Jonathan Rhodes Lee (Music) performed twice in this year's Arizona Bach Festival. Lee appeared as soloist in the season's inaugural concert, presenting Bach's famous Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. Lee also served as continuo harpsichordist with the Festival Orchestra and Chorus in the rarely performance oratorio Esther by Giuseppe Cristiano…

After 18 months of rigorous study and leadership development, Liliana Garcia (Music) has been awarded the Certified Public Manager® (CPM) designation. This marks the first time a member of the College of Fine Arts has reached this professional milestone. Distinct from a standard academic certificate, this national designation involves an 18-month…

Amy Brown (Music) has been elected as the Region II Representative on the National Board of Trustees for the American Orff Schulwerk Association (AOSA) beginning July 1, 2026. During her three year term, she will represent and work with members from 7 states, which include Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada and…

Christina Watanabe (Theatre) was honored with a St. Louis Theatre Circle Award for her work on Lynn Nottage's Clyde's. From the review in Ladue News: "Lighting designer Christina Watanabe bathes the premises in a series of searing, stark lights as well as some sinister red hues which drift through floor grates, offering intriguing…

Christina Watanabe (Theatre), head of design/tech and assistant professor of lighting design, recently designed the world premier production of Spread by Jesús I. Valles at INTAR Theatre in New York City. This off-Broadway production has extended its initial run and will have the distinction of being filmed and added to the New York Public Library…

Department of Art members Hikmet Loe (Visiting Assistant Professor), Alina Lindquist (MFA 2028), and Andre Polidoro (BA Art History and BA Computer Science 2025) presented at the ExplOER Nevada Symposium. Their session, "Beyond Books: Open Education Brings Art History to Life," shared teaching practices and student engagement in the course Art 478…

Dale Melgaard (Film) has received the "Best Script" award for "The Phatman" at the Medellin International Film Festival.

Dale Melgaard (Film) has received an "Official Selection" for the screenplay, The Phatman, at the Medellin (Colombia) International Film Festival.

Dale Melgaard (Film) has received an "Official Selection" for the screenplay, The Phatman, at the Indo Dubai Film Festival.

Stefano Boselli (Theatre) presented his paper, “Criss-Crossing the Atlantic: Argentine Diasporic Stage Directors Returning to Buenos Aires,” on Dec. 12, 2025 at PSi #30, the Performance Studies international conference “XXX Cruzo, Cruising, Crossroads,” held in Fortaleza, Brazil. Boselli examined the transnational careers of Argentine directors…

Kristen Keach (Art) presented the paper, "Re-imagining Language Pedagogy: Critical Perspectives on AI Integration," at the 2026 Modern Language Association Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada.

Julian Kilker (Journalism and Media Studies) and Yvonne Houy (Fine Arts) presented at the University of Amsterdam’s December 2025 GenAI & Creative Practices: Past, Present, and Future conference, as part of that university’s innovative "Responsible Digital Transformations" initiative. The research panel focused on international partnerships to…