A Voice for the Arts - Dr. Mary Ann Culotta

Samford Art Education professor Dr. Mary Ann Culotta has made a positive impact locally, across the state of Alabama, and beyond in her career as a passionate advocate for arts education.

She started out as a fine art major at Samford specializing in painting/printmaking. During her senior year, her "wise advisor" counseled her toward teaching certification. She student taught at Brookwood Forest Elementary in Mountain Brook and Berry High School in Hoover and, in her words, "fell in love with teaching."

She began her career teaching art at Berry and moved into more and more influential administrative positions, eventually becoming director of all arts education for Jefferson County. In this position, she worked to overcome the lack of arts education in many Alabama schools. "I would meet with students in these schools, and they would show me sketchbooks filled with beautiful artwork, but their school did not have an art teacher, so they did not have anyone to show them how to develop their talent.”

She knew of Howard Gardner of Harvard and his theory of multiple intelligences, which proposes that there are many different learning strengths that humans can have, such as visual-spatial and musical, and she felt that children with these strengths were underserved by schools with no art programs to help them learn in the way most natural for them. Other studies have demonstrated that arts programs in schools can help improve test scores and self esteem and correct behavior problems, so Dr. Culotta made it her mission to give all students more access to arts education.

She succeeded in placing a music teacher in every school in Jefferson County. She and her art supervisor Jan Stephens pioneered a program called "Start With Art" in partnership with the Birmingham Museum of Art. In this program students are exposed to art from the museum's collection related to other subjects they are studying, such as a certain period in history. This relating of art to the students' broader educational experience has been shown to help their learning, and the program has become a model for similar programs in other states.

Dr. Culotta also succeeded in getting the state to pass legislation making arts study a requirement for high school graduation in Alabama and helped institute the Academies of Visual Art and Theatre at Shades Valley High School, which any student in Jefferson County can attend if accepted. The theatre academy is one of the top ten in the nation and its director, Roy Hudson, was 2008 Alabama Teacher of the Year.

As Art and Design Examiner for the International Baccalaureate Organization, Dr. Culotta evaluates journals and art works of students in schools throughout the Southeast and sends the scores to the organization's headquarters in Cardiff, Wales.

Dr. Culotta is also an arts advisor for Shelby County Arts Council and serves on the boards of Space One Eleven Art Gallery, Birmingham Children's Choir, and the Virginia Samford Theatre. At the Virginia Samford she helped launch the STARS (Students Take A Role at the Samford) program, which offers theatre classes to students from any area. Also under Roy Hudson's supervision, the students put on their own productions at the Samford, such as their recent productions of Jeckyll & Hyde and Les Miserables.

Dr. Culotta is the recipient of numerous awards for her work: Educator of the Year from the National Arts Education Association, Administrator of the Year from the Alabama Music Education Association, the Governor's Award for her achievements as a leader in the arts, and Proclamations from County Commissioners for the Jefferson County Music Festivals. "The first two awards are meaningful to me because they are from my peers," she says, "and the second two because they are from the community and help bring attention to the arts."

On a personal note, Dr. Culotta continues to create works of art using eclectic media, and some of her pieces can be seen at Jennifer Harwell Gallery in Birmingham. "Being an art teacher caused me to have to become an 'expert' in many media, and that influenced my work. I now consider myself a mixed-media artist rather than just a painter," she says. A current project involves painting on Victorian ceiling tiles she finds at antique and flea markets.

Her loves also include travel and cooking. "Travel gives you another perspective - it becomes part of you and melds into everything you do." She enjoys visits to national parks, galleries, and museums on her travels, calling them "spiritual experiences that open you to the bigger picture in life." Her love of cooking started during her time as an administrator, when her professional work didn't allow for much hands-on creativity. "Coming from an Italian family, I already had cooking in my blood, and during that time of my life, it gave me a creative outlet that I missed from when I was teaching and painting," she says. She is now a gourmet cook who invents her own recipes and uses her aesthetic sense to create artful presentation of the cuisine.

Now retired from her administrative duties for the county, Dr. Culotta is glad to be teaching classes at Samford, where she was first inspired to be an educator. "Samford stands apart because the teachers really care. A spirit of service prevails here that made me want to give back as well through teaching," she says.

View more photos of Dr. Culotta and her art on Flickr.

Underscoring a Message of Hope Mark Willard's compositions minister in church, in film and on CD

Mark Willard ('97) always loved music and felt called to ministry from the age of 16 when he led worship at his church's Wednesday night youth group meetings. Today he is answering that call as senior associate pastor of music at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, and through a unique ministry of the church, his talent for composition that he discovered and developed as a music major at Samford is reaching a far wider audience for the glory of God.

He entered Samford as a vocal performance major, but quickly found that his true passion was theory and composition. "I loved attending Samford," he says. "The professors, Dr. L. Gene Black, Dean Milburn Price, Rebecca Remley, John Parks, IV, Dr. Jim Jenson, Dr. Bill Bugg and Dr. Timothy P. Banks all were great influences on my musical development."

Then in 2000, he came to Sherwood Baptist with his wife, Katy (also a Samford music alum), to be orchestra director. Eight months later, he was asked to be worship pastor, the position he holds today, overseeing all aspects of worship for "those from age 3 to age 93."

In recent years, the pastoral staff and congregation at Sherwood felt a burden to try to make a wider positive impact on mainstream culture than was possible ministering in church alone. A poll by the Barna Research Group released in the early 2000s found that media such as movies and television were more influential on culture than any other means of communication. So after much prayer and deliberation, the church decided to start a Christian film production ministry. Because Willard was the musician on staff at the church, he was asked to write the scores for the films. "It was a challenge, but it was a way to use the compositional training I had received at Samford. This also fulfilled a dream I had been holding on to since high school," he says.

So far, Sherwood Pictures has released three films, Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof, all with scores by Willard. He says that he created the music for the first two films electronically, playing each instrument's part individually on a keyboard, recording them all and then mixing them together. For Fireproof, the church was able to hire the Nashville String Machine, a professional orchestra, to record the score. Willard says he found it gratifying to work with the orchestra because live players add nuances to the sound that electronic instruments cannot replicate.

Fireproof opened at number four in the nation in September 2008 showing in 839 theaters and was the highest grossing independent film of that year, earning $33 million and having cost only $500,000 to produce. The film's message of hope through Christ for troubled marriages has had widespread impact. According to the film's blog at http://fireproofthemovie.blogspot.com, director and co-writer Alex Kendrick (also on the pastoral staff at Sherwood Baptist) says that he hears testimonies every day from viewers whose lives have been changed by the story.

Fireproof's message also inspired Willard to write and record a collection of songs on a CD titled Choose Love. "I wanted to state my commitment musically, both to encourage others and to offer Katy assurance of my desire to love her unconditionally for the rest of my life. We have to choose to love, even when we don't feel like it, to make our marriages last," he says.

Willard says he is grateful to have been part of the process of composing for Sherwood productions. "Although my compositions are not being played...in concert halls, God is using [them] to underscore a message of hope that will change people's lives, and that, in my view, is far more valuable."

"Dream big," he says. "God fulfills the desire of your heart when you make Him your delight."

Bolding Memorial Rose Garden Honors Samford Arts Benefactor's Mother

A dedication ceremony for the new Gertha Itasca Earwood Bolding Memorial Rose Garden, a gift of Samford alumna and benefactor Bonnie Bolding Swearingen in memory of her mother, took place May 8 in the garden.

The rose garden, featuring a variety of roses, trees, a fountain, seating areas, and brick and stone walkways, is located adjacent to the entrance to Bonnie Bolding Swearingen Hall, named for Mrs. Swearingen in 2006 in gratitude for her generous support of Samford arts, scholarship, and the renovation of the building that houses Harrison Theatre and Bolding Studio.

The ceremony opened with a prayer by School of the Arts Dean Joseph Hopkins and remarks by Samford President Andrew Westmoreland. Mrs. Swearingen's sister, Margie Bolding, read aloud a fond description of their mother that she had written. "The rose, [my mother's] favorite flower, was her metaphor for life. She appreciated its beauty and understood its thorn. I'm sure my mother's humble prayer would be a wish for all who walk by the...garden to stop and smell the roses," she said.

Mrs. Swearingen then addressed the audience, speaking of her love of her alma mater and gratitude for the opportunities it provided her. She said that she won a scholarship to Samford (then Howard College) through the Miss Alabama Pageant, and that she thanks God for it every day. She said, "I love every blade of grass on this campus and have since the day I arrived," encouraging those in attendance to beautify the campus by planting roses in memory of their loved ones, as well.

A participant in Howard College theatre productions as an undergraduate, Mrs. Swearingen went on to a successful Hollywood acting career, earning several roles in television and film. She married John Swearingen, former chief executive officer of Standard Oil Indiana (now BP-Amoco Corporation) and became an active supporter of the arts in Chicago, where they resided.

The ceremony closed with a Samford student presentation of Feliciana Feydra LeRoux, a play written by Samford theatre professor Dr. Don Sandley based on the book by Tynia Thomassie, with music by Samford alumnus Matt Godfrey.

View photos from the ceremony on Flickr.

Music and Medicine Motivate Miss Alabama Amanda Tapley uses her talents to serve her community

For Miss Alabama 2008 Amanda Tapley music study and Samford University are family traditions.

Her mother and six of her aunts and uncles attended Samford, and Amanda came to the campus as a child to take piano lessons from her grandfather, Dr. Witold W. Turkiewicz, who was on the music faculty for over forty years. Now she is the Samford student, a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Music degree and using her talent to raise funds for childhood disease research as part of her Miss Alabama platform with the eventual goal of becoming a pediatric oncologist.

She had always hoped to attend Samford because of her family connection and because she wanted to study in a Christ-centered environment near her extended family of more than 30 cousins, who she says are like brothers and sisters to her. Samford also offered a unique degree program combining her love of music and medicine. "While my calling is to pursue a career in the medical field, I will always have a passion for music. It is truly a blessing to have the opportunity to prepare for medical school while furthering studies in music at Samford," she says.

A recipient of the Beeson Exceptional Scholarship to Samford, Amanda says she is grateful that her undergraduate expenses are not a burden on her family, but to earn funds for medical school, she decided to participate in scholarship pageant programs. She won the title of Miss Samford and then Miss Alabama having never before competed in pageants. "Growing up, I was a tomboy," she says. "Rough and tough and very competitive," she played football with her cousins and won state titles in tennis.

As Miss Alabama, she also competed in the Miss America pageant, placing in the top 15 finalists, and was second runner-up for the Quality of Life award. Prior to the pageant, this year's Miss America contestants were featured in a reality show on TLC called Miss America: Countdown to the Crown, in which they competed in team and individual challenges to earn one of fifteen golden sashes. Amanda was a "wildcard" golden sash winner and competed with the other sash winners in a final challenge, with the television audience choosing the winners. Amanda was one of the four "America's Choice" winners.

The Quality of Life Award is based upon community service. Amanda says that the community service aspect of the pageant was a key factor in her decision to compete. For her service platform, she chose to build on a fundraising effort for childhood disease research that she had begun in high school. In collaboration with her brother, also a musician, she had recorded a benefit CD of their favorite piano music that raised $4,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. As Miss Alabama she turned this into a project called "Music for a Cure," hosting and performing at concerts benefiting St. Jude and Children's Hospital of Birmingham that brought the total funds raised to over $27,000.

Amanda credits her studies in the music department at Samford as being a tremendous help in preparing her for pageant competition and her duties as Miss Alabama. The many opportunities she has had to perform in master classes, seminars and with the Samford Orchestra as a result of the Concerto-Aria Competition have given her more confidence in her piano playing. She also lists her grandfather; her current piano teacher, Dr. Sanders; and her voice teacher, Dr. Bugg as being important influences on her musical development. The voice training has been helpful to her as Miss Alabama, she says, because she frequently makes appearances at locations where there is no piano and is asked to sing instead of play.

"Music will always be my passion. Although my calling is to pursue a career in medicine, the gift of music will continually be an integral part of my life because of the influence and enthusiasm of such wonderful faculty members at Samford University," Amanda says.

A Firm Foundation for Full-Time Ministry Samford music training equips Chip Colee to lead worship at First Baptist Montgomery

Chip Colee ('90), minister of music at First Baptist Church of Montgomery, Alabama, wasn't originally planning to come to Samford. Then one day he visited the campus and was invited by an old family friend attending Samford to come to an A Cappella Choir rehearsal. "On hearing the first sounds coming from the choir, I knew immediately there was something very special about this place and that I wanted to be part of it. I never even visited another school after that," he says.

He had felt called to serve God in some specific way since the age of 10 and in high school began to see more clearly that the service would be in the field of music ministry. His music studies at Samford challenged him and prepared him for that service. The academic and musical standards at Samford were very high, he says, and he feels that the life lessons he learned, particularly from Dr. L. Gene Black, then School of Music Dean and director of the A Cappella Choir, had a profound impact on his life and ministry that shaped him "in incalculable ways."

"Dr. Black taught me about working with people and serving Christ and others with passion combined with excellence and humility. His standards and expectations were always very high, but he never gave up on me. Time and time again, he put me in a position to learn, grow and succeed," he says. Colee took on many leadership roles while at Samford: in choir, in student government, in his fraternity and as director of a Step Sing production. "The broad variety of leadership experiences I was afforded gave me a firm foundation of proven principles from which I still draw regularly," Colee says.

He also participated in ministry opportunities as an undergraduate which reinforced his desire to reach people for Christ. Through A Cappella Choir, he spent a summer using music as a tool on the mission field in Europe, which he says helped shape his Christian world view. And observing Samford graduates already at work in full-time ministry, such as Bob Hatfield, minister of music at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Birmingham, showed him the practical application of his classroom studies.

Colee attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, after graduating from Samford. Because of his broad-spectrum preparation and the excellence demanded by Samford's program, he says that his seminary studies were merely an extension of what he had already been doing.

In the spring of 2004, he was invited to be minister of music at First Baptist Church in Montgomery, a 180-year-old fellowship endowed with, in his words, "a wealth of talent and Christ-centered Kingdom leaders." The church has a goal of incorporating music into the discipleship of all its members, from the youngest to the oldest, he says. Its music ministries include youth choirs, adult choir, an orchestra and a school of fine arts. Colee loves that the church has a strong Samford connection. The pastor, Jay Wolf, and several members serve as Samford trustees, and many others in the church are supporters of the university.

Colee and his wife, a high school English and journalism teacher and a fellow Samford graduate, frequently tell young people they will get the highest quality education at Samford. "Samford is an experience that will prepare you for life and ministry and connect you to lifelong friendships too numerous to count. I am very thankful for the investment that Samford University made in my life," he says.