Scene from 2017 inaugural Public Works Dallas production of The Tempest, a collaboration of Dallas Theater Center, SMU Meadows, ATTPAC and Ignite/Arts Dallas (photo by Kim Leeson)
By Victoria Whitcomb
In October, SMU Meadows School of the Arts and the Dallas Theater Center (DTC) held a review and panel discussion of research findings from the pilot year of Public Works Dallas with special guest Shirley Brice Heath. The event epitomized how Public Works Dallas works to connect Dallas’ arts and cultural movements to the SMU community.
Clyde Valentin, one of the panelists at the event and Director of Ignite Arts Dallas, shares his thoughts on hosting Dr. Shirley Brice Heath at SMU and major takeaways from the discussion.
Dallas Theater Center and Ignite/Arts Dallas, in association with the AT&T Performing Arts Center, presented a musical theatre production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Ignite/Arts Director Clyde Valentin pictured at right. (Photo by Kim Leeson)
On Thursday, October 26, SMU Meadows School of the Arts and the Dallas Theater Center (DTC) host a review and panel discussion of research findings from the pilot year of Public Works Dallas. Author and Stanford professor Shirley Brice Heath will compile the key points that offer thoughts for the coming year. Her talk will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dean of the Simmons School of Education Stephanie Knight, featuring DTC Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty and Director of Ignite/Arts Dallas Clyde Valentin.
It’s part of an arts and cultural movement underway in Dallas right now.
SMU Meadows students walk the boulevard during the Homecoming parade.
2017’s Homecoming began with the Distinguished Alumni Awards, a prelude to a weekend packed with activities. SMU Mustangs chose from among a range of concerts and performances, as well as special exhibitions at SMU’s museums and libraries. We also celebrated 100 years of Mustang spirit and Mustang jazz with the Mustang Band at the Pigskin Revue. The Meadows parade began a couple of hours before kickoff, where Dean Sam Holland led the parade down Boulevard–and we eat copious barbecued meats from Sonny Bryan’s–all leading up to the Mustang football team’s game against the UCF Knights.
Photographer Kim Leeson was on the scene to capture photos.
SMU Meadows Professor Mary Vernon with Former First Lady Laura Bush.
Mary Vernon’s newest exhibit opened at the Grace Museum in Abilene earlier this month and will be available for viewing until early January.
In May, Mary Vernon concludes her long career at SMU. She is retiring as an art professor, a master of painting, drawing and color theory education at Meadows School of the Arts. She’s been teaching here for 50 years.
On September 15, her new exhibit titled “Painting is Drawing” opened at the Grace Museum in Abilene, where it will be on view until January 6. The exhibit features her interpretations of landscapes and still lifes, often marked by soft lines and blended colors in media including oil and graphite. The museum will host a reception with the artist on October 7.
The museum also captured Vernon’s installation on video to mark the exhibit’s opening.
The blog OnStage ranked SMU Meadows School of the Arts’ division of dance number three in the list of the top 10 B.F.A. dance programs in the United States. Last year, our dance bachelor of fine arts program reached number seven on the same list.
In addition to campus facilities, students also have opportunities to dance in professional Dallas arts district venues such as the fabulous Winspear Opera House, Annette Strauss Square, Montgomery Arts Theatre at Booker T. Washington HSPVA and the new City Performance Hall. Features a partnership with Texas Ballet Theater, the largest, critically acclaimed, fully professional resident classical ballet company of North Texas, serving more than 100,000 individuals from diverse communities across North Texas.
The Division of Dance offers professional dance training within the context of a comprehensive liberal arts education. The goal is to develop the disciplined, versatile dance artist through a balanced study of ballet, modern dance and jazz dance techniques, complemented and reinforced by a broad range of theoretical studies and performance opportunities. The program provides an atmosphere in which students are nurtured and stimulated in their quest for artistic achievement, technical mastery and scholarly excellence.
