The Lewis Center for the Arts and the Center for Career Development welcomed 18 young arts alumni back to campus for three career-focused Alumni Day events: Theater Alumni Day on May 1, Visual Arts Alumni Day on May 2 and Creative Writing Alumni Day on May 4, 2023. Alumni working professionally in creative writing, theater and visual arts met with students who are interested in pursuing careers in the arts, sharing their experiences forging career paths in professional arts industries and providing real-world advice.
Alumni Lydia Weintraub ‘18, Blair Hurley ‘09, Charlotte Maher Levy ‘16, and Adrienne Raphel ‘10 share their career journeys with participants of Creative Writing Alumni Day on May 4, 2023. Photo by Angel Gardner
Alumna Blair Hurley ‘09 shares her new novel, Minor Prophets, with participants of Creative Writing Alumni Day with Charlotte Maher Levy ‘16 on May 4, 2023. Photo by Angel Gardner
Alumna Lydia Weintraub ‘18 shares her career journey with participants of Creative Writing Alumni Day on May 4, 2023. Photo by Angel Gardner
Alumni from the Program in Theater participate in Arts at Work: Theater Alumni Day on May 1, 2023 in the Drapkin. Photo by Angel Gardner
Alumni from the Program in Theater participate in Arts at Work: Theater Alumni Day on May 1, 2023 in the Drapkin. Photo by Angel Gardner
Alumna Gabby Chu ‘18 shares examples of her work with participants of Visual Arts Alumni Day on May 2, 2023. Photo by Angel Gardner
Alumna Ogemdi Ude ‘16 discusses her career journey with current students on May 2, 2023. Photo by Angel Gardner
Alumnus Simon Wu ‘17 speaks with a current student about his visual arts career on May 2, 2023. Photo by Angel Gardner
Participating alumni from the theater program included director Changshuo Liu ’19, sound designer and musician Stan Mathabane ’17, playwright Esperanza Rosales ’17, freelance actor Avanthika Srinivasan ’16, playwright Emma Watkins ’17, freelance music director and composer Emily Whitaker ’15, artist and production manager Chamari White-Mink ’20, and freelance actor Eric Yang ’17.
The four creative writing alumni who met with students were Blair Hurley ’09, author of novels The Devoted and Minor Prophets; screenwriter and documentary television producer Charlotte Maher Levy ’16; writer Adrienne Raphel ’10, author of the poetry collections What Was It For and Our Dark Academia; and freelance writer and editor Lydia Weintraub ’18.
Alumni from the visual arts program included social media and marketing manager Gabriella (Gabby) Chu ’18; freelance artist Hudson Cooke ’19; Victor Guan ’21, designer and Assistant Art Editor at The New Yorker; photographer Sydney Mieko King ’17; Ogemdi Ude ’16, an educator, doula, and dance/interdisciplinary artist; and artist, writer and curator Simon Wu ’17.
Sessions were moderated by Director of Theater and Professor of the Practice Jane Cox, Lecturer in Creative Writing Michael Dickman, and Lecturer in Visual Arts and Princeton alum Lex Brown ’12.
