Visual Arts
Freelance Photographer
Sharon
received her BA in Political Science in 1978. Following her graduation,
she attended workshops and seminars at the New England School of
Photography, and Kodak. Her clients include Brigham and Women's
Hospital, New Balance, Converse, and Holland and Knight. Sharon also
covers Boston area radio stations, WSKS, WBCN, WBMX, Weddings, Bar
Mitzvahs, and corporate functions. She is a member of the Watertown
Chamber of Commerce and was also a past president of the Watertown Boys
and Girls Club. Sharon has also participated on the Board of Directors
for the Women's Golf Association of Massachusetts. Additionally, Sharon
is a patron of the McMullen Museum, and a Parish Council member of the
St. James Armenian Church.
Donnamarie Floyd ‘88
Creative Director
Tired
of the long commute on the Mass Pike and the hours it took away from
her three young sons, Donnamarie Floyd left her position as one of New
England’s top digital effects Flame artists – and the world of BDA
award winning projects from the likes of ESPN, Discovery Channel, HGTV,
History Channel, TLC and Animal Planet – almost seven years ago, to
form her own corporate and executive presentations company called
ThelmaWorld.
Today, along with her writer-producer husband Jim,
Donnamarie creates large scale presentations that play on stages in
corporate destinations like Las Vegas, Chicago and Orlando, while also
handling production and post-production on videos designed for internal
communications, new product introductions and corporate training.
Her
client list includes some of New England’s better known companies –
John Hancock, Teradyne, Staples and Kronos – as well as up-and comers
like Insulet Corporation and other mid-market size corporations.
Interior Design/Former Music Educator
Mark is principal of Haddad Hakansson LLC providing full-service interior design to clients throughout New England and New York City. With over 20 years of combined experience in the design field, partners Mark Haddad and Kurt Hakansson's (’84) expertise complement a vast array of projects including space and color development, kitchen and bath design, furniture and fabric selection, custom window treatments, and the implementation and management of major remodeling and building projects. Skilled coordination with architects, builders, and craftsmen assures attention to every detail of design. One of Mark’s kitchen designs is featured in the current and upcoming issues of New England Home Magazine.
A Massachusetts
native, Mark received his B.A. in Psychology and completed an
Independent Major in Music. He also received a M.Ed. in Creative Arts
Education from Lesley University. Prior to beginning his own business
in 2001, Mark worked as a music teacher and school administrator as
well as a vocalist and musical director throughout the Boston area. He
continues to perform as a tenor in the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, the
official chorus of the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestras and
conducts the choir at The Church of St. John of Damascus in Dedham.
Rebecca Kowalski '98
Art Education/Studio Art
Bekki
was a Studio Arts Major at Boston College during which time she
developed a concentration in ceramics, and her senior project was an
installation of over 200 raku masks. After graduating, she completed a
year of service with the Marist Volunteer Program in Bronx, NY teaching
Art Education to three hundred k-8 students at Sacred Heart
Elementary/Middle School. She returned to Boston in 1999 to join the
Lawrence Family Development Charter School. She developed and taught
the school’s first k-8 art program to five hundred bilingual students.
In September of 2004 Bekki accepted a position as the 7th-8th grade Art
Teacher for the Randolph Community Middle School. In her four years at
RCMS, she has initiated winter and spring Fine Art Festivals and
founded an after school mural club. Bekki also served as the Director
of Arts & Crafts at Camp Marist in Ossipee, NH from 1999 to 2006.
Michele Meek '94
Screen Writer/Film Maker
Michele
Meek pioneered the development of NEFilm.com, the premiere resource for
indie filmmaking in the northeast in 1997, and founded BuyIndies.com,
an international community for buying and selling over 50,000
independent, educational and hard-to-find films. She has overseen
numerous web launches through her company Media Thinktank. Her
entrepreneurial successes have been lauded in Inc. Magazine, National
Public Radio, and The Boston Globe, and she has spoken on numerous
panels including the National Alliance for Media Arts & Culture,
Convergence at Tribeca, Global Entertainment Network Summit.
She
received the Duprey Screenwriting Award for her short script One More
Shot at Emerson College where she earned her MFA in writing. She has
written extensively on film and travel in publications such as
MovieMaker Magazine, WHERE Magazine, Bonjour Paris and indieWIRE. Her
poems have been published in the New Press Literary Quarterly, Hawaii
Pacific Review, and Beacon Street Review.
Respected as a young
entrepreneur and champion of independent film, she received the 2005
Baldwin Award for Alumni Recognition in Film & Video by Boston
College and the 2000 Image Award for Vision and Excellence by Women in
Film & Video New England.
Katie Chambers Press, '03
Gallery Administrator
After
graduating in 2003 with a degree in Art History, Katie accepted a
position at Francesca Anderson Fine Art, a gallery in Lexington, MA.
She served as the Gallery Assistant playing a major role in the daily
operations of the gallery, participating in curatorial work including
show design and construction as well as artist relations. In 2005, she
moved to the Philadelphia area and continued her gallery career at
McClees Galleries in Haverford, PA. Rather than interacting mostly
with artists, she dealt with a steady stream of dealers; visiting each
day to scope out new inventory or to showcase their latest find.
Between running the daily operations of the gallery and maintaining the
website, she was not only able to learn about how the secondary art
market worked but also about the restoration and conservation of
paintings. In the summer of 2007, she moved back to Boston and now
works at Renjeau Galleries in Natick, MA.
Mary Sherman '80
Painter
BA, Boston College; MFA, New York University
Mary
Sherman is the director and founder of the Boston based TransCultural
Exchange, a non-profit whose mission is to foster a greater
understanding of world cultures through high quality art projects,
cultural exchanges and related educational programming.
Ms.
Sherman has served as an artist-in-resident at institutions home and
abroad such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Taipei
Artist Village (Taiwan). She has served as a lecturer and critic on
contemporary art at institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston and the University of Chicago. As an artist, her works have been
exhibited widely both in the U.S. and abroad including at Harvard
University and the Istituto Universitario d’Architettura di Venezia,
Venice. She has curated shows for several museums such as the Trans
Hudson Gallery (NY) and the Boston Center for the Arts and is the
recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including from the
Massachusetts Cultural Council and the LEF Foundation. Her journal
credits include Art New England, The Chicago Sun-Times, WBUR and The
Boston Globe. She currently teaches at Boston College and Northeastern
University.
Bill Vareika '74
Gallery Owner
Bill
Vareika is an art gallery owner, specialist in 19th century American
art, writer, lecturer, community activist, preservationist, and
philanthropist. The William Vareika Fine Arts gallery has been
recognized as “Best of RI” by Rhode Island Monthly Magazine and “one of
the outstanding reasons to visit New England” by Yankee Magazine.
Bill Vareika has served on the boards of the Newport Art Museum, the
Redwood Library and Athenaeum, the Newport Music Festival, and Save The
Bay. He is a former Vice-Chairman of the RI State Council on the
Arts. In 2004, the Vareikas donated a collection of artworks by two of
their favorite 19th century American artists, John La Farge and William
Trost Richards, to the McMullen Museum of Art, where Bill is a member
of the Patrons Committee.
www.vareikafinearts.com
Literary Arts
Maureen Dezell
Journalist/Writer
A
former Boston Globe reporter, Maureen Dezell covered arts,
entertainment and local culture for 11 years at the Boston daily. She
was a staff writer for both the Boston Phoenix and the Boston Business
Journal, where she reported and wrote about the arts, business, health
care, women’s issues, local politics and urban social conflict. Maureen
is the author of the critically acclaimed book Irish America: Coming
Into Clover (Doubleday/Anchor 2002), and a freelance writer whose
articles have appeared in The New Republic, ARTNews and The New York
Times, Child among others. The inaugural recipient of the Heights
Alumni Achievement Award, she is now an independent writer, who teaches
journalism at Emerson College.
Tim Lemire '89
Writer
Tim
recieved a B.A. in English in 1989. He has nearly 20 years' experience
in the communications industry: in journalism, book publishing,
corporate communications, copy writing, and freelance editing. In 2006,
Slate.com voted his book "I'm An English Major -- Now What?" (Writer's
Digest Books, 2006) as #1 of all available career guides, calling it
"by far the most useful, as well as the most fun to read." Currently,
he is a proofreader for Fidelity Investments.
Carter Wilkie ’88 ½
Writer
As
an undergraduate, Carter Wilkie was a reporter and editorial writer for
The Heights and was the founding editor of the student opinion journal
Consensus. He put his writing and communications skills to work in a
career that has spanned politics and business. He was a speechwriter
for President Bill Clinton, producing speeches for the president’s
historic trip to Northern Ireland in 1995. Later, he served as a
communications strategist and policy advisor for Boston Mayor Thomas
Menino. He is co-author of Changing Places: Rebuilding Community in the
Age of Sprawl and his articles, essays and book reviews have appeared
in Blueprint, CommonWealth, The New Democrat and Preservation
magazines. He served as an aide to EMC Corporation CEO Joseph Tucci
from 2000 to 2005 before joining Bank of America, where he works today
as Senior Vice President in Corporate Communications. He lives with his
family three miles from the BC campus in Boston’s Roslindale
neighborhood.
Performing Arts
Ron Domingo '90
Actor
Ron
Domingo received an OBIE Award for his performance in the original
Off-Broadway production of The Romance of Magno Rubio. Ron was last
seen starring in The American Pilot at Manhattan Theatre Club. A
veteran stage actor, he has worked with many respected theater
companies including Long Wharf Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, The
Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company & Second Stage Theatre.
Mr. Domingo’s television appearances include Law & Order, SVU, CI,
& Trial By Jury, As The World Turns, Rescue Me & Kitchen
Confidential. Film credits include Tenderness starring Russell Crowe,
Robot Stories (Slamdance), The Motel (Sundance) and the lead role in
Slow Jam King. Commercials: Bud Light (Zagar), Wendy’s, Nextel,
Armstrong. AEA•SAG•AFTRA
Amy McLaughlin Lemerande '97
Actress/Theater Owner
Born
in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in the small town of Marshfield on
the South Shore, Amy was the last of five siblings to attend Boston
College where she majored in English and Theatre Arts. While at BC Amy
performed in many productions at Robsham theatre as well as spent the
summer of 1996 at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. After
graduating in May 1997, Amy worked at the Massachusetts Hospital School
in Canton where she taught theatre to disabled and terminally ill
children for two years. She then attended Trinity Rep Conservatory in
Providence, Rhode Island, and received her M.F.A. in Theatre Arts in
May 2002. While at Trinity, Amy spent her summers teaching drama at
Tufts Children’s Creative Arts Camp in Medford, MA. Upon graduating
from Trinity, Amy joined Shenandoah Shakespeare in Staunton, VA, where
she met her future husband and partner, Tyrus Lemerande. In 2003, Amy
and Ty founded Knighthorse Theatre Company, a non-profit organization
dedicated to bringing Shakespeare to students of all ages.
Specializing in one and two person adaptations of Shakespeare,
Knighthorse performs at schools, colleges, festivals and communities
across the country and around the world. For a list of productions and
workshops visit www.knighthorse.org.
Jere Shea ’87
Actor, Screenwriter, Coach, Arts Fundraiser, Consultant
Jere
Shea is currently working at the Museum of fine Arts, Boston soliciting
Major Gifts in support of the MFA’s historic $500 Million Campaign.
Jere has also worked as a consultant for Boson College’s Advancement
Office focusing on Donor Communications and Administrative Strategy. As
a Consultant and Coach, Jere has trained and advised actors from
Broadway to Beacon Hill for over a decade. Shea has starred in several
Broadway productions such as Guys and Dolls, Damn Yankees and Stephen Sondheim’s Passion
(Theater World Award, Tony Award Nomination, Drama Desk Nomination).
His Film and TV credits include “Passion” (PBS), “Path to Paradise”
(HBO), “Law and Order,” Bill Cosby’s “Cosby Mysteries,” and “A Season
in Purgatory” (CBS miniseries) with Brian Dennehy. Shea also starred
with Donnie Wahlburg in the Boston based feature film Southie
(Seattle Film Festival’s Best Film, 1998), and has narrated Lincoln’s
Gettysburg Address with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra.
He also appeared in the Nova/PBS documentary film The Most Dangerous Woman In America,
fall 2004 and is currently developing a screenplay. Mr. Shea, a former
Special Advisor to Governor Paul Cellucci, also offers Speech and
Presentation Skills Training to individuals in the world of business
and politics. He has served on the faculties of Emerson College and the
College of the Holy Cross, and has been a frequent Guest Lecturer at
his alma mater, Boston College.
Arts Administration
Maureen Donovan '78
Registrar & Director of Collections Management, Harvard University Art Museums
Maureen
Donovan graduated from Boston College in 1978, majoring in Art History
and English. A senior-year internship in the Department of European
Paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts focusing on exhibition planning
and management peaked her interest in museum work and in having direct
experience with works of art. After graduation, she began working in
the Registrar’s Office at the Fogg Art Museum as a brief respite before
applying to graduate school for an advanced degree in art history.
Quickly realizing she had found her niche, she has spent the last
twenty-nine years at the Harvard University Art Museums and today heads
the division of Collection Management. She is responsible for managing
the acquisitions, loans, exhibitions, inventory, exhibition design and
installation, collections care and art handling of over 250,000 works
of art.
Emily Hankle '03
Museum Administrator
Emily
Hankle recieved her B.A. in Art History and Theology from Boston
College in 2003. After working for Catholic Charities for a year and
volunteering at the Fogg Museum, she got her foot in the "museum world"
door thanks to fellow BC alumni and faculty. She is currently the Study
Room Supervisor at the Fogg where she started as an Inventory Assistant
in the Registrar's office before moving to the Mongan Center for
Prints, Drawings and Photographs. While at BC, Emily volunteered at the
McMullen Museum for four years, and worked as a research assistant in
the Art History Department. During her senior year she had an
internship at Gallery NAGA where she realized she wanted to work in an
art institution. She has completed course work for the Museum Studies
Certificate program at Tufts University.
Erin Haran MacCurtain '01
Arts Administrator
After
graduating from BC in 2001 with a degree in English, Erin held
positions in communications at the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and
in alumni relations at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
Currently, she is the Marketing Manager at From the Top, a non-profit
organization that showcases extraordinary young classical musicians
through its NPR and PBS series. While at BC, Erin was a member of the
BC Dance Ensemble and the University Chorale. One of the highlights of
Erin's BC experience was spending a semester studying in London, where
she interned at the Royal Opera House.
Carolyn Rock '05
Arts Administration
Carolyn
Rock, BC ’05 graduated with a major in History and minor in
International Studies. Her interest in arts administration began at BC
and continued to grow as she took an increasingly active role in the
Arts Festival. She worked in various production and marketing roles
all four years at BC, ultimately taking on the administrative assistant
position for the Arts Council her senior year. Currently, Carolyn is
in her third year working for the Boston Ballet Center for Dance
Education. In her capacity as the Registrar, Carolyn helps manage the
largest ballet school in North America.
Andrew Russell '00
Arts Administration/Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andrew
graduated from BC in 2000 with a degree in Theatre Arts and English.
During his undergrad, Andrew was a member of the Dramatics Society
Board, University Chorale, worked in the scene shop, and acted in many
Robsham Theatre Productions. He also completed the Abbey Theatre
Workshop, studying with Tomas MacAnna in Dublin. After graduation,
Andrew moved to New York and worked at ABC Television as a member of
their Integrated Marketing department, helping pioneer the art
of product placement across multiple daytime, news and primetime
series. After moving back to Boston, he worked in the marketing
department at WGBH, and helped with the national launch of the Curious
George television series. Currently, he is the Manager of Corporate
Sponsorships at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the largest orchestral
institution in the world.
