Moore Magazine Fall 2023

Gina Altadonna, adjunct professor in Illustration, participated in the Small Wonders 12 group exhibition at Arch Enemy Arts in Philadelphia, which opened on November 3, 2023.

Stephanie Barber, program head and associate professor of Film & Digital Cinema, screened her new film, The Enlightenment (2023), at various venues this fall and early winter, including the Crossroads Festival of the San Francisco Cinematheque in Los Angeles, CA; the Valdivia Experimental Audiovisual Design Festival in Chile; the Beijing International Short Film Festival in China; the Swedenborg Film Festival in London; the Light Matter Festival in Alfred, NY; and the Strangloscope Festival in Brazil. Her 2010 video, the hunch that caused the winning streak and fought the doldrums mightily, screened for the month of April 2023 on Video Data Bank TV, and her feature-length experimental musical, In the Jungle (2017), was included in the exhibition Scrapyard Screenings at Sara’s World Gallery in New York, NY, in September 2023. Barber’s 2021 full-length abolitionist play, Trial in the Woods, has been picked up by 53rd State Press, who will take over the role of publisher this winter from Plays Inverse Press.

Leslie Grace, adjunct professor in Art Education, presented two sessions at the 2023 Pennsylvania Art Education Association conference, which was held in Erie, PA. She co-presented one session with David Dietz, the fine arts consultant for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, titled “Designing Effective SPMs (Student Performance Measures) for the Art Room.” Grace presented the second session on her own, about using artificial intelligence to enhance lesson planning.

James Johnson, program head and associate professor of Photography, completed a residency in May and June 2023 at Officina Stamperia del Notaio in Tusa, a municipality in the province of Messina, in the Italian region of Sicily. During the time of the residency, he organized and sequenced his library of images, made new photographs and began a series of photographic collages.

Kelly Kirby, PhD, associate professor of Creative & Critical Studies, published an essay, “Dakar Fashion Week: Dressing to Be Addressed,” in the fall 2023 “Special Edition: Fashion and Politics” issue of Fashion Studies Journal. Kirby also delivered a lecture, “Moving Forward: African Fashion in US and UK Museums” at the University of New Mexico’s International Studies Institute Lecture Series on September 28, 2023. Her short film, Ardmore: Seen and Unseen, co-produced with Carol Merrill-Bright as part of Scribe Video Center’s Precious Places project, was broadcast on WHYY television on November 7, 2023, paired with a community watch party in Ardmore that attracted 50 local community members. She also received a Dean’s Visibility Grant from Moore to do ethnographic research in Dakar, Senegal in December 2023, on the continuing significance of bazin riche, a textile produced in Europe for West African consumption.

John McDaniel, adjunct professor in Foundation, used a recently awarded faculty grant to attend a summer iron-smithing workshop at Penland School of Craft.

Sarina Miller, adjunct professor in Creative & Critical Studies, edited a multi-author volume called Perspective: Selected Essays on Space in Art and Design (Vernon Press, 2023). This volume explores the ways in which visual and physical space have been designed and experienced in different cultures. This book amplifies the significance of space as a design element by examining its implications in various contexts through a global perspective of art and design. 

Maya Pindyck, chair of Creative & Critical Studies, director of writing and assistant professor, published two recent essays: “Script for Curricular Chit-Chat from a Mothered Road: Exploring Janet Miller’s Influence on Practice," in the book Enacting Praxis: How Educators Embody Curriculum Studies, Arts Organizations, and Communities (Teachers College Press, October 2023); and "A Circle: Towards a Nonbinary, Nonconforming Pedagogy," published in Teachers & Writers Magazine, July 2023. She co-presented School Feels, a participatory art installation that gathered sensory memories of schooling, at the Imagining America National Gathering in October 2023, and also co-presented “Poetry in Our Teaching and Lives: An Exploratory Panel–Workshop” at the National Council of Teachers of English Conference in November 2023. She was also a guest poet at the University of Cincinnati (Clermont College) in November 2023.

Perry Santulli, adjunct professor in Animation & Game Arts and Graphic Design, illustrated and framed pieces for the Phillustration 13 exhibition at the Philadelphia Sketch Club, on view from October 9–November 6, 2022, and Moore College of Art & Design’s 2023 Faculty Triennial exhibition, on view from January 21–March 18, 2023. He was also invited to conduct a special topic lecture series on character design at Drexel University; designed and constructed a large-scale custom framing project for the Merion Cricket Club through the Merion Art and Repro Center; and worked on editing and layout design for a comic submission to Silver Sprocket Publishing.

Heather Ujiie, interdisciplinary associate professor, exhibited a solo site-specific installation, Dark Forest, at the Hill-Physick House from November 10–December 3, 2023, with an opening reception on November 10. The installation, which was curated by Heather Moqtaderi of Past Present Projects and made possible by an Edna W. Andrade Grant from The Philadelphia Foundation, was featured in WHYY by Peter Crimmins.

SUSAN MCBRIARTY SWINAND ’65’s exhibition REVELATIONS is on view at the Linden Gallery at Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary in Boylston, MA through March 9, 2024.   

SANDRA NYSTROM ’68 and SUSAN SOMMER ’72 both had work in the annual exhibition Far & Wide: Waiting for the Light at the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum from June 9–July 23, 2023, with an opening event in June 2023.

In July 2023, ROBIN DINTIMAN ’72 had work featured in Sunshowers, the 2023 A.I.R. National Members Exhibition, a group exhibition curated by Mira Dayal that features work by 18 A.I.R. National Artist Members. She also completed a residency at Millay Arts, and a resulting artwork she created during that time has been chosen by Miillay Arts’ executive directors to be permanently installed. Additionally, Dintiman won the 2023 Leonardo da Vinci International Award, an annual international prize that awards outstanding achievements in the study of the sciences, technology, literature and the arts.

SUSAN SOMMER ’72 had a painting featured in the Silvermine Guild Summer Salon at the Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan, CT, which ran from July 22–August 24, 2023, with an opening reception in July 2023.  

JANIE GROSS ’74, WENDY LISS ’84 and TERRI SAULIN ’92 had work in Small Favors, an exhibition at The Clay Studio, which celebrated the organization’s first anniversary in their new location at 1425 North American Street in Philadelphia. The exhibition ran through July 3, 2023. Artists represented in Small Favors ranged from established ceramicists to artists who are newer to the field.

LYDIA CONGIU ’80 won the 2023 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship in the Crafts Fellows category.

VALERIA MARCUS ’81 unveiled her mural honoring artist Jacob Lawrence in October 2023 at Atlantic Cape Community College’s Charles D. Worthington campus. Lawrence was known for his multi-paneled series that tell stories of African and African American history.

SANDRA C. DAVIS ’82 was one of three artists included in The Halide Project’s Spring Invitational Exhibit: Re-Constructing Past, which was on view in their third-floor gallery April 15–May 28, 2023 in Philadelphia.

KATHLEEN SHAVER ’83 had an exhibit of her paintings, Winter Thaw, presented by Art Now Media from February 4–March 4, 2023. Her work was also featured in Midsummer Art Evenings, a painting and sculpture exhibition at MERGE art space and gallery in Stone Ridge, NY. The exhibition was on view in July 2023 and featured an opening reception. 

WENDY LISS ’84 displayed her ceramic works at Parisa Rugs and Décor in Philadelphia in October 2023. Dosage Magazine featured a write-up of the exhibit. She also had work included in Claybash 2023 at the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, NJ through September 2023. Additionally, her sculpture Evolve was recently added to the Sculpture Walk on the Newtown campus of Bucks County Community College.

ANN MARIE PAI ’85 was honored with the 2023 New Jersey Teacher of the Year award at Broad Street School in Bridgeton, NJ for her work as a teacher of computer science and design thinking. Broad Street School was also awarded the New Jersey Governor's Award of Excellence in Arts Education for use of artist residencies in education. Pai was awarded, and successfully implemented, Artist in Education grants at Broad Street School from 2017–2023.

DANA DONATY ’88 had work on view in the group exhibition New Way of Doing Things at the SVA Flatiron Gallery in New York, NY in July 2023. 

DALE NAJARIAN ’88 exhibited at the Affordable Art Fair in New York, NY, held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, in September 2023.

DONNA QUINN ’90 had paintings and panels featured in Let the Record Show, an exhibition at The Yard in Philadelphia that ran from March 25–July 20, 2023. Through unique processes, the show reflected on what we as humans choose to commemorate.

AMY FARIS ’91 launched her latest exhibition Grid Bone, a series in which one object is manipulated in various contexts to evoke different moods and situations. The exhibition had a cocktail reception in November 2023 and is on view at Oyster Point Gallery in Red Bank, NJ through January 2024.  

DEE COLLINS ’93 had work included in Blue, an exhibition organized by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers and presented by The City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. The exhibit ran from May 1–July 15, 2023.

After 20 years in education, first as an art teacher and then as principal and superintendent of schools, CHRISTINA BARBACHANO ’98 stepped into the role of executive director of the Holter Museum of Art in Helena, Montana. The Holter has five separate exhibition spaces, a community creative and meeting space and a large multi-studio/classroom education wing.

KAREN SCHOENITZ ’98 had two paintings in Powell Lane Arts' Second Annual Juried Show in May 2023 in Collingswood, NJ.

MICHELLE WILSON ’00's artist book, Vueles, was purchased for the artist book collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, NY.

DARLA JACKSON ’03 was selected as one of two new members of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC), established in 2003 by Congress to advise the Secretary of the Treasury on the themes and designs of United States coins and medals. Jackson was appointed March 23 by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen as the member specifically qualified in sculpture or medallic arts.

KATHY MUELLER ’03 gave a talk at Moore in August 2023 about the “United States for Abortion” project, which she co-founded with a colleague.

LEILA CARTIER ’04 was appointed as the new executive director of the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, a nonprofit arts organization founded to advance education about the process, product and history of craft. She began her role on July 17, 2023.

AUBRIE COSTELLO ’07 was featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer and on WHYY for her ongoing collaborative work, The Erotic Project, which had a new multimedia exhibition at the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia. The exhibition was open April 14–July 8, 2023.

LAURA PETROVICH-CHENEY MFA ’11 had a solo exhibition, Weathered Shapes, Wooden Quilts at the Boston Children's Museum. The exhibition was an art installation that brought together the traditional crafts of wood sculpture and quiltmaking to show the potential of rebuilding and hope. Petrovich-Cheney repurposed wood collected after natural disasters and assembled the pieces into quilt-inspired sculptures, displaying the very personal impact of natural disasters and the potential for renewal. The exhibition was on view March through September 2023. 

VICTORIA WRIGHT ’12, designer and owner of Victoria Wright, LLC, was featured for her fashion design work in Lemontrend and BUCKSCO Today.

ERIKA LAND ’13 collaborated with the Abington Art Center on Ethnicity Through the Eyes of the Artist, a summer 2023 juried show she proposed and served on as a juror. She also developed art programs for underserved communities, using art as a platform to help those struggling with mental health issues. 

LYDIA KNOPP ’15 participated in a citywide public art project called the Parade of Hearts in Kansas City. In partnership with her employer, Kansas State School for the Blind, she designed, produced and created a tactile and auditory "heart" sculpture called Feel the Love that has fully accessible features for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. 

SHARI TOBIAS ’17 completed two murals in Atlantic City, NJ. The first commemorates the Ocean Casino Resort's fifth birthday celebration, featuring a three-panel underwater ocean theme and located outside the Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall. The second is a four-wall chess mural that illustrates facts about the game using iconic images of Atlantic City and Absecon Island’s history. The mural is located at the center of O’Donnell Memorial Park.

EMMA CORTELLESSA ’20 started a position as a full-time graphic designer at Colliers in Philadelphia, one of the world’s top companies in commercial real estate.

STEPHANIE WEINGER ’20 was selected as a 2023 Science Communication Fellow for the Ocean Exploration Trust and participated in a monthlong expedition in the Pacific Ocean aboard the E/V Nautilus. Of the 16 fellows chosen, Weinger was the only one representing visual art as a form of communication. In September 2023, she started her dream job as a graphic designer for the Philadelphia Zoo.

After starting as an intern in summer 2022, ERICA ADAMEK ’22 was offered a full-time position in December 2022 as an associate character animator at game developer Kingslsle Entertainment. She now works as a 3D character animator for both of their MMO (massively multiplayer online) games, Wizard101 and Pirate101.

TARA DRISSEL MA ’22 received the 2023 Pennsylvania Art Education Association’s (PAEA) Outstanding Art in Special Education Award at the PAEA Conference in Erie, PA on October 7.

ELLEN WEISMAN ’58 of Houston, TX passed away on November 4, 2022. She held a BFA from Moore College of Art & Design and an MA in teaching English as a Second Language from Southern Illinois University. Weisman is remembered for her kind, loving, caring nature. She loved her family and friends deeply and was never happier than when she was sharing an artful experience. She enjoyed integrating her love of art and music into everyday life. Her artistic talents included painting, clay craft, sewing and Japanese calligraphy. She also had a beautiful singing voice. She is preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence Weisman; her parents, Ruben and Anne Singer (née Aptoff); her brother and sister-in-law, Bernard and Marilyn Singer; and her great-grandson, Connor Smith. She is survived by her children, Mike, Jonathan, Tova and Bram; her grandchildren, Samantha Smith (Kevin), Cypriana, Joseph and Rose Weisman; her great-grandchildren, Theresa and Andrew Smith; and many nieces and nephews. 

MARGARET (MARGIE) BUMEN ’66 passed away on August 7, 2023 in York Hospital with her family by her side. She graduated in 1962 from North Hunterdon Regional High School and from Moore College of Art & Design in 1966. She earned a master’s degree from Pratt Institute and started working for Dansk, where she became a vice president, later serving in the same position at Lenox. She finished her career at Cole Haan. During these years, she and her husband Joe started a store fixture business in York, ME, which ultimately became Maine Wood & Design, operating for over 40 years.

SANDI JO GORDON ’66 passed away on May 2, 2023. She was the beloved wife of Dr. Mark Gordon, loving mother of Margery Gordon and Andrea Gordon Cote (Pierre), dear sister of Craig Gorson, cherished daughter of Norman and Peggy Gorson and adored grandmother of Nathaniel Cote. Gordon was a well-known interior designer, professional artist and chairman of the Public Arts Trust.