Creative Expressions: Shapes, Shadows and Structures - May 21, 2020

Creative Expressions: Shapes, Shadows and Structures

Thursday, May 21st, 5pm

 The SUNY Empire community has a rich and varied artist community.  Come and meet our “artists in residence” and learn a little about their creative expressions, their process, and them! Our artists will also host a Q&A session following their presentations. If you missed our previous sessions or cannot make it to a session, all are recorded and the videos can be found at this link .

Creative Expressions are live at 5pm every Thursday in Zoom at this link .

Featured this week: Duncan RyanMann, Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein, Jim McMahon, and students/alumni Diane Owens, Lisa Schnitzer, and Ashley Vanderhall.

Host: Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein

In this session, we will explore shapes formed on the potter’s wheel; shadows captured by the photographic lens, and structures created and friendships formed in the rebuilding of Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Duncan RyanMann (potter) earned a B.A. degree in liberal arts from The Evergreen State College and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania with concentrations in industrial organization, public finance, and health economics. Duncan has taught on the faculties of the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, and Williams College. He has also worked as a research analyst and manager in health programs for the Washington State government and the Medicaid program. His teaching and research interests include various aspects of health and medical markets including Patient Centered Medical Homes and Accountable Care Organizations, issues in sustainability and agriculture and higher education markets.

Duncan has consulted with the World Bank and the Washington State government on economic and policy issues in health care and with the U.S. Department of Education on the higher education market. He has consulted with the New York State Governor’s Office of Regulatory Reform on applications of cost benefit analysis.

Duncan’s undergraduate degree included courses in the visual and performing arts; drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and dance. Duncan’s mother and oldest daughter received extensive training in the arts and his mother created a number of pottery pieces in the late 1960s and very early 1970s. Duncan started taking pottery classes in the fall of 2016 and is eager to get back in the studio.

Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein (photographer) is currently a visiting associate professor in the Arts & Media Department at SUNY Empire State College’s School of Arts & Humanities. Lisa earned a B.A. in English & General Literature at Binghamton University (SUNY). She completed her M.S. and Ph.D. at Indiana University. Her dissertation analyzed the personal narratives of several female African‐American first-generation college students, focusing on how their ways of knowing and identity development related to their college success. She is co‐author of the book Piecing It Together: A Guide to Academic Success, published by Allyn & Bacon. She is a Past President of the National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA) having served on the Executive Board from 2003‐2006. In 2005, she received the Department of Defense, Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, and she is a 2013 recipient of the State University of New York’s Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service.

Lisa’s love of art and photography started when she was very young hanging out in her father’s art studio. While she does not have his talent for pen and ink, she developed skills in the areas of digital layout, digital storytelling, and photography.

Jim McMahon (Rebuild Puerto Rico) is the Student Service Coordinator at the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies in New York City. Jim received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the FORUM program of Empire State College at Central New York. Jim went on to earn a Master in Business Administration from Wagner College in Staten Island.    

Diane Owens (Rebuild Puerto Rico) resides in the small Village of Delevan, N.Y., and holds a B.A. in Business from Empire State College (Class of 2011). She is currently attending SUNY Empire State College for a second degree and will be graduating with a B.A. in the Arts with a concentration in Studio Art in 2020.

Lisa Schnitzer (Rebuild Puerto Rico) completed her bachelor’s degree in Business, Management and Economics at SUNY Empire State College last June (Class of 2019). At that point, I thought I was done with school forever, but a life-changing adventure in Puerto Rico inspired me to continue on at SUNY Empire State College for a Masters in Community & Economic Development with an Advanced Certificate in Workforce Development. I just finished my second semester of Graduate School at SUNY Empire State College. I am a single mom to an amazing 19 year old young woman, and I have worked for an insurance MGA for 18 years.

Ashley Vanderhall (Rebuild Puerto Rico) works as a paralegal for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and is currently completing her last class for her MBA in Management.  In addition to work and school, she is a full-time mom who is proud to teach her son the importance of education and helping others.