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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I am requesting support to help me purchase materials to complete my darkroom prints, build frames, and install the show.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Project funds from this minigrant would help support a trip to Lightbox Expo, a networking convention for artists in Pasadena, California.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.