What is Valerie Lazalier (BA 2011, Art History) up to these days?

Valerie Lazalier at workValerie Lazalier (pictured above, right) started a new job in January.  She writes us:

“I started work at Lawrence University as the Gallery and Collection Assistant in the Wriston Art Center Galleries. In this role I oversee the care of the university’s art collection which involves accessioning new donations, performing inventories, preparing works for storage, arranging art viewings, and overseeing interns. The galleries change exhibitions five times a year, so I also get to help with installing and deinstalling shows, which I really enjoy. I am also responsible for digitizing more of our collection and getting it posted to ARTstor. Lawrence is a liberal arts university, just like Truman, so I’m feeling very at home here!”

Thank you for the update, Valerie!

If you are an alum and have news to share, please write to us at art@truman.edu  We’d love to hear from you.

Truman Newspaper features two ART professors

The Index, Truman’s student newspaper, featured articles on two Art Department professors in their March 24th edition.  Jim Jereb was featured in a tribute article about his retirement. Jim, who has taught at Truman for  26 years, will be moving to Big Horn, Wyoming, to take up a curatorial position at the Brinton Museum there.  He will also head the printmaking section of the museum’s new education center.

The second article featured Priya Kambli, our professor of photography, who presented her work at the St. Louis Art Museum.  The symposium, “If it Wasn’t for the Women: Women of Color Behind and Through the Lens,” was a Women’s History Month event.  “If It Wasn’t for the Women” is a free annual program that brings special attention to women of color and their experiences in the arts.  This year the focus was on photography.

Mami 2015: A recent work by Professor Priya Kambli.

Mami 2015: A recent work by Professor Priya Kambli.

Suzy Williams, BFA ’08: Designer and Successful Quilter

Suzy Williams earned her BFA in VisCom in 2008, and has found success by combining both areas.  We just heard from her about what she has been doing.  Suzy writes:

What has been exciting in my transition from full-time graphic design to textile design is seeing the two art forms connect so well. The Fibers Department was the original reason I chose Truman, but the convergence of design and technology I found in the VisCom department is what grabbed my attention in the end.
I now use the skills I learned in VisCom as a base for designing all of my quilts and patterns. I use Illustrator to layout my designs, choose colors and quickly and efficiently determine the math behind the sewing. InDesign is the program I use to layout the PDF patterns I sell.
Drip-Quilt
I believe these foundational graphic design skills give me an added edge over other quilters and textile designers who do not have the tech background.
To give you an example of what I mean, here are both a digital sketch and a quilt of my design “Triangle Jitters.” This pattern is currently being sold in my online shop.
Triangle Jitters, by Suzy Williams: Digital Pattern (left) and Final Quilt (right).

Triangle Jitters, by Suzy Williams: Digital Pattern (left) and Final Quilt (right).

Three of my quilts were featured in QuiltCon 2016 this past February; they include Mod Mountains, Drip and Modern Fans . Mod Mountains (below) received a third place award for handwork.”
Mod-Mountains

Mode Mountains, by Suzy Williams (BFA 2008).

Congratulations, Suzy! It is always great to hear about the successes of our students.

If you are an alum and have news to share, please write to us at art@truman.edu  We’d love to hear from you.