The College of Arts + Architecture (CoA+A) will honor five Distinguished Alumni on Friday, March 16, in the fourth annual celebration of alumni achievement. The awards ceremony will take place in the Anne R. Belk Theater in Robinson Hall at 11:30 am. The event is free and open to the public.
Representing each of the five departments of the College, the 2018 CoA+A Distinguished Alumni are
Architecture: Tim Keane (MS Architecture, 1997)
Art & Art History: Adé Hogue (BFA Graphic Design, 2012)
Dance: Melissa Pope (BCA Dance Education, 1980)
Music: Elizabeth Kowalski (BA Music, 2009)
Theatre: Craig Fincannon (BCA Theatre, 1977)
The Distinguished Alumni Awards were created by the College of Arts + Architecture in 2015 to recognize the accomplishments of alumni who demonstrate in their work the core themes of the College's vision: professionalism, global perspective, environmental engagement, connectivity with community, collaboration, and the emergence of new ideas, skills, and practices. Each department designates one Distinguished Alum annually, chosen by departmental faculty and administration.
BIOS
Tim Keane (MS Architecture, 1997) was appointed Commissioner of City Planning for the City of Atlanta by Mayor Kasim Reed on July 1, 2015. Tim is responsible for design, permitting, zoning, preservation, housing, community development and transportation planning in this role. Prior to this appointment, Tim was Director of Planning, Preservation and Sustainability for the City of Charleston, South Carolina, for 11 years. He worked for Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. on all matters related to planning, urban design, preservation, and economic development. Tim was also the first Planning Director for the Town of Davidson, North Carolina. In addition to his master’s degree in architecture, he holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from UNC Charlotte. Tim was a Knight Fellow at the University of Miami School of Architecture in 2001.
Adé Hogue (BFA Graphic Design, 2012) has a successful career in Chicago, where he has worked as a designer and art director with brands such as PayPal, eBay Inc., Nike, ALDI, Ocean Spray, Teavana, MilkPEP and more. He embarked on his ambitious path immediately upon graduation and began his career with PBJS, an experiential marketing agency. From there, he found employment with one of the creators of Cards Against Humanity, Max Temkin, as a part of his new company, Maxistentialism; Adé aided Max in the creation of the viral card game Slap .45. Next, he joined Weber Shandwick, a marketing and public relations firm, as an art director. Currently, Adé freelances full-time for a range of clients while teaching lettering at DePaul University. He has presented his personal work in exhibitions such as Typeforce, an annual juried showcase of typographic artists in Chicago. Further, he has been an invited speaker at design and creativity conferences, such as Top Con 2015 and Creative South 2017. In the fall of 2017 he was selected as one of PRINT Magazine’s New Visual Artists—an annual roundup of 15 of the best creatives today under 30. You can see a portfolio of his creative work at adehogue.com.
Melissa Pope (BCA Dance Education and BA Psychology, 1980) is a Charlotte native and, since 1995, the owner of Alternative Fitness Pilates. She is highly regarded in the Charlotte community as a Pilates teacher, business owner, dance advocate and community activist. Melissa has taught modern dance and anatomy/kinesiology and choreographed works for students at UNC Charlotte. She has also taught modern dance, composition, and ballet at Winthrop University and at Queens University of Charlotte. Melissa was a National Endowment for the Arts Dancer-in-Residence for the State of South Carolina. Through the years, she has performed and choreographed for Dance Central at Central Piedmont Community College. She has also performed as a guest in UNC Charlotte faculty dance concerts; with New Reflections Dance Theatre, directed by Gerda Zimmermann, professor emeritus and founder of the UNC Charlotte dance program; and with Brousseau Danceworks, including a shared concert with North Carolina Dance Theatre under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux. Melissa was a scholarship student at American Dance Festival and did summer study with Hanya Holm at Colorado College and Nancy Hauser in Minneapolis.
After graduating from UNC Charlotte, Elizabeth Kowalski (BA Music, 2009) completed a Master of Music in Composition at UNC Greensboro. Her compositions include concert music, as well as music for film and dance. In 2012, Moon Garden (for guitar and clarinet) received third prize in the National Music Teachers of North America (MTNA) Composition Competition. Another piece composed for cello, electronics, and dance, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, won the Dance Magazine award and was performed at the Kennedy Center in May of 2012. Following her graduate work, Elizabeth returned to Charlotte and founded the Charlotte New Music Festival, a two-week contemporary classical music workshop and concert series. Since its inaugural year in 2012, the Charlotte New Music Festival has presented more than 70 concerts that represent hundreds of premiere performances for many up and coming composers from around the world. Elizabeth is also a freelance performer, teaches at Central Piedmont Community College, and gives private lessons in piano, flute, and music composition.
Craig Fincannon (BCA Theatre, 1977) is President of Fincannon & Associates, Inc., a motion picture and television casting agency, which he established in 1979. With offices in Atlanta, New Orleans, and Wilmington, North Carolina, Fincannon & Associates boasts a resume of hundreds of film and TV projects around the world. In addition to his responsibilities as President of Fincannon & Associates, Craig is also a founding member of Cape Fear Filmworks, LLC, a small, independent production company producing documentaries, independent features, and the Why We Fight Now series for the US Army Special Forces. Craig is a charter member of the North Carolina Governor's Film Council, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the Casting Society of America.