Arts & Culture

Student Artist Spotlight: Alexa Miller

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On Nov. 15, Alexa Miller ’25, a BFA student from Long Island, brought me to her studio in Tjaden Hall to talk about her art. From the moment I stepped into her domain, the walls and floor littered with brightly colored, eye-catching pieces, I was in awe of Miller’s command of color and material. We sat down and she told me about her artistic background, her evolution since coming to Cornell, and how art connects her to her heritage. Miller identified her kindergarten years as the catalyst for her creativity.

Arts & Culture

Student Artist Spotlight: Havily Nwakuche

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Courtesy of Havily Nwakuche

I visited Tjaden Hall once again on Oct. 31 to sit down and talk art with senior BFA student Havily Nwakuche ’25. With her graduation looming in the near future, Nwakuche reflected on how both she and her art have grown since coming to Cornell. Growing up near a library that offered community art projects and always loving art in school, Nwakuche really started getting serious about her craft in her senior year of high school. Now, her main focus is the impact that art has on viewers and the power it has to exert external influence, rather than just existing as an idea or passive object.

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A Songstress and Her Six-String

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Finding multi-talented individuals at Cornell may seem like an easy feat, but the kind of musical talent and finesse that characterizes Juliana Richer Daily ’10 comes as a quite a surprise. A jack of all trades, Juliana spends her time either in the studio working on various design projects prescribed by her design and environmental analysis major, hanging out at her sorority, playing lacrosse, taking photos for the yearbook or writing and performing songs on her guitar. These songs have found their way onto YouTube at Juliana’s personal site (www.youtube.com/julianaeveryday) and found fans both here in Ithaca as well as across the country. These songs have also been and continue to be performed regularly at The Nines’ open mic night on Sundays.

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Student Artist Spotlight: Jon Wong '08

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With all the talk these days of what qualifies a pop star (Pussycat Dolls anyone?), Cornell’s own alumnus Jonathan Wong ’08 has returned to his alma mater to show us how it’s done. Wong was awarded the Cornell Council for the Arts Undergraduate Artist Award, which goes to an individual who demonstrates talent in multiple fields. Wong is currently living in Hong Kong where he is working on a pop album to be released this summer; in conjunction with the album, he is also choreographing his own routines and writing his own songs. Jon Wong sat down with the Sun to speak about his time here on the hill and his future as a dancer, singer and performer.

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Student Artist Spotlight: Ian Goldin '12

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Loquacious in personality and modest despite his numerous achievements, Ian Goldin ’12 has experimented with nearly every musical instrument designed, plays in the Percussion Ensemble, sings in the Cornell University Glee Club and is a member of The Hangovers. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s also recently been elected Musical Director of The Hangovers, a rare honor for a freshman. As he begins by quipping “Ian Goldin needs a haircut; make sure you put that in!” this “Superhero” talks about his interests in music and what it means to be a member of The Hangovers.
Sun: Ian Goldin the Superhero. Tell me how you got that title?

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Student Artist Spotlight: Adrianne Ngam '13

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A self-confessed “music nerd”, Adrianne Ngam ’13 loves to find humor in every little thing she does, be it playing doo-wop beats on the cello or designing a soaring skyscraper, and considers music more personal than professional. Sitting across a table in The Green Dragon, every architect’s favorite hangout spot, this winner of the fifth annual Cornell Concerto Competition and guest performer at the Cornell Symphony Orchestra’s recent concert talks about her passion, her profession and their confluence.
Sun: What was it about the cello that attracted you?

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Student Artist Spotlight: Constanza Ontaneda '09

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As her fellow seniors scramble to secure jobs in an ever-dwindling economy, Fiber Science and Apparel Design major Constanza Ontaneda ’09 is forging her own path. A designer who grew up in places as divergent as Romania and Brazil, she’s already started her own international business, Bernales & Goretti, which imports fair-wage clothing made in Peru to be sold in the United States. The Sun sat down with Ontaneda in Risley Hall to discuss her passion for fashion, how she hopes to change Peru and her plans after school.
The Sun: How did you get started in design?

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Student Artist Spotlight: Eva Kestner '09

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At just under five feet in height, Eva Kestner ’09 is one diminutive powder keg. A founding member and now music director of Yamatai, the Cornell taiko group, she not only plays the taiko, an instrument that demands immense strength and flexibility, but has also trained on the piano and timpani and is now teaching herself the guitar. Standing in the basement of her favourite haunt, Lincoln Hall, this soon to be professional taiko player (and member of the Japanese taiko group Bonten) talks about her journey as an artist, her influences and inspirations and the future of taiko music.

Sun: How did you get involved in Taiko?