Current McKinnon Artist Minigrants
Spring 2025
Henry Boland
Audio Plugins to Enhance My Mixes
I am requesting funding for two audio plugins that will allow me to control frequencies in my mixes with greater precision and efficiency than my current software permits.
Will Conrad
Upgrading the Tools of Design
With the full version of Capture, I will have access to a full and complete library of fixtures, allowing me to accurately mock up and draft concept and/or preliminary lighting designs, as I intend to use Capture alongside my independent study under Professor Kennedy as a research and learning aid. In conjunction with Capture, the lighting visualization software, I am also requesting funding to purchase two symbol packs for Vectorworks, an industry standard software used by lighting professionals to create design paperwork.
Tracy Echais
Exploring Memory and Cultural Identity Through Oil Painting: A Proposal for Supplies
The cost of oil paints and necessary materials is a significant barrier. To fully immerse myself in this new medium, I am requesting funding for mainly for good-quality oil paints. I already own brushes and the class provides me with gamsol and canvas paper, so all I require at the moment would be larger tubes of paint.This funding will enable me to practice and refine my skills outside of class, helping me push my artistic boundaries.
Gwyneth Fahy
Preparation for the Musical Theatre World
The proper shoes to ensure safety, a professional look, and preparation is a must. As a very experienced dancer who competed in dance competitions around the world, I have always had my eye on La Duca Character Shoes and Jason Samuel Smith Tap shoes. Both shoes are extremely expensive but necessary for an aspiring professional. These shoes would not only better prepare me, but they would also improve my style of dance.
Taylor Ledbetter
Performance Concentration Accompanist Support
Since coming to UV A, I have pursued my love of music and performing to the fullest extent. I take private lessons with Dr. Kelly Sulick at a 3000-level and play in the Charlottesville Symphony. This year, I hope to take my musicianship to the next step by auditioning into the Performance Concentration. The Performance Concentration is a selective program offered in addition to the BA in Music here at UV A. Students in the program get more opportunities to work alongside music faculty to advance their abilities in a more involved way than what is offered in the general major. This is the necessary next step in my performance progression.
Xingchen Liu
Homelands in Exile: A Photographic Exploration of Longing and Diaspora
I am an interdisciplinary artist working in film and photography, with a focus on themes of identity, migration, and the ephemeral nature of belonging. *Homelands in Exile* is a photographic exploration of longing, diaspora, and the shifting notion of home in the modern age. This project will use portrait and landscape photography to interrogate how identity is constructed, perceived, and, at times, erased.
Abby Milne
Graphic Design Tools and Software for Arts Administration and Marketing
Having access to professional design softwares will help me contribute to visual graphic design and video editing to help promote VTF productions this summer. After the summer, I hope to continue to use my design skills to promote other student-run productions and, eventually, professional arts programming.
Maxwell Mitchell
MIDI Controller/Synthesizer Proposal
I am hoping to purchase an instrument that will serve as both a synthesizer and a MIDI controller. A synthesizer is an electronic instrument (in my case, one that has keys) that can produce an array of sounds through combining different frequencies and shaping their envelopes. This is what would replace the keyboard we have now for live performance.
Lucas Piette
Upgrading my DJ and Music Production Setup
I am seeking funding in order to purchase a pair of studio monitors. While I haven’t decided on the exact kind, I will be looking into what the WTJU/WXTJ uses in the studios and what recommendations I can gather from professors/professionals and online.
Reese Robers
Advancing Knowledge of Analog Filmmaking
I am requesting funding through the Miller Arts Spring 2025 Minigrants to advance my knowledge of filmmaking using analog film and vintage analog cameras. My request covers the funding needed to purchase course materials for my Cinematography class as part of my Filmmaking major as well as a chance to experiment outside of my coursework using a similar medium.
Helen Sparling
Exploring daily life through oil painting
I am a painting major. I am currently in a painting independent study in order to expand on the work I completed last semester. This body of work is based on photographs I have taken, and is characterized by loose washes of color and undisguised brushstrokes. As I continue this body of work during the Spring semester, I plan to further develop a mode of painting that captures the atmosphere and emotion of people and the spaces they occupy.
Larina Yu
Exploring Traditional Asian Printmaking Techniques
While exploring woodcut techniques, I came across the traditional Japanese mokuhanga techniques. This involves painting water-based ink onto the raised surface of a woodcut (rather than rolling), and hand-printing these woodcuts onto thin, Asian-style paper. I would like to specifically explore this technique, so that I can combine the knowledge that I have learned in class with the information I have researched on Asian-style techniques to further enrich my printmaking. This would require particular paper, a fabric/bamboo baren, and specialized carving tools and ink bases/pigments.
Spring 2024
Carly Ault
Realizing My Dad and I’s Relationship through Color Large Format Film
I’ve grown up surrounded by my Dad’s work, and only since coming to college have I realized the influence he has had on my creative process and drive to make something out of nothing. He is primarily a welder, and makes sculptures for fun, but also built my house and a dock for our river access. In the same way I am inspired by his work, I have realized that our creative projects have also become our main form of communication. By photographing my dad, his sculptural work, and built environment with the large format camera, I am able to both work alongside him and visually depict how I see him with my own physical practice.
Jesper Braley
Starting an Indie Animation Studio
By the end of this spring semester, I am planning on forming an indie animation studio with my friends. We plan on producing a full animated short by the end of this year, with our pre-production (script writing, character design, storyboarding, and visual development) finished and available for display before the end of the Spring 2024 semester. To assist with communication as well as provide a way to record voice clips for our characters, I am requesting a headset with an attached microphone. Additionally, the main program I use to animate and draw—Clip Studio Paint—requires an annual payment of $71.99. As we are going to produce our own musical score, I am also requesting a talkbox to give our soundtrack a more unique sound.
Alex Burijon
Guitar Purchase Proposal
A new guitar would be crucial both for my personal growth as an artist as well as for my journey with my DMP. Securing funding for a new guitar would not only enhance my ability to engage more fully in public performances and arts activities, but also enable me to effectively perform parts of my DMP in my final semester at UVa. This investment would significantly contribute to my academic and artistic development, and I am confident that it will enrich the broader arts community here.
Hunter Colson
External Hard Drive and Production Tools
I am applying for a minigrant to fund an external hard drive to store my growing portfolio of compositions. I am also applying for funds to purchase two items for my composition and production work. First, I would like to purchase a pedal to be used with my KeyLab Essential 61 mk3 MIDI. A pedal will allow me more options to experiment with when composing my music with my MIDI keyboard. I selected the Roland DP-10 because it has good ratings and comes highly recommended, particularly for the KeyLab keyboard that I have. Second, I would like to purchase an audio interface, which is used to mix music and will allow me to introduce synths and other effects into my compositions.
Zoe Edelman
Funding an Arts Trip to New York City
As a current student of Introduction to Cinematography II, I am planning to join my class on a trip to New York City. This trip is from March 28th to March 31st of 2024. While I have not been provided with an exact itinerary yet, the current plan is to drive up on the 28th and back on the 31st. On Friday the 29th we are going to go to the Whitney Biennial to view the new exhibitions, as well as meet some of the artists. On the 30th we have plans to meet more artists and go visit their studios and speak with them about their works. As part of this trip my class is staying at an Airbnb in New Jersey. I am requesting this minigrant to help support this trip by paying for my stay at the Airbnb and some additional fees to get in and out of the city.
Rachel Guo
Expanding Horizons: Bringing the Written Word to Film and Music
This semester, I’d like to apply the mini-grant for a project I’m working on a project that involves making book trailers for the stories I write. In essence, its combining music, writing, and filmmaking into a multi-media project that extends beyond the page. To do this, I would first like to purchase a baritone ukulele. I learned about it while diving into the world of stringed instruments, and the sonic quality and size fall between a standard guitar and a soprano or concert ukulele. In addition, I'm requesting a Zoom recorder and a Gimble for iPhone.
Mary Hall
Building an Actor’s Presence & Professionalism
As I continue to market myself as an actor and playwright, in addition to beginning to look at applying to MFA programs in the next year, I’m beginning to understand the importance of having all of my best work in a publicly available forum: a personal website.
Jolinna Li
Sound and Editing Equipment for Narrative Film Projects
For my cinematography class final project, I have written a script and will be directing and editing a 10 minute narrative short film this semester. The film is based on both the myth of Persephone and a Taiwanese folktale, retold in a feminist lens. In order to create film projects like this, I need to be able to store all of the footage and process up to 4k footage.
Emily Liu
Eclosion - Advanced Project in New Media
Through an independent study in New Media with Professor Cuatlacuatl, I am exploring new forms in New Media through technology, installation, and complete audience immersion. The culmination of this independent study will be an installation exhibition in Ruffin Hall either in mid April or early May. With the funding provided from this grant, I will be able to fully execute my concept into fruition without worrying about the expenses accrued during the creation process.
Grace Sellers
Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription
I am asking for $500 to pay for a two year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. This will allowme access to photo editing software such as Photoshop and Lightroom. I am currently enrolled in ARTS 2112 which covers digital photography. We are able to use Adobe Creative Cloud on the UVA computers in the digital photography studio at Ruffin Hall, however we do not have access to the Adobe Creative Cloud through personal computers. This means that we are limited to completing our work only at Ruffin Hall. With access to the Adobe Creative Cloud on my personal computer, I will be able to practice and improve my photo editing skills, and continue to do so after the semester has ended. The skills I will learn with Photoshop and Lightroom will be marketable towards many graphic design jobs, allowing me access to more career opportunities.
Amanda Yo
Funding a Personal Recording Device
I would like to request funding for my own Tascam recorder in order to record audition material on my own time. With my own recording device, I will be able to better evaluate my own playing for the purpose of auditioning, as well as my own improvement or with a chamber group. When I am playing my flute, my thoughts on how the piece was done differ from how others may receive it, or even when I listen back to the recording later on. Having a good quality recording device allows my improvement and perception of my playing to be well understood and well rounded.
Fall 2024
Carly Ault
Making Silver Gelatin Prints and Building Frames for My Upcoming Photography Show
I am requesting support to help me purchase materials to complete my darkroom prints, build frames, and install the show.
Henry Boland
Gig-Worthy Guitar Amp
Renting amps, while possible, is not sustainable because long-term fees add up quickly, and borrowing from friends has proven unreliable since they often need their own gear for their shows. Owning a gig-worthy amp would eliminate these limitations, enabling me to play live shows more consistently.
Zoe Edelman
Expanding Tufting Options with More Machines
I am requesting this minigrant to help fund the additional expenses to this project. I am obtaining my tufting materials through Tuft The World, the tufting group I have been taking classes with so I am familiar with their machines.
Rachel Guo
Headshots and Creative Materials
The summer of 2022, I was fortunate enough to attend a summer film acting intensive at a professional film studio run through NYU Tisch. While I was there, they snapped quick photos of us because they needed uniform class photos for their website. I’ve been submitting to acting projects with that same headshot ever since.
Mary Hall
Expanding A Portfolio
With the assistance of a Miller Arts Scholars minigrant, I’ll be able to further build my portfolio and therefore broaden my opportunities as an actor and artist. I am beyond grateful for this potential opportunity, and thank you so much for your consideration!
Autumn Hong
Composing at a Higher Level
As an emerging composer, I have been using free resources like MuseScore 4, but as I move forward I find that I need a more professional software to create a higher quality for my work.
Jack Ireland
Advanced MIDI Controller for Composition and Production
The assistance of this Miller Arts Scholars Minigrant would further enhance my work and skills as a composer and producer by broadening my sound and compositional techniques.
Jolinna Li
Equipment and Props for Graduate School Short Films
I am currently in the process of applying to Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs in Film, and part of the application requirements for several of these institutions involves creating original short films based on specific prompts.
Elizabeth Mayhood
Attending the 2025 Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention
The Flute Society of Washington’s Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention takes place on February 15th and 16th, 2025. As I am planning on auditioning for the Performance Concentration, I would like to gain as much performance experience as possible.
Abby Milne
Professional Online Portfolio and Solo Show Scripts for Thesis Research
As I move into the second half of my undergraduate experience, I am interested in expanding my work beyond student-run theatre and picking up more professional or community projects. In our Miller Arts Scholars seminar, we have discussed the value of curating a professional online portfolio to speak for our work when we are not able to directly represent ourselves. To that end, I am requesting funding for my first year of a Wix Core Premium plan.
Maxwell Mitchell
Pedal Board and Pedals Purchase Proposal
Guitar pedals are small metal boxes that filter and change the sound of an electric guitar. After doing some research this summer, I decided to invest in three essential pedals: a tuner, an overdrive pedal, and a delay pedal.
Lucas Piette
WXTJ House Show Film: Super 8, 16mm, and Embodied Audio
My plan is to purchase four rolls of film to supplement the stock I already own, send out the film for processing at a lab, and scan the film myself at the Clemons G-Lab.
Grace Sellers
Painting Supplies for Learning about Color
I am asking for $500 for painting supplies so that I can learn more about how color theory works. I am a Studio Art major with a Printmaking concentration.
Jaclyn Wang
Exploring the 3D Digital Media-scape
As a visual artist who has worked all my life in a two-dimensional form, I am increasingly excited in seeing the potential of digital art. One form of this is 3D printing.
Xueer (Shirley) Zhang
Capturing Calmness through Oil Painting
This semester, I am enrolled in Advanced Painting I with Professor Neal Rock, where I am developing a series of oil paintings that delve into the serene beauty of everyday domestic scenes. My goal with this project is to take a significant step beyond my focus on realism and explore a more atmospheric approach to painting.
Spring 2023
John Barnes
Headshots and a Hard Drive
I would like to take industry-standard headshots to increase the professionalism of my acting resume and career. I am also applying for a minigrant that would fund a new external hard drive for my filmmaking endeavors.
Todd Benson
Exploring Memory in Figurative Oil Painting
I am applying for funding for oil paints and other painting materials so I can continue experimenting with themes of memory in figurative oil painting.
Elise Ebert
Third-Year Collaborative Voice Recital
Over the past three years, Jack Kehoe and I have both worked independently to develop our vocal technique, repertoire, diction skills, and performance, and would love the opportunity to work together to perform a joint third-year recital at the end of this semester. This recital would consist of approximately an hour of music, in languages including English, German, French, and Italian.
Emily Hunter
Music DMP Preparation
I am studying music in Vienna, Austria this semester through the IES abroad program. As I am living in the musical hub of the world, a number of opportunities to develop this repertoire are available now, here. Most specifically, that includes taking private flute lessons from Furugh Karimi at the Music and Arts Private University of Vienna.
Jack Kehoe
Third-Year Collaborative Voice Recital
Over the past three years that we’ve been at UVA, Elise Ebert and I have been studying and performing solo repertoire with Professor Pamela Beasley. We both share a passion for classic art songs, and our vocal studies have been on a very similar trajectory since the beginning. We have independently worked on our tone, diction, performance, and timbre with Professor Beasley, and have performed at multiple solo recitals. Because of our similar repertoire and styles, as well as being good friends, Elise and I would love to work together to perform a joint third-year recital at the end of this semester.
Hyebin Lee
Humanity Through the Lens
I mainly work with cinematography and videography. However, I want to expand my �eld to photography as well. I have been experimenting with taking portraits or candid pictures of people in my community. Some turned out good, while others did not. One major challenge I repeatedly faced was too much light exposure, especially if the picture was taken outside during the day. This challenge can be easily overcome by using lens �lters like neutral density �lters and polarizers. These �lters reduce the amount of light entering the camera lens, so good exposure can be achieved without increasing the aperture.
Cassie Lipton
Commissioning a Recital Work
My request is to commission a work by a living composer whose work I have enjoyed. This would be a two- to three-minute work for solo flute that I would perform at my senior recital in April 2024. The composer I have selected is Judy Nishimura, whose work I greatly enjoyed when I played her Mood Swings from the 21st Century Masterworks: Eleven Pieces for Flute Alone book.
Fall 2023
Todd Benson
Exploring Memory in Figurative Painting
I am applying for funding for oil painting and other supplies so that I continue my personal exploration of themes memory in figurative painting.
Jesper Braley
Lightbox Expo Convention: Preparing for a career in the animation industry
Project funds from this minigrant would help support a trip to Lightbox Expo, a networking convention for artists in Pasadena, California.
Alex Burijon
A Tenor’s Texture
Thus, I humbly request funding from the Miller Arts Scholars in order to fund vocal lessons this semester. Lessons at this juncture will be critical in order to ensure that I maintain healthy habits as my physical instrument changes.
Tyler Burkhardt
Stereo Microphone Setup
Over the summer, I made it my goal to write a solo acoustic album, and I immediately got to work, spending many hours each day writing and creating new music. However, I do not have any of the equipment required to replicate the recording setups we have been doing, and a huge part of the acoustic guitar sound revolves around a stereo mic setup.
Hunter Colson
Spectrasonics Keyscape and NotePerformer 4
I researched current music software and consulted with faculty mentors to identify the software in this request that is capable of producing professional sounding music while providing the highest return on investment.
Zoe Edelman
Developing and Maintaining an Online Portfolio
Through these two requested subscriptions, I believe I can format a professional digital portfolio that will help me obtain an internship, and later a full-time job. I will be able to take this time to grow and learn from the research I put into the website and create a presence that will benefit me for years to come.
Rachel Guo
Interdisciplinary Art Materials and Website
What is an artist without an audience? This is the question that, at its core, I’ve been thinking about for the past two years. My writing grew up on competitions. The subject and style that I used to write had been heavily influenced by the nature of the audience reading it.
Mary Hall
The Auditioner’s Toolkit
As I begin to prepare for my career as an actor, at UVa and beyond, I’ve found that my tools to prepare for and record auditions have simply been lacking as compared to my peers. While I’ve been able to make due with what I have so far, I’d like to put my best foot forward when it comes to future auditions by updating my repertoire with new tools that will aid in my professional development and overall preparedness.
Emily Hunter
Distinguished Music Major Recital - Piano Accompaniment Costs
In my upcoming DMP recital, I am performing French repertoire: Sonatine by Henri Dutilleux, Les folies d’espagna by Marin Marais, Piece Romantique for flute, cello, and piano by Philippe Gaubert, Concertino by Cécile Chaminade, Syrinx by Claude Debussy, and Le Merle Noir by Olivier Messiaen.
Abby Kim
Funding for a New Viola Bow
To continue my improvement in learning the viola, I am requesting a minigrant to buy a better quality bow, which will in turn enhance my playing.
Meg Kosefeski
Bringing The Digital Lab Home With Me
I am applying for this mini grant in order to help cover the cost of purchasing the 2022 model iPad Pro with an 11 inch display, which can help me bring the digital lab home with me in my backpack.
Hyebin Lee
Portraits with Prime Lens
I would like to request this minigrant to purchase an 85mm lens. This investment will help me hone my photography skills and is essential for my �lm career. For my outcome report, I will attach a few portraits taken with the 85mm lens.
Jolinna Li
Preserving Family Artifacts through Film
As a student majoring in Studio Art and concentrating in Cinematography, I primarily work with time-based mediums. I want to expand my expertise to cover photography as well, to work on my skills and practice when it comes to composition.
Cassie Lipton
Final Recital Preparations
My Distinguished Major Program/ Performance Concentration recital will take place on March 29th, 2024, so over the summer and especially as the fall semester has begun, I have been kicking my preparation efforts into high gear, putting in more practice time with more of a focus on maximum results.
Grace Sellers
Delving into Film Photography
I am requesting $500 to purchase a film camera, photographic paper, and film. With these materials, I would be able to learn more about film photography and how it relates to my printmaking practice.
Fall 2022
John Barnes
Let’s Get Physical: Shooting on 16mm Film
I am currently outlining a comedy-noir script that will align well with black and white film cinematography. In contrast to shooting on digital, shooting a movie on film will force me to carefully plan out the framing and aesthetic of each shot, improving the quality of my cinematography. Furthermore, shooting on physical film will also help me hone my storytelling and writing abilities.
Elie Bashkow
PreSonus FaderPort 8 8-channel Production Controller
A control surface is a digital controller with real faders, knobs, and buttons that connects digitally to a computer and lets you adjust the parameters of digital processors with a real physical interface.
Todd Benson
Oil Painting Supplies for Personal Exploration
Working with color and wet media is new and exciting, and I would like to explore both through oil painting. However, art supplies are very expensive, especially oil paints. I am applying for funding for paints and other painting supplies so that I can paint more affordably.
Regan Borucke
Supporting My Directorial Debut
In the Spring of 2023, I will be directing my first short fillm for UVa’s Overcranked Film Festival. The script I am currently working on and planning to put forward into production involves elements of magical realism, meaning it takes place in the regular world but has an abnormal fantastical element invading the space of the characters. I am requesting $500 to purchase some practical elements for the film to bring the supernatural to life, as well funds to pay festival submission fees.
Tyler Burkhardt
Acoustic Guitar Revival
With the Miller Arts Minigrant, I would like to take my guitar to a professional guitar technician to not only get it professionally set up and analyzed, but also to install a different piezo pickup and internal mic into the underside of the bridge in order to achieve better amplified sound.
Christopher Fox
Recital Sheet-Music Fund
I am applying for a minigrant towards the funding of professional sheet music editions for upcoming recitals. I am currently preparing for two of the most important performances I will give at UVA: a quartet recital in February, with fellow Arts Scholar Britney Cheung and two other musicians, as well as my DMP recital in April.
Samuel Gerardi
Continued Studio Improvement
The goal of this proposal is to increase the portability of my producing setup, improve the sound quality of my existing instruments, and to add new instruments to my setup to enhance the creative potential of the space.
Cecilia Huang (黄馨萌Xinmeng Huang)
Camera Purchase For the shooting of a personal project
Anti-Bechdel Test is a stage play that explores and echoes with the audience an empathetic experience of love from the perspective of a woman. During the Fall semester of 2022, I will start to build the concept kits through pictures and videos, which may include but not limit to projection videos that will be part of the play, workshop demos, stage inspirations, concept shootings, headshots of characters, and promotion photos of the play. Although being a stage play, I look forward to making the final product a digitalized version that can be accessed beyond the crowds that are capable to be physically present in theatre.
Emily Hunter
Stepping Into My Own Sound
During the spring semester abroad, I would like to use this fund to purchase 1) a Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra ticket, 2) a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ticket, and 3) transportation to and from these areas.
Jack Kehoe
Recording for Experience, Expression, and Evolution
plan on fully recording and producing my own song, using the equipment I already have (my Computer, a MIDI controller, and Ableton Intro) but in order to truly get vocal production experience I would need a quality microphone to sing into, and an audio interface to record it to my computer.
Susana Kuhn
Preparing for a Career in the Arts
I hope to use this fall mini grant as a means of preparing myself for a career in the arts and to start and tap into the resources available in the arts field through opportunities in acting and playwriting.
Cassie Lipton
Developing My Songwriting Skills
I would like to submit a grant proposal to request funds to purchase a portable keyboard. This would allow me to create demos of songs much more easily and of much higher quality.
Ellis Nolan
5 String Electric Bass
The role of a bassist in most contexts is defining the chord, i.e. playing the root note or playing a note that implies a different chord based on the notes the guitarist or pianist is playing. However, the range of a 4 string electric bass can be limiting towards this goal.
Talia Pirron
Designing a Musical Education in Paris
I am proposing a self-guided arts experience to supplement my musical education while studying abroad in one of the historical and modern centers of musical and artistic history.
Emma Reilly
Everyday Elegies: An Audio-Visual EP
In my collection of Everyday Elegies, I seek to explore the distinctions and connections between form. I will create a six-song EP accompanied by six video-visual art pieces exploring everyday losses in my life.
Holly Teti
Furthering Songwriting and Guitar Skills with Electronic Equipment
I would like to use Mini-grant funding to purchase a Stratocaster electric guitar, amplifier, and cables so that I can challenge myself to write, play, and perform in different styles of music.
Spring 2022
Elie Bashkow
Acoustic Panels
Covering the walls of pro studios, these simple contraptions are basically just sound absorbing squares that keep frequencies from bouncing around unevenly, thereby fixing the phase cancellation, room nodes, dips, and many other acoustics issues that plague audio engineers.
Regan Borucke
The Professional Performer’s Toolkit
As I go into my fourth year, I would like to update my performer’s toolkit to assist me in the transition from collegiate to professional auditions and to get some new essentials for working in this industry.
Britney Cheung
Funding for Violin and Viola Equipment
The UVA Chamber Music Ensemble has given me the opportunity to grow as an individual and as a team player, and I hope to keep playing in such ensembles for the rest of my life. To continue in my serious engagement in the music department, I am requesting a Miller Arts minigrant to fund purchases for various pieces of equipment.
Sharon Chong
Returning to my Roots
With this minigrant, I hope to reconnect with the medium that first ignited my passion for creating. Although my concentration is in Sculpture, I have recently felt as though I had abandoned my initial love for painting and replaced it with sculpting. I’m also afraid that the years I spent teaching myself techniques may have gone to waste, so I am planning to challenge myself with a painting that requires paying attention to colors, shadows, details, and accuracy.
Brenna Courtney
Website and Contest Fees
This spring, I am applying for the minigrant to revisit many of the same ends, this time with more specific goals in mind. First, I would like to renew my website for another year, allowing me to continue to consolidate my public work in one online location. Next, I would like to allocate a portion of the funds towards submissions to various poetry magazines and contests. Though these magazines are often competitive, I’ve enjoyed this small taste of the publishing world, and have found the process of finding a place for my writing especially important as I get ready to complete my poetry concentration.
Elise Ebert
IES: Vienna: Music Travel Costs
My goal for my study abroad is to hone my skill in classical voice. In Vienna, I will be completely immersed in opera, using not only my classes in theory, performance, history, and composition to become a better musician, but also taking advantage of the city around me. Today, Vienna is colloquially known as “the capital of classical music”
Meggie Ferguson
“All the world’s a stage”: Embracing European Theatre and Art
As a student in the Theatre Studies program, we are required to attend 10 shows throughout our time here, nine that we see as a class on Thursday evenings, and one that we get to choose to see on our own. Already, we have seen a wide range of shows from West End productions to fringe shows, from musicals to plays, from large ensemble productions to a one- woman show, and I have found myself being inspired by or drawn to different elements of each show, learning so much about the craft of acting/theatre production just by going to the theatre.
Samuel Gerardi
Renovating My Viola
The goal of this proposal is to improve the quality of sound my viola produces for the purposes of live performance and recording.
Susana Kuhn
Applying for a Summer of Professional Theater Experience
My hope for the summer is to start acquiring these experiences and prepare myself for a career post-graduation through an immersive acting experience in Dublin, Ireland at the Gaiety school of Acting. Since this program is external to UVA, my mini grant will go towards the administrative fee required by education abroad to allow enrollment in this course.
Ryan Lee
Performance Concentration Recital Resources Funding Proposal
I have decided I would like to perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No. 4, Johannes Brahms’ Viola Sonata No. 2 in E flat major, Ludwig Van Beethoven’s “Eyeglass Duet” with fellow music scholar, Chris Fox, and Karel Husa’s Suite for Viola and Piano Op. 5.
Noelle Lee
Exploring and Engaging in the Arts in San Francisco
I hope to return to San Francisco (and potentially Monterey) and experience the city in a new way, with a specific focus on exploring the arts in San Francisco and continuing to cultivate my passion for painting and artistic expression.
Julia Nelson
Intensive Acting in Dublin, Ireland: Transfer Credit Funding
I am currently a third year Drama Major and am working on finishing up my application to study abroad this summer at the Gaiety School of acting in Dublin, Ireland. This IES program would be an amazing opportunity for me to gain more acting training and earn six credits all while exploring the beauty of Ireland. It is my dream to act professionally, so this intensive would provide me with more of the training and experience that I desire, and would be a great chance to surround myself with individuals who are as passionate about creating art as I am.
Connor Noble
Home Studio Equipment Upgrade
The core of my creative electronic music production at a professional-level is a studio space that caters for my own expression. Although I have been able to pursue this passion in my current studio space, there are very important barriers that I’ve come across which inhibit my ability to create meaningful, impactful and plentiful music. I recognise that these issues are resolved via the purchase of new equipment. In my current space, one of my largest issues is the inability to access all of my equipment simultaneously, often due to a lack of flat desk space.
Ellis Nolan
Studio Monitors
Currently, I mix on headphones, however, as I’ve gotten more interested in mixing, I’ve learned that studio monitors can produce a more accurate sound as they have better capability to produce low end frequencies.
Olivia Shepard
Cosplay and Edits as New Media Art and Self-Portraiture
I am interested in exploring how online fan art practices can become viewed as a legitimate form of New Media art. To explore this, I would like to ask the Miller Arts Scholars program to fund a short series of cosplay edits I'd like to create. This series will comprise of around 4-5 edits of me cosplaying different fantasy creatures found in the worlds of my favorite fandoms.
Spring 2021
Elie Bashkow
Microphone
Coming from a live music background as a multi-instrumentalist, the pandemic has significantly changed my personal relationship with music. Live shows no longer being an option, I was forced to seriously readjust so I dove into producing, engineering, mixing, and songwriting. I have spent countless hours in the last year studying everything from dynamic range compression to the ideal mic placement techniques for recording instruments and voices to how to build energy within a song’s chorus to how to get a nervous artist to relax and give their best performance.
Brenna Courtney
Poetry Books, Website, and Contest Fees
This semester marks my formal dive into the study of poetics and English literature in a collegiate setting — whereas I’ve previously taken only writing workshops, my poetry education is now supplemented by more rigorous investigations of history, form, and criticism. As expected, my writing and reading are far richer for it: I now find myself more and more able to draw from the deep well of both established and contemporary English poetry when analyzing not only my own work, but the work of others.
Abreale Hopkins
Proposal for Strange Fruit
In 1939 Abel Meeropool wrote the poem Strange Fruit, a poem describing the horrific conditions of the south surrounding lynchings. It was turned into a song, which singer Billie Holiday popularized in the same year. To this day, this song has profound impacts on all who listen. I heard it for the first time two weeks ago while scrolling through twitter. The sound of trumpet coupled with Billie’s distinct voice nearly moved me to tears. The sound alone felt powerful yet sorrowful. The lyrics are incredibly mobilizing, inspirational, and morbid. I have not been able to stop listening to Strange Fruit. It has made me reflect even more on how the world really has not changed since this song was written.
Noelle Lee
Capturing Art Through a New Lens
The work of the artist does not simply end with the washing of paintbrushes and drying of canvases; rather, one of the most important parts of the art-making process is photographing the finished work. As artists are often required to submit work digitally or provide samples of their work online, good photography is vital for good presentation and professionalism in presenting one’s artwork. As I continue my studies at UVA and explore new art forms within the Studio Art discipline, I aim to collect my work in a digital portfolio, through which I can document how I have progressed as an artist through the years and how I have begun to branch out from the art styles with which I am more familiar.
Yena Lee
Flute Etude Recording Project for Middle-High School Students
Since I started playing flute since fourth grade, YouTube has been one of the best resources for me to practice besides what I learned from private lessons. Referencing the recordings posted by other people, especially those professionally trained, helped me to catch nuances and small details I would often forget. Through participating in the Miller Arts discussions and the UVA music department, I grew the desire to be one of the professional artists who utilize their talents and experiences to help guide the young artists. One of the steps to achieve this was to become a music major, in which I am currently preparing for a performance concentration.
Ryan Lee
Viola Resources Funding Proposal
I have seen a dramatic improvement in myself as a musician overall while continuing my studies in viola here at UVA. Studying with Professor Ayn Balija over the past year and a half has greatly enhanced my technical abilities and has consistently pushed me to become a better chamber musician, orchestra member, and solo performer.
Michael McNulty
Fund for Essential Compositional Tools
During my first semester as a Miller Arts Scholar I have tried my best to use the resources of this program to grow as an artist. In the fall I was awarded a minigrant that allowed me to take lessons with a variety of musicians and purchase important reed making equipment. Through the connections I’ve made in the Miller Arts Scholar seminar I have begun to work as a composer on several interdisciplinary projects and am currently writing scores for two short films made by Arts Scholars this semester.
Lydia Newman
Headshots: An Actor’s First Impression
For an actor, quality headshots are essential. They are usually the first thing a director or an agent sees, so it is imperative that one put forth a professional image. Paying for a professional headshot on a student budget is not always feasible, as high-quality photographers are expensive. I would be grateful for the assistance of Miller Arts as I attempt to take this vital step in the process of working as an actor.
Lauren Schmidt
Violin Resources Funding Proposal
I have spent the past few semesters studying the music of prominent early 20th-century Hungarian composers such as Kodály, Bartók, and Székely with Professor Dan Sender. My interest in this music began when I joined Professor Sender’s violin studio in the Fall of 2019. Since then, I have taken the study of this music increasingly seriously and am now planning on audition for the music Distinguished Majors Project (DMP) program that the music department offers to exceptional rising 4 -year students. Through this program, I hope to complete a thesis analyzing this music and perform a recital during the Spring semester of my 4 year that highlights some of the compositions I have been studying.
Elizabeth (Liza) Wimbish
Research and Website Renewal
As I approach my fourth year, I am beginning to think about my studio art thesis and applying for the DMP, and with this in mind, I am interested in cultivating a larger library of art books to aid in my research and long-term art practice. Along with this, my website domain fee and the fee to use the platform I designed my website on are both up for their yearly renewals in April. Because engaging in a research practice and having a public portfolio are both vital to creating and eventually showcasing my thesis, I am requesting a Miller Arts Minigrant so that I can purchase several books and renew my website.
Karen Zipor
Creating a Professional Online Presence
I am seeking funding to obtain an IMDb Pro account and to take professional headshots. Thanks to the pandemic, an artist's online presence is now more important than ever — especially as it is their prime way to find work and establish their brand. My personal website, headshot, and resume are in desperate need of an update, and this grant will reinvigorate my competitiveness as both a job applicant and actress.
Fall 2021
Regan Borucke
Experiencing the London Stage: A Survey of British Theatre While Studying Abroad
I will attend the NYU “Theatre in London” Course. The NYU program consists of one 8 credit course at RADA that encompasses all of the
theatrical training. I will pick two additional elective courses from a list of four. One of those courses is “ITHEA-UT 662:Theatre in London” which takes students to a wide variety of productions.
Elise Ebert
Piano for Vocal Enhancement Proposal
If provided with this funding, I will enroll in 13 half-hour 2000-level piano lessons in the Spring (2022) semester. I am planning on studying music abroad in Vienna, Austria next Fall (2022), so my goal would be to reach a comfortable intermediate level by the end of the schoolyear. I want to be able to play basic/intermediate piano pieces, accompany myself, play vocal-warmups, and write instrumental parts for my own songs.
Meggie Ferguson
The Power of a Picture
I need to have professional headshots taken. I was accepted to and participated in the Joffrey Musical Theater Intensive this past summer, and a point that many of my instructors made was that it is essential to make a positive impression upon everyone involved in any audition process, especially when there could be thousands of individuals going out for the same role or opportunity as you. High quality, accurate headshots are vital when it comes to making that positive impression upon casting teams so that they remember who you are as a performer and the work that you did in the audition room.
Samuel Gerardi
Home Studio Improvement
I will need studio monitor stands, a powered USB hub, a HDMI to USB adapter, a HDMI cord, USB-A to USB-C cables, two 1⁄4 inch to XLR cables (10 ft), a wireless keyboard, a wireless mouse, and a reflection filter.
Abreale Hopkins
Creating a Foundation for Success
I am interested in applying to a wide range of paths within the arts. I am especially interested in applying to residencies, graduation programs, and artist run studios. Most of the places I have researched suggest having a website where all information as well as a portfolio can be found. Currently, I do not have a website or a place that provides all of these things. With part of the money awarded through this grant, I would have the opportunity to put my best foot forward into the world. Having a cohesive website will reflect me, my experience, and art. Starting a website now will give me the time to refine its content and develop parts like my bio, artist statement, portfolio, and more.
Susana Kuhn
Dramaturgy Immersion and Application through Reading, Intensives, and Live Performances
I would like to propose an immersive arts experience during winter and summer break to learn more about the role of a dramaturg and apply these findings to real performances. I would use this time to attend several Broadway (and potentially off-Broadway) productions, and to read several books and plays as a way of framing my thinking. I will also use these experiences to help prepare an application for a summer workshop in dramaturgy. Finally, I plan to schedule several one on one check-in sessions with my advisor, Katelyn Hale Wood, during this time. As a professor who taught me performance theory and history in an intimate class setting throughout my second year, she is someone whose opinions I value in having discussions around these shows.
Ryan Lee
Viola Case and A String Funding Proposal
With the funding of a new, lighter-weight case, I will be able to transport my viola with more ease without compromising protection and durability. Additionally, the extra equipment such as the bows and shoulder rest will be able to be stored properly without interference from the case itself. A new case would significantly assist in my day-to-day participation in various music activities around Grounds while also ensuring I have healthier posture with less physical tension. I have struggled in the past and continue to work on relaxing while playing and decreasing tension in order to enhance my sound and tone. I have learned during my private study that relaxation and bodily comfort play a large role in creating a fuller and more robust sound. While this is a long-term project and goal, I hope to consistently cultivate and enhance my tone through physical relaxation and decreasing as much tension as possible while playing.
Yena Lee
Enhancing Performance through Competitions and Masterclasses
I have decided to participate in a total of four competitions that are happening in the first half of this academic year. I am requesting the Miller Arts mini-grant in order to pay for the entry fees, to purchase the required competition repertoire, and to hire a pianist for accompaniment.
Cassie Lipton
Preparing for the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention
In February of 2022 the Flute Society of Washington will hold the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, which consists of two days of masterclasses, concerts, and competitions involving people across a seven state region. I am interested in attending the convention and applying to some of the competitions. I am primarily interested in the Collegiate Soloist Competition and the Guest Artist Masterclass Performers competition. Thus, I would like to request a mini grant to fund the competition application fees, the fees to hire an accompanist, and funds for the equipment to make a high quality audition recording.
Michael McNulty
Fund for Music Resources
In order to start building my portfolio as a jazz artist, I want to get some good recordings of me playing jazz at my current level. In order to do this,I want to record a demo tape of my new jazz trio where I will be the band leader. If funded, I will be doing this recording project that the studio called “The Sound” in Charlottesville and have spoken to the owner, Mark Graham, about how much this project will cost.
Julia Nelson
A killer Headshot: Crucial to the Actors Success
I have two exciting ideas for this summer. I may audition for high quality community theatre /professional Summer Shows at Heritage, Live Arts, The Hartford Stage, Connecticut Theatre Company, etc. My other option is to apply to study abroad this summer in Dublin, Ireland at the Gaiety School of Acting- National Theatre School of Ireland. Having quality headshots to market myself will be essential to me achieving either of these summer goals. After I graduate college, I am going to need the tools to market myself to professionals in order to get auditions in the competitive theatre world.
Lydia Newman
Marketing as an Actor
A website is one of the best ways to market oneself as an actor. These websites feature an actor’s resume, their reels, links to social media, and more. By purchasing a web domain, a ring-light, and a book on physical acting, I can enhance my applications for auditions and can improve my online presence as an actor.
Connor Noble
Memoirs of a Foreign Face
I intend to create my entire album by the end of 2022 (one year from now), and am very confident that with this equipment I will certainly be able to do so. With the MicroFreak I will be able to exponentially expand the boundaries of what is possible for me as a producer given the synthesis capabilities of the machine. With the virtual granular effect Portal plugin I will be able to create new effects for my sounds and curate a unique sound of my own through novel production techniques that Portal would enable me. This is particularly important for me, as Logic (my current DAW of choice) does not have a good granular synthesis plugin.
Lauren Schmidt
Funds for Continued Violin Upkeep and Protection
I am requesting a Miller Arts Artist Minigrant to cover the cost of new sheet music for the recital and a new instrument case for my violin. These resources will help me prepare for my upcoming DMP recital and other performances so that I am able to reach my highest potential during my last year of study while at UVA.
Olivia Shepard
Artist Website/Online Portfolio
I propose that I create a professional portfolio and website for my art. Through this, I will showcase my art and develop an established online presence for myself as a professional animator/artist.
Benjamin Trombetta
A Return to Broadway
In order to become a more well-rounded performer, I am requesting support to cover transportation to New York City and tickets for three Broadway shows. Each semester in voice lessons with Mrs. Pamela Beasley, I work on a variety of classical and musical theatre repertoire, most recently “A Bit of Earth” from The Secret Garden and “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady. By attending Broadway shows, I will internalize the various concepts discussed during my voice lessons that can be challenging to grasp without recent experience seeing professional theatre and, in turn, be able to perform musical theatre selections with a higher degree of emotional depth.
Elizabeth (Liza) Wimbish
Pursuing a Material Investigation
I am interested in doing more thorough experimentation with different configurations of concrete, glitter, sand and paint to create different kinds of texture. At large, I am trying to see how I can use sand, concrete, and hardware in ways that subvert their conventional status as industrial materials—and this investigation is more rigorous when I have the resources to make a lot of work. With the help of the Mini Grant, I will be able to buy materials so that I can pursue this body of work/investigation without financial hindrance.
Karen Zipor
Storage to Make Movies and Memories
I am seeking funding to obtain storage space that I’ll need to create very memory- intensive projects in film and theater. This includes a 14 TB hard drive, four 128 GB SD cards, and card cases/readers for high-definition filmmaking and 3D motion capture animation.
Fall 2020
Jakob Cansler
A Pre-Postgraduate Reading List
Using this minigrant, I plan to purchase a whole assortment of recommended books on directing for the stage, working with actors, script analysis, and theatre in general. My goal is to read at least two of these books per month to help me gain a deeper understanding of directing and the theatre industry at-large.
Brent Davis
Music Resource Fund
I am requesting a minigrant to fund the acquisition of a series of music resources, including a carbon fiber bow, a recording microphone, a professional music stand, new higher-quality rosin, a stand light, and sheet music, to be used not only in my studies through practicing, rehearsing, and performing, but also for navigating the necessary changes for musicians during the pandemic.
Tina Hashemi
Preparing for a DMP Recital
I am applying for a MAS Minigrant to fund virtual voice lessons with Danielle Wertz in preparation for my Distinguished Major Recital next spring. Last spring, I used a minigrant to begin studying with Danielle, and studying with her has been pivotal in my development as a singer. With her help, I have been able to work on honing my vocal technique through a new vocal method that prioritizes the natural sound we produce to lead out a more effortless sound.
Emma Hitchcock
Art Supplies for 3rd-year Painting Major
As a studio art student, I’ve grown to love exploring with different mediums. This semester I am taking Intermediate Oil Painting and am planning on specializing in Painting for my Studio major. I enjoy being an oil painting student, but the cost of supplies can sometimes be overwhelming. In my paintings I like to experiment with geometric shapes and lines. Recently, my favorite way to do this is by drawing with paint markers on top of my work. I began experimenting with paint pens at the beginning of quarantine and have loved working with them, however I have used almost all of them up. I would like to get a full set of colors so that I can continue working with this medium.
Margaret Kim
Artist Website and Materials for Sculptures of Biologically Possible Alien Organisms
With the minigrant, I will create a Squarespace website with curated sculpture photos, my biography, links to social media, CV/resume, and my professional contact information.
I am also requesting a minigrant to fund consumable supplies that will allow me to continue creating art. Many of the sculpting material I use are not readily available to students. For example, I use a very specific type of polymer clay, resin, and a mixture of glitter, rhinestones, and artificial pearls. While individual materials, except the polymer clay and resin, are not costly in themselves, I found that they add up very quickly, which impedes my ability to continue creating art.
Kyara Måhlén
“You don’t take a photograph, you make it”- Ansel Adams
I am looking to turn the storage room in my basement into a darkroom so I could learn how to develop my own photography. This semester I couldn’t make it back to Charlottesville, so I had to drop all of my art classes, one of those classes being Introduction to Photography (for my studio art minor). I want to start exploring photography separate from the instant gratification of my iPhone’s perfect picture quality. I’ve been thinking a lot about rebuilding and overall patience because of the nature of our world’s chaos recently, and I wonder what it’s like to cultivate patience through photography.
Michael McNulty
Fund for Musical Enrichment
In order to best prepare me for a career in music, one of the most important things I can be doing right now is talking to and learning from a variety of professionals already in the field to get different perspectives on how to best improve my playing and my craft. In order to do this, I am hoping to use MAS funds to take lessons with a variety of musicians this winter break.
Claire Murphy
A Rotation in Filmmaking
For this project, I would create six short films, each with a different focus. The pieces would be a narrative short, a music video, a short “artist in the studio” documentary, a dance short, a fashion piece, and an action documentary, specifically on surfing. In each of the shorts I would be collaborating with other college students and recent graduates.
Lauren Schmidt
Viola Performance Enhancement Funding Proposal
I am asking for a Miller Arts minigrant to fund the purchase of a new viola shoulder rest and rosin, as well as partially fund the purchase of a new viola bow so that I can further my progress on this instrument.
Benjamin Trombetta
Connecting with Local Students through Trumpet
In order to be a more effective practice partner, I am requesting $500 to purchase a new trumpet, in consultation with a local Charlottesville music store. In turn, I believe rediscovering my passion for trumpet will benefit my own musical literacy and application-based skills, and allow me to connect with students in the Charlottesville community in a unique way.
Isabella Ullmann
Funds to Apply to Scriptwriting Competitions
After researching a variety of scriptwriting competitions, I have decided on six programs that will provide the most feedback and potential to connect with members of the TV industry. I am requesting a minigrant from Miller Arts Scholars in order to pay for the entry fees of these competitions.
Elizabeth (Liza) Wimbish
Darkroom Exploration
I am requesting a Fall 2020 Mini-Grant that would aid me in purchasing black and white film for the 4x5 camera, 8x10 inch photographic paper, and 11x14 inch photographic paper so that I can continue rigorous explorations in the darkroom without being hindered by the cost of materials.
Zohar (Zoe) Ziff
Creating Dance On-Screen
I am applying to obtain funding for materials that would allow me to pursue screendance further and enhance my creations within this medium. With these tools, I would be better equipped to create screendance for my current and future academic courses and add films of professional caliber to my portfolio as a dance artist.
Karen Zipor
Funding to Submit to Film Festivals
I am seeking funding to cover the application costs of submitting my short film, “All That Grief,” to student film festivals. It’s a personal, documentary-style account of being a person in theater looking at the magic put on a stage from the past. In addition, I use a musical theater song that is essential to the plot of my short film, so I will additionally need to purchase the song rights. I expect the song not to cost an unreasonable amount, as I am a small, independent creator with no intention of profiting off the film.
Spring 2020
Jakob Cansler
A Study in Singaporean and Australian Theatre
I am proposing to use the Artist’s Minigrant provided by Miller Arts Scholars to see five theatrical productions in both Singapore and Australia in April and May, respectively.
Adam Cooper
Experimental Music Project (The Cello and Beyond): A Continuation
I am asking for new music production equipment. Each of these items will be used to expand my capacities as a musician to explore new, experimental music with my cello.
Brent Davis
Strings and Bow Enhancement Fund
I am requesting a minigrant to fund a professional set of strings, the upgrade of the metal winding on my bow, and a professional bow re-hair for my cello to be used in my studies through practicing, rehearsing, and performing.
Tina Hashemi
Continuing Professional Music Development
I am applying for a MAS Minigrant to purchase self promotional materials, equipment, and to further my musical development.
Emma Hitchcock
Improving Graphic Capabilities: Adobe Cloud Subscription
A one-year subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud would help me enhance my passion for digital art. I would be able to use it to improve my designs within the Cavalier Daily, Miller Arts, and for my personal use.
Margaret Kim
Adding Bones to Sculptures of Biologically Possible Alien Organisms
With the funding of this minigrant, I will be able to create larger sculptures with more detail and realism. With these sculpting supplies and accessories, I would continue to develop and explore new concepts, techniques, and approaches to sculpture.
Payton Moledor
Headshots: The Actor's Calling Card
I am applying to fund new headshots to carry into my first year-round audition season. My headshots are majorly outdated, and for this reason I need to take new photos before entering my next audition season.
Kiana Pilson
Enhancing Dance Through Music
I am applying for a Miller Arts Minigrant to purchase, learn to play, and eventually compose with an acoustic guitar. My hope is to use what I have learned through UVA’s dance program and what I will learn through an active engagement in UVA’s music department to compose a non-traditional dance/guitar piece before I graduate.
Isabella Ullmann
Fund for New York Theater Festival and Future Submission Process Project Summary
As an aspiring playwright, a crucial part of this journey is having my work produced for an audience. I wish to do this through participating in theater festivals, and am requesting funds for both the current festival I was accepted to as well as online resources to submit in the future.
Salem Zelalem
Poetry Books
With a minigrant, I would be able to purchase and read approximately thirty additional poetry books. This would be an opportunity to innovate in my own poetics, transforming the ways I think about form and language.
Zohar (Zoe) Ziff
Attending FLUX Summer Intensive in Madrid, Spain
I am applying to obtain funding for the FLUX Summer Intensive, a four-day dance workshop in Madrid, Spain that offers classes in Gaga and the chance to study repertoire from internationally-acclaimed choreographers Noa Zuk, Ohad Fishof, Seth Buckley, and Carlos González.
Fall 2019
Kate Bollinger
“No Other Like You” Music Video Fund
I have countless video ideas and have plans to co-direct a video with a friend of mine, Bridget Hamel, who does creative direction and styling, but don’t have the funding to properly compensate a videographer for their work. For my minigrant, I am proposing access to a music video fund that will cover the costs of a music video for my upcoming single, “No Other Like You”.
Emily Buckley
Flute and Electronics
My goal is to produce an album featuring the unique combination of flute and electronic sounds. An essential feature of the home production studio is monitor speakers to allow me to hear the finer details of the mix with greater precision.
Jakob Cansler
Directing a Staged Reading
I want to continue gaining experience with directing this semester in two parts. First, I want to expand my exposure to plays by ordering and reading eighteen scripts, so that I will have more knowledge of the theatre canon, and also so that I will own those plays should I need copies of them in the future. When looking for plays to purchase, I specifically sought out plays that I could possibly see myself directing in the future, so having knowledge of these plays will be even more useful as I continue my studies and eventually start a career in directing.
Adam Cooper
Experimental Music Project (The Cello and Beyond), a continuation
I am hoping to continue to expand the work I am currently doing in regards to combining my passion for cello with electronic music. The equipment I received from the Rising 3rd Year Grant has been absolutely incredible, but I realize that certain, new pieces would be incredibly helpful for creating a more productive workflow.
Imani Edwards
Summer Festival Audition Fund
I am hoping to use this grant to finance my auditions, including application fees and other expenses such as hiring a videographer, for a number of summer festivals on the viola. Preparing for these auditions requires a level of focus and dedication that will be in itself extremely beneficial to the development of my confidence in playing the viola, as my primary instrument is the violin. The high-quality application materials I would be able to produce with the help of this mini-grant would allow me to present the best audition possible and increase my chances of being selected to attend one of these programs, which would further help me develop my skills as a violist.
Tina Hashemi
Attending the Jazz Education Network Conference
I am applying for a MAS Minigrant to attend the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana this coming winter from January 7th to January 10th. This conference, held in the birthplace of jazz, offers vocal jazz and improvisation clinics, networking opportunities, presentations about the jazz industry and research, masterclasses, and top-tier jazz performances.
Margaret Kim
Adding Color to Sculptures of Biologically Possible Alien Organisms
I am requesting a mini grant to fund an airbrush, along with an air compressor, paints and inks to be used with the airbrush, pigments, airbrush cleaning tools, and few other consumable sculpting materials.
Cordelaine Klyne
BalletNova Open Class
I would like, over the course of winter break, to alleviate this period of lethargy by attending open classes at BalletNova Center for Dance, which offers classes at the appropriate age and skill level during this time. The opportunity to study under new instructors often results in exposure to new techniques and imagery that help with technique, artistry, and quality. I plan to take a number of pointe, jazz, and/or musical theatre classes.
Payton Moledor
A Study of the British Theatre: West End to Shakespeare and Beyond
I am applying to the Artist Mini Grant to pay for tickets to attend 16 diverse plays and musicals over the course of three months of research in London. I will be attending these shows during the months of October, November, and December. These 16 shows represent a diverse selection of theatre, and each production will teach me something else about the kind of theatre I want to create and the type of actor I want to be.
Ava Reynolds
Screen Printing Studio Space
I’m applying for an Artist Minigrant to develop a screen printing studio space to further the screen printing skills I learned this past summer. I was only able to create two small prints in the workshop I attended, and I would like to work with larger screens using more colors and layering techniques. If awarded, I would use the grant to purchase functioning silkscreens, screen printing inks, and other subsequent supplies like squeegees, squeegee holders, photo emulsion paste, printing paper etc.
Veronica Seguin
Headshot Proposal
I will take a headshot photoshoot in line with my newly discovered TriForce from Stella Adler. After meeting with an agent at Stella, I determined my TriForce (see description above in Proposal Abstract) and am ready to design a photo shoot in line with its aesthetic. Essentially, the agent delivered 3-4 ideal projects he could see us getting cast in, and our job was to discover who casts those projects, how to reach them, and how their agencies are rated.
Maile-Rose Smith
Dramatic Development and Skill Strengthening
In seeking professional acting opportunities, I often use Backstage to find and apply for film and television roles. By purchasing the domain name maille-rosesmith.com, I can enhance my applications for roles in film, TV, and theatre; steer casting directors toward my full resume and videos of my monologues and demo reels; and more effectively promote myself as an artist.
Lyla Ward
Capturing Queerness on Black and White Reversal Film
Over the summer I lived in New York and interned at New York City Players with the aid of my Third Year Award. Outside of my internship, I attended various drag and queer theater performances, as well as LGBTQIA+ focused art exhibitions. Those experiences inspired and informed my current plan to make a collage style short film focused on the queer style aesthetics and queer party spaces of UVA. I plan to shoot this film observationally with my DSLR camera as well as the art department’s 16mm cameras beginning in mid November and wrapping sometime in February/March of 2020. I plan to edit in March and April and exhibit the film at the WXTJ student radio art show in late spring 2020.
Kia Wassenaar
Scenes in Print
Combining my interest in new media and knowledge of the Adobe Suite with this newfound interest in photography, I have produced a number of vibrant, otherworldly images which I would like to reproduce in the form of high quality color prints. The process of color printing is very expensive, but would enable me to submit these works to galleries and other contests in the Charlottesville area.
Isabella Whitfield
Paper Sculptures: A Continuation
For my mini grant proposal, I would like to attend the one-day Sculptural Flax workshop at Carriage House Paper. By attending this workshop, I will increase my knowledge of using paper as a sculptural material, incorporating nylon stocking armatures and high shrinkage unbleached flax.
Elizabeth (Liza) Wimbish
Camera Upgrade
I am requesting a Miller Arts Scholars Minigrant to purchase a 6x7 Medium Format Camera, a 6x7 negative carrier for my enlarger, and black and white 120 format film. After considering my history with photography this far, I think this camera would be a good equilibrium between the TLR I was exposed to and the 35mm camera I used priorly; because of this, working with this camera would be an asset in furthering my work.
Zohar (Zoe) Ziff
GagaLab in Tel Aviv, Israel Over Winter Break
Gaga is a movement language developed by Batsheva Dance Company and its artistic director Ohad Naharin. Rather than use mirrors to direct dance through shape, Gaga encourages students to improvise based on imagery and somatic experiences while following an instructor. I have taken Gaga classes and workshops before.
Spring 2019
Kate Bollinger
Merchandise & Resources Fund
For my minigrant, I am proposing access to a fund for merchandise, which will cover the cost to order the totes, shirts, stickers, etc., and the cost of the artist’s time and work. The rest of the fund, after the initial merchandise order and artist payout, will go toward paying future artists for their work and future re-orders of merchandise.
Jakob Cansler
Hans Garbo and an Introduction into Film Directing
I am applying for funding to cover costumes and props as well as equipment that would otherwise not be affordable. I also intend to purchase a subscription to Masterclass, which provides online video masterclasses from industry professionals in various fields.
Savannah Edwards
Directorial Growth
I am proposing a minigrant project to help me gain more experience as a theatre and film director through a combination of observation, instruction, and practice.
Tina Hashemi
Continuing the Development of a Jazz Portfolio
I hope to spend this semester continuing to develop my portfolio by purchasing a recording device that I can use to record my performances as well as a year-long subscription to squarespace to maintain my website, to which I will upload the recordings. This project is of exceptional importance to me in my development as a professional musician since high quality sound recordings will allow me to represent my best self to bookers and others in the jazz scene.
Payton Moledor
Tap Shoes: For Summer Theatre and Beyond
I am applying to the Artist Mini Grant to purchase a pair of LaDuca Roxie Hard Sole Tap Shoes and a pair of Capezio FlexMaster Tap Shoes. A quality pair of split-sole tap shoes will allow me to work on more intricate and complicated tap dancing, while a pair of LaDuca high-heel shoes that meet industry standards will be invaluable for performing as and auditioning for almost every tap-heavy female character in the musical theatre cannon, such as the one I will be portraying in Newsies this summer.
Veronica Seguin
Actor Enrichment Initiative
In applying for this mini grant, I seek funding for a general dusting of enrichment across my acting career. In a world that relies progressively more upon technology by the day, I endeavor to apply the notion of digital presence to my growing acting career by purchasing the domain veronicaseguin.com and subsequently hosting that website through WordPress. In the realm of Musical Theatre enrichment, I hope to purchase a longer-lasting and better-quality pair of character shoes from LaDuca Shoes for dancing in anticipated summer and future productions.
Anna Warner
Images, Still and Moving
The project I am proposing is three short films in cinematography by the end of the semester through which I can explore the medium specificity of film. My three films will be shot on color negative 16mm film using Bolexes, and they will be scanned and edited digitally. Through a semester of planning, writing, buying costumes, constructing sets, filming, recording sound, and editing, I hope to learn more about this medium and also how I can also apply it to strengthen my Studio Art major concentration of photography.
Fall 2018
Elissa Bardhi
Oil Painting
I am applying for the artist minigrant to find a way back to oil painting. With this grant I will have the resources I need to create a large oil painting that ties to my realism roots. This would be different than every project I have ever indulged in because it would have no guidelines, no short-term biweekly due date, and no grade. This grant would give me the opportunity to produce the art I once knew and loved on a grand scale.
Kate Bollinger
Funding for Recording Equipment
When I got to UVa, I began to record with other musicians and producers, ultimately using the microphones they had at their disposal, but I have always known that in order to create the music that I dream about creating, I will need more high quality recording equipment. My current goal is to continue recording the solo album that I have been working on and to record and release work under the artist name LAMB, a collaborative project I have been working on.
Claire Burke
Beyond the Image: America’s National Parks
I would most like to expand the opportunities to show the film within the Charlottesville community, specifically hosting an exhibition focused on environmentalism in art. To accomplish these goals, I need connections to potential showing locations and funds to host an exhibition and apply for festivals.
Jakob Cansler
Researching British Acting and Directing Techniques
My main goal in this project is to view as much professional, high-quality theatre as I can in a one week period so that I can study the techniques of the top artists in the business. Using the Artist Minigrant provided by the Miller Arts Scholars program, I intend to fly to London for five nights and see five professional shows on the West End over the course of my time there.
Kaiming Cheng
VR headset Purchase for Sound Engineering
With the help of the Miller Arts Scholars Minigrant Program, I would be able to purchase a fully-functioned VR headset, and add more functionalities and various novel human computer interactions on my project.
Alice Clair
Femme Funk: A Female Musician Showcase (ROUND TWO)
This year I would like to bring back Femme Funk, a female musician showcase for the communities of Charlottesville and UVA. I will again work in conjunction with Sheville, a socially conscious organization born from HackCville’s platform that aims to raise awareness and funds for women’s health and counseling resources in Charlottesville. The event will take place at either The Southern on the downtown mall or at the IX Art Park, only two blocks from the downtown mall. The showcase will be sponsored by WXTJ and Sheville, among other local businesses and people like EpicCville, 92.3 Rock Hits, and Danny Shea of the Southern.
Bryce Cuthriell
Continuation of Performance Intensive
It is my intention to visit Steps on Broadway and take ballet and modern classes, as well as American Repertoire Ballet, Alvin Ailey, and a few other dance schools in NYC. I want to use this trip as a continuation of my studies over the summer in Columbus, and to reinforce the things I learned there. Also, I would like to participate in a couple company auditions while I am there. My overall objective, as before, is to continue to build my technique and artistry. I also hope to be able to glean more ideas and inspiration for choreography at the dance department at UVa. The entire project will take place over the course of two or three days.
Savannah Edwards
We’ll Hear a Play
I am requesting a Minigrant to help fund the education and equipment I need to explore this medium of dramatic writing and production. The most integral expense to this project is a highly-rated online class called “How to Start a Podcast” from an arts education service called Creative Live. This course has four different sections “Podcasting 101,” “Essential Storytelling Techniques,” “Start Your Profitable Podcast & Build a Brand,” and “Power Your Podcast with Storytelling.”
Jack Gereski
Graduate School Application Fees
I am applying for the Miller Arts Scholar Minigrant to help fund the application fees associated with applying to graduate school for Acting. As of now, I am planning to apply to at least four graduate programs: Yale School of Drama, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Professional Actor Training Program (PATP) at UNC-Chapel Hill, and the Actors Studio School at Pace University.
Tina Hashemi
Establishing Eligibility for Consideration in Musical Employment, Workshops and Competitions
I will work closely with vocal jazz instructor Stephanie Nakasian to prepare my voice and scatting skills and with graduate student Rami Stucky to create arrangements of jazz standards to perform on the recording. I will then go into the studio within a month to record at Virginia Arts Recording. During this time, I will create a website through Squarespace that will contain pictures and videos of previous gigs, a biography, and future gigs.
Marcha Kiatrungrit
Preparation for Fourth Year Recital
During my four years at the University of Virginia, the development of my voice has reflected my own personal growth, and I hope to share this journey at my Fourth Year Recital at Brooks Hall on March 24, 2019 at 13:00.
Chuanyuan Liu
Preparation Materials for Spring 2019 Audition Season
I am applying for the MAS Minigrant to support my upcoming preparation materials for graduate school auditions and summer program auditions. In addition to a well written resume, it is essential for candidates to provide professional headshots and high quality recordings to compile a competitive application, and both of them can be quite expensive.
Daniel McCarter
Becoming a Self-Sustaining Artist
If were to receive this minigrant I would begin by filming family gatherings and unplanned events around the home in order to get comfortable with the new equipment. I would then proceed to edit the films together on Adobe. After I felt confident doing that I would start shooting my own stories or helping other people with their films using my equipment.
Michelle Miles
Don’t Get My Chair In It
With this project, I hope to expand the frame of my work’s composition to include subject matter that I have never addressed before. With the funds from this grant, I would gain the opportunity to revisit voices from my childhood to capture and share stories through my medium, 16mm film, that I’ve gained a newfound confidence to work in.
Payton Moledor
Exploration of the Actor's Spoken Voice
I am applying to the Artist Mini Grant in the amount of $450 to fund 6 personal training sessions with Tovah Close to explore the actor’s spoken voice and improve my oral skills as a performer.
Anna Morgan
The Intersection of Photography and Printmaking
I would end the semester with a final portfolio of at least fifteen color photographs, four print projects, and some hybrid creations utilizing both mediums. I expect the work, again, to be similar to what I produce in class, but hopefully with the support of Miller Arts Scholars I will be able to push my work even more. I believe this symbiotic relationship of photos versus prints would grow my work tremendously and help push me to a stronger 4th Year Show in the Spring as well.
Emily Schmid
Theatre of the Oppressed Performance for Distinguished Majors Thesis
The research I am conducting will be multidisciplinary drawing on skills from performance studies, ethnography, administration, and theatre arts. I will serve in the role of producer, stage manager, and director for the theatre piece that the students create. Additionally, I will work as a teacher to pass on my knowledge of Theatre of the Oppressed to the students. The beauty of Theatre of the Oppressed is that it is devised theatre, so there is no need to purchase rights to a show.
Shannon Spence
Going Big: Public Art and Self-Promotion
Entering into my fourth and final year at UVA and my second as a Miller Arts Scholar, I am struck with the urgency of my situation. This time next year I will no longer have access to the support of an art department, professors and classmates, and there will be no large student body as a potential audience. Therefore, this semester I am planning a forward approach to marketing my art to greater UVA.
Heidi Waldenmaier
Company Class with the Charlottesville Ballet
The Charlottesville Ballet offers open company class every weekday at 10am. I’d like to attend this class every Friday morning for the remainder of the semester. Although I am a dance minor and would love to take class with the department, my class and rehearsal schedule as a drama major does not allow for it at this time. Each ballet class costs 19 dollars with my student discount which will add up, making it beyond what is affordable on my student budget. I am asking for 200 dollars to fund tuition and gas expenses over the course of the semester.
Meghan Walther
Analyzation of Dance Performances from the United States to Italy
Every ballet company has different dancers, directors, and styles, which is why I would find it to be a culturally enriching experience to analyze the similarities and differences of two professional ballet companies’ performances. Since I am planning to study abroad for this upcoming January 2019 in Rome, I will have the opportunity to attend a ballet performance while abroad to further my artistic curiosity. My project will be set up into three parts. I will analyze a ballet in Rome, followed by a ballet in the United States. Then, I will reflect upon both by writing a detailed report discussing the similarities and differences of each production.
Anna Warner
Photographs and the Silver Window of Reality
The specific hypothesis that I am investigating is this: in the way that all photographs are lies, there is a specific type of film that is the most genuine depiction of truth that the deceit of photography can muster. The film type I am referring to is color positive, or slide film.
Kia Wassenaar
Drawing, Paintings and Portfolio Making
I have several ideas for drawings that I believe would translate well to paintings. While I have never worked extensively in this medium, I am eager to explore and experiment, particularly within the world of acrylics and watercolors. The materials needed to get started with painting (an easel, canvases, brushes, the paint itself, etc.) can be expensive, which is why this Minigrant would be essential.
Isabella Whitfield
Merging Different Materials and Artistic Processes
I am proposing a project that will span to the end of the fall semester. I am requesting funds to help purchase a Wacom Intuos Pro Paper drawing tablet. This tool allows artists to have editable digital files of artwork without compromising the familiar pen to paper process of creating. For my project, I will create a series of six digital paintings that will explore the potential of merging traditional and digital materials. I will closely document my artistic process to provide a clear picture of the utilization of these materials. Adobe Photoshop software will be used to compile and edit my artwork via tablet.
Spring 2018
Kristen Barrett
The Globe Theatre
In Fall 2018, I will be directing Romeo and Juliet, reimagining it as an interracial love story set in the summer after the Rodney King riots. The Capulet family will be African-American; the Montague family will be Caucasian; and other characters associated with neither or both families (i.e. The Prince, Friar Laurence) will be portrayed by primarily non-black minorities.
Alice Clair
“Keep Talking” Single Release Complete with Music Video
Under the name Alice Clair, I intend to record and release a full-length album complete with full band arrangements by the end of this summer. In line with this plan, I have committed to playing a show at The Southern Café and Music Hall on April 25 with my new backing group. This project of recording and releasing a single, along with filming a music video, will serve to promote both the show and the album, as well as my first professionally published material.
Savannah Edwards
A Summer at Studio Theatre
I am currently in the process of applying to several summer theatre internships, the majority of which are located in Washington, D.C. My top choice is a part-time literary internship at Studio Theatre. As a literary intern, I would be compiling dramaturgical research on current and upcoming shows, analyzing scripts for upcoming seasons, and assisting with various writing and editing assignments for the Studio Theatre Literary Department. This internship is unpaid, however I would be provided with a monthly metro card, complimentary tickets, opportunities to attend educational seminars led by the theatre professionals who work there, and half-price tuition for classes and workshops at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory. The application for this particular internship is due on March 23rd, so it is unlikely that I will know about my acceptance until mid-April.
Rachel Good
Resources for Dance Videography and Technique Improvement
When I put my heart and soul into a piece of choreography, usually all I have to remember it by and show for it is a low quality cell phone video filmed from the back of the dancers in the mirror. I love watching these videos though. They have a special place in my heart. However, when I show them to other people, I am often met with confusion. It is hard for other people to register what I am trying to communicate to my audience through the lense of a narrow cell phone camera, filtered by the reflection of a mirror. Accordingly, my goal is to start compiling a collection of high quality videos of my dancing and choreography. This material could potentially even be used to update my current dance reel (made with an iPhone camera).
Chuanyuan Liu
Attending Baroque Workshop at the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival
I am applying for the MAS Minigrant to attend the Baroque Workshop at the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival this coming summer from June 10th to June 16th in Harrisonburg, Virginia. This intimate workshop, celebrating its 10th anniversary, is designed to give participants hands- on experience in Baroque technique and interpretation through a series of masterclasses and coaching sessions.
Daniel McCarter
Cinematography Advancement
I seek to Obtain a Cannon EF 50mm f1.4 USM lens to allow me to be more independent as a filmmaker. As of now I own an extreme wide angle lens (warps the image), am borrowing a wide angle lens (good for establishing shots), am borrowing a telephoto lens (good for extreme close-ups). The one camera lens I do not have is a 50mm which is often cited as the most standard most used lens for filmmakers on a tight budget.
Anna Morgan
Deconstructing the Artist Book
I would like to ask for support to purchase various bookmaking materials, including paper, thread, and wax, as well as funds to purchase my own typewriter; despite having access to one in the studio, I would like my own to further explore the options without commandeering it from the rest of the class and so that I may pursue this work beyond the classroom on my own time and terms both in and out of school. I also have acrylic paint and medium in my budget for staining paper. I will use materials I already have for etchings and other prints.
Alexandra Murphy
The Acquisition of Dance through Videography
I seek to be able to more thoroughly explore my creative process in two different realms of dance. One exploratory video project will be on the ways other art forms can inspire dance movement. The other project will be focused on a way to portray dance to the rest of the population through videography on social media. I want to do this in order to create an online platform to build off of for future work.
Spring 2017
Elena Anderson
Professional Actor Headshots with Ted Ely
An actor’s headshots are one of the most important tools in her arsenal. It is usually the first thing a director sees, the first thing an agent sees, and the first impression of you in any audition. A professional-looking headshot is vital to an actor just starting out in the business. Unfortunately, they can be expensive for someone on a student’s budget.
Wesley Diener
Third Year Recital
We, Josephine Miller and Wesley Diener, are applying for an Art Scholars Minigrant to support our upcoming third year recital and associated fees. On February 12, we will offer a third year recital at the University Baptist Church. As music majors in the department’s competitive performance concentration, we both pursue active opera and art song performances schedules.
Krista Hartmann
Documenting the Artistic Process—An Instant Photography Study
I am currently a second year Echols Scholar double majoring in Studio Art and Biology. I am requesting funding from the Miller Arts Scholars Minigrant Program to support the cost of a Polaroid film project aiming to document and expose the artistic process.
Taylor Lamb
Summer Conservatory Tuition
I am requesting to be funded in the form of a Miller Arts Scholar Minigrant to support the costs of tuition to attend the Stella Adler Studio of Acting’s summer conservatory.
Josephine Miller
Third Year Recital
We, Josephine Miller and Wesley Diener, are applying for an Art Scholars Minigrant to support our upcoming third year recital and associated fees. On February 12, we will offer a third year recital at the University Baptist Church. As music majors in the department’s competitive performance concentration, we both pursue active opera and art song performances schedules.
Fall 2017
Kristen Barrett
Researching Theatrical Adaptations
As an English and Drama double major, I am deeply interested in adapting novels/novellas/short stories into theatrical productions. Ever since I acted in a one-act adaptation of William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying , I have felt drawn to this literary and artistic practice that seems like a perfect marriage of my two majors. To better pursue this interest, I would like to spend winter break viewing and analyzing theatrical adaptations as I work on my own adaptation of Passing by Nella Larsen, a Harlem Renaissance novella and one of my favorite pieces of literature.
Kaiming Cheng
Documenting Performance
Request funding from the Miller Arts Scholars Minigrant Program to reimburse the cost for Film Documenting during performance in Downtown Charlottesville, UVA Bicentennial Celebration and Smithsonian American History Museum in Washington,DC.
Luc Cianfarani
Recording of Improvisations on a Painting by Jules Olitski
This March, I have the opportunity to create professional quality recordings for a work I am writing for piano and live electronics with my friend Alexa in Glasgow, Scotland. I will incorporate these recordings into the electronics, and my piece will be premiered in May at Old Cabell Hall. This is a great chance to have a work of mine professionally recorded and collaborate with an incredibly talented young musician.
Alice Clair
Femme Funk: A Female Musician Showcase for UVA and Charlottesville
I plan to organize and execute a female musician/artist showcase in conjunction with Sheville, a socially conscious organization born from HackCville’s platform that aims to raise awareness and funds for women’s health and counseling resources in Charlottesville. The event will take place at the Ante Room (219 Water St. W) off the downtown mall on Friday, December 1st. The goal of the event will be to provide a show and outlet for female performers in UVA and Charlottesville, as well as to raise awareness and funds for female-oriented organizations. To maintain this goal, the proceeds of the event will go to benefit the Women’s Initiative of Charlottesville and the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE), which will define this event as a non-profit benefit.
Wesley Diener
The Last Five Years: Directing a Musical
We, Wesley Diener, Jack Gereski, and Maelisa Singer, are applying for Art Scholar Minigrants to fund our participation in the Lab Series production of The Last Five Years. The Department of Drama’s Lab Series will present Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years on November 18 and 19. Wesley will direct the musical, Jack will portray Jamie, and Maelisa will design the costumes. This production provides unparalleled opportunities for undergraduate drama students to take on larger responsibility within a professional theatrical environment. Our active participation in classes and departmental productions has equipped us with the necessary skills to stand on our own as artists.
Jack Gereski
The Last Five Years: Directing a Musical
We, Wesley Diener, Jack Gereski, and Maelisa Singer, are applying for Art Scholar Minigrants to fund our participation in the Lab Series production of The Last Five Years. The Department of Drama’s Lab Series will present Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years on November 18 and 19. Wesley will direct the musical, Jack will portray Jamie, and Maelisa will design the costumes. This production provides unparalleled opportunities for undergraduate drama students to take on larger responsibility within a professional theatrical environment. Our active participation in classes and departmental productions has equipped us with the necessary skills to stand on our own as artists.
Kirsten Hemrich
The Artist’s Book: A Temporal Landscape
I am proposing a semester long project which will take course over the fall semester. With the requested the funds to cover the costs of materials, I will learn about the craft of bookbinding and bind a book myself. I intend to create an artist’s book which will merge poetry writing and various drawing techniques.
Marcha Kiatrungrit
FAVA Grand Concours & My Misc Tape: An Album
As photographers might make a photo album of their work, I hope to create an audio album of my life, focusing on my time at the University of Virginia, where my love for music blossomed and has grown exponentially ever since. My passions in music lie in performance, compositions, and production. With my engineering degree, I plan on pursuing sound engineering and music production. This project will allow me to create an album as a showcase of what I have learned so far at UVA and a celebration of the relationships and love that I have formed. My Miscellaneous Tape will be the intersection of all the angles of my passions for music and a journey to find out more about myself and the world.
Chuanyuan Liu
Software Purchase for Composition and Sound Engineering
I am requesting funding from the Miller Arts Scholars Minigrant Program in order to support the cost of the software purchase for a major composition project with Lingxi Chinese Theatre in this academic year. Lingxi Chinese Theatre (灵犀中文话剧社) is the first and only non-profit Chinese theatre group at the University of Virginia. As a member of Associations of Chinese Theatre (ACT), an alliance of the top student-run Chinese theatre groups in universities across the US, Lingxi Chinese Theatre promotes strong cultural diversity, nurtures and serves as a resource of student talents and, introduces the inner workings of theatrical art to all that are interested.
Nicholas Milkovich
Tetanus
I am requesting a Miller Art Scholar Mini Grant to pursue the construction of a large-scale sculpture. This sculpture will be part of the McGuffey Art Center show entitle Off the Wall beginning this October and ending in November. At the conclusion of the show, this sculpture will be the centerpiece of my fourth year concentration in Sculpture and will become a part of my fourth year show at the conclusion of the Spring Semester 2018.
Josephine Miller
Taking the Next Step
I am applying for an Arts Scholars Minigrant to support my upcoming attempts to revamp my overall artist portfolio and publicity and any associated fees regarding voice and publicity. I will be focusing not only on fine-tuning my voice in preparation for recordings, my DMP, competitions in the Spring, and application to a master class in Carnegie Hall, but also improving my general online and real-life professional presence in the arts community through website, video, headshots, and resume updates.
Anna Morgan
Layers of Selves
My proposed project involves the craft of bookmaking in relation to the meaning of “self” across time and interfaces. I imagine a trail of selves extending backward and forward in time, a constantlyIchanging definition of who we are. In addition to time, we create various selves via the internet, freezing ourselves in cyberspace on numerous social networks and websites. I currently am asking myself, how can I portray these layers of selves? How can I show these shadows of who we are in an art form? A book makes the most sense to me, as it is literally layers: pages one after another; once flipped, previous pages are past encounters while future pages wait to be seen. I would use Coptic binding for the more open format of the book, and a more obvious portrayal of layering.
Braelyn Schenk
The Branding of an Artist: Video Series
These past few years I’ve written and performed my music periodically and am feeling, more so than ever, the urgency and necessity to make my work more accessible and shareable with others. Though I have the makings of an EP, before initiating steps toward full-band, studio recordings, I would like to begin with two to three excellently recorded and filmed videos. With a few bare-bones music videos I can begin the journey of branding myself and garnering a following as I simultaneously work to release a four-song EP by Summer 2018. These spreadable tools will launch me into my next steps as a musician and as a well-rounded creative, outside of the direct context of UVA.
Maelisa Singer
The Last Five Years: Directing a Musical
We, Wesley Diener, Jack Gereski, and Maelisa Singer, are applying for Art Scholar Minigrants to fund our participation in the Lab Series production of The Last Five Years. The Department of Drama’s Lab Series will present Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years on November 18 and 19. Wesley will direct the musical, Jack will portray Jamie, and Maelisa will design the costumes. This production provides unparalleled opportunities for undergraduate drama students to take on larger responsibility within a professional theatrical environment. Our active participation in classes and departmental productions has equipped us with the necessary skills to stand on our own as artists.
Shannon Spence
Study in Serigraphy – Art Postering
I am applying for the Miller Art Scholars Minigrant to study the art of serigraphy, more commonly known as screen-printing. This will fund private lessons in the photo-emulsion technique and a 3-month Artist Residency at Studio Two Three in Richmond, VA. In addition to being able to practice the art of serigraphy in a studio setting, I will be generating a body of work surrounding a formal interest in exploring color and form and a thematic interest in the tropes of college postering.
Heidi Waldenmaier
Preparation Materials for 2018 Spring Audition Season
My goal is to attend the Spring 2018 Southeastern Theater Conference (SETC) in Mobile, Alabama and audition as a dancer. I have been training in ballet and contemporary for years, but I have had little exposure to the styles that are highly sought by musical theatre companies. Dancers at musical theatre auditions are frequently asked to audition in character shoes as well as perform basic tap combinations. In order to compete against dancers with more training and audition opportunities, I have to diversify my abilities and prove that I am a malleable, versatile choice for hire. I want to remake my dance audition reel (which is out of date) with the additions of work in both character and tap shoes to show versatility. This reel can then be sent to theaters that are too far away to audition for shows in person.
Fall 2016
Alexandra D'Elia
A Dança Portuguesa
I propose this Minigrant to help further equip my project, A Dança Portuguesa, so that it may result in a superb video documentary.
Wesley Diener
Professional Materials for Young Artist Programs
I am applying for a Miller Art Scholar Artist Minigrant to support the costs of acquiring and developing professional audition materials for my applications in the coming operatic audition season.
Kylie Grow
Archive Photo Essay
As explained in my first minigrant proposal in support of the peel-apart film photo essay originally titled Healing, later titled Living Just Around the Corner, I am submitting this second grant proposal to financially support the preservation of the images I made this summer.
Kirsten Hemrich
Student Art Show
Over the course of the past month, I have been organizing a student art show that will take place in GRIT Coffee House on Elliwood on the UVA corner. The show will include my work, as well as the work of fellow Miller Art Scholars, Emma Lewis and Corrinne James. I am requesting $500 in the form of a Minigrant to help cover the costs of framing my work and providing food at the opening reception. I am also requesting funds to rent the facility one night during the show to host an open mic night/ closing reception event.
Aspen Miller
Narrative Illumination
Currently, I am furthering my study of film lighting as well as establishing a new student film production company, LabShorts. We, as a group, are in desperate need of a professional lighting workshop so we can increase the production value of our work, but more importantly, learn the role of light in the narrative process.
Natalie Pernick
Ireland on Stage: An Exploration of Theatre in Ireland
With this funding, I would like to investigate the storytelling and stylistic elements of modern and classic Irish theatre pieces as well as the cultural impact of theatre in Ireland. In addition to viewing Irish-written pieces, I will view American and other foreign shows to gauge how Irish elements can be incorporated into foreign-born work and to explore the comparisons and contrasts between Irish performance art and the traditional American styles and elements of performance that I am familiar with. I will try to view an equal number of Irish pieces and foreign pieces. I will record observations and analysis of each performance to be compiled into a final comprehensive outcome statement at the conclusion of my semester abroad.
2015
Luc Cianfarani
Summer Contemporary Music Study
Luc will travel to New York City this summer to study with renowned pianist, Anthony de Mare.
Anne Codd
Navigation: A Study in Medium Format Film Photography
Anne will explore and experiment with vintage photography through the purchase a refurbished Yashica-D 6x6 camera and a refurbished Soviet LOMO Twin Lens Reflex camera, both from the mid 20th century.
Alexandra D'Elia
Company E Summer Dance Intensive in Washington, D.C.
Alexandra will attend Company E’s Two-Week Summer Dance Intensive in Washington, DC.
Wesley Diener
NATS Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition
Wesley will travel to compete at NATS Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition at College of Charleston in South Carolina.
Vivien Fergusson
Preparation for Third-Year Arts Award at Bates Dance Festival
Vivien will spend time at Posture Studio Pilates in perparation for her attendance to the Bates Dance Festival.
Kylie Grow
Healing
Kylie will use minigrant funding to support the cost of producing an analytical photo essay in an unconventional medium that is typically treated as “toy photography”, or an antiquated household documentary sort of photography: instant Polaroid photograph.
Kylie Grow
Decadence
Kylie received an Artist Minigrant to support the cost of hanging materials, and photo mats for a week long art opening of her independently produced investigative photo essay titled Decadence.
Kirsten Hemrich
Repurposing Forgotten Photographs
Kirsten will create a series of mixed media paintings that incorporate forgotten, vintage photographs
Corrinne James
"Moments"
Corrinne will purchase camera film, markers for illustrations, sketchpads and materials for use in creating a 4-5 minute long animated narrative about the idea of the self, life and the spirit.
Steven Johnson
Theatre Through The Camera
Steven is proposing a personal research project focusing on photography in the theatre. He will study photography as a device to capture, preserve, and drive conversations about theatre design by photographing several productions at his job as an electrician for Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City. While he will not be able to add the production photos he takes at Lyric Theatre to his portfolio, as they are not his designs, he will have the time and access to complex lighting designs and be able to use them to learn how they interact with the camera and how to control it.
Heidi Klockenbrink
Continuing Film Production
Heidi will purchase supplies to support her work in film production.
Taylor Lamb
Entertainment Industries Council Internship
Taylor has been offered a position to serve as Entertainment Industries Council’s Intern for the summer of 2016. As an intern, she will be doing a variety of tasks including but not limited to: writing press releases, social media, and blogs, and assisting in the production of events such as the PRISM awards: an awards ceremony with the purpose of recognizing writers, producers, directors, musicians, actors, and actresses for their authentic storytelling of mental illness and substance abuse issues.
Kingston Liu
Videography for Dance
Kingston recieved funding to further study videography techniques for dance.
Aspen Miller
Ambient Noir: Sound and Storytelling
Aspen received an Artist Minigrant to support further study of the importance of sound in filmmaking and storytelling.
Josephine Miller
NATS Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition
Josephine will travel to compete at NATS Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition at College of Charleston in South Carolina.
Parima Sahbai
The Relation between Photography and Drawing
Parima will purchase photography equipment to further her development as a studio artist.
Braelyn Schenk
Apples & Oranges-Further enabling a project on the move
Braelyn will conduct a series of documented sound and movement based improvisations on her own. Later in the project outline, she plans to bring in an outside photographer/videographer to capture workshops, interviews etc.
Braelyn Schenk
Apples & Oranges-Further enabling a project on the move
Braelyn will purchase portable recording equipment in order to capture interviews, soundscapes, and other environments.
Gabrielle Struckell
Summer Preparation for Dance Improvisation and Composition
Gabrielle will attend summer ballet courses.
Margaret Via
Penland School of Crafts
Margaret will attend a two-week course this summer at the Penland School of Crafts.
Micah Watson
Liturgical Praise Dance Performance
Micah received an Artist Minigrant to support the costs of travel to the Liturgical Praise Dance Conference with herdance troupe, Send Judah First.
Susan Xie
Native Tongues
Susan will explore questions related to culture, especially in the form of mouths and tongues. For an example, see the third gif on this site http://rsx3cd.tumblr.com/. Currently, she is working on a final stop motion project that explores the symbolism of time and tongues moving in circular patterns.