Renee Pepmiller–Art History Alum Update

Dr. Sara Orel (Art History) put out a call on Facebook recently for information on what Art History alumni were up to. We were overwhelmed not only by the wonderful response but also all the great things that our alums are doing. So, this summer the blog will feature updates on all that great stuff!  The most recent post appears below:

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Renee writes:

"I've been in the states for a little over a year now, but prior to that I lived and worked in Dhaka, Bangladesh for a year. I worked with two tourism companies there- mostly writing and editing work- and got to take a couple field trips out to explore museums, Vihara, and some amazing traditional homes left abandoned at partition. I co-authored a short book while there on the history of  Bangladesh.

Since being back in the states I've continued writing and currently have a weekly column at the Equals Record (http://equals.youplusme.com/) and an essay on travel (including some memories from my first international trip- Cairo!!) in their upcoming publication."

Congratulations, Renee!

If you are an alum of the Art Department and have news to share, please let us know!  art@truman.edu

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Ruby Jenkins–Art History Alum Update

Dr. Sara Orel (Art History) put out a call on Facebook recently for information on what Art History alumni were up to. We were overwhelmed not only by the wonderful response but also all the great things that our alums are doing. So, this summer the blog will feature updates on all that great stuff!  The most recent post appears below:

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Ruby writes:

"Travel has been the theme of my life since graduation. I'm currently teaching English in South Korea. I've been here about three months, I work with 5-11 year old kids. It's great here! Delicious food, so many beautiful temples, and everything here is ridiculously cute. Before that I was living in  Philadelphia working as a barista, before that I was a traveling sales person for the summer camp Travel for Teens…Korea is great!"

Congratulatuions, Ruby!

If you are an alum of the Art Department and have news to share, please let us know!  art@truman.edu

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Marjorie (Iwai) Maas–Art History Alum Update

Dr. Sara Orel (Art History) put out a call on Facebook recently for information on what Art History alumni were up to. We were overwhelmed not only by the wonderful response but also all the great things that our alums are doing. So, this summer the blog will feature updates on all that great stuff!  The most recent post appears below:

Marjorie writes:

"For the first 10 years after graduation, I was on a consistent arts administration path, mostly in the vein of marketing and communications. My last arts admin position was as director of Nebraskans for the Arts, the statewide organization focused on arts funding and arts education public policy. A wonderful position in many regards, but I felt a pull to see if my talents and experience could be applied outside of the arts sector.

Just in the last two months I have begun the work of development officer, a fundraising position, with College Possible, a national college access and success nonprofit organization with a newer operations in Omaha. I'm loving it. My decision to pursue higher education, and my decision to attend Truman State was a huge victory and formative season in my life. Also, my father's generation greatly changed our family's trajectory when they attended college – the first generation to do so. The work College Possible does to connect kids to college opportunities and graduation on their own merit highly motivates me.

I am seeking board level involvement with an art nonprofit, and I am excited to be on the patron and enthusiast side of the sector for the current time. My husband and I also have two young children, ages 2 and 7, that keep us extremely busy – we highly enjoy exposing them to visual and performing arts experiences and instruction."

Congratulations, Marjorie!

If you are an alum of the Art Department and have news to share, we'd love to hear from you!  art@truman.edu.

Valerie Lazalier, Mary Sauerwein, and Ashley Tomten–Art History Alum Updates

Dr. Sara Orel (Art History) put out a call on Facebook recently for information on what Art History alumni were up to. We were overwhelmed not only by the wonderful response but also all the great things that our alums are doing. So, this summer the blog will feature updates on all that great stuff!  The most recent post appears below:

Valerie writes:

"I'm about to start my final year in my Art History and Library Science masters programs at Indiana University. I work at the IU Art Museum as a grad assistant in the Works on Paper department and as a registrar's assistant. I also work for the IU library and residence hall library systems. This summer I'm  taking French and printmaking!"

Mary writes:

"I will be attending Bard Graduate Center this coming fall to start the pursuit of my MA in the decorative arts, design history, and material culture. I move into my apartment in Manhattan the  second week of August!"

and Ashley writes:

"I kinda changed paths after Truman and opened a spa here in Kirksville where I teach bellydance and do massage therapy [Rejuvenate Massage Therapy and Raqs Fusion Bellydance]… I'm doing well."

Congratulations, one and all!

If you are an alum of the Art Department and have news to share, please let us know!  art@truman.edu

Kat Eusey–Art History Alum Update

Dr. Sara Orel (Art History) put out a call on Facebook recently for information on what Art History alumni were up to. We were overwhelmed not only by the wonderful response but also all the great things that our alums are doing. So, this summer the blog will feature updates on all that great stuff!  The most recent post appears below:

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Kat writes:

"My life has recently taken a turn back towards art history. In 2011, I enrolled in the Masters in Middle Eastern Studies program at Tel Aviv University, which has a very strong political science  and contemporary history emphasis. My intention in joinging the program was to become involved in NGO or IGO work in Israel. However, after a few months back in an academic setting, I realized two things: first, that I would like to remain in academia, rather than entering government work; and second, that my passion still lies with Islamic architecture in Southeast Asia. 

This month I was approved to begin writing my thesis for the program. For my project, I have chosen to compare the architecture of two mosques, with a special emphasis on Islamic concepts of sacred space and how the built environment is imbued with an Islamic meaning. The mosques I have selected are the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the Masjid Agung of Demak. I am beginning to learn Indonesian and hope to start studying Dutch in the near future, with the goal of entering a Ph.D. program in Architectural History or Southeast Asian Studies, where I will be able to continue research on the mosques of Indonesia."

Congratulatiuons, Kat!

If you are an alum of the Art Department and have news to share with us, please let us know!  art@truman.edu

Bryna Campbell–Art History Alum Update

Dr. Sara Orel (Art History) put out a call on Facebook recently for information on what Art History alumni were up to. We were overwhelmed not only by the wonderful response but also all the great things that our alums are doing. So, this summer the blog will feature updates on all that great stuff!  The most recent post appears below:

Bryna Campbell writes:

"I am currently finishing my PhD from Washington University in St. Louis. This past year I was awarded a Dissertation Fellowship from Washington University and a Robert Lehman Foundation Dissertation Fellowship from the Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies in Stockbridge, MA. Both have helped to support my writing and research on my dissertation, “The Comic Grotesque: Satirizing the Body Politic in American Graphic Satire, 1925-1945.”

Last year, I was also our Department's representative at the Art Institute of Chicago’s annual Graduate Student Seminar, delivering a paper entitled “Sending Up Subjectivity: Elaine de Kooning’s Male  Portrait Series, 1949-1963.” I also recently completed the article, “Radical Regionalism in American Art: The Case of Joe Jones,” which will be published in the forthcoming anthology, Regionalists
on the Left
, sometime this year.

In the fall of 2012, I moved to Portland, OR, with my husband Mike Murawski (also an Art History alum), where I am finishing my dissertation. I plan to defend my degree in November 2013, and will be working as a lecturer at Portland State University next year. When not working on the dissertation, I enjoy day trips and hiking in the mountains with Mike and our son Holden."

Congratulations, Bryna!

If you are an alum of the Art Department and have news to share, we'd love to hear from you!  Please contact us at art@truman.edu.

Lori Nix–Art History Alum Update

Dr. Sara Orel (Art History) put out a call on Facebook recently for information on what Art History alumni were up to. We were overwhelmed not only by the wonderful response but also all the great things that our alums are doing. So, this summer the blog will feature updates on all that great stuff!  The most recent post appears below:

Lori Nix writes:

"The summer is going to keep me extremely busy in the studio. I'm working towards my next solo show in New York City this November at ClampArt Gallery. I have a book coming out that will coincide with the show. Published by Decode Books, "The City" will be released this August. In March of 2014, I will have a show at Galerie Kluser in Munich, Germany. 

I will be showing a different body of work, "Unnatural History" this fall at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. 

This summer I will also begin working on a stop motion animation. My partner Kathleen Gerber and I have been tapped to create the sets and props for this short feature. This will be our third project  with the director Vincent Peone."

Congratulations, Lori!

If you are an alum of the Art Department and have news to share, please contact us at art@truman.edu