OfA grants to help foster fall arts projects

More than 800 students will participate in 33 dance, music, theater, and multidisciplinary projects at Harvard University this fall. Sponsored in part through funding from the Office for the Arts at Harvard (OfA) Grant Program, the grants are designed to foster creative and innovative artistic initiatives among Harvard undergraduates.

The projects, selected by the Council on the Arts at Harvard, include concerts by the Bach Society Orchestra; theater productions including George Bernard Shaw’s “You Never Can Tell” at the Loeb Experimental Theatre; an exhibit of photography and posters; and new issues of the publications Diversity & Distinction, Grey Area, and Harvard Book Review, among others.

OfA Grants are awarded to undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff. Funded projects combine artistic merit, artistic experimentation, and educational benefit to undergraduates.

Council on the Arts members at the time of selection were Robert J. Kiely (chair), Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Research Professor of English; Elizabeth Bergmann, director, OfA Dance Program; S. Allen Counter, director, Harvard Foundation; Deborah Foster, assistant dean for undergraduate education; Jorie Graham, Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory; Annette Lemieux, professor of the practice of visual and environmental studies; Cathleen McCormick, program director, OfA; Jack Megan, director, OfA; Carol Oja, William Powell Mason Professor of Music; Robert J. Orchard, managing director, Loeb Drama Center and the American Repertory Theatre; Stephen Prina, professor of visual and environmental studies; Marcus Stern, associate director, American Repertory Theatre and the A.R.T./MXAT Institute for Advanced Theatre Training; and John Stewart, senior preceptor in music.

Fall grants for dance

Harvard Ballroom Dance Team, Dancing with the Stars, Peter Lee ’07: Felicia Eckstein Lipson Grant for an event featuring performances, competition, and audience participation.

Expressions Dance Company, fall show, Pamela Santoy ’08: Esther Khan Grant for a showcase of pieces drawn from multiple dance styles including hip-hop, jazz, and modern, featuring guest groups the Caribbean Club Dance Team and CityStep.

Crimson Dance Team, fall performances, Julia Choe ’09: Esther Khan Grant for on-campus performances of the 13-member dance team that incorporates funk, modern, jazz, ballet, and gymnastics into its innovative dance routines.

Garba Team, campus performances, Utpal Sandesara ’08: Felicia Eckstein Lipson Grant for performances of the Gujarati (western Indian) folk dance forms of garba and raas.

Harvard University Pan-African Dance and Music Ensemble, Pete Smith ’07: Esther Khan Grant to obtain a complete set of dance costumes utilizing textiles and designs from Mali, West Africa.

Mainly Jazz Dance Company, Off Broadway, Christine Fitzgerald ’07: Esther Khan Grant for a performance showcasing student choreography to classic Broadway hits featuring TAPS and the Mainly Jazz Dance Company.

South Asian Dance Company, “Raunak,” Aditi Sen ’09: Esther Khan Grant for the company’s annual fusion dance show.

Harvard-Radcliffe Dance Company, winter concert of modern dance, Sonia Todorova ’06: Felicia Eckstein Lipson Grant for a performance featuring student choreography of various styles incorporating live music and video.

Fall grants for literature

Diversity & Distinction (fall issue): The Masculine Mystique, Jessica Harmon ’07: OfA Grant for the publication’s fall issue addressing the state of manhood in the country. Diversity & Distinction is dedicated to creating dialogue on multiculturalism, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and other social issues.

Harvard Book Review (fall issue), Sara Kate Heukerott ’08: OfA Grant for publication featuring undergraduate-written reviews of recently published books.

Tract Magazine (fall issue), Nitin Ahuja ’07: OfA Grant for a publication presenting student and faculty works of visual art, prose, and poetry promoting discourse between art and the sciences.

Tuesday Magazine (fall issue), Russell Krupen ’07: OfA Grant for a general interest publication that provides a forum for essays, creative fiction and nonfiction, as well as opinion pieces and artwork.

Fall grants for music

Mozart Society Orchestra, fall concert, Andrew Paik ’07: Felicia Eckstein Lipson Grant for a concert featuring selections including Ravel’s orchestration of the Mother Goose Suite.

Harvard Pops Orchestra, fall concert, Perry Tsai ’07: Felicia Eckstein Lipson Grant for a concert featuring popular works of music from various genres including movies, television, and theater.

Bach Society Orchestra, “From Bach to the Present,” James Ferus ’07: Felicia Eckstein Lipson Grant for two fall concerts featuring works of Bach, Mendelssohn, and Mozart as well as the winner of the orchestra’s annual undergraduate composition competition.

Harvard Early Music Society, opera production, Joshua Billings ’07: Esther Khan Grant for a historically informed performance of a fully staged early opera in the Horner Room of the Agassiz Theatre.

Holden Choirs, fall performances, Jameson Marvin, director: Esther Kahn Grant in support of ongoing projects by Holden Choir groups including Chamber Singers of the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, Harvard Glee Club, Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus, Holden Chamber Ensemble, Radcliffe Choral Society, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum.

Harvard Sangeet, Karyshma concert, Ann Kurrasch ’07: Esther Kahn Grant in support of student performances of South Asian music, including fusion pieces.

Harvard Wind Ensemble, “Nosotros (Music from South of the Border),” Saachi Sachdev ’09: Esther Kahn Grant for a concert showcasing the many styles of Latin American music.

The Harvard Undergraduate Drummers (THUD), fall concert, Danielle Lehle ’06: Felicia Eckstein Lipson Grant for a concert including a variety of ensemble pieces, including both traditional and nontraditional percussion instruments.

Fall grants for theater

BlackCAST (Black Community and Student Theater), “In the Blood,” Faith Imafidon ’07: Timothy S. Mayer Grant for a production of Suzan-Lori Parks’ one-act play loosely based on “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Harvard Story-Time Players, fall productions, Vivien Sun ’08: Timothy S. Mayer Grant in support of an undergraduate group dedicated to bringing interactive theater to children in hospitals and other venues.

Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club, “You Never Can Tell,” Mary Birnbaum ‘07: H. Todd Cobey Grant for a November Loeb Experimental Theatre production of the George Bernard Shaw work.

Fall grants for visual arts

Harvard Grey Area, Katrina issue, Jack Hsiao ’08: Richard Solomon Grant for a photo-essay publication documenting the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina featuring photography by undergraduates who traveled to the Gulf Coast to help rebuild the affected communities.

Bow & Arrow Press, “Look Out!,” Katherine Wong ’07: Richard Solomon Grant for a public art display on the Harvard campus of photos processed into photopolymer plates to be printed at the Bow & Arrow Press.

Harvard Art Society, “Moving Towards Contemporary Art at Harvard,” Jenny Wanger ’09: Richard Solomon Grant for an exhibition encouraging the re-examination of contemporary art through student work by a new organization that serves to promote visual art in the community.

Harvard Radcliffe Television (HRTV), “Ivory Tower,” Beier Ko ’09: Norman Lear Grant for the ongoing production of a show written by, produced by, starring, and directed by Harvard undergraduates, providing hands-on experience working in media and TV production.

The OfA also offers grants for projects taking place during spring semester 2007 and Arts First 2007. For further information, visit http://www.fas.harvard.edu/ofa.