Center seeks grant proposals from faculty to integrate arts into curriculum

Penn State faculty members are invited to submit proposals for ways to increase curricular arts-based engagement using grants offered through the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State. Mini grants are available for “The Reflection Project: Looking at Who WE ARE,” which provides opportunities for faculty to integrate the arts into their existing curriculum through supplemental activities, including bringing classes to performances, inviting guest speakers to campus or research travel. The core mission of the project, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, states that by engaging students with the arts, students can more fully discover their identities, understand other points of view, be able to confidently tell their own and others’ stories and recognize how they fit into the world. Proposal applications are due no later than 5 p.m. Oct. 29. Awards will be announced Nov. 12. Learn more and apply online. “We are very excited that the funding provided to us by the Mellon Foundation allows us to offer this unique opportunity for faculty members to consider new ways of opening their curricula to the possibilities the arts can bring,” said center Audience and Program Development Director Amy Dupain Vashaw. The project is accepting proposals for as much as $2,000 to fund the following activities related to Mellon Foundation-sponsored performances during spring semester 2022:

• Purchase of tickets for students to attend performances;
• Transportation to and from Commonwealth Campuses to attend performances;
• Research travel as part of the course development process in support of pre- and/or post-performance engagement activities;
• Materials planned for classroom use to support pre- and/or post-performance engagement activities;
• Stipends to invite complementary artists/speakers into classes to enhance students’ performance experiences.