February 08, 2017
Warner Bros. Art Director to Visit La Roche College
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 8, 2017 – Greg Weimerskirch, a motion-picture art director and production designer for Warner Bros. Studios, will visit La Roche University this February to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the Oscar-nominated film “Fences.”
Presented by the La Roche Literary Society, Mr. Weimerskirch’s presentation will begin at 7 p.m. in the Zappala College Center on Friday, Feb. 24. A 1990 graduate of La Roche’s interior design program, he has provided art direction for films such as “The Fault in Our Stars” and “American Pastoral,” and was nominated for Excellence in Production Design for the TV series “Seven Days.”
“It was a privilege to work with Denzel Washington on the making of ‘Fences,’” Mr. Weimerskirch said. “My admiration for August Wilson began in high school when I first read the play. To be able to help create August Wilson’s world – in my hometown, no less – and to work with such esteemed actors, is an experience that I may never be able to duplicate.”
For more than 25 years, Mr. Weimerskirch has contributed to noteworthy projects in architecture, urban design and motion-picture production design. His work involves the supervision and coordination of many technicians and craftspeople, in addition to the selection of filming locations, set design, graphic design, set construction, visual effects and budgeting. His work on “Fences” involved the extensive redesign of a Hill District neighborhood. In addition to showing film clips during his presentation at La Roche, Mr. Weimerskirch will exhibit set models and photographs.
The 2016 film, starring Denzel Washington, Viola Davis and Stephen Henderson, is based on the August Wilson play about an African-American man struggling with race relations while raising his family in 1950s America. The film has earned a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and four Oscar nominations, including Best Motion Picture of the Year.
The La Roche Literary Society was established in the early 1980s to provide a forum for scholarship and discussion on literature and other issues. For more information about the event, contact Sister Rita Yeasted, SFCC, Ph.D., at 412-536-1216 or rita.yeasted@laroche.edu.
Mr. Weimerskirch’s presentation is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. Please visit laroche.edu/fences to register.
About La Roche University: A private liberal arts college in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, La Roche University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, six graduate degree programs and one doctoral program, with particular strengths in education, business, criminal justice, psychology, and health and medical sciences as well as interior design and graphic design. This residential college provides a vibrant campus community for more than 1,500 men and women enjoying 30-plus student organizations and an exciting NCAA Div. III athletics program. Founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1963, La Roche University embraces its Catholic heritage while welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds. With a legacy of social justice and a commitment to international exchange, La Roche University educates students to be lifelong learners and achievers in an increasingly diverse and global society.
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