‘Artists never stop’: The UArts community remains hopeful for the future
A holiday party turned reunion brought added hope for the future of the closed university and its alumni.
On Friday, about six months after University of the Arts abruptly shut its doors, former professors, staff, and alumni gathered for a holiday party at the Fleisher Art Memorial, where they exchanged hugs, swapped stories over ales and punch, and joined hands over Christmas songs.
The shutdown, which came with just a week’s notice in June, forced thousands of students and educators into a tumultuous period of sudden unemployment, visa troubles, and trying to find institutions where they could finish their degrees. But come holiday season, the UArts community was looking for some joy.
“I’ve been on the verge of tears all night,” said former UArts musical theater student Carly Dagilis, 21. Since transferring to Temple, she hadn’t seen her former professors and mentors.
“It makes me so happy that this community exists, even though the school doesn’t. To see everyone come together is all I need.”
The year-end soiree brought together dozens of attendees, who caught up with each other and rejoiced at the cookie-making station.
Former UArts acting student Zoe Hollander, who graduates from Temple in the spring, said the ending of the semester would have felt “odd” without her UArts family. “These are all the things and the people that I was missing,” she said.
But for UArts alumnus Gary Hanna, the moment was far more bitter than it was sweet. The ’04 film and video production grad was saddened by the loss of some of his past professors and the school he cherished.
“It sounds morbid, but I go to these events hoping to see specific teachers. Certain people are missing, but I’m hoping to run into them one day,” he said.
The relatively low turnout, Hanna said, is likely because of the same frustrations. “I feel like people have other things on their mind,” he said. But with a new year on the horizon, he expects the UArts community to come together for a larger cause.
Michelle Wurtz, one of seven members of the UArts Alumni Council, said the holiday party is one of many ways she intends to reconnect the UArts community.
“We all have a shared love and shared tragedy,” said Wurtz, a ’90 dance grad, who wants to start a nonprofit to support the UArts alums, faculty, and staff. She dreams of reacquiring a UArts building and starting a new school.
She is confident there will be far more to celebrate in the near future.
“No matter what happens, we will remain a force,” Wurtz said. “Artists never stop, and you can’t stop art.”