Many immigrant families worked and lived behind the scenes at historic Bay Meadows in San Mateo, recently demolished to make way for luxury housing and high-end commercial space. The story of one of these families, during Bay Meadows’ final season, is told in a new documentary by Cinema alumna Tricia Creason-Valencia.

Alum Daniel Sullivan, the Tony Award winner who credits SF State for giving him the “theatre bug,” is directing “Twelfth Night” this summer at Shakespeare in the Park in New York City.

Teaching ceramics at SF State for nearly four decades, David Kuraoka has cemented a solid following in the art world, among art lovers, critics and students. This was on display recently in “Firing a Legacy: David Kuraoka and San Francisco State University,” at Pence Gallery in Davis.

Last year’s SF State collaboration on art and criminal justice in America is back to life, in the form of a Web site featuring video clips.

Alumna Mary Chun, conductor of the Earplay new music ensemble, recently showcased her unique skills playing a rarely used electric instrument called the ondes martenot.

There is a movement to build permanent, quasi-sovereign nations floating in international waters.

Alumna Michelle DeYoung, a Grammy winning mezzo-soprano, recently enjoyed several gigs with the San Francisco Symphony. Performing works by Schubert and Berg, DeYoung (attended ’89-’90) garnered acclaim from Bay Area classical music critics.

For the second consecutive week, Disney/Pixar’s “Up” is the No. 1 movie in America. Cinema alumnus Jonas Rivera is the critically acclaimed film’s producer, the latest SF State alum to achieve success in animation.

Check out the June 2009 edition of the Creative Arts E-Lert, the official e-mail newsletter of the SF State College of Creative Arts. This issue highlights the 24th annual Irving M. Klein International String Competition and InterHarmony International Music Festival. The newsletter also includes news on the winner of SF State’s Generations Jazz International Competition for Emerging Combos, Creative Arts’ top graduate in the class of 2009, and more.