The Department of Visual and Performing Arts is pleased to present the results of the 2014 faculty-voted awards for students:
Art – Diana McNease
Music – Kevin Rocheleau
Sound – Tom Conran
Theatre – Paige Borel
All Arts – Kevin Gray
Women of Promise – Jamie Aneshansel and Renata Putzig
A delicate balance
Pulitzer Prize winner visits Tech
Scientists, researchers and artists work daily at Michigan Technological University but do not often come together. In an effort to bridge the gap between two disciplines, faculty and staff gathered for a panel discussion Tuesday featuring composer John Luther Adams, who was awarded the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for music Monday.
“In a lot of his writing he talks about what art and science have to say to one another and I thought, since we are a school that has both, it would be an interesting topic for conversation,” said Libby Meyer, instructor of visual and performing arts at Tech.
That dialogue was facilitated by a panel including representatives from science and humanities disciplines, with John Vucetich, associate professor in the school of forest resources and environmental science; Amy Schrank, research assistant professor in the school of forest resources and environmental sciences; Chris Plummer, associate professor in visual and performing arts; M. Bartley Seigel, associate professor of creative writing and diverse literatures; and Evan McDonald, executive director of the Keweenaw Land Trust.
Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Meagan Stilp.
In the News
National Public Radio (NPR), Associated Press and Canadian Press wire services and other national and international media outlets reported that Alaska composer John Luther Adams was an artist in residency at Michigan Tech when he was notified that he had won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in Music.
Alaskan Composer Wins Pulitzer For ‘Become Ocean’
By telephone Monday afternoon, I located John Luther Adams, 61, in Houghton, Mich. (in the state’s Upper Peninsula), where he is in residence at Michigan Tech. He said he was napping between classes when he got “a most welcome wakeup call” informing him he’d won the award.
Read more at Deceptive Cadence from NPR Classical, by Tom Huizenga.
Details on the 2014 Pulitzer Prize winners in journalism and arts, and reaction
MUSIC: John Luther Adams’ “Become Ocean” (Taiga Press/Theodore Front Musical Literature)
John Luther Adams knew he’d been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his composition “Become Ocean,” but he had no expectations of winning. He was so busy with classes as part of a residency at Michigan Tech University that he even forgot the day they’d be handed out.
“I was actually taking a quick power nap between classes and got a phone call. It was a quite a wake-up call,” Adams said with a chuckle. “It was pretty great.”
Though based temporarily in Michigan, Adams’ thoughts are never far from Alaska.
The Golden Age of Concerts
Another bonus of living here is all the talent that comes through town: famous lecturers, comedians, acting troupes, and especially musicians have graced the stages at Tech. Through extensive research in the Keweenawan and elsewhere, I’ve discovered a golden age of rock, folk, and jazz concerts at Tech.
Read more at TechAlum Newsletter, by Dennis Walikainen (Dennis ’92 ’09).
More on Homecoming ’83 and More
Thanks for the article on artist, Tony Orrico’s visit to Michigan Tech and Finlandia. I went to high school with the two professors (Anne Beffel, MTU and Carrie Flaspohler, Finlandia) who collaborated on this project.
Read more at TechAlum Newsletter, by Lynda (Gertz) Kuisell ’85.
TechAlum Newsletter wonders if you recognize any faces in the 2006 photo of the Troupe, posted in “Fill in the Blanks” in the March 25, 2014, issue.
Email Dennis Walikainen with your Troupe experiences.
PJ Olsson to hold Rock Camp fundraiser concert
Alan Parsons will also be participating
Houghton native PJ Olsson will be performing at 7:30 p.m. on March 8 at the Rozsa Center. His performance is not for any personal gain, but to help fund Rock Camp, an event that helps foster musical talent in the area that Olsson and co-founder and partner Todd Brassard have put on since 2009.
Aside from inspiring people with music, Olsson said that Rock Camp is so important to him because growing up in this area there was a lack of opportunity for him growing creatively.
“Creative opportunity wasn’t there,” Olsson said.
But Olsson credits his father, Dr. Milton Olsson, with helping to bring culture to the area with the Rozsa Center and he credits teachers with helping to instill it within himself.
Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Scott Viau.
Saturday, March 8, 2014 | ROZSA CENTER | 7:30 PM | BENEFIT FOR THE 2014 “PJ OLSSON’S ROCK CAMP” WITH TICKETS BY DONATION, “PAY WHAT IT’S WORTH TO YOU!”
Olsson, Parsons talk Rock Camp concert
Olsson spoke about the concert Friday along with rock legend Alan Parsons, in whose band, Alan Parsons Live Project, Olsson has been lead singer for the past decade. Each camp costs $35,000, Olsson said, including paying for children who can’t afford to participate.
Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Garrett Neese.
The William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning seeks input for its annual Distinguished Teaching Awards, which recognize outstanding contribution to the instructional mission of the University.
In the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Jared Anderson has been nominated within the Assistant Professor category.
Comments on the nominees are due by Friday, April 4, and should be sent to the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning.
Read more at Tech Today.
TechAlum Newsletter – From the Email Bag- links to a Facebook video of the 1981 NCAA consolation game, Tech vs. Northern. Watch vintage Pep Band pride, courtesy of TV6 & FOX UP.
Read more at TechAlum Newsletter, by Dennis Walikainen.
Hancock celebrates Heikinpäivä 2014 despite frigid weather
Undaunted by the sub-zero temperatures last Saturday, Jan. 25, Hancock celebrated its mid-winter festival, Heikinpäivä 2014, a celebration of Finnish American cultural heritage.
Image taken from video clip captioned:
“More characters from the Kalevala, Finnish Theme Committee members, Finlandia University students, members of the Keweenaw Nordic Ski Club, the Brrr Maids and the Michigan Tech Pep Band parade down Quincy Street in Hancock during Heikinpäivä 2014.”
Read more at Keweenaw Now, by Michele Bourdieu.
Heikinpaiva to Feature Several Michigan Tech Faculty
Join several faculty members, including Pasi Lautala and Libby Meyer, at Heikinpaiva 2014 Saturday in Hancock. There will be music, dance, food, games, a parade, and the ever-popular Polar Bear Dive. Be sure to remind students that the Polar Bear Dive is back after a one-year hiatus, and they’re all welcome to show their UP mettle!
From Tech Today.
Saturday, January 25
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. — Tori Market, Finnish American Heritage Center & First United Methodist Church.
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Family Fun Day — Vipukelkka (Whipsled), kicksleds, World’s Largest Kicksled, Finlandia’s Quincy Green.
11 a.m. – Parade, downtown Hancock. Line up at BRIDGE School at 10:30 a.m. Prizes.
Immediately following parade — Wife-carrying contest and kicksled races, Finlandia’sQuincy Green.
1 p.m— Finnish card making class, Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock.
3 p.m. — Polar Bear Dive, Hancock waterfront.
Note: Official site TBD
6 p.m. — Seisovapöytä (Finnish buffet), Zion Lutheran Church, Hancock. Tickets $18.
Silent auction during the banquet.
8 p.m. — Heikinpäivä dance, Finnish American Heritage Center
From the Heikinpäivä 2014 schedule page.
Jackson Blended Learning Winners
In early November, the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning invited faculty to submit proposals to support blended learning course innovations. Proposals were accepted at three levels ($1,000, $5,000 and $10,000), and a total of $50,000 was originally planned to be awarded during this cycle.
In the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Jared Anderson was awarded $10,000 for “Video Arts in Blended Learning (VIABLE).”
Read more at Tech Today.