Texas A&M College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts

From Aggieland to the Olympics: Casey Kaufhold, who was a student in the Visualization program in 2022 before taking a year off to train for the Olympics, reflected on winning the bronze medal in August with Brady Ellison in the archery mixed-team event in Paris: “I remember hugging Brady, yelling, holding my bow up and later congratulating my opponent,” the Olympian said. “I watched the replay an hour or two later, thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, we are going crazy.’ And in the moment, it didn’t feel like that. But it was so cool to see because that wasn’t planned, it wasn’t rehearsed. That was the emotion that came out.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gRJQxyjE Photo courtesy of Casey Kaufhold.

The new Theatre program in the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts will present its inaugural production, “SUPERHERO & SUPERHERO,” Nov. 7-9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Black Box Theater in the Liberal Arts and Arts and Humanities Building. “SUPERHERO & SUPERHERO” is a comedic play devised by the ensemble that explores heroism in the contemporary world. “We started with asking students, ‘What does it mean to be a superhero?’” said Rayna Dexter, interim program director for Theatre and instructional associate professor. “We wanted them to think about superheroes in pop culture, and how much that is part of our entertainment. But also, what does it mean to be a hero in your everyday life as Gen Z?” Devised theatre is part of the newly launched Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre. Students and faculty build the performance from the ground up without a prewritten script. Devised theatre focuses on decentering the text in theatrical performance-making, to allow an ensemble to collectively craft a production. Read more about “SUPERHERO & SUPERHERO”: https://lnkd.in/gNRnskup Photo by Igor Kraguljac. Graphic design by John Boran.

Dr. Lynn Vartan, associate professor in the new Music Performance program that debuted this semester in the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, recently released an album of duo marimba works titled “Stars Above.” The California native is joined by percussionist WeiChen Lin on the album, and they perform as Duo LinLynn. “Stars Above” was released in July and has already earned the Gold Medal Award of Excellence in the 2024 Global Music Awards. “Performing with WeiChen is just a joy,” Vartan said. “And to see that our great musical connection as we perform can be recognized at this level among artists from all over the world is just so meaningful.” Read more: tx.ag/EUNC2NY Photo by Katie Englert.

The arts at Texas A&M University are being elevated like never before! With a technology-infused foundation, the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts is bringing together visual arts, performing arts, interactive media, visual computing and humanities. This is the place for actors, animators, musicians, dancers, composers, choreographers, painters, game designers, ethnomusicologists, art historians, costume designers, virtual production specialists and more. Join us at the intersection of art and technology! For more information, visit pvfa.tamu.edu. Video edited by Igor Kraguljac. #dancescience #musicperformance #theatre #visualization #finearts #performancestudies #visualstudies

Thanks to The Battalion for featuring Visualization graduate students Anna Keniston and Sean Kerrigan and former student Toby Johnson in a feature about the roles they played in making DreamWorks Animation's new film "The Wild Robot." “The viz program is incredible at A&M,” Kerrigan says in the story. “We have so many Aggies in the industry and the network has been such an incredible resource to me.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gUZDf_cX

Dr. Martin Regan will present his musical work “The Book of Names” on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. in Zilkha Hall at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston. Regan is a professor in the new Music Performance program that just debuted this semester in the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts.   The composition will be part of a program titled “We the People: Liberty,” produced and performed by the Apollo Chamber Players, who commissioned Regan’s piece. Actor and activist George Takei will provide narration for “The Book of Names.” Tickets can be purchased on the center’s website: tx.ag/6v9ni8F   Regan said the piece is a poetic musical statement intended to “evoke the anguish of lost identity” in memory of the Japanese Americans — more than 125,000 — who were incarcerated during World War II.   “We make pilgrimages to see physical monuments because we believe there is value in not forgetting tragedy,” Regan said. “My piece is like a sonic monument — instead of taking up physical space, it takes up time. But the impact should be the same. After you experience this it may prevent you from forgetting.”   Read more about the event and "The Book of Names" composition: tx.ag/hHCa7Dq   Photo by Lynn Lane, courtesy of The Apollo Chamber Players.

Watch the three short films created by Visualization students in the annual Summer Industry Course. These were produced on a virtual production stage at Stray Vista Studios in Dripping Springs, supported by the Virtual Production Institute, which is part of the Texas A&M College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts. “Abducted” tells the story of a man who lost his wife and is searching the woods to find her. The film was created by Tessa De La Fuente, Gabrielle Chiong, Magnus Haarseth, Marisa Jacques and Genevieve Schulz; and features actor Steve Brudniak. Watch: tx.ag/dtM1kyL “Cardboard Camelot” tells the story of a mother discovering an enchanting world within a cardboard castle her son made. The film was created by Rachel Barner, Madeline Duran, Alex Ford, Vidushi Gupta and Hayden Hanna; and features actor Lucia Vico. Watch: tx.ag/mm8K7FY “Winded” features a broken windmill that needs fixing in a futuristic paradise. The film was created by Carolyn Hua, Finnegan Hein, Maggie Lloyd, Skyla Steven, Kassandra Thatcher and Alexa Zentell; and features actor Lilly Vandermark. Watch: tx.ag/YGIbpny The students worked with cutting-edge equipment including two cinema cameras and various lenses from Sony, which also made a $5,000 contribution toward student tuition for the course. SISU Cinema Robotics loaned a robotic camera arm for the filming. Read more about the films and their recent premiere: tx.ag/6kStCsl And read about the entire Summer Industry Course experience: tx.ag/ygiX9v9

Mayet Andreassen, instructional assistant professor in the Visualization program, was recently selected to receive the 2024 Association of Former Students College Level Distinguished Achievement Award. The Association of Former Students honors outstanding faculty members each fall with the award for their dedication to teaching and their talent, expertise and devotion in conveying knowledge to students. Andreassen, who is also the associate program director for the Bachelor of Science degree in Visualization, said she takes pride in seeing the progress her students make and the positive results that follow. “What brings me the most joy is seeing something click within a student, seeing them create amazing work, and when my students get accolades,” she said. “I absolutely love it when they and their work are recognized.” Read more: tx.ag/bbcj0No

Visualization students took a deep dive into virtual production during the annual Summer Industry Course. Sixteen undergraduate and graduate students created three short films on a virtual production stage at Stray Vista Studios in Dripping Springs, supported by the Virtual Production Institute, which is part of the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts. Students had several Zoom classes with Stray Vista mentors, then went to Dripping Springs to film over two weeks. Mayet Andreassen, co-instructor for the course, commended students on their willingness to learn something new. “Especially when they got to the LED wall, their excitement level went up exponentially,” Andreassen said. “I’ve been really proud of the students. They have been professional throughout the entire course. They take feedback really well and take it to heart, and then they implement those changes.” Read more about the three student films: tx.ag/SIC2024 Photos by Jais George and Andersen Wood.

Today marks not just the first day of the fall semester for the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, but also the college’s first day of classes in Fort Worth. Dean Tim McLaughlin was on hand this morning at the Texas A&M-Fort Worth campus to greet students who are taking classes toward their Bachelor of Science in Visualization degrees. David Parrish, director of the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts in Fort Worth, is overseeing the expansion of the program there. The initial focus of coursework in Fort Worth is on game design and development and virtual production. Eventually, course offerings will encompass most of the degree programs in the college. And there’s more in the works for Fort Worth this fall, including the debut of a virtual production stage as part of the college’s emerging Virtual Production Institute. The stage will be in the Winfield Place building, where the college is sharing space with gaming company ProbablyMonsters. A stage will also open this semester on main campus in the Langford Architecture Center, Building A. “It was a momentous day for PVFA,” McLaughlin said. “The civic leaders and business community have been so supportive of our expansion there, and we’re excited that our presence will continue to grow. Thanks to the Texas A&M University School of Law, Dean Bobby Ahdieh, and Terri Helge, associate dean for academic affairs, for their assistance in making this a successful launch for the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts in Fort Worth.”