This new, regular feature recognizes the activities and honors received by ACC faculty and staff. To submit news or suggestions, see the contact information below.

Photographing Gotham

Sean Perry, adjunct professor of photography, was commissioned by New York magazine to photograph the city’s new Barclays Center. The photos accompanied the magazine’s lead story in August and were included in Billboard Magazine in September.

Perry said capturing the building while it was still under construction was a challenge. “I saw the building as a sci-fi exoskeleton,” he says. “I also liked the contrast of rust against sky and built the color palette in the photograph around that relationship.” Perry, who has taught at ACC since 2001, is producing three collections focusing on New York City architecture and cityscapes, “Monolith,” “Gotham,” and “Fotopolis.” Click here to view the Barclays Center photo.

Unearthing Lessons From the Past

For the past four summers, Steven Howard, adjunct assistant professor of anthropology, has been leading archaeological digs in the Allegheny Valley region of western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania. Howard leads a team of volunteers who dig, clean, and catalog artifacts that could help researchers understand the cultural changes that have occurred in the relatively isolated area.

“Many questions can be addressed through the project research,” Howard says. “What influences can be detected from other regions? How did past climate change affect the way people lived here?” Howard adds that a long-term goal for the project is to establish a public archaeology research facility where area residents and visitors can learn about the valley’s rich archaeological past. A native of the Olean, N.Y., Howard also is field director at the Gault archaeological site near Florence, Texas. He has taught at ACC since 2010.

Just Published

Two ACC faculty members are recently-published authors. W. Joe Hoppe‘s book “Diamond Plate” includes poems that draw upon his life and upbringing. A native of the rust-belt town of Jackson, Mich., Hoppe has degrees from Jackson Community College, the University of Michigan, and the University of Texas at Austin, where he was awarded a post-graduate fellowship with the James A. Michener Center for Writers. Hoppe has taught English and creative writing at ACC since 1996.

Darla Johnson, founder of ACC’s Dance Department and an adjunct professor, recently released “The Art of Listening: Intuition and Improvisation in Choreography.” Johnson’s book provides practical advice on rehearsal and performance etiquette, as well suggestions for engaging in the creative process. Johnson has taught dance and choreography at ACC since 1990.

Making Beautiful Music

ACC Associate Music Professor Sharon Davis was featured in the Austin Civic Orchestra’s first concert of the season. Davis, who has been the principal flutist with the orchestra for 14 years, performed a concerto by Franz Doppler. “I was so proud and happy to win the contest to perform my favorite concerto. Few instrumentalists are able to do something like that in their lives or careers,” she says.

Do you know a faculty or staff member who has accomplished something notable outside the classroom or in their community? We want to hear about them. Contact Jennifer Powers, [email protected].