Architectural detail of the brick used to build Williams Hall

Mission

The University of Vermont’s School of the Arts is a community of students, faculty, staff, and loal partners who value, celebrate, and practice the creative process. Our faculty are artists/scholars: makers, historians, theorists, critics, and presenters. We offer a liberal arts approach to the study of the arts and humanities through small classes to students from varied backgrounds and experiences and include among our resources the world-class Fleming Museum and the internationally respected Lane Performing Arts Series. We welcome first-time artists as well as students well-practiced in their fields. We see the creative practice as a foundation for all other learning. As a home for intellectual curiosity and artistic innovation we encourage collaborations and learning across disciplines.  

History

The School of the Arts was instituted on July 1, 2022. The initiative was faculty-driven and inspired as a means by which we could increase collaborations across disciplines and better prepare our students through internships, new courses, and other professional development opportunities. The unity of the programs within the SoA aligns with contemporary art-making practices across the fine and performing arts.

Vision

The UVM School of the Arts works to expand its impact beyond the classroom and serve as an accessible artistic resource for the greater community. We are deeply invested in interrogating inequities in our curricula, pedagogies, practice, and infrastructures. Our vision is to create, study, present, and exhibit culturally resonant art, broaden perspectives, enhance contextual awareness, and apply that understanding to our work in the world.  

 

Leadership Team

 

Kelley Helmstutler Di Dio, Ph.D. (she/her)

  • Rush C. Hawkins Fund Professor, Art History
  • Executive Director, School of the Arts
  • Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Kelley.DiDio@uvm.edu

Pamela Fraser (she/her)

  • Associate Director for Student Success
  • Program Head of Art and Art History
  • Acting Program Head of Theater and Dance
  • Associate Professor of Art
  • Pamela.Fraser@uvm.edu

Yutaka Kono, DMA (he/his)

Professor Yutaka smiling with his orchestra students in the recital hall.
  • Associate Director for Outreach
  • Program Head of Music
  • Director of Orchestra
  • Associate Professor of Music
  • Yutaka.Kono@uvm.edu

Rob Shimko, Ph.D., Associate Director of Operations

Robert.Shimko@uvm.edu

  •  Program Head of Theatre & Dance
  •  Associate Professor of Theatre

Sonja Lunde, M.A. (she/her)

Natalie Neuert (she/her)

Natalie Neuert smiling in an outdoor setting with green trees in the background.
Administrative Team
NamePosition
Nicole Fleury Administrative Supervisor for the SoA
Shawn Corey (She/Her, They/Them) Administrative Coordinator
Ashleigh HowardAdministrative Coordinator ahoward9@uvm.edu (email)
Kelly DutraAdministrator
Andrea AquinoAdministrative Assistant
Kellie FleuryLane Series Manager Kellie.Fleury@uvm.edu (email)
Molly KurentLane Series Operations

 

Paul Decausemacker, Technical Studio Supervisor

Paul in the woodshop with a student at a piece of equipment

Sarah Bush, Costume Shop Supervisor

Sarah in profile against a field of yellow flowering plants

Wayne Tetrick, Marketing and Outreach Coordinator

portrait of Wayne against a gray background

Paddy Reagan, Sound and Light Engineer

Paddy in silhouette and shadow