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Impending Winter Storm

Due to the impending storm, all classes and activities at Kean’s main campus in Union, Kean Ocean and Kean Skylands will operate remotely on Sunday, January 25, and Monday, January 26. 

The University will observe a Winter Wellness Day on Tuesday, January 27, following the storm. Classes and activities will not run, and employees are not expected to work. 

Due to ongoing power problems at the Kean Ocean Gateway Building, all classes and activities at Kean Ocean will also be conducted remotely on Friday, January 23, and Saturday, January 24. This only applies to Kean Ocean. 

Only essential personnel should report to work as scheduled during the remote period or on Tuesday. Employees with questions about their status should consult their supervisor. 

Keanu’s Kitchen will remain open for residential students on the Union campus from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday. 

All vehicles parked on the Union campus must be relocated to the Vaughn-Eames overnight parking lot by 6 p.m. on Saturday to allow for storm cleanup. Vehicles parked elsewhere on campus are subject to relocation. 

Kean Alumna Helps Bring Eclipsed from Stage to Screen

Feb 28, 2017

Kean alumna Ayana Baraka is the Director of Photography for a new film, Behind the Curtain: Eclipsed, set to air on Centric TV March 1. Behind the curtain follows the journey of Eclipsed, a play written by The Walking Dead star Danai Gurira, from humble beginnings to Broadway.

Written, directed and starring African women, Eclipsed, was the first ever all female and Pan-African production on Broadway. The play sheds light on the Liberian Civil War and the peace workers that helped to end that conflict. Eclipsed was nominated for six Tony awards. 

“To see this play on Broadway was a magical experience and it was a proud moment for me to document this historical event, to take a peek behind the curtain at how this play came to be and why,” said Baraka. “Working on this project as a black female Director of Photography and creating images that people of diverse backgrounds can reference as they pursue their dreams is profound. I did not have images of someone like me existing in these spaces but someone else will.”

Ayana graduated from Kean in 2009 with a B.A. in Communication Studies. She went on to graduate from the USC School of Cinematic Arts film program and has an M.F.A. in Film and Television Production. She was awarded the 2016 award for Best Cinematography at the Victoria TX Independent Film Festival.

Ayana has worked as a cinematographer on several critically acclaimed documentaries and feature films including The Hunting Ground, one of the fifteen documentary films shortlisted for an Oscar nomination in 2015 in the Best Documentary Feature category. Both Behind the Curtain: Eclipsed and The Hunting Ground focus on marginalized groups, women empowering other women and sexual assault.  Ayana is passionate about creating work that is “self aware, vulnerable and honest” and uses film as a medium to “dissect humanity.”

“Connecting people and shedding light on our similarities has always been my favorite part about film making. These films are illuminating. They are inspiring. More importantly, they start the conversation,” said Baraka.  

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