Lights, camera, action. This may seem like a cliché beginning to an interview with a film major, but it is an apropos description of the in-progress career trajectory that this month’s Hawk to Watch has taken:
Lights: Chloe Burns discovers a career in film is possible.
Why Sydney is a Hawk to Watch:
Why Emily's a Hawk to Watch:
If a picture is worth a thousand words, the person shaping the stories they tell must be worth millions. Emily Lew Fry, University of Kansas School of Fine Arts alum and director of interpretation at the Art Institute of Chicago, does just that.
By Joel Mathis
Our arts graduates pursue their passions with heart and intent. As they created, they developed useful skills and knowledge, and career paths emerged before their eyes. Whether on the stage, behind the camera or creating art and products with their chosen tools, these Jayhawks go out into the world fully prepared to make their mark.
James Gunn thanks KU for lifetime of opportunity with gifts that support legacy of creative output
Four years ago Gabe Alaniz never would have agreed that a liberal arts degree at a large, research university would be the best place to study theatre. Now? This accidental Jayhawk wouldn’t change a thing. First-generation college students face numerous challenges when arriving on a college campus. Alaniz, a senior from Overland Park, faced the usual challenges and more when he decided to go against everyone’s advice and major in the arts – a choice he has never once regretted. Alaniz became a Jayhawk “by accident.” His plan was to attend a conservatory-style school somewhere other than Kansas to study theatre. In crept doubt, and Alaniz applied to KU to study broadcast journalism – which didn’t last long. He spent his first year at KU following his advisors’ guidance and taking classes across many disciplines to find his niche.
Why did you choose your major?
We’ve all had “a-ha” moments. For Margoth Mackey, a junior double majoring in film & media studies and finance, that moment of clarity came amid dwarves clashing swords with orcs and a struggle for power. “I discovered the magic of filmmaking one day when I watched a documentary on how the ‘Lord of the Rings’ was made and I was hooked. I decided from then on I wanted to be a director,” Mackey said. “I loved the idea of telling a story in a way that people could experience, almost like putting my imagination on screen.” Initially, Mackey considered chasing her silver screen dreams at a technical film school in Chicago. As the daughter of two Jayhawk grads however, Mackey decided at the end of her high school career that she wanted to experience all that comes with a KU education and its film & media studies degree.
Wanting to provide film students with the opportunity to collaborate and gain experience on film projects, an ambitious and talented film and media studies student has revived the video production club, Filmworks.
Savannah Rodgers, an Olathe junior, worked on film projects independently before a desire for collaboration sent her seeking information on the defunct club which led her to like-minded students eager for opportunity.
“My freshman year, I wasn’t sure how to find and start making projects with other film students,” Rodgers said.
Two College of Liberal Arts & Sciences professors were honored with teaching awards during the 2015 KU Teaching Summit in August. Associate Professor of Theatre Nicole Hodges Persley received the Byron T. Shutz Award for Excellence in Teaching, and Associate Professor of Communication Studies Jeffrey A. Hall received the Ned N. Fleming Trust Teaching Award. We caught up with both winners to find out a little more about their teaching style and favorite KU memories.
Nicole Hodges Persley, associate professor of theatre
Hometown: Born in Detroit Michigan,
The Department of Visual Art debuted a new, innovative lab that has greatly enriched the studio curriculum this year. The Visual Art Studio Technology (VAST) Lab contains a laser system, 3-D scanner and 3-D desktop printer systems. It is also staffed by VAST Lab coordinator, Garrett Brown. “These technologies have enriched the studio curriculum by providing new methods and materials for creative output,” Brown said. “The lab also has fostered opportunities to explore how these methods can be incorporated into existing handmade studio practices.” Although the laser system has been the major focus in the lab so far, students use it for a variety of applications.