-
James Little (MFA ’76)
James was one of the artists selected to be part of the Whitney Biennial 2022: Quiet as It’s Kept, which will be on view April 6-September 5. The Whitney Biennial is the longest-running survey of American art.
-
Lisa (Simons) Brissette (BS ’85)
Lisa received a master of arts in elementary education in 1986 from Fordham University and says that her speech communication degree was instrumental in helping her get her first teaching job in 1987. She taught grades 3-6 during her seven years in the South Brunswick school department in New Jersey. In 1994 she earned a master of science in education administration at Rider University; that same year she was hired as an elementary school principal for the Woonsocket school department in Rhode Island. She was named the Rhode Island Elementary School Principal of the Year in 2003 and also had the honor of representing the state of Rhode Island at a conference in Washington, D.C., where she had the opportunity to talk with Congressman Patrick Kennedy about improvements needed in education.
-
Kirsten (Weidemier) Panachyda (BM ’92)
Kirsten’s first book, “Among Lions: Fighting for Faith and Finding your Rest while Parenting a Child with Mental Illness,” was published in May 2021.
-
Craig LaRosa (BID ’95)
After a long career with such renowned design and innovation consultancies—Continuum Innovation, Frog Design, and Accenture/Altitude—Craig has joined Boar’s Head to support the premium CPG company as they continue their meteoric rise as the number one brand in grocery stores. Craig and his family (wife Valerie, son Dylan, and daughter Amelia) made the move to Sarasota, Florida, this summer and do not miss the winters of the Northeast.
-
Nick Purdy (BFA ’01)
After a career managing performing arts centers and freelance theater and event design, Nick returned to school for a master’s in architecture and is now licensed and practicing in North Carolina.
-
Jay Aubrey Jones (BS ’76)
Jay recently made two appearances at Feinstein’s 54 Below in “Even If It Only Runs a Minute” and “The Boys from Syracuse.” He will be featured as Hemlut Heimlich in the world premiere of “MacGyver:The Musical” at Stages Houston. He will also be seen as an eccentric cat lover on “Bull” on CBS in February.
-
Karl Weld (BFA ’92)
Karl is entering his sixth year at SharkNinja, first as studio manager, then director of creative services, and now as director of Asset Innovation Group. His team is responsible for all image assets for a $5 billion global consumer products company (CGI and traditional image retouching, as well as video animation). He is also an exhibiting member of the 100-year-old Rockport Art Association and Museum, painting in watercolor. Visit karlweld.com to see his work.
-
Michael Croiter (BM ’98)
Michael received his second Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album for “Burt Bacharach and Steven Sater’s Some Lovers,” (Burt Bacharach, Michael Croiter, Ben Hartman & Steven Sater, producers; Burt Bacharach, composer; Steven Sater, lyricist). Michael was nominated in this category in 2013 for “Matilda: The Musical.”
-
Joe Blank (BFA ’18)
Joe had his debut feature film “Roman Candle” screened at the Syracuse International Film Festival in October. He wrote, directed, co-produced, and self-financed the film, working alongside Joshua Curley ’18, Collin Hotchkiss ’18, Connor Burns ’18, Matt Kerr ’18, Derrick Owens ’18, Noah Schindler ’19, Sarah Hubner ’19, and Melissa Lawson ’18. “Roman candle” has also been accepted to the Tallahassee Film Festival and the New York Long Island Film Festival. Learn more about the film.
-
Arlene F. Roth (Knecht) (BS ’69)
Arlene recently received an award for her painting “Dancing Spanish Skirt Mandala” from the Sarasota, Florida-based Ringling College of Art & Design, Englewood Art Center. She has excelled in her new career as an acrylic artist painting impasto impressionist and abstract styles. Her creations in bright colors sculpted with both brush and palette knife literally rise off the canvas. To see her collection, visit her online art gallery.
-
Harriete Estel Berman (BFA ’70)
Harriete is featured in the Craft in America episode “JEWELRY” on PBS. The program highlights Tom Herman’s use of precious materials, which is a phenomenal contrast to Harriete’s use of recycled materials of tin cans and post-consumer plastic. Also in the episode, Gabrielle Gould is inspired by nature, Jesse Monongya is a Navajo/Hopi jeweler, and Art Smith reflects an innovative mid-20th century aesthetic. The episode is streaming now on the PBS video app and will have its broadcast premiere on December 10. Watch a preview.
-
Julia Pitcher (BM ’02)
Julia recently moved from PhRMA over to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) as the newly created head of state government relations. She will be responsible for driving the public policy agenda in states across the nation and deepening its advocacy relationships with stakeholders. She’ll represent MJFF before legislators, regulators, and other state government policymakers on policy issues related to access to care for Parkinson’s patients and caretakers. She currently resides outside Annapolis, Maryland, with her two sons, Colt (age 6) and Oliver (age 4).
-
Kinsey Robb (BFA ’04)
After more than a decade working with internationally recognized artists at several commercial contemporary art galleries in New York City, Kinsey has made the move to the nonprofit arts sector to take the helm of Sarasota’s oldest visual arts nonprofit, Art Center Sarasota. As a newbie to the city of Sarasota she is looking forward to forging new partnerships, collaborations, and building a culture of philanthropy to help sustain the center’s mission and elevate the many exhibitions, art classes, and cultural programming it brings to the community. If you are in town and want to connect, please reach out to her. Read an article about Kinsey’s new position.
-
Daniel Anderson (BFA ’01)
Dan’s XO WORLD Project unveiled two monumental sculptures in New York City on September 21 to celebrate World Peace Day: the “XO World” sculpture in front of One World Trade Center and its companion sculpture, “XO Play,” at The Oculus. “XO World,” at 285 Fulton Street, is inspired by the game of jacks, while “XO Play,” installed at Church Street/WTC/Westfield Mall, is a sculpture of children playing jacks. Both aim to promote the universal messages of equality, unity, peace, and love. The XO WORLD project will install monumental sculptures in major cities around the world to call attention to the need for peace, love, and inclusion. Learn more about the project at www.xoworldproject.com.
-
Taylor Freitas (BM ’12)
Taylor was recently hired as a new music teacher at Victor Senior High School in Victor, New York. He directs the symphonic band and teaches brass lessons at the senior high school and intermediate school.
-
Michael Koslov (BFA ’18)
Michael is currently in pre-production for “Month to Month,” a feature film that is scheduled to shoot later this year. He co-wrote and will co-direct the film with a close college friend (Newhouse ’18). “Month to Month” is a comedy about an aimless young man wandering around Los Angeles in search of his stolen car. He launched a crowdfunding campaign for the principal photography of the project and raised more than $10,000. Learn more about the film and the story behind it.
-
Rachel Elizabeth Zavertnik (BFA ’94)
Rachel Elizabeth Zavertnik (REZ) created iREZonate Joy, LLC, which specializes in therapy, coaching, and mentoring with a focus on “what brings us joy.” They empower youth and adults to reach their full potential as they discover the joy of happiness. Rachel is a natural leader with nearly 20 years experience in educational and clinical settings. A passionate and skilled clinician, REZ collaborates with and empowers clients to reach their full potential. They are known for their highly, empathic heart and deeply rooted belief in self-care with a specialty in creating joy.
-
Adam J. Gaffey (MA ’08)
Adam was recently promoted (with tenure) to associate professor of communication studies at Winona State University, Minnesota.
-
Karie Jo Barwind (BFA ’95)
Karie Jo has been based in Europe for the past 16 years, working on the cutting-edge of ethics and compliance in both tech and healthcare. She currently works for Google as regional ethics & compliance counsel for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, focusing on anti-bribery compliance across all product areas. She was recently listed in Business Insider’s “POWER PLAYERS: 35 of Google’s top decision-makers in Europe, covering everything from cloud computing to AI and Android” (July) and “Meet 12 of Google’s politicos in Europe—influencing the debate on everything from algorithms to antitrust” (February). She lives in London with her husband and their two adorable four-leggeds.
-
Mary Pat Hyland (BFA ’77)
Mary Pat has published her eighth novel, “The Water Mystic of Woodland Springs.” Learn more about her at marypathyland.com.
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021