College of the Arts
March 2024

Just announced was the 2024 Individual Artist Fellowships Awarded by the New Jersey State Arts Council and the Department of Art and Design is proud to celebrate 6 Past MFA Graduates that received fellowships.

The grant recipients are as follows:

Documentary filmmakers set out to tell the story of a world-famous jazz vibraphone player, but  they began to change the narrative after reviewing footage they shot at Montclair State University, where the vibraphonist, Steve Nelson, had recently started a gig as an adjunct professor in Jazz Studies at the John J. Cali School of Music.

“Something in the room was happening,” recalls Nathan Siegelaub, a writer and documentary filmmaker based in New York. “There was electricity. There was excitement. There was good camaraderie between the students.”

One Montclair student in particular stood out, a young vibraphonist, Pierce Sparnroft, who prefers to be identified with they/them pronouns and the name “Sparni.” “They’re incredibly talented and there’s something about them, how expressive they are,” Siegelaub recalled his professor at Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism, where the film was produced, telling him. “There’s something there that you should dig a little deeper to find.”

More Information.

WMSC earns two awards at the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Awards (IBS) 2024. The award ceremony took place in the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel on March 2, 2024, and WMSC was awarded first place in the following categories:

WMSC is a non-commercial, alternative rock and talk college radio station owned by Montclair State University, and is part of the School of Communication and Media.

Let's Celebrate!

Montclair State University student Ronni Hom, who is pursuing a Filmmaking BFA and a Theatre Studies BA, was named a FY2023 Career Accelerator Fellow.

The New Jersey Theatre Alliance Career Accelerator Program is a 6-month program that includes three 8-week placements; two with professional theatres and one with New Jersey Theatre Alliance to learn about theatre administration and management in real-world contexts.

In addition to learning in the field, fellows will participate in professional development seminars, mentoring meetings, and check-ins with the Theatre Alliance Staff.

View more.

Whether you’re a dancer or you just love to dance around your living room, we want you!

Join KEIGWIN + COMPANY's Stage Door -- a new community dance at Montclair State University’s PEAK Performances. No previous dance experience required -- just enthusiasm and energy.

At the audition, you'll be guided through a playful choreographic process with Larry Keigwin and K+C dancers using games and guided improvisation to allow you to uncover your creativity and physicality. Find new ways of moving, dance alongside your neighbors, and have fun!

Register Now.

In Case Studies 4: Hilliary Gabryel – Side Sleeper, Gabryel explores themes of consumer culture, resale markets, the American Dream, and gender. The artist transforms vacuum-formed headboards and vanity mirrors popularized by Franco Cozzo, an Italian-Australian salesman whose bedroom sets were often given female names. Learn more.
 

15-Min Focus Tours with University Galleries' Student Educators
Friday's, 12 – 1 pm | Kasser Theater Lobby
Drop in Friday afternoons for a brief tour with a Montclair State University Galleries student educator on the current Case Studies exhibition in the Alexander Kasser Theater lobby. Learn more.

Schedule a Class Visit
Classes, community groups, student organizations, and parties of 11 or more people interested in visiting an exhibition should fill out our group visit request form below. We require two weeks advance notice for group and class visits and cannot guarantee accommodation for unexpected or last-minute visits. Link to Form.

Heather Berzak, a Montclair alumna, is a rising star in journalism and criminal justice. With a passion for storytelling ignited at a young age, “I was first inspired to get into journalism from watching Good Morning America when I was really young…I took a fascination with true crime cases also from a really young age, specifically the ability to piece together mysteries to hopefully help bring closure to others.” Heather began a career that led her to become a line producer at Law & Crime, where she oversees live coverage of murder cases around the country.” So, I put together a 2 to 3 hour show rundown several days a week, get in the control room, and tell the host and technical director where to go next in the program.”

Learn More.