BOCA RATON – Florida Atlantic University recently hosted the inauguration of its sixth president, Mary Jane Saunders, Ph.D. Sharing in the experience of the inauguration, themed “Making Waves: Celebrating and Cultivating Discovery, Diversity and Distinction,” were several faculty, staff and students with their creative contributions, as well as contributions from local artists.
“The amount of creative contributions that went into the inauguration was as impressive as it was meaningful,” said Saunders. “There is an abundance of creative talent at FAU, and I truly enjoyed experiencing how all of the arts came together to make this time all the more special for myself, my family and the community.”
The Origami Crane, consisting of 1,000 paper cranes representing a prayer for health, prosperity and good fortune, accompanied “Lessons Learned” in FAU’s Student Union lobby during the inauguration of FAU President Mary Jane Saunders.
At FAU’s Boca Raton campus, Angela DiCosola, professor of art, completed “Lessons Learned,” a mixed media piece that addressed the philosophy that through life’s lessons, people strive to become better and find peace prosperity and goodwill. Accompanying “Lessons Learned” in FAU’s Student Union lobby was the Origami Crane, consisting of 1,000 paper cranes representing a prayer for health, prosperity and good fortune.
Stuart Glazer, Ph.D., professor of music at FAU, commissioned two Emily Dickinson poems for FAU’s Mixed Chorus and Wind Ensemble for the occasion of Saunders’ inauguration. As the work’s world premiere, both of these poems, “A Little Road Not Made of Man” and “Angels in the Early Morning,” spoke to the spirituality, and the sense of awe and wonder that can be found in nature.
Book Arts 101: The Handmade Book in a Nutshell was printed and bound by FAU students and staff at the Jaffe Center for Book Arts. The cover is printed letterpress from the Center’s collection of historic 19th-century wood type. The bookmark is printed letterpress, by hand, from historic 19th-century wood type.
On behalf of Homecoming and the inauguration, various FAU student organizations painted windows in FAU’s Student Union and residence halls, and were awarded based on creativity by a panel of judges.
FAU’s Broward campuses’ creative contributions were highlighted at each Spirit Day event. And at FAU’s Treasure Coast campus, James Gibson, a member of the Florida Highwaymen, presented Saunders with a landscape painting created at a children’s art camp that took place in the summer at the campus. The students involved worked with the Florida Highwaymen, a group of 26 African-American artists who paint beautiful landscapes that display serene, undeveloped Florida.
Michael Metzner, a junior in the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College participated in the Undergraduate Research Symposium at FAU’s MacArthur Campus in Jupiter in two different categories, science and visual arts. A scientist, photographer and musician, Metzner presented “A Novel Approach to Brain Cancer Therapeutic Strategies” with supervising faculty member, Nicholas Quintyne, Ph.D. Metzner also displayed his digital photography, “Perceptions of Beauty,” which consisted of antique fans from the Hibel Museum collection, along with female subjects.
At the Community Leaders luncheon, he also provided musical entertainment with an original piano composition, “Only for you.”