The University of Toledo Departments of Art and Theatre and Film were among 37 institutions and 101 individual artists to be awarded funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The awards were presented by the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, in partnership with the Lucas County Commissioners and the city of Toledo. ARPA funds totaling $6 million dollars support a multi-year grant program, which aids the recovery of local arts and cultural organizations as well as individual artists negatively impacted by the pandemic.
Monsos and Miner
The Departments of Theatre and Film and Art will share a combined grant of $150,000.
Holly Monsos, chair of the Department of Theatre and Film, said her department will use the funds to augment teaching staff with guest artists and workshops in film and theatre to better position students to succeed in a post-COVID arts world.
“We have already held a workshop on staging intimacy,” Monsos said, “so they will be ready to engage professionally and responsibly in their stage and screen work at UToledo and beyond.”
She added that performing artists and venues were particularly hard hit by the pandemic and the grant will help replenish resources for department events.
“We will be using the funding to increase our theatre marketing presence in order to help draw audiences back to live performances,” Monsos said.
Department of Art chair Barbara Miner said her department will use some of the grant funds to support the ongoing Axon Lab Creative Residency Program (ALCRP).
“The residency program provides space and time for the selected resident’s creative ideas, independent of discipline, to grow and add to transdisciplinary dialogue with students and the broader community through either a public lecture or an exhibition or both,” Miner said.
The funding also will be used to support the department’s 3D technician position.
“This critical position and the safe coverage of open studio hours will allow student use outside of class time,” she said.
The 3D technician also supervises and maintains the vast array of traditional and cutting-edge equipment housed in the department’s studios.
