President John Pistole and members of the university’s cabinet recently appointed Mike Thigpen as Chief Diversity Officer. Thigpen serves as the Director of the Cultural Resource Center (CRC) and multicultural and international student services. He will continue there as he steps into this new position. “Mike Thigpen is a well-known, well-respected leader on campus and in the community,” Pistole said regarding why Thigpen was chosen for the position. “He has a long history of service in … [Read more...]
Fall musical brings depth and vulnerability to the stage
“See Me: The Music of Lynn Lupold” will be premiering on the Byrum Hall stage Nov. 19 through Nov. 21. Presented by Boze Lyric Theater, the show was filmed by AU’s Black Bird Media Lab consisting of cinema and media arts students and will be live streamed through the three days. Professor of Dance Kenny Shepard is the mind behind the show and has earned a great deal of recognition from its success. “‘See Me: The Music of Lynn Lupold’ is based on a show the composer and I wrote and … [Read more...]
Ministry persists on campus despite COVID-19
By Rebekah Hisle Despite COVID-19 restrictions affecting chapel attendance, many students have been working to share the love of God at AU through campus ministries. Every week Hadley Duke, a senior music business and journalism major at AU leads 10:07, a student-led worship ministry on campus. “A small group of students hold acoustic worship at 10:07 p.m. every Tuesday night,” said Duke. “We normally sing around seven songs, and it's just a time for open worship and … [Read more...]
AU hosts musical theatre and dance livestream
On Sept. 16 and 19, AU put on livestream performances for the department of musical theater and dance department that reached over 1,000 views. Kris Rinas, the director of studio and technical operations at AU, led the film students in capturing the events. “We took our broadcasting cameras from the studio and took them into Reardon and we controlled the broadcast from our control room in the Broadcast Center while everyone else was on stage,” Rinas said. Director of … [Read more...]
‘Fall into Dance’ to embrace new look
The annual “Fall into Dance” put on by AU’s Dance Program will still be taking place this year, but it will look slightly different than it has in the past. Fall into Dance will take place in Reardon Auditorium on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and will only be open to family members due to social distancing requirements, but members of the public will be able to watch the live stream. Senior dance major Meredith Haskell explained that she is encouraged by the ability to have a … [Read more...]
Cinema and media arts program increases cross-campus collaboration
Despite the unforeseen circumstances, the cinema and media arts program has found numerous opportunities to work with other departments and programs this semester. Students within the cinema and media arts program have been working with the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, other programs within the department of communication and design arts and President Pistole. The students within the program will also be broadcasting the virtual graduation over homecoming weekend. Cinema … [Read more...]
Wilson Gallery welcomes modernist works
The Wilson Gallery has recently opened its exhibit showcasing items from AU’s permanent collection housed on campus. This collection, titled the Legacies of Modernism, displays numerous artists’ works within the artistic styles of modernism and expressionism. Tai Lipan, the director of the Wilson Gallery, explained the importance of displaying the Legacies of Modernism collection and the other various AU-owned collections. “Over the course of three years as director of … [Read more...]
City of Anderson unveils new murals
This past August, the Anderson Indiana Main Street (AIMS) revealed two new murals around the downtown area painted by local artists. The organization is a non-for-profit that is passionate about providing an inviting culture within Anderson. Nekoda Witsken, the artist of one of the murals, is a native of Anderson who became involved with the project by applying online with the Arts Council of Indianapolis. “I was born in Anderson's hospital, so when I came across the callout, I felt … [Read more...]
Campus arts adapt to new performance guidelines
It’s no question that one of the biggest areas of entertainment affected by the coronavirus pandemic is music, specifically live performances. A normal weekend on AU’s campus consists of some kind of music performance, whether it’s a choir, a musical theater performance or a group performance in Mocha Joe’s. As students travel back to campus for the first time since March, the School of Music, Theater and Dance is working diligently to make these performances happen in a safe way for … [Read more...]
Musical theatre returns with hopeful outlook
Before most students moved back to campus, AU’s musical theatre students and professors had an entire week under their belts. What is typically a week of set-building, play or musical rehearsals and getting to know freshmen and newcomers, suddenly became a week of adaptation, socially-distanced concert rehearsal and discovery. Many of the classes in the major will follow the hybrid format, utilizing both in-person classes when safe and online classes when appropriate. Students were … [Read more...]