In the Spring of 2022, Roxanne Schroeder-Arce, Associate Dean of Fine Arts Education (UTeach Fine Arts) and Associate Professor in UTeach Theatre, led the inaugural Mexico City Maymester: “Engaging the Arts as Audience, Mexican Arts and Youth.” Through UT Global, with support from the College of Fine Arts, Roxanne traveled with nine students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds from across the university, providing them with a rare opportunity to interact closely with local artists and performers who are both nationally and internationally recognized. She led these students through visual arts, music, dance, and theatre experiences throughout Mexico City to spark investigation and dialogue. They attended many performances and exhibitions, examining core issues associated with the creative process in our increasingly complex global society. This course asked the students to explore what it means to pay rigorous attention to others and themselves in spaces of live performance and visual art, attending to how the arts in the vibrant and culturally rich Mexico City ask questions of us and about the world. Roxanne is already planning next year’s Mexico City Maymester. Look for more information coming soon!

 

At the 9^th Annual DVISD Fine Arts event on April 23, 2022, at Del Valle High School, CoFA staff, students, and recent graduates presented a session on studying the arts in college to around 20 people. The UTeach Fine Arts students also tabled a booth and interacted with many of the 2,500 families and students who attended the all-day event.

Pictured here are Whim Krueger-Inabnit (current UTeach Visual Art student), A.J. Marks (2022 UTeach Music graduate), Raquel Schmidt (2022 UTeach Theatre graduate who will be teaching for DVISD in the Fall), Associate Dean Roxanne Schroeder-Arce, Lindsay Edwards (current UTeach Visual Art graduate student), Morganne Davies (DVISD Fine Arts Director) and David Rezaei (Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, School of Design and Creative Technologies).

 

 

 

 

 

 

On May 12, 2022, the UTeach Fine Arts Student Advisory Council hosted the annual Spring Celebration to honor fine arts education and to applaud our graduating seniors, their mentors and faculty, as well as our many community partners. The last in-person celebration was held in May 2019 so this was an emotional and exciting night for all of UTeach Fine Arts.
Click HERE to view the full photo album.

This year we were pleased to highlight a few students from the UT Spring Project who played beautifully for all of our attendees. Dr. Laurie Scott (Associate Professor in UTeach Music) directs, supervises, and mentors the String Project’s teachers who include many of our current UTeach Music students.

At each Spring Celebration, we honor an Outstanding Educator in Fine Arts Education who primarily taught in Title 1 schools in Texas for over five years. The 2022 honoree was Christopher Reese, Theatre Director at Sam Houston high school in San Antonio. Reese holds an M.A. in Acting from UT Austin and is also a US Army veteran, having served in Operation Desert Storm. He has been teaching in San Antonio for 6 years and was awarded Teacher of the Year at Sam Houston high school in 2022. Prior to teaching, Reese spent many years performing in numerous plays and musicals, honing his passion for the performing arts.

“Christopher Reese is a powerful example of what it means to put connection and relationships before content.  He genuinely cares about getting to know his students and establishing community through the art of Theatre.  The work being done in his classroom and on the stage is only possible because he listens to his students and responds with their best interests in mind.  He is a true gem in the field of Theatre Education.” – Michael Avila, Assistant Professor of Instruction, UTeach Theatre