2017 – Page 32

(By K Alshanetsky '17) Film and TV producer Sydney Lowe ’13 is the founder of Art Girl Army (AGA), an organization that generates networking opportunities and fosters community among young women with creative careers. The collective originally started in Lowe's small New York City apartment as a space for her and her friends to collaborate, provide support to one another and share their experiences as women working in creative fields, which largely lack gender, sexual and racial diversity. Since 2014 it has developed into an online global community of nearly 3,500 artists, including illustrators, comedians, dancers and more. Lowe enjoyed ample opportunities to connect and collaborate with her…

(By K Alshanetsky '17) Brooklyn-based director Jess Chayes ’07 has recently won the Lucille Lortel Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW), which annually recognizes an aspiring woman in theatre who shows creative promise in the field. As a founding co-artistic director of The Assembly, a collective of multi-disciplinary performance artists, Chayes has co-created and directed eight original productions. These include I Will Look Forward To This Later and HOME/SICK, which is a NY Times Critics’ Pick. Chayes founded The Assembly Theater Project with three other Wesleyan alumni: Stephen Aubrey ’06, Edward Bauer ’08, and Nick Benacerraf ’08. Together they created a collaborative and…

How does one convert a shipyard into a cinema? “With a lot of gumption and very little sleep,” reports Nathaniel Draper ’12, the technical director of the Syros International Film Festival (SIFF). For five days in July, Draper and his colleagues Cassandra Celestin ’13, Aaron Khandros ’13 and Jacob Moe will transform the small Greek island of Syros into a multifaceted cinema space. Projectors hauled over three hours by boat from Athens will be erected on Syros’s docks, beaches and quarries to screen a variety of films, from art house to Hollywood. Musicians and filmmakers will gather for all-night multimedia performances…

Peter Gottschalk, professor of religion, professor of science in society, was featured in a CBS special on March 28, "Faith in America: A History." The program covered a history of Catholic, Jewish and Muslim intolerance in the U.S. "The very understanding of who is acceptable in American society goes to the very heart of who Americans are, and who Americans can be,"said Gottschalk in his opening appearance. "So issues like excluding immigrants based on a religion test, which is against various laws in our country, not only threaten those who would like to come to the United States, but it threatens those who are…

Every two years, the Whitney Museum of American Art showcases some of the most talented young artists from around the country in an exhibition filled with purpose and passion. This year, the 2017 Whitney Biennial, the 78th installment of the longest-running survey of American art, features work by Wesleyan alumnus Cameron Rowland ’11. View the project online here. “Arriving at a time rife with racial tensions, economic inequities, and polarizing politics, the exhibition allows the artists to challenge us to consider how these realities affect our senses of self and community,” according to the Whitney. “The Biennial features 63 individuals and collectives…

Anjali Tamhankar, associate director of human resources, received a Cardinal Achievement Award for her efforts in demonstrating extraordinary initiative in performing a specific task associated with her work at Wesleyan University. This special honor comes with a $250 award and reflects the university’s gratitude for her efforts.

President Michael S. Roth announced today that Wesleyan University will be saying goodbye to the Wesleyan cardinal and hello to Wes Squirrel! Due to the overwhelming presence of squirrels on campus, and the decided lack of cardinals, the move just seemed to make sense. Plus, have you heard cardinals sing? “Conn College’s mascot is the camel. Middlebury is the panthers. Bates is the bobcats. Colby is the mules,” said Kate Mullen, Associate Director of Athletics and Head Women’s Basketball Coach. “No offense to the lovely red bird, but Wesleyan needs a more ferocious mascot. Like the squirrel.” Not everyone is…

Becca Winkler ’16 and her team at Mahouts Elephant Foundation (MEF), previously nominated and named a finalist in the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) grant for their project “Walking Elephants Home,” have been named the winners of the 2017 EOCA grant. Though there is much work to do in order to fulfill the requirements of the grant, this grant will play a major role in allowing the team to support not only the elephants and mahouts, but also the surrounding forest and the communities in which they are working. The previous story on Winkler and her project can be found…

Much has been written about the mysterious Douglas Cannon, a Wesleyan University tradition dating back to the 1860s. During this time, college was in term for the Fourth of July, and a student-led volley of cannon fire was often included in the celebrations. In 1859, Wesleyan’s calendar was altered so that the college was not in session during the Fourth, so the Douglas Cannon was added to the celebration of George Washington’s birthday on February 22, kicked off by a “cannon scrap.” Cannon scraps came about as an interclass rivalry between the freshman — in charge of firing the cannon…

This winter, members of Wesleyan’s Squirrels On-Campus Knitting Society (SOCKS) made blankets and booties for the more than 600 new pinkies born at Wesleyan over the last several months. The club was founded two years ago by Chip Sciurus ’18, an eastern grey squirrel from Hoboken, New Jersey. “I started the club as a way to get Wes Squirrels involved in campus life, give back to the community, and connect with other campus carolinensis,” says Sciurus. So far, more than 50 Wes Squirrels have joined the organization’s efforts to make a difference at Wesleyan. According to Stella Hudsonicus ’19, a…

Tonight at The Buttonwood Tree, Wesleyan is celebrating National Poetry Month with its first-ever Squaiku (squirrel haiku) Poetry Slam. The Office for Equity and Inclusion and the Office of University Communications have been working their tails off organizing this event. “At Wesleyan we live our mission statement, which says, ‘The university seeks to build a diverse, energetic, high-climbing community of students, squirrels, faculty, and staff who think critically and creatively and who value independence of mind, generosity of spirit, and a belly full of nuts,” said Key Nuttall, Wesleyan’s chief communications officer. “We’re excited and honored to be hosting our…

Chip Sciurus ’18 hails from Hoboken, New Jersey. The eastern grey squirrel is one of the first sciuridae admitted under Wesleyan’s new SOS (Scurry of Squirrels) program. What’s it like being part of Wesleyan’s inaugural scurry of squirrels? The transition from canopy to campus has been pretty easy. Everyone here’s been really accepting. Sure, some students think moving squirrels from the canopy to the classroom means Wes is lowering its standards. But I can tell you from personal experience that Wesleyan is just as selective with its squirrels as it is with its students. What made you choose Wesleyan? In…

Lowe ’13 Grows Art Girl Army Organization

Chayes ’07 Wins Award for Women in Theater

Draper ’12, Celestin ’13, Khandros ’13 Create Film Festival on Greek Island

Gottschalk Featured in CBS Special ‘Faith in America’

Audio Guide by Rowland ’11 Featured In 2017 Whitney Biennial

Tamhankar Honored with Cardinal Achievement Award

You’ll Go Nuts for Wesleyan’s New Mascot!

‘Walking Elephants Home,’ Named Winner Of The 2017 EOCA Grant

What Do the Squirrels Know about the Extended Absence of the Douglas Cannon?

Knit One, Squirrel Two: Students Go Nuts for Squirrels Who Knit

Celebrating National Poetry Month with Squaiku Poetry Slam

Meet a Wes Squirrel: Tailgating with Chip Sciurus ’18