Duncan Alexander was selected to receive the 2010 Fayez Sarofim Passion for the Arts Award from Southwestern. He received the award Feb. 20 at Southwestern’s annual Honors Convocation. 

The award is presented annually to the graduating senior who, regardless of major, has demonstrated throughout his or her entire undergraduate career at Southwestern an unusual passion for the arts. It was established in 2008 in honor of Fayez Sarofim, a Houston investment advisor and philanthropist for whom the Sarofim School of Fine Arts at Southwestern is named. Recipients are selected by the dean of the Sarofim School of Fine Arts from nominations submitted by members of the fine arts faculty and receive a cash prize to be used in any manner they choose to further their artistic goals.

Alexander graduated from Southwestern in December with a degree in studio art and a minor in art history. As a student at Southwestern, he was active in both studio art and theatre. After attending a theatre workshop on the use of digital media, he developed a passion for combining the worlds of digital video with traditional visual art forms. As a result, he was invited to create digital projections for the set of “The Color of Dissonance,” an opera composed and written by members of the Southwestern faculty that premiered in the spring of 2009. Alexander received an Austin Critics Table Award for his work on this production.

Alexander also received two King Creativity grants from Southwestern and had his work selected for two of the Art Department’s spring shows. He also worked as a graphic design intern for the university’s Office of Creative Services.

Alexander hopes to attend graduate school and continue producing art that has a multimedia component.