Art Students to Receive Annual Departmental Awards

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Eight students in the Department of Art have received 1998-99 departmental awards for their work.

Amy Luraschi of Kenmore, a senior in the Photography Program, was selected by the art department to receive the Rumsey Award.

Established through the generosity of Buffalo painter Evelyn Rumsey Lord, the award is to be used for travel for artistic and personal enrichment or for tuition assistance for a summer studio art program outside UB. Luraschi will use the $2,500 Rumsey award to travel to San Antonio, Texas, to visit maquiladores in Mexico, and examine their working and living conditions. She will work with the Labor Religion Coalition and the Coalition for Justice.

Michael Sferlazza of Williamsville, a senior in the Communication Design Program, has received the Sally Hoskins Potenza Memorial Scholarship. The Potenza scholarship was established by the family of Sally Potenza, who was a promising young painter pursuing graduate studies in the UB art department at the time of her death.

Katherine Sehr of Cornwall, a senior in the Painting Program, was selected to receive the Philip C. and Virginia Cuthbert Elliott Painting Scholarship for her outstanding ability and interest in the area of artistic painting. The cash award is based on the ability and overall merit of the student.

The scholarship was established with a grant from Virginia Cuthbert Elliott. She and her late husband, Philip C. Elliott, served for 30 years as artists and art educators in Western New York, including lengthy tenures at the Albright Art School and at its successor, the UB Department of Art.

From 1941-69, Philip Elliott served successively as director of the art school and the first chair of the UB art department. Virginia Elliott taught art at both institutions from 1941-61. Both were a strong force in shaping the UB art department during its formative years.

Christine Torre of Amherst, a senior in the bachelor's program in communication design, is this year's recipient of the Julius Bloom Memorial Scholarship for excellence in typographic study.

Toby Bloom Schoellkopf established the Bloom Scholarship in memory of her father, who worked for several well-known printing companies, had a lifelong interest in the typographic arts and helped organize the first international conference of typographical arts in the mid-1960s.

Sarah Morehouse of Rochester and Sophia Rasul of Queens, both of whom received bachelor of fine arts degrees in printmaking last month, are the recipients of the Eugene L. Gaier Printmaking Awards established last year by Gaier, UB professor emeritus of counseling and educational psychology who has had a long time interest in the arts.

John VanDerlinder of Wayland, a junior in the Illustration Program, is the recipient of the Eugene L. Gaier Excellence in Drawing Award.

Carlie Todoro of Orchard Park, who received a bachelor of fine arts degree in sculpture last month, received the Carl E. and Virginia W. Sentz Memorial Award.

May graduates Heather Kabza of Orchard Park and Athena Tsembelis of Grand Island were honored with the Dennis Domkowski Memorial Award, which is given to juniors or seniors in the Communication Design Program who show excellent potential for design. The award was established by the Professional Communicators of Western New York.