400
Wow! Three Emmy Noms for Professor Jim Klein
Jim Klein, Music Industry Professor, has been nominated for not one but three Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on the ABC Series All My Children. Jim received a nomination in the category for ‘Outstanding Music Direction and Composition in a Drama Series’ and two nominations for ‘Best Original Song’ for his songs The Me Inside and Treasure of Love. We only hope that with two nominations in the same category of Best Song that Jim’s chances will not be hurt by competing with his estimable self.
Professor Klein has been nominated three previous times, winning Emmys in 2003 and 2005. Possibly, after such success, Jim is becoming sanguine about such recognition, but we’re looking forward to the 35th Annual Daytime Emmy’s which will be broadcast live on ABC on June 20th. To read more about the Daytime Emmy’s click here.
Annx Art Exhibition
The artistic talents of Westphal students, faculty and alumni will be on display at the 15th Annual Annx Art Exhibition. The student-run show is now accepting work which can be as varied as sculpture, photography, graphics and virtually everything in between. All work is due with a small entry fee by Wednesday, May 14th at 5 PM. It’s not too late to submit, so dig out that best artistic work from your portfolio or take it off your wall and share it with the Westphal community.
Download a submission form here.
DETAILS:
- Annx Art Exhibition
- Entries due Wednesday, May 14, 5 PM, click here to print a submission form
- Show is May 19-23, Reception is May 22, 6 PM-9 PM
- Design Arts Annex Building (3220 Cherry St.)
- Entry Fees: $5 students/$10 faculty & alumni
- More information, email AnnXDesign@gmail.com
Philadelphia Boys Choir Honors Dr. Papadakis
President Constantine Papadakis will be honored with the Boys Choir Ambassadors Award at The Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale Ambassadors Gala 2008. The black-tie gala celebrates the 40th Anniversary of The Choir, on Saturday, May 17th at 6 PM in the Bossone Research Center. The Gala is hosted by the Boys Choir, Vertex, Inc. and the Westphal College, and will include a performance by the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale. For more information or to purchase tickets to the Gala click here.
American Art Icons
Giants of the American contemporary art scene Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Jasper Johns and Cy Twombly will be featured in an exhibition in the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery starting May 12th.
This exhibition features prints created by renowned artists Ellsworth Kelly, the American abstract artist known for manipulating bold, singular colors into geometric shapes, and Sol LeWitt whose frequent use of open, modular structures originate from the cube, a form that influenced the artist’s thinking. Also included are prints by Jasper Johns, a master artist whose art laid the foundation for generations of breakthrough contemporary artists and is the subject of a major exhibition now at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Cy Twombly, well-known for his large scale, freely-scribbled, calligraphic style graffiti paintings on solid canvases of mostly gray, tan or off-white. The Westphal College is grateful to the Thomas Segal Gallery in Baltimore, MD for loaning us work by these notable American artists.
DETAILS:
- Kelly/LeWitt/Johns/Twombly Exhibition: May 14 -June 6
- Opening Reception, Wednesday, May 21, 5-7 PM, Chapman Court
- Pearlstein Gallery, ground floor Nesbitt Hall, (3215 Market St.)
- Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday, 11 AM-5 PM
- Info: 215-895-2548 or gallery@drexel.edu
Rave Reviews for PROM
PROM season is underway and you don’t want to miss this enormously entertaining theater take on the quintessential high school experience now on stage at the Mandell Theater. New Paradise Laboratories, our current Mandell Professionals in Residence Project (MPiRP) company, along with Drexel students present their unique vision of this American rite of passage. Don’t take our word for this. Here’s what the Philadelphia Inquirer had to say, “All 10 high school celebrants are Drexel students, who play wonderfully edgy, distinct characters. They've impressively taken on - and they excel in - roles that call for the dynamic sort of performance PROM demands. They can't just portray these characters; they have to think them through intensely while they dance and act them.”
DETAILS:
- New Paradise Laboratories: PROM
- Remaining performances: May 8 & 9, 8 PM; May 10, 6:30 & 9 PM; May 11, 3 PM
- Mandell Theater (33rd and Chestnut Sts.)
- Tickets: $20/ $10 Students/$7 w/ Drexel ID
- More information visit www.newparadiselaboratories.org/home.asp
Coffee and Jazz
Great sounds and great desserts will set the tone as Drexel’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble present their annual Coffee and Jazz concert on May 16th at 8:20 PM. The music of Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald will come to life at the Faculty Club high atop MacAlister Hall. Tickets can be purchased at the door, but seating is limited, so arrive early!
DETAILS:
- Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Coffee and Jazz
- Friday, May 16, 8:20 PM
- Faculty Dining Room, 6th Floor MacAlister Hall (33rd and Chestnut Sts.)
- Tickets: $6
- For more information, call 215-895-ARTS or visit http://www.drexel.edu/westphal
Making the Cut: Film & Video Senior Show
It takes talent, hard work, a team effort and alchemy to make a good movie. These are the lessons our Film & Video students learned while making a minimum of seven films during their studies at Drexel. Now we’re all invited to see our graduating students’ final films at the Film & Video Senior Show. The show takes place at Bossone on Sunday, May 18th with a reception at 5pm and screenings to follow at 6pm. Like any good film festival, you’ll see comedies, horror, documentary, dramatic and action films. Students take varying approaches, some casting professional actors from New York while others cast locally. Most films employ digital technologies, but some students chose to shoot on film. Budgets range from ‘no’ to ‘low,’ but that doesn’t mean you won’t see first-rate production values, accomplished cinematography and some guaranteed gems. For further information, call 215-895-2408.
Stunning Space: Interior Design Senior Show
Come join us at Old City’s F.U.E.L Gallery for our Interior Design Senior Show Friday, May 9th from 6-10 PM. Sculptures, photographs and posters will demonstrate the hard work and design talents of our 23 graduating seniors: Jenna Banyas, Samantha Ches, Crystal Clark, Meghan Clausen, Lauren Doan, Amanda Dobbins, Caitlin Dougherty, Sara Felch, Katelyn Goodman, Kristin Holdren, Michelle Jamison, Christina Katzaman, Leandra Kern, Jessica Lacroce, Kristen Lambert, Tina Leung, Kimberly Loux, Rebecca McFarland, Jacqueline Reith, Akshita Sivakumar, Samantha Strang, Danielle Wolfrom and Jennifer Yeung. The show is free and open to the public, for more information, for call 215-895-2071.
To learn more about our other Senior Shows and Performing Arts Ensembles, click here.
MAD Dragon Film Festival
Friday, May 30, 6 PM
Bossone Auditorium (3120 Market St.)
Digital Media
Saturday, June 7, 1:30 PM-5:30 PM
Nesbitt Hall (33rd & Market St.)
Info: 215-895-2408
Graphic Design
Tuesday, June 10, 6 PM-9 PM
Leonard Pearlstein Gallery & Chapman Court (Nesbitt Hall, 33rd & Market St.)
Info: 215-895-1649
Interior Design Graduate Program
Friday, June 13-Friday, June 20
Opening reception, June 13, 5 PM-8 PM
The Marketplace Design Center (2400 Market St. #209)
Info: 215-895-2017
Photography
Friday, June 13 -Saturday, June 21
Opening reception, June 13, 6 PM-9 PM
Leonard Pearlstein Gallery (Nesbitt Hall, 33rd & Market St.)
Info: 215-895-5868
Performing Arts Ensembles*
- Dance: May 29, 30 & 31, 8 PM
- Concert Band: June 1, 7 PM
- Guitar Ensemble & Fusion Band: June 3, 6 PM
- Percussion & Mediterranean Ensemble: June 4, 8 PM
- Jazz Orchestra: June 5, 8 PM
- Keyboard Ensemble: June 6, 7:30 PM
- String Ensemble: June 6, 7:30 PM
- Gospel Choir: June 7, 7:30 PM
- University Chorus: June 8, 3 PM
*For more information, please visit the Performing Arts website here.
Students Stand Out at Research Day
Drexel’s 9th Annual Research Day featured outstanding student creative work and research projects from nearly every one of our programs. It was impossible not to feel enormous pride at seeing our students’ exceptional work and we are pleased to report on the recognition they have received from the University and from our College. Winners of the Drexel University wide competition were:
Dan Steinberg, who won 1st Place in the University’s Undergraduate Creative Arts/Design category for ‘You Are Now Here - A Renewal of Philadelphia’s Metropolitan Transportation System.’ Dan created a complete branding and visual identity system for SEPTA, Philadelphia’s public transportation system, including a redesigned SEPTA subway and transit map.
Lauren Ciccarelli’s ‘Grief to Grace: An Examination of Jacqueline Kennedy’s reflection on the assassination of John F. Kennedy,’ which won her 1st Place in the University Graduate Creative Arts/Design category. Lauren’s dance choreography incorporated music, movement, costumes and lighting to portray the chaos and loss surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy.
John Sakoian’s ‘Winnsboro Community Classroom: A Sustainable Portable Classroom’ won 1st place in the University’s Undergraduate Innovation in the Education and Outreach category. John’s portable classroom was developed during the Architecture for Humanity Design Charrette as a design solution to provide classrooms to a town destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Alysson Cwyk’s ‘Students: Mural Arts Program’s Key to a Successful Future’ won 1st Place in the University’s Undergraduate Business Research Initiatives category. Alysson is currently an intern with the Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program and will commence a formal co-op with the organization this summer.
Winners of the Westphal College Dean’s Award were:
- Dylan Steinberg (’09), Film & Video, won for his short film Tough Choices: The Aftermath of a Sexual Assault. Steinberg illustrated the reality of a sexual assault victim’s journey in seeking justice for an often un-reported crime.
- Kocayne Givner (‘10), Interior Design Graduate Program, won for ‘Materials Exploration,’ a project that used material, color, connectors, texture and form to create designs for a live model in a studio setting.
- Kristen Lambert (‘08), Interior Design, explored the work of two iconic architects, Le Corbusier and Charles Eames. She focused on the architects’ prominent design elements to create new works of art using woodblock printmaking.
- Denista Spasova (‘08), Art & Art History, won for her PROM poster. Spasova created a poster that communicated ‘bittersweet, wickedly funny, and wise thoughtful discovery’ for the current Mandell main stage production of PROM.
- Michael Bucher (’09), Photography, presented his ongoing photo study of Philadelphia’s Lancaster Avenue. He displayed numerous photos of people and places across a wide spectrum of Philadelphia neighborhoods, and he also self-published his work as a book.
Also, Deborah Yarchun’s ‘Pulling the Illusion of the Ecstatic Nature of The Cult of Dionysus from the Origins of the Theatre’ won 1st Place in the College of Arts and Sciences Research Day for the Undergraduate Humanities and Social Sciences category. Her project depicted the rituals of the Cult of Dionysus in terms of the origins of theatre.
D&M Students at Work in the Community
Design & Merchandising students created dynamic window displays for clients which were on display on the Lancaster Avenue shopping corridor this past month. Our students were responsible for meeting with clients, developing proposals and sketches, contracts, managing the budget and installation of the window displays. Since 1999 the D&M Program has worked in a variety of Philadelphia locations, giving students valuable hands-on experiences in window display design. The recent designs were for retailers La Pearl Beauty Salon, CSP Reprographics and Ashay’s Massage Therapy Salon.
For the second year in a row, D&M students collaborated with the Music Industry Program to design a Point of Purchase (POP) display for the record release of a MAD Dragon artist. This year’s featured band was The Swimmers.
After meetings with The Swimmers and their representation, our students developed concepts and prototypes for their POP. The winning team of Stacey Hudak (’08) and Cara Binder (’08) were able to see their design through to production, and the final product is now on display at music retailers.
New Arts Administration On-line MS Degree
The Department of Performing Arts announces the Westphal College's first-ever online degree program, a Masters in Arts Administration. The program, which will launch in fall 2008, is aimed at working professionals outside the Delaware Valley. This innovative program will include podcasting, blogs, webcasts and virtual classrooms, and the program will make use of our extensive relationships with Arts Administrators across the country.
This important initiative addresses an underserved market for graduate education to prepare the next generation of leaders for such art institutions as museums, theaters, performing arts centers and foundations. Under the guidance of Department Head Cecilia Fitzgibbon, the launch marks only the second Arts Administration program in the nation to offer its program online. Drexel was one of the first universities to offer graduate education in Arts Administration and is now the one of the first to offer a full MS degree online. For more information on this new program, visit www.drexel-arts.com
Faculty Focus: Professor Pia Brancaccio
Pia Brancaccio, Professor in the Art & Art History Department, has been invited to give several scholarly lectures at major institutions around the world, the first of which is at Yale University this Saturday, April 19th. The three day conference, 'A Pantheon Rediscovered: Changing Perceptions of Early Historic India,' will feature keynote speakers including Dr. Brancaccio who will discuss 'Satavahana Terracottas between Tradition and Innovation: An Exploration of Sources and Transmission of Models.' Her next lecture, in May, will take place during the international symposium at the Seoul National University in South Korea and is on 'Art and Architecture of Buddhist Caves from India, Central Asia and China.'
Professor Brancaccio teaches courses on Asian Art and Culture, Art of India, Art of China and Art of Japan, as well as the Western Art History survey. Before arriving at Drexel, she was a Research Associate at the Getty Research Institute and at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Her research focuses on Buddhist art from South Asia and she has also done a considerable amount of work on topics dealing with art and multiculturalism in the ancient world. Professor Brancaccio's work has been published in noted international journals such as Ars Orientalis, East & West and South Asian Studies, as well as the Encyclopedia of India and the Enciclopedia Archelogica Treccani. Her publications include a co-edited book, Grandharan Buddhism: Archaeology, Art and Text. She was a consultant for National Geographic on the article 'Ancient Art of India,' which appeared in the January 2008 issue.
Photography, Graphic Design, Film & Video and Screenwriting Students Rack Up Awards
Our students continue on their amazing roll, winning an impressive number of awards in important national and regional competitions.
Graphic Design students recently won 14 awards in the ‘American Corporate Identity’ competition. Our students competed against entries from all over the world and their winning projects will be published in the ‘American Corporate Identity’ 2009 book.
Photography students have won notable 2008 awards. Ben Riley won the Juror’s Award for Project Basho’s Annual Philadelphia Photography Exhibition. Carrie Strine (’08) won Moorestown, New Jersey’s Perkins Center for the Arts ‘Photography 27’ Juror’s Award. Hiroyuki Nakamura’s (’00) 2008 work is featured by the Japan Society in their Retrospective Exhibition of Japanese American Artists. In addition, the photography program has just compiled a list of their 2007 awards which we have not previously shared with our readers. Click here to view these many impressive awards.
Judy Is A Punk, an offbeat coming-of-age comedy about an artistic teenage girl who is too smart for her own good, won Screenwriting student Eamon McIvor a Parisi Award (1st Prize) at the ‘Set In Philadelphia’ Screenplay Competition. He received the award this past Saturday as part of the Philadelphia Film Festival. This is the second straight year that our students have earned top honors under the direction of Instructor David Greenberg.
Four Film & Video students received awards at the Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival. In the ‘Experimental’ category, Bryan Green’s (‘08) Something in the Way of Things won 1st Place and Marco Polo by Kevin Martin(‘09) received Honorable Mention. In ‘Documentary,’ Brian Crawford’s (‘08) The Hammer and the Butterfly won 2nd Place. In ‘Drama,’ Laura Rachfalski (‘09) received Honorable Mention for Aperture.
Complete list of Awards
Graphic Design:
American Corporate Identity presented the following awards to Graphic Design students:
- Julia Fiorello: Green Mountain Coffee annual report
- Marcy Zuczek: Reading Terminal Market book
- Jess Hetzel: The Post Restaurant, menus, napkins, cups and coasters category and packaging for Wenger Swiss Army Office Supply
- Patrick McKeever: Kashi Lean packaging
- Julia Dobbins, Michele Kopec and Dan Steinberg: Rodchenko exhibit design
- Bradley Breneisen, Ruslan Khaydarov and Maria-Nefeli Stavrinidi: Noguchi exhibit design
- Olga Filipava: Origins packaging
- Steve Nunes: Godiva packaging
- Julia Dobbins: Verde packaging
- Michele Kopec: Bath and Body Works Pet packaging
- Bob O’Mara: LaColombe packaging
- Kevin Dietrich: Berry & Homer Digital Printing logo
- Allison Fegan: Smoke and Mirrors Jazz Nightclub logo
Photography (2008 & 2007):
- Carrie Strine won the ‘Photography 26’ Juror’s Award and Best in Show at the Moorestown, New Jersey Perkins Center for the Arts.
- Carrie Strine won a Juror’s Award at The Woodmere Museum Annual Juried Expedition.
- Carrie Strine won Honorable Mention at The Nikon/Photographers Forum ‘Best of College Photography’ International Competition.
- Carrie Strine won ‘Best of Show’ award at the 612 Gallery Annual Juried Show Center.
- Meghan Hull won Honorable Mention at The Nikon/Photographers Forum ‘Best of College Photography’ International Competition.
- Jeff Stockbridge was presented with a Challenge Grant from The Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial.
- Jeff Stockbridge was presented with a Fellowship from the Center for Emerging Visual Arts.
- Jeff Stockbridge won the Juror’s Award from the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts.
- Dana Horvath won the Juror’s Award from Print Communications Professionals International (PCPI).
- Jacquelyn Tamny won Honorable Mention from The International Photography Awards (IPA).
- Isaac Schell was presented with a Challenge Grant from The Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial.
- Colleen Keihm won an award from Photo Review for Publication.
- Colleen Keihm won an award from Nexus Selects
- Missy Sweet won an award from Nexus Selects.
- Hiroyuki Nakamura’s 2007 work was chosen to be included in the Japan Society’s Retrospective Exhibition of Japanese American Artists.
- Tom Reynolds was presented with a Purchase Nomination from The Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Last Updated:May 7th
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