Seven in Arts and Architecture Receive Awards
April 27, 2005
Seven College of Arts and Architecture faculty and staff were recently honored during the college's annual spring awards ceremony.
Staff Award for Outstanding Service
Rich Hall, preparator at the Palmer Museum of Art, is responsible for caring for the museum’s collection and objects loaned for exhibition by preparing gallery spaces, constructing exhibition furniture, matting and framing works for exhibition, installing works, lighting them properly and generally assisting with the physical care of the collection. He has held this position for over eight years, and is cited by his supervisor, fellow museum staff members, graduate assistants and museum volunteers as the ultimate team player who consistently goes beyond the standard expectations of an employee.
Carolyn Lucarelli, slide curator in the Department of Art History, played a critical role in updating the slide library and bringing it into the computer age—and now the digital arena. She was named chief curator of the slide library, now called the Visual Resource Center, in 2003 after serving as an assistant since 1998. Lucarelli is an active member of the Visual Resource Association (VRA) and was awarded a VRA travel award in 2004. She is cited for her excellent judgment and problem solving skills, her effective communication skills and, in general, for being an invaluable colleague and consummate professional.
John McNulty has worked as the School of Music network support specialist since 2001, providing computer software and hardware support for over 100 faculty, staff and students. McNulty has been an advocate for improving processes and systems in the School of Music and has taken time to get to know the needs of the computer users he supports. He is cited by faculty and staff colleagues as more than a resourceful technician, employing his good humor and easygoing manner in resolving challenging issues that invariably are a part of his day-to-day work.
Roy C. Buck Award
This awards honors a tenure-stream faculty member in the College of Arts and Architecture for the best refereed article in a scholarly journal.Charlotte Houghton, assistant professor in the department of art history, received the award for her article, “This was Tomorrow: Pieter Aertson’s Meat Stall as Contemporary Art,” published in The Art Bulletin (June 2004). Houghton teaches courses and supervises graduate theses in northern European art, 1400-1750. She holds an A.B. in history from Harvard, a J.D. from the Boalt Hall School of Law (University of California, Berkeley) and an M.A. and Ph.D. in art history from Duke University.
Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching
Bret Peters, assistant professor of architecture, is characterized as a valued confidant and inspiration, not only for the knowledge of his professional practice, but for his ability to teach and engage his students in a stimulating way. Peters is highly involved with career counseling and helping students find jobs after graduation and consistently is rated highly for his quality of classroom instruction. He holds a B.A. in mathematics and a B.A. in urban studies and public policy from Boston University and a master of architecture degree from Rice University.
Steven Smith, professor of music, teaches applied piano to undergraduate and graduate students, both majors and non-majors. In addition to one-to-one instruction, he holds studio classes and teaches keyboard literature and music literature. He has been invited to conduct master classes throughout the world and maintains a consistent performance schedule, both in solo recitals and collaborative work. A native Texan, Smith received his undergraduate degree from Baylor University and his master's and doctoral degrees from the Eastman School of Music. He also holds an artist's diploma from the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
Excellence in Academic Advising Award
Dorotha “Dori” Lemeh, coordinator of the School of Visual Arts advising center, is cited for playing an integral role in the daily lives of the students in the School of Visual Arts. Lemeh earned a B.S. in studio art at Tennessee State University and an M.F.A. in painting and drawing at Penn State. She is now working on her dissertation in the Penn State art education doctoral program. She has exhibited work nationally and internationally, and is an active presenter at conferences across the country.
Contact: Kate Hoffman, kah39@psu.edu or 814.863.2104