CVPA Celebration
CVPA Spring 2024 Celebration
Thanks for joining us for the College of Visual and Performing Arts 2024 Celebration!
CVPA Celebration Ceremony
Dr. Wunder and Dr.Shope delivering remarks at the CVPA Celebration.
Staff & Faculty Excellence Award Recipients
Pictured Left to Right: Dr. Amy Wunder, Cherilyn Barnett, Elizabeth Schneider, Jeremy Justeson, and Dr. Brad Shope
Student Excellence Award Recipients
Pictured Left to Right: Dr. Amy Wunder, Roger Pomposello, Victoria Fischer, Brynn Gigli, Grace Levy, Kaz Brittenburg, and Dr. Brad Shope
Clay Club
Thankyou Clay Club for attending the VPA celebration!
National Art Education Association
Thankyou NAEA for attending the VPA celebration!
Social Media Strategy Club
Thankyou Social Media Strategy Club for attending the VPA celebration!
Student and Faculty Excellence Awards
The college of Visual and Performing Arts is happy to announce the following recipients of excellence awards. Information on each recipient is posted below. Congrats to all awardees!
Faculty Excellence Awards
The award recognizes two College of Visual and Performing Arts faculty members whose professional accomplishments are melded with their pedagogy to positively impact the quality of students' experiences at KU.
Jeremy Justeson
Department of Music
Dr. Justeson has served as the Department Chair for 2 terms, and recently assumed the position yet again for a 3rd term in the Spring of 2024. A gifted saxophonist, Justeson’s performance career has encircled the national and international ranks, and his artistic presence in both realms is deeply respected.
Liz Schneider
Department of Art & Design
Professor Schneider is a wonderful mentor to both peers and students alike, and is a thoughtful, calm leader in even the most stressful circumstances. In her studio she is a tireless practitioner. She has exhibited and screened her collaborative animation works nationally and internationally. She is not only a front-runner in her field, but also a mentor, advocate, and catalyst for positive change.
Staff Excellence Awards
The award recognizes a College of Visual and Performing Arts staff member whose work ethics, positive attitude, and professionalism impact the administrators, faculty, and students at Kutztown University on a day-to-day basis.
Cherilyn Barnett
Department of Cinema, Television, & Media Production
Her nominator wrote that: “Simply stated, Cherilyn does everything! We are a small department with a lot of students and a lot of activities and demands – screenings, productions, equipment purchases, and tours. Cherilyn helps everyone and treats everyone with kindness and respect. Most importantly, Cherilyn has a great sense of humor; she … is responsible for creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.”
ALUMNI Excellence Awards
The award recognizes alumni of the College of Visual and Performing Arts whose professional accomplishments and continued interactions with KU positively impact the quality of students’ experiences.
Cody Hawley
Department of Cinema, Television, & Media Production
Cody Hawley works at ubiFire in the Lehigh Valley. Cody was a remarkable student. His dedication and energy to filmmaking in and out of class helped transform the overall character of student work in CTM. Cody became a student leader and mentor as the President of Spotlite. This continues with his professional work at ubiFire.
Student Excellence Awards
This award recognizes one student from each of the six departments in the College of Visual and Performing Arts: Art, Art Education, Cinema, Television and Media Production, Communication Design, Communication Studies, and Music.
Kaz Brittenburg
Department of Art & Design
Kaz has shown exceptional dedication as a dual degree student in Art and Animated Arts. In the Art program Kaz specializes in Sculpture, where they utilize an ambitious process that incorporates found metals, automotive parts, and other experimental materials. Kaz’s commitment to their creative pursuits is unparalleled, showcasing an unwavering discipline that sets them apart. For the Animated Senior Exhibition, Kaz's contributions as installation and curatorial leader were transformative. Their organizational skills were on full display, spearheading the planning and execution of the exhibition with unparalleled intensity and focus and ensuring its success. Kaz also works in the Miller Gallery and as the Studio Manager in Sculpture. Professors and staff describe Kaz as professional, driven, self-directed, and always looking out for others.
Brynn Gigli
Department of Art Education
Professionally, Brynn is extremely hardworking, constantly looking to improve herself and is very dependable. She has impeccable time management skills and has a knack for thinking in a creative manner. She has a firm understanding of teaching methodologies and works diligently to create lesson plans to effectively instruct her future students. She teaches while constantly self reflecting, which allows her to adapt to a variety of student needs. She also makes time to explore her personal art endeavors to continually grow as an artist.
Grace Levy
Communication Studies Department
Grace Levy started at Kutztown in Fall of 2023 as a transfer student and immediately made her mark as an excellent, engaged student. A member of the honors program, Grace exhibits intellectual curiosity and engagement that makes her immediately stand out. In her short time at Kutztown, she has become deeply involved in the Communication Studies program. She is an officer in the Communication Club and spoke at Ignite Kutztown this spring and is participating in the KU BEARS program this summer assisting Dr. Cripe in her research with patients and families with long term incurable cancer. Her passion for Communication and dedication to the Communications Studies program has made her an outstanding member of the department.
Victoria Fischer
Department of Cinema, Television & Media Production
Victoria Fischer has been a student leader since starting in CTM. Victoria is a dedicated student with an incredible eye for photography and filmmaking. Her films feature a distinctive and personal aesthetic; her style has developed consistently over her time here. Her photography has captured dozens of CTM majors making movies, offering an inside look at the hard work and dedication of her peers. Victoria is currently interning at St. Luke’s University Health Network where is editing, generating graphics and serving as an on-set assistant for numerous productions.
Roger Pomposello
Department of Music
Be Golden is a phrase we hear a lot on campus. Roger is a shining example of that saying. They have been a strong contributor to the ensembles at KU since their first semester as a student and have often set the “bar” by which other students should strive to attain. They have held leadership positions, serving on executive boards of campus organizations. They participate in workshops, camps, and honor ensembles across the United States, working to grow musically as well as academically. They work tirelessly to promote the university with outreach events and performances on and off campus. They are always working with fellow classmates to grow through extra study groups, sectionals, and chamber ensembles. Their demonstration of great respect and effort towards people is inspirational.