Idea Lab is pleased to announce two new Mini Grant recipients. The projects were selected based on creative merit, collaborative and interdisciplinary reach, and feasibility. Each project team will be assigned a mentor from ICE, will receive regular feedback from Idea Lab members, and will make a presentation as part of the ICE Conversation Series. The Idea Lab Mini Grants are sponsored by Ideas for Creative Exploration (ICE).
Connect
The collaborators of Connect will develop a sound art composition integrated with the everyday use of smartphone technology. Phase One of the project involves the implementation of an early version of an app at a live concert to assist the performers in adapting to the new demands of integrating the technology into their work. Phase Two aims at an experimental audience-technology-performer integrated premier performance at the Dancz Center for New Music. Phase Three aims at a larger concert work including a wind ensemble and interactive technology.
Participants
Cody Brookshire, DMA student, Music Composition
Richard Saney, undergraduate, Computer Science
Jake Reeves, undergraduate, Genetics
Tyler Ehrlich, MM student, Music Conducting
Hyphenated American
Hyphenated American is a two-part art production utilizing musicians, film-makers, visual artists, and writers to construct a story about the experiences of a first-generation Hispanic-American. The project aims to convey the story of students and local community members who find themselves belonging to both Hispanic and American cultures and to turn an innovative collaborative lens to their struggles with identity and with a unique set of societal pressures. The first part of the project will be an interactive web site that will allow Hispanics who would like to share their experiences but are not part of the performative aspect of the project to do so. The second part is a performance event to be held in downtown Athens in 2016. The performance will be a collaborative event including spoken word, visual art, and original music composition.
Participants
Monique Osorio, undergraduate, Music Composition and Theory, Psychology
Anita Guevara, undergraduate, Social Work
Sestina Real, undergraduate, Women’s Studies and African American Studies
Orlando Burgos Pimental, undergraduate, Advertising
Picturing Home
Picturing Home will bring awareness to the many families in the Athens area affected by the deportation of a family member or loved one. Using the concept of photovoice, twenty families from the Hispanic community will use disposable cameras to document moments that they wish to share about their experiences with deportation. The project will culminate in a curated exhibition of photographs as well as testimonials that will allow the Athens community to engage in dialogue about an issue that deeply impacts many local families.
Participants
Ashley Meadow, PhD student, Sociology
Mary Adams, PhD student, Sociology
Erin Mazzei, graduate student, Photography
Pablo Lapegna, Professor of Sociology and Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Patricia Richards, Professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies
Alejandra Calva, PORTAL Manager, Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute