The Arts Administration Program (ARAD) at Teachers College, Columbia University is pleased to announce recipients of the Fall 2018 Microgrants for Student Professionalization.

Through the Microgrant Program and with generous support from the Arts and Humanities Department at Teachers College, ARAD proudly supports student professionalization activities on campus and beyond. This award champions special projects proposed by Teachers College student groups (with ARAD student membership), as well as professional development for individual students in the ARAD program. Applications were invited through an open call process, and selected by ARAD faculty.

ARAD congratulates the following recipients on their Fall 2018 awards:

Jordan Carter graduated from Boston University in 2017 with a degree in Percussion Performance. During his undergraduate degree, Jordan was interested in utilizing the intersection between arts engagement and social justice to provide inner-city youth with a positive outlet to express themselves. He served as the President of the College of Fine Arts Student Government, founded the Boston University Black Artists Alliance, and managed an after-school music program for Boston Public School students. Jordan also raps and occasionally performs chamber music for percussion. Ultimately, he plans to become the director of a youth arts center.

Funding from the ARAD Microgrant will support Jordan’s participation in the International Association of Blacks in Ballet’s 31st Annual Conference and Festival, whose performers and presenters include prominent African-American ballet administrators and dancers. The conference and festival will enable him to cultivate professional relationships and also build new connections with individuals who are equally passionate about the intersection between African-American culture and ballet.

 

Lauren Williams is from Richmond, Virginia. She attended the University of Virginia where she received her BA in New Media Design and Printmaking. Her undergraduate experience in visual arts translated into work as a full time Graphic Designer and Creative Manager supporting various industries including the arts, defense, and healthcare. She is interested in developing and utilizing art and design for positive social impact.

The ARAD Microgrant will support Lauren’s attendance at Culture Con, a one-day conference hosted by Creative Collective NYC, whose event speakers include Spike Lee, Emmy nominated TV hosts, best selling authors, festival founders and more. Culture Con will allow Lauren the opportunity to network with other creative and entrepreneurial professionals.

 

Sarah Lamade completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Rochester. She has interned at several museums, including the National Museum of Play in Rochester and Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in New Hampshire. Before joining the ARAD program, Sarah spent two years in South India working as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, doing research on the interplay between indigenous and colonial heritages, and developing a professional extension course on museum practice in India. She is working towards a career as a cultural consultant and aims to support museums as inclusive and engaging educational spaces for dialogues which cut across boundaries.

The ARAD Microgrant will support Sarah’s attendance at the CULTURE/SHIFT Conference to build a working knowledge of creative community practice, widen her scope of resources, as well as network and exchange ideas with other presenters and participants working in the field of museums and community arts and culture.

 

Founded in 2002 by graduate students in the Arts Administration program at Teachers College, Columbia University, Student Advocates for the Arts (SAA) engages students in hands-on lobbying, workshops on advocacy and cultural policy, and discussions on the American system for funding the arts. Their mission is to empower and represent student voices to influence legislation and policy affecting the arts and public arts funding.

The ARAD Microgrant will support Liberating Imagination Through Artistic Activism, a visual arts exhibition at Columbia University and an interdisciplinary panel discussion at Teachers College. The exhibition and panel discussion hope to raise awareness of the transformative power of art as a tool to advocate for social justice.