The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Alumni Board has selected the recipients of this year’s Alumni Board Awards. The awards will be presented at the College’s Honors Day Dinner on Saturday, April 23. The dinner is by invitation only.
The Alumni Achievement Awards honor alumni from each academic area of the college who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and overall professional excellence.
The Alumni Achievement Award in Art and Art History will be presented to Marcia B. Goldenstein (B.F.A. 1970, M.F.A. 1973). Goldenstein is Professor Emerita at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where she taught painting and drawing for 38 years. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including recent exhibitions in Beijing, Chengdu and Fuzhou, China, as well as Bratislava, Slovakia. Her collections include the Knoxville Museum of Art, the Great Plains Art Museum at UNL, the Tennessee Valley Authority, General Motors and IBM.
The Alumni Achievement Award in Music will be presented to UNL Professor of Music Education and Musical Psychology Dr. Robert H. Woody (B.M. 1990). Woody is among the most celebrated and recognized scholars in music education in our nation, with special expertise in the psychology of music, in vernacular music performance in schools and in elementary music education practices. His co-authored book from Oxford University Press has received great critical praise and has been adopted in graduate programs around the world. He is also a music blogger for Psychology Today. He has served on the Journal of Research in Music Education Editorial Board, in addition to having his work published there regularly. He earned two masters degrees (music education and educational research) and Ph.D. in music education from Florida State University. He began teaching at UNL in 2001. Prior to UNL, he taught at Ball State University and the University of Maryland.
The Alumni Achievement Award in Theatre and Film will be presented to Jim Hanna (B.F.A. 1991). Hanna is a film, television and commercial actor, who is based in Los Angeles. Upon graduation from UNL, Hanna obtained a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California Actor Training Program. He has been seen in countless commercials and numerous film and television roles, including “Mom,” “Parks and Recreation,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Hot in Cleveland,” “Bones” and several episodes of the soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful,” just to name a few. His film credits include “War of the Worlds” and “The Terminal.” He also starred in the recent line of commercials from Cox Communications, where he played the role of a father who tries to bond with his son at every opportunity. He is also an award-nominated and winning actor with The Production Co. L.A. and performs regularly in “Slap & Tickle” sketch comedy shows. He is also the creator, director, writer and producer of the web series, “Jeff the Cat: Merchant of Darkness.”
Two Awards of Merit will be presented. The Award of Merit honors those who have made contributions to the college, but who are not necessarily alumni of the college, and who have demonstrated continued interest in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts.
The first will go to Leta Powell Drake (M.A. 1967). She has enjoyed a 60-year broadcasting career that included work at KOLN/KGIN-TV, where she hosted and produced more than 10,000 TV shows during a 28-year career there, which included the 10/11 Morning Show and Cartoon Corral with Kalamity Kate. She also worked at NETV from 1989-2002 and volunteered as emcee for auctions and pledge drives for 30 years. Her passion for live performance continues, as she has acted in over 100 plays and two movies. She was elected into the Nebraska Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2010, and recently released a book titled “The Calamities of Kalamity Kate.” She has served on the Nebraska Repertory Theatre Board, was an actress for the Nebraska Repertory Theatre, is a Purple Masque Member and Donor and a member of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Alumni Board.
The second Award of Merit will be presented to Phil Perry. A graduate of the University (B.S. 1964, M.A. 1972 from the College of Education and Human Sciences), Perry and his family created the Phil Perry and Family Fund Awards in the Fall of 2013. This award is presented to two students chosen by jury each semester from the Capstone Exhibition. A prize of $1,000 is given to each winner to help students transition from college to the business world. In 2014, Perry started the Prescott Gallery in Lincoln. In addition to showing his own work, the gallery has dedicated space to exhibit artwork by faculty, staff and students, both current and alumni, from the Department of Art and Art History. The gallery also offers internship opportunities to learn the business of being a gallery director. He currently serves on the department’s MEDICI Board. He is the CEO of Perry Reid Properties Management and the CEO and President of Perry Associates.
The Student Leadership Award is presented to students who have proven to be true leaders through their scholarship, talents, service and dedication. This year’s award will be presented to Emma Gruhl, a senior theatre major with dual emphases in Directing & Management and Performance in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. In addition to directing several performances for Theatrix and Nebraska Masquers, Gruhl served as company manager for the Nebraska Repertory Theatre from 2013-2014. She was also the managing director of Theatrix for 2014-2015. Her acting credits include productions for the Flatwater Shakespeare Company, University Theatre, Illusion Theatre Co. and Haymarket Theatre. She is currently on a casting internship this semester with the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.