The University of Puget Sound hosts many exciting events throughout the year.
Stay current on all the art related happenings in Kittredge Hall and Kittredge Gallery announced on our home page. Find archived news and events at the bottom of the page.
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Student & Alumni News
GRADUATE SCHOOL
- Ellis LeBlanc ‘20 (Art History) will begin an MA program in Humanities with an emphasis in Art History at the University of Chicago.
- Mary Thompson ‘19 (Art History) will begin an MA program in art history at Hunter College this fall.
- Cameron Milton ’21 (Painting), will begin Antioch University’s, Seattle, WA Art Therapy MA program this fall.
- Kelsey Alger (Vogan) ’13 (Painting), is entering Lesley University, Cambridge, MA’s MFA program in the fall.
- Lauren Faulkner ’10 (Painting), will begin New York Academy of Fine Art’s MFA program this fall.
- Michael Fortenberry ‘20 (Sculpture) will attend SUNY New Paltz as an MFA candidate.
- Samuel J. Crookston Herschlag ’18 (Sculpture) will attend San Jose State University as an MFA candidate in their Spatial Arts program.
- Bryce Monser ’17 (Sculpture). MS Candidate Urban Planning and Development, Washington University, St Louis, MO
- Ayse Hunt ’19 (Art History) began a joint PhD in Computer Science and Learning Science at Northwestern University in Fall 2020.
ARTIST RESIDENCY
- Walker Hewitt ’19 (Painting), is participating in an artist residency at Bread and Salt, San Diego, CA in November, 2021.
- Ian Chandler ’18 (Sculpture). Artist in Residence, Holter Museum, Helena, MT
OTHER AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
- Rachael Stegmaier ‘21 (Art History) presented a talk at the Undergraduate Research Symposium of the University of Washington in May 2021, titled: “Siqueiros and Modernism in the Americas.”
- Dr. Andrew Griebeler ‘09 (Art History) received a Getty/ACLS Postdoctoral Fellowship in the History of Art for 2021-2022.
- Katy Cowan ’04 (Sculpture) showing new Outdoor Sculpture work with Philip Martin Gallery
- Erin Wheary ’13 (Sculpture/Printmaking) recently held an Artist Residency at Chateau Orquevaux, France.
- Erin also accepted one-year Visiting Assistant Professor position at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.
- Michael Fortenberry ’20 (Sculpture) was a finalist in the Season 15 Manifest Grand Jury Prize (see photo below: Ribbon (wood), 48” x 48” x 84”, 2018).
Faculty and Staff News
- Professor Janet Marcavage, Chair of the Art & Art History department, was designated a 2020-21 Distinguished Professor. This honor is based upon “accomplishments during this review period” which “serve as exemplars, for students and colleagues, of the vibrant intellectual and creative life at the University of Puget Sound.”
- Visiting Assistant Professor Rachel Silberstein was recently awarded the Millia Davenport Publication Award from the Costume Society of America for her book A Fashionable Century Textile Artistry and Commerce in the Late Qing (University of Washington Press, 2020). There is also a video as part of a virtual event on new books in east Asian art history.
- Professor Elise Richman has been chosen to deliver the 47th Regester Lecture.
- Professor of Art History Linda Williams received the Dirk Phibbs Memorial Award for 2020-21 for her research project Maya Christian Murals of Yucatán: Indigenous Catholicism in Early Modern New Spain. She was also awarded a prestigious NEH grant in support of this project in collaboration with Amara Solari, Pennsylvania State University.
- New work by Janet Marcavage was included in Artists Under Quarantine at Augen Gallery, August 2020 (see photo below: TURN, 2020 screen print, 26 1/2" x 22 1/4", Edition of 10).
Art & Art History Recipients of the 2020 Summer Research Awards in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences:
Chlöe Brew, Paradigms of Feminine Power: The Piraeus Athena and Aphrodite of Knidos, Advisors: Kriszta Kotsis and Brett Rogers
Catherine Croft, Animated Neuroscience Pilot for Kids, Advisors: Nathan Clark and Elise Richman
Madeleine Golitz, Illustrating Neuroaesthetics, Advisor: Janet Marcavage
Julia Schiff, Materialized Narratives: An Exploration of Printmaking Techniques, Advisor: Janet Marcavage
Creating Through Chaos: Senior Exhibition
See the big takeover highlights from our Studio Art Seniors presenting their thesis work on our Instagram account. For the complete exhibition and footage, please visit the web site: www.upsseniorexhibition.com
Anna McKee and Suze Woolf" Gathered from the Field, Art Provoked by Climate Research
Exhibition Walkthrough Videos:
Living Art Participant Liss LaFleur Residency occurred in March-April 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Events included the gallery exhibit: Fruit and public Artist Talk.
Adjunct Faculty & Studio Technician Nate Clark invites you into his studio in support of the PAUSE/PLAY: GALLERY 4CULTURE ONLINE, Seattle.
Professor Elise Richman co-organized the second biennial PNW Painting Symposium and affiliated exhibition titled Making a Better Painting, January 23-March 15.
Linda Williams, Professor of Art History, recently co-presented a paper with Amara Solari (Penn State), at the University of Texas Austin's 2020 Mesoamerica Meetings. Williams and Solari discussed "Monastic Painting as World Making in Sixteenth-Century Yucatan" as part of the symposium with the theme Center and the Four Corners: City, Symbol, and Space.
Professor of Art History Zaixin Hong recently had a book Mongol Court and Chinese Literati from South of Yangtze River: An Anthology of the Studies of Calligraphy and Painting of Yuan China published by China Art Academy Press. Thereafter, it won the Second Place for the 28th Chinese Art Book Awards.
Art + Sci Salon | Biomimetic Insectoid Mechatronics, Combining Open Source Technology with Entomology December 5 from 6-8 pm in Kittredge Gallery // John Espey '08 builds robotic creatures inspired by insects. After studying Biology at the University of Puget Sound, he spent 10 years working in video production and striving to become a professional artist. John merges digital design technologies with arts and crafts, to educate and inspire audiences on the anatomy and physiology of insects. John will present his research on insect kinematics, biomimetic robots, and his ambitions for insectoid sculptures. You can see more of his work on his website.
Recent Acquisitions, Works from the University of Puget Sound Art Collection in Context, Curated by Elise Richman, exhibited Oct. 28 - Dec. 14, 2019.
Living Art Participant ALIX HENRY Residency from October 7-11: events included a film screening of Garbage Warrior, ART + SCI Salon: Building and Living in an Earthship w/ guest artist Alix Henry; and collaborative garden project with faculty and students.
Visiting Artist JAMELL TATE had a residency on campus from October 16-23.
Professor Janet Marcavage, exhibited her work in Prints at Play, Kittredge Gallery from September 3 - October 18.
Play and perception are integral to my current hand-pulled screenprints. Illusory and real configurations suggest folding, bending, and turning of two-dimensional planes. These abstractions are created with considerations of light, space, and color as well as the contingency of geometric visual elements.
SENIOR ART EXHIBITION // Kittredge Gallery from May 1-19, 2019
Offield Travel Award recipient Ronda Peck gave a presentation on her recent travels to Berlin, Germany.
Painting Professor Elise Richman was part of a two-person, collaborative, site-specific exhibition, Encompass, with artist Nicholas Nyland at the 950 Gallery in downtown Tacoma. Please read more in the Weekly Volcano article here.
Spring 2019 Jones Mini Gallery installation organized by Art History Professor Linda Williams, displayed the work and history of TNT photographer and College of Puget Sound ’53 alumnus Robert Rudsit.
Art + Sci Salon | Kittredge Gallery on April 11, 2019
Scott Bateman, '86 alum and Director, The Bateman Lectures on Depression | Rausch Auditorium. Voted Best Documentary: South Texas Underground Film Festival, Snowdance Film Awards, Cosmic Film Festival.
Lecture by Carrie Dedon, Assistant Curator at Seattle Art Museum, Kittredge Gallery.
Professor Haicheng Wang (University of Washington) public talk from 4-5: 30 pm in Wyatt 109.
Art + Sci | MARY COSS & ROGER FULLER | TACOMA ART MUSEUM
Arts Students Annual | Kittredge Gallery - exhibited from January 25 - March 2
Studio Art Professor Janet Marcavage’s artwork, Blue, was recently selected for inclusion in the King County Public Art Collection. It is one of several artworks that will be rotated throughout King County Buildings.
Studio Art Professor Janet Marcavage had a print in INK & PRINT: WEST COAST JURIED PRINTMAKING in the Perkins Gallery: December 14 – February 9, Coos Art Museum.
Ceramics Professor Chad Gunderson and Joel Ong: Terra et Sonus - exhibited from November 6-December 8
Art + Sci Salon "Your Brain is Beautiful", Rasmussen Rotunda
Painting Professor Elise Richman was a visiting artist and critic, working with art students and sharing her work at Whitman College from November 1-2, 2018.
Art History Professor Kriszta Kotsis was honored with a 2018 Davis Teaching Award celebrating excellence in teaching. Congratulations Kriszta!
Reception for the exhibition Behind the Canvas: The Native Portraiture and Personal Writing of Abby Williams Hill. Tiffany Aldrich MacBain curated the show, in the Northwest Room of Collins Library.
2nd Annual Department of Art & Art History OPEN HOUSE from 5-7 p.m.
Comix Body, curated by Mita Mahato; Reception Oct 29, 5-7 p.m. with a panel interview of featured artists
Living Arts artist residency with Humaira Abid, including a public lecture, Searching for Home on Oct. 25, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. in Rausch Auditorium.
Professor Delin Lai gave a public talk on “Defining the Present Perfect Tense of I. M. Pei's Architectural Space”. Professor Lai used three masterpieces designed by I. M. Pei, a renowned Chinese American architect, and the Pritzker Awardee, to introduce ancient and modern gardens in Japan and China. The event was co-sponsored by the Asian Studies Program and the Department of Art and Art History. The event was held from 4-5:30 pm in Thompson Hall 175.
ART + SCI Salon VANITY | Kittredge Gallery | 6-8pm
Artist Joseph Rossano and biologist Jacob Egge discussed their collaboration “Vanity,” an installation featuring vanities filled with 11 extinct species and subspecies rendered in glass juxtaposed against the human DNA barcode and accompanied by reflections written by scientists who studied them. Joseph and Jacob discussed their experience as an artist and scientist working in collaboration and the growth of the project into an expanded exhibition of “Vanity” that added museum specimens and student writing to the original work.
Invisible Nation, Victor Cartagena | letter to a laundress, Carletta Carrington Wilson, Kittredge Gallery August 30-September 30
Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Summer Research Symposium occurred on September 11, 2018, from 3:30-5 pm in Collins Memorial Library, West Reading Room // Showcasing the eight Art and Art History majors that were awarded AHSS Summer Research Grants: Ian Chandler (Sculpture); Elayna Caron (Painting); Ally Hembree (Printmaking); Walker Hewitt (Painting); Ayse Hunt (Art History); Sophia Munic (Sculpture); Ronda Peck (Ceramics); Mary Thompson (Art History).
Art+Sci Salon: Soil Made Visible - Mary Farrell, Professor of Art at Gonzaga University, presented Soil Made Visible - a collaborative project undertaken with her sister Pat Farrell, Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Visiting artist Henry Mandell gave a lecture on April 11 in Wyatt 109.
Kittredge Gallery's exhibits were enjoyed by the March 15 Tacoma Weekly, which notes Michael Johnson's sensual, but "badly behaved," sculptures and the "magic" Chinese ink paintings that cut through our flashy world. The Weekly Volcano and South Sound Arts etc. comment on March 14 about the "meandering line" evoked in both Kittredge shows. Johnson's big blue sculpture escapes the temptation of "a little shove."
Professor Michael Johnson: Sculpture, Kittredge Gallery -- and -- Rewriting Tradition: Modern Chinese Landscape and Calligraphy [student curated] in Kittredge Gallery
Priscilla Dobler '09 had an art show in Seattle at ArtXchange Gallery in Pioneer Square, November 2017. She was also awarded a two-month art residency at Mass MoCA. In 2018, she will have her first solo show in Seattle at Method Gallery, showing La Cocina (Kitchen installation with audio recordings) and recently showed La Sala (Living room installation with audio and video projections) at Feast.
Associate Professor Kriszta Kotsis presented a paper entitled "The Virgin, the Magi, and the Empress" in the panel Goddess Worship, Marian Veneration, and the Female Gender at the Archaeological Institute of America and the Society for Classical Studies annual conference in Boston on January 7, 2018.
Check out the great article in the Tacoma Weekly that covered the 2018 Art Student Annual exhibit! And the Weekly Volcano.
You can see what many of our alumni are up to on the new CESBLOGS Careers in the Arts post.
The 2018 Art Students Annual was on view from January 19 - February 24. Juried this year by artist Anida Yoeu Ali. Opening Reception: Friday, Jan 19th, 5-7 pm, Kittredge Gallery.
Student Ronda Peck had work in the exhibition “Topeka Competition 33,” at the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery in Topeka, Kansas on view from November 10, 2017 – January 7, 2018.
Student Monica Patterson, after receiving a scholarship from the Puget Sound Group Northwest Artists (PSGNA), participated in an exhibition at Art Head Gallery (5411 Meridian Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98103) from October 21st-December 1st 2017.
Student Ian Chandler (Sculpture, 2018) was an artist in residence and exhibited at MOA, Colorado.
Art+Sci INTERFACE in Kittredge Gallery, featured artists working at the interfaces of the digital and physical, object and phenomena, natural and man-made, and art and science. Artists included Afroditi Psarra (UW DXARTS Professor), Rebecca Cummins (UW Professor and Chair of Photomedia), Jeremy Mangan (independent artist), Mike Johnson (Puget Sound Professor of Sculpture).
Professor Michael Johnson, Professor of Sculpture had an exhibition at the Art Gallery, Lower Columbia College, Longview, WA
Christopher Paul Jordan and Gustavo Martinez showed artwork in solo exhibitions at Kittredge Gallery, University of Puget Sound, from Monday, Nov. 13, to Saturday, Dec. 9.
Professor Janet Marcavage had a solo exhibition "Lineation" of prints at Augen Gallery in Portland, OR from November 2–December 2, 2017. Augen Gallery is at 716 NW Davis, Portland, OR 97209. Gallery hours are Tuesday–Saturday 11:00–5:30 and by appointment.
Liberal: Recent Paintings from the NW5 and Phenomenal: Group Exhibition, Kittredge Gallery // NW5 PAINTING COLLOQUIUM included roundtable discussions with Michael Knutson [Reed College], Richard Martinez [Whitman College], Elise Richman [University of Puget Sound], James Thompson [Willamette University], and Cara Tomlinson [Lewis and Clark College]. Keynote Speaker, Linda Besemer [James Irvine Distinguished Professor, Art and Art History, Occidental College]. Panelists: Pat Boas, Cable Griffith, Margie Livingston, Kevin Bell, Paul Komada.
Professor Mike Johnson had a solo exhibition at The Nightingale Gallery of Eastern Oregon University this November.
Department of Art and Art History held an Open House for current and prospective minors and majors.
A wonderful article was published in the Tacoma Weekly on the Liberal and Phenomenal exhibition, Kittredge Gallery.
Professor Elise Richman received a Thomas Davis Teaching Award.
TAM hosted "Riding the Rails: Panel on the Life and Art of Abby Williams Hill," featuring Puget Sound Archivist Laura Edgar, Gallery Manager Peter Stanley, Art History Professor Emeritus Ron Fields, and English Professor Tiffany MacBain.
Professor Chad Gunderson was recently published in "Cast: Art and Objects Made Using Humanity’s Most Transformational Process,” by Jen Townsend and Renee Zettle-Sterling from Schiffer Publishing.
Professor Elise Richman received a Thomas Davis Teaching Award.
Todd Jannausch (Studio Technician) and Professor Janet Marcavage are both awardees of the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation Art Award. A public reception for this year’s awardees was held during the Third Thursday Art Walk on September 21, 2017, at the Spaceworks Gallery.
Art+Sci in Kittredge Gallery, University of Puget Sound: Exploring the Gut Microbiome with Dr. William DePaolo from the University of Washington
August 28 - September 23 // Clarissa Sligh and Fumiko Kimura, Kittredge Gallery; Clarissa Sligh Reception, 5-7:00 pm and Artist Talk 5:30 Wednesday, September 6, Kittredge Gallery; Fumiko Kimura Artist Talk 5-6 pm Wednesday, September 13, Kittredge Gallery
Professor Elise Richman received a 2017 Tacoma Artist Initiative Award in support of the production of a multi-media series that visually explores the notion of a “ripple effect.” This new work will be exhibited in a Spaceworks Tacoma venue in 2018.
Professor Linda Williams co-organized with Alessia Frassani (University of Leiden) a session at the Sixteenth Century Society Conference in Bruges, Belgium (August 10-20, 2016) entitled Conventos as Artistic Crucibles in Viceregal New Spain. where she presented a paper: “Artistic Training and Production in Sixteenth-Century Yucatan.”
Professor Linda Williams recently published a book review of Global Indios: The Indigenous Struggle for Justice in Sixteenth-Century Spain by Nancy E. van Deusen (Duke University Press, 2015) in The Sixteenth Century Journal: Journal of Early Modern Studies XLVII/4 (2016): 1058-1059.
Professor Kriszta Kotsis published an article on the 9th-century empress Theodora in the edited volume that focuses on royal mothers. “Empress Theodora: A Holy Mother,” in Virtuous or Villainess: The Image of the Royal Mother from the Early Medieval to Early Modern Era, ed. Carey Fleiner and Elena Woodacre, Palgrave Macmillan, 2016, 11-36.
Isabella Gresser "Behind the Pines" + Painting the National Parks: Preserving A.W. Hill’s Experience, a student-curated exhibition of the Abby Williams Hill Collection will be up in the Kittredge Gallery from February 27 - April 15, 2017.
Art + Sci Event: Mary (Maggic) Tsang from the MIT Media Lab visited the University of Puget Sound to enlighten us on bio-art, bio-hacking, citizen science.
Film screening of Fatigue Society–Byung-Chul Han in Seoul/Berlin; Discussion with Isabella Gresser, the director in Rausch Auditorium, McIntyre Hall @ 5 p.m.
Adjunct Professor Becky Frehse showed her collaborative work in "Pursuit of Happiness" at Practical Art in Phoenix, AZ. This was the fifth exhibition of work made in collaboration with Jane Kelsey-Mapel, a wonderful ceramic sculptor in Phoenix. The show ran from February 1-28, 2017.
The Alumni Exhibition "What Happened Here: Puget Sound Studio Alumni" was on display in the Kittredge Gallery from January 17-February 18, 2017.
Roz Chast, the acclaimed artist, author, illustrator, and staff cartoonist for The New Yorker, visited our campus on February 9.
On February 11, Prof. Stephen Tuck spoke at UPS on "De Arte Gladiatoria: Recovering Gladiatorial Tactics from Artistic Sources".
The Art History Alumni Colloquium was held on January 27-28. Our keynote speaker was Carolyn Dean ’80 (Professor of Art History, UC Santa Cruz) and Colloquium Participants included a number of alumni, past & present faculty. Colloquium events will include a conversation with alumni in art-related fields.
Art+Sci Salon held an event on January 19th at the Norton Clapp Theater at the University of Puget Sound with readings of excerpts from Anne Washburn's Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play. Both a comedy and then a ritual tragedy about a community preserving itself with the most unlikely of stories.
Lines, artwork by Professor Janet Marcavage: new etchings and screenprints were on display at the Handforth Gallery at the Main Branch of the Tacoma Public library [1102 Tacoma Avenue South in Tacoma, WA]. This new work was supported by a Tacoma Artists Initiative Project Grant from the City of Tacoma. The exhibition ran from Nov. 12 through Dec. 31st.
Art+Sci Salon event 11/29/16 with Steve LaBerge and Bryan Ressler - Art Sci Burn! Wearable art from Burning Man, a fashion extravaganza! Bryan Ressler is a Seattle-area engineer, electronic musician, and electronic artist. His artwork combines the disciplines of engineering, computer science, and animation to challenge the viewer’s perception of light, shadow, human form, and motion. Ever-changing, his art never holds still, through prerendered and generative animation and performance manipulation. For each of the Burning Man art festivals from 2012 through 2016, Steve LaBerge created large stationary art installations and moving mutant vehicles that incorporated LED lights. Steve conceived of and, with the help of many contributors, built the projects.
Professor Janet Marcavage is part of the Breaking New Ground, celebrating 15 years of the B.I.G. non-toxic etching process developed by Andrew Baldwin. The exhibition shows from October 10-November 18 at the Aberystwyth University School of Art Gallery, Wales.
Professor Linda Williams was awarded a Davis Teaching Award.
Professor Mike Johnson was a recipient of a group grant to acquire two 3-D printers and a laser cutter that will be housed in the Sculpture Building. The group will now apply for a $500,000 grant in hopes of establishing a Makerspace on campus.
The first Art+Sci Salon of the year was held in the Kittredge Gallery, Dual Natures: Illuminating the Illustrator’ Mind. Guest scientific illustrators/artists Barbara Ierulli, Veronique Robigou, and Liz Fuller shared their intensely detailed scientific work, as well as their other creative practices. The artists' presentations were supplemented by a display of original works and specimens from the Slater Museum of Natural History. A hands-on "Exquisite Corpse" drawing activity followed the presentations.
Professor Elise Richman created a site-specific installation inspired by structural color in butterfly wings at Matter in downtown Tacoma.
Victor Cartagena gave a talk on October 5th in the Kittredge Gallery. The event was co-hosted by the Department of Hispanic Studies. Cartagena is a Central American multi-disciplinary artist based in San Francisco who draws on his experiences of being an immigrant and memories of violence in his home country of El Salvador.
Professor Zaixin Hong has a new book entitled Xunzhao Makongduo: Gelunbiya Shiri Suibi (Looking for Macondo: Essays on Colombia) published recently. Based on a trip to Colombia in August 2015 he addresses the relationship between art and our imperfect world in ten essays on scenes, people, and ideas. It is the first Chinese book on the Latin American country, Columbia. Its excerpt is available at the Guangxi Fine Arts Publishing House website.
Professor Elise Richman was a 2015 Neddy Award finalist in Painting.
Ana Teresa Fernández gave a lecture: "Borrando La Frontera/Erasing the Border," April 2016
This lecture featured guest artist Ana Teresa Fernández is part of Doug Sackman and John Lear's Dolliver Project series. The artist showcased her art project on border fences and explained the political and historical resonance of her work.
Ricardo Cavolo, visited our campus February 17-22, 2016
The Spanish painter and illustrator, whose murals are in Madrid, Montreal, Hong Kong, Paris, Kyiv (Kiev), and other cities around the world conducted a watercolor painting workshop with students, presented on his work in the Kittredge Gallery during an interview Double-Visions, and participated in a panel, Public Art: Planting Seeds and Starting Fires with artist Eroyn Franklin and arts administrator Amy McBride.
Alumnus Alexander Keyes '10, Sculpture, exhibited his work titled "to: europa" at Gallery 4Culture in Seattle, WA, March 2016. More information.
AHSS Summer Research Award Recipients:
Katharine Etsell ‘17, Tacoma's Industry in Word and Image
Maggie Langford ’17, Creation and Motherhood: Feminist Views and Perceptions of Birth and Rebirth
Hannah Lehman ’17, Migrant Images: Visual Propaganda of the Syrian Refugee Crisis in German and French Cities
Olivia Sherman ’17, Oil Paintings: Reframing Ancient Roman Figurative Gesture Through Deleuze's Contemporary Aesthetics
Hailey Shoemaker ’17, A Visual Exploration of the Activist's Narrative and the Search for Purpose
Summer Residency for Studio Art Graduates:
Carly Brock
Grace Best-Devereux
Rachel Kalman
Gaby Yoque
This residency, made possible by the support of an anonymous donor, grants students the opportunity to dedicate ten weeks to creating work on campus during the summer after graduation. It also provides a travel stipend to a major U.S. city in order to view galleries, museums, or art-related events. The residency will foster opportunities for recent Studio Art graduates from Puget Sound to seamlessly continue their studio practice, and carefully develop portfolios of artwork that will position them to apply successfully to graduate schools or take the next step toward careers in art.
Professor Elise Richman, Painting, published the paper "The Ethics of Painting: Affect, Aesthetics, and Agency".
Professor Janet Marcavage, Printmaking, exhibited her work titled "Warp and Weft" at the Augen Gallery in Portland, Oregon - March 28, 2015. Janet gave a talk about her work on Saturday, March 21.
The Hallie Ford Museum and City of Tacoma Portable Artwork Collection each purchased a painting from Prof. Elise Richman’s Spill series in 2015.
Professor Elise Richman, Painting, received the Thomas A. Davis Teaching Award at the annual faculty dinner on August 26, 2014.
Professor Zaixin Hong, Art History, was recognized for his impressive research work.
Several members of the Department of Art and Art History participated in the Visual Culture Colloquium, October 2014 at Willamette University; Kriszta Kotsis, Elise Richman, and Linda Williams (faculty); Laura Edgar (Curator, Abby Williams Hill Collection); Louisa Raitt, Chloe Ginnegar, Grace Best-Devereux, and Samuel Mandry (students).
Professor Kriszta Kotsis presented a paper at the annual meeting of the Medieval Academy of America held at UCLA in April 2014 entitled "The Beauty of Byzantine Empresses".
Professor Janet Marcavage exhibited several of her prints in the Tacoma Art Museum's show "Ink This! Contemporary Print Arts in the Northwest", on view June 7 through November 9, 2014. The Weekly Volcano reviewed the exhibit.
Professor Elise Richman received the 2014 Greater Tacoma Community Foundation of Art Award. In 2008, the Community Foundation established the Foundation of Art Award to recognize the essential role art plays in our community and to honor professional artists in the region. Each year, more than a dozen artists are nominated and one is selected for this significant award. The winning artist receives a $7,500 award to create a commissioned art piece for the Community Foundation representing their interpretation of the Pierce County community.
Two handmade screenprints by Professor Janet Marcavage were selected for purchase by the King County Public Art Collection. These are portable works that will be rotated throughout the public spaces of County-owned facilities.
Professor Kriszta Kotsis, Art History, presented two papers in spring and summer of 2013: “Byzantine Empresses and Bride Shows” at the annual meeting of the Medieval Association of the Pacific held at the University of San Diego; and “The Networks of the Iconophile Irene and Theodora” at the Kings and Queens conference held at the University of Winchester.
The Washington State Arts Commission purchased two prints by Professor Janet Marcavage, Printmaking, which will be hung at Peninsula College in Port Angeles. Marcavage was invited to have a print included in Double Dozen, an exhibition at the Lisa Harris Gallery in Seattle in September 2013.
Professors Elise Richman, Michael Johnson, and Janet Marcavage were mentioned in the online publication Post Defiance in an article about the Art+Sci Salon. The article was titled "Simple Equation, Powerful Ideas".
Professor John McCuistion, Ceramics, gave a talk titled "Discovering the Moche" at South Sound Community College on April 16, 2013.
Professor Elise Richman [Painting], and local artist Cynthia Camlin exhibited their work titled "Each Form Overflows Its Present" that was on display in the University Gallery at Pacific Lutheran University in April 2013. The Tacoma News-Tribune and the Tacoma Weekly have both published reviews of the exhibit.
Professor Kriszta Kotsis, Art History, recently had two articles published: "Mothers of the Empire: Empresses Zoe and Theodora on a Byzantine Medallion Cycle,” Medieval Feminist Forum 48/1 (2012), 5-96 and "Defining Female Authority in Eighth-Century Byzantium: The Numismatic Images of Empress Irene (r. 797-802),” Journal of Late Antiquity 5/1 (2012),185-215.
Professor Zaixin Hong, Art History, had a chapter titled "Moving onto a World Stage: The Modern Chinese Practice of Art Collecting and Its Connection to the Japanese Art Market" published in the book The Role of Japan in Modern Chinese Art, edited by Joshua A. Fogel.
Professor Elise Richman's work was featured on the blog Artventures in a post titled "Visualizing Nature and its Sea of Changes: Where Art and Science Meet".
Professor Zaixin Hong, Art History, had a chapter titled "Issues of Provenance in the Last Emperor's Art Collecting" published in the book Provenance: An Alternate History of Art, edited by Gail Feigenbaum and Inge Reist.
Prizes were awarded during the reception for the Art Students Annual Show on November 14, 2012, in the Kittredge Gallery. Awards went to:
Emily Menk '14, Best in Show
Jonathan Steele '13, Best in Ceramics
Ian Saad '14, Best in Sculpture
Bianca Jarvis '15, Best in Printmaking
Connor Jones '13, Best in Painting
Scott Segawa '13, Best in Drawing
Libby Geissinger '13, Best Other Media
Rachel Kalman '16 and Kelsey Vogan '13, Merit Awards
Professor John McCuistion, Ceramics, exhibited his work at Pacific Lutheran University's Art Gallery. The show was titled "The Physicality of the Present" and also included work by local artist Ann Johnston Schuster.
Professor Kriszta Kotsis, Art History, received the Thomas A. Davis Teaching Award at the annual faculty dinner on August 21, 2012.
Professor Elise Richman, Painting, exhibited a site-specific art installation, Spring Mascot, at the Woolworth Building in downtown Tacoma at 11th and Broadway through June 30, 2012.
UPS students Michelle Reynolds '12 (first place), Kelsey Eldridge '12 (second place), and Samantha Kielty '11 (third place) were the recipients of the Art History Research Paper Prize for 2012.
UPS student Westrey Page '12, a senior art history major, presented a paper titled "The Mother Archetype in Anselm Kiefer’s Erotic in the Far East: Understanding German Cultural Rebirth in the Wake of World War II", at the First Annual Undergraduate Art History Conference, The Body in Visual Culture, at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on May 4, 2012.
Ecological Public Art: Making a Difference: On May 1, 2012, ecological art curator Patricia Watts and ecological public artist Buster Simpson discussed on all levels what it takes to create a successful public art plan including selecting successful public artworks that are both aesthetically rigorous and sustainable as infrastructure projects. Watts discussed the public art selection process and Simpson presented the longer road to bringing larger environmental projects to fruition while working with the city, state, and federal agencies. Both are concerned with how these types of projects are planned for, funded, and that when they are completed, they are public artworks that make a real difference for both people and the natural world. This event was co-sponsored by the City of Tacoma, The University of Puget Sound Environmental Policy and Decision Making Program, and The University of Puget Sound Art Department.
The Tacoma Art Museum offered a series of lectures April 7 – May 12, 2012, two of which featured Puget Sound faculty members. The first, "Between Icon and Idol: Venerated and Broken Images in Byzantium," by Professor Kriszta Kotsis, Art History, took place on Saturday, April 7, at 1 p.m. The lecture discussed the century-long dispute over the role of religious images, or icons, that shook Byzantine society. On Saturday, April 21 Professor Elise Richman, Painting, presented her Know More Art talk titled "The Art of Remembering". The Vietnam Veterans War Memorial occupies a site of unrivaled honor on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Each year thousands of citizens pay their respects to the fallen soldiers whose names are inscribed on the memorial's movingly stark, black surface. Maya Lin’s youthful vision for the memorial’s minimalist design—so different from heroic, figurative historical precedents—pushed aesthetic boundaries and confounded expectations regarding the purpose of a war memorial. This relatively recent controversy provides a springboard for a broader discussion of the changing cultural expectations of what a memorial is supposed to be, aesthetically, physically, and perceptually.
Professors Janet Marcavage, Printmaking, and Elise Richman, Painting, were featured in a group exhibition of Tacoma artists titled Tacoma, Naturally, at Alley Cat Artists in Ellensburg, Washington, April 6 - 30, 2012.
Professor Kriszta Kotsis, Art History, presented a paper titled “Defining Female Authority in 8th Century Byzantium: The Images of Empress Irene” at the annual meeting of the Medieval Association of the Pacific, in Santa Clara, California, March 30-31, 2012. She also chaired a session there, titled Byzantine and Italian Representations of Christ and the Virgin.
Professor John McCuistion, Ceramics, participated in a group exhibition titled Centered on the Northwest: An Invitational Show Featuring Northwest Clay Artists, from March 26 - April 5, 2012, at the Clay Art Center, 2636 Pioneer Way East, Tacoma.
Professor Linda Williams, Art History, presented a paper titled "Saints Peter and Paul at the Early Colonial Franciscan Monastery of Dzidzantún, Yucatán" for the session she helped to organize, Guiding Souls: Images of Mary and the Saints in New Spain and Peru I, at the annual meeting of the Renaissance Society of America, in Washington DC, on March 22, 2012.
During the week of March 19th, 2012, students enrolled in Art 282: Beginning Printmaking exhibited an installation project. The project took place in the Wheelock Student Union, near the Info Center. This collaborative project related to the Hide/Seek exhibition at the Tacoma Art Museum and it drew on themes found in the work of David Wojnarowicz and Felix-Gonzales-Torres. Viewers were able to take part of the work with them. Students demonstrated the technique of screenprinting in the Student Union. Students who collaborated on the project: Louise Blake, Caitlin Bovard, Carolyn Corl, Sarah Gulian, Elizabeth Hughes, Emily Johnston, Emily Menk, Steffen Minner, Jennie Noreen, Chris Putnam, Jill Sanford, Erin Wheary, and Emma de Vries. Their professor is Janet Marcavage, Printmaking. This project was supported by the Civic Scholarship Initiative and the Art Department.
Professor Linda Williams, Art History, and her colleague Professor John Lear, History and Latin American Studies, presented a paper, "Rina Lazo: Beyond Diego Rivera and the Taller de Gráfica Popular," on February 25, 2012 in Los Angeles, at the annual conference of the College Art Association, in a session titled Agents of Social Change: Women Artists and Women Patrons in Postrevolutionary Mexico.
Professor Zaixin Hong published "Unveiling and Consuming Art in the Multifarious Spaces of Early Modern China”, Review of James Cahill, Pictures for Use and Pleasure: Vernacular Painting in High Qing China (University of California Press: Berkeley, 2010), 128 illns. (112 color), 280 pp., ISBN 9780520258570, £34.95, and Jonathan Hay, Sensuous Surfaces: The Decorative Object in Early Modern China (Reaktion Books: London, 2010), 229 illns. (223 color), 440 pp., ISBN 9781861894083, £35. Oxford Art Journal, kcr046 first published online February 8, 2012 doi:10.1093/oxartj/kcr046.
In conjunction with the exhibition of their work in the Kittredge Gallery (January 16-February 11, 2012), Nathan DiPietro gave a tempera painting demonstration and talked about his work on Thursday, February 2 in the Kittredge Gallery, and Eirik Johnson talked about his work on Thursday, February 9 in Kittredge 201.
From Farewell to Rehearsal: Critical Thinking from a Chinese Curator of Contemporary Art: On November 9, 2011, Dr. Gao Shiming delivered a public lecture discussing his critical observations on the 2008 Third Guangzhou Triennial and the 2010 Eighth Shanghai Biennale, both of which he curated, by examining theoretical issues of contemporary Chinese art in the context of globalization. Dr. Shiming is a professor and executive dean at the School of Intermedia Art at China Academy of Art. An internationally acclaimed curator and one of the leading theorists of contemporary art in China, Dr. Shiming has organized many major art exhibitions throughout his career. He is currently a research fellow at Sterling and Francis Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts working on a project titled "Rehearsal: Art Without Artwork." This event was co-sponsored by the Art Department and Asian Studies Program.
In conjunction with the faculty show Show and Tell (August 22-November 5, 2012), three of the participants gave informal discussions of their works in the Kittredge Gallery. The talks started with Professor John McCuistion at 2:00 PM on October 5, followed by Adjunct Professor Becky Frehse at 12:30 PM on October 12, and then with Professor Michael Johnson at 2:00 PM on October 27.
Professor Zaixin Hong, Art History, had an article published in French translation, “Rêves à Paris, réalité à Pékin. Pang Xunqin et l’institutionalisation des arts décoratifs en Chine,” in conjunction with the exhibition Artistes chinois à Paris, at the Musée Cernuschi, Paris, September-December 2011.
Professor John McCuistion, Ceramics and Chair of the Art Department, was awarded the University of Puget Sound’s Passau Faculty Exchange for 2011. This fellowship enabled him to travel to Passau, Germany during the summer to conduct research on German salt glaze pottery and to visit museums in Austria and Germany that house important ceramic collections. His lecture at Passeau on the Ceramics of Mesoamerica was very well received.
Professor Linda Williams, Art History, participated in a session that she organized for the annual conference of the Rocky Mountain Council for Latin American Studies, April 6-9, 2011 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The session was the first in the U.S. to focus exclusively on colonial art in Yucatan.
Professor Zaixin Hong, Art History, gave a paper and participated in a workshop at the Joint Conference of the Association for Asian Studies & International Convention of Asia Scholars, in Honolulu, March 31-April 3, 2011.
Professor Emeritus Ron Fields, Art History, is the editor of and contributor to the newly published and splendidly illustrated book Lakewold: A Magnificent Northwest Garden (published by the GardenJardin Group, now distributed by University of Washington Press).
Professor Elise Richman, Painting, was the curator of the show Marked in the Kittredge Gallery (until February 23, 2011), which included works by Susan Dory, Margie Livingston, and Michelle Grabner. For podcasts of her interviews with the artists. A companion exhibition, Patterned Remarks, also in the Kittredge Gallery, was curated by Professor Janet Marcavage, Printmaking. The exhibition was originally developed for the Southern Graphics Council Conference and Philagrafika in Philadelphia in the spring of 2010.
Professor Elise Richman, Painting, exhibited her works in a group show titled Build Up, January 10 - February 18, 2011, at Gallery 2, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington.
Professor Emerita Betty Sapp Ragan had an exhibition of her Hand Colored Photo Collage, at the Handforth Gallery, Tacoma Public Library, January 6 - February 19, 2011.
Michelle Grabner, Professor of Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, exhibited in the Kittredge Gallery and gave a public lecture about her work on January 25, 2011.
Marc Pascale, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, was the Chism lecturer in November 2010. He gave his talk, "Why Prints Matter", on November 16, 2010.
Dr. Debra Willis, Chair of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Department of Imaging and Photography, visited campus as the Chism Artist/Scholar during the last week of classes fall term. She gave a public lecture in the Kilworth Chapel on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, at 7 p.m.
Professor Janet Marcavage, Printmaking, had an exhibition titled Such Fancies: new serial prints and cut outs, in The Gallery of Pacific Lutheran University (October 13 - November 10, 2010).
Professor Mike Johnson, Sculpture, exhibited two of his sculptures in the Bellwether 2010: Art Walk, in downtown Bellevue Washington, June 26-October 17, 2010.
Professor Emeritus Bill Colby showed in a group exhibition titled Classy Mixer at the Mavi Contemporary Gallery, 502 Sixth Avenue, Tacoma, September 15-October 31, 2010.
The second annual Race and Pedagogy Conference at Puget Sound was held October 28-30, with art emphasized alongside politics. For Professor Elise Richman's statement on art's role in the conference, see the article in the Tacoma Weekly.
Professor Elise Richman, Painting, was among the exhibitors in the show Seattle Public Utilities Portable Works: Northwest Mid-Career Artists at the Seattle Municipal Tower Gallery (700 5th Ave., Level Three Concourse, April 6-July 2, 2010).
Professor Zaixin Hong, Art History, presented a paper, “From Nationalism to Modernism: The Case of Deng Shi and Huang Binhong in the Early 20th Century China," at an international symposium Performing the Modern: The Politics of Culture and the Arts in Early 20th-Century China, held at Stanford University, February 19-21, 2010. He also contributed an essay “The Excellent Painter of the Chinese People: Huang Binhong and Contemporary Art Movements" to the catalog of the exhibition Works of Four Chinese Masters Premiere in America Tracing the Past, Drawing the Future: Master Ink Painters in 20th-Century China. The exhibition, at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, was February 17 to July 4, 2010.
Professor Michael Johnson, Sculpture, had an exhibition in the Kittredge Gallery (January 20-February 20, 2010). For more information.
Professor John McCuistion, Ceramics and Chair of the Art Department, was selected to display three ceramic sculptures at the gallery at Tacoma Community College as part of the Social Injustice exhibition. The exhibit ran from January 15 - March 15, 2010. He also participated in a panel discussion as part of the show on Feb. 2, at 4:30 p.m. McCuistion was one of three participating artists featured in an article in the January 2010 issue of CityArts, Tacoma.
The Medieval Association of the Pacific held its annual conference on our campus, March 5-6, 2010. Professor Kriszta Kotsis, Art History, was a member of the Local Organizing Committee.
Professor Michael Johnson, Sculpture, had a solo exhibition titled Inside Out at Skagit College, Mt. Vernon, Washington (October 19 – November 20, 2009), with works in both the art gallery and six installations outdoors on campus. He was also in a group exhibition "Madart Redux", February 2010 at the Foster White Gallery in Seattle. Puget Sound alumnus Bryan Ohno co-curated the show.
Professor Janet Marcavage, Printmaking, was showcased in a Solo Exhibition of Works with Paper at The University of Washington-Tacoma Gallery at 1742 Pacific Ave. in downtown Tacoma (July 15-September 15, 2009). Three of Marcavage's prints were included in the New Members Show at the Print Arts Northwest Gallery at the Washington County Museum, Portland, Oregon (July 16-August 15, 2009). Marcavage's work was included in Impressions: 16 American Printmakers, at The Wuhan Art Museum and The Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in Wuhan, China. Marcavage also exhibited an etching in the show Constructing Identity in the 21st Century An Exhibition of Contemporary Self-Portraiture, at the Seattle Pacific Art Center Gallery (September 28 – November 6, 2009). On Thursday, October 15, from 6-8 p.m. at The Tacoma Art Museum, Marcavage led a workshop where participants could create their own found-object prints, in conjunction with the exhibition Joe Feddersen: Vital Signs. In late October, Marcavage's work was also included in the 2009 Qijiang International Print Festival at Qijiang Farmers’ Printmaking Institute Exhibition Hall, traveling to the Chongqing Academy of Fine Arts and the Southwest University in Chengdu, China. Marcavage’s work was also in the Los Angeles Printmaking Society 20th National Exhibition, from October 29, 2009 - January 3, 2010, at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery.
Collins Memorial Library was pleased to present Cut Out for the Wilds: The Collected Papers of Artist and Activist Abby Williams Hill. The exhibition ran from October 22, 2009 - January 5, 2010, and featured the letters and diaries of the painter Abby Williams Hill. No Woman Has Ventured As Far - the Art and Adventures of Abby Williams Hill, A Living History was the title of a free performance by Karen Haas in Collins Memorial Library, November 7, 2009. Those who attended this family-friendly event learned about Abby Hill’s life in Tacoma, the Pacific Northwest, and the many important contributions this remarkable woman made to our community.
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