Ventures Fall 2017 | Page 12

PRACTICAL ARTS For a look ahead at the 2017 theatre season, watch stevenson.edu/TheatreSeason. chronic illness, and Moody’s upper-level nursing students will play nurses interacting with this challenging scenario. “This is an excellent opportunity for acting students to create realistic characters and work on improvisation skills while nursing students will explore a ‘real-life’ patient and family situation,” he says. Looking ahead, Clark has spoken with Jeanne Geiger- Brown, Dean of the Berman School of Nursing and Health Professions, and Merrie Dermowicz, Dean of the Fine School of the Sciences, about programming an entire theatre season with math, science, and health care themes. For example, he suggests, issues of medical ethics, women in science, energy policy, and climate change might be possible areas to explore. “The key to successful arts programming is the connectivity with all areas of the university, thus providing a rich liberal arts experience for every SU student.” Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising This fall will see the merger of two creative and practical academic programs, fashion design and fashion merchandising, under one roof—literally and figuratively. Although both will remain separate degree programs, they will both be in the School of Design (formerly, fashion merchandising was in the School of Business and Leadership), reporting to Forest Bell, Interim Chair of Fashion Design and Merchandising. “Regarding these two fields of study, one does not exist without the other,” Bell says. “Now, we can take 10 | information and ideas through the entire fashion creation Now, both degrees are fine-tuned to teach students a and distribution process across both degrees and help balance of both the needed and wanted information that students better understand the role that each plays.” prepares them for a broad range of careers. Fashion design In addition to being a sound move for the curricula, positions can range from—among others—art director, today’s fashion industry also played a role in the decision. fashion writer, and trend forecaster to design product “With the changing speed in the fashion production developer, fashion illustrator, and costume designer. In timeline, designers and merchandisers must work in close the field of fashion merchandising, students can consider proximity to ensure that new design trends, customer working as a marketing manager, merchandise coordinator, needs, and production timelines are met,” explains showroom manager, stylist, and more. Bell. “This balance between examining past business “The merger of fashion design and fashion merchandising performance and adopting current and future trends that is a natural replication of common fashion and retail are essential to your target customer needs requires a fine environments,” says Bell. “By bringing these two degrees balance between quantitative and qualitative data. Each together in the School of Design we are offering students has degree holds an important element in data collection a real-world perspective and opening up the possibility for and analysis.” further and more in-depth collaborations.” VENTURES/FALL 2017