Tower-Summer 2019

SUMMER 2019 | TOWER 23 Looking to the Future Art is the bridge between cultures and communities. It fosters creativity, strengthens us socially and economically and is at the heart of our educational mission to enrich the lives of those we serve. But as a society, funding and focus on this world has begun to dwindle. That’s why, as a long-established patron of the arts, KU celebrates the recent establishment of a formal Kutztown University Arts Society in our community. “As public funding for the arts declines, it is our responsibility to make sure future generations benefit from a quality education in the arts,” said KU President Dr. Kenneth S. Hawkinson (pictured with Barbara Eden and Barry Bostwick from “Love Letters,” and Ann Marie Hayes-Hawkinson). “Together, with our community and university volunteers, and the exceptional support of our patrons, we’re able to deliver a rich array of visual and performing arts programming, including the Promoting the Love of Arts for Youth Series (PLAY) program. We want to inspire young people to go to museums and to seek out avenues in the visual arts so they can become more informed and enlightened about our world.” In addition to PLAY, the KU Arts Society provides support for KU Presents! events, campus art galleries, the President’s International Quintet, the Kutztown Arts Academy, and other important arts-centered programs. It will also fund small grants for faculty programming in the community. We invite you to become an important member of the KU Arts Society by visiting: www.kutztownarts.org Mid Career Switch: Making Art a Priority Michele Byrne ’81 had always “worked” first as a graphic designer, painted second. But 20 years into her career, she made a bold and “scary” choice – to create a life where art is her priority. At the time of this interview, Byrne is preparing for a trip to San Francisco where she’ll show her latest work and lead a demonstration on one of her signature tools, the palette knife. The west coast, Manhattan, Paris, Cuba – she now travels often, confirming the wisdom of her decision to do what she loves, while making a good living on her creations along the way. Byrne is a plein air painter (meaning to paint outdoors). She’s recorded two videos on the subject, teaches workshops, and is featured in elite galleries across the country. And her portfolio continues to evolve. “Two years ago, I got to a point where I wanted to do something more meaningful and from my heart, rather than just paint what I see,” Byrne explained. A series of impressionistic oil portraits were born out of her desire. The full figure portraits celebrate women from diverse histories, backgrounds, and ethnicities. Each explores an intimate piece of their heritage: the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, the daughter of beet farmers, and a Hungarian refugee forced to flee at the age of three. The stories are artfully told, with treasures like the child’s green card photo, richly portrayed. “My goal was to explore the complex and loosely woven intricacies of the fabric of American women,” Byrne explained. “I hoped to reveal and honor cultural histories tied together by a common thread.”