PFW Gives Faculty the Opportunity to Express Themselves Through Art

By Bayley McDonald

Purdue Fort Wayne displayed artwork created by faculty members and put them up for sale, with all the proceeds going to the Department of Art and Design scholarships.

The “Creatives” art exhibition had an opening ceremony on Feb. 1 with 44 creative works by 22 members of the PFW community.

This was an exhibition specifically for faculty and staff who maintain some kind of creative practice outside of their work on campus. This exhibition includes drawings, paintings, fiber arts, photography, glass art, and wood art.

The exhibition was coordinated by Derek Decker, the director of the Visual Arts Gallery and a professor at PFW. Decker has taught at PFW since 2012 and is currently teaching two classes this semester on top of running gallery events.

“To show the community, as well as our students on campus, some of the ways that art can influence your life,” said Decker when discussing the importance of this event.

He also discussed how many of the staff members use art to de-stress and connect to their creative side, apart from their role or department on campus.

Decker believes that art can always impact your life in a beneficial way, even if you are not a professional, and that should be celebrated.

“Instead of just seeing them as your engineering professor…no, that engineering professor also likes to wood turn,” Decker stated. “He also has, like we all do, likes and hobbies outside of what we do.”

Decker also discussed how this exhibition is an important way to humanize PFW faculty, and for the students to see another side of them.

One of the artists, Bruce Kingsbury, discussed the importance of this event, and displayed his piece Modest Femme.

Kingsbury is currently a professor in the biology department, and previously served in other roles such as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and chair of biology.

However, he spends his free time creating unique artwork, like the one pictured here.

“It is a form of validation, that people appreciate what I do,” Kingsbury said. “I think they did a very good job and gave my piece some life.”

Kingsbury described this event as a great way to get to discuss his art with others as well as a great opportunity to bring people together and create interactions that benefit students and staff.

This event also benefits Kingsbury in another way. He said he experiences feelings of believing he should not share his art due to “imposter syndrome”. However, this event gives him an opportunity to experience people enjoying his artwork.

He also believes it has great impacts for students.

“I think it’s great for students to pursue their dreams, and this is a way that the college can help do that, and a way that I can help do that,” Kingsbury said after discussing how the proceeds from this event go to scholarships for PFW students.

These scholarships help current, or future, students pursue their passion for art. Just in the 2020-21 academic year, $91,213 were awarded from the Department of Arts and Design scholarships. 

Lauryn Wulliman, a communications student at PFW, was also in attendance at the opening of the exhibition.

“They get to put their artwork out there and to show the world, especially students…something that they have put their heart and soul into,” she said.

Wulliman believes that it is essential for students to see and experience art in a way they may not usually do. She thinks this is beneficial in general, but specifically to non-art majors.

Wulliman also said that this event was very enjoyable, and she plans on attending next year. She also hopes that more students will take the time to come look at the artwork and meet the artists next year.

The exhibition was open from Feb. 1 to Feb. 25. Since the exhibit is now over, the artwork is no longer up for sale and the remaining artwork has been returned to their artists.

 However, Decker reported that 16 pieces were sold from the “Creatives” exhibition. This totaled out to $1,199.04 put toward the Art & Design Student scholarship fund.

PFW Men’s Basketball Team Postseason Comes to an End

The Mastodons fought a tough battle in the Horizon League Quarterfinals, but fell short against number one seed Oakland University. The final score was 75-65.

The Mastodons started the game with a quick lead, but Oakland came back with a 13-0 run with 10:50 left in the first half. PFW cut the lead to 11 at half-time.

In the second half Oakland largest lead was 23 points. The Mastodons went on a late 14-2 run with 57 seconds left in the game. Quinton Morton-Robertson’s three-pointer cut Oaklands lead to six points.

Oakland hit clutch free throws to end off the game. The Mastodons had four players with double-digits scoring. Rasheed Bello led with 16 points, Jalen Jackson finished with 15 points, Anthony Roberts had 13 points on the night, and Morton-Robertson put up 10 points.

The Mastodons finished the season 21-12 and Oakland improved to 21-11.

Mastodons Win First Round Game Against Robert Morris

PFW Men’s Basketball team wins their first playoff game of the season on Tuesday Mar. 5.

The Mastodons started the game off hot. They went on a 14-0 run making their lead 18 points with seven minutes left in the half.

They shot 59.4% in the first half and Anthony Roberts gave us this amazing highlight:

Halfway through the second half Robert Morris cut the Mastodons lead to five points with a 15-1 run, but around the five minute mark PFW went on a 10-0 run closing out the game. The Mastodons were led by Quinton Morton-Robertson who finished the night with 17 points and Jalen Jackson who had 16 points.

PFW resumes play on Thursday Mar. 7 against number one seed Oakland University at 7 p.m. at Athletics Center O’rena.

The Mastodons Win Big On Senior Night

PFW Men’s Basketball team celebrates senior night with a win against Robert Morris. The final score was 83-65.

The Mastodons were led by senior Anthony Roberts who finished the night with 18 points and seven rebounds. He was also honored prior to the start of the game.

The first half of the game was close, the Mastodons only led by six points after 20 minutes of play.

The Mastodons gained a large lead in the second half and finished the 2023-2024 regular season off with 20 wins.

PFW improves to 20-11 and Robert Morris falls to 10-21. The Mastodons resume play on Tuesday Mar. 5 against Robert Morris for the first game of the Horizon League Tournament. The game will take place at 7 p.m. at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Also available to watch on ESPN+.

PFW Men’s Basketball Team Wins in Overtime Against Wright St.  

The Mastodons beat Wright St. in a must-see game. The final score was 79-77.

The game remained close throughout the first half. The Mastodons were only up five points at halftime.  

The second half of the game was also close. Quinton Morton-Robertson hit a big three with 31 seconds left in the game putting the Mastodons only down by two points. Rasheed Bello then hit two clutch free throws tying the game. Wright St. missed a three-pointer sending the game into overtime.

In overtime Maximus Nelson hits a big three-pointer putting the Mastodons up by two points. He finished the night with 12 points shooting four for six from the field.

Anthony Roberts seals the game with a block with five seconds left in overtime.

The Mastodons held Wright St. to one for eight shooting in overtime and their leading scorer was Jalen Jackson who finished with a career-high 27 points.

PFW improves to 19-11 and Wright St. falls to 17-13. The Mastodons are back in action Saturday Mar. 2 for Senior Night vs. Robert Morris at 7 p.m.

Newest Member Amesbury, Komets Come up Short at Home

Lindsay Burke |  February 4, 2024 

There was much excitement surrounding the Fort Wayne Komets this weekend as fans anticipated the debut of Daniel Amesbury as they hosted longtime division rival Kalamazoo Wings Sunday. 

Co-host of the Talkin Trash podcast, and formerly of the controversial Danbury Trashers, Amesbury puts the toughness on the ice whenever he suits up. 

Less than five minutes into the first period, he was in his first ECHL fight. 

Just before the intermission, Amesbury gave the crowd an enthusiastic “nobody is messin with Komets” to get his teammates fired up. This certainly kept the energy and anticipation building in the Coliseum. 

“That’s my kind of game. That’s the kind of hockey I bring, the energy I bring,” Amesbury said following the game. 

The Komets trailed the K-Wings early after a scoreless first period.

Jack Dugan tied it up early in the second period and Jake Chiasson tied it late after the Komets were trailing 2-1.

But the excitement decimated as the game went along and the Komets found themselves in a 4-2 hole into the third period. 

Kalamazoo capitalized late on a power play shortly after. The scoring certainly took place during the second period of this matchup. 

The K-Wings ended up holding on to the lead and defeated the Komets 4-2. This is the first time they have defeated them this season in five head to head matchups. 

It was clear that head coach Jesse Kallechy was thrilled with Amesbury’s arrival. “He came in and did his job,” he said. 

Despite the loss, the Komets have a lot of momentum and talent to build on. 

The season is halfway over and the push to the postseason is in full swing. The team is certainly in an ‘all hands on deck’ mode. Bringing in Amesbury proves that. 

The Komets return to action Wednesday as they head back on the road for a few games. 

For information on upcoming games and events, visit komets.com

PFW Men’s Basketball Fall Against Milwaukee 

The Mastodons lose a close game against the Milwaukee Panthers Sunday Feb. 25. The final score was 96-88. The game consisted of 10 ties and 14 lead changes.  

The first half of the game was very back and forth, and the score after 20 minutes was 40-39 the Panthers leading by one point.  

The Mastodons started the second half with an 8-0 run, and they gained a 10-point lead with 15:38 left in the game.  

The Panthers went on their own run and tied the game up 74-74 with 8:22 left in the game. Milwaukee held the lead for the remaining seven minutes after their guard Dominic Ham hit a three-pointer.  

The Mastodons leading scorer was Rasheed Bello who finished with 21 points shooting seven for 13 from the field. Quinton Morton-Robertson finished with 18 points and Jalen Jackson 16 points.  

PFW falls to 18-11 and Milwaukee improves to 15-14. The Mastodons next game is Wednesday Feb. 28 at seven p.m. against Wright State. The game can be watched at Nutter Center and on ESPN+.  

PFW Men’s Basketball Team Wins Against the Green Bay Phoenix

On Friday, Feb. 23, the Mastodons beat the Green Bay Phoenix. The final score was 85-59.  

They were led by guard Anthony Roberts who finished with 31 points, his highest as a Mastodon. He shot 11-17 five of those being three-pointers.  

The Mastodons started off hot, leading by 10 points with just five minutes of play. They held Green Bay to just 23 points at the half after one of their baskets was reviewed and overturned during half-time.

PFW shot 50.8% from the field and held Green Bay to 35% from the field. They also had the Mastodons score 10+ points including guard Jalen Jackson who finished with 17 points with eight for 15 from the field and guard Rasheed Bello with 16 points shooting six for nine from the field.  

The Mastodons improve to 18-10 and the Phoenix fall to 17-11. PFW resume play on Sunday, Feb. 25, with a rematch against the Milwaukee Panthers at three p.m. at UWM Panther Arena. The game is also available to watch on ESPN+.  

PFW Men’s Basketball Team Win Against Detroit Mercy

By Janiah Moore

PFW basketball team beat Detroit Mercy on Saturday Feb. 17. The final score was 83-69.

The Mastodons were led by guard Quinton Morton-Robertson with 24 points. He shot eight for 11 from the field, making five three-pointers. For the year, Morton-Robertson has made 80 three-pointers, making him number seven in program history.

The Mastodons held the lead for the entire first half, by 10 points after 20 minutes of play.

With 10:36 left in the game, the Detroit Mercy cut the lead to four points, but the Mastodons went on a 7-0 run only allowing Detroit to be within nine points for the remainder of the game.  

Four Mastodons scored double digits, including Jalen Jackson with 18 points and six assists, Rasheed Bello with 15 points and six rebounds, and Anthony Roberts with 13 points and six rebounds.  

The Mastodons improve to 17-10 and Detroit Mercy falls to 1-27. PFW face Green Bay Phoenix on Friday Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at Kress Events Center. The game is also available to watch on ESPN+. 

PFW Men’s Basketball Loses Against Oakland University

The Mastodons lost a close battle against the Golden Grizzlies last night. The final score was 71-63.  

The Mastodons were led by guard Rasheed Bello, who ended the night with 15 points shooting 7-10 from the field.  

PFW was down 10 points at half-time, and guard Anthony Roberts closed the half with a three-point buzzer beater. He finished with seven points and five rebounds.

In the second half, the Golden Grizzlies extended their lead to 13 points. The Mastodons then went on a 21-2 over seven minutes, allowing the Golden Grizzlies only four shot attempts.  

After the run, the Mastodons were up by four, but Oakland gained the lead back 62-60 with a minute left in the game. Their guard Jack Gohlke hit a 3-point dagger with 38 seconds left, making the score 65-60.  

PFW falls to 16-10 and Oakland University improves to 17-10. The Mastodons are back in action Saturday Feb. 17 against the Detroit Mercy at 1 p.m. The game can be watched at Calihan Hall in Detroit, Michigan, or on ESPN+.