Office for the Arts announces fall 2002 grants

The Office for the Arts (OFA) has announced that more than 700 Harvard students will participate in over 25 creative projects ranging from music and theater to literature and the cultural arts this fall semester. Sponsored in part through funding from the OFA, the grants, which range from $75 to $700, aim to foster creative and innovative artistic initiatives among Harvard undergraduates.

The Council on the Arts, a committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, responded favorably to 75 percent of the grant requests. Council members include Robert J. Kiely (chair), Elizabeth Bergmann, S. Allen Counter, Deborah Foster, Jorie Graham, Christopher Killip, Annette Lemieux, Cathleen McCormick, Jack Megan, Robert J. Orchard, Kay Kaufman Shelemay, Marcus Stern, and John Stewart.

OFA, which administers the grants, also offers funding for projects taking place during the spring 2003 semester and for ARTS FIRST, Harvard’s annual celebration of the arts. The deadline for spring semester projects is Oct. 9, 2002, while ARTS FIRST applications are due Feb. 5, 2003.

To submit an application, or for further information visit http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~ofa.

Fall 2002 grants for dance

Expressions Dance Company, Gina Garvin ’03: Kahn Grant to produce a fall concert featuring dances created by student choreographers. The dances will present a variety of dance styles from African and jazz to modern, lyrical, salsa, and more.

Harvard Bhangra Team, Apurva Patel ’03: Khan Grant to assist in promoting interest in Bhangra on campus. The group plans to expand its current repertoire to encompass more traditional forms as well as incorporate use of traditional costumes and live music in its performances and teaching workshops.

Mainly Jazz Dance Company, Alayna Miller ’03: Kahn Grant to present a recital, showcasing student choreographed pieces. Last year’s “Mainly Jackson” theme gives way to a “Mainly 80s” theme. A company-wide dance, taught and choreographed by Boston professional Adrienne Hawkins, will also be staged.

CityStep, “SuperStepper,” Jia Jia Ye ’03: Kahn Grant for the implementation of a third-year extension to the currently existing CityStep program, “SuperSteppers.” The extended program will continue to use dance as a medium to further develop and explore each student’s identity. Students will take on expanded leadership roles through teaching and exploring choreography.

South Asian Dance Company, Talam-Natyam, Nithya Raman ’02: Kahn Grant for a dance performance of a variety of classical and modern Indian dances along with a selection of folk dances united by their focus on rhythm. The performance will include traditional and new pieces choreographed by students and will feature THUD (The Harvard University Drummers), along with the Korean Drum Club.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Ballet Company, “The Crimson Nutcracker,” Jennifer Reich ’03: Kahn Grant for the Harvard Radcliffe Ballet Company’s production of this holiday classic with a personal twist to make it a distinctly Harvard ballet. Plans include using the ballroom club for the beginning party scene, the fencing team for the battle, cultural dance clubs to perform for Clara in the land of sweets, the talents of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra for the accompaniment, and much more.

Fall 2002 grants for literature

SWIFT Magazine, Rob Bonstein ’04: Hunt Grant for the publication of four magazine issues devoted to the art of satire. SWIFT will challenge writers and readers to connect with the world outside Harvard in a creative, novel way. SWIFT emphasizes group work, with each piece discussed in groups and revised by several different writers.

The Harvard Book Review, Ashley Isaacson ’03: OFA Grant to produce the college’s answer to the New York Times “Book Review.” The magazine publishes three times yearly, consisting of nearly 30 reviews of the newest fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Reviews are written entirely by undergraduates and are accompanied by student photography and artwork.

Fall 2002 multidisciplinary grants

Harvard Radcliffe Chinese Students Association, Pan-Asian Fashion and Culture Show, Michelle Young ’04: Solomon Grant for the Pan-Asian Fashion show, a charity event that simultaneously explores and celebrates the Asian-American identity through fashion. Featured designs will be by noted Asian-American designers, the models will be Harvard undergraduates, and Ghungroo and the Korean Drum Troupe are slated to perform.

Harvard Early Music Society, 6th Annual Baroque Opera performance, Neil Davidson ’03: Hunt Grant for an early music opera production to take place in November at the Fogg Art Museum.

ZALACAIN, The Harvard Journal of Latin America, Maria Paulina Mogollon ’03: OFA Grant for the production of ZALACAIN, the Harvard Journal of Latin America. The magazine presents the richness and variety of Latin America to Harvard students through art and literature reviews, photographic essays, personal essays, original works of poetry and short fiction, as well as political and economic articles.

Fall 2002 grants for music

Harvard Pops Orchestra, A Night at the Pops, Mark Goldin ’05: OFA Grant for a performance of Khatchaturian’s “Spartacus Suite No. 2,” as well as original, student-produced arrangements and compositions.

Harvard Wind Ensemble, Boston Wind Ensemble Interchange, Jennifer Imamura ’03: Lipson Grant for a project that will be a collaboration between the Harvard Wind Ensemble and the Wind Ensemble from one or more neighboring universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern, and/or Boston University. A joint concert on the Harvard campus and a reciprocal concert on the campus of the other schools are planned.

Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra (HRO), children’s concert at Sanders Theatre, Lucia Madariaga ’04: Cohen Grant for a free children’s concert at Sanders Theatre. The goal of the concert is to share HRO’s love for classical music with the children of the Cambridge Public Elementary School system. All 110 members of the orchestra will perform pieces with skits about musical concepts. HRO musicians will also meet with classes weeks before the concert to discuss concert etiquette and piece/composer background.

Harvard Jazz Band, Jazz Band Jam Sessions, Jay Bacrania ’05: Solomon Grant for Jazz jam sessions and other informal interactions whose goal is to provide an outlet to enhance the improvisational skills of all interested students. The purchase of five “fake books,” a published collection of standard tunes and chord changes, will provide the material to facilitate the jam sessions.

Mariachi Veritas de Harvard, Claudia García, ’05: Kahn Grant for the establishment of a mariachi music ensemble to be established at Harvard in order to celebrate ethnic and musical diversity on campus and the surrounding community. Future plans include attending national and international mariachi conferences/events, and establishing a mariachi program at local schools.

The Bach Expansion Project, Miki-Sophia Cloud ’03: Lipson Grant for a series of concerts that will explore one of the books of Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier.” Rather than simply performing the pieces on the keyboard, they will be performed on different idiomatic instrumentation. A wide variety of campus musicians of all genres would be invited to participate. Transcriptions will be done by students.

The Harvard University Drummers (THUD), Jessica Zdeb ’04: Lipson Grant for THUD’s winter concert of percussion music. Works presented will be both traditional and original. A number of the pieces will be written, arranged, or choreographed by members of the ensemble.

Fall 2002 grants for theater

“Brief Interviews with Hideous Men,” Graham Sack ’03: Timothy S. Mayer Grant for an original student adaptation of “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men,” a collection of short stories and monologues by David Foster Wallace. The show will examine postmodern alienation through the lens of male social and sexual dysfunction. An effort will also be made to relate the project to issues of estrangement through collaboration with student groups like Eating Concerns Hotline and Outreach (ECHO) and Room 13, a peer-counseling group.

Hyperion Shakespeare Company, Deena Chalabi ’03: Cobey Grant for the continuation of the Hyperion Shakespeare Company’s Fall Workshop Series with an intensive workshop for the Hyperion Board run by Shakespeare & Company in Lenox. Board members will then share their new techniques with other Hyperion members. Other potential workshops include a fight workshop and seminars with Hyperion’s faculty advisors.

“The Two-Character Play,” David Skeist ’02: Cobey Grant for a production of “The Two-Character Play” by Tennessee Williams. To take place in January as a postseason Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club production.

Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club, “The Zoo Story” and “The Dog,” Brendon DeMay ’03: Timothy S. Mayer Grant for two one-acts theater performance featuring “The Dog”, a short monologue by David Mamet, and Edward Albee’s “The Zoo Story.” The production will seek to highlight the theme of bonding, which is explored in both pieces.

Theater of the Durang, Rebecca Rubins ’05: Timothy S. Mayer Grant for a festival of three one-act comedies written by Christopher Durang. The plays presented will be “The Actor’s Nightmare,” “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls,” and “Medea.” The common bond tying the pieces together is that they are all theater parodies.

Women IN Color, Athena Theater Company, Women of Color United in Performing Arts, Lianuska Gutierrez ’03: Timothy S. Mayer Grant for an original theater project combining elements of drama, comedy, and dance to express issues of race and gender. Undergraduates will collaborate to create the script and choreography for the piece.

Fall 2002 grants for traditional cultural arts

Harvard-Radcliffe Chado Society, demonstrations of Japanese tea ceremony, Eleanore Chadderdon ’03: Solomon Grant for annual demonstrations of authentic Japanese tea ceremony that provides instruction and valuable insight into Japanese culture. The Chado Society hopes to expand its audience by increasing publicity through postering in and around campus.

The Orthodox Christian Fellowship, Ethiopian and Byzantine Orthodox Iconography, Nicholas Lamb ’05: Cohen Grant for a weekly workshop that will give interested students from the Harvard community the opportunity to learn about and participate in the artistic creation of painting Ethiopian and Byzantine icons. Chris Gocey, an expert iconographer, has volunteered to lead a series of weekly panels and workshops on icon painting.