HFA Celebrates Homecoming 2023 with Student-Alumni Networking, Reception, and More
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The College of Humanities & Fine Arts hosted several events during the university's 2023 Homecoming Weekend, including an afternoon for alumni-student networking called From Here to Career; a reception on Celebrating the Creative and Cultural Heart of UMass; a self-guided Visual Arts Tour; 49th Annual Multiband Pops Concert; and celebrations for the English Department and the UMass Minuteman Marching Band's 150th anniversary.
From Here to Career
Two dozen distinguished alumni made their way back to campus on Friday, Nov. 3, for a homecoming networking event that connected them with students eager to hear about their career, inspiration, and journey to finding meaningful work after graduation. The event was widely attended by HFA students who spent time meeting and mingling with alumni who represented dozens of majors and industries, marking the most successful From Here to Career event in the college's history.
Celebrating the Creative and Cultural Heart of UMass
With the return of many of our cherished alumni to campus, it was the perfect weekend to gather for an evening of Celebrating the Creative and Cultural Heart of UMass. During the reception, alumni, faculty, students, and HFA and campus leaders gathered to connect and share their appreciation for the creative community on campus.
Interim Dean Joye Bowman and Chancellor Javier Reyes both delivered remarks that underscored the importance of the humanities. Notable alumni, including Bill and Madeleine Noland; Laura Bailey; Jacob Dyer Spiegel; Zach Schläppi; and Chancellor Randolph Bromery Dennis Bromery and his wife, Linda Marston, were also in attendance.
Visual Arts Tour
Alumni, students, families, and community members were invited to explore works of contemporary, cultural, and emerging art at your leisure during Homecoming Weekend. The Visual Arts Tour included several exhibits, all of which are still on view:
- The Miracle Machine: A Black Male Artists Think Tank at Augusta Savage Gallery showcases work by a group of Black male artists who use visual art, text, poetry, spoken word, and music to explore the power and joy of creation through a series of experimental artistic collaborations.
- Selective Memory by Moray Hillary at Hampden Gallery transforms the white walled gallery into an immersive environment and travelogue. It forms a complex installation that consists of a large series of miniature paintings upon vintage car wing mirrors.
- Ways of Seeing at Hampden Gallery is a group exhibition of new works by members of Hampden Gallery’s Critique Group. The title of the exhibition is a nod to author John Bergers’ notable influential text on art criticism.
- Three different exhibits—Displaced: Raida Adon’s Strangeness; Susan Yard Harris: Dialogue with a Collection; and Artists, Born Elsewhere—are on view at the University Museum of Contemporary Art.
49th Annual Multiband Pops Concert
Now in its 49th year, this non-stop musical extravaganza was presented by the Department of Music and Dance. Jeffrey Holmes, professor of music and director of Jazz and African American Music Studies, produced this year's whirlwind showcase of jazz, wind, choral, orchestral, and percussion ensembles, plus the renowned Minuteman Marching Band.
Celebrating the English Department
The English Department hosted an inspiring and enriching celebration of the English Department that reunited alumni, faculty, and students. The event featured an alumni spotlight, where three esteemed departmental alumni, prominent luminaries in their respective fields shared their captivating life stories and career journeys; a faculty showcase, featuring talks by three distinguished faculty members; and student perspectives, which highlighted the transformative experiences of the department's undergraduate and graduate students.
UMass Minuteman Marching Band's 150th Celebration
The UMass Minuteman Marching Band (UMMB) celebrated its 150th anniversary during halftime at the Homecoming football game. Joined by alumni band members, UMMB played “The Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera. The celebration concluded with a performance by UMMB and alumni band members as they sang the song “My Way.”