Ithaca College

For our second week of Fine Artists at Five we are thrilled to be joined by: 

     dawn pierce - Monday, April 6

     Raul Palma - Tuesday, April 7

     Paloma Barhaugh-Bordas - Wednesday, April 8

     Dara Engler - Thursday, April 9

     Nicholas Walker - Friday, April 10

FA@5 is hosted by the Center for Faculty Excellencee 

Join us each day at this link:

https://ithaca.zoom.us/j/489986662?pwd=QUZDL1BXeHRDUHkwVkwraW92dkEzUT09

Mezzo-soprano dawn pierce is praised as both an exceptional performer and an empowering teacher. Reviewers laud her as “vocally impressive and dramatically convincing,” while students describe her teaching as “creative,” “energetic,” and “inspiring.” Ms. Pierce is experienced in a wide variety of styles. Examples of her roles in operas include Olga in Eugene Onegin with Opera Carolina, Marthe in Faust with Lyric Opera Baltimore, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana with Opera Tampa, Madelon and Bersi in Andrea Chenier with Nashville Opera, and the title role of Carmen at the Southern Illinois Music Festival. She is equally comfortable in musical theatre, where she portrayed Franca (The Light in the Piazza), The Grand Duchess (The Student Prince), and Anita (West Side Story). On the concert stage, she has earned rave reviews for her interpretation of the alto solos in Verdi's Requiem and Handel's Messiah. Ms. Pierce is a versatile educator, excelling as a private teacher, musical director and master class presenter.

Raul Palma’s work has appeared and is forthcoming in Alaska Quarterly Review, Chattahoochee Review, The Greensboro Review, Smokelong Quarterly, and The Sonora Review. The first chapter of his novel Manteca was distinguished/notable in Best American Short Stories (edited by Junot Diaz), and his short fiction was included in Best Small Fictions 2018 (selected by Aimee bender). His collection In These Cities of Ultraviolet Light was a finalist in Indiana Review’s Blue Light’s Book Prize, and a semi-finalist in the Iowa Short Fiction Prize. Dr. Palma’s work has been supported with fellowships and scholarships from the CubaOne Foundation, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, the Santa Fe Writer's Conference, Sewanee Writer's Conference, and Sundress Academy for the Arts. In the writing department, Dr. Palma serves as the faculty advisor to Stillwater magazine, and he coordinates the Writing Contest. 

Paloma Barhaugh-Bordas is a visual artist whose work adapts and appropriates the vernacular of the many regions she’s called home and traces the self-conscious search for cultural roots as a first-generation American. She states, “I construct landscapes that situate who I am in relation to where I am. My work, spanning print media, begins with photographs and drawings, often of plants, especially the houseplants that have traveled with me over the past decade, which have grown twisted and gnarled, recording in their own way the geographies we both have occupied… Like my plants, I am connected to my origins even in a foreign land, a fact which may only be visible to those who look like me or share my experience.… I am a first-generation Latinx American, raised by women who are survivors, providers, and experts in assimilation, with complex interpersonal relationships. Our shared history has influenced my education, work, opportunities, and continual search for a homeland, and my work shows our tradition of making a home by connecting with the land and growth.”

Dara Engler is a nationally recognized painter who has been included in numerous solo and small group exhibitions, juried exhibitions and private collections. Writing about her recent work, A Pirate’s Guide to Animals and Animus, Ms. Engler states, “My paintings are portraits of an alter ego, often rooted in exaggerations of my own experiences. Their loose narratives are allegorical, embracing human foible and the humor that comes with it. My interest in the figure lies in facing these awkward obstacles. My pirate-y anti-hero is full of curiosity and combative reverence for her natural environment. She is tracking animals, skinning squirrels, and learning to tie nets. Despite her adventurous nature, the pirate is subject to an awkward and fumbling learning curve. She approaches tasks in the least efficient way possible. As in any allegory, her trials are emblematic of our daily struggles.”

Nicholas Walker is an accomplished musician who brings a broad range of training and experience to the double bass: classical and jazz, modern and baroque, solo recitals and chamber ensembles. His enthusiasm and aptitude transcend arbitrary musical boundaries, and his exuberant and versatile performances have made him a sought-after performer in many styles. From 1995 to 2005 Walker worked as a freelance musician and band leader in NYC. He has been featured on two dozen CDs, three as a leader, and he has frequently been heard on NPR's Performance Today. Walker has played with many jazz masters, he has given solo bass recitals on four continents, and he has performed at music festivals worldwide. In addition, he is an inventive composer, who features the string bass in solo, chamber music, and improvisational contexts.