Arts Division

The four new graduates honored as College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Medalists for 2023 are all working to improve our world, in different ways. 

Arely Morales (MFA 2017) was selected to participate at the National Museum of Women in the Arts' Women to Watch 2024 exhibition in Washington DC next April. Also featured in a KTRE 9 article. 

Seattle-based Korean American comedian Ellen Acuraio, a UW alum with a degree in Photography and Art History — and a TikTok creator with over half a million followers — has released a new children's book: "Be You: Adventures of Penguin and Panda." The book is illustrated by Tremain bowman, who Acuraio connected with on TikTok.

A 2,000-year-old collection of medical tools, recently unearthed in Hungary, offer insight into the practices of undaunted, much-maligned Roman doctors. Lawrence J. Bliquez, professor emeritus of classics and art history at the UW, is quoted.

Inside Hutchinson Hall, home of the University of Washington School of Drama, students work at tables as they learn to assemble patterns based on costume designs. They’re surrounded by dress forms, bolts of cloth, sewing machines and costumes in progress. This is the Costume Shop, the domain of Val Mayse, master dressmaker for the School of Drama.

This week and summer, honor the 2023 Awards of Excellence recipients, visit the newly renovated Jacob Lawrence Gallery to see the works of design students, add one of College of Arts & Sciences Dean Dianne Harris’ favorite books to your summer reading list, learn about the largest animals to ever roam the earth at the...

Abdiel Jacobsen, graduating with an MFA in dance, found creative ways to share Latin Hustle, their favorite dance, with students and the wider community.

Meghna Shankar, graduating with degrees in physics and computer science, found joy and balance by also performing in the UW Symphony Orchestra. 

Being a teenager is stressful, but “The Wolves” captures coming-of-age in all its nuance. Read contributing writer Anikka Stanley’s thoughts on the UW School of Drama’s newest production, running until June 4.

As a method of bridging age gaps in the arts space and on campus, the Henry Art Gallery has collaborated with AgePRIDE to provide intimate tours of the contemporary art museum. In their piece, contributing writer Elizabeth Martyrossian discusses the program and its impact on the community. 

“Altar No.3: I Choose To Remember Us Whole,” the latest installation in the Henry Art Gallery, encourages us to indulge each other in our reflections and promote a positive understanding of the world around us. Contributing writer Meghan Haydon speaks with the artists and creators of the project, which aims to promote dialogue, empathy, and community healing. 

Earlier this quarter, students from the School of Art + Art History + Design opened “Material Latitudes” in the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. Writer Theron Hassi walks through the featured pieces from senior students, which showcase topics such as braiding hair, the visibility of disability, and environmental justice. 

From May 3 to 7, the UW School of Drama’s Producing Artists Laboratory put on a heavy performance of “In the Blood” at the Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theatre. The show follows the story of Hester, a single mother struggling to raise her five children while living on the streets. Read writer Harper Gould's review on the production. 

Eason Yang (MDes 2022) talks about his competitive streak and the creation of his project Not Entirely Dead on KOUW's podcast Ten Thousand Things with Shin Yu Pai.

For the past few years, Preston Wadley (MFA 1977) has been thinking about those people who visit a museum or gallery and spend—at most—15 seconds looking at a work of art. How could he keep them longer, he wondered. How could he change their views? His answer to that question is now on display at the Bellevue Arts Museum in an exhibition titled “Abstract Truth.”