New Mexico State University art professor Brita d’Agostino is in Italy this month in an artist residency program, thanks to a seed grant from the NMSU Office of Research, Creativity and Economic Development.
“The seed grant funding played a pivotal role in securing my artist residency in Italy,” d’Agostino said. “It provided dedicated time for professional growth and mentorship in proposal development and research, enabling me to explore fresh opportunities and new possibilities in my work.”
“Brita used her seed funding last year to prepare for her sabbatical in spring 2024, creating the foundation of research by which she applied to residencies for this semester,” said Margaret Goehring, art history professor and department head. “Brita successfully received funding to be the artist in residence at the DOMUS artist residency in Galatina, Italy, from April 2 through April 30. There, she will continue to conduct research to create a new body of work exploring the relationship between women, nature and healing as it applies to the region of Apulia and the local history, culture and environment.”
Thirty-eight NMSU faculty members have received funding through the program so far. This year, eight faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences will receive grants in a third round of arts and humanities seed funding.
Faculty receiving funding in 2024 are:
- Art department: Bree Lamb
- Art department: Megan Metcalf
- Creative Media Institute: Kendra Yapyapan
- English department: Eric House
- History department: Jerry Wallace
- Music department: Jacob Dalager
- Philosophy department: Justin Klocksiem
- Theatre arts department: Wil Kilroy
Kilroy will collaborate with colleague Monica Mojica to produce a play together. “Aging is the road we take to discern our character, or in this case several,” Mojica said. “Our play is a deep dive into the ocean of vicissitudes around the journey we take together and end alone.”
Kilroy added, “From Hollywood actors no longer getting roles, to academics feeling aged out, to LGBTQ+ feeling invisible, to the joys of wisdom coming with age, the stories are planned to move and delight the audiences.”
From performance to animation, to history, art, philosophy and writing, the third group of humanities seed grant recipients continues to represent the spectrum of creative research at NMSU.
Each award through the Arts and Humanities Seed Grant program will be funded for up to $10,000, with the goal of giving faculty a boost to pursue additional external funding opportunities.
“As NMSU progresses towards achieving Carnegie R1 institution status, it’s imperative that we prioritize support for the arts and humanities,” said Luis Cifuentes, vice president of the NMSU Office of Research, Creativity and Economic Development. “This year’s Arts and Humanities Seed Grant program will sponsor innovative research and creative endeavors, yield future funding opportunities and foster a positive impact within our academic community.”
The Arts and Humanities Seed Grants help faculty to move forward with pilot projects that better position them for success when they submit proposals for funding from foundations like the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) or federal agencies that support humanities research such as the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
History professor and department head Elizabeth Horodowich understands what it takes to get a major humanities grant. She received an NEH grant for her research into how Europeans continued to think America was Asia into the 1600s.
“These grants are incredibly competitive, with a national acceptance rate of under 6%. What this means is that you can only really win these grants when you are close to mastering a body of knowledge or answering a specific question. The seed grants allow NMSU faculty to do this,” Horodowich said. “These humanities seed grants really put us in step with – if not actually ahead of the curve of – most other Carnegie R1 research institutions around the country in the way that they allow faculty to build up enough research and expertise in their subject to apply for big humanities grants, for instance with the ACLS or the NEH, so that they are truly competitive when they do so.”
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CUTLINE: From left: Theatre arts professor Wil Kilroy is among eight recipients of NMSU’s Arts and Humanities Seed Grants this year. Kilroy is collaborating with theatre professor Monica Mojica to produce a play about issues of diversity and performance. (Courtesy photo)
CUTLINE: The following are recipients of the 2024 arts and humanities seed grants from NMSU’s Office of Research Creativity and Economic Development. Top row from top left: Bree Lamb, art department; Megan Metcalf, art department; Kendra Yapyapan, Creative Media Institute; Eric House, English department. Bottom row from left: Jerry Wallace, history department. Jacob Dalager, music department; Justin Klocksiem, philosophy department; and Wil Kilroy, theatre arts department. (Courtesy photos)
CUTLINE: In 2022, Luis Cifuentes, vice president of the NMSU Office of Research, Creativity and Economic Development, developed the Arts and Humanities Seed Grant program to prioritize faculty research in the arts and humanities. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)