Articles by Matthew Makowski
Students earn national awards for excellence in writing
Poetry crafted by two Grand Valley students has received national recognition for excellence in writing. Paige Leland and Maria McKee earned "Intro Awards" from the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) competition. The competition aims to spotlight the best new works by students enrolled in the AWP member program.
Nov 20, 2017
Bard to Go introduces students, communities in the Bahamas to Shakespeare through performances
Bard to Go recently traveled to the Bahamas in October to perform at the annual Shakespeare in Paradise Festival in Nassau, and at several local grade schools. Bard to Go was the only international group invited to perform at the festival this year. During the festival, students performed their 50-minute 2017 Shakespeare Festival show, titled ýThe Wonder of Will: This Is Your Afterlife!ý The play asks what would happen if the Bard was brought back to life and taken on an adventure through his most famous plays.
Nov 16, 2017
Alumna named Teacher of the Year for excellence in art education
Tricia Erickson, '05, was recently awarded for excellence in teaching during her 13-year career as an art educator. She was named the 2017 Teacher of the Year, as well as Secondary Art Educator of the Year, during the Michigan Art Education Association (MAEA)'s annual Fall Conference, which took place November 2-5 in Detroit.
Nov 13, 2017
History of global LGBT rights movement to be examined during lecture
The study of U.S. global policy on HIV/AIDS and a history of the international LGBT movement will be explored during an upcoming event at Grand Valley. "Global Gay Rights: An Introduction to the History of the International LGBT Rights Movement" will take place November 16 in the Kirkhof Center. The lecture will be presented by Laura Belmonte, professor and chair of the History Department at Oklahoma State University. Belmonte is a specialist in the history of U.S. foreign relations and cultural diplomacy.
Nov 13, 2017
Students tackle importance of political awareness during performances of "Cabaret"
In Berlin, Germany, in 1930, three years before Adolf Hitler came to power, Cliff, an American novelist, is searching for inspiration when he finds lodging at Frau Schneider's boarding house above the notorious and racy Kit Kat Club. Led by a saucy Emcee and Sally Bowles, a sassy showgirl and British singer, the free-wheeling performers at the club turn Cliff's world upside down while the power of the Nazi party lurks just beyond the club's doors. This is the plot of "Cabaret," which Grand Valley students will perform during
Nov 9, 2017
Student-created exhibit aims to bridge gap between drag and art
Kaylee and Rachel Britton, drag artists who happen to also be twins, have combined their artistic abilities to create drag makeup portraits that have been displayed around Michigan and beyond. As the Grand Valley students continue to expand their collection of portraits, the duo is striving to showcase their work for public audiences. The next stop for their showcase is the Exhibition Space in the Mary Idema Pew Library. "Art is a Drag: The Library is Open" will be on display through November 30.
Nov 6, 2017
Holocaust expert and students to perform play about the man who coined the term "genocide"
Robert Skloot, a noted expert on theater and the Holocaust, will lead a group of Grand Valley students in a staged reading of his play, "If the Whole Body Dies: Raphael Lemkin and the Treaty against Genocide." The play is a work about Raphael Lemkin, the man who created the term "genocide" and who was responsible for creating an international treaty against it. The one-act play will be performed November 8 followed by an audience discussion. This event is free and open to the public.
Nov 3, 2017
GVSU Earth Science Week lecture series to feature alumni
In conjunction with international Earth Science Week, a series of lectures will shine a light on the field of geology, careers in the field, and its importance in the world. The lecture series will begin November 6 with Grand Valley alumnus Joshua Ehlich, '14. Since October 1998, the American Geosciences Institute has celebrated Earth Science Week to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the Earth sciences and encourage stewardship of the planet.
Nov 2, 2017
Hollywood costume concept artist to discuss film, fashion and art with GVSU panel
Los Angeles-based costume concept artist, Phillip Boutte Jr., has created costume concepts for blockbuster films, such as "X-Men: Days of Future Past," "Man of Steel," "Star Trek," "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and "Inception." Boutte will discuss the intersection of film, fashion and art during a panel discussion at Grand Valley on November 8. "Film, Fashion, and Art: Imagining Real and Fictional History" will take place at 7 p.m. in Loosemore Auditorium. Joining Boutte on the panel will be Grand Valley faculty members Durw
Nov 2, 2017
Interfaith conference to encourage building healthy relationships with global neighbors
Fear, division, skepticism and assumptions are the foundations of many national and global headlines, but the annual Academic Consortium Conference will encourage attendees to build healthy relationships with their neighbors. The conference, sponsored in-part by the Kaufman Interfaith Institute, will take place November 8. R. Scott Appleby, dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame and expert on global religion, will present two keynote presentations during the conference.
Oct 27, 2017
