College of Humanities & Fine Arts 2022-23 Annual Report

College of

HUMANITIES & FINE ARTS 2022–2023 Report

DEAN’S MESSAGE

I have been lucky to be part of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA) for three decades—as professor of history, chair of the history department, associate dean, and senior associate dean. Now I have the great fortune of leading a college that is close to my heart.

Throughout the years, I have watched the HFA community overcome obstacles, reach new heights, and excel beyond measure, becoming what we today refer to as the creative and cultural heart of UMass. How lucky we are to be part of something so wonderful.

HFA students shape all that we do. They are not afraid to challenge the status quo, to explore historical and contemporary issues that have shaped the past and present, to examine human interactions, to debate ethics in the digital age, or to ask “Why?” Through our worldclass research centers, institutes, and interdisciplinary programs, students become bold changemakers, socially responsible scholars, brilliant thinkers, and inspiring artists who make their mark in the world.

Our illustrious faculty continually performs at the highest levels in teaching, research, and service—the three pillars of the great land grant institutions. They engage in multidimensional, collaborative research, scholarship, and creative activity that drive discovery and innovation locally, nationally, and globally.

Together, our community actively works to create a world that is more just, equitable, creative, and open-minded for all.

This report offers a snapshot into some of the remarkable work and achievements of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts faculty and students during the 2022–23 academic year.

I am proud to share with you the immense growth and ongoing success of our community— here on campus and beyond.

Sincerely,

Joye Bowman Dean, College of Humanities and Fine Arts Professor, History

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EVOLVING TOGETHER: WHY THE HUMANITIES MATTER NOW MORE THAN EVER

In the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, we spend every day proving why these important fields of study matter: to our community, to our society, and to the world beyond. We engage in multidimensional, collaborative research, scholarship, and creative activity that drive discovery and innovation locally, nationally, and globally. What we do matters.

The ‘Essence of Humanities’

Former Dean Barbara Krauthamer, Shelly Lowe, and Director of Public Interest Technology Francine Berman

SHELLY C. LOWE, CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES, visited the UMass Amherst campus on March 3 to deliver a public lecture, Q&A, and roundtable discussion within HFA. The series of events, which brought together faculty, students, and staff from across the university, highlighted the ongoing importance of the humanities.

"To me, the essence of humanities is really in the stories we tell... stories that guide us and tell us where to go," Lowe said. "The humanities are fundamental and necessary to a thriving country."

She went on to say the humanities help us tell our stories and weave together the past, present, and future, addressing the things that matter most.

"I often tell students the humanities take courage," Lowe said. "It can be hard to confront our histories. But, in return, the humanities give us strength... The humanities are never about what I can achieve, but about what we can achieve—together."

Creating Meaningful Connections Between New Faculty and Distinguished Mentors LAUNCHED IN SPRING 2022, THE HFA FACULTY NETWORKING INITIATIVE invites new, tenure-track assistant professors to work with distinguished scholars and artists at institutions beyond the local academic community. Through these mentorships, faculty further their professional network, creating relationships and resources they can draw on throughout their career.

It’s what connected assistant professor in the Department of Theater Elisa Gonzales with award-winning Cuban American writer, director, and California Institute of the Arts

(CalArts) faculty member Marissa Chibás— both of whom are Latine educators and artists working in theater.

Gonzales, who is one of the seven selected faculty members involved in the inaugural cohort, says this provided a great opportunity for her.

“There are so few Latines in the academy, so to have a mentor exist in both of these spaces—education and theater—means a lot,” she explained. “It has been hard for me to connect with other creators like me. This has been life affirming.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INITIATIVE

Award-winning Cuban American writer/director Marissa Chibás with Department of Theater assistant professor Elisa Gonzales

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COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

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EVOLVING TOGETHER: WHY THE HUMANITIES MATTER NOW MORE THAN EVER

Artificial Intelligence Inspires New Ways of Thinking IN THE TIME OF CHATGPT AND THE EVEREVOLVING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LANDSCAPE, the UMass Amherst Writing Program has developed a robust web resource hub intended to help faculty and instructors as they teach writing alongside AI technologies.

The resource, which lives on the Writing Program’s website, includes practical teaching tips, selected ways writing studies has responded to technology, best practices from writing studies, sample assignments, and a look at the current conversation surrounding ChatGPT. Tara Pauliny, an associate director of the Writing Program, says she hopes that the resource will be a starting place for instructors who are interested in the

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New Faces, Same Commitment to Excellence

relationship between AI technologies and the teaching of writing.

This collection of materials, she adds, “reminds us that as scholars and teachers we have been navigating technological advances for decades—if not longer— and that while all technologies come with challenges, they also offer us possibilities. They prompt us to see our work in new ways and to reimagine the work we do with our students.”

EXPLORE THE RESOURCES

COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

IN JUNE 2023, JOYE BOWMAN, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AND SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN IN THE COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND FINE ARTS, was named interim dean of the college. Her appointment began June 18 and will extend through August 2024, says Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Tricia Serio. It follows the departure of Dean Barbara Krauthamer, who began a new role as dean of Emory University’s College of Arts and Sciences in Atlanta on July 1.

“I am deeply grateful to Dean Krauthamer for everything she accomplished in HFA over the past three years, and we look forward to welcoming a more permanent dean next summer,” Bowman said. “As a longtime member of the HFA community, I am eager to lead a college that is so close to my heart.

My top priority as interim dean will be to ensure our faculty, staff, and students have the access, resources, and support they need to continue to thrive and succeed.”

Bowman has previously served as senior associate dean for two years and as associate dean for research for three years. She was the chair of the history department from 2010–16 and has been active in the Five College African Studies Council, which she chaired for several years.

The college also recently welcomed Cara Takakjian— senior lecturer, undergraduate program director, and chief undergraduate advisor for Italian studies—as associate Cara Takakjian dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion for HFA. Takakjian, who began her career at UMass Amherst in 2015 in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, now leads the college’s equity initiatives to support underrepresented undergraduate students, including its Saturday Scholars and Opportunity Scholars programs.

“I have been engaged in social justice activism both personally and professionally for many, many years. Working for positive change, especially around issues of inequity and racism, is intrinsic to who I am and what I do,” Takakjian said. “When I was approached about this role, I almost couldn't believe it because it was exactly what I wanted to do.

This opportunity aligns perfectly with my belief that equity is not just something we can hope for, it’s something that can exist.”

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DEREK FOWLES

SPRING BLOOMS WITH THE ARTS

Held in the spring semester, the festival reaffirmed the institution's commitment to the arts—both student-focused and professional— through a series of events, as well as a retrospective look at the creative works and research from throughout the academic year.

The UMass Amherst community hosted dozens of high-caliber events, including museum exhibits, lectures and talks, and theater, music, and dance performances, each open to the public.

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COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

GRACE FIORI/DAILY COLLEGIAN

To honor UMass Amherst's deep roots in the performing and fine arts, the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and the UMass Fine Arts Center partnered in spring 2023 to create the university’s inaugural Spring Arts Festival.

Portraits in Red: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, a powerful art exhibit by artist Nayana LaFond that featured portraits of missing, murdered, or survived Indigenous women and girls, was on display in the Augusta Savage Gallery.

Performed as part of the Theater Department’s 50th anniversary season, Into the Woods offered twisted takes on fairy-tale conventions from the late, great Stephen Sondheim.

MAYA GREER

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellow Colson Whitehead delivered the English department’s 2022–23 Troy lecture

LEFT: The university celebrated the acquisition of an anonymous donation of a piece of the Berlin Wall featuring The Power of Creativity over Concrete, a painting by acclaimed French artist Thierry Noir; BELOW: Dancers rehearsed for Convergence: A Dance Performance, a three-evening event that invited audiences into a blended world of dance and scientific research communication.

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SPRING BLOOMS WITH THE ARTS

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Drishti Chauhan working in the UMass Light Lab on Hiroshima, a one-minute light installation, as part of the Department of Theater’s annual Fringe Fest; The HFA Creative Student Showcase was a pop-up gallery of students' visual, written, and performance artwork; The University Museum of Contemporary Art hosted Masculine Identities: Filling in the Blanks, an art exhibit exploring traditional perceptions of masculinity. The exhibition was curated by graduate students Lawrence Gianangeli and Samit Sinha.

Breaking Down Language Barriers

“The New Immigrant Experience” is an awardwinning multimedia concert

by Professor of Jazz Studies Felipe Salles.

The New Immigrant Experience IN EARLY APRIL, PROFESSOR OF JAZZ STUDIES FELIPE SALLES reprised his awardwinning work “The New Immigrant Experience," a concert-length multimedia musical masterpiece highlighting the experience of undocumented immigrants protected by DACA, also known as Dreamers. The performance was part of a two-day immigration and citizenship celebration on campus, including an on-campus naturalization ceremony, during which approximately 200 Massachusetts residents officially became U.S. citizens.

The critically acclaimed work “is a conversation with Dreamers about their struggles and about growing up undocumented in America, expressed through video and music,” explained Salles, who emigrated from Brazil to the United States in 1995. “I think the music in itself is very emotional and it tries to draw people into the conversation. Each movement tells a different story of a different person, of their struggles—it’s pretty intense.”

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COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

THIS WINTER, MORE THAN 100 BILINGUAL PUBLIC-SCHOOL EMPLOYEES GRADUATED from a series of interpreter and translator workshops led by UMass faculty and industry professionals and supported by graduate students.

Designed and coordinated by the Translation Center, the workshops teach standards of interpreting and translation, as well as the importance of language access in schools.

“It’s meaningful work,” said Regina Galasso, associate professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and director of the Translation Center. “This is also a chance for UMass Amherst to be in K–12 public schools throughout our state and support families for whom English is not their first language.”

Participants—most of whom are women, immigrants, people of color, and diverse learners—collectively spoke a dozen languages and represented nearly 20 school districts from across Massachusetts.

“It was wonderful for me. I learned from all the participants, and I learned ways to give a better service to the community,” said Bayron Mendez from New Bedford Public Schools.

Mendez speaks English, K'iche, and Spanish. He explained that the workshops helped him practice his skills so that when he offers translation or interpreter services, he’ll feel more comfortable and confident.

“I feel more professional,” Mendez said.

Mendez was inspired to get involved in the language services field when he immigrated to the U.S. After arriving at the border, Mendez said a police officer gave him a bus ticket to New Bedford, Mass., and that was it—but Mendez still had so many questions.

“I thought of my parents and how they may have had to deal with the same situation,” Mendez said. “I thought, okay: I want to help people translate their ideas and to communicate.”

Brockton Public School’s Morton PierreAntoine, a speaker of English, French, and Haitian Creole, explained that these skills will help parents and guardians feel more empowered to communicate with schools and to participate in what their kids are doing.

“Having [employees like] us trained—and having a better sense of what our role is— helps everyone succeed,” he said.

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BLACK VOICES AT UMASS

CONTRIBUTE TO THE JOHN H. BRACEY, JR. FELLOWSHIP FUND

Remembering John H. Bracey

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In February 2023, the HFA community mourned the loss of John H. Bracey, Black studies pioneer and longtime faculty member in the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of AfroAmerican Studies since 1972.

COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

BRACEY WAS A LEADING FIGURE IN THE FIELDS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES AND U.S. HISTORY. He helped create one of the nation’s first doctoral programs in African American studies at UMass Amherst, where he also served in several roles including as chair of the department and co-director of the graduate certificate in African Diaspora studies.

Kumble R. Subbaswamy has said of Bracey: “He was a true champion for Black studies and Black students, and his tireless work made us a much better university.”

Joye Bowman, dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, said, “In addition to being a preeminent scholar of Black history and the Black arts movement, John was passionate about fostering the next generation of Black leaders and scholars. His generosity and brilliance transformed the field of Black studies.

Simply put, his efforts were historic, and his legacy will not soon be forgotten.”

In recent years, Bracey was a leader in creating the UMass Black Presence Initiative, a project that celebrates the historic contributions of the university’s Black faculty, students, staff, and alumni by creating a permanent archive. Bracey and his students conducted oral history interviews with dozens of past and present members of UMass Amherst's Black community. It serves as a living testament to the impact they have had throughout our nearly 160-year history.

“Professor Bracey was a giant in his field.

His contributions, mentorship, and advocacy for African American studies/Black studies were known throughout the world. He was a member of our department faculty since 1972, for over 50 years,” said Yolanda CovingtonWard, chair of the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies. “Indeed, he was an institution within himself. His commitment to supporting and guiding our students was invaluable; he impacted the lives of so many students and faculty. Our department has lost one of its strongest pillars and we are grieving.

We are still trying to come to terms with this tremendous loss.”

In 2021, UMass Amherst established the John H. Bracey, Jr. Fellowship Fund, which provides summer fellowship support for doctoral students in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies who have achieved candidacy and are engaged in research and writing their dissertations.

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FACULTY

EXCELLENCE Three Faculty Members Selected for College Outstanding Teaching Award In recognition of exceptional teaching, mentoring, curriculum development efforts, and noted impact on students' lives, three HFA faculty members were presented with the 2023 College Outstanding Teacher Award.

CAMERON AWKWARD-RICH, assistant professor in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, is a poet and scholar of trans theory and expressive culture in the U.S. He has published two collections of poetry, Sympathetic Little Monster and Dispatch, the former of which was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award.

His creative work has been supported by fellowships from Cave Canem, The Watering Hole, and the Lannan Foundation. In addition, his book The Terrible We: Thinking with Trans Maladjustment was named a 2023 Lammy Finalist.

LAURA CIOLKOWSKI, senior lecturer in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and researcher for the Prison Education Initiative, is a writer, book critic, scholar, and passionate leader on feminist approaches to prison education. She is co-chair of the Five College Faculty Seminar on Prison Education and a member of the Massachusetts Prison

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Education Consortium. She teaches college courses in prison and jail facilities in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

Ciolkowski is the recipient of a Public Service Endowment Grant for her work in prison education and humanities scholarship.

JENNIFER NYE, senior lecturer in the Department of History and co-chair of the Five College Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice Certificate, has more than 12 years of experience as a practicing public interest attorney.

Her work within the Department of History is integral to her philosophy of using the law for social justice.

Her research areas include critical legal theory; critical race theory; use of the law and litigation by social movements to achieve social and legal change; feminist jurisprudence; LGBTQ+, disability, domestic violence, and reproductive rights laws; and poverty law and public interest law.

COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

Rebecca Lorimer Leonard Honored with Distinguished Teaching Award REBECCA LORIMER LEONARD, associate professor of English, has been named one of the 2022–23 winners of the Distinguished Teaching Award by the Center for Teaching and Learning. The award honors

exemplary teaching at the highest institutional level.

Lorimer Leonard is a past recipient of the College Outstanding Teacher Award.

She teaches courses on writing and literacy, guiding students to understand the social outcomes and possibilities of writing while honoring the linguistic diversity of writers in and outside of the classroom.

“I am deeply gratified to receive this recognition for my teaching, and I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to amplify the critically engaged teaching and learning that can happen in courses about writing,” Lorimer Leonard said.

Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina Receives Multiple Prestigious Fellowships for 2023–24 Following her recognition as a Distinguished Faculty Lecturer for 2022–23, Professor of English GRETCHEN HOLBROOK GERZINA was named the recipient of the Samuel F. Conti Faculty Fellowship, the Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Conti fellows are chosen by the UMass Amherst Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement based on their record of outstanding accomplishments in research and creative activity and on their potential for continued excellence.

A Radcliffe fellowship offers scholars in the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and arts a rare chance to pursue ambitious projects for a full year in a vibrant interdisciplinary setting amid the resources of Harvard.

Guggenheim Fellowships are awarded to exceptional individuals in pursuit of scholarship in any field of knowledge and creation in any art form, under the freest possible conditions.

An internationally acclaimed scholar widely known for her involvement in British literary and cultural studies, Holbrook Gerzina's award-winning work often explores forgotten lives, reaching beyond the field of literary studies and has made significant contributions to scholarship in history, art history, and African American studies.

Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina and Young Min Moon Receive Highest Campus Honor of Chancellor’s Medal GRETCHEN HOLBROOK GERZINA, the Paul Murray Kendall Chair in Biography and professor of English, and YOUNG MIN MOON, professor and chair in the Department of Art, were named 2022–23 Distinguished Faculty Lecturers. For their achievements, they each received the Chancellor’s Medal, the highest recognition bestowed upon faculty by the campus.

Established in 1974, the annual Distinguished Faculty Lecture is dedicated to acknowledging the work of our most esteemed and accomplished faculty members. As part of the series, Holbrook Gerzina delivered a talk on “Forgotten Lives: What They Mean, and Why They’re Important,” in February 2023, while Moon delivered a talk on "The Aftereffects of War in Contemporary Korean Art" in April 2023.

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Spotlight Scholars

FACULTY EXCELLENCE

This year, two HFA professors were named Spotlight Scholars, a university initiative that shines a light on faculty working for positive social change through research, scholarship, and creative activity.

Prominent Art Historian Charmaine A. Nelson

Literary Scholar and Classics Professor Melissa Mueller

CHARMAINE A. NELSON IS PROVOST PROFESSOR OF BLACK DIASPORIC ART AND VISUAL CULTURE in the Department of History of Art and Architecture and founding director of the Slavery North Initiative. She took her first art history course as an undergraduate English major at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada—an upper-level elective that was far too advanced, in which she received the worst grade of her university career.

But she fell in love with the subject, and the department chair encouraged her to pursue it. She switched her major to art history and was off and running.

As she delved deeper into the discipline, Nelson quickly realized she wasn’t represented there as a Black woman.

“I always say to my students, don't be afraid of the absence of yourself in a discipline because that means your questions haven’t been posed yet. If I had been afraid of that, I would have left right away,” said Nelson. “I am very blessed to be at this stage after going through such terrible experiences of institutional racism and being the first in my discipline, because it wasn’t pretty.”

AT HER CORE, CLASSICS PROFESSOR MELISSA MUELLER IS A READER: someone who loves immersing herself in another world through a great novel, poem, or dramatic work.

As a literary scholar and critic in the Department of Classics, Mueller studies early Greek poetry, from Homer through Greek tragedy. She has spent her career not only reading such works but re-reading them over and over for her teaching and research.

“When I re-read a text, it becomes completely different because I myself am changing,” she said.

Mueller was introduced to classics at a young age through her New York City school’s Latin requirement for students in sixth grade and up. The summer she turned 18, she enrolled in an intensive Greek course at the City University of New York, through which she learned Greek grammar and read Euripides and Plato.

“I fell in love with the language and thought, ‘This is what I want to do,’” Mueller recalled. Above all, “I’m interested in reading Greek literature in ways that can speak to audiences—especially readers new to the study of classics—today.”

READ THE FULL PROFILE Charmaine A. Nelson

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COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

READ THE FULL PROFILE

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FACULTY EXCELLENCE

Esteemed Honors and Recognitions

English Professor and National Book Award-winning poet Martín Espada has won the esteemed Virginia Quarterly Review’s (VQR) Emily Clark Balch Prize for Poetry for four poems that appeared in the winter 2022 issue: “Award Ceremony Nightmare with Swedish Meatballs”; “Big Bird Died for Your Sins”; “Look at This”; and “Love Song of the Disembodied Head in a Jar.” The Emily Clark Balch Prize was created to honor the best writing to appear in the pages of VQR, the awardwinning literary magazine established in 1925.

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COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

Miliann Kang, professor in the Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, received the 2023 ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentoring Award. Nominated

by Associate Professor of English Asha Nadkarni, Kang was recognized for her critically important work in mentoring and supporting her colleagues’ professional development and success.

English Professor Edie Meidav was selected as a fellow by the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center to further her work by writing a book during summer 2023. As part of the fellowship, she spent one month on the 50-acre property located at the heart of Lake Como in Northern Italy.

Former Bellagio residents include Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, renowned authors Maya Angelou and Michael Ondaatji, and international policy makers Mary Robinson and Montek Ahluwalia.

Noted scholar, social and racial justice activist, and professor in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies Amilcar Shabazz was presented with the 2023 Ruth B. Loving Civil Rights Award by the City of Springfield.

The Ruth B. Loving Civil Rights Award is awarded annually to an individual who furthers Loving’s legacy. Shabazz was recognized for his life scholarship and activism championing historical truth-telling and Black reparations in Massachusetts, across the U.S., and throughout the world.

Britt Rusert, associate professor and undergraduate program director in the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of AfroAmerican Studies, was selected as one of the 2023–24 W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute Fellows by the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. Fellows are selected for extraordinary scholarly and artistic work that advances interdisciplinary inquiry into the histories of Africa and its diasporas.

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FACULTY EXCELLENCE

Daniel Ellsberg (right) and GroundTruth founder Charles Sennott in conversation during an event in WGBH’s Yawkey Auditorium in Boston, on October 2019.

IN DANIEL ELLSBERG’S FINAL YEARS, HE WORKED CLOSELY WITH HISTORY ALUMNUS CHARLES SENNOTT '84, founder and editorin-chief of the GroundTruth Project and one of the nation's most accomplished foreign correspondents. Sennott penned a heartfelt tribute to Ellsberg in the GroundTruth Project newsletter on June 16, 2023.

“It is rare in life that you get to know one of your heroes.

Daniel Ellsberg gave me that opportunity,” Sennott wrote. “[H]is legacy and the example he set with his exceptional life dedicated to social justice and peace continue to live on.”

Lessons from a Whistleblower ON THE 24TH FLOOR OF UMASS AMHERST’S W. E. B. DU BOIS LIBRARY is a veritable treasure trove of insider information on modern United States history: a collection of more than 500 boxes containing the personal and professional archive of Daniel Ellsberg, one of the country’s foremost political activists and whistleblowers who died June 16, 2023.

Following the donation of his papers, Ellsberg spent the last four years becoming a treasured member of the UMass Amherst community.

His presence on campus began in 2020–21 with a yearlong seminar, Truth, Dissent,

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and the Life of Daniel Ellsberg, co-taught

by Professor of History Christian Appy and Professor of Journalism Kathy Roberts Forde.

Graduate and undergraduate students in the seminar studied the life and times of Ellsberg, including interviewing Ellsberg himself.

Out of that course grew a website dedicated to UMass’s work around Ellsberg, a podcast from history alumnus and renowned journalist Charles Sennott '84, and an international online conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the release of the Pentagon Papers. In addition, an exhibit of select objects from the collection has been on display in the library since January 2022. The history department went on to develop the Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy, which strives to raise public awareness, scholarship, and activism

COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

on the overlapping issues that define Ellsberg’s life and legacy.

In January 2023, UMass Amherst awarded Ellsberg an honorary degree in recognition of his “lifetime of truth-telling that demonstrates how dissent can be the highest form of patriotism and citizenship,” as former Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said. “Ellsberg’s personal correspondence— letters and, more recently, emails, though we don’t yet have all of those—have been immensely revealing. Ellsberg was an inveterate notetaker, and we have reams and reams of notes—some of them very sketchy, others more essayistic,” said Appy.

“Ellsberg’s life and legacy... make us think hard about our actual role in the world and how it might be transformed.”

READ THE TRIBUTE

In the Classroom Curious what faculty are teaching inside HFA classrooms? Head back to school with these stories about a modernized music theory class, how the classics meet computer science in Italy, why philosophy students are taught to question everything, and how architecture department is making the field more accessible.

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STUDENT

EXCELLENCE Clare Sheedy Named 21st Century Leader Clare Sheedy, of Pittsfield, Mass., earned double majors in public health and in women, gender, sexuality studies and a Five College certificate in reproductive health, rights, and justice. She is renowned on campus for her effectiveness in a plethora of leadership positions connected to social justice and social progress.

Among her many accomplishments, Sheedy is proudest of being a guest lecturer for a Stanford Law School course on the law, politics, and policy of campus sexual assault and for giving a related TEDx talk about sexual violence. These talks were informed by her extensive activism at UMass. She was a founding member of the student-led Title IX Task Force, which pushed for change in sexual misconduct policies and processes, and she subsequently played a crucial role in the implementation of the campus Survivor’s Bill of Rights.

Sheedy was elected speaker of the SGA and selected as a 2022 UMass Women into Leadership Fellow. She served on numerous advisory boards and volunteered as a counselor advocate at the Center for Women and Community and as a peer health educator while also working at several campus jobs.

She will study for a master’s degree in public administration in human rights and humanitarian policy at Columbia University in New York City.

Afro-American Studies Doctoral Candidate Karl Lyn Awarded Prestigious Ford Foundation Fellowship Musician Helkin Sosa Honored for Research, Creativity Helkin Sosa ’23 was one of nine UMass Amherst undergraduates to be named a Spring 2023 Rising Researcher in recognition of his outstanding research, scholarship, and creative activity. A composer, musician, and music producer, Sosa released his debut album in 2022.

“I’ve been playing musical instruments since fourth grade, when I first started learning trumpet,” Sosa said. “Throughout my musical development, I began to fall more and more in love with the community that is created within a musical ensemble and the power music has to generate emotion and thought in the listener.”

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Sosa credits many of the music faculty he’s worked with as an undergraduate— including Jeff Holmes, Sal Macchia, Eric Berlin, Tom Giampietro, and Chris White—for the support, knowledge, and experience to create and perform. Following graduation, Sosa said he hopes to attend graduate school for music composition or film scoring to achieve his dream of writing music for a film.

“I am so very lucky to get to do what I love every day,” Sosa said. “I hope that my work finds its audience and that people can enjoy my songs as much as I do. I also would like listeners to reflect on our world and society, and hope that my music can spark new conversations and ideas."

COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

Karl Lyn, a doctoral student in the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at UMass Amherst, is one of 90 outstanding scholars to be named a 2023 Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

This fellowship will support Lyn’s dissertation work in Los Angeles, where he aims to study the evolving political ideologies and praxis of Black emerging adults in urban communities. The award will provide an annual stipend for three years, as well as key networking resources.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be awarded this prestigious fellowship,” Lyn said. “It represents the fruits of my hard work, passion, and commitment to academic excellence. I am excited to maximize this opportunity to continue my development as a socially responsible scholar and educator who works toward equity and justice in and beyond the academy.”

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AT LEFT: Scenic design graduate student Drishti Chauhan and lighting design HyeJung Kang stand in front of the Hiroshima light installation; BELOW: Eloise Arnold tailors a garment in the Laura Bailey Costume Studio. Arnold is the costume designer for The Dolls of New Albion.

STUDENT EXCELLENCE

Architecture Grad Student Lincoln Nemetz-Carlson Receives Fulbright Award Lincoln Nemetz-Carlson has received a Fulbright award to Azerbaijan in academic year 2023–24.

Nemetz-Carlson, who graduated in spring 2023 with a master’s degree in architecture, was a graduate researcher for two years in the Office of Campus Planning under the supervision of Senior Campus Planner Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham.

He was also a principal contributor to UMassBRUT, a multidisciplinary campaign designed to reshape perceptions of the UMass Amherst and UMass Dartmouth Brutalist architecture and advocate for the buildings’ conservation and renovation.

As a Fulbright participant, NemetzCarlson will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with international partners in educational, political, cultural, economic and scientific fields, and engage with the local community while on his Fulbright exchange.

Performers Hia Ghosh and Sofia Cerciello rehearse a scene from Beatrice's Dragon with a puppet.

Creation on the Fringe From plays, musicals, and dramatic readings to visual art installations, innovative uses of physical or virtual space, and even an “alternate reality game,” Fringe Fest productions push the boundaries of what theater means. Hosted annually in the Department of Theater, Fringe Fest is driven entirely by students who apply what they’ve learned in class and spearhead independent projects from concept to fruition.

A scene from The Dolls of New Albion: A Steampunk Opera.

A student views Sophia Schweik’s Redefining Resilience installed in the main corridor of the arts bridge in the Bromery Center for the Arts.

MORE FROM THE FRINGE FEST The cast of The Dolls of New Albion: A Steampunk Opera— a 90-minute musical directed by dual theater and computer science major Michael Donnelly—take a bow during the 2023 UMass Fringe Fest.

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COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

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STUDENT EXCELLENCE

I'm most proud of my accomplishment in returning to school and finishing my undergraduate degree here at UMass. After dropping out of college in 2009, I never thought I'd have the opportunity or skillset to continue with my education. Overcoming these beliefs and applying to UMass allowed me to embark on a new path and unlock my potential.

HFA SENIORS

REFLECT ON UMASS

— Chelsea Staub '23, Art history major

I'm so happy to have chosen linguistics as my major—with UMass's linguistics department being one of the best in the world. I love learning about language (and dialects in particular). We all have some sort of experience with linguistics, whether we know it or not, and it's so interesting to be able to validate people's experiences with language using scientific research.

The HFA graduating class of 2023 is one to remember. Explore a photo gallery highlighting memories from our graduating seniors, find a full list of graduates, or watch a recording of the 2023 HFA Senior Recognition Ceremony.

Four graduating HFA seniors were featured in the 2023 UMass Amherst Senior Series, which celebrates students who achieved their goals, inspired others, and make the UMass community proud. The series began in 2018 as a way to highlight graduating students and share their stories.

Here are excerpts from interviews with those students.

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COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

— Chloe Ostiguy '23, Linguistics major

If I could talk to freshman Julia I would give her a hug and tell her to trust her heart because no one knows what she needs better than she does.

My professors in the art history department inspire me every day to be the best person I can be. I am extremely fortunate to be part of a smaller department where I know my professors personally and know they want to see me excel.

— Julia Derocher '23, Italian studies major

—Emma Holtz '23, History of art and architecture major

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STUDENT EXCELLENCE

Awards and Internship Support Senior Leadership Award

William F. Field Alumni Scholar Awards

The Senior Leadership Award recognizes graduating seniors who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to the UMass Amherst community. Award recipients have distinguished themselves through important contributions to student organizations, campus jobs, academic excellence, and community service.

Architecture major Hannah Zhao ‘23 is the recipient of the 2022–23 Senior Leadership Award, which recognizes graduating seniors who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to the UMass Amherst community. Zhao is a successful and dedicated leader whose service has benefited students in the Department of Architecture and the wider architecture profession. Her research demonstrates her professional commitment to Hannah Zhao '23 addressing society's big challenges. She has also served as an undergraduate volunteer teaching assistant, mentoring students in an introductory-level design studio class.

Zhao was one of the co-founders and president of the UMass chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students, where her leadership has not only benefitted other students but enhanced the climate and culture of the department and contributes to the future diversity of the discipline and profession. In addition, Zhao was a member of the American Institute of Architecture Students and her senior honors thesis proposes new ways to mitigate light pollution and its negative effects on biodiversity in Chongqing, China. Through Zhao’s hard work and vision to the field of architecture, she will continue to lead as a researcher and practitioner long after graduation.

The William F. Field Alumni Scholar Awards were established in 1976 to recognize and honor third-year students for their academic achievements at UMass Amherst. The program was named in honor of William F. Field, the university’s first Dean of Students, for his outstanding support of academic excellence and his personal commitment to bringing out the best in every student. Two students have been named this year’s William F. Field Alumni Scholar Award recipients: With a GPA of 3.96, Maria Pitel ‘24 is majoring in the history of art and architecture with a minor in information technology. Her academic success is evident in the sophistication and originality of her research. Her work in the UMass Museum of Contemporary Art and the Memorial Hall Museum at Historic Deerfield provides clear evidence of her contribution to the arts on campus and in the wider community. Her internships in these museums have allowed her to both expand the scope of her education and share her skills and knowledge with museum staff and attendees.

Emma Kucich ‘24 is an outstanding student whose academic success is clearly evident in the assessment of her ability to complete graduate level work in a music history seminar. Her professor notes that the quality and sophistication of her work far exceeded that of a typical undergraduate student and was on par with that of graduate students. As a musician, Emma is a skilled flutist whose technique and artistry make positive contributions to the other musicians and ensembles with whom she works.

Maria Pitel '24

Emma Kucich '24

Internship Support Recipients Internships can open doors to future careers. Too often, students are forced to choose between a low-paying or unpaid internship or working a summer job unrelated to their career aspirations. These remarkable students benefited from the HFA Internship Assistance Fund, which enabled them to gain valuable experience that will help set them up for a successful future.

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Rebekah Rennick ‘24G Josy Hunter ‘24 Catherine Wan ‘26 Eden Gross ‘24 Natania Lyson ‘25

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ALUMNI

EXCELLENCE

Esther Cuesta Santana ’02, ’09MA, ’15PhD Earns Prestigious Revolutionary Spirit Award Alumna Esther Cuesta Santana ’02, ’09MA, ’15PhD—who received her BA in comparative literature—was named the recipient of the 2022 UMass Alumni Honors Revolutionary Spirit Award.

Cuesta Santana is an accomplished activist, policymaker, and pioneer dedicated to deepening cultural understanding. She has been a member of Ecuador’s National Assembly since 2017, representing the constituency of Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

Reelected in 2021, she is currently a member of the Committee on Children and Adolescents’ Rights.

Her lifelong commitment to creating a world that’s just and equitable for all undoubtedly exemplifies the revolutionary spirit of the university.

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At age 19, Ecuador native Cuesta Santana moved to the United States on her own. Once she arrived, she worked, took English lessons, obtained permanent residency, and applied to colleges. She was accepted into the (then) Honors Program at UMass Amherst. For her honors thesis, Cuesta Santana translated three chapters of the novel of an LGBTI writer of Ecuadorian and Puerto Rican descent, noting that, “Translating language is not just about the words. It’s, in essence, translating a world’s vision; how we understand the world.

An immigrant is constantly in the process of translating.” The honors thesis experience deepened her research interest, leading her to pursue a master’s degree and a doctorate in comparative literature.

As part of her doctoral research, Cuesta Santana conducted ethnographic and archival research in a region of Italy that shares centuries of cross-migration history with Ecuador. During that time, the Ecuadorian government appointed her consul of Ecuador in Genoa, Italy; two years later, she became consul general. Once she completed her dissertation, she accepted the invitation to return to Ecuador to serve as vice minister of human mobility.

She was nominated for this prestigious award by Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese Studies and Honors Director Luis Marentes.

WATCH AN INTERVIEW WITH ESTHER

COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

Afro-Am Studies Alum Sofia Meadows-Muriel Featured in Portraits at The Met Two portraits of Sofia Meadows-Muriel ‘22 (they/them), who studied Afro-Am studies, were recently on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the exhibition, Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina.

The works, entitled Birth and Rebirth and Rebirth, were painted by artist Robert Pruitt in 2019.

Commissioned by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the portraits show MeadowsMuriel wearing a quilt evocative of a work by the late African American artist Harriet Powers and pouring water from one of the face vessels shown nearby. The art is part of a series depicting different generations of Black women and Black femme folks who served as community organizers in Boston.

Seeing the portraits at The Met for the first time, “I felt nostalgia for a person that I used to be, seeing my younger self,” they said. “I remember the things I was thinking about, the things I was passionate about at that time. Why I like that portrait so much is that [Pruitt] embodied that youthful, fiery spirit. It reminded me to keep that.”

Meadows-Muriel was working as an intern at MFA Boston when they were asked to be part of the project. Following graduation, Meadows-Muriel worked as a teacher in residence at the Margarita Muniz Academy in Boston, the district’s first dual language high school, as well as the director of partnerships at Unity Circles, an organization focused on uplifting communities most impacted by carceral system.

Britt Rusert, associate professor of AfroAm Studies and director of undergraduate studies, said, “They are a truly exceptional student, a rising star, and a wonderful representative of HFA.” Yolanda Covington-Ward, chair of the W.E.B. DuBois Department of Afro-American Studies added, “Sofia Meadows-Muriel represents the dynamic and engaged types of students that are attracted to our major in Afro-American Studies. We are proud of the many ways that our alumni are impacting the world.”

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ALUMNI EXCELLENCE

Donor Profile

Alumnus Chris Litster ’91 Generously Supports Program for Underrepresented Students in HFA The Opportunity Scholars program was one of two programs to receive a substantial, multi-year gift from Chris ’91 and Mary Litster ’93. Chris, a French major, and his wife, Mary, an education major, are using their generous gift to fund programming created for undergraduate students who identify as first-generation, BIPOC, and/or lower-income, and recognize and reward scholastic excellence and leadership.

"Mary and I are extremely proud alumni of UMass Amherst and are thrilled to support the Opportunity Scholars and RISE Program," said Chris. "UMass provided us—and now our youngest son—an incredible undergraduate experience. We are honored to now be able to give back to our amazing alma mater."

The Litster’s annual investment will accelerate the development of Opportunity Scholars by expanding mentoring opportunities for students and empowering each college to pursue goals that meet its students’ specific needs.

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Hisao ’88 and Karen Kushi ’88 Offer Career and Life Advice and Reflect on their Time as Undergrads HISAO ’88 AND KAREN BEAUDOIN KUSHI ’88 HADN'T VISITED UMASS AMHERST SINCE GRADUATION. But on a breezy, spring day, they found themselves back on campus, sipping coffee outside People’s Café on the first floor of the Campus Center and marveling at how much the campus has changed.

Though it had been a while since their last visit, the two are no strangers to the university; through the years, the couple has been actively involved with UMass Amherst, even generously establishing the Opportunity Scholars Endowed Fund to help support first semester HFA students from underrepresented populations or firstgeneration college students.

COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

LEFT: Hisao '88 and Karen Kushi '88 on vacation; RIGHT Hisao '88

Hisao, who majored in English, is the current co-founder and chief legal officer for Ernesta, a new direct-to-consumer rug company, though he is best known as the co-founder and former chief legal officer for Peloton, the popular technology-based home fitness company with which he spent 10 years.

He and Karen found themselves back at UMass Amherst so Hisao could serve as a judge for the 2023 Innovation Challenge competition hosted by the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship. The competition awards an aspiring student or recent graduate entrepreneur with up to $65,000 in equity-free funding to support their business idea.

Because of his experience, Hisao was a natural fit to judge the competition. After attending law school at Boston College, he spent the next 20 years mostly as in-house counsel and general counsel for a number of interactive and internet technology companies.

In 2011, his skills were tapped by a friend, John Foley—Peloton's co-founder and former CEO—who envisioned bringing a boutique fitness experience into people's homes.

By April 2022, the company had become a household name and was valued at around $8 billion.

“The funny thing is I never thought I would be in business,” Hisao said.

Hisao, who left Peloton in fall 2022, is now entering the next phase of his career at Ernesta, the soon-to-be-launched online store offering custom sized, thoughtfully curated rugs for consumers.

Though this wasn’t Hisao’s initial plan after he left Peloton (he had been hoping to take a break), he says he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with an incredible team, including his longtime friend and Peloton business partner Foley.

“If you want to be successful in business, the most important thing is the people,” Hisao said. “You have to be working hard, for sure. But you need good people around you, people who understand how to treat each other well with kindness, respect, ethics. I believe you pick up those skills more through the humanities than you do through any other program.”

Hisao says his English major equipped him with key critical thinking and writing skills, important traits in any career.

“When you’re at a big university, limiting yourself to a trade education is selling yourself short, selling your opportunity short,” Hisao said. “It’s much more important to be able to read, understand human nature, get along with people, understand context. It’s critical.”

CONTINUE READING

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New Funds Established in 2022–2023 ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM DESIGNING OPPORTUNITY FUND This fund directly supports architecture students who wish to be involved in an activity or event that will enhance their learning through engagement, innovation, or research. The Designing Opportunity Fund helps students participate in site visits, field trips, and conferences, and supports research activities and scholarships to offset the costs of a college education.

Coming Home: Alumni Share Career Advice with Students During Homecoming in fall 2022, several UMass Amherst HFA alumni returned to campus to network with students by providing invaluable networking opportunities and career advice.

Special thank you to our featured alumni panelists: Laura Bailey ‘03, Theater and English Mai Cortes ‘93, French Esther Cuesta Santana ‘02, ’09MA, ’15PhD, Comparative Literature Peter Howard ‘80, Comparative Literature Alex Karis ’97, Art Bob LaRussa ’76, History Sarah Oh ‘15, History of Art and Architecture Michael Partridge ‘92, English Jill Roberts ‘83, History of Art & Architecture Diana Santiago ‘00, Legal Studies Christina Gantcher ‘94, Comparative Literature

CONGREGATION B'NAI ISRAEL CONTEMPORARY HOLOCAUST TOPICS ENDOWED FUND The Congregation B'Nai Israel Contemporary Holocaust Topics Endowed Fund provides support for an annual event that examines the legacy of the World War II Holocaust and its impact upon modern, topical issues. The annual event is planned and hosted by the Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies.

DAVID LENSON FELLOWSHIP The David Lenson Fellowship has been established in honor of our colleague, mentor, and friend Professor David Lenson.

Lenson directed the comparative literature program, served as president of the Massachusetts Society of Professors, and executive director of the Massachusetts Review. For over four decades, he was a teacher and advisor to generations of students in comparative literature.

ELLSBERG INITIATIVE FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY The mission of the Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy is to promote public awareness, scholarship, and activism on the overlapping causes that define Ellsberg’s life and legacy—peace, government accountability, democratic and human rights, nuclear disarmament, and social and environmental justice.

HFA STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND The HFA Student Emergency Fund provides expendable resources to alleviate immediate and unpredictable needs that would preclude a student from completing a semester.

MERRY AND DANIEL GLOSBAND VISITING WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE The purpose of the gift is to support an annual residency for a visiting writer. The residency will rotate between a poet and prose-writer.

The writer-in-residence will provide a public reading as well as a series of craft talks and workshops for graduate students.

PRISON EDUCATION INITIATIVE The UMass Prison Education Initiative (PEI) offers tuition-free UMass courses inside local jails, including “inside-out” courses that enroll UMass students and incarcerated students.

The PEI also works to clear pathways for formerly incarcerated students to continue their education at UMass or in a community college setting and provides research, teaching, and community engagement opportunities for faculty and students interested in social justice and education.

ROBERT W. JOYCE ENDOWED FUND FOR HISTORY STUDENTS This fund was established to provide support for undergraduate or graduate history students in the form of scholarships, support for internships, or travel assistance to pursue opportunities in their area of scholarly interest. Recipients must be in good academic standing and have documented financial need.

ROBERT D. AND PAMELA M. JACOBS FACULTY EXCELLENCE FUND Established by Pamela M. Jacobs ’69 and Robert D. Jacobs ’68, this fund supports the recruitment and retention of faculty in the Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies or faculty who are working on research in a related field, such as history.

WIND ENSEMBLE FUND The Wind Ensemble fund was created to support a trip for the musical group to perform at La Casa de Musica in Quito, Ecuador in January 2024 to collaborate with professional band La Banda Sinfonica Metropolitana de Quito. The Wind Ensemble will travel for a concert collaboration and recording project between January 21–29, 2024.

JEFF POULTON AND SUZANNE JESSEE DRUM MAJOR SCHOLARSHIP The Jeff Poulton and Suzanne Jessee Drum Major Scholarship is awarded to a drum major or drum majors in the Minuteman Marching Band at the university. The recipient(s) may only receive the scholarship once.

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COLLEGE of HUMANITIES and FINE ARTS | 2022– 2023 REPORT

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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID AMHERST MA PERMIT NO. 2

South College 150 Hicks Way University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003-9274 umass.edu/hfa

ABOVE: Dance students at the Scheherazade ballet performance in fall 2022.

FRONT COVER: A student performing during the spring 2023 show, Into the Woods. Photo by Derek Fowles.

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