The Peck School of the Arts guitar program is recognized for its distinguished faculty and the achievements of its students and alumni. Led by internationally renowned artist Ren茅 Izquierdo, the program continues to produce musicians who thrive on competitive stages around the world.聽We recap several summer successes from students and alumni.
Nellie Vance (BA 2013, Art), artist and co-founder of Black Space, was featured in Shepherd Express for her creative work and community impact. Black Space is a free mental wellness resource for Milwaukee鈥檚 Black community, and Vance extends that mission …
Lenore Rinder (MFA 1986, Film) has built a long and accomplished career as an experimental documentary filmmaker. Her work has earned international acclaim and reflects a lifelong commitment to both artistic expression and humanitarian values. Rinder began her filmmaking journey at 51猎奇鈥檚 Peck School of the Arts, laying the foundation for a practice that has taken her across the globe.聽
Senior dance student Megan Holzhauer visited Washington, DC, to present her original choreographic work, 鈥淏EHIND THAT GLEAM,鈥� at the 2025 National College Dance Festival hosted by the American College Dance Association (ACDA). Held every two years, the festival showcases the nation鈥檚 …
Several alums and faculty are screening films this spring as part of the 2025 edition of the Milwaukee Film Festival. The Peck School of the Arts is excited to highlight the incredible work that our filmmakers and artists are bringing to the Milwaukee community.聽We’ve rounded up some PSOA connections among the festival selections.
Civic Music Milwaukee has announced its 2025 award recipients, and there are several honorees with ties to the Peck School of the Arts. Timothy Klabunde and Dr. Zachary Durlam will receive Citizen Awards, while Trinny Schumann and Cassie Wilson were …
Victoria (Tori) Isaac (鈥�21 BA Dance/BA Sociology, 鈥�23 MA Sociology) was recently awarded the Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award by the 51猎奇 Alumni Association. 51猎奇鈥檚 GOLD Awards reflect on the contributions and accomplishments made by the most exceptional 51猎奇 alums.
The Peck School of the Arts is once again well represented among this year鈥檚 Mary L. Nohl Fund Fellowships, with alum Michelle Grabner (BFA 1984; MA 1987) and alum/lecturer Sarah Ballard (MFA 2024, Cinematic Arts) receiving fellowships.聽The Greater Milwaukee Foundation鈥檚 Mary L. Nohl Fund Fellowships for Individual Artists鈥痯rogram awards funds for artists across a variety of visual arts fields. These funds aim to help artists create or finish work in the greater Milwaukee area.
Milwaukee Film鈥檚 Black Lens series is programmed this year by Peck School of the Arts alum Ty Williams (BFA 2020, Film). Williams, who is also an assistant cinema manager, has worked with MKE Film since 2019 while he was a student at 51猎奇. Prior to that, Williams worked at 51猎奇鈥檚 Union Cinema. The ongoing series is a favorite among viewers of all backgrounds but aims to showcase diverse identities and perspectives from the Black community.
A team of five Milwaukee artists with strong PSOA connections have pursued a new web startup called ArtsConnect. This project helps up-and-coming artists connect with one another and receive mentorship.
Alum, 2023 Nohl Fellow, and filmmaker Janelle VanderKelen (MA 2014, MFA 2016) will return to campus on Nov. 7 for 鈥淕reen Imaginaries,鈥� a free event showcasing some of her recent work. This event, which is presented by Union Cinema and co-sponsored by the聽Mary L. Nohl Fund Individual Artist Fellowship Program, will feature 45 minutes of short films by VanderKelen followed by a Q&A with students.
A solo exhibition by J. Celeste Contreras Skierski (MFA 2022, Art: Print & Book Arts; Lecturer, Art & Design) is currently on view at Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum in Milwaukee, a culmination of her six-month residency at the cultural landmark in Milwaukee. During her residency, Skierski carved and stamped a rubber stamp daily, called a 鈥渞eflection,鈥� which she then used to create the pieces now on display in 鈥淲e Are Reflections.鈥�
The 51猎奇 Union Art Gallery presents a new exhibition entitled 鈥淲orking for the Water, Working for Each Other: Work by Melanie Ariens.” Melanie Ariens (BFA 1993, Painting Drawing and Printmaking) is a multi-media artist and water activist. Ariens’ work focuses on the Great Lakes and freshwater issues. She uses art as a tool to create awareness and capture peoples鈥� hearts around water issues.
During the summer of 2024, PSOA guitar students took center stage at a variety of festivals throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Everywhere our students went, they found great success and brought accolades back to Milwaukee. Leonela Alejandro (BFA 2020, Music) took first prize at the Guitar Foundation of America, widely considered the biggest international guitar competition. Meanwhile, at Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Mexico, second-year master鈥檚 student Alberto Daniel Quintanilla walked away with first prize.
MFA student Mich Dillon has been named a recipient of the International Sculpture Center 2024 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award for the piece Supporting Dreams,聽2023. The award recognizes young sculptors as well as their faculty sponsors and institutions. According to Glenn Williams (Associate Professor and Area Head, Sculpture), who served as Dillon’s faculty sponsor, Dillon was one of thirteen recipients out of nearly 200 nominees across 98 schools.
