Cassandre Coyer

The Berkeley Beacon •

Junior raises money to help homeless men secure winter housing

Editor’s note: Continued coverage on this story can be found here. Junior Karigan Wright, like many students, walks by the 2 Boylston Place alley everyday when hustling through the crowded sidewalks to get to class. A couple of weeks ago, Wright noticed a homeless man standing by the alley entrance, telling every passerby to have a good day. “I had, like, passed by him a couple of times,” Wright said. “And every time he was like, ‘Have a good day.’ And I just thought that he was so sweet. So I
The Berkeley Beacon •

Sophomore brings victory to St. Louis team at international poetry competition

Sophomore Zack Lesmeister and the St. Louis team won the 2019 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, bringing home a brand new title for the city. Photo by Jakob Menendez / Beacon Staff Six teens sat cowered in a compact dorm room in Las Vegas, whispering poetry to each other for hours at a time so their competitors would not overhear. It’s a vital part of the St. Louis team’s strategy for the 2019 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival that led them to vi
The Berkeley Beacon •

Alumni ‘No Whites Allowed’ documentary exposes Emerson’s lack of diversity

Evan McDonald (left) and Jeru Berry (right) created 'No Whites Allowed' and the documentary won the Audience Award at Emerson's Film Festival. - Photo by Thomas Bloxham / Beacon Correspondent Evan McDonald ’18 joined comedy troupe Emerson Comedy Workshop in January 2016 as the first black man to ever join in its 40 years of existence. After acknowledging the lack of inclusion in comedy troupes at Emerson, McDonald said he needed to create a space for comedians of color. In fall 2016, McDonald
The Berkeley Beacon •

Artificial Intelligence takes over Media Art Gallery

Nonsensical sounds, intriguing oil paintings, and ambiguous misfortunes such as, “Your dreams are worth your best pants when you wish you’d given love a chance,” filled the Emerson Urban Arts Gallery on Feb. 14. But what surprised visitors entering the gallery is the artist—or artists—behind the pieces. The new exhibit, “Creative Work as Adversary: The AI and Machine Art,” was created by roboticist and artist Alexander Reben and an artificial intelligence computer. This collaboration between h
The Berkeley Beacon •

Former PA chair makes history at Hartford Stage

Former Department of Performing Arts Chair Melia Bensussen received an unexpected interview at Hartford Stage the day before she left for Barcelona, Spain on sabbatical. Three months later, she flew back to the United States, and the following morning she walked in for her second interview with the Hartford Stage’s Search Committee. The committee chose Bensussen over 84 other candidates, and the choice made history for Hartford Stage. In June, Bensussen will start as the first female artistic
The Berkeley Beacon •

Professors’ digital museum tells the unknown story of the banjo

The Banjo Project is a digital museum sharing the history and significance of the banjo in American culture. Photo courtesy of The Banjo Project “Give Me the Banjo” after a decade of researching and gathering content on the instrument’s history, he knew he hadn’t told the full story yet. In Fields’ earlier work, he completed several projects about early American culture and entertainment and repeatedly saw the same trend: the banjo. After the release of the PBS documentary in November 2011, F
The Berkeley Beacon •

Colleagues piece together late curator’s rare broadcast findings

“The Vision of Television” gallery features German art from the 1960s and 1970s and will run until January. • Maya Gacina / Beacon Staff with flashing wall projections of experimental media art, staticky television screens, and an unusual emotional charge on Nov. 15. for five years to gather the work of avant-garde artists who used broadcast television as a medium for art. The exhibit was not only the first one of the season, but also the first to follow , a gallery guide, received a packet