Accomplishments: College of Fine Arts

Susanna Phillips Newbury (Art) was an invited presenter at the National Association of Schools of Art and Design’s 82nd Annual Meeting in St. Louis October 15-17. Her session, “Designing and Implementing Innovative Curricular Programs,” shared how Art faculty rebuilt the B.A. in Art as an open-entry degree that holds its standards through course…
Jonathan Rhodes Lee (Music) published an article in the latest issue of the French peer-reviewed journal Émergences : Son, musique et medias audiovisuels. This special issue centers on the theme "Recomposer l'écran," considering the notions of intertextuality, intermusicality, transformation, borrowing, and, in the words of the issue's editor,…
Hikmet Loe (Art) served as juror for two art organizations this fall: she was invited to jury the new hybrid art form category for Friends of Great Salt Lake annual "Alfred Lambourne Prize" (Salt Lake City); and was curator and juror for the Clark County Public Arts exhibition "Desert Pools" held at Winchester Dondero Cultural Center in Las Vegas.
Amy Brown (Music) presented a session at the Silver State Technology Conference, titled "Data Driven In'formative' Assessment."  The session focused on strategies for developing formal assessments that promote engagement, real-time data, and feedback, with an emphasis on supporting diverse learners.
Assistant professor Thang Dao (Dance) premiered his new ballet The Seventh Night Sky with Ballet Austin TWO on Oct. 10 at Ballet Austin's AustinVentures StudioTheater. Commissioned by The Bancroft Initiative, the 45-minute work is the third chapter of Ballet Austin's Fables of the World series, which pairs a treasured story…
Assistant professor Jung-Hwa Kim (Architecture) and students Jacel Zers Avila (Landscape Architecture, '25) and Adam King (Landscape Architecture, '27) received a 2026 Historic Preservation Award in the Historical Project category from the City of Reno Historical Resources Commission. The award recognizes their 2025 HALS (Historic American…
Susanna Phillips Newbury (Art) served as a featured panelist alongside art historian Natilee Harren and artist Susan Silton at Los Angeles Municipal Gallery's Barnsdall Theatre on Saturday, September 26, for a public conversation exploring vision, voice, and public address in conceptual art. Newbury is also a contributor to the accompanying…
Susanna Phillips Newbury (Art) has been elected co-chair of the College Art Association's Professional Practices Committee for a two-year term starting February 2027. In this role, she will help shape national higher education best practices, intellectual property guidelines, and fair use policies in the visual arts.
Rick Keller (Music) has published A Creator's Practical Guide to Music Technology through Kendall Hunt Publishing. The textbook offers a comprehensive, no-prerequisites guide to the full creative and business pipeline for today's music makers. Chapters cover assembling a home studio workstation, music creation and production, mixing, and the…
Christina Watanabe (Theatre) is the lighting designer for the world premiere of The Getaway Driver at acclaimed regional theatre Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, RI. Inspired by the remarkable true story of Katherine Ann Power and Clare Schroeder, The Getaway Driver is a gripping new drama that follows two women…
Assistant professor Kymberly Mellen (Theatre) recently opened a critically acclaimed, 92-performance production of Melissa Leilani Larson’s Pride and Prejudice at The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater’s Lindsay Legacy Theater in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Following rehearsals from June 1 through Aug. 15, the production opened Aug. 17 and runs through Nov. 7…
Kristen Keach (Art) received a grant from the Palladio Museum to participate in its 68th Course on Palladian Architecture in Vicenza, Italy, which explored the theme "Palladio and Comfort in the Well-Designed House."