Glass

Back to Blog February 11, 2018

Tyler Glass alumni featured in Temple Super Bowl ad

Author: hjh

If you watched the broadcast of the Philadelphia Eagles’ big Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots last Sunday (or the episode of NBC’s “This Is Us” that immediately followed the game), you may have seen an ad for Temple University—and you may have noticed some familiar faces in the Tyler School of Art and Architecture family.

The one-minute advertisement, which aired soon after the game’s final whistle in the Philadelphia region, is part of a Temple campaign targeting prospective students. The spot showcases the many joys of living and learning in Philadelphia, including the city’s vibrant art scene, as exemplified by three lightning-quick scenes of glass-blowing and sculpting by members of the Tyler Glass community in the studio at East Falls Glassworks.

 

Associate Professor Sharyn O’Mara, head of Tyler’s Glass Program, saw the ad and immediately recognized three Tyler alumni: Mark Kennedy, who earned his BFA last month; Victoria Ahmadizadeh, Tyler BFA ‘10, who teaches in Glass; and 2017 MFA graduate Yixuan Pan, who was awarded Laurie Wagman Prize in Glass for her work and was placed on the “Pew Wish List” in artblog’s 2017 Liberta Awards in December.

“I was thrilled when I saw Mark, Victoria and Pan,” O’Mara said. “These are wonderful artists who exemplify the spirit of working with glass and the spirit of Tyler: collaboration, generosity and positivity.”

You can watch the ad here—the Tyler scenes begin after about 25 seconds.