Single Project / Event Grant Recipients 1999

$2,000 Permanent Photo Set Up/Graduate Art Students Association/GSO Equipment for a permanent photography set up in Marshall Annex which allows students to take slides of their 2-D and 3-D artwork for portfolio purposes.

$1,250 Indonesian Dance Workshop/Alive With Dance/RSO A two-day residency with I Nhurah Supartha, an internationally known Indonesian choreographer, composer and performing artist, who taught four free workshops on Balinese dance to the campus community.

$2,000 Assassins/Department of Theater, Music and Dance Eight performances of the contemporary musical theater piece, Assassins, by Stephen Sondheim and John Wiedman which explores the meaning of the "American Dream" from the perspective of Presidential assassins.

$1,520 The Passion of Dracula/UMass Theater Guild/RSO A retelling of the classical fable of Dracula, which made use of extensive special effects and elaborate sets. The Passion of Dracula was an entirely student-run production.

$600 Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition/Sino-American Group of Amherst/GSO A six-week exhibition of Chinese calligraphy which featured both historical and contemporary pieces. The exhibit was augmented by a lecture by Prof. Eugene Wang of Harvard University and a calligraphy demonstration by UMass Prof. Zhongwei Shen in an effort to educate the campus community about this significant art form.

$2,000 5th Annual Multicultural Film Festival/Interdepartmental Program in Film Studies The 14 films in this year's festival explored "migration, cultural displacement and the role of cinema as both a document of cross-cultural encounter and medium of social change." Directors were present at four of the screenings to discuss their work, and other films were introduced by area scholars.

$2,000 Quinceañera: A Collaborative Workshop Production/Theater Department This collaborative, original work-in-progress theater piece integrates dance, music and visual art to honor gay Latinos who have died of AIDS. Professional artists were invited to work with UMass students over a two-week period to produce the piece.

$800 Vietnamese Tet Celebration/Vietnamese Students Association/RSO A celebration of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, featuring a traditional dragon dance and cultural dances which are performed to regional music of Vietnam.

$800 4th Annual Haitian Dominican Cultural Gala/Haitian American Students Assoc. and Casa Dominicana/RSO An annual event which celebrates the culture and traditions of the Haitian and Dominican people through poetry, dance and music from both countries.

$1,050 Coyote Gets Sober/Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center and New World Theater A workshop production of a play by UMass student Alex Sherker that "confronts loss of identity, community and spiritual alienation facing young Indians living in reservation USA." The play was produced, performed and directed by students in the Five Colleges.

$500 UMass Outing Club Concert/Outing Club/RSO This live concert featured the band, Entrain, which draws from a variety of musical influences, including funk, reggae, Cajun, African poly-rhythms and percussion to develop its unique sound.

$500 Kwanzaa Celebration 1997/Malcolm X Cultural Center/RSO A celebration of Kwanzaa, the cultural festival founded in 1966 to honor and reflect upon the rich heritage of African Americans. This year's event featured a number of student performance groups, including: the Boundaries Gospel choir, NYC+1, Cape Verdean Dance Group and the West African Dancers, as well as New York-based African Folkloric dance group called Cinque.

$500 Perry Alley Theater/Theater Department A free workshop/performance by the professional puppetry group, Perry Alley Theater. The program began with a demonstration of how to manipulate various puppets led by Perry Alley Theater founders, Andrew and Bonnie Periale, and concluded with an evening performance of The Key and Snow White, which showcased different styles of puppetry.

$400 End of Semester Bash/AHORA/RSO Sponsored by AHORA, the Latin American student organization at UMass, this event featured a live performance by the Dominican musical group Henry Jimeniz y Los Homeboys, as well as a Boston-based Folkloric dance group which specializes in merenque, salsa, cumbia and plena dance styles. Event cancelled.

$825 Conversations with the Playwright/Theater Department In conjunction with performances of his play, Marisol, José Rivera gave talk back sessions about his works which portray "a Puerto Rican sensibility and identity to audiences." He spoke to a Theater 130 class and held a talk back session after a performance of his play.

$450 Midnight Blues/ALANA Graduate Student Network The group Montenia presented a combination of original compositions that represent a healthy mix of jazz and rhythm and blues. Neon artwork by Pacifico Palumbo was also installed for the event.

$1,250 Spirit of Place/Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Department (LARP) A lecture/video series held in conjunction with an exhibition by LARP graduate student Hongbing Tang, which featured 50 original photographs, drawings and paintings which depict traditional streets, architecture and sketches of life in China. The event included two Chinese videos which underscore relevant themes in the exhibition as well as lectures from Harvard Professor Dr. Yu Feng and award-winning photographer, Yves Lieon.

$1,750 The Visiting Writers Series/MFA in English Program Four acclaimed poets and fiction authors held readings in the evening, followed by workshops for students the next day, to answer questions about the life, art, and business of fiction writing.

$1,000 Dominican Celebration/Casa Dominicana/RSO The event consisted of a series of programs and activities designed to educate the UMass community about the Dominican Republic. Dominican folklore dance lessons and performance by Cayena were given as well as a concert of Dominican music by Oro Solido, a merenque band.

$300 Empowerment for Women in the Arts: A Support Group/Everywomen's Center This five day workshop encouraged participants to examine issues that prevent artists from achieving their artistic goals and encouraged women to "pursue their greatest creative visions" through empowerment and support networks.

$600 Graduate Forum/Graduate Art Students Association/GSO The Graduate Forum consisted of a group of guest lectures by distinguished artists, designers, poets, and computer technologists. The presentations showcased each individual's work and included a discussion regarding the links between traditional art mediums and the use of digital technology.

$2,000 Jesus Christ Superstar/UMass Theater Guild/RSO The classic Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera was set in a modern day casino, allowing the students to view the performance in a time period they could easily relate to. The singing and dancing cast was accompanied by live music and a very creative set with beautiful costumes.

$900 15th Annual Asian Night/Asian American Students Association/RSO Asian Night was conceived as a way to celebrate the many diverse cultures of Asia. The evening will include two arts-related events: a Chinese Lion Dance and a concert by A Grain of Sand.

$1,450 The New England College Improv Jam/Student Valley Productions/RSO The event is designed to bring together Improv groups from a variety of colleges in the region, who performed in one of 14 different performance slots.

$1,000 Sankofa: The Urban Arts Project/Black Student Union/RSO The day long event included workshops on vocal expression, including poetry, singing and emceeing, a workshop on visual expression, demonstrating how to design and paint murals, and a break dancing demonstration.

$900 Designers Lecture Series Interior Design/Architectural Studies Area of the Dept. of Fine Arts Part of an ongoing lecture series, the department invited renowned furniture designer and artist Douglas Fitch to speak at the program. The lecture was offered in conjunction with the Annual Design Student Show at Herter, where Fitch will exhibit his work alongside those by the students, and give a two-day workshop.

$800 The 2nd Annual Women of Color Institute/Everywomen's Center This three day event was designed to highlight the artistic and creative abilities of women of color at UMass. The event included an on-going, live exhibit, which featured photographs, poems, and tributes, workshops and a closing ceremony including dancing, singing, and drumming by UMass students and local and nationally-known performers. Event cancelled.

$1,100 The Journal of SAGA Review/Sino-American Group of Amherst/GSO The Sino American Group of Amherst published their new journal, SAGA Review, which was distributed in April/May, 1998. The publication focused on art and cultural issues, especially issues between Western and Asian cultures.

$1,000 mOthertongue/Department of Comparative Literature This multilingual periodical including poetry, prose, lyrics, one-acts and artwork submitted by bi-lingual students was distributed to UMass and the Five College area in mid-April 1998.

$750 Cambodian Cultural Night/Cambodian Students Association/RSO A cultural event to coincide with the Cambodian New Year. Performances by the Cambodian band Apsara, Khmer Folk Dancing, a folk music band, traditional costume show, video festival and "arts" exhibition .

$440 The Tribe/Student Production Group/UWW This is a digital video which is approximately 30 minutes of a romantic comedy which satirizes the University and 5-Colleges.

$1,300 MLK Awards Program/ALANA Honor Society/RSO Six gospel choirs performed at the Martin Luther King Gospel Extravaganza, which was followed by the ALANA Honor Society Awards Banquet .

$600 Cape Verdean Awareness Week/Cape Verdean Students Alliance/RSO The event featured a Kohla Band unique to the Cape Verdean culture. The Cape Verdean Dancers also performed that evening.

$650 Arts Forum/Theater Department A panel presentation on leadership and the arts opened the event, followed by break out sessions by the departments of fine arts, theater and dance, where mini-workshops were given to establish ways these departments can share resources and collaborate in the future.

$500 Japan Week/Japan America Club/RSO The artistic components of Japan Week included an animated film festival, a demonstration of Japanese flute, a reading of traditional Japanese poems and origami demonstrations during intermission at a Japanese speech contest.

$500 Edward James Olmos/Office of ALANA Affairs This event featured a lecture by the noted actor and activist Edward James Olmos, who has performed in movies and on stage, and has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his acting career He has also been active with the Rockefeller Foundation for the advancement of the arts and humanities and multiple group and organization boards.

$500 UMass International Fair 1998/International Programs The event includes displays by international students which illustrate their countries in artwork, pictures or film as well as a "cultural show" where folk dances, poetry and song will be performed all day, followed by a jazz performance in the evening.

$200 Holi/UMass Student's Hindu Association/RSO The event featured traditional Indian dances performed by students, a skit which explains what the festival Holi is about, a Puja and a Bhangra/Garba dance.

$1,000 Native American Intertribal Social/Native American Students Association/RSO This cultural event included Intertribal drumming and dancing, as well as Native American storytelling.

$1,200 Haitian Cultural Night/Haitian American Students Association/RSO This cultural event featured a performance of traditional Haitian dance, a poetry reading, and Haitian drumming music. The evening also included a performance by the Haitian band, Metro Sonic.

Congratulations also to those who received awards in our first FY99 grant cycle!

$1,200 FTM by David Harrison/ The Pride Alliance/RSO The performance takes an intimate look at one person's transsexual journey from female-to-male, and is juxtaposed against the experience of his mother's own struggle with breast cancer (in another time period) and the resulting changes in her own body.

$1,000 "Bendre Namana, a Tribute to Bendre"/ The Forum of Progressive Artists/a GSO The performance will pay tribute to the poet Dr. Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre, by placing his writing in a performance context. Both performers are accomplished dancers, choreographers and poets, who have distinguished themselves in Bharatanatyam dance, a dance form which originated in India.

$1,500 Unidos en Harmonia Concepto Latino and Beta Kappa Psi Fraternity, Inc./both RSO's Two band concert featuring: Oro Solido and Dark Latin Groove, both of whom are distinguished merengue and salsa bands.

$770 "Four Pittsburg Sculptors"/The Graduate Art Students Association and the Design Alliance/both GSO's The lecture series included a lecture/slide presentation by James Nestor entitled, "Teaching, Professional /Professional, Teaching", followed by a panel discussion entitled, "Cutting Edge in Your Back Yard" by all four contemporary artists James Nestor, Norman Ed, Andrea Mauery and Craig Barron-all of whom are featured in the exhibition and agreed to engage in studio critiques while on campus.

$250.50 The First Annual Film/Video/Animation Festival/UMass Film Society/ RSO The Festival showcased the films, videos and animated works of UMass students, who often do not have a chance to screen their work in the Five College Film Festival. Students organized as well as participated in the event.

$800 Sculptural Installation at Durfee Gardens/Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Department Installation of eight carved wooden forms which are reminiscent of people, mountains or rocks, ranging from three to seven feet high, and made to compliment its surroundings at the present Durfee Garden site. They were designed and executed by MFA student Thomas Matsuda, with the assistance of undergraduate sculpture students.