College of Fine and Applied Arts

The Winston-Salem Journal has a piece on Appalachian adjunct professor Jack Martin, who teaches classes on sustainable transportation and resource management at the university. Martin’s hobby? Hypermiling. Read about him and his visit with NASCAR’s Carl Edwards here.

Catherine J. Smith Gallery and University Documentary Services at Appalachian State University present new documentary work by Victoria Kereszi. Kerezi’s documentary film “A Steady Grind,” will screen Wednesday, March 4 at 7 pm in the Belk Library and Information Commons Room 114.

“A junkyard is a nasty, nasty business and I was torn out of my own environment because it was my only way of survival” – Eloise Kerezi, in “A Steady Grind.”

The video documents Eloise Kerezi, the filmmaker’s grandmother, as she struggles to keep a 53-year-old family business alive through trials, tribulations, and tragedies. Eloise took over the junkyard after her husband, a former prize-fighter died. We watch as she describes her challenges managing the men who work for the yard, paying back taxes and reconciling her vision of herself as a homemaker and self described “lady of leisure” with her new persona as a junkyard owner.

The film is presented along with the exhibition “Joe’s Junkyard” in the Catherine J. Smith Gallery on campus. “Joe’s Junkyard” features 19 large color photographs of the family junkyard by Victoria Kerezi’s sister Lisa. The Kereszi sister’s junkyard images depict their family with honesty and integrity as they give visitors entry to intimate family moments.

About the filmmaker

Victoria Kereszi is an artist, photographer, documentary filmmaker, curator, community media organizer, and educator. Kereszi previously worked at Manhattan Neighborhood Network, and her arts and education work has taken her to Costa Rica and Cuba to work with youth to document their experiences of friendship and culture. In 2003, Kereszi received her MA from NYU’s Gallatin School with a concentration in Documentary Film and Gender Studies. She currently lives in Troy, New York where she is an MFA candidate at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Electronic Arts Department.

For more information about University Documentary Services, go to www.doc.appstate.edu. The Catherine J. Smith Gallery is located at 733 Rivers Street in Farthing Auditorium on the Appalachian State University campus in Boone, NC. Admission is free. Hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.art.appstate.edu/cjs or call 828-262-7338.

Beck will receive Appalachian’s Distinguished Alumni Award this spring…read it here.

Two Appalachian Communication graduates were recognized with regional Emmys…see it here.

Calvin Hall, professor of journalism in the Department of Communication, received a Foundation Fellows Grant from the university’s Hubbard Center his for activities related to pedagogical development and scholarly exploration of literary journalism during the summer 2009.

The grant allows him to engage in teaching and scholarly activities related the development of the course COM 3531, “Literary Journalism in Theory, Context and Practice: An Inquiry” scheduled for Fall 2009. He will attend the Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism in March, the International Conference for Literary Journalism Studies in May, and, if selected, attend the “Narrative Writing on Deadline” at the Poynter Institute in July.

Foundation Fellows Grants are given in amounts up to $5,000 for projects that provide significant support for a faculty member’s career development in teaching, scholarship or creative activity, or service. Such projects include development of new pedagogies, development of new fields or skills in scholarship or creative activity, development of university, community, or regional service projects, and innovative cross-disciplinary work in teaching, scholarship or creative activity, and/or service.

In support of Appalachian’s mission of scholarship–which includes instruction, research, creative, and service activities–the William C. Hubbard Center for Faculty Development fosters the professional growth of faculty through programs, services, and resources that promote significant learning experiences for students.