Arts Scholars

Established in 1998, the MIT Arts Scholars Program brings together students who are passionate about exploring the diverse array of arts available at MIT and in the Boston area, and interacting with fellow students, faculty artists, and other experts in the art world.  The program is structured around monthly excursions or workshops, with an expert in the relevant field of art in attendance.

Mission

To foster an active community of undergraduate and 2-year masters students with an exceptional interest in the arts.  The community’s resultant role is that of an arts leadership group, cultivated through events and mentorship.

Apply to Become an Arts Scholar

Open to MIT freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors and masters students. The application deadline is October 1st and February 1st . Decisions are made at a panel interview in mid-October and mid-March. All current members take part in active recruitment.

1. Designate a nominating faculty or staff (preferably in the Arts)
2. Application process:
   • Fill out an application form.
   • Include a recommendation letter from nominating professor or staff, emailed pdf or word doc
     is preferred, send to sammagee@mit.edu
3. Interview with faculty / staff / and current Arts Scholar at panel meeting after application deadline.
4. Panel consists of Coordinator of Student Art Programs, current Art Scholars, MIT faculty and staff,
   and members of the Council for the Arts at MIT.

Benefits

• MIT sponsored excursions to local shows, exhibits, and lectures
• Self governed seed money for member art projects (1k)
• Priority admission to Graduate Arts forums
• Discounted classes at the SAA
• Mentorship from Grad Art Scholars (future plan)
• Funds for tickets to exhibitions for off-site student research
• 1 guest pass for a current scholar to host an Art Scholar candidate to an exhibition or event
• A lasting arts community that acts as a touchstone for MIT graduates

Mentorship

Arts Scholar membership provides the opportunity for mentoring from pre-professional and professional artists. With the assistance of the Coordinator, an Arts Scholars member can request a meeting with an artist in their field of interest. Meetings are arranged with an accompanying visit to either the studio or exhibit in the chosen field. Mentorship opportunities help Arts Scholar members gain a better understanding of the field through discussions and experiences with working artists and experts.

Calendar 2011-2012

• August 25th: Ferry to the Peabody Essex Museum
• September 27th: Q&A with artist Trevor Paglen
• October 18th: YoYo Ma performs Davorak’s Cello Concerto and Bartok’s The Wooden Prince at the Boston Symphony Orchestra
• October 26th: Arts Scholars and Council for the Arts at MIT dinner at Za’s 
• December: The Nutcracker, Boston Ballet
• January 31: Second Mandatory meeting
• February 6th, 4pm: A discussion on Opera by Professor Lowell  Lindgren
• February 10th,11th,12th: Wagner’s Gotterdammerung and Rossini’s Barber of Seville at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City
• April 5th: Arts Scholars Art Share
• April 26th: Alvin Ailey,  Q and A with 2 company dancers
• May: Remembering HM, Central Square Theater
  

Current Arts Scholars Look-book

 

Christie Lin	Christie likes to think in particles. This is probably because she is a nuclear physicist. It appears that the world is made of many (microscopic) components, each of which entwine, reject, or just don’t care about the things around it. She likes to experiment with food, sewing, crocheting…combining ideas, anything new, or anything old. She enjoys things that keep her on her feet. This term she is trying her hands at ceramics.
Davie Rolnick	Davie Rolnick is a junior studying math and music. He enjoys insects, anagrams, triangles, Wagner, sunsets, sundry other things, and existence. He is fanatically devoted to Gilbert and Sullivan and sleeping, and at times, without warning, will suddenly start using dactylic verse in a manner that’s most disconcerting. When Davie is not photographing wild moths at his home on a rugged mountaintop in Vermont, he is likely to be doing something else.
Maryam Yoon	I enjoy collage making, stencil making, working with beads, and knitting and crocheting. I like painting and sketching but have not had as much experience in those areas as I’d like to. I have recently started making glass mosaics through the glass mosaics SAA class and got in to the glass lab class. I have joined the Korean drum group on campus. I have had some experience with pottery.
Nick Joliat	Nick Joliat is a Junior at MIT, pursuing a major in physics and probably a minor in music. Nick is a pianist and classical music enthusiast and is currently a member of MIT’s Chamber Music Society and Emerson Fellows, a music performance seminar. When he is not practicing piano he often spends his time playing music with friends and attending concerts in Cambridge and Boston. Nick also enjoys bicycling and drinking large quantities of tea.
Praveen Subramani	I’m a senior from San Diego, California studying electrical engineering and urban studies & planning. My greatest passion in the arts is for music, which has been a part of my life since I began playing classical piano at the age of six. In my time at MIT, I have explored new musical ventures including singing a cappella with the MIT/Wellesley Toons and Senegalese sabar drumming with the MIT Rambax ensemble. I also enjoy photography and media arts projects, such as a tangible media project I worked on at the MIT Media Lab that allows people to dig through multispectral scans of a painting to see features that are invisible to the naked eye. Finally, I love to cook, experiment with new foods and flavors, and learn about culinary arts… a dinner party with great food, great music, and great friends can’t be beat.
Irina Kholodenko	Hi! I like creative writing, particularly writing poems, and seeing and trying stuff in visual arts. Here I live in EC, on the 4 east floor. I came to MIT a year ago from NJ. When I was small, my family emigrated from Russia. Woops, I just ran out of more important events for my bio
Lizzie George	I am double majoring in Electrical Engineering and Music and my favorite color is pink. At various times, I have been involved in MIT’s Symphony Orchestra, Muses, Musical Theater Guild, Concert Choir, Chamber Music Society, Chamber Chorus and Gilbert and Sullivan Players, and when not in rehearsals I enjoy listening (and singing along) to music by artists from Palestrina to Rihanna, reading and speaking French, baking, writing music, knitting and crocheting, watching Disney movies and giving tours of MIT!
Ashley Brown	I am an undergraduate studying Mechanical Engineering. I love reading novels and French and reading novels in French. I grew up in a beautiful part of Southeastern Pennsylvania, where I developed a appreciation for nature and exploring the outdoors. At MIT, I am involved with ultimate Frisbee, French House, Bible study, TAing physics, and UROPing. In my free time I like to ice skate, go to the movies, play bananagrams, and build go-karts.
Linh Vuong	I am Linh Vuong, currently a sophomore majoring in Biology. My love for Arts? Where to start! I am interested in many different kinds of Arts, for instance Architecture: I adore churches in Europe such as St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence or Berliner Dom in Berlin (A tiny secret: when I visited Berliner Dom, I was literally transfixed by the breath-taking architecture combined with the light and pipe organ music… for about 15 minutes). I also love paintings by the Old Masters (One can easily imagine my excitement about visiting museums when I was in Europe). Currently, I am somewhat obsessed with ballroom dance. My favorite dances are rumba, samba and tango, which are so full of energy and passion! I also have a penchant for learning languages ( English, Vietnamese, Chinese, German and French) as well as traveling (14 countries and counting!)Linh is studying abroad for the 2011-12 academic year.
Sarah Bindman	“I love art!! I am interested in how art can be a form of self-reflection and expression. I think art provides an important forum for exploring ideas that are hard to verbalize.My primary interests are in metal fabrication and mixed media. However, I have also explored photography, dance, glass and architectural design. My artist crush is Andrew Goldsworthy. I love his semi-permanent art and the way he manipulates nature. I am inspired by his patience and creativity.”
Amelia Carver	One cosmonaut in search of the beautiful; recent forays into the aesthetic universe have proven fruitful. She wears magnifying glasses, focii falling upon music and international development, carefully, dragon-like, gathering the tools and treasures that will allow her to build sonic rocketships for curious adventurers who want to help sew a pocket big enough to fit the world in. Listen, do you hear with your eyes? Look, do you see with your ears? Gather your paints, your pencils, your cameras, your motion. Don’t forget that everything is an instrument and even silence is a special kind of harmony. Synaesthetes share and let’s cross wires together, because I think you’ll like the way your fingertips can tingle.
Bianca Dumitrascu	I am currently a junior majoring in Mathematics and Procrastination. I need Mathematics to find a structure for the world I live in. I need Poetry for the same selfish reason. As far as I can remember my life has been governed by this 3D structured web: tennis, literature/philosophy and math. I have been playing tennis for as long as I can remember and was considering doing it for a living, until I realized that my Modus Vivendi lies somewhere on the boundary between art and science. I have grown up reading Mircea Eliade which helped me discover the amazing world of myth and ritual of the history of religion, and the power of folklore.
Katy Gero	Once upon a time I decided that I wanted to be a novelist, and when the adults around me told me that I might not make much money that way, I told them that I’d just be a rocket scientist on the side then. Mechanical engineering is kind of like rocket science, and of late I’m veering more towards poetry than novels. I also love taking photographs and sketching, and find it fascinating to sketch from my own photographs and watch the image morph. I’m also starting to dabble in kinetic sculptures, because it lends itself to mechanical and electrical engineering really well. Also, things that move are fun.
Paulina Mustafa	I’m a junior in Mechanical Engineering, and a self-certified Professional Dreamer. I love to sketch and draw, primarily figures and portraits. I love to travel, and I’m fascinated by different forms of art in different cultures. I’m originally from Colombia, and I dance to every latin beat, from salsa to vallenato. My biggest passion is making things, and whatever I end up doing in my life will involve creating.
Ryan Keating	Ryan is a Biological Engineering major in the class of 2013 who is also pursuing a minor in Chinese. He is a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and loves his home state of Maine. Outside of class, he enjoys experiencing arts events and exhibits at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the American Repertory Theater. In his free time, he likes to learn piano pieces by Chopin and hopes to get involved in photography classes next semester.
Rafael Olivera	I am an M.Eng. at MIT, and majored in math and computer science. I love music and performing arts, especially dancing. I like most kinds of dancing, but I am particularly interested in latin american and african dances and their fusion with modern dances, which I started dancing/discovering since I got to MIT. As for music, I am a huge jazz fan (and of course latin american music fan too…) and lately I have focused on learning more about the many different genres in these categories. I also enjoy all other forms of art, which causes me to frequently go to museums or expositions. When I am not studying, I am very likely dancing, playing drums, clave, bells, listening to music, exploring Boston, going to a museum or reading a good book (but these happen less often due to extreme time limitations thanks to MIT ).
Kristen Railey	Kristen is a junior in mechanical engineering pursuing product design at MIT. Although an engineer at heart, she loves drawing, sculpture, photography, fashion design, and painting. Kristen is also a member of the MIT crew team, cycling team, Sigma Kappa sorority, and the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program.
Noah Arbesfeld	I’m a junior studying mathematics. While I enjoy observing and dabbling in all areas of art, much of my involvement in the arts has been through improvisation; at MIT, I perform improv comedy as a member of Roadkill Buffet, and I took jazz saxophone lessons throughout high school. I’m involved with French house at MIT, and enjoy learning about French art and culture. I also particularly enjoy reading poetry, watching theater and opera, and attending the BSO, among numerous other activities.
Connie Lu	Connie loves drawing/painting/photographing people she knows, people she doesn’t know, photosynthetic organisms, and industrial intrigues. On a good day she wanders through the arboretum, and on a >99th percentile day she lies on a bed of soft moss and makes velociraptor noises, not necessarily at the same time. Accidently dousing herself with photo-reactive chemicals while making silkscreens is an unfortunate but fondly-remembered past-time. She loves dancing wildly, and letting her imagination run with performances of pretty much any kind. Some favorites are contemporary dance, her roommate’s stunning voice, Senegalese drumming, interpretive ______, and slam poetry. More mundane interests include urban history and wafting spice-smells during cooking.
Evie Adams	I am an undergraduate studying mechanical engineering with a concentration in biomedical engineering. I love filmmaking/drawing/making music/crocheting. A few of my favorite things: sunlight, old movies, stream-of-consciousness novels, salads, the blogosphere, ultimate frisbee, the Freshman Arts Program, and making lists.
Xenia Antipova	As a young girl, Xenia built Lego block kitchens, sewed outfits, and constructed furniture for her toys. Always curious and wanting to try new things, she went on to make jewelry, write stories, paint, act, play cello, and sculpt. She loves to travel and absorb various cultures, especially through dance: from watching impromptu flamenco in Parc Ciutatdella, Barcelona to learning samba with the natives in the dance halls of Rio de Janeiro. Santiago Calatrava’s work had long been her inspiration for phenomenal architecture, and Xenia used to want to follow in his footsteps until she found her true calling in product and industrial design, which she is pursuing at MIT through a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on design and the arts!
Stephen Serene	I’m a senior majoring in physics and computer science. My academic interest lies somewhere in the intersection of biology, physics, and computation. I’m also a cellist and occasional singer who likes music written outside of the 19th century at least as much as music written during it. I like modern visual art that’s clever enough to make me laugh, and, as a distance runner and musician, I’m jealous of dancers, who get to do art and athletics at the same time.
Anna Ho	In her earliest stages of cognitive development, Anna Ho was exposed at great length to music from My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, and all the Disney movies, which explains why all of the above are now hard-wired into her neuroarchitecture. Nearly two decades later, she is trying to perform similar feats of memory and learning here at MIT, where she is a sophomore majoring in physics. In an ideal world, she would become all of the following: astronomer, writer, teacher, neurologist, traveler, musician, education-and-healthcare-policy-reformer. Outside of class, Anna spends her time playing with little kids at the Massachusetts General Hospital and teaching people about space and brains – and blogging about this and more on the MIT admissions site. She plays the trumpet and the piano, loves to sing when no one is listening, and lives in London, England.
Yuliya Preger	‘ello! I am a junior in chemical engineering who enjoys glass mosaicing, old book sniffing and devouring cheese (unofficial turophile). I’m readily fascinated by any installation which combines incongruous elements to create a unified whole (e.g. Arthur Ganson’s kinetic sculptures). Latest artist obsession = Ryan Woodward.
Sarah Don	I’m an undergrad in the nuclear engineering department and I love to be creative! I grew up in Australia and arrived at MIT for college two years ago, but I’ve already lost my accent. I play piano and flute, compose tonal music and conduct the MIT Marching Band. I also like to paint in watercolor, build furniture, sew and cook. More recently I discovered my interest in nature by growing veggies in the summer, and keeping a couple of pet Mexican walking fish who recently had babies, so now I feel like I have a whole ecosystem in my dorm room! I believe that constructive fun and creativity is necessary to balance out the serious of my nuclear engineering studies.
Shelby Heinecke	Hi Everyone! I’m a math and management double major, class of 2013. When I’m not studying theoretical math, I’m playing Bach on my violin, singing Black Sabbath songs, listening to eccentric contemporary classical music, or rehearsing with the MIT Symphony Orchestra. Besides classical, my favorite genre of music is hard rock/heavy metal and I frequently go to rock concerts.
Bina Choi	Bina has played cello since age 9 and currently plays in Chamber Music Society. She likes to take photographs (especially portraits) in her free time, attend plays and concerts, and try to learn to dance. Bina also likes coffee, trying new foods, spending time outdoors, and swimming laps.
Farre Nixon	Farre (also known as Faye Faye) is a senior majoring in Urban Studies and Planning and minoring in Visual Arts. She dabbles in film, photography, video, fine arts, design, and fashion. If you run into her, she just might take you on a wild arting adventure. Expect body painting, tribal dancing, and maybe a photoshoot (if you are lucky). She enjoys having tea over nice conversations, costume parties, and film screenings in her living room. She is often seen with Christie Lin, her partner in crime
Melissa Skan	In love with the sunshine.  From Juneau, AK.  Finds that actively creating a piece of art, any art, is meditative, like running or staring at a ceiling late at night when it’s kind of dark.  Also likes talking to people and watching people talk to each other.  Not a huge fan of reading maybe because it does not distract from personal thoughts.
Miriam Prosnitz	Miriam Prosnitz is unsure of whether to write this bio in third person, hence it will be written in third person. Miriam originates from Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.  She is majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.  In her spare time, Miriam particularly enjoys making large messes (usually involving paint, tie-dye, or cookie dough).
Peter Godart	Hello fellow arts enthusiasts (and/or people who accidentally stumbled upon this page)! I am a freshman in course 2 with a love for Thelonious Monk, fine dining, and videos of cats. I can be found playing jazz piano at odd hours in building 4 or playing the organ Sunday mornings at a church in Ashmont. In my copious free time, I play piano in the Festival Jazz Ensemble, take piano lessons at Berklee as an Emerson Scholar, compose music for several of the groups I am in, and listen to a near unhealthy amount of Earth Wind and Fire. I also do schoolwork once in a while.
Angelique Nehmoz	Half-Japanese, half-German, I grew up in New York, London and Hong Kong, and have a deep love of travel and learning about different cultures. This encompasses a passion for the arts, and I enjoy admiring architecture, spending hours in art galleries, watching films, attending dance and musical performances, and reading novels and short stories. At MIT, I am a resident member of No. 6, a co-ed literary fraternity, and I write for the Arts section of The Tech. It gives me great pleasure to experience the arts, and to share my enthusiasm of them with others, by writing or engaging in heated discussions about them, and by attending or organizing different events with friends!
Grace Young	Grace is majoring in Mechanical/Ocean Engineering. Growing up she was fascinated by all the machines in her family’s chocolate factory; so it’s not surprising that she now enjoys designing, building and driving robots. She also likes the water (MIT sailing team, certified master SCUBA diver), and is looking forward to building UAVs for oceanographic surveying this summer at Woods Hole. Last summer her job at CERN allowed her to indulge in another passion: travel, especially exploring European museums and historical architecture. She also loves the performing arts, especially dance and theater. Prior to MIT, she was a member of a pre-professional ballet conservatory and danced with both classical ballet and contemporary dance companies. Now, she and another Arts Scholar friend enjoy writing dance reviews for The Tech.
Jing Jang	Jing Jian (JJ) was born in China and moved to Long Island, New York at age 13. She studies Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science. She obsesses over Marvin Minsky’s society of mind theory and Junot Diaz’s fiction. She plays the classical guitar, the cello, and the Chinese zither. She applies artificial intelligence ideas to literature, and daydreams about story writing during AI classes. She cannot choose between engineering human-like intelligence and writing fiction as her dream career, and secretly thinks they might be the same deal.
Dan Parker	I’m interested in philosophy and political science. I’m a classical singer (baritone) and a classical and jazz pianist. I’m a glassblower, as of January 2012! I had an exchange year in Cairo, 2010-2011, that ended with the revolution. At MIT I’m very involved with my dorm, The Senior House. I’m a peer educator for sexual assault awareness for Violence Prevention and Response (VPR) and an arts writer for The Tech. I love food, calligraphy, pipe organs, cathedrals, song, climbing mountains in the winter, chocolate, languages, beautiful English words, beautiful combinations of English words, and something else new every week. I’m going to be a freelance writer someday, maybe.
Sam Magee	Sam Magee was a long time art teacher and for the last few years, coordinated MIT’s Student Art Association. His love of art extends from visual arts to music, performance, sculpture and beyond. He feels it is his duty to help advocate for the arts at every turn and along the way, do his very best to involve students in arts experiences they may not have had a chance to participate in before. He can be reached at sammagee@mit.edu