Dec. 23, 2014

Women & Philanthropy Holiday Luncheon

ASU School of Arts, Media + Engineering showcased at holiday luncheon

Members of ASU’s Women & Philanthropy used its annual holiday luncheon to stretch their imaginations through the work of the ASU School of Arts, Media + Engineering at the ASU Herberger Institute for Design. The event was held on the Tempe Campus in the iStage in Matthews Center, a theater lab and workshop space that was transformed into the event space so attendees could experience the environment changing with their movements. The experience highlighted the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and the vision of its new dean, Stephen Tepper.

Professor Sha Xin Wei (right) then guided the 103 women in attendance through an exploration of motion, time, space and transitions, challenging them to consider the possibilities of technology improving our lives, without complicating them. The experience was presented in the playful setting of a miniature weather system of raining video, showering sound, with serious implications for how people can invent new ways to make environments that are both livable and enlivening.

Students demonstrated their AME and Center for Science and the Imagination projects, which typically involved some type of interaction with attendees. “AME’s iStage is a place where students learn to fuse their creative talents in design and engineering to animate our everyday as well as artful lives,” explained Professor Wei.

Cathy Dickey, Women & Philanthropy member, in ASU's iStage.

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Women & Philanthropy Holiday Luncheon

Women & Philanthropy members gathered Dec. 11 at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts for their annual Holiday Luncheon. The occasion was an opportunity to step behind the curtain of the Paul V. Galvin Playhouse to witness the creative processes of costume and prop design.

Sharon McCord, Marnie Dietrich, Shelly Duane, Sybil Francis, Barbara Hennessy, Debbie Hall and Sharon Lewis

in mask creation

Host Dean Kwang-Wu Kim noted that when Women & Philanthropy members support arts education, they support the institute’s top priority, the students.

Sybil Francis, co-chair of the organization with Cindy Watts, urged members to invest in the Women & Philanthropy New American University Scholarship Endowment, which is more than halfway to a $100,000 goal. Since passing the $50,000 mark, the scholarship is now eligible for matching funds.

Debbie Knutsen and Lani Calbert with period costumes

As members dined onstage surrounded by period costumes and elaborate props from previous productions, Dean Kim explained that the stage is the site of many premiere performances, as well as one of his most “terrifying” experiences. He recounted the time he and ASU President Michael Crow were speaking onstage and he narrowly prevented Crow from stepping off the dark platform into thin air. His remarks drew a chuckle.

Members also heard from Connie Furr-Soloman, a costume designer who orchestrates all the students and staff who design for up to nine productions a year, and Melissa Montoya, who coordinates costume shop activities and turns designers’ sketches into costumes.

Melissa Lagried, Jan Lewis and Carole Kraemer onstage

In a luncheon slideshow, Furr-Soloman showed the process of designing costumes for a play: the historical research, the elaborate sketches, the mock-ups to see them and, finally the costume.

At top: Women & Philanthropy co-chairs Cindy Watt and Sybil Francis

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Women & Philanthropy Holiday Luncheon

The Dec. 13 Women & Philanthropy Holiday Luncheon featured the music therapy program in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts School of Music. The theme was Celebrate the Joy of Community. The reception featured student musicians playing original works, many of which are used in real-world music therapy settings.

Co-chair Sybil Francis welcomed members and guests, and co-chair Cindy Watts introduced the music therapy program. Barbara Crowe, director of the program for the past 30 years, shared some of its history at ASU, information about current brain research that supports the efficacy of music therapy and insights into the diverse education that music therapy students receive at ASU. Julie Murillo, a music therapist and graduate of ASU’s program, followed with two examples of how she used blues music in two recent clinical interventions. Robin Rio, director of the ASU Music Therapy Clinic, then gave a virtual tour of the clinic.

The capstone experience of the luncheon was a guided drum circle led by Barbara Crowe. Every guest at the luncheon stood up and selected an instrument. Barbara instructed guests to follow the mother drumbeat and make their own music. The room filled with the joyful sound of drums, tambourines, shakers and bells.

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