Come Back

Life after Bennington (LAB) events

Offered throughout the academic year, LAB events bring together current students, alumni, and families to explore what it means to expose/present work to the world. Here are the panel discussions, talks, and presentations alumni have presented this year as part of LAB’s programming. 

• Creating a Life in Drama and Theater—Jonathan Marc Sherman ’90, Paul Cello ’92, and Max Wolkowitz ’09
• Ways to Make Music Work—Nathaniel Reichman ’98 and Sam Clement ’08
• Emerging Scientists at Work—Genelle Rankin ’15, Naima Starkloff ’15
• Careers in Nonprofit Management—Carol Oldham ’93
• Careers in Economics—Nejem Raheem ’94
• Consulting in Technology—Shymala Dason ’82
• Environmental Studies as a Career—Ben Underwood ’13
• Interviewing for Programmers—Klemente Gilbert-Espada ’14
• Professional Possibilities in Psychology— Adam Fisher ’79, Adam Feed ’08, and Amanda Sullivan ’09
• Writing for Film—Gloria Norris ’76
• The Working LIfe of an Artist—Mary Early ’97 and Nicole Czapinski ’06
• Making Words Work: Tips from the Publishing World—Jill Eisenstadt ’85

In Class

• Eve Sussman ’84 and Brooke Davis Anderson ’84 were invited to campus to speak as part of the College’s VISUAL ARTS LECTURE SERIES. The series features lectures by visiting arts professionals: artists, curators, historians, and critics that showcase the diversity of contemporary art practices.
• The CARRIAGE BARN CONCERT SERIES invites talented, innovative, and classically trained musicians to perform their work in the Deane Carriage Barn. Sarah Tenney ’71 and Kit Young ’76 performed this spring as part of the series.
• POETRY AT BENNINGTON invited three alums to campus to read their work and speak with students: Mary Ruefle ’74, James Allen Hall MFA ’00, and Safiya Sinclair ’10.
• Gennelle Rankin ’15 returned to campus in October as part of the College’s SCIENCE WORKSHOP.
• Megan Marshall ’75 taught The Queering of Elizabeth Bishop: A Master Class on Literary Biography in April and also gave a talk.
• In March, Joel Marsh Garland ’97 read the play Down on Griffin Alley to students studying Drama and the Advancement of Public Action.
• In February, Cori Olinghouse ’01 and Melinda Ring MFA ’01 participated in a weeklong dance residency, Moving with and as Objects.
• Jaamil Olawale Kosoko ’05 came back to CAPA to give a talk titled, “Black Male Fugitivity in the Wake of Loss” in May.
• Lizzie Curran ’10—Returned for an Evening with Master Book Conservators

Writing Fellows

Bennington’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing program developed a fellowship to bring back promising undergraduate and graduate alumni writers. BENNINGTON FELLOWS  give a reading, develop a class, and gain teaching experience by working with an MFA faculty member.

Reunion VAPA40

In the fall, the College welcomed alumni to campus for the ALL-CLASS REUNION. The following alumni presented work, lectures, or readings during the weekend.

• Grace Wapner ’55—Sit Still with a Presence
• Laurence Hyman ’64, Alex Brown ’74, James Allen Hall MFA ’00, and Chelsea Hodson MFA ’17—The Once and Future Bennington Review: Reborn at 50
• Babette Allina ’81—STEAM: Arts and Innovation in the 21st Century
• SJ Chiro ’87, Debra Eisenstadt ’91, Maria Rosenblum ’91, and Brian Katz ’92—The Work and Process of the Independent Filmmaker Today
• Bill Scully ’94—Tour of the Vermont Tissue Hydroelectric Redevelopment 
• Josh Blackwell ’95, Alex Huberty ’95, and Daniel Roberts MFA ’14—Runaways: Experimental Performance
• John Umphlett MFA ’99—Inflatable Space
• Bryn Mooser ’01—Virtual and Augmented Reality and The Brave New World
• Cori Olinghouse ’01, Nicole Pope Daunic ’03, Katie Marie Martin ’04, Jaamil Olawale Kosoko ’05, Zornitsa Stoyanova ’06, Marie Blocker Haas ’10, Joseph Poulson MFA ’11, and Emily Climer ’12—Alumni Dance Work and Group Improvisation 
• Odili Donald Odita MFA ’90, Lauren Seiden ’03, and Devin O’Brien Power ’05—VBS (violent burning sunset), Artist Talk
• Bruna Dantas Lobato ’15, Katie Foster ’15, and Tommy Melvin ’16—Bennington Translates, faculty session
• Nico Dregni ’16—42.921331, -73.241638
• Diane Cameron Pascone MFA ’99—We're the Jam in the Sandwich: Caregiving for Any Age
• Ian Dolton-Thornton ’11—The VAPA Reader: Creating a publication from the archives and reflections
• Maia Friedman ’09—Uni Ika Ai
• The Paths to the Entrepreneurial Life—Riva Magaril Poor ’56, David Zicarelli ’83, Brendon Blake ’92, Blaine Graboyes ’95, and Adnan Iftekhar ’97
• Architecture Pecha Kutcha—Annie Coggan-Crawford ’85, Kent Hikida ’85, Garrick Jones ’94, Josie Lawlor ’04, Viktorija Abolina ’05, Lawson Wulsin ’05, Sandra (Hanny) Ahern ’06, Jacob Perkins ’07, Kyle Schroeder ’09, Evie Garf ’11, Bobby DeLanghe ’13, and Chendru Starkloff ’13

THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF VAPA brought back several alumni residents throughout the fall season: Sally Dean ’99, Ariel Herwtiz ’05, Georgia Lassner ’09, Floryn Honnet ’13, Rainer Hunt ’13, Kaya Lovestrand ’14, Finn Murphy ’14, and Emma Villavecchia ’14.