This morning Laura O’Neal, who graduated from GSA in ’98 in Dance and received her MFA from the University of Kentucky in painting, gave a presentation on her work as a visual artist—and dancer—for Visual Art Immersion Day. Much of Ms. O’Neal’s visual artwork is influenced by her background in dance, and she said that she hopes to entice the viewer into the ‘choreography’ of space as they move, either visually or physically, through, under, and around her installations or paintings. She will be teaching at the University of Kentucky in the fall and is currently choreographing a full-length ballet based on Dante’s Inferno and set to an original score composed by Nathaniel Craddock. Many of the students were working on interdisciplinary projects for the Final Day Performance Festival, so Laura O’Neal’s creative intertwining of dance and visual art was especially inspiring.

 The Visual Art Faculty taught three Smorgs today:

Experience the Living Figure—taught by Annabelle Wilson

Artist’s Book—taught by Susan Harrison

“Possibilities”—taught by Waseem Touma

The Vocal Musicians had a Masterclass today taught by Dr. Everett McCorvey, and in the evening Counselor Tara Niendam taught a well timed Stress and Relaxation Workshop which she promised would ensure every attendee a great night’s sleep.

Until tomorrow, this is GSA ’08 intern Laura Lamping Greenwell signing off.