School Notes: School of Art
September/October 2011

Faculty Happenings

New faculty at the School of Art include three departmental directors and a professor in painting. Jim Hodges has been named director of sculpture for academic year 2011–12, taking over from Jessica Stockholder ’85MFA, who left for the University of Chicago. An installation artist, Hodges holds an MFA from the Pratt Institute and a BFA from Fort Wright College. Gregory Crewdson ’88MFA is the director of photography for 2011–12 while Tod Papageorge is on leave and phasing in his retirement. Crewdson came to the faculty in 1993 and most recently was professor (adjunct) of photography. Searches will commence during the coming year for permanent appointments to these positions. Meanwhile, Professor Rochelle Feinstein, who first joined the faculty in 1994, begins a three-year term as director of painting, and Anoka Faruqee ’94 is named associate professor in painting.

Alumnus Represents Iraq at Biennale

The country of Iraq has not taken part in the Venice Biennale since 1976, but this year it sent six artists to represent their home country at the prestigious festival’s 54th international art exhibition. One of those artists is painter Ahmed Alsoudani ’08MFA, who came to the United States in the 1990s to study art. Alsoudani and the five other artists are creating and showing their work in the Pavilion of Iraq in an exhibition entitled Wounded Water: Six Iraqi Artists Interpret the Theme of Water, which is on view through November 27. As explained on the Biennale website, the theme is timely since “the lack of water is a primary source of emergency in Iraq, more than civil war and terrorism.” Alsoudani told the New York Times how great it feels to represent his country: “It shows people that there is more to Iraq than just war.”