Pathways Newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 2

December 2023 Vol. 1, Issue 2

PATHWAYS Newsletter

From the Dean’s Desk Greetings Colleagues, This semester is flying by, bringing the usual excitement and busy schedules. I continue to be impressed by all that you and our students are accomplishing. I want to update you on some ongoing efforts and express my gratitude for your dedication to the college.

The Equity Workload Working Group continues to do incredible work on this project. I recognize that this is labor intensive. Still, your ongoing participation and efforts will bear positive outcomes, translating into a more equitable and sustainable workload for all faculty.

The Online Certificate Strategy Group is moving ahead with its planning, already outlining a Mission and Vision for the certificate. Mission: This graduate certificate equips students with the entrepreneurial acumen and resourcefulness needed to turn their artistic visions into successful ventures. Graduates will challenge norms, collaborate, lead with a sustainable and inclusive mindset, and succeed in dynamic and ever-changing creative industries. The current planning for this graduate certificate includes accessibility for undergraduate CVPA majors in their senior year.

We continue to build our efforts to recruit new faculty, staff, and students. There is a new CVPA webpage that lists all the available open positions: https://www.jmu.edu/arts/about/cvpa-jobs.shtml. Please share these opportunities with your networks and professional colleagues.

As usual, there already have been exceptional scholarly and creative accomplishments happening for faculty and students, including the outstanding exhibit, On Nonconformity, curated by Dr. Laura Katzman at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, Spain. On Nonconformity is a tour de force, and I look forward to sharing more about the exhibit and an associated performance project in the coming months.

The university continues to engage with multiple high-level projects that will affect all of our work, including ReEngineering Madison, AI & Higher Education, and the 30 X 30 Awareness to Action… among many others.

We continue engaging with our Strategic Plan and working through items identified as Goals and Objectives for this year. We will update you on our progress and efforts in April/May. There is always so much going on around CVPA, and I love the energy and bustle this creates. It can also create challenges in keeping up with everything that is happening and conduits of communication open. Please remember to engage with the membership of the Dean’s Advisory Council, your Academic Unit Heads, and your Faculty Senators. These are our main mechanisms for communicating issues or concerns to the Dean’s Office.

My door is always open, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Please know how appreciative the entire team in the Dean’s Office is of your collaborative efforts and work with us. I hope the remainder of the semester is fruitful and positive.

Warmest regards, Rubén

In this issue...

Faculty News Alumni Connections Student Voices Save the Date

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FACULTY NEWS Uniting Music & Dance with Dr. O.

Dr. Judith Ofcarcik, known informally as Dr. O to her students, is an assistant professor of Music Theory in the School of Music. For several years, Dr. O has maintained an interest in dancing and the art form’s relationship to rhythm and music theory. This semester, through her innovative undergraduate seminar, MUS 450: Tap Dance as Composition, she is researching how tap dancers create their own rhythm, and how music theory can be used to better understand tap dancing.

To facilitate this research, Dr. O is collaborating with Professor Suzanne Miller-Corso and shadowing her tap dance class. Professor Miller-Corso is also speaking with the music theory students so they can hear a dancer’s perspective throughout the process. In Dr. O’s own class, the students are working with her to develop methods of notating choreography to understand dance routines on a more musical level. This dual-perspective approach gives her valuable information on both ends of the collaboration.

The goal of this project is for students to be able to write down the rhythms of tap dancers and the music they are tapping to, and then analyze the complete work using a variety of rhythm theories. Through this, they will better understand how tap dancers are both performers and composers who change the music as they tap into something new. Dr. O hopes to have a collaborative class one day that involves both dance and music students so that they can combine their expertise and help each other’s art grow collectively.

Meet Kathryn Logan: Bridging Artistic Realms

Kathryn Logan is a new hire in CVPA this semester and is the new executive director of the Office of Creative Propulsion! She is an interdisciplinary artist and has a remarkably diverse background of artistic involvement. She is a musician, dancer, and visual artist, which connects her across all schools within CVPA. The Office of Creative Propulsion, or colloquially known as OCP, is a collection of multiple different initiatives within the arts at JMU. OCP was created as an office to manage all of these initiatives, such as the Madison Art Collection and JMUke, as well as other community engagement projects. The program’s goal is to reach across the boundaries of the arts and other areas of the university by helping facilitate cross-disciplinary collaborative projects in CVPA. Logan aims to make OCP a space where students can come together, hang out, and access resources to help them in their artistic endeavors. She especially wants to hear from students and their ideas for projects, specifically with a focus on new cross-disciplinary student research. She wants to be a resource and is excited to get to know everyone! Please feel free to visit OCP’s office in Roop 208.

To learn more about OCP, visit their website: https://www.jmu.edu/arts/ocp/index.shtml

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Dr. Rachel Rhoades Connects to the Community with THEA303 Course Dr. Rachel Rhoades led a unique class last spring that combined theatre with community engagement. Her course, THEA303: Community-Engaged and Activist Theatre, collaborated closely with five local organizations serving refugees. Every Sunday, local immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers joined the class, transforming the stage into a space of mutual learning and theatrical collaboration.

But there’s more to this partnership. This class was also the basis for a study that Dr. Rhoades conducted, titled Paths to Citizenship: JMU Students and Community Newcomers Unite for Civic Participation. The study was an exploration of using theatre as a means for involvement in the community.

Notably, she recently presented her research on the impact of university-community theatre collaborations with refugees at the American Educational Research Association in Chicago. She also submitted an article about the course to The Journal of Intercultural Studies: Intercultural Applied Theatre & US University Student Collaboration. This combination of research, theatre, and local participation created a meaningful experience that connected students with local members of the Harrisonburg community.

Professor Jori Erdman Receives Grant for Architecture Documentary Jori Erdman is a professor of architecture and is the area coordinator for architectural design at JMU! She specializes in design, design research, and coastal resilience. Last year, Erdman and her colleague, Becky Beamer, a documentarian, received a 2023 Graham Foundation Grant to fund their developing film project, Witness: Design of the Tougaloo Center for Racial Justice and Equity.

The story of this project began years ago, with the American University of Sharjah, located in the United Arab Emirates. It was there that Jori Erdman and Becky Beaver met. They were both teachers as well as neighbors, eventually becoming great friends and colleagues. Erdman is also intricately connected to Duvall Decker Architects in Jackson, Mississippi. She values the methods this firm uses, describing them as building for the common good by using a very informed and engaged process.

Duvall Decker is now building a center for multiple initiatives in Tougaloo, Mississippi, in collaboration with Tougaloo College, the Episcopal Church, and local community members. Erdman, inspired by what these architects are doing, has been working on a book that will document their process, but felt that still images alone did not sufficiently depict their work. This led to the idea for a film project between the two women.

They then applied for a grant from the Graham Foundation, an organization dedicated to generating funding for architectural research and projects, with multiple opportunities each year. The duo later won a grant from the Graham Foundation, leading to them meeting up in Mississippi last summer to complete initial filming. There is now around 22 hours of footage that is being condensed down to an 8–10-minute short film! The film will depict the process of the building of the center while featuring many diverse and thoughtful perspectives on all involved in the project.

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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS Alum Ana Hart Brings Unique Perspectives to Dance, Design, and Community Ana Hart (‘21) is an alum of JMU who graduated with degrees in both Dance and Interactive Design!

At JMU, she was a member of the Virginia Repertory Dance Company and enjoyed meeting guest artists to learn how they established themselves in the industry. She values the emphasis on community that JMU’s Dance Program has and all the local community involvement as well. The degree in design provided an extra outlet that helped to inform the creative process of dance, especially by viewing choreography through the lens of design.

Hart currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and works for Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Center, an organization that promotes accessible dance opportunities and community engagement through dance. Nationally recognized dance companies come to perform with the organization. She is also remotely involved with Red Shelf Management, a company that represents many other dance companies in New York. Her work across these different organizations involves outreach to generate performances and classes with kids. Hart believes in the joys of having a community of people connected through dance, and that dance can be available to anyone.

More recently, Hart presented a piece she choreographed for the Synergy Dance Series in Cincinnati with a grant from ArtsWave.

The experience was described as life-giving for her, being an inspiring reintroduction to choreography since her time at JMU. Mutual Dance Theater and Arts Center also holds great summer intensives where established guest artists come to work with dancers. For more information on Mutual Dance and Ana, visit https://www.mutualdance.org/ and http://anahartportfolio.com/

Performer, Composer, Educator: Dr. Joel Collier, JMU Alum Dr. Joel Collier is an avid composer, performer, conductor, educator, and a graduate of James Madison University! Dr. Collier earned his Master’s and his Doctorate in Euphonium Performance, Pedagogy, and Literature during his time at JMU while studying under Kevin Stees. His undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in Music Industry was obtained from Drexel University.

Dr. Collier has made significant contributions to the world of music with his awardwinning compositions and critically acclaimed solo euphonium performances.

He has also held numerous principal positions among prestigious ensembles, created two of his own brass ensembles, served as a music director and creative arts director for various organizations, and is widely demanded across the United States and the United Kingdom as a guest conductor and educator.

He just recently returned to JMU last year and performed in a concert with the JMU Brass Band. For more information on Dr. Collier, please visit: https:// www.joelcollier.com/about 4

Engaging in Museum Spaces with Emerson Tedder Emerson Tedder (‘17) is a JMU alum who majored in both art history and history, with respective concentrations of museum studies and public history! They earned a minor in women and gender studies from JMU as well. Teddler was also an intern for the Madison Art Collection, where they learned to carefully handle art in a museum space. They later worked at the front desk for the Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art, which proved to be an inspiring position for them.

Once Teddler graduated, they interned over the summer through Americorp with the National Park Service at the Historic Preservation Training Center.

Through this internship, Teddler realized they preferred museum spaces to fieldwork, while emphasizing social engagement. Then, in March of 2018, they joined the Institute for Contemporary Art, or ICA, at Virginia Commonwealth University as a Visitor Experience Associate. The position was meant to be temporary, but after multiple promotions over the past several years, they are now the manager of Visitor Engagement and Student Experience. In this position, they create the schedule for the front of house program, staff all galleries, take care of incident reports, and lead Visitor Experience Associates.

Since joining the ICA, Teddler has been a part of a variety of projects and initiatives. They have led and developed the student council that integrates Virginia Commonwealth University students with the ICA and its programming. They have also represented the ICA at multiple American Alliance of Museums and are a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association of Interpretation.

Tedder’s mission, in a nutshell, is to create a welcoming and open environment with the intention of understanding museums while also encouraging access to contemporary art. Teddler is incredibly appreciative of the support from the faculty they had found within the Art History program at JMU, and they carry all the kindness, education, and philosophy they received into their professional endeavors.

STUDENT VOICES

JMU MFA Candidates Shine at 2023 International Fiber Art Festival In May, three graduate MFA candidate students exhibited artwork for the 2023 International Fiber Art Festival in Seoul, South Korea including Michelle Smith, Kareena Solanki, and Yulin Yuan. Smith is in her second year of the MFA program, and exhibited a piece focused on grief and loss called Memento Mori: Restorying Remnants while at the festival. Solanki, also in her second year, presented works that explored our connection to our spaces and how that impacts our lived experiences, represented by performance photographs printed on cotton, a material we often touch that becomes a part of our identity. Yuan is in her last year at JMU and brought a series of photographs featuring Chinese mythology interspersed with typical household environments, representing how cultural identities are shaped by one’s surroundings.

The students were brought in as interns for the International Fiber Arts Festival. In addition to helping run the festival and displaying their art, they had time to explore and enjoy the local hospitality. Together, they were able to experience the vibrantly artistic culture of Seoul, where “art could be found in the smallest corners, and the biggest places.” The students also visited Eawa University, where they had an art talk with local students, which gave them the opportunity to connect and share their art.

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School of Music Welcomes ECHO Ensemble!

Introducing JMU School of Music’s newest ensemble: ECHO Ensemble! ECHO Ensemble is a small contemporary group of student musicians dedicated to performing compositions written by students. Throughout the year, composition students will have to program their own pieces, and organizing chamber music rehearsals with performers can be a hard task. ECHO Ensemble was partly created to help composers get more of their works performed. In addition to this, the composers will work with the musicians playing their work, giving great opportunities for learning and collaboration among the ensemble members.

ECHO Ensemble executive members include composition students Andrew Welling, Evelyn Larking, David Kang, and Liliya Petrosyan. They wish for the ensemble to be a “music laboratory” of sorts, where musicians can come together to gain exposure to contemporary music and be a safe space for experimentation.

For those interested in becoming a member in the spring, fill out this form to apply!

Blending Art and Theatre: A Multi-Disciplinary Artist, Ryan Michalowicz Ryan Michalowicz is a second-year student studying Art and Theatre. His biggest focus as an artist is currently scene design, combining both of his studies in a unique way!

This past September, he debuted in the Studio Theatre with his design for In the Forests of the Night, which proved to be a valuable learning experience.

His interdisciplinary skills helped him to create a carefully sculpted set for the show, and he is grateful for the opportunity. Michalowicz says that he has a personal connection to his art, but especially enjoys making art in the collaborative, hands-on space that is scene design.

This semester, through his continued work and involvement in the Studio Theatre, Michalowicz has started working as the Assistant Technical Director for the Studio Theatre, which involves managing the studio space and facilitating strikes, changeovers, and general safety of the proceedings.

He also designed a set for Eurydice, in collaboration with the Friendly City Players and support from JMU’s Office of Creative Propulsion.

Other future projects include being the assistant scene designer for The Birds, a mainstage play being put on in the spring, video editing for an indie film, and continuing his internship with the Madison Art Collection, focusing on Charles Lisanby’s life and art.

For more information on Ryan and his work, please visit: https://ryanmatthewdesign.com/ about-me

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SAVE THE

DATE

NOV. 7 - MAR. 8 | Hanbok Saenghwal: Korean Fashion Then and Now SADAH began celebrating a collaborative Hanbok project that started November 4 through March of next year. Fibers/Studio Art program and the Industrial Design program from SADAH, Lisanby Museum, and Center for Global Engagement, will present an exhibition, student presentation, student fashion show, and receptions for the JMU community.

Professor Suntae Hwang and Professor JungOk Um have influenced Korean Hanbok globally over the past decade, and they have been invited to exhibitions, lectures, and workshops in Canada, China, India, Italy, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, multiple occasions in the US, and many other countries. They gave a generous lecture and pop-up exhibition to the College of Visual and Performing Arts in the fall of 2022. They will lead the Hanbok master class for SADAH students with eleven intense sessions, including two weekends in collaboration with Associate Professor Rob Mertens and Visiting Assistant Professor Anna Marie Smith and their classes in SADAH. Students will learn about Korean Hanbok history, culture, and female garment pattern structures, and they will complete one set of female Hanbok dresses for the presentation and fashion show.

SADAH appreciates Rubén Graciani, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, Ginny Soenkson, director of Madison Art Collection and Lisanby Museum, and JY Zhou, executive director of the Center for Global Engagement, for their enthusiasm, support, and exciting collaboration in developing this project. SADAH will also hold their Annual Wearables Runway Show with Hanbok highlight and a Korean Dance Performance from Kate Kim in the Duke Hall Gallery Court on Dec. 7, 2023 at 5 pm.

DEC. 9 - 10 | HolidayFest: Light From The Darkness Sit back and enjoy a celebratory performance by The Madison Singers, the JMU Chorale, and the JMU Symphony Orchestra. HolidayFest features MarcAntoine Charpentier’s most popular mass, Midnight Mass for Christmas (Messe de Minuit pour Noël, H. 9). Dynamically refined with structural, harmonic, and instrumental finesse, Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit is an excellent example of 17th-century musical craftsmanship. The evening also features our traditional holiday sing-along and a special reading by a Harrisonburg celebrity. Don’t miss one of the Valley’s favorite concerts!

Find more info and tickets at https:// jmuforbescenter.com/events/2023/12/09-holidayfest.shtml.

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DEC. 16 | Harrisonburg Songtuary Join the Office of Creative Propulsion and the Arts Council of the Valley for another Harrisonburg Songtuary Community Song Circle! Harrisonburg Songtuary is a community song circle that seeks to propagate coenchanting cohorts of contemplayful singers made possible by the Arts Council of the Valley and the Office of Creative Propulsion at JMU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

You can RSVP at https://www.songtuary.org/events and learn more about Harrisonburg Songtuary and upcoming gatherings at https://www.songtuary.org/more-info.

FEB. 27 - MAR. 3 | The SpongeBob Musical Based On The Series by Stephen Hillenburg Book by Kyle Jarrow Musical Production Conceived by Tina Landau Who lives in a pineapple under the sea and became the hottest star on Broadway? Why, it’s SpongeBob SquarePants! Plunge into this stunning all-singing, alldancing, dynamic stage show! This deep-sea pearl of a show is set to make a splash with audiences young and old. Featuring students from JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance and School of Music.

Find more info and tickets at https://jmuforbescenter.com/events/2024/02/27-the-spongebobmusical.shtml

ABOUT THE EDITOR Dan R. Curtis is a second-year music student at JMU and is the editor of this edition of the CVPA newsletter! Curtis is a pianist and composer, with a love for art of all kinds. He enjoys performing collaboratively with other student musicians and has a specific interest in how music can reach across artistic disciplines. In an internship with Dr. Wren Stevens, associate dean of CVPA, he has collected stories across the arts at JMU to be sent out in the newsletter. In his free time, Curtis enjoys spending time with his loved ones and exploring the outdoors.

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1 CVPA dancers with musicians in rehearsal, having fun in the Ben Shahn exhibition. 2 Butcher Brown visiting to perform alongside School of Music students at Wilson Hall. 3 Students performing in Sunday in the Park with George. 4 JMUke partnered with Explore More Discovery Museum to offer a Build + Play Your Own Ukulele Camp right before the semester began. 5 Students returning for the first day of fall semester classes. 6 CVPA Faculty visiting the DeKalb School of the Arts in GA to connect with their students.

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