Congratulations to DAH Administrative Secretary, Josh Kwassman, on ASCAP Award

Joshua Kwassman was recently awarded his second consecutive ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award for his piece, “The Nowhere Trail, Part I”. This twelve-minute piece features Joshua on melodica, alto and soprano saxophones, and clarinet, and makes unusual use of wordless voice. It was written for a six-piece ensemble, and was recognized with a cash award. There will be two ceremonies, as well, one of which will be held at Lincoln Center. The piece will be featured on Joshua’s upcoming album, Songs of the Brother Spirit, along with last year’s award-winner, “In Light There Is Song”.

Joshua is finishing his Master of Music coursework through the Steinhardt Jazz Graduate department at NYU. He has studied composition with renowned composer Richard Shemaria, as well as Gil Goldstein. He will give his Masters’ recital in room 779, 35 West 4th St, on Sunday, April 15th at 5PM. Open to the public.

www.joshuakwassman.com for more info!

New DAH Colleague

A New Academic Year Brings New Administrative Staff

I would like to begin by welcoming returning and new students, faculty and instructors to the 2011-2012 academic year in the Department of Art History. I hope your summers were everything you wanted them to be.

The season brought some bittersweet changes to the department.  Our wonderful Administrative Secretary and Department of Art History alumna, Maya Dean, upon earning her Master’s Degree in Social Science Education from the Steinhardt School, was offered a job in Queretaro, Mexico.  Maya left New York in early August to take up her new position at the JFK International School. She is now teaching History and Art History to high school students.

A few weeks after Maya’s news, our equally wonderful Administrative Aide, Hannah Thomas, who had just earned her MBA in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from the Stern School, announced that she, too, had been offered a new position.  Hannah left the department early this month for American Express, where she is now a Marketing Analyst.

Although we miss them and all that they brought to the department, we are thrilled for them and laud their accomplishments.

Please join me in welcoming our new Administrative Secretary, Joshua Kwassman, and our new Administrative Aide, Kate Conroy.

Joshua Kwassman

Josh is, likely, a familiar face to many of you, as he was a student worker in our Research Collections for the last year.  In addition, he is an active composer and performer within the New York jazz community. He has performed at some of the city’s most prestigious venues, including Lincoln Center and Symphony Space, as well as headlining for jazz festivals across the world. He was a 2011 recipient of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award and is currently producing his debut full-length album, which will feature seven compositions.  Josh received his BFA from the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.  He is currently completing his MA in Jazz Performance and Composition at NYU’s Steinhardt School.

Kate Conroy

An Art History major at the University of Massachusetts, Kate comes to us with impressive administrative background.  She has focused on production and operations in three diverse industries: independent film, corporate media development, and nonprofit arts.  She redirected to higher education, joining the Department of Art History after completing an MA in Arts Politics at NYU’s Tisch School.  Outside of her day job, Kate is a multi-modal research-based artist dedicated to community building, social justice, arts access, and the politics of humor.

Peggy Coon

Staff News

Thomaï Serdari, the Department of Art History’s Director of Research Collections, taught her eighth honors thesis seminar this fall.  She completed an MBA at the Stern School of Business (Class of 2009), where she received distinction for her work on valuation and financing of private companies.  Dr. Serdari has begun work on product and fashion design as well as luxury objects and the business of art.  She has completed assignments in the luxury retail sector advising companies on their business planning.  Dr. Serdari will teach “Entrepreneurship in the Business of Art” for the Department of Art History in May 2011, and she is designing a new class, “Modernity and Cultures of Excess in Fashion and Product Design,” which she’ll teach in spring 2012.  She is also working on a Harvard Business Case analyzing the business strategy of an internationally renowned art gallery.  She blogs regularly on topics related to private enterprise and entrepreneurship: http://thomaiserdari.blogspot.com.  Dr. Serdari is the Founder and Executive Director of Work Out Work Up Inc. a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building confidence in teens by subsidizing their gym memberships (www.workoutworkup.org).