Faculty Receive Project Support from ASC and City Grants

Faculty in the College of Arts + Architecture are among the recipients of prominent grants announced recently by the City of Charlotte Infusion Fund and the Arts & Science Council. The funds will support the development and performance of new works over the next 12 months and the continuation of an annual festival.

Four projects led by CoA+A faculty have received Opportunity Fund grants administered by the City of Charlotte Arts and Culture Advisory Board. The Board awarded $719,577 from the Infusion Fund to 34 local artists and organizations, chosen from 165 applications.

The CoA+A Opportunity Fund recipients are:

Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Audrey Baran ‘03, whose company Baran Dance has received $30,000 to support Baran Dance’s Spring 2024 concert, “Homegrown,” which will commission seven local musicians / bands to create or reimagine original music for an evening length concert of new choreographic works by Baran Dance company members. The performance will feature 16 professional company members as well as interns who are university students or recent graduates and high school apprentice dancers. The musicians who have been commissioned are Dirty Art Club, Derrick J. Hines, Lindsey Horne, Modern Moxie, Liza Ortiz, Sweat Transfer, and Elonzo Wesley.

Associate Professor of Music Jessica Lindsey, whose Burnt Reeds ensemble has received $28,600 to support “Homegrown Melodies,” a set of commissions by local composers for performance and future recording. Participating composers include Lindsey, Zack Zubow, Dylan Lloyd, Amber Spuller, music alum Elizabeth Kowlaski, Lif Guiden, and Madison Bush. Burnt Reeds is a woodwind quintet of professional musicians: Teil Buck, oboe; Dylan Lloyd, clarinet; Jack Murray, saxophone; Stephanie Lipka, bassoon; and Lindsey, bass clarinet.

Assistant Professor of Dance Ashley Tate, who has received $20,000 in support of “From Brooklyn to Brownes Ferry: The Migration of Grace A.M.E. Zion Church.” Based on oral histories and historical research and created in partnership with local musicians, this new dance piece will be part of a larger New South | Global South project developed by Tate with architecture professor Nadia Anderson, cello professor Mira Frisch, and Director of Communications Meg Whalen that explores the past and present of the University City-area neighborhood known as Brownes Ferry.

Associate Professor of Dance Tamara Williams, whose dance company Moving Spirits has received $20,000 to support the development of “Long Memories: A Call to SHOUT!,” an exploration of African-American Ring Shout dance traditions. The two-part project begins with a month-long workshop that culminates in an evening-length performance of “Long Memories” in June 2024. The workshop will be free and open to the community. The public performance will feature the professional members of Moving Spirits as well as community members.

In addition, the Arts & Science Council recently announced its Cultural Vision Grants, which support arts and culture projects presented within Mecklenburg County by Mecklenburg County-based creative individuals or nonprofit organizations that use arts, science, and history to build community and/or increase relevance or innovation. Three of the 43 funded projects are led by CoA+A faculty:

Associate Professor of Theatre CarlosAlexis Cruz received $10,000 to support the development and creation of the Nouveau Sud Circus Project’s newest production, “Violenza,” from June-September 2023. Cruz founded the Nouveau Sud Circus Project in 2016. The contemporary urban circus company creates work that addresses social issues, such as immigration and, with this newest work, violence.

Professor of Cello Mira Frisch received $10,000 to support the Charlotte Strings Collective and Hip-Hop Artist YUNG Citizen in a multidisciplinary collaboration that tells the story of the Brownes Ferry neighborhood in Charlotte. The commission compositions and performances are part of the New South | Global South project developed with dance professor Ashley Tate, architecture professor Nadia Anderson, and Director of Communications Meg Whalen.

Tamara Williams received $11,000 to support the Lavagem Celebration!, an African-Brazilian and Indigenous arts and cultural event uplifting Black heritage with diverse communities in Charlotte.