Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

NYSCA Grants Awarded to 5 Faculty, 2 Organizations

Thursday, November 30, 2023, By Diane Stirling
Share
College of Arts and SciencesCollege of Visual and Performing Artscommunity engagementfacultygrantOffice of Strategic InitiativesResearch and CreativeSchool of ArchitectureSchool of Education

Five faculty members have each received $10,000 New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Individual Artist grants to carry out creative projects, including several that have a focus on public service in the arts.

NYSCA also awarded a $40,000 Organizational Support grant to an interdisciplinary art and storytelling collaboration by faculty from the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and the School of Education and a separate, $20,000 award to Punto de Contacto/Point of Contact Inc.

This is a record-setting achievement for the University, since it marks the second year in a row that five faculty have received the highly competitive NYSCA awards, says Sarah Workman, associate director of research development (humanities) in the Office of Research and College of Arts and Sciences.

Duncan Brown, vice president for research, says the grants represent “an investment in the vibrant and diverse artistic voices of our faculty.”

“The breadth of this year’s awardees reflects our continued excellence in engaged scholarship in the arts, both by scholars working independently and by those working in unique collaborations— from the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Architecture, the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the School of Education,” Brown says.

Individual Artist Grants

Individual Artist grant awardees are:

Composite of five faculty headshots on a blue backdrop

Clockwise from top left: VPA faculty members Ann Clarke, Natalie Draper, Anne Laver, Susannah Sayler and Edward Morris

Ann Clarke, associate professor of studio arts and dean emerita of VPA, for an outdoor textile installation, “Interior Landscapes.” She is using the concept of landscape writ large as a metaphor for states of mind to create sanctuary settings for reflection on the environment and the self. The installation will be developed at Stone Quarry Art Park in Cazenovia, New York.

VPA faculty members Anne Laver, associate professor of applied music and performance (organ), and Natalie Draper, assistant professor of music composition/theory and history, for their project, “Reimagining the Organ—A Composer Portrait Project by Anne Laver and Natalie Draper.” Draper will write three new musical works that expand and diversify the classical organ repertoire. The pieces will be part of a new commercial recording and a contemporary music festival.

Canary Lab co-directors and VPA faculty members Susannah Sayler, associate professor of art photography, and Edward Morris received a grant for their project, “Watershed.” The work reflects on the historical, spiritual and ecological significance of the Mahikannituk (Hudson) River through photography, video, writing and a program of public engagement.

Jess Myers, assistant professor of architecture at the School of Architecture, for the narrative documentary podcast “Here There Be Dragons: Odes(s)a, Film, Media and New Technology.” The podcast explores contemporary urban territories and engages listeners in the concept of security narratives. Season four is about Odesa, Ukraine.

side-by-side composite of Jess Myers and Dana Spiotta

Jess Myers (School of Architecture), left, and Dana Spiotta (College of Arts and Sciences)

Dana Spiotta, professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, for “Mutual,” a novel about multiple generations of a family in New York. The book engages with historical and personal forms of amnesia, notions of belonging, solitude and community.

Organizational Support Grants

The $40,000 Organizational Support grant was awarded to Rochele Royster, assistant professor of art therapy at VPA (as principal investigator), and Courtney Mauldin,  assistant professor of educational leadership in the School of Education (as co-principal investigator). The grant is for their research work and curriculum development project, “This Woman’s Work: Elevating Black Women Voices in CNY Through Visual Storytelling, Freedom Makerspaces and Community Arts.”

composite portraits of Courtney Mauldin, Rochele Royster and Tere Paniagua

From left: Courtney Mauldin (School of Education), Rochele Royster (VPA) and Tere Paniagua (Point of Contact)

They plan to unearth historical and present-day stories regarding abolition, health disparities and anti-Black violence and connect a cohort of oral historians with local artists to create an interactive arts exhibition. They will also co-create open art studio/makerspaces, host intergenerational storytelling workshops and create curricula for public schools and libraries to chronicle the narratives, history and artwork to create a more complete picture of local history through the lived experiences of Black women.

At Point of Contact, the award will support the organization’s annual programs in literacy and visual arts and its work as a forum for community collaboration and open dialogue, says Tere Paniagua, executive director, cultural engagement for the Hispanic community.

  • Author

Diane Stirling

  • Recent
  • Lender Center New York Event Gathers Wealth Gap Experts
    Wednesday, July 30, 2025, By Diane Stirling
  • After Tragedy, Newhouse Grad Rediscovers Her Voice Through Podcasting
    Wednesday, July 30, 2025, By Chris Velardi
  • Back-to-School Shopping: More Expensive and Less Variety of Back-to-School Items
    Tuesday, July 29, 2025, By Daryl Lovell
  • How New Words Enter Our Language: A Linguistics Expert Explains
    Friday, July 25, 2025, By Jen Plummer
  • Impact Players: Sport Analytics Students Help Influence UFL Rules and Strategy
    Friday, July 25, 2025, By Matt Michael

More In Campus & Community

Lender Center New York Event Gathers Wealth Gap Experts

Nearly 30 Syracuse University faculty and postdoctoral researchers and nationally known thought leaders who study the wealth gap in America explored the issue at a recent event in New York City hosted by the Lender Center for Social Justice. The…

Registration Now Open for Orange Central Homecoming 2025

Mark your calendars and get ready to celebrate your Orange pride! It’s time to sign up for Orange Central Homecoming 2025, Oct. 17-19. Syracuse University alumni are invited back home for an amazing fall weekend packed with tradition, connection and…

Imam Hamza Gürsoy Appointed as Muslim Chaplain at Hendricks Chapel

The University has appointed Imam Hamza Gürsoy as Muslim chaplain and advisor for the Muslim Student Association at Hendricks Chapel. In his role, Gürsoy will serve students by expanding the impact of Hendricks Chapel as “a home for all faiths…

Impact Players: Sport Analytics Students Help Influence UFL Rules and Strategy

When seven students from the Department of Sport Analytics in the David B. Falk College of Sport  started working for the United Football League (UFL) this past winter, league officials explained the kind of data they had available and asked…

Mihm Recognized for Fostering ‘Excellence in Public Service for the Next Generation’

Chris Mihm, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, has received the 2025 Arnold Steigman Excellence in Teaching Award from the New York State Academy for Public Administration (SAPA). The…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.