Spring Visual & Performing Arts Awards

Chloe Rosenkrantz is an Art History major with a minor in American Sign Language. She has been an active UCCS Mock Trial Association member for four years, serving as secretary, vice president, and president. Chloe has also served on the Student Government Association as Senator of the Arts and Speaker Pro Tempore, focusing on bringing students together with events such as getting more meals to the Mountain Lion Meals program, Friendsgiving, Student Night with Theatreworks, and ClydeCon supporting the student needs closet on campus. Next year, she will be attending New York Law School to pursue Intellectual Property and hopes to help her community more in the future.

Savannah Freyler is an English major and film studies minor, and is graduating summa cum laude this semester. During her time as an undergraduate student at UCCS, she interned for the Independent Film Society of Colorado, served as the Co-President of the UCCS Student Film Club and helped organize the 22nd Annual UCCS Student Short Film Festival. Savannah has also contributed to the 49th volume of riverrun Literary and Arts journal as a writer and editor.   Savannah’s focus is the films and women of the classical Hollywood period and she has been researching and writing about Anne Bancroft, her life and legacy, since 2018. In addition to online publications such as Bright Wall/Dark Room, you can find Savannah’s work on and through her website garbo-talks.com. She hopes to pursue a career as a film historian, and on life, she offers up the words of C. C. Baxter: “That’s just the way it crumbles, cookie-wise.” We proudly recognize Savannah and her multiple achievements for this award. Savannah is an exceptionally gifted and perceptive writer, scholar and person, and we very much look forward to reading her work for many years.

Becky Bruner is a Communication and Film Studies double major. This August Becky will begin her MFA in the School of the Arts at the University of North Carolina.  Film Studies is delighted to present Becky with this award because of her remarkable contributions and commitments that include her work as Co-President of the UCCS Student Film Club for two years during which she co-organized UCCS’s student-led Short Film Festival. Becky has built connections with filmmakers from NYC to LA, and has also served as our Film Studies Representative on VAPA council.  Becky previously worked with The Denver Film Society on the Denver Film Festival and Seriesfest. She has also been working with the Annapolis Film Society on the Annapolis Film Festival as well as other FILMSTERS projects. While Becky’s next steps excite her, she remains grateful for the many opportunities she experienced at UCCS and in Film Studies.

Rachel says she declared the Museum Studies and Gallery Practice as her major because she grew up with museums as her my classroom role model. She explains “as an undergraduate, I dedicated my work to giving back to the world of museums.” She acted as the Museum Studies Gallery Practice representative on the Visual and Performing Arts Council as sophomore. In that position, she curated a student-spotlighted gallery and helped develop an exhibit that was later installed at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry.  As a junior, she completed an internship with The Galleries of Contemporary Art under former director Daisy McGowan and received a position working with the gallery in the August of 2022. In the classroom, she worked on restoring artifacts, securing textiles at The Colorado Springs Pioneer's Museum, and proposing accession and deaccession of objects. She plans to take her expertise overseas upon graduation to explore the museum industry. She says, “I am eternally grateful to all who have helped me on the journey.”

Steven Andrew Vertucci is completing his Music B.A. at UCCS, studying music performance, composition, and production with an emphasis on voice. During his time at UCCS, Steven has learned a wealth of knowledge and technique from all of his professors, including his private lessons with Colin McAllister, Haleh Abghari, and Yvonne Wu. Steven has been chosen as the Spring 2023 Outstanding Music Student for his many contributions to the program during his time here: he is a versatile multi-instrumentalist who has performed in many ensembles and recitals as a singer, guitarist, bassist and pianist; his academic performance has been excellent; and he has been an integral part of our music community.

Seth Lindsey exemplifies excellence in theatre.  He is an actor, a director, a member of the Chancellor's Leadership Class, a London theatre scholar, a Theatreworks board member, and a 2023 recipient of the UCCS Student Achievement Award. All this, while maintaining the highest GPA in the Theatre and Dance program.    More importantly, Mr. Lindsey is a kind, gentle, and altruistic human, always present to help, to listen and to mentor.  As a student tour guide, he was often the first person that incoming students saw when considering UCCS.  In that way, he is an ambassador for the arts and, indeed, for all of UCCS.  In a college tenure that was filled with global, national and personal challenge, Seth Lindsey’s smile and optimism was a model to us all.   We will miss his presence at the university, but know that he will forever be an ambassador, as he spreads his excellence and influence beyond the bounds of his alma mater.

Over the course of her time at UCCS, Tran Nguyen has tackled all academic and artistic challenges with remarkable ambition, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. Characterized by many as ‘quiet,’ Tran’s sharp intelligence, subtle sense of humor, and keen eye are quickly apparent to whoever takes the time to talk with her. As a student within the Visual Art program, she has created an impressive and wide-ranging portfolio of art that includes painting, drawing, sculpture, installation art, video and animation addressing themes of spirituality, cultural identity, memory and nature.  One of Tran's greatest qualities as a student and person is that she is not afraid to fail. Her creative practice is characterized by a bold willingness to experiment with materials, try new media, and work with unusual styles and processes. And her willingness to think about the philosophical implications of her work, its place within visual culture, and its pertinence to others, is especially impressive. Because of the quality of both her character and her artwork, Visual Art is proud to recognize her as this graduating class’s Most Outstanding Student. 

Provided by generous support from the Landis family, this award is given to select students who will be traveling to New Your, London, or other artistically focused cities for study and internships.

Provided by generous support from the Landis family, this award is given to select students who will be traveling to New Your, London, or other artistically focused cities for study and internships.