Council for the Arts at MIT Announces Fall 2022 Grant Recipients

The Council for the Arts at MIT provides funding for arts projects that engage the MIT community. The Council’s Grants Committee considers proposals for projects in the fall and spring semesters. Applications for Undergraduate Mini-Grants and Graduate Arts Seed Grants are accepted on a rolling basis.

Fall 2022 Grants Committee Funding Recipients

Fifteen projects by MIT students and staff received funding this fall to support artistic work that engages the MIT community through showcases, interactive installations, exhibitions, workshops, and more.

Max Addae, graduate student in Media Arts and Sciences, VocalCords: Exploring Tactile Interaction with the Singing Voice
Design and performances of a digital music instrument that allows tactile manipulation of vocal sounds.

Christopher Joshua Benton, graduate student in ACT, Black Dance Archive
Research and motion capture/photogrammetric documentation of historically Black/African diaspora styles of dance, culminating in a public performance.

Valdemar Danry, graduate student in Media Arts and Sciences, Organs without Bodies
An exhibition of high-quality 3D-printed sculptures of an AI-generated vase, teapot, and tea cups.

Laura Maria Gonzalez, staff in Architecture, Microbes Make Mountains
Workshop at the MIT BioMaker space and an exhibition at the Keller Gallery that highlight the vibrant and diverse microbial communities in soil by featuring sculptural biocemented objects.

Ishraki Kazi, graduate student in ACT, Microfabricated Worlds: The Edges of Consciousness
An exploration of speculative nanoscale architecture for microorganisms exhibited through installation, film, and photography.

Felix Li, undergraduate student in Architecture, Wok Palace 88
An installation focusing on the processes of excavating, archiving, and displaying through the lens of a fictional defunct Chinese-American restaurant.

Cici Mao, graduate student on behalf of E33 Productions, VL2600 Lights
Purchase of moving lights for E33 Productions, MIT’s student-run lighting production group that serves DLCs and student groups from across the Institute.

Alejandro Medina, graduate student in ACT, Life List
A public art installation and accompanying workshop reflecting on the climate crisis, climate grief/anxiety, and loss of biodiversity.

Kateryna Morhun, undergraduate student on behalf of MIT Ballroom Dance Team, MIT Open Ballroom Dance Competition
Ballroom dance competition for 800+ dancers from universities across the US, to be held in-person for the first time since 2019.

Karyn Nakamura, undergraduate student in Architecture, Stata Center R&D Pub Installation and Performance
An immersive video installation and performance in the Stata Center R&D Pub about connection, trust, and the physical fragility of technology using e-waste salvaged from around MIT.

Christie Neptune, graduate student in ACT, Ah New Riddim
An immersive multimedia installation that examines the relationship between memory and place embedded within the history of Caribbean dancehall culture in East Flatbush.

Thanh Nha Nguyen, graduate student on behalf of MIT Imobilare, Breakonomics
A breakdance competition and showcase featuring a professional DJ and judges, hosted at MIT.

Cole Perkinson, graduate student in Chemistry, Learn and Experience Traditional Zimbabwean Music: Mbira Workshops and Performance
A performance and workshops on traditional Zimbabwean mbira music by Moyo Mutamba, Jennifer Kyker, and Memory Makurai.

Katie Rotman, graduate student in Architecture, Play Sessions
Participatory design workshops for the MIT community to engage with ideas around structural power dynamics and community decision-making challenges through four interactive sculptures.

RnKOLECTIV / Alfonso Parra Rubio, graduate student in Media Arts and Sciences, Metallic Kusudama
A series of interactive, large-scale metal origami sculptures inspired by advances in research and engineering at MIT.

Posted on December 12, 2022 by Lydia Brosnahan