Honors Day Celebration is April 26

calendar icon19 Apr 2024    

Lincoln, Neb.--The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts will recognize faculty, staff, student and alumni achievement at its annual Honors Day dinner on Friday, April 26. The dinner is by invitation only.

This year’s awardees include:

• Alumni Achievement Award in Art:
Adrian Armstrong, B.F.A. 2014

Born in Omaha, Armstrong graduated with a B.F.A. in studio art (printmaking) in 2014 and since then has managed an ever-expanding and vibrant exhibition schedule. His multidisciplinary practice encompasses drawing, painting, installation, sound and other mixed media elements and documents the contemporary Black experiences in the United States. He is deeply interested in questions of how Black experiences intersect with the history of photography, portraiture and collage.

• Alumni Achievement Award in Music:
Lt. Col. Cristina M. Moore Urrutia, B.M. 1995, M.M. 1998

Lieutenant Colonel Cristina M. Moore Urrutia serves as Commander and Conductor of the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West at Travis Air Force Base in California. The 60-member unit, composed of 10 musical ensembles, performs more than 350 missions annually throughout a five-state area of responsibility as an ambassador of the Air Force and Air Mobility Command. The unit’s mission is to honor our nation and its military, inspire patriotism while invigorating the resilience of Airmen and their families, and connect with both the American public and vital regional and national partners to build trust and advocate for our nation’s strategic defense priorities.

• Alumni Achievement Award in Theatre and Film:
Katie Williams, B.F.A. 2012

Katie Williams works in the visual effects industry as a digital paint supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic’s Vancouver studio. ILM has been a mainstay in VFX for the last 49 years, receiving numerous Academy Awards, Emmys, BAFTAs, VES Awards, and Academy Sci-Tech Awards. Since joining ILM in 2019, Williams has contributed to over 35 film and television productions including “Star Wars: Episode IX,” “Black Widow,” “The Irishman,” and “The Mandalorian.” Williams advanced to a lead artist role in 2021 and later became a department supervisor in 2022. As a digital paint supervisor, she manages a team of artists across film, television, and commercial projects.

• Award of Merit:
Patrick Grim and Terri Watkins

Dr. Patrick Grim and Dr. L. Theresa Watkins created two annual funds in the School of Art, Art History & Design to encourage young artists. The first is the Elgas Promise Award, which recognizes an outstanding studio art student who is in their first or second year and has earned fewer than 40 credit hours in studio art. This was specifically created to recognize young, promising artists as nearly all other awards focus on students late in their studies. The second is the Elgas Project Grants. These grants, for up to $800 each, are available to undergraduate students to fund the creation of more expensive and ambitious projects. Both awards are named for Patrick’s father, Elgas Grim, who graduated from the University of Nebraska art department in the 1930s. The Elgas awards and Elgas Project Grants were first awarded in the spring of 2014, so this year marks the 10th anniversary of these important grants.

• Student Leadership Awards:
Ebben Blake, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Blake graduated in December with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in emerging media arts. They were an exemplary leader in both academic and student life. He worked with faculty on research projects, attended national conferences and professional events, and studied abroad in London. Blake was a creative technologist intern with the NEA-funded Black Public Media Artist Residencies in the summers of 2022 and 2023. They were selected by their faculty and peers to represent the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts on a panel at the 2022 Infinity Festival in Los Angeles.

Jewelya Coffey, School of Art, Art History & Design. Coffey is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting. She has served as a member of the Graduate Student Advisory Board and as the College Faculty student representative. She has also served as President of the Visual Artists in Practice Club. She has revitalized the school’s student-run Medici Gallery. Under her leadership, the gallery has become a source of new artwork, great energy and a revitalized community.

For a full list of this year’s winners, click below.