Office for the Arts Announces ARTS FIRST Grants

The Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA) supports direct student involvement in the arts to integrate creative thinking and expression into the undergraduate educational experience.

Harvard students are embarking on a wide array of innovative artistic projects funded by the Office for the Arts, to be presented at ARTS FIRST, May 4-7, 2000. The Harvard Council on the Arts awarded 20 ARTS FIRST 2000 grants, totaling $5,625, to support innovative undergraduate arts projects and funding 91% of all applications received. The Council members are: Robert J. Kiely (Chair), S. Allen Counter, Thomas Kelly, Arthur L. Loeb, Claire Mallardi, Cathleen McCormick, Jeff W. Nichols, and Marcus Stern.

ARTS FIRST is a festival that celebrates Harvard undergraduates and faculty in the arts and seeks to galvanize the Harvard arts community. Please call the OFA at 495-8676 for more information about ARTS FIRST.

The deadline for OFA Grant applications for projects occurring in Fall Semester 2000 is Wednesday, April 26, 2000.

Dance

ARTS FIRST Dance Festival 2000, Margarita Miranda ’01, $1000. The festival brings together many of the Harvard dance groups to perform in a single venue.

Citystep at ARTS FIRST 2000, Suzanne Gauron ’01, Citystep, $125. The 30 undergraduate teachers of Citystep will showcase their own dancing.

Harvard Hellenic Society, Evangelos Liaras ’00, Harvard Hellenic Society, $300. The Harvard Hellenic Society’s traditional Greek costumes help to provide the audience with the full experience of Greek dances.

Expressions, Maryvonne Neptune ’01, Harvard-Radcliffe Expressions Dance Company, $250. Expressions will perform jazz and hip-hop pieces choreographed by members of the company in the Dance Festival.

Six Souls at ARTS FIRST, Jennifer Reich ’03, Harvard Ballet Company, $50. This contemporary ballet piece, choreographed by student Liz Santoro, will be performed to a medley of popular songs.

TAPS in Concert, FabianaKepler ’00, TAPS, $175. With original choreography, TAPS will bring tap dancing together with a variety of rhythms, beats, and music.

Literature

Harvard Advocate Senior Reading at ARTS FIRST, Katharine Douglas ’02, Harvard Advocate, $225. An annual event, the Harvard Advocate invites its members from the graduating class and contributors to read their poetry and fiction in a literary celebration at ARTS FIRST.

INCREASE Literary Magazine, Niki Villanueva Santo ’00, Students of Mather House, $150. Specifically designed for ARTS FIRST, INCREASE showcases the original fiction, poetry, artwork and photography of undergraduates in Mather House.

Multidisciplinary

Asian American Coffeehouse, Jenny Shen ’01, Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association, $50. This event showcases Harvard Asian American saxophonists, small bands, poets, writers, and other artists.

Bunksense, Alexandra Vega, Dudley House, $200. “Bunksense” is a project that uses four bunk beds as the basis for an experimental, interactive installation.

Pan-Harvard Comedy Extravaganza, Justin Krebs ’00, $800. This weekend-long comedy festival will draw together a range of Harvard comedy groups, from print material to musical comedy to improvisation to puppetry and juggling.

Music

400 Years of Trombone, Jason Freidenfelds ’00, Heliodor Trombone Quartet, $150. The quartet will perform works for trombone spanning 400 years, from Baroque to Classical to ragtime, jazz, Latin, and experimental pieces featuring improvisation.

Percussion Ensemble Concert, Nathan Meyer ’02, Harvard Percussion Ensemble, $150. They will perform several pieces written solely for percussion, including works by John Cage.

Tchaikovsky Souvenir de Florence, Jennifer Lee ’01, Brattle Street Chamber Players, $200. Brattle Street Chamber Players will perform Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence .

Theatre

Oedipus Rex, Michael Kay ’01, Harvard Hillel Drama, $400. This project will bring to the campus Greek drama as it was originally performed, in an outdoor rotunda. Harvard Hillel will introduce elements of Jewish music into the choruses.

Romeo and Juliet, Agnes Mei-yee Chu ’01, Hyperion Theatre Company, $400. Staged in the Tercentenary Theatre, Harvard Yard, the actors will interact with the space and the audience.

Silly Marco, Ray Courtney ’01, Radcliffe Sunken Garden Children’s Theatre, $300. Performed outside during the daytime, this fairy tale will be appealing to both children and adults.

Troilus and Cressida, Libby Shani ’02, Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club, $300. Set in a “post-apocalyptic rave,” this production of Troilus and Cressida will bring the excitement and joy of theater back to the performance of Shakespeare.

Traditional Cultural Arts

Performance of Japanese Tea Ceremony, Aaron Einbond ’00, Harvard-Radcliffe Chado Society, $200. Members of the audience will participate in the ceremony as guests, and be served tea and akashi (sweets) by members of the Society who will act as hosts.

Visual Arts

Advocate ARTS FIRST Group Show, George de Brigard ’01, Harvard Advocate, $200. This group show will provide a forum for a large number of Harvard artists from both within and beyond the VES department to show work in the Adams House Art Space.