Beloved by so many, Tonya Cesa was a 20-year-old West Virginia University sophomore when she tragically died in a car accident in 2018. Now, her family is honoring her by creating the Tonya R. Cesa Creative Arts Photography Travel Endowment.
“Tonya was full of life, just a really great person,” said Ed and June Cesa, Tonya’s parents. “She was a good student who cherished her faith and family.”
Kristina Olson, associate director of the West Virginia University School of Art & Design, has published a new book titled “Social Practice Art in Turbulent Times” with co-editor Eric J. Schruers.
“I was contacted by an editor with Routledge Publishing about doing a book for their ‘Art and Politics’ series based on a paper I gave at a national conference,” Olson said. “I knew that I wanted it to be a collection of essays by art historians writing about social practice art to make it a well-rounded and lively analysis of the topic.”
The West Virginia University Curiosity Series kicks off Sept. 5 with a visiting artist lecture by Jay Ryan.
Ryan learned about screen printing from Steve Walters at Screwball Press in late 1995, where they worked together until 1999, at which point Ryan started The Bird Machine print shop in the basement of his apartment building. His initial clients were his friends' bands, his own band, and the clubs where they played. By stumbling into the right place at the right time, he fell in with a new movement of screen printed poster makers across the country and around the world.
West Virginia University students, faculty and professional artists from around the world will show off their talents as part of Curiosity Series , hosted by WVU’s College of Creative Arts.
In its second season, the Curiosity Series is a sampling of the hundreds of events presented yearly in the College of Creative Arts. According to Dean Keith Jackson, this year’s programming has something for everyone in the greater Morgantown community.
“Due to the unique nature of the arts, many of the similar services on campus, such as Career Services, are not relevant for setting up students for long time artistic success,” said Keith Jackson, Philip J. Faini and Falbo Family Dean. “This is a commitment from the university and the college to do everything in our power to help students build careers."
According to Jackson, Myers has a long history of successful students and going above and beyond in helping her students meet their goals.