Internationally renowned artist and Tyler alum William Villalongo (MFA '01) has been recognized as a 2024 Temple University Gallery of Success honoree. Now in its 26th year, the Gallery of Success celebrates outstanding professional achievement, honoring the accomplishments of esteemed alumni across Temple’s 17 Schools and Colleges.
Villalongo's figurative paintings, works on paper and sculpture represent the Black subject against notions of race, exploring metaphors of mythology and liberation. He is a recipient of the prestigious Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptor's Grant and the Hassam, Speicher, Betts and Symons Purchase Fund from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Villalongo's work is in several notable collections, including the Studio Museum in Harlem, Whitney Museum of American Art, Princeton University Art Museum, El Museo del Barrio, and the National Gallery of Art. Read more.
Tyler Community Development alum Evan Wise (BS '18) and Painting and Drawing alum Daniel Clark (BFA '17) have been named a 2024 Temple University 30 Under 30 awardee. Since 2019, the awards program has showcased remarkable alumni who make a difference in their communities and chosen fields. The 2024 cohort will be formally recognized during Temple Made Days on April 1–6.
Growing up in a religious family in Central Pennsylvania, Wise suffered as he kept his gender dysphoria a secret. When he came out as transgender at Temple, his family severed all ties. He found support in Philadelphia, and now helps make the world a better place at the intersection of data analysis and community development. Wise has worked for firms such as PolicyMap and Fourth Economy, striving to make the transportation, housing, and economic conditions of local communities more equitable. He now serves as a Data Analyst for the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission. Read more.
Daniel Clark's fascination with older objects began with childhood visits to his grandparents’ house, where he became mesmerized by the crystal chandelier and collection of pocket watches. Growing up in Narberth, PA, he was surrounded by Victorian homes and old estates of the Main Line, and began working as a landscaper on the property of one estate called Maybrook. It was there when he restored his first piece of antique furniture. Clark’s first job out of college was with Materials Conservation, one of the top conservation firms in Philadelphia. While there, he helped manage historic sites and collections, painted the ceiling in Philadelphia’s City Hall, preserved the city’s public artwork, and cleaned up the midcentury murals near Temple’s Speakman Hall. Last February, he started D.P. Clark Studio, which aims to conserve historic artistic objects and structures. Read more.