GRADUATE NEWS

As Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, I have enjoyed working with the Graduate Committee, graduate students, and departmental staff. In what is now fast becoming a tradition, this year’s Graduate Student Committee, led by Casey McGuire, organized a successful fundraiser at the Dairy Center for the Arts. Proceeds from the Dairy fundraiser helped support the 2006-07 MFA exhibitions. Graduate students in studio and art history also participated in the successful departmental faculty searches for painting and drawing, sculpture, and art history. The Integrated Arts Area graduated its first MFA student, Isabel Rivero-Marshall in 2007. Additionally, the area received a new graduate part-time teaching instructor (GPTI) position to help support its returning and incoming graduate students.

As a whole, the graduate students have been particularly active as teachers, scholars, and practicing artists. The Department of Art and Art History continued its collaboration with the Pre-Collegiate Development Program (PCDP) at the University of Colorado. The Pre-Collegiate Development Program supports and encourages first-generation and under-represented junior high and high school students who hope to pursue a college education. Susanne Mitchell, Michael Long and Sean Rozales developed projects for the four-week summer program. Formatted after the semester-long Foundations course, the four-week program introduced PCDP students to printmaking, photography, painting and drawing.

The Graduate School awarded Graduate Part-Time Instructor (GPTI) Teaching Excellence Awards to Lennon Michalski and Casey McGuire for their outstanding performance in the classroom. The Graduate School also awarded two highly competitive Beverly Sears Grants to Molly Hatch and Casey McGuire. The grants will enable Molly to create unique decals for her work in ceramics and Casey to travel to the Czech Republic to work with a group of artists at the Institute of Art and Design in Pilsen.

Finally, the CU alumnae artist collective known as 6+ which includes Sama Alshaibi (MFA 2005), Wendy Babcox (BFA 1996), Mary Rachel Fanning (MFA 2004), Yana Payusova (MFA 2006), Sherry Wiggins (MFA 2005) along with Rozalinda Borcila returned to Boulder in the spring to mount an exhibition at the Dairy Center for the Arts. In conjunction with their exhibition, 6+ worked with the Visiting Artist Program to host Palestinian artist Rula Halawani who presented her work to the university community in April.

Perhaps the best part of working with the Graduate Committee is the opportunity to recognize our graduate students for their hard work and creativity through various departmental scholarships. This year’s recipients for the Neuman Family Scholarship include Josiah Lopez, Sean Rozales, Susanna Mitchell, Michael Bernhardt, Lauren Mayer, and Aaryn Munson. Kara Spoonhour, Susanna Mitchell, Lindsey Palmer, Lauren Mayer, and Jennifer Bockelman each received a Getzelman Scholarship. Finally, Mariana Vieira received the Katherine Jacob Lamont Scholarship.

Yumi Janairo Roth
Associate Chair for Graduate Studies

UNDERGRADUATE NEWS

Asst. Prof. C. Maxx Stevens is the first full-time faculty hired to develop the undergraduate Foundations program. She has twenty years of experience in teaching Foundations and is focused on creating an excellent program that involves graduate instructors and adjunct faculty from all studio art disciplines. Having an artist with expertise in Foundation teaching and development will help our students to recognize earlier in their art studies the many differences and opportunities in the visual arts. This is a definite advantage to see not only the overarching whole of studio mediums and techniques, but also an introduction to contemporary art issues and concepts. With the changes that have taken place in the Foundations program this past year we feel that our students will be much better prepared to enter studio art courses. In addition, this program integrates the critical diversity of art history. Our undergraduate program serves over a thousand students. The development of this program will give students a chance to preview those areas of the department that they might not otherwise have considered as a major focus.

The Undergraduate Committee worked out the application and selection process for a wonderful new award, The James R. Hopes Scholarship Fund, that is to help support art and art history students with financial need and a portfolio of promise. Over two semesters, ten students will each be awarded $2000. Students are eligible to apply in their sophomore and junior years. One award will be given to majors in each of five areas. We are thrilled that such support will likely be continued in the future. Mr. Hopes met with each student and was very pleased with the procedure established by the committee. This process has allowed us to see the financial needs of many of our students. The spring, 2007 recipients were: 3D, Eve Partridge; Media Arts, Sara Magee; 2D, Michael Voshell; Foundations/IAP, Amanda Toddings; Art History, Anjulie Rao.

The following established undergraduate scholarships for 2007 recipients are: Talent / Creativity Scholarship, Elizabeth Benotti, Philip Bohlmann, Eowyn Burke, Erik Hansen, Erin Rice, Matthew Thomas, Adrienne Jorgensen, Timothy Esson, Katrina Kopeloff, Yan K. Wang, and Lindsey Wohlman; Eve Drewlowe Award, Morgan Maier; Susan Irey Byrne Scholarship, Jessica Cox; Emma Strain Scholarship, Jennifer Conrad; Noerdlinger Scholarship, Autumn Fischer and Britta Ambauen; Elkin Scholarship, Mollie Gallagher; Ralph E. Dakin Scholarship, Elena Yoshioka; Eaton Award, Keven Kalay. Congratulations to all these students!

The long-time home of the Dept. of Art and Art History, the Sibell-Wolle Building will be demolished, making room for a new building. The undergraduate program will be temporarily housed in other buildings on campus. Although, our classrooms and studios will be “make-shift” for at least two years, our undergraduate program will be fully functioning and in some ways will have better facilities than the “worn-out” Sibell-Wolle. This lengthy process of preparing and moving has been a concern and challenge not only for the Undergraduate Committee, but for every faculty member in the department. We are confident that everyone will accommodate the necessary facility changes and will continue to bring our students a curriculum that is holds the essentials of forward thinking research and development in art and art history.

Prof. Kay Miller
Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies

Jerry Kunkel, Art Department Legend, Retires

My good friend, Jerry Kunkel retired from our program this year. He taught painting and drawing since 1969 but, more importantly, served as Department Chair for 16 years between 1978 and 1994. Jerry was a remarkably successful (and notably unconventional) administrator. Jerry was blessed with a magnetic personality and a “can do” optimism that endeared him to students, faculty, staff and even the more resistant administrators above him - most of whom he outlasted. His energy infected the program and set the tone for many productive years. Support and recognition for the department increased despite the lean times for the University and gains were made in hiring women and minorities into the program.

Before becoming chair Jerry was a popular and charismatic teacher and a prolific and eclectic artist whose restlessness landed him as lead singer of the punk rock band Joey Vain and the Scissors. I attended a memorable concert when the band opened for Elvis Costello in the Glen Miller Ballroom, nearly causing a riot. But Jerry was a brilliant strategist and the very qualities that endeared him as an artist, rock performer and teacher propelled him as chair. Because of the long hours required, Jerry, resigned himself to becoming primarily an “art worker.” Jerry understood people and had a knack for bringing out the best in nearly everyone. He relished wheedling away at the bureaucratic barriers to getting things done for anyone who needed it from undergrads on up. In considering his position and the influence he had in shaping the welfare of fellow faculty, Jerry asked himself: “what can I do to make their lives better?” That’s what he worked at and it’s what made our department thrive during all those years.

A particular anchor during many otherwise tumultuous years was Jerry’s absolute devotion to his daughter, Adrianne. Jerry was left as a single parent from an early marriage and I remember fondly, the many times that Jerry spoke of the challenges of being both a father and a “mother” to his daughter. Adrianne grew up in and around the University, skateboarding, biking, hanging out in her dad’s studio. It apparently didn’t hurt because she turned out even better looking and more charming than her dad! Apparently, she couldn’t get enough of college life because she gained a PhD., married a professor and is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

After retiring as Chair, Jerry went back to merely being a wildly popular teacher and a remarkably productive artist. His gift for story telling looms large in both arenas and his imagination and zest have remained undiminished. He lives in the suburbs but anyone stepping from the outside to the inside of his home will be stunned and seduced by the plethora of images and objects - signs of life and art and magical stories from so many places. Below, in the sprawling basement is Jerry’s studio with his work lying all about. It’s less tidy and organized than above but just as dense with images and myths from places known, unknown, and imagined - places Jerry has been.

Chuck Forsman
Professor

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