University of the Arts has been selected to curate one of the six special exhibitions of the prestigious 8th Beijing International Art Biennale, Aug. 30–Sept. 23, 2019, at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. The global art event’s special exhibitions each highlight work from a selected country. The UArts exhibition will be the first time the U.S. is represented in this way at the Beijing Biennale, and the University is the event’s only U.S. representative.

The American Special Exhibition—curated by President and CEO David Yager and Vice President Rick Longo—will showcase UArts’ 142-year legacy of arts leadership and spotlight the University’s mission of advancing human creativity. Twenty-two artworks by 11 teaching artists and alumni will be presented. The works on display will highlight the distinct culture of creativity education UArts instills in its students. Teaching artists and alumni include:

• Mark Campbell ’74
• Daniel Clayman 
• Matt Curtius and Gina Triplett
• Shawn Faust ’18
• Beverly Fishman ’77
• Laura Frazure ’86
• Michael Grothusen 
• Mi-Kyoung Lee ’96
• Alan Price 
• Rebecca Sack
• Loveis Wise ’18

“It is a great honor for University of the Arts to be selected to curate the United States pavilion at this global art exhibition,” President Yager says. “It’s also an exceptional opportunity to showcase the extraordinary artist/educators from the University, and the insitution's history of developing creative leaders for over a century.” 

Since its inception in 2002, the Beijing International Art Biennale has featured more than 4,000 artists from over 100 countries and hosted more than one million visitors. 

The Hamilton Family Charitable Trust has made an extraordinary contribution to the Uniquely UArts campaign, designating $1.5 million to create a new multi-use center as a part of the University’s current project to construct a student center.

The new space will be designed to be utilized as an auditorium for screening films, a lecture hall for visiting artists, a classroom space for large presentations and more. It will be used by a variety of academic programs across the University, and also potentially by external groups from the Philadelphia community.

“This project is very exciting,” said Nat Hamilton BFA ’07 (Photography), a UArts trustee and a member of the trust’s board. “The new center will make it possible to offer a wide range of activities to enhance students’ artistic educations and the range of their creative experiences.”

UArts President and CEO David Yager expressed his thanks for the foundation’s generosity and for the impact the new space will have on UArts’ students.

“The Hamilton Family Charitable Trust’s generosity continues the remarkable impact of the Hamilton family on UArts and its students,” Yager said. “I’m especially gratified that the younger generation has joined the longer-serving members of the trust’s board in supporting our young artists, performers, designers and writers.”

The multipurpose hall is a part of a five-year project to create the University’s first student center, proposals for which also include a café, a gallery and community spaces for student interaction.

Learn more about Uniquely UArts, the campaign for creative capital.

Deadline reported that UArts alum Darnell Brown ’10 (Writing for Film and TV) is one of only eight 2019 HBOAccess fellows, who were chosen from among 3,000 applicants. Also the 2019 winner of the ABFF/Turner TV Writing Contest, Brown will work on a pilot for HBO or Cinemax during his fellowship.

The HBOAccess Writing Fellowship began in 2014 in order to diversify writers’ rooms across the nation. New fellows are selected every other year and are mentored by HBO executives for eight months as they develop their scripts. 

“Way beyond excited and legit still freaking out to be one of this year’s HBOAccess Writing Fellows!” he tweeted on May 23. “Can’t wait to get to work!”

Read more. 

A University of the Arts Animation student and two UArts alumni earned awards at the 50th ASIFA (Association Internationale du Film d’Animation) East Film Festival in May 2019. Bethie Kazanjian ’19 (Animation) won first place in the “Student Film” category for The Pigeon. 

Another first place winner—in the “Commissioned Film Under 2 Minutes” category—was Morgan Miller BFA ’00 (Film) for Big Jim, created by J.J. Sedelmaier Productions for Progressive. Bryan Brinkman BFA ’07 (Animation) came in second place in the same category for Voting Avenue, which was created for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Winners were voted on by ASIFA members, who hail from more than 50 countries and represent the field of animation. ASIFA East represents the eastern U.S.

View the winning UArts films below. 

The Pigeon 
Bethie Kazanjian ’19 (Animation)

Big Jim
Morgan Miller BFA ’00 (Film)

Voting Avenue
Bryan Brinkman BFA ’07 (Animation)

Alex Da Corte BFA ’04 (Printmaking & Book Arts), widely recognized as a rising star in the art world, has been selected to participate in the 2019 edition of the prestigious Venice Biennale.

The theme of the world’s oldest biennial is "May You Live in Interesting Times," curated by Ralph Rugoff, director of the Hayward Gallery in London. It will feature work from 91 countries in the historic Pavilions at the Giardini, at the Arsenale and in the historic city center of Venice. Five countries will be participating for the first time: Algeria, Ghana, Madagascar, Malaysia and Pakistan.

Da Corte is a conceptual artist who works in painting, sculpture, installation, and video. He uses surreal imagery and everyday objects in his practice and explores ideas of consumerism, pop culture, mythology, and literature.His work often involves bright colors and crisp advertising imagery, and cameos by pop-culture figures like a fake version of Eminem played by the artist himself. His exhibitions have been staged in top New York galleries and museums across the globe.

Da Corte has worked on a number of collaborative projects with other visual artists, writers, and musicians including fellow UArts alum Jayson Musson BFA ’02 (Photography).

This year’s Venice Biennale, according to its curator, Rugoff, "will no doubt include works that reflect upon precarious aspects of today’s existence, including different threats to key traditions, institutions and relationships of the 'post-war order.' But let us acknowledge at the outset that art does not exercise its forces in the domain of politics."

Rugoff also says the exhibition will be immersive and interactive, "engaging visitors in a series of encounters that are essentially playful, taking into account that it is when we play that we are most fully 'human.'"