Blackbird's Year in Review, and Welcome to our new Board Member!
Happy New Year from Blackbird Arts & Research!
Thank you for your support throughout 2015! We have had a great year bringing arts and research together.
Here's a recap:
- This year, we have partnered with Honey Pot Performance and Juke Cry Hand Clap in Chicago, and we are at work to add the city to Mapping Arts Project. The project received a grant from the Propeller Fund.
- Our executive director, Lara Stein Pardo, began a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Laboratory for Race and Popular Culture at the University of Colorado at Boulder. While there she is working with the Lab on on-going projects bringing together arts and technology. She has also developed the course, Geographies of the Arts, and will work with students in the course to build and launch Mapping Arts-Denver.
- Lara Stein Pardo was interviewed about her work in digital humanities, and she spoke about her work with Mapping Arts Project and on topics including collaboration and academic research.
- We received a grant from Denver Arts & Venues' IMAGINE2020 Fund to seed fund the early stages of Mapping Arts-Denver, and to connect to local artists and organizations. In addition to funding, we have also participated in trainings for artists and arts organizations.
- Our web team collaborators at Efeqdev reconceptualized their work, and are now Giant Hat Works, where they focus on custom-designed apps and software.
- On the horizon for Mapping Arts Project in 2016 is a new timeline feature and redesigned genre and search functionality. We are working with Giant Hat Works on these new features.
- We welcomed new Board Member, Tayana Hardin.
Tayana Hardin brings to the organization a love for the arts and a commitment to inspired academic research. She holds a doctorate in American Studies (2012) from the University of Michigan, where she also completed a graduate residency in the Center for World Performance Studies. In 2013, Tayana joined the faculty of the English Department at the University of Denver. She teaches courses on American literature and culture, as well as more specialized courses that focus on twentieth century African American literature and its creative and historical connections to visual art, music, and dance. Although great literature and compelling criticism nourish her mind and soul, her true sustenance comes from Colorado sunshine, good food, lots of laughter and dancing, and quality time with family and friends.
Looking forward to 2016! Help support our work with an end of the year tax deductible donation. $10, $20, or any amount you can give helps to support the work we do and bring arts and research to broad public audiences. With your donation, we can conduct more research, update web features on Mapping Arts Project, train and hire artists and researchers, give public talks, work with organizations and artists around the world to develop new programs, and create art that is embedded in the world we live in. Thank you!
If you like our work, share this post with people you know!