The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York has awarded a five-year, $800,000 grant to Carolina Performing Arts for the creation of Arts@TheCore, a multifaceted program to strengthen the bonds between academics and the performing arts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The overall goal of Arts@TheCore is to redefine the role of the performing arts in the academy and involve faculty more directly. The Mellon grant will support the creation of The Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Scholar for Carolina Performing Arts, who will help curate future performance seasons, plan programs and identify connections with UNC faculty from across disciplines and research interests. The first Mellon Distinguished Scholar is Joy Kasson, Ph.D., professor of American studies.
“Professor Kasson is highly regarded by her peers and University administrators as a leader and for her expertise and intellectual rigor,” said Emil Kang, executive director of Carolina Performing Arts. “We’re delighted to have attracted such an outstanding faculty member and distinguished scholar to this project. I look forward to increasing the ties between the performing arts and UNC faculty.”
As the Mellon Distinguished Scholar, Kasson will develop an Arts@TheCore faculty seminar to explore the connections between Memorial Hall performances and current research and teaching of UNC faculty. The seminar will promote discussions about how teaching, research and curriculum development can be influenced by greater integration of the performing arts.
Additional activities funded by the Arts@TheCore grant will include a new postdoctoral fellow position to conduct research and teach a course around one or more performances, and the creation of curatorial fellowships for newly tenured faculty. The fellows will curate two or three performances in Carolina Performing Arts season, and design interdisciplinary courses or classes using the performances as inspiration.
This is the second major grant awarded to Carolina Performing Arts from The Mellon Foundation in the last 12 months. In July 2011, the foundation awarded $750,000 for The Rite of Spring at 100, a year-long program commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Paris premiere of Stravinsky masterpiece. During the 2012-2013 season, CPA will present world-renowned artists in 11 new works including nine world premieres and two U.S. premieres that take inspiration from Stravinsky’s original work. For more information, visitwww.theriteofspringat100.org.