While campus may appear to be quiet this summer, our college remains busy advancing our research portfolio around the world and preparing for the arrival of students in the fall.
Our Student Affairs team has been hard at work hosting summer orientation sessions all summer for incoming students, and our facilities team is overseeing multiple construction projects this summer that will improve access and experiences for students and patrons in our spaces.
We have students and faculty all over the world with study abroad programs and research projects. Art History Distinguished Senior Art Lecturer Ann Johns and Studio Art Associate Professor of Practice Eli Durst are leading a group of undergraduates through Italy for the Learning Tuscany study abroad program. And further south, Art History Professor John Clarke is leading a research team at Oplontis, an archeological site buried in 79 AD by a Mount Vesuvius eruption. Design Chair Karol Murlak is in Poland working with his research team Sustainable Transitions Through Democratic Design to create publicly available cooling centers in Warsaw to offer protection from heat for people without access to air conditioning in their homes or workplaces.
We have many Butler School of Music and Theatre and Dance faculty members and students creating new works and performing at festivals. Butler School of Music Associate Professor Diego Rivera led a tour of Japan with the UT Jazz Orchestra, and their performance at the legendary B-Flat Jazz Club in Tokyo received a glowing review from Jazz Life Magazine, one of Japan’s premier jazz publications. Earlier this month, I was in Mexico City, where I attended a performance of a work choreographed by Dance Associate Professor Joel Valentín-Martínez as part of the Serafin Aponte Danza’s 25th anniversary celebration.
These examples are just a small sampling of all the work our faculty, students and staff are involved with over the summer. There’s a buzz of activity as we work to support our research and creative enterprises, and we look forward to welcoming our students back into our spaces soon.
Sincerely,
Ramón H. Rivera-Servera Dean, College of Fine Arts
This communication is from College of Fine Arts — Official. View this email online.
