Falcon News In Brief: A bite-sized briefing of notable BGSU faculty, student and alumni news

Congratulations to faculty, students and alumni on recent accomplishments

Digital arts graduate Renea Kapelka '23 wins Athena Award

A recent BGSU digital arts graduate is the recipient of an Athena Award from one of the oldest women's art organizations in the nation. Renea Kapelka '23 earned the award, which is given by the Athena Art Society to two outstanding junior and senior female artists. Nominations are accepted from BGSU, the University of Toledo and Lourdes University. The artists are nominated by the faculty of their respective schools, and then the artists submit a portfolio and artist statement to the award committee to be judged. 

Kapelka graduated from BGSU with a BFA in Digital Art in Spring 2023. During her time at BGSU, she realized her love for story writing, character design and 3D art. She was treasurer and president of the Computer Art Club during her junior and senior years, respectively.

After graduation, she decided to hone her focus on 2D and 3D character design. She creates characters through digital sketching and painting and brings those ideas to fruition through 3D modeling. She intends to apply the skills she learned at BGSU to a job in the animation or video game industry.

Quince vocal quartet returns to BGSU for contemporary music concert

Quince, a contemporary vocal quartet featuring three BGSU alumnae, will perform a free concert at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14 at Bryan Recital Hall inside the College of Musical Arts. This event is sponsored by the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music (MACCM) and the Klingler ElectroAcoustic Residency (KEAR). Quince will also collaborate with student composers throughout the year, recording selected compositions during their return in April.

Known for redefining contemporary vocal chamber music, Quince specializes in showcasing living composers' works, expanding the genre's boundaries. They actively commission new pieces, emphasizing support for women and treble voices through the Quince New Music Commissioning Fund. Quince has an impressive history of performing at various festivals and venues globally, and their upcoming schedule includes performances at prestigious venues such as Merkin Hall, Eastman School of Music, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Bowling Green State University Music at the Forefront, KEAR Residency and Colorado College, among others.

Composed of three BGSU alumnae, including Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano), Liz Pearse (soprano), and Carrie Henneman Shaw (soprano) with Kayleigh Butcher (mezzo-soprano) rounding out the quartet, Quince is renowned for their musical versatility. They have released four studio albums and are preparing to launch their fifth album in March 2024.

For more information, reach out to MACCM at 419-372-2685 or kdoles@bgsu.edu.

Rentner's new book explores social issues in sport communication

Dr. Terry Rentner is marking the publication of her second book, "Social Issues in Sport Communication: You Make the Call." Published through the Routledge imprint of Taylor and Francis, this text is co-authored with David P. Burns of Salisbury University and combines theory with practical application in a collection of real-life, provocative case studies on social issues in sports.

Students and all readers are provided with the opportunity to "make the call" on ethical and professional dilemmas faced by a variety of sport and communication professionals. The book serves as a scholarly text for courses in sport communication, business, intercultural communication, public relations, journalism, media studies and sport management. Case studies in the book examine the successes and failures of communication in the corporate culture of sport intersecting with social issues including race, gender, religion, social media, mass media, public health and LGBTQ+ issues. 

Like Rentner's first book, "Case Studies in Sport Communication: You Make the Call (2019)," this book is appropriate for students, scholars, communication practitioners and the general public. A recipient of the BGSU Master Teacher Award in 2019, Rentner is a crisis, health communication, and sport communication scholar and developer of social norms programming at the University. Her work as a principal or co-investigator in college student health has led to over 20 state and federal grants totaling approximately $1.5 million. More information on her most recent book can be found here.

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