News

Faculty News

Ann Clarke, associate professor of studio arts and dean emerita of VPA, will exhibit work in “Novel Ideas” (with Emilia Azcarate, Artruro Herrera, Benedict Terweil and Hye-Ryoung Min) at Blue Star Contemporary, San Antonio, Texas and “Fiber Art Now” at Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, Michigan. She will have a solo exhibition at Davis Gallery, Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, New York, and a small solo exhibition at Farm Projects Space in Welfleet, Massachusetts.
Faculty News

William Knuth, assistant teaching professor of violin in the Setnor School of Music, performs with Adam Levin in Duo Sonidos. Their latest album “Wild Dance: Arrangements for Violin and Guitar” (NAXOS) was reviewed in the fall edition of Soundboard Magazine. The review notes that “…Knuth is exquisite throughout his range, even in the highest passages of harmonics, and at any volume level, no matter how delicate.”
Featured News
Alumni Spotlight: James Martin ’19

In September, James Martin '19, a graduate of the College of Visual and Performing Arts' Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies (CRS), began working as a press secretary for U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (N.J.-5). Martin is responsible for interacting with press on a daily basis, managing the congressman’s social media, organizing press events, and writing speeches. “As a CRS major, my classes have prepared me for the high-pressure environment that I have to work through on a daily basis," says Martin. "I’m so grateful for my professors and mentors that have helped me with this wonderful opportunity.” Martin was originally going to...
Faculty News

Whitney Phillips, assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, published “The Toxins We Carry” in the Columbia Journalism Review. She co-authored an opinion editorial in The Washington Post titled “Trump has started to lose control of his own memes” and was quoted in the Vox story “Facebook’s political ads policy is predictably turning out to be a disaster.” Her research was referenced in Lawfare’s “How the Schiff Report Deals with Disinformation.”
Featured News
Design Senior Named 2019 Forbes Under 30 Scholar

Courtney Jiggetts, a senior environmental and interior design major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ School of Design, was named a 2019 Forbes Under 30 Scholar. The program awards 1,000 college and university students the opportunity to attend the Forbes Under 30 Summit, an immersive experience that brings together the best minds across industries, venture capitalism, public policy and other disciplines to learn, network, collaborate, recruit and exchange ideas. This year’s summit was held in Detroit in late October, and Jiggetts was able to attend and participate in a variety of events, including specific programming for the...
Featured News
Random Access Gallery to Recognize Remembrance Day for Lost Species

Random Access Gallery will present “The Extinction Gallery,” an exhibition featuring work by Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students, with an opening reception on Friday, Dec. 6, from 5-8 p.m. in 117 Smith Hall. The exhibition is free and open to the public. See full details.
Faculty News

Andrew Saluti, assistant professor of museum studies in the School of Design, is writing “The Preparator’s Handbook: A Practical Guide for the Prep and Installation of Collection Objects.” He presented the paper “Redefining Universal Design for Museums in the 21st Century: Pedagogy and Practice” at the International Committee on Museums annual conference in Kyoto, Japan.
Featured News
‘Destination Outdoors’ Alumni Exhibition

This fall the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ School of Design presented Destination Outdoors,
Faculty News

Kendall Phillips, professor in the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, delivered the keynote address at the Congreso Internacional de Retórica e Interdisciplina de Retórica y V Coloquio Nacional de Retórica in Argentina. He was interviewed for the Deseret News article “Hallmark Owns Christmas. But for how much longer?” and the Observer’s “How Much Marvel Is Too Much Marvel?”
Faculty News

Doug DuBois, associate professor of art photography in the Department of Transmedia, is featured in the book “PhotoWork: Forty Photographers on Process and Practice” (Aperture). Edited by Sasha Wolf, “PhotoWork” is a collection of interviews by a wide range of photographers about their approach to making photographs and, more important, a sustained body of work.
Featured News
Making Music in Strasbourg

Professor of Music Bradley Ethington’s first visit to Strasbourg, France, to conduct the Conservatoire de Strasbourg’s wind ensemble, was a five-day whirlwind trip. Ethington conducted two evening rehearsals with the Orchestre d’Harmonie, made up of the Conservatoire’s graduate and undergraduate students, who had been practicing the music for a month. The rehearsals were followed the next day by a concert performed before a full house, with Ethington conducting. “The students were fantastic to work with and played extremely well,” says Ethington, director of bands and co-conductor of the Setnor School of Music’s Wind Ensemble. “The day after the concert, I served on a jury panel for the final conducting examinations at the Conservatoire.” He is the latest Setnor professor to teach in Strasbourg and participate in a faculty exchange with a Conservatoire counterpart. Read More...
Featured News
Statement from the College of Visual and Performing Arts

We are saddened and outraged by the recent racist and anti-Semitic incidents on the Syracuse University campus. We reaffirm the college’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we will not tolerate behavior or language that degrades any member of our community. Our college remains focused on providing a safe and supportive learning environment for our students, faculty, and staff. We understand that students may feel anxious and afraid or have questions and concerns, so we have created opportunities for dialogue and reflection. We are optimistic that through meaningful conversation, shared goals, and positive action, our college and the University...
Featured News
Holidays at Hendricks Expands to Two Shows, Set for Dec. 8

Syracuse University invites the Central New York (CNY) community to “Holidays at Hendricks,” which for the first time will be expanded to two performances in Hendricks Chapel. On Sunday, Dec. 8, two identical performances will take place at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The addition of an earlier show will ensure that more guests receive an opportunity to attend this annual holiday event. Read full story.
Featured News
Marine Corps Veteran Combat Photographer Adrian Weekly ’20 Finds New Opportunity at Syracuse University

It’s said a picture is worth a thousand words. For military service members who go forward into combat with a rifle and a camera, it’s more than just an adage. Syracuse University student veteran Adrian Weekly ’20 knows this all too well. “I had enlisted in the Marine Corps to be an aviation mechanic,” says Weekly, a communication and rhetorical studies major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. “Then some people found out I could draw pretty well, and I was made into a combat photographer instead.” Read More...
Featured News
Message to the VPA Community from Dean Michael S. Tick

Dear VPA Community: I’m writing to you this evening as a follow up to my November 13 message regarding VPA’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and providing a safe and supportive environment for our students. Over the past several days I have listened to and talked with a number of VPA students; I also met with students at the Barnes Center at The Arch Thursday, yesterday, and tonight. In order to provide our students with additional time and space to share their concerns or ask questions, I have cancelled my meetings for the next three days so that I...
Featured News
Syracuse Stage, Department of Drama Celebrate the Magic of Love For the Holidays with ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’

Syracuse Stage and the Department of Drama in Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts will ring in the holiday season with the family musical “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” directed by Donna Drake and choreographed by Anthony Salatino with musical direction by Brian Cimmet. Preview performances begin Nov. 22. Opening night is Nov. 29, with performances scheduled through Jan. 5. Excellent seats remain for many performances and are available through the Box Office (315-443-3275) and at www.SyracuseStage.org.

With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” was adapted from the 1991 animated feature film. The musical opened on Broadway in 1994 and closed in 2007 after 5,461 performances. Most recently, a 2017 live action film version starred Emma Watson and Dan Stevens.

Director Drake and musical director Cimmet are the creative team behind Syracuse Stage’s last two holiday hits, “The Wizard of Oz” (2017) and “Elf The Musical” (2018). Drake said she expects audiences will be enchanted by the show. “It is magical, heartfelt, and beautiful.”

Cimmet noted that the 12-piece orchestra is the largest ever for a Syracuse Stage show.

The familiar story of “Beauty and the Beast” has its origin in the 1740 French novel “La Belle et la Bete” by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Sixteen years later, Jeanne-Marie Leprince De Beaumont shortened and simplified the tale and established the basis for most future versions. The Brothers Grimm included a similar story “The Singing, Soaring Lark” in early editions of their “Kinder - und Hausmärchen.” Read More...
Featured News
CRS Student’s Startup ‘Popcycle’ Brings Clothing by Student Designers to Campus

Need new pieces in your closet? Look no further than Popcycle, a student startup by Ben Goldsmith, CEO, ’21 VPA CRS and Jackson Ensley, CMO ’22 Whitman. Popcycle curates the best start-up brands into one retail pop-up, and brings exclusive clothing by student designers to campus. Read the full story.
Featured News
Message to the VPA Community from Dean Michael S. Tick

Dear VPA Community: I am saddened and deeply concerned by the reports of racist graffiti found in Day Hall and wanted to reaffirm VPA’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Behavior or language that degrades any individual or group’s race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, disability, or religious beliefs will never be tolerated within VPA or anywhere on campus for that matter. Our VPA community must always feel safe, engaged, connected, and supported in our classrooms, studios, performance and exhibition venues, and administrative offices. We will always strive in everything we do to create that environment. The University offers many resources to support campus community members. I have...
Featured News
Stage Management Alumna Emma Ettinger ’17 Named Marshall Scholarship Finalist

Emma Ettinger ’17, an alumna of the Department of Drama’s stage management program, has been named a finalist for the Marshall Scholarship, one of the United States’ most prestigious nationally competitive scholarship awards. She will interview for the scholarship in early November. If selected for the Marshall Scholarship, Ettinger plans to enter a one-year master’s degree program in Shakespeare and Creativity at the University of Birmingham’s Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. In the second year, she would begin the Ph.D. program in Shakespeare Studies at Birmingham and complete the degree after the Marshall grant period. She is particularly interested in the...
Faculty News

Vasilios Papaioannu, assistant teaching professor of film in the Department of Transmedia, will have his project “Two” screened at the 64^th edition of the Cork Film Festival in Ireland. “Two” will also be part of the 32nd Instants Vidéo Numériques et Poétiques, Marseille, France; CODEC Festival Internacional de Cine Experimental Y Video, Mexico City, Mexico; Artpro International Video Art Festival, Dhaka, Bangladesh; and ULTRAcinema, Oaxaca, Mexico. Read More...