Visual and Performing Arts News

Author: Tanya Maki

Jeff Sherwood, Assistant Professor Visual and Performing Arts, Elected to United States Institute for Theatre Technology Board of Directors

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Congratulations to Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood (Visual and Performing Arts) on being elected and named a Director on the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Board of Directors. USITT is the national professional organization for the theatre design, technical production, and live entertainment industry, whose membership includes thousands of individuals, companies, and institutions.

According to its website, USITT was founded in 1960 as an organization to promote dialogue, research, and learning among practitioners of theatre design and technology. Today it has grown to include members at all levels of their careers and has embraced the new technologies being used in entertainment. USITT is now the leader in life-long learning opportunities for the entertainment design and technology industry. 

As a member of the Board of Directors, Professor Sherwood is charged with the responsibility to advise, govern, oversee policy and direction, and assist with the leadership and general promotion of the Institute so as to support its mission and needs, according to the Institute Bylaws. His three year term will begin July 1, 2025.

This year the USITT 65th Annual Conference and Stage Expo held March 5-8, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio, hosted over 6,300 professionals, students, and educators, and offered more than 400 presentations, demonstrations, and celebrations of work by top artists and experts in the field.

At the Annual Conference, Professor Sherwood served on the USITT National Conference Committee as the Main Stage Sound Coordinator of the 2,000-seat ballroom keynote space which involved planning and supervising the design and installation of the sound system, and mentoring over 50 conference assistants (early career professionals and students from institutions across the country) in sound engineering and operation of the six conference-wide Main Stage events.

Each year, Michigan Tech students are led by VPA faculty to the USITT conference through the study away professional development career course. This year’s trip included 25 students across the Sound Design, Audio Production and Technology, and Theatre and Entertainment Technology degree programs, half of which participated in portfolio presentations and review sessions. The students were led by VPA faculty Kent Cyr, Mary Cyr, Terry Dana Jachimiak II, and Christopher Plummer. Professor Plummer oversees mentorship for the USITT Sound Commission.

For the third year in a row, Michigan Tech students were invited to a special meeting with recruiters and representatives from Disney Live Entertainment who recognize the strength of our program and have been impressed with the work of Michigan Tech Visual and Performing Arts alum who now work at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and other areas of the greater Walt Disney Company.

Congratulations to Professor Sherwood and all of our Visual and Performing arts students, alum, faculty, and staff who continue to build Michigan Technological University’s high reputation. 

Conference Assistants Operating Sound and Video for USITT Main Stage Event
Jeff Sherwood with sound equipment
Jeff Sherwood Mentoring Sound Students at USITT Main Stage Opening Night Event
USITT Incoming Board Members Jeff Sherwood, Jeff Bazemore, Eben Alguire
USITT Incoming Board Members Jeff Sherwood, Jeff Bazemore, Eben Alguire. Also Jonathan Allender-Zivic (not pictured)
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VPA Students win awards at Kennedy Center ACTF Regional Conference

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This January, Michigan Tech Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) students presented their work in the Design, Technology, and Management (DTM) Expo at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region 3 Conference, hosted in Madison, Wisconsin.  

VPA Sound Design and Audio Production & Technology students, along with their faculty mentor Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood, received the Don Childs DTM Cross-Discipline Collaboration Award for demonstrating an exceptional level of collaboration on the recent Michigan Tech Theatre production of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, directed by Assistant Teaching Professor Nich Radcliffe.  These students include Madison Brown, Ronan Higgins, Sam Matlak, Katelyn Roblee, Evan Meyer, and Aidan Sanders, who were members of the sound design and music composition team for the production.  

In addition to presenting in the DTM Expo, VPA students also competed in the Tech Olympics competition.  VPA Theatre and Entertainment Technology student Isaiah Hilkemann received the Fastest Knot Tying Award, and set the new all-time KCACTF Region 3 record at 20 seconds.  

As part of VPA career development and professional presentation travel courses, students have an opportunity to attend and present at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region 3 Conference led by VPA faculty.  As part of the curated study away experience this year, Associate Professor Kent Cyr and Assistant Professor Terry Jachimiak also arranged facility tours, site visits, and industry professional meetups in the area.  

Our VPA students also worked as Conference Student Assistants, and our VPA faculty participated in the planning and execution of the conference.  Associate Professor Kent Cyr, serving as Festival Technical Director for the past seven years, provides support to the invited theatre productions from colleges within the region who attend and perform on the festival stages.  Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood currently serves as Co-Vice Chair of Design, Technology, and Management of KCACTF Region 3 and assists with the preparation and organization of the DTM program areas.  Assistant Professor Terry Jachimiak currently serves as the Region 3 Webmaster.  Professors Cyr, Jachimiak, and Sherwood also presented several workshops at the conference to numerous students from Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio.  

Congratulations to our Huskies and their well-deserved recognition of excellence. 

Katelyn Roblee Presenting
Katelyn Roblee Presenting
Ronan Higgins Presenting
Ronan Higgins Presenting
Tech Olympics - Lighting - Marshall Huberts
Tech Olympics – Lighting – Marshall Huberts
Don Childs DTM Award Winners
Don Childs DTM Award Winners
Tech Olympics - Isaiah Hilkemann
Tech Olympics – Isaiah Hilkemann
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Welcome to Threading Empathy: Where Fashion, Technology, and Culture Collide

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In a world driven by innovation, Threading Empathy emerges as a groundbreaking fashion show and competition. This isn’t just a showcase of style—it’s a bold exploration of how empathy can be woven into the very fabric of our wearable creations.

Imagine smart textiles and 3D-printed couture that embrace inclusivity and sustainability, or wearable tech that connects us to the world in meaningful ways. Threading Empathy is where these possibilities come to life.

“How do you feel about robots and fashion?”
This competition began with a simple question: “How do you feel about robots and fashion?” One afternoon, Jason Archer, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Technologies, sparked an exciting idea—integrating fashion, technology, and empathy as the central theme for our next fashion show. This led to a dynamic collaboration with IPEC and the Colleges of Computing, Humanities, and Visual and Performing Arts, bringing together a diverse community of creative minds.

Experience the Future of Fashion: February 13-15
Threading Empathy will feature a dynamic runway show and gallery exhibition that redefines the boundaries of artistry and technology. February 13-15, audience members will witness the power of creative expression in the digital age as designers, engineers, artists, and innovators unite.

To attend, reserve your tickets at events.mtu.edu/event/mtt-fashionshow

The Competition: Showcase Your Creativity, Innovation, and Empathy
At the heart of Threading Empathy lies an exciting competition. Each creation in the fashion show will be judged for their ingenuity, craftsmanship, and ability to embody the spirit of empathy through the lens of technology and fashion.

Cash prizes:
1st Place: $500
2nd Place: $250
3rd Place: $100

Honorable mentions will be awarded for innovative approaches and exceptional creativity.

Participation and Design Guidelines
Threading Empathy invites participants of all skill levels to bring their unique visions to life. Whether you’re a seasoned designer or a curious novice, this is your chance to explore uncharted territory.

Ways to participate:

Empathy Through Design: Create a garment or accessory that captures the essence of empathy as it relates to human connection, inclusivity, or shared experience.

Innovative Textiles and Technologies: Experiment with smart fabrics, conductive threads, or 3D printing to merge craftsmanship with cutting-edge technologies.

Robotic Fashion: Design garments or accessories for robots, combining futuristic aesthetics with functional innovation.

And here’s the best part: No prior experience in sewing, coding, or designing is required. The only limits are your creativity and imagination.

Complete this form to participate.

Join the Movement
Threading Empathy is more than a fashion show—it’s a conversation about the future of fashion and its power to inspire connection. By participating, you become part of a visionary community redefining style, sustainability, and technology.

Whether you’re showcasing your design on the runway or cheering from the audience, you’re contributing to a collective celebration of empathy, artistry, and limitless possibility.

Mark your calendars and prepare to witness fashion reimagined. Let’s thread empathy into the future—one design at a time.

What: Fashion Show: Threading Empathy
Where: McArdle Theatre
When: February 13-15, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.

Get tickets to attend or sign up to participate by visiting events.mtu.edu/event/mtt-fashionshow

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Congratulations Nate Lyons on Bronze Award in AES Student Recording Competition

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Nate Lyons (VPA Sound Design, ’25) brings home the Bronze Award in the Audio Engineering Society (AES) international Student Recording Competition, Sound for Visual Media category for his sound design audio replacement of the video game Celeste. This is the second year in a row Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) sound design and audio production and technology students have received awards in the prestigious international competition. As an award winner, Nate will receive a prize that includes audio software from Bettermaker, Empirical Labs, and Eventide.

As part of VPA career development and professional presentation travel courses, students have an opportunity to attend and present at the international Audio Engineering Society convention in New York City led by Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood, Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).

This opportunity is well suited for students interested in studio recording and music production, video game design, live sound, theatre, and AV or acoustics consulting. The week-long study away experience includes networking with Grammy-winning and Academy-winning professionals at the convention and a curated experience including private meetups with AV consulting and acoustics firms, facility tours, backstage tours and shadow opportunities, Broadway and other live productions, sightseeing, and Michigan Tech VPA alumni meetups for our students to form industry connections as they launch their careers.

This year VPA students presented in the AES Student Recording Competition, Student Mix Critiques sessions, and participated in career fairs hosted by the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and the co-located National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference.

As part of the curated study away experience, Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood (VPA) also arranged visits of international concert touring production company Clair Global, Broadway audio rental shops PRG and Masque Sound, backstage tours of Jazz at Lincoln Center and Little Island, and talkbacks with sound designers from Stereophonic (Broadway) and Bad Kreyol (Off-Broadway) after seeing both productions as a group.

Congratulations to Nate Lyons and Department of Visual and Performing Arts sound design and audio production and technology students in their presentations at the 2024 AES New York convention.

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VPA Faculty Terri Frew Art Exhibition “Creepshow”

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Assistant Teaching Professor Terri Frew recently installed a solo art exhibition titled “Creepshow” at the Overbrook Gallery on the campus of Muskegon Community College. The exhibition will run from September 16 – October 24, 2024 with an artist lecture on October 17 at 4:00EDT.

Through her art, Frew says she is interested in contributing to the contemporary dialogue concerned with breaking down boundaries between art and craft, while the exhibit aims to “confront and challenge antiquated notions of art media hierarchy.”

The art below are two pieces that are included in the show.

There will be a public reception at the gallery October 17 at 5pm and a free plant foraging and ink making workshop on October 18, 9am-12pm (contact Erin Hoffman hoffmane@muskegoncc.edu to reserve your spot).

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Don Keranen Jazz Awards

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Each year, excellence in Jazz is recognized by way of the Don Keranen Memorial Jazz Scholarship. Two students are chosen by their peers in recognition of improvement, excellence, and leadership. Our award winners this year include one of the drummers from R&D Jazz Band, Eira Techtmann, and The Jazz Lab Band’s lead trumpeter Michael Tarske.

These students all showed leadership, dedication, excellence, and improvement this year. I am grateful for them, and wish them continued success in the coming years. 

Director of Jazz Studies, Adam Meckler

Eira is a drummer, percussionist, and videographer/photographer for Michigan Technological University. They play in a total of 5 bands, including the R and D Jazz Band and Video Game Jazz Ensemble. With drumming influences from Jojo Mayer, Max Roach, and JD Beck, they try to play with a mix of traditional and new jazz whenever they can.

Michael Tarske is a Trumpeter that has been playing Jazz since High School. At Michigan Tech he is an Electrical Engineering Technology major with interest in automation. He started his music journey at Tech by sitting in on an R&D Big Band rehearsal and quickly found interest in the Jazz program. Regardless of where the future takes him, Michael plans to keep Jazz music a prominent part of his life.

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Visual and Performing Arts Student Awards

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The Department of Visual and Performing Arts has announced its student award and scholarship recipients. Each year, a nomination and selection process is conducted by VPA faculty and staff with input from department students to identify outstanding student achievement. Below is a list of recognized students.

Jos Olson smiling

Student of Promise: Jos Olson

Jos just finished his second year at Tech as an Audio Production and Technology Major. He is honored to receive the Student of Promise Award. He can also be found playing drums in the jazz program, and working in the Rozsa Center as the Head of Living Streaming. 

Allison Lewis

Art Award: Allison Lewis

Allison Lewis is a second year Theatre and Entertainment Technology major with a minor in Art. She enjoys creating and sharing her artwork, with her favorite subject being people. She’s worked with paint, sculpture, and traditional drawing but plans to explore many more mediums. During her time at Tech, she has been a Carpenter, Lead Painter, and is a soon-to-be TA for Scenic Art and Illustration. Allison plans to one day become a scenic artist and muralist. In her spare time she enjoys listening to music, hiking, and kayaking.”

Elijah Sierra

Music Award: Eli Sierra

Eli is a Senior at Michigan Tech majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Aerospace Engineering. He loves music and has been a percussionist for almost a decade. 

He works in the Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab (PSTDL) completing research for NASA’s Artemis program. And in the summer of 2024 he will be a mechanical engineer intern on the Starlink program at SpaceX. 

Eli also enjoys the outdoors and partakes in sports such as: running, mountain biking and hiking. 

Cora Moyers

Sound Award: Cora Moyers

Cora is a 5th year and graduating Sound Design student. Cora has spent her time at tech growing the SoundGirls MTU Chapter, and has served multiple e-board positions, but currently serves as President. Cora has worked on multiple productions while at tech including The Haunted Smelter, A Christmas Carol and The One Act Festival. She is very honored to have received the VPA Sound Award. 

Theatre Award: Audrey Schulte

Audrey is completing her fifth and final year this spring as a Theatre and Entertainment Tech major here at MTU. Throughout her time spent here, she has gained incredible experiences and friendships within this department that have set her up for great success after graduation. She is extremely excited to take a step forward into the next chapter and owes a lot of gratitude to her classmates, professors, and colleagues for the work on all the shows and displays she has been a part of. Audrey has excitedly accepted an intern position at Walt Disney World this summer and can’t wait to put all the skills she has gained from MTU to work!

All Arts Award: Aidan Conrade

Aidan Conrade is a fourth year Sound Design student with a minor in Music Composition. They enjoy putting their knowledge of sound design together with their music to create unique and creative pieces for all types of projects. On top of this, they also play bass guitar and upright bass in a variety of groups at Michigan Tech, including the Playtesters, MTU’s video game jazz ensemble, which is a student-lead group that specializes in arranging their favorite video game tunes into various styles of jazz and adjacent genres to grow as musicians! When they are not working on a project or writing/listening to music, they are exploring the outdoors or discovering the latest indie games. Their goal after university is to join the video game and/or film industries as a sound designer and composer, where they will work to curate immersive and expressive experiences for others to enjoy!

Irish Award for Environmental Art: Connor Ford

Connor Ford is a College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) student graduating with his bachelor’s in Applied Ecology this Spring. After years of traditional STEM coursework, he had an opportunity to enroll in “Art and Nature”, a contemplative photography course taught by Professor Anne Beffel in the Visual and Performing Arts Department. Upon taking the class, he soon realized the benefits of learning skills about mindfulness and its interplay with visual analysis.

Working to apply this knowledge, Connor created two works of art that guide viewers along an immersive photographic journey across the Keweenaw Peninsula. His photos are accompanied by audio tracks rich with environmental insight, adorned by poetic titles, and analyses of the work using the language of visual principles and elements (gestalt principles of visual interaction and Getty elements of art).

In addition to communicating the science behind the beauty in nature spaces, Superior Influence is Connor’s attempt to better grasp how gestalt principles can inform our perception of ecosystem function and reveal aspects of personal emotion in relation to the land. With assistance from the University, his project was temporarily installed in Wadsworth Hall during the Spring student art show, but it can also be accessed online through a website he created for the general public. Looking ahead, he’s excited for new opportunities in ecological research and watershed management, and can’t wait to further explore and incorporate these art practices into his work. In the meantime, you might find him wading in a stream, rock hounding, staring at a bug, or simply enjoying a quiet moment at the beach.

Milt Olsson Music Award: Benji Doerr

Benji is a Biochemistry student at Michigan Tech. He loves making music and has been playing violin and singing in choirs since he was young. In the summers he is a summer camp photographer, and he loves spending time outdoors with the kids. He’s the third in a family of 8 kids who all also love music.

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Tomorrow: KSO, Michigan Tech Choirs Closing Rozsa Season with ‘Mosaic for Earth’

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by Michigan Tech Music | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts

The Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra and Michigan Tech Choirs, conducted by Jared Anderson (Visual and Performing Arts), will close the 2023/2024 Rozsa Season tomorrow (April 20) at 7:30 p.m. with the spectacular Great Lakes premiere — and second performance ever — of Dwight Bigler’s “Mosaic for Earth.”

Over 150 local musicians will gather on the Rozsa stage for this awe-inspiring performance by the KSO and Michigan Tech Choirs. The concert will also feature the Houghton Area Children’s Chorus, prepared by Hillary Arundel, and guest soloists Soren Schmidt, Lara Neves, Kathryn Summersett and Drake Dantzler.

Throughout the 100-minute concert, audiences can expect to be swept away by breathtaking visual scenes designed to accompany the music. Together, they showcase the beauty of our planet and our responsibility to protect it.

Concert Details:

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Jeff Sherwood’s Professional Theatrical Sound Design of Million Dollar Quartet

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Congratulations to Jeff Sherwood, Assistant Professor of Sound, on his professional theatrical sound design for the ACT of Connecticut production of Million Dollar Quartet in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The musical was directed by Broadway actor and director Hunter Foster, who was an original cast member of the Broadway production.

The production opened on Saturday, February 24, 2024 and from the overwhelming response of the preview audiences, the show run was extended an extra week, now through March 23. The musical revolves around the historical twist of fate on December 4, 1956 that brought together Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley.

This creative activity and research in theatrical sound design continues to elevate the reputation of Michigan Tech to audiences around the country as well as potential future employers of Michigan Tech students and alumni.

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