College of Arts & Communication at UW-Whitewater

“Let the melody, aroma and the beauty of the day lure you to the Birge Fountain to meet and eat with friends, family, colleagues and the community,” said Mark McPhail, president of the Whitewater Arts Alliance Board of Directors and Dean of the College of Arts and Communication.

Attendees may bring their own lunch or order lunch from participating vendors (listed below) while they enjoy music by Nima Salami, Looper’s Blues Duo, Brother’s Quinn, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Jazz 1 Combo, and Carl Cole.

Savory Sounds Concert Series schedule, which runs 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on the following Thursdays at the Whitewater Arts Alliance’s Cultural Arts Center near the Birge Fountain on 402 West Main Street:

June 20 – Nima Salami, who plays classical, folk, & Flamenco guitar. Sponsored by Fairhaven. Food vendor – Subway.

June 27 – Looper’s Blues Duo (Brian Lucas, UW-Whitewater Communication faculty and Eric Sheffield, UW-Whitewater College of Arts and Communication technology coordinator)  Sponsored by Quiet Hut. Food vendor –  The SweetSpot.

Brian Lucas and Eric Sheffield – Looper’s Blues Duo

July 11 – Brothers Quinn, an Irish folk gypsy bluegrass group.  Sponsored by First Citizens Bank. Food vendor –  La Preferida.

July 18 – University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Jazz I Combo.  Sponsored by Olm & Associates. Food vendor –  The Black Sheep.

July 25 – Carl Cole   Sponsored by Fort Community Credit Union. Food vendor – Rocky Rococo.

After enjoying the music and lunch, attendees are invited to explore the exhibits at the Cultural Arts Center. June’s exhibit is the art of Kendra Bulgrin (art instructor at UW-Whitewater). July features photography by the community to honor the late Fran Achen with the Fourth Annual Fran Achen Photography Competition.

(information courtesy of the Whitewater Arts Alliance.  Discover more at www.whitewaterarts.org)

Guest post by Jessica Hendricks

Most UW-Whitewater students with majors in the communication department are required to spend at least a small amount of time working at the campus cable television station. However, some students may not see how working with UWWTV will help them succeed after they graduate.

Director of Cable Television Operations Jim Mead said he wants to give every student who works for the station an edge that will set them apart from other candidates in the field. “Those who are willing to commit to this,” Mead said, “will come out ahead more so than they ever thought possible.”

The quality of technology and equipment used at UWWTV plays a big role in putting communication students ahead. According to Mead, UWWTV is more advanced when compared to other campus stations from schools of a similar size to UW-Whitewater. The station recently transitioned into broadcasting in high definition and renovated their control room to employ up to date studio technology.

The station allows students to learn post production on programs that they would be using in a real job setting, such as Adobe Premier and Final Cut. Mead said the technology and programs that UWWTV has at their disposal are fairly close to the technology and programs used at an actual television station. He even said that they are looking to possibly get new programs over the summer to put UWWTV a step closer to a professional-type studio.

“The technology helps,” senior broadcast journalism major Dan Marz said, “but I think it’s the experience you get with the station that helps you the most.”

UWWTV allows many opportunities for department majors as well as non-department majors to get involved with the station. Each semester the station holds talent auditions for news anchors and anchors for various other programs. Students are also presented with the opportunity to direct, shoot, produce and post produce through practicum and production classes.

“I think the most helpful things are the practicum classes because it gives you hands on experience you don’t get in a classroom,” Marz said.

The students who take classes like the practicum in cable television production or television news should be prepared to work hard, according to Mead.

“The expectation here is very, very large,” Mead said. “They don’t see it now, but they will once they leave and see how much the extra work has paid off.”

Marz said he believes all of the extra work has been worth it. As Marz looks ahead to graduation, he said he will take invaluable knowledge away from his experience at UWWTV. He also recommends that communication majors get involved at the station as soon they can.

“Be prepared to have a good time, meet lifelong friends, work your butt off and gain an insurmountable amount of knowledge,” Mead advises.

Students interested in becoming involved with UWWTV can contact Jim Mead via email at MeadJ@uww.edu, like their page on Facebook at facebook.com/UWWTV, or follow them on Twitter @UWWTVNews.

He’s a Master Advisor for the College of Arts and Communication, enjoys horse riding and working out, and has a passion for UW-Whitewater. Have an idea who it is? The featured faculty for this week is Bill Lowell from the Communication Department. Read on to find out more about him.

Q: Where are you from?

A: Currently I live in Eagle, Wisconsin but I was born in Madison and was raised in a small community outside of Madison named Deerfield.

Q:  What do you do at UW Whitewater?

A: I teach in the Communication Department and serve on the Dean’s Advisory Board of the College of Arts and Communication.  In addition, I am a Master Advisor for the College.  Finally, I supervise the internships for Corporate Health Communication, Organizational Communication and Public Relations.

Q:  What is your favorite thing about UW Whitewater?

A: I really cannot think of my favorite thing about UW-Whitewater.  I have so many things that I enjoy about the university.  Let’s start with the thought that it is a great university.  The faculty, administration and students are very special to me.

Q:  What are some of your hobbies?

A: My hobbies include working out, riding horses, reading, watching movies and serving on several boards of non profit organizations.

Q: What’s the best thing you have ever done that you suggest others try?

A: This is an easy one!  Spend a week on a dude ranch and participate in a cattle drive.  It is exhilarating and a lot of fun.  There are no additional words to describe it.

Q: What’s your favorite movie?  Book?

A: I have so many movies that I enjoy that it would be hard to pick a favorite.  I always enjoy watching Love Actually and White Christmas every holiday season. I really like the Godfather, American Graffiti and I try not to miss a Jack Nicolson movie, whatever it is.  Although I do not have a favorite book, my favorite author is Nelson DeMille.  I have read every book he has written.  I also like almost all of Larry McMurtry’s books, especially, The Last Picture Show.  One book that I seem to recommend to a lot of people is Pale Horse Coming by Stephen Hunter.

Q: What is your best advice for students?

A: I would offer three pieces of advice:  First, I would suggest that students participate in at least one internship and hopefully two before they graduate.  Two, network with as many people as possible and build connections.  Most importantly with regard to networking, do not “use” people.  Networking is a relationship- building activity and that means it is not a one-way relationship.  Give as much as you get.  Third, always stretch yourself.  Say yes to things that you may not want to do and really think about things before you say no.  Doing things that stretch you will make you a better person and more-rounded individual.

Q: What’s the one thing that you want people to know about you? 

A: The one thing I want people to know about me is that I truly love the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and I am very proud to be affiliated with such a terrific place.

Thank you for being our featured faculty this Friday Bill Lowell! As the summer begins, the College of Arts and Communication blog will be switching to every other Friday for the featured faculty post. Have a good summer!

If you’ve gone to a show from the Theatre/Dance Department in the Barnett Theatre or Hicklin Studio Theatre, chances are you may have seen our featured faculty Friday’s set designs. Eric Appleton teaches and designs in the Theatre/Dance Department. His recent stage designs include the sets for Aladdin, She Stoops to Conquer, and Almost Maine. Want to learn more about him? Keep reading on!

Q: Where are you from?

A: Chicago, Il.  Within the city limits.  I’m actually, really, a Chicagoan.

Q: What do you do at UW-Whitewater?

A: Teach and design.

Q: What is your favorite thing about UW-Whitewater?

A: The collegial atmosphere of the Theatre Department, both among faculty and students.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?

A: Theatre doesn’t allow you to afford to have hobbies unrelated to theatre.

Q: If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?

A: The one I would like would be to go invisible so I could explore interesting buildings and places I couldn’t ordinarily get into, but it would make me feel guilty since that superpower wouldn’t really help anyone else.

Q: What’s the best thing that you have ever done that you suggest others try?

A: Cook for yourself.

Q: What’s your favorite movie? Book?

A: No favorite movies, but the book I continue returning to through the years is Valis, by Philip K. Dick

Q: What is your best advice for students? 

A: Do the work.

Q: What’s one thing that you want people to know about you?

A: If it’s not already apparent, I must not be working hard enough for it to be apparent.

Interested in learning more about Appleton? His professional bio is below.

Eric Appleton is in his fifth year as the assistant professor of set and light design in the Theatre/Dance Department of the UW-Whitewater.  Recent scenic designs for the department include Aladdin, She Stoops to Conquer, Almost Maine, Urinetown, and The Coronation of Poppea.  Recent professional work includes lighting designs for Sylvia at Next Act Theatre, A Thousand Clowns and Crimes of the Heart at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre¸ and the scenic design for Music in the Air for Music by the Lake, in Williams Bay.  His full length play homeland was given a staged reading in October of 2012 at Urban Stages in New York, and his ten-minute play Return of the Living is slated for production this summer as part of Washington DC’s Source Festival.

Thanks for being our featured faculty for this Friday Eric Appleton! Check back next week to see who the next faculty member will be!

The featured faculty for this Friday is Benjamin Whitcomb from the Music Department! Whitcomb teaches and plays the cello as well as music theory. In addition to this, he also performs over 30 concerts each year, some of those being with the UW-Whitewater in the Music Department’s series Musical Mosaics faculty concerts. Interested to find out more about Whitcomb? Keep reading to learn more.

Q: Where are you from?

A: Stillwater, OK.

Q: What do you do at UW-Whitewater?

A: Teach cello and music theory

Q: What is your favorite thing about UW-Whitewater?

A: My colleagues.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?

A: Reading, playing & listening to music, and playing contract bridge.

Q: If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?

A: I’m actually content with being human.

Q: What’s the best thing that you have ever done that you suggest others try?

A: Play the cello.

Q: What’s your favorite movie? Book?

A: Atlas Shrugged.

Q: What is your best advice for students?

A: Take responsibility for your own life and actions.

Q: What’s one thing that you want people to know about you?

A: That, if they play the cello, they should come and study with me.

Whitcomb’s professional bio is below:

Benjamin Whitcomb, cellist and music theorist, has earned an international reputation as a performer and teacher of music. An active recitalist and chamber musician, he performs more than thirty concerts a year. He appears regularly on Wisconsin Public Radio. He collaborates with pianist Vincent de Vries in frequent recitals around the country and overseas, and he is a member of the Ancora String Quartet and the UW-Whitewater Piano Trio. Dr. Whitcomb is a frequent guest clinician and performer at universities and conferences throughout the country and abroad. His book, The Advancing Cellist’s Handbook, has received rave reviews from Strings magazine plus the journals of ASTA and AUSTA. A companion book, The Advancing Bassist’s Handbook, was published in 2013. He is a contributing author to Sharpen Your String Technique and Teaching Music through Performance in Orchestra. He has published numerous articles on cello and on music theory, and has presented many papers at national and international conferences as well. He is also a reviewer for the American String Teacher journal, and has served as Secretary of ASTA.

Dr. Whitcomb is a Professor of Cello and Music Theory at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater, where he has received awards for his teaching, research, and service. Also at UW-Whitewater, he initiated and continues to coordinate the Theory/History Colloquium speaker series, the Musical Mosaics Faculty Concert Series, the Chancellor’s Quartet program, and the Summer String Camp. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Oklahoma State University, and he has studied with Phyllis Young, George Neikrug, and Evan Tonsing.

Thank you for being the featured faculty of the week Benjamin Whitcomb! Check back next week to see who the next featured faculty will be.

Our Featured Faculty member this week is Leslie LaMuro from the Young Auditorium. LaMuro is passionate about the arts and does a lot in the Young Auditorium as the marketing director. To find out exactly what she does and more fun facts about her keep on reading!

Q: Where are you from?

A: I was born and raised in Fort Atkinson Wisconsin.

Q: What do you do at UW-Whitewater?

A: I am the marketing director for UW-Whitewater’s Young Auditorium which means I have my hands in almost everything that is sent to the public regarding our venue via radio, newspaper, marquee, website, Facebook, Twitter, posters, programs, brochures, billboards, and television.

Q: What is your favorite thing about UW-Whitewater?

A: I love the diversity on campus, the beauty of the native plant landscaping, and most of all the students who inspire me each and every day.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?

A: Reading (when I have time), biking, Zumba and spin classes, cooking, and spending time with family.

Q: If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?

A: The ability to change evil into good! The crazies in the world are wreaking havoc these days and if I could root out evil with a superpower, think how much better the world would be.

Q: What’s the best thing that you have ever done that you suggest others try?

A: Random acts of kindness daily. Don’t do it to be recognized, just do it because it makes you and that other being feel wonderful.

Q: What’s your favorite movie?

A: Amélie

Q: Book?

A: The Holy Man & The Holy Man’s Journey

Q: What is your best advice for students? 

A: Don’t procrastinate, and the easiest way to do that is to pursue something that engages your interest.

Q: What’s one thing that you want people to know about you?

A: I absolutely love the arts in virtually every form.

Thank you Leslie LaMuro for being out Featured Faculty for this week! Check back next week to see who the next faculty member will be.

The Featured Faculty for this Friday is an award winning copywriter and creative director and has worked with clients such as M&M, HBO, and Oscar Mayer. Have an idea who it is? Here’s another hint: she’s from the Communication Department! The Featured Faculty is Kris Kranenburg. Read on to learn more about her.

Q: Where are you from?

A: Chicago. North side of the city.

Q: What do you do at UW-Whitewater?

A: I teach advertising and visual communication, work with the advertising interns, and advise Whitewater Advertising Association.

Q: What is your favorite thing about UW-Whitewater?

A: It’s a tie between the students and the people in the Communication Department. Either way, when you work with great people it doesn’t really feel like work.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?

A: Spending time with my family is my favorite thing to do. Hiking in the woods, canoeing, fishing (although I never catch anything). I also teach theology for churches, groups, and the Diocese of Madison.

Q: If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?

A: Teleportation. I’m always running late and I hate being disrespectful of others’ time.

Q: What’s the best thing that you have ever done that you suggest others try?

A: Get married. Have kids. Study theology.

Q: What’s your favorite movie? Book?

A: I love reading Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Dean Koontz, and Jim Butcher. If I could only have one book, it would be the Bible. I don’t have one favorite movie, but I’m a sucker for physical humor.

Q: What is your best advice for students? 

A: Take time to really think about things. Think about the big questions in life. Who am I? Why am I here? What do I really believe? What will I do with my life? Think about others. How can I make a difference in the lives of those around me? How can I treat all the people I encounter with dignity and patience and charity? Think about the big issues. Study them from all sides so that you have an informed opinion that is your own, not just what others are telling you is right.

Q: What’s one thing that you want people to know about you?

A: I am always trying to do my best for God and my family.

Want to learn more about Kranenburg? Her professional bio is below:

Kris Kranenburg is an award-winning copywriter and creative director. She has worked with numerous advertising agencies on clients including M&M/Mars, Cadillac, Kellogg’s, HBO, Oscar Mayer, Kraft, Jack Daniel’s, Campbell’s, and Keebler. Kranenburg received an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communication from Roosevelt University and a B.S. in Advertising from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Since coming to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2006, Kranenburg has taught Advertising Campaigns, Advertising Copywriting and Layout, Advanced Advertising Creative, Foundations of Advertising, Publication Layout, Electronic Media Copywriting, and Publication Photography. Kranenburg oversees the Communication Department’s advertising interns and is the advisor for the Whitewater Advertising Association. In her spare time she enjoys doing pro-bono advertising work for churches, schools, and non-profit organizations.

Thank you for being our Featured Faculty for this Friday Kris Kranenburg! Check back next week to see who the next featured faculty will be.

Currently directing the Theatre/Dance Department’s show Our Town, Jim Butchart is this week’s featured faculty! Butchart is part of the Theatre/Dance Department and is the Head of the BFA Performance Division. Read on to find out more about him!

Q: Where are you from?

A: Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Q: What do you do at UW-Whitewater?

A: Teach performance classes, Script Analysis, Directing and direct plays, serve as a Master Advisor and Head of the BFA Performance Division.

Q: What is your favorite thing about UW-Whitewater?

A: The Theatre\Dance Department’s unfailing dedication to its students.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?

A: I grow vegetables, refinish and reupholster furniture and attempt to keep my ‘92 Dodge van running.

Q: If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?

A: The ability to instantly transmit knowledge from my brain to a student’s.

Q: What’s the best thing that you have ever done that you suggest others try?

A: Marrying my wife but I would suggest that others find their own spouse.

Q: What’s your favorite movie? Book?

A: I cannot limit it to one movie but these come to mind: The original “The Producers”, “Citizen Kane”, and “All that Jazz”. Books:  The complete works of William Shakespeare, “Catcher in the Rye” “The Stand”.

Q: What is your best advice for students? 

A: Do the Work.  Get involved with learning outside the classroom.

Q: What’s one thing that you want people to know about you?

A: That I believe in the power of art.

Below is Butchart’s professional bio:

A professional actor, director and teacher for the past thirty years, Jim received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the professional Actor Training Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1981. His training there focused on the skills required for the performance of classic plays and included comprehensive work in Liknlater voice, Skinner speech, mime, and Suzuki movement techniques. He is a member of Actor’s Equity Association, The American Federation of Television and Radio Actors and The Screen Artists Guild.

Our Town performs in the Young Auditorium Sunday, April 21^st at 2:00pm and Monday, April 22^nd at 7:30pm. Tickets can be purchased at the box office in the Greenhill Center of the Arts, the University Center Information Desk, online, or by calling 262-472-2222. Tickets are $19 and $17 for the general public, $8 for over 65, and $14.25 for UW-Whitewater students with student IDs.

Thank you for being our featured faculty this week Jim Butchart! Check back next week to see who the next faculty member will be!

It’s that time again and you know what that means! Featured Faculty Friday! This week’s Featured Faculty is Jeff Herriot from the Music Department. Before we get started here are some interesting facts about him:

• Originally from Miami, Florida.
• Is the MAGD coordinator at UW-Whitewater.
• Hobbies include soccer and cooking.
• Favorite book is Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake (He also recommends Huck Finn)

Herriott teaches music technology, audio engineering, and music composition courses. He also directs Sonict Ensemble with Matt Sintchak (another faculty member!) Read on to learn more about him!

Q: If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?

A: Not have to sleep.  I love sleep but wish I didn’t need it.

Q: What’s the best thing that you have ever done that you suggest others try?

A: Go see an opera at the Met.  It’s a ton of money but it’s a pretty amazing experience.

Q: What’s your favorite movie?

A: I don’t know, there are so many.  Of relatively recent movies, I love Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, even though it has some problems.

Q: What is your best advice for students? 

A: Make cool things, again and again.

Here’s Herriot’s bio to find more about him and his accomplishments!

“Jeff Herriot studied composition with Cort Lippe at the University of Buffalo, from which he received the Ph.D. in 2003. Jeff previously completed the M.M. in composition at Florida International University in Miami, where he studied with Orlando Jacito Garcia and Fredrick Kaufman. Jeff’s works have been performed and commissioned by ensembles and players including Michael Lowenstern, Guido Arbonelli, Arraymusic, The Syracuse Society for New Music, The Glass Orchestra, and Champ d’Action, and have been heard at a number of different festivals and venues.

Jeff is a composer whose work focuses on the integration of electronics with acoustic, instrumental sound.  His music focuses on sounds that change at the edges of perception, that gently shift and bend.  He creates unhurried music, using slow-moving shapes with a free sense of time.  Jeff’s works often explore repetition with subtle variations in gestural pace, instrumental character, and tuning, and they invite listeners to focus on momentary details while the larger structure unfolds in ways that they may not quite grasp.  Jeff employs electronics to alter instrumental timbres and shift tunings by tiny amounts – changes that listeners may not actively perceive but which can foster a sense of uncertainty and wonderment.”

Thanks for being our Featured Faculty for this Friday Jeff Herriot! Check back next Friday to see who our next Featured Faculty will be!

We have featured faculty from the Art, Music, Theatre/Dance, and MAGD Departments. Last but not least is the Young Auditorium. While not an actual department in the sense of offering classes to students, they are still an important and valued part of the College of Arts and Communication. This week’s Featured Faculty is Shannon Dozoryst who is the Education and Outreach coordinator at the Young Auditorium! Read on to learn more about her.

Q: Where are you from?

A: I am originally from Rhode Island, but I have lived in New Zealand, Milwaukee, Madison, Pittsburgh, and Chicago.  I now live in Fort Atkinson.

Q: What do you do at UW-Whitewater?

A: I work at Young Auditorium.  My main responsibility is to facilitate education and outreach programs for K-12 schools (students and teachers) in the greater community.

Q: What is your favorite thing about UW-Whitewater?

A: I love the campus in the springtime.  It is beautiful, and there is an energy buzz from the students coming out of hibernation and gearing up for the end of the semester.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?

A: Reading, writing, paper crafts, biking, hiking/walking and playing with my children.

Q: If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?

A: I would love to be able to be in two places at one time, so that I could have enough time for both work and my hobbies!

Q: What’s the best thing that you have ever done that you suggest others try?

A: I moved to a big city and took a job that was completely out of my comfort zone.  I learned a lot both professionally and personally from that experience and wouldn’t trade it for anything!

Q: What’s your favorite movie? Book?

A: I have a lot of favorites…one of my favorite books is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving; one of my favorite movies is Life is Beautiful.

Q: What is your best advice for students? 

A: Take advantage of as many opportunities that comes your way as possible, even if they seem odd or scary!

Q: What’s one thing that you want people to know about you?

A: I may seem reserved when I first meet you, but once you get to know me better you’ll find that I have a quirky sense of humor and try not to take life too seriously.

Dozoryst’s professional can be found below:

Shannon Dozoryst is the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the University of WI-Whitewater’s Young Auditorium.  Prior to her appointment at Young Auditorium, Shannon was a Department Chair and English teacher for a public college preparatory high school in Chicago.   She also has experience working with pre-school and elementary school students in educational and recreational settings.  Shannon combines her experience as a teacher with her passion for arts education by developing partnerships on and off campus, programming a professional performing arts series for K-12 students, presenting workshops, and creating opportunities for visiting artists to work with students and teachers in the local schools.  Shannon also oversees Young Auditorium’s involvement with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education Program, which provides professional development opportunities in arts integration for teachers.  She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a teaching certification from Marquette University, and a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership with a specialization in Reading from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Shannon served on the board of the Wisconsin Arts Alliance for Education (2008-2011), and continues to advocate for arts integration in education both personally and professionally.

Thank you for being our Featured Faculty for this Friday Shannon Dozoryst! Check back next week to see who the next Featured Faculty will be!