51ÁÔĆć alum and acclaimed filmmaker Chris Smith (MFA 1999, Performing Arts – Film) won his second and third Emmy for his work as an executive producer on the documentary series 100 Foot Wave. Smith won his previous Emmy in 2024 for his cinematography work for the same project.
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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 René Izquierdo, the program continues to produce musicians who thrive on competitive stages around the world.
Annika Nelson, a senior and student leader for the Classical Guitar Organization at 51ÁÔĆć, spent her summer training and performing at major festivals. She received a full scholarship to study with the Volterra Guitar Project in Tuscany, Italy, and attended the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina on scholarship.
“During the school year I applied to a couple of different programs for over the summer, and I ended up receiving a full scholarship to go to a festival in Italy called the Volterra Guitar Program,” said Nelson. “Before that I went to the Brevard Music Center for a music camp for orchestra students. There’s an in-depth guitar program with a professor from Austin and I got a partial scholarship to attend for two weeks.”
In addition to her studies, Nelson competed at the Chicago Guitar Festival, placing third in the collegiate division. She also found time to teach guitar, ukulele, and piano in her hometown of Plymouth, Wisconsin.
“I placed third in the collegiate competition and one of our graduate students received second place in the open division,” said Nelson. “An upcoming TA and graduate student had won in his division last year, so he played a full concert. There was a lot of 51ÁÔĆć representation this year.”
The graduate student Nelson referenced is Kyle Khembunjong, who placed second in the open division of the Chicago Guitar Festival and returned to Domaine Forget de Charlevoix’s International Guitar Festival for his winner’s performance.
Recent Master of Music graduate Aidan Wiley Lippke also competed at Domaine Forget, earning second prize in this highly selective international competition.Â
Another standout this summer was Alberto Daniel Quintanilla, a recent Master of Music graduate and current Performance Certificate student. Quintanilla captured First Prize at the Festival Internacional de Guitarra “Villa de Petrer” in Spain, one of the most prestigious international competitions in classical guitar. His achievement places him among the top emerging artists on the global stage.
Alumna Leonela Alejandro ( 2020), who recently completed her master’s degree at Columbus State University, continues to remain closely connected to 51ÁÔĆć’s guitar program. This summer she opened the Guitar Foundation of America’s 2025 convention in Louisville, adjudicated the youth competition, and taught a technique workshop.Â
“I got to open the concert this year which was nerve wracking and exciting,” said Alejandro. “I got to play a recital in front of all my guitar heroes and the festival attendees. This was a big part of what I did this summer and a big part of my guitar career.”
Alejandro was also honored as a rising star at the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City, where she performed in celebration of her heritage.
“They have a list for honorees who are Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent every year and this year I was one of the honorees,” Alejandro said. “I was one of the rising stars which was a really cool experience.”
From Spain to Italy, Canada to New York, 51ÁÔĆć guitarists are carrying their artistry onto the global stage, continuing the tradition of excellence and serving as shining examples of the quality of instruction that defines the Peck School of the Arts guitar program.
Payton Murphy ’27 (BFA Film)
Work by J. Celeste Contreras Skierski (MFA 2022, Art: Print & Book Arts; Lecturer, Art & Design) will be on view at the United Community Center in a solo exhibition for Hispanic Heritage Month. Contreras Skierski’s work centers on her Hispanic and Native identity, focusing heavily on the influence her teachers and mentors had on her practice. Â
In a segment by Meryl Hubbard for NBC TMJ4, Contreras Skierski elaborates on how her teachers have influenced her path into artistry and educating. Her exhibition is dedicated to capturing the connection between students and teachers.
“Mrs. Dreamer, my middle school art teacher. She saw me making work, and she saw that art, you know, was something that I was using as a coping mechanism and an outlet for my voice,” said Contreras Skierski.
To watch the segment, visit .
Ashley Oviedo (BFA 2020, Theatre) is featured in a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of Sanctuary City, a production by Next Act Theatre. In her debut at Next Act, Oviedo plays G, an undocumented immigrant teen. The article highlights how the play mirrors real immigration struggles in the present moment.
She praised her training and personal attention she received at 51ÁÔĆć as giving her a voice for meaningful stories: “What draws me to a play like Sanctuary City is essentially the same thing that draws me to music and dance! I love telling stories, and from the time I was eight years old, it’s what I have always loved to do.”
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Kyle Khembunjong, a recent graduate of 51ÁÔĆć’s classical guitar studio, received second prize and the audience prize at the Josefina P. Tuason International Guitar Competition in Denver over the weekend. The competition draws talented musicians from around the world.
Jonathan Laabs (MM 2017, Music) was announced as the new director for the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jonathan Laabs as Director of the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus,” said Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra’s music director Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi. “Jonathan brings a wealth of experience as a conductor, and his passion for choral music aligns perfectly with our mission to connect and inspire through song. His leadership and vision will undoubtedly elevate our chorus and enrich the musical experience for both singers and our community.”
Marc Sijan (BFA 1971, Art-Sculpture) is regarded as one of the best hyper-realistic sculptors in the world, localizing his practice in Milwaukee’s Bay View area. Sijan has been working for decades to create sculptures, taking inspiration from real people and situations.Â
In an article written by James Groh for NBC TMJ4, Sijan talks about his artistic path and his lifetime of work.
“What motivates me? To outdo myself,” said Sijan. “To outdo something I’ve done before, all of them I’ve done before. To make the next one unique and have its own message.”
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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’s Black community, and Vance extends that mission through her art.
Specializing in portraiture, including well-known pet portraits, she also draws inspiration from nature, influenced by her upbringing in Green Bay and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. “Through both my art and nonprofit work, I want people to feel seen, heard, and included,” Vance shared in the article by Ben Slowey.
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Peck School of the Arts theatre faculty member Alvaro Saar Rios (Associate Professor, Theatre) has been awarded the 2025 Cunningham Commission for Youth Theatre by The Theatre School at DePaul University.
Rios, a Texican playwright based in Chicago, has had his work produced in Chicago, New York City, Mexico City, Hawaii, and throughout Texas. His plays include Luchadora! and Quetzali & Comic Book Queen vs. The Alebrije of Darkness. He also recently adapted Pam Muñoz Ryan’s novel Esperanza Rising for Milwaukee’s First Stage.
Through the Cunningham Commission, Rios will write a new play titled How to Catch an Alebrije. The story follows a group of eighth-grade friends searching for a mythical creature they believe can grant them one wish. Rios will develop the piece over the next year in collaboration with the Cunningham Commission Selection Committee and faculty at The Theatre School.
Dr. Ali-Reza Mirsajadi, chair of the Cunningham Commission Selection Committee and artistic director of Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences, praised the project.
“How to Catch an Alebrije captures the excitement and whimsy of childhood imagination at the intersection of Mexican culture and folk art,” Mirsajadi said. “Rios’s piece questions humanity’s relationship to power and control in a world where we coexist in balance with nature, creatures, and dreams.”
Rios reflected on the honor, noting his past experiences working with DePaul’s Chicago Playworks.
“Each experience left a strong impression on me, thanks to the talented performers, designers, and directors,” he said. “This play aims to incorporate puppetry, and I have no doubt that everyone involved will showcase the same creativity they brought to my previous works.”
At UW-Milwaukee, Rios serves as Associate Professor of Theatre and head of the Theatre Practices BA program, through which he mentors aspiring theatremakers who hope to contribute to and change theatre. He is also the creator of New Dramaworks, a Peck School of the Arts series introducing undergraduates to the craft of new play development.
Chris Smith (MFA 1999, Film) directed a Netflix documentary on the new wave/post-punk band Devo. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024, Netflix picked up the project and released it to streaming services on August 19.
The On Milwaukee article written by Molly Snyder sheds light on some thoughts and opinions about the film. The review of the project features opinions on the origins and story of the band as a fixture of the genre.Â
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Dawn Springer (Teaching Faculty I) of Dawn Springer Dance Company takes her new contemporary ballet “Sylph” to the Ferro Pavilion at the George Williams College of Aurora University in Geneva Lake, WI. Â
Springer sat for an interview with Fox 6’s Bria Jones to speak further on the development of her project. For Springer, a central part of this piece was the shared experience ballerinas have with gender expectations.
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Art MFA candidate Jack Lehtinen is the artist behind In the Lab: Poking Fun, a solo exhibition that recently closed its successful run at the Krasl Art Center in Michigan. The interactive installation explored how artificial intelligence has shifted physical and social interaction in a screen-mediated world.
Lehtinen, who earned his BA from the Peck School of the Arts and is now in the early stages of his MFA, drew inspiration from automatic drawing techniques pioneered by surrealists in the 1930s. He prompted a computer to generate random lines, which were then executed by a wall-mounted plotter, which he called his own personal drawing robot.
Lehtinen completed the pieces by hand using crayons and other classroom materials to highlight human touch in contrast to the machine’s gestures. His work intentionally exacerbates the distortion commonly associated with AI-generated images.
“I really want people to be critical about AI,” Lehtinen said. “I want to highlight the mistakes and to make people aware about what is or isn’t AI.”
Lehtinen’s show opened the same weekend as a concurrent exhibition by his mentor, Dr. Nathaniel Stern (Professor and Co-Chair, Art & Design). Their shared opening drew a crowd of more than 200, including a group from 51ÁÔĆć. Â
The two artists have been closely connected since Lehtinen’s undergraduate days, when he worked as a research assistant for Stern and helped install an earlier solo show of Stern’s at Krasl.
“I get a lot of inspiration from looking at his [Dr. Stern’s] work,” Lehtinen said. “I think he was incredibly influential in helping me get connected in the art world, which helped me land this solo exhibition.”
Although it’s rare for a graduate student this early in their program to land a solo show at a respected venue, Lehtinen viewed the opportunity as the result of years of dedication. He made the leap into art during uncertain times and hasn’t looked back.
“I switched my major to art in 2020 during the pandemic. That’s when I really started dedicating myself to my practice,” he said. “Just the fact that 5 years later I have a solo show is crazy.”
He credits graduate school for providing the space to not only explore his creative practice but also explore new perspectives about social topics.
“Graduate school has been the most influential thing in my practice,” Lehtinen said. “Just being given the opportunity to dedicate the past few years to my practice and spend time with my work is the biggest thing. Being given the praise and advice of my professors and time to develop my work has changed me greatly.”
Payton Murphy ’27 (BFA, Film)
Soyeong Emma Chang (BFA 2021, Film) was featured in Shoutout LA for her growing career as a filmmaker. Chang shared how her undergraduate studies at UW-Milwaukee, where she worked closely with the late Carl Bogner, helped shape her artistic path.
After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film, Chang continued on to UCLA for her MFA and is now building her career as a film director and producer in Los Angeles. “The more I learned, the more excited I became,” Chang said of her journey into filmmaking.
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The New York Times highlighted Door County’s Northern Sky Theatre in a feature by Elisabeth Vincentelli, with several Peck School of the Arts connections at the center of its 2025 summer season.
Assistant Professor Jason Orlenko (BA 2008, Theatre Studies) contributed to the productions, which also featured students Owen Foulds and Saana Harper, both juniors, and senior Nathaniel Contreras in acting and camp leader roles. The article explores the rewards and challenges of producing theatre in a unique outdoor setting, from post-COVID recovery to the artistry required to bring productions to life.
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Guitarist, composer, and 51ÁÔĆć alum Ben Dameron (MM 2017, Music) is co-leading the emerging jazz ensemble Heirloom as they Familiar Beginnings this September. Rooted in the classical foundations of jazz, the record offers a contemplative sound driven by Dameron’s compositions, weaving together original works that explore personal and musical memory. Â
“We wanted the record to evoke the feeling of discovering something new that still feels like home,” says Dameron. “It’s about cycles and moments that echo through our lives.”
With its blend of reflection and experimentation, Familiar Beginnings marks a strong debut for the quartet and a meaningful step forward in Dameron’s creative career.