Visual and Performing Arts Project

Summary

The Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) seeks to institute a Visiting Artist/Scholar Program that will assist us in integrating the work we do in our various disciplines, bringing accomplished individuals in the arts to campus, and raising our profile among our peer Jesuit institutions as well as other New England colleges and universities.

Need

With the five high quality programs of VPA in place, Fairfield students are poised to benefit more from their academic experience through a stronger integration among course content, faculty expertise, and direct contact or interaction with a nationally or internationally recognized visiting scholar/artist. Equally, the proposed Visiting Scholar/Artist Program can further enrich the cultural offerings at the University and strengthen existing bridges and partnerships with the surrounding community, its schools, and cultural organizations. The proposed project will allow VPA to take greater advantage of the University's strategic geographic location along the Northeast Corridor, especially its proximity to New York City, to attract scholars and artists to the campus.

Project Description

The Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) contributes vibrantly to the academic, cultural, and social life of Fairfield University. The Department is composed of faculty members who teach in five areas of specialization: Art History; Music; Studio Art; Theatre; and New Media: Film, Television, and Radio. The faculty, whose teachings reflect centuries of tradition and innovation in Jesuit education, are extremely active in research and creative scholarship. In the past five years, visual and performing arts faculty have: had their artwork exhibited in major international venues; started up a new Shakespeare company on campus; published scholarly books with major academic presses; performed in concert and recorded musical CDs; and written, directed, and produced short films. Only three of our 27 peer Jesuit universities offer the breadth of study in the visual and performing arts that we offer at Fairfield, and these institutions are much larger than ours.

One of the Department's five programs will be selected to host a resident expert who will teach a class, give a lecture series, or work directly with students in advancing their artistic pursuits at Fairfield. The choice of a visiting artist or scholar will be based on an evaluation of the ways in which this person will best address the academic experience for our students.

The outcomes we hope to achieve through the Visiting Artist/Scholar Program tie directly to the University's Strategic Plan and as follows: curriculum enhancement; deepened faculty research and/or artistic production; opportunity for life-long contacts between our students and experts in their chosen field; expansion of the Department's reputation in Fairfield County, as well as the greater New York City metropolitan area; and enhancement of Fairfield's place as a leader among Jesuit institutions in the teaching of the arts. Each of these relates to the University Strategic Plan, especially in the integration of living and learning, which is a centerpiece goal of the Plan.

This project will span two years, with planning taking place during the 2006-07 academic year and implementation of the Visiting Artist/Scholar Program in spring 2008.

Responsible Staff

Dr. Jesús Escobar, chair, Visual and Performing Arts, will serve as the primary director of this project. Dr. Escobar will work in partnership with the named scholar once the project is launched.

Budget Statement

The total project budget which requires external funding is $50,000. The project has been approved by the College of Arts and Sciences Board of Advisors and the University. This project is one of the College's four priority initiatives for which funding is currently being sought from members of the Board of Advisors.